Carey's LAST Build- 125g Reef

[hackteck]

my kole spends most of his time picking algae off the rocks and glass i got an algae clip so i can give him some nori sheets and he eats mysis shrimp like the rest of my fish overall a very healthy and active fish so far

 

[Gti_Leo]

it came out of the rocks very cute

 

[leftyfish]

She is so cute

 

[carey]

Thanks guys.

I plan on moving some stuff over in the next few days, I'm still trying to get it all done by Saturday. We'll see lol

Still ammonia free!

 

[Ibrahim]

I'm having trouble finding a way to transport a 90G I'm trying to buy. Do you guys mind chiming in some advice. It's in the getting started section. Btw loving the new corals you have.

 

[PistolPete]

Carey this is tank is awesome sauce already! I too think the star is pretty cool

 

[mstrblstr33]

I know I am chiming in late on the whole reef safe star situation, and I am still quite the newb here, but I was told by a few people that any star with bumps is not reef safe. Like I said, I'm still a newb to this, just wanted to throw my .02 in. Hope the star works out though. Great pics though.

 

[carey]

Thanks guys. I love hearing what other people have to say, keeps me on the straight and narrow. lol

The starfish went and hid behind the skimmer last night and this morning he is out and about on the glass.

I also read that knobby stars dob't immediately eat corals, it more of an adult starfish thing to do. So either way I think I'm safe for now.

Did my first water change last night, that was fun! NOT! so much more to pay attention to, I still don't have the water level right. hehe...I'll do it better when the new overflow arrives Friday. Aquacave rocks with their shipping. Shipped same day i ordered! woot!

 

[kurtyboh]

To me it looks like the thorny. Although it is more difficult to tell from photos than in person.

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

Red thorny starfish - Michigan Reefers

Just some people who have had the thorny star

 

[carey]

So todays mission was to buy stuff for the tanks. LOL I wanted an ORA mandarin, none in stock. Wanted sexy shrimp, none in stock. wanted pom poms, none in stock. :-(

BUT I did get 6 new corals.

I got a favia and colt coral for the 125g, nice sized specimens.
I also got for the pico, zenia, a mushroom, kenya tree and a zooa rock.

Not bad for today, kinda wanted some fish but I guess I'll just wait. hehe

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

Pics???

I'd return the kenya tree, once happy they drop arms like crazy and will very quickly take over your pico, or any tank haha. The xenia is fine but should be kept isolated to one rock because it will also grow quickly and can take over tanks.

 

[carey]

Yeah, I heard about the kenya tree but it's so very tiny now lol. I also know about the xenia, grows like a weed in the 55g. I paid $8 for each so it was a good investment I think

here's the favia and the colt i got today. I have them in the 125g already, didn't feel like moving it twice.

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

seriously though, mini maxi and porcelain!

 

[carey]

In the 125g? Won't they get lost in there? lol Maybe the crabs I saw weren't porcelain....they were itty bitty.

I just re tested the water and came up with 0 across the board again. Do you think I can start moving over the 55g? I hate the fish in there with no rock really, I feel bad...

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

In the 125g? Won't they get lost in there? lol Maybe the crabs I saw weren't porcelain....they were itty bitty.

I just re tested the water and came up with 0 across the board again. Do you think I can start moving over the 55g? I hate the fish in there with no rock really, I feel bad...

I commented on my pico thread, they are usually similar in size to the emerald crabs I think, the one I just got is pretty tiny though. They would stay in the mini maxi anemone though and live there, therefore won't get lost . Clowns won't bother the crab either since they don't like the mini maxis.

I'd move two or three fish over, I think it's safe.

 

[carey]

Hmm 2 or 3 fish huh? I only have 5 in total LOL.

I think I will move over some later, maybe the clowns, they have been swimming in one place near the sand since I took all the rock out. They are gonna be so lost in this tank.

And on another note, the Tang has finally mellowed out and I can go right up to the tank usually and she just keeps swimming. And it's right about the 6 foot tank, this fish is constantly back and forth, she'd be bummed in a 4 foot tank i bet.

So excited! This tank is gonna start looking like a reef soon!

Gonna see if they still have the nems when I go back probably next week. The guy at the lfs said the min maxi's dont move around alot so maybe i can have my nem now. I think I have the light but it's a new tank...it's not recommended to put a nem in a new tank...or so I've been telling people! LOL

 

[mr_X]

i think the two starfish mentioned are actually the same starfish. i also think that pet/fish stores don't even pay attention to reef safe/non-reef safe, they just look for good deals on colorful fish on stock lists. i don't believe a store would just not carry a species because it's not reef safe. i think that was a lie.
there is a popular store around here that actually had a crown of thorns starfish for sale at one time.
well, if you can imagine purchasing a tiny coral frag of an exotic coral....perhaps something from australia, and it grows like crazy until you have about a thousand dollar colony thriving in your system, and then you wake up one morning and it's completely gone (except for the skeleton of course), if you can try to think really really hard about how that would make you feel, you'll have some idea of what it's like to have a coral eater in the tank!
a similar thing happened to me with a watermelon chalice.

i too agree that you should get rid of the kenya tree immediately. it's a mistake that will end up haunting you. the favia is a lower light coral and if you find it losing some color, drop it down to the sand bed.

 

[carey]

I was waiting for you to chime in X, I was gonna send you a PM to ask about the starfish.
I can appreciate the gravity of the potential hazard, really, heck, I returned that sand perch lickety split.
As far as it being the same star fish, I will have to disagree. It seems very clear from research and other peoples experiences that it is in fact, two separate star fish.

The little kenya tree that cost $7? It's so nice and tiny now...how does it reproduce? By limbs falling off?

I'll for sure keep an eye on the favia, they had it higher up in their tank at the store so I wanted to replicate the light that it was used to, but if it shows any sign of bleaching down it will go.

Thanks very much X.

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

Gonna see if they still have the nems when I go back probably next week. The guy at the lfs said the min maxi's dont move around alot so maybe i can have my nem now. I think I have the light but it's a new tank...it's not recommended to put a nem in a new tank...or so I've been telling people! LOL

Newish tank lol, everything put in it is pretty old (kinda). I just put my anemone in my new pico so I hope it does well They are an easy to keep and hardy anemone apparently so I think it would do fine.