Rick's 1st SW Tank - 125G Build

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Yeah i did a 50% PWC. Ammonia was at 2ppm. Put in a couple capfulls. Will wait an hour and see how it goes.
 
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So after getting to about 3-4ppm ammonia yesterday, i tested today and levels are down to .5ppm. trites are at 1ppm, trates @ 10ppm. Will wait another few days to get ammonia down and then dose back up to 4ppm.

On a side note, is it common to have the water in the tank be yellow/greenish while you're cycling/curing rock?
 
curing rock, yes

(I know it's a bit late for a response... just thought I'd chime in (y))
 
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Haven't updated in ages....been too busy I guess.

Finished building my canopy and ended up getting an 8 bulb t5 fixture. I ended up going with a 48" fixture instead of a proper 60" for my tank. I didn't like the 60" bulb selection at all. That and the 48" fixture was nearly half that of the 60".

My sump tank ended up cracking x-mas day. Found out I made the baffles just a tad bit wider than the tank. It was such a snug fit i probably could have done without silicone. After I noticed a small crack on xmas i bought a new 40G breeder and sanded down the baffles so no pressure was on the glass.

I've been adding corals slowly but surely since getting the lights set up. I'll need to start dosing soon. Debating on Kalk or maybe a 2part. Not sure which route i want to go.


Enough rambling...here's a couple updated pics so far:

FTS:
img_1740207_0_1b011a4e639479f24f6fcd92aac3bd15.jpg


Another shot:
img_1740207_1_2ec1bfca8a78cdf9a9aa17138f0be152.jpg


So far, I've got the following in my tank:
Yellow Tang
Yellow Eyed Kole Tang
Flame Angel
3 Blue Green Chromis
Purple Dottyback
Starry Blenny
Paired Pink Spotted Watchman Goby & Pistol Shrimp
Blue Dot Goby
Chalk Basslet
Blue Crocea Clam
Assorted shrimps/CUC
Corals

To round out the tank/ future fish:
2 Designer Clowns (Next Week)
Fathead Sunburst Anthias
Purple Tang (If bioload permits)
 
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really like your aquascaping wish mine turned out like that ;)

really nice looking tank!!!!
 
Thanks! A drill bit, hammer, and a saw can do wonders! Don't be afraid to have at it. I'm liking the middle of the tank. The sides are still a work in progress.
 
Looks good Rick. It doesn't look super noticeable with the shorter fixture either. Lots or room for corals!
 
Thanks Doug. I would have liked to get the 5' fixture...but it just wasn't in the cards.

Want to do an acro next. Hopefully i can get somethign in blue.
 
What about a 6' fixture? 2 rows of 39 watters, or even 2 three foot fixtures.
Millepora is my favorite sps I think. Nice and furry.
 
I thought about the 6' fixture...but then i couldn't have fit it into my canopy. I didn't want to have overhang on it. I figure i'll upgrade it to a few LED fixtures when I upgrade the tank in the forseeable future. Really want a 250g+ tank.

Good call on the millepora. I pulled it up. I'm digging the scales on the branches even after the polyps have retracted.
 
Found my biggest emerald crab munching on my cleaner shrimp last night. He was eating my fire shrimp this morning. I ended up putting the emerald in my fuge. Starting to wonder why i ever bother getting emeralds anymore.
 
I've never witnessed any behavior like that out of emerald crabs. Not saying it didn't catch and kill 2 creatures that are 100 times faster than it, but do you think there's any possibility the shrimp died from something else?
 
I thought perhaps somethign was wrong with my water. Checked everything and nothing is out of the ordinary. This also happened over the course of a week and half or so.

I actually saw the cleaner shrimp move insta a small cove. The emerald went in as well. A few minutes later, the shrimp was in pieces, and in the emerald's mouth.

This started to happen after the emerald molted recently. After it came out for food, it was pretty large...far larger than most emeralds I've seen. I wonder if the increase in size and age made it more hostile/territorial.
 
I have noticed that out of a group of emeralds, one grows large. The rest stay the same size, and then the large one kills all the small ones. I have never seen one go after something else though.
 
I have noticed that out of a group of emeralds, one grows large. The rest stay the same size, and then the large one kills all the small ones. I have never seen one go after something else though.

Same. Interestingly enough, the emerald that ate the cleaner was the only emerald in my tank up until a day before he ate him. Perhaps adding the other 2 small emeralds changed the large emerald's behavior.

Either way, something is definitely wrong. I left the smallest emerald in the DT. I just saw my flame angel's lower half "stuck" in the rockwork. I released him using a pipette, only to see the small emerald in the same crevice. The flame is hiding atm. Hopefully the damage isn't that bad. Once i find the last emerald, it's going in the fuge as well.
 
Inspected the flame. Nothing wrong. There were no bite marks, scratch marks, or fin injuries. He ate just fine during feeding. Maybe it's just a coincidence though it's a bit strange.
 
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