Eb0la11's 165G Reef Tank Build

[kien]

Originally Posted by Eb0la11

So what percentage of your entire system water do you change? I have about 185G in my entire system (including the sump)

Is it the same as FW and change about 10-15% every week or 20-25% every two weeks?

Ya, I do somewhere in the neighbourhood of 10% a week or 20 every two weeks.

K.

[Eb0la11]

So it looks like my green algae problem is subsiding and things are starting to look good. I dont think my hair algae will last long. My lawnmower blenny seems to love it and clowns are even nipping at it.

When do you guys think I am safe-ish to add some more expensive fish? Im 2.5 weeks past my cycle and the livestock in my tank is doing very well.

2x Clowns
1x Lawnmower Blenny
2x brittle stars
2x nassarius snales
4x BL hermits
2x Pep shrimp

[Eb0la11]

So we had the power cut for about 3+ hours yesterday and my tank drained to its lowest point in the DT all into the sump and...... good news - it didnt overflow!

That was good to see.

I havent had many updates lately because things are moreless going quite well. We are getting some nice coraline algae growth on the rocks that didnt have any and our algae is slowly going down. Theres still a pretty thick patch of it that we could get rid of manually, but we feel its slowly getting eaten - especially now with our sea hare that we'll keep until its all gone.

I think we're going to be getting a dwarf golden moray eel on the 4th to add to the tank! Im pretty excited. Also gonna add some more live rock to up the rock work this weekend. Ive been curing some stuff for about a month now and I think it should be good to go, anyone object to this timeline Ive given it? It was 6 month dried out LR from an old system that I was curing and Ive done three 100% water changes on it during this time as well.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Eb0la11

When do you guys think I am safe-ish to add some more expensive fish? Im 2.5 weeks past my cycle and the livestock in my tank is doing very well.

Imo, tanks mature much nicer and trouble free if you add fish very slowly. This gives time for the nitrifying bacteria to balance out with the fish load. You will find that if you leave your tank alone and don't add anything for 4-8 weeks (at any point in your tank's life) that often you will notice the tank kind of relaxes into a nice balance. Really helps with algae issues.

However, if you're the type that's in a hurry and you want to push it, you can add a couple fish per month. Once your cycle is over it isn't any more risky to add the first fish as it is to add the last fish. You should decide your stocking order based on aggressiveness, not price.

[Eb0la11]

Thanks Myka, dont worry, Im not a pushy type. I know this hobby is about taking your time to let things grow, develop and balance.

I have only been adding 1-2 things to my tank once a week. Its a pretty big tank at 165G so I think that I'll be safe. Also been doing 20% water changes weekly to start.

[Eb0la11]

Ok so Im going to try to get some pictures in the next little while, since Ive made some solid progress with my tank and Id love to show you guys.

Ive still got some algae growth but it seems like its slowly going away, but we'll see. Ive bought a sea hare to help with it in the meantime.

Ok so on to the updates!

1.) Lately Ive been hearing a clicking noise coming from the tank. I know, I know, thats a tell-tale sound a mantis shrimp makes. So Im wondering, wondering a couple things about it. First off, what kind of "click" does it make? To me it sounds like smacking two marbles together. Second, I dont understand why I havent heard it the first month I have had my tank running with the live rock in it that I bought? Is it possible it was dormant-ish (assuming it is a mantis) for a whole month? I havent added anything since my initial setup where it could have hitch hiked.

2.) We bought a golden dwarf morray eel this weekend. He is fricken awesome. I assume hes close to full grown because Id say he's right near 1 foot long and he is actually the coolest thing ever. Havent seen him eat just yet but he is definitely interested in eating as he pokes out when food is around.

3.) We also added a tang but Im not really sure what kind. Colby at Elite said it was a "Tamimi Tang" but I cant find any information on it. Anyone know what it might be that sounds similar to that? Its greyish with orange dorsal and anal fin. Its tail fin is white with a blueish tinge.

[xtreme]

It could also be a pistol shrimp you are hearing. They make a clicking noise.

Here is some info on your new tang.

[Eb0la11]

Could it be my peppermint? I am not sure, but I was sold a shrimp labelled peppermint. Are they the same thing? I was going to ask if it was potentially that. I think it most likely is, cause other than the clicking I see no evidence of a mantis.

[BlueAbyss]

Could your tang be a Tomini tang?

[kien]

Peppermint shrimp don't click or snap or bang anything. I doubt it is the peppermint. You could have a mantis in your tank for years and never see it. They can hide deep in rocks and only come out at night. The hitchhiking variety of mantis are usually army green and are quite camouflaged. The last time I had a mantis he was in there for months, like 9 months or so. I did see him (ever) until I worked on my 150g aquascaping this past august and left one rock out for too long. It just happened to be the rock
he was hiding in and he jumped out of the rock and onto my shoe. Scared the bajeesus out of me :-)