Carey's LAST Build- 125g Reef

[carey]

Thanks. I'm thinking of getting 3 females to go with this male anthias. The females will be yellow but I think it would look great.

On good notes, my tangs have finally calmed down and my skimmer is actually finally producing some gunk. yay! I also hooked up my remora on the sump just in case I need more skimming. So far so good. Parameters are still all at 0 though. Any idea how long it takes to build up nitrates in a 125g tank?

 

[mr_X]

it sounds like you are overstocking your tank to me. 3 tangs and 4 anthias, along with whatever else you have is too much IMO.

 

[carey]

Think the anthias will be too much? I was gonna go with green blue chromis instead but I'm just so in love with the new anthias. LOL

i've also decided against the four tangs, the 3 I have now are good.

I could always keep the male squareback as my centerpiece fish.

Not that it's a valid opinion, but the lfs i was at the other day told me I could keep 30 fish in a 125g. LOL he suggested a school of bartlett anthias and the chromis, like 10 of them. hehe.....I kinda figured he was overstocking..

 

[mr_X]

chromis are boring IMO. a waste of bio load. there are so many more colorful and interesting fish i'd rather have. even a blue reef chromis is a nicer looking fish.
those anthias will get to about 4" and a 125 is not a huge tank. along with 3 tangs which aren't the lowest bio load fish you could have added, it's too much.
sure, you could keep 30 green clown gobies in a 125, but not 30 look down fish. that LFS is giving bad advice to make sales. either that, or they are just plain ignorant.

 

[carey]

I initailly wnated the blue reef chromis but I've been hearing that they aren't the easisest fish to keep and that they die really easy. Some sites online don't even have a live arrival guarantee on them. :-(

i would much rather have someof the caribbean chromis then. Unless of course there is a reason I shouldnt .

And the lfs wasnt actually trying to sell me the fish, they know I go to anothe lfs usually. The only thing I've ever gotten from this place were my b&w clowns and a new green clown goby for my pico. This particular lfs also advocates NSW for water supply. They get it themselves and have been pyushing it on me every time I go in. part of the reason I dont go there much. lol

I know the tangs are huge as far as bio load but I did get the 125g so I could have some. )

 

[Dylan5359]

Some quick shots of my squareback anthias. The pictures do not do the colors justice.

Beautiful fish! (I still think the tank would of been cooler with like 200 barnacles and 200 barnacle blennys...)

 

[mr_X]

you'll see that the blue/green chromis are similar. they will die off for no apparent reason and you might be left with one. i didn't have a hard time with the reef chromis i kept. i don't know why they say they are hard to keep.
why do they say collected sea water is better than the other? i wonder how long it stays in bins until you buy it. don't forget that calcium precipitates out. it's just a matter of time.
i would keep 3 tangs in a 125, but not until they were full grown.

 

[carey]

Oh I don't believe in using direct from the ocean sea water, too many variables. lol

I think I may go back to my original idea of the reef chromis. Real colorful fish and they look like they would school if i had enough.

Thanks for the input Mr. X.

 

[huma-huma]

Carey, wow is all I can say!! I and some odd pages to a build that's not even that old...I read 30 but started getting sick lol. Absolutely amazing build! Hope all is still well with the tank (structurally speaking)... Watch out for my 125g salt build coming now! Found an offer I couldn't pass up

 

[carey]

Thanks!
I'll be watching. i always watch the new builds, saves me from doing them myself LOL

125g i've found to be the perfect tank. Just the right size, not that I'm not considering a 220g for my future upgrade but 125g is a nice place to be at. You have a whole door of new opportunities with different fish and corals.

Good luck!

 

[Gti_Leo]

i like the standard 180gs

they have the same length and 2 inches taller then the 125 but they are 6 inches wider, so aqua scaping is great and lots of room for fish to turn and play.

last time i went to my LFS i saw a 125 predrilled with dual overflows and was temped to buy it, but i restrained myself

 

[carey]

LOL. I would def like a 24 inch wide tank, that would be awesome!

For anyone who wants to know how filter socks come out after using a steam heavy duty washing machine cycle, I'll let you know. Just threw them in, has almost 2 hours to go.

Also figured out that the round filter socks don't fir exactly righ in the eshopps refugium mount. :-( I have one in there for now just seeing if it will hold up. The rectangular socks are pricey and only come in felt not mesh so they clog up all the faster.

 

[Gti_Leo]

that sucks, i wish there was a way to modify it for round socks.

on a side note, today i just bought some KZ lamps for my 4 lamp fixture, i got two super blue, one figi purple and 1 new generation coral lights, and let me tell you, they look awesome, its a really nice blue with a slight purplish tinge to it. and from what i've read after some googleing is they produce 25-30% higher PAR then ATI or gmanns.

 

[huma-huma]

I'm sorry if I'm repeating a question carey but how's the light fixture working for ya?? Could you possibly suggest some beginner salt fish for me?? Wanna start off easy and work my way up

 

[carey]

I'm gonna get a few round socks and a few of the rectangular ones. Just to be safe.
I was looking at the KZ's but I couldn't find a color combo I'm interested in. I'm still debating the ATI's for this week.

I want to replace the whites first, the tank does have a yellowish tinge to it and I prefer a bluer tank.
So the plan is for 6 aquablue specials now, then maybe in a few weeks get the two true blues and 4 of the actinics. Sound like a plan?

 

[carey]

I'm sorry if I'm repeating a question carey but how's the light fixture working for ya?? Could you possibly suggest some beginner salt fish for me?? Wanna start off easy and work my way up

It all depends on what you like. And what fish you already are getting in the new tank. Gotta make sure they are combatible. i alwasy recommend gobies, blennies and clowns.can't go wrong with those guys.
For your bigger fish, well, now thats up to what you want as far as size, color and tempermeant.

 

[Gti_Leo]

also if you want to go reef or FOWLR

 

[carey]

I did the washing machine thing for the filter socks and they appear cleaner. Def not the white they were but I will find out in a few days if it works.

Another great suggestion from this forum. Excellent.

I've been going back and forth with stocking, the only thing I've ruled out is the additional tang and the school of anthias. After alot of research I think 4 anthias will be too much as Mr. X said earlier.

I'm thinking a school of blue reef chromis now. The regular blue/green ones are a bit boring I guess. After the chromis it's just a matter of adding stuff I like. Nothing too big or anything like that. Unless I see a purple filefish, then I will be adding that.

Still toying with putting another goby and a midas blenny in the tank. I'm back on small fish now. LOL I'm still against an anenome but I'm open to most anything else coral wise.

 

[Space lord]

Carey what's a purple filefish look like?

 

[carey]

Heres the one I want. Still researching.....lol

Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Purple Tilefish