Tim's 54 Gallon Corner -> Going Reef

[TLTGF]

Update:

Haven't changed the feeding at this point. Still just a cube of homemade every two to three days.

My 54 has been an uphill battle at every turn and the more things that I change the more I realize that I've set myself up for failure from the beginning. I had no plan or understanding during start-up and now I'm paying for it.

Today, I finally gave in on a losing battle for my enormous Monti plate. My plate grew so large that it was overshadowing my whole tank. I had fragged four 5-6" pieces off the plate. I figured being 18" across and 12" wide that it'd be fine. Since then the plate has slowly bleached out and started to rot. Today, I had to move the plate in order to remove a rock from the rear of the tank. In doing so the plate crumbled at my gentle touch. I knew it was time to go, and sadly, I removed the wasted coral.

I removed the rock in the back, but not before nearly having a catastrophic rockslide. It was then I realized that my original aquascape has been the cause of nearly all of my issues: water flow, detritus buildup, coral shadowing, fish swim patterns, coral placement availability, etc.

While removing the rock, I uncovered another rock with an orange sponge around 8-10 inches around and two inches deep. Very cool, living in utter darkness.

I removed the large rock, and rearranged the small rock giving me enough space to add a Koralia 750 facing toward the bottom middle of the front of the tank. I'm hoping the extra gph will help with the sandbed nasties. Preliminary results were sub-par.

The removed rock was transferred into the Mantis tank.

During the removal if the plate, and trying to stabilize the structure the birdsnest (around 16") fell and fragged about 6 pieces. The bottom 4-6" of the birdsnest is completely dead since the top portion doesn't allow light down to it.

In all reality the BN needs to be relocated. It has nowhere to grow up so its flattening out and starting to shadow the other corals. It's also dying inside. I'm half temped to frag it into 30 pcs, and sell it the the LFS.

At one point today, I nearly posted my tank on Craigslist and just let it go. I've got so much invested, time, sweat, money that I hate to see it go. I didn't post it and I'm thinking of an upgrade to a 90 or so so that I can re-scape and redo everything now that I understand what I want and need. The 54 is just a pain for everything.

I'm done ranting. Here's some pics of the accidental frags and some life that popped out tonight.

 

[TLTGF]

A thirteen hour power outage last night wreaked havoc on my 54. The other tanks faired better. I just went home about 20 minutes ago to check out the scene. I put the glass lid on and wrapped a towel, but temps were as low as 72 degrees. I used a whisk every hour, all night, to keep oxygen flowing.

My large birds nest is toast, the drop in water level from draining into sump took out about an inch across the top. The rest is not doing well.

The hammer, trumpet, hairy mushrooms, and elegance were shriveled to almost nothing.

The clam was barely open, but looked okay.

The clowns and blood shrimp were alive and out. The serpent star was out too.

Purple firefish, lemon damsel are MIA.

Skunk cleaner died. He was my buddy, had since the start - that one sucks. My Purple FF is one of my fav's too.

I'm still looking at the bright side and understand it could've been much worse.

Living in a 2nd floor apartment doesn't leave many options for generators.

 

[Sniperhank]

Sorry to hear that man. I had major coral losses the last time I had a power outage too. I hope things come out for the better. I'm sure the LPS and softies will come back. I have a purple na na that I thought had died, but it had an extremely small amount of tissue left on it. It is currently still slowly coming back. If there is still tissue there is still hope!

 

[Hondatek]

Sorry to hear that Tim. Hopefully things will spring back to life in a few days.

 

[Ausfish]

Really Sorry to hear about all the trouble you're having! Sucks to lose most your tank..


Time to go 180 with backup power ey??

 

[Mrehfeld]

How terrible, any updates?

 

[TLTGF]

Better than I'd hoped for. The tank lost two long-time patrons: cleaner shrimp, and purple firefish. The birdsnest is about half gone, and everything else is back at 100%.

 

[Sniperhank]

Where are you going from here?

 

[TLTGF]

I've been tossing around the idea of an upgrade to a 90 gallon. I have three major cons: 1) I live in a 2nd story 1950's apartment, and the only real wall to use is an internal wall. I would be crossing perpendicular to the joists, but still. 2) I like the way my 54 gallon sits - fits perfectly in its space, and it is pretty much on cruise control. 3) For the last (2) years to the month I have been on a debt-free journey. This hobby I started at exactly the wrong time, and I've spent a LOT of money that could've helped tremedously with the debt payoff plan. Today, actually marks the day I have paid $25,000 of the $75000 goal. Huge milestone, but long story short, unless I can get a killer deal on a basically running setup, I think I'm just going to relax for a while.

I am planning to add a RBTA for my clowns, as the giant duncans I had died away from my alk issues. I bought a small GBTA and they love it but it's only 2" and it is silly to watch them try rubbing in it all day. Other than that, I was thinking about adding another fish or two, but even then, I'm waiting until the Mantis tank is done, so I can use the 10 gallon for the QT again.

I'm most likely going to remove, or trade in the remaining viable birdsnest, and try to find something else to top my tank. Something shorter than a volleyball.

 

[Sniperhank]

That is what I say about my bird's nest. It is a massive softball up there. It is nice though. I want to upgrade as well, just can't find the right deal. Several months there is either a raise or a promotion in my sights, so that'll help things along. I want to buy a house before the upgrade. Still excited about your mantis tank, it is pretty cool.

 

[TLTGF]

Seems like you and I are in about the same place. Lots of growth at my place too with opportunites arising. Really want to get into a house too, but for me if I can be debt-free by 33, and then save and pay cash for a house in 2 years, I like that idea too. It's hard to say.

I could go crazy, buy a 90 gallon, fill it with the 54 contents, the extra rock from Mantis build, the BC 29 reef, and the mantis setup and have a massive biotope with everything coexisting. Then sell off the 54, BC, and 40 breeder to pay to stock it and for the other radion... or not.

 

[Sniperhank]

Lol. Yeah, I'm currently debt free. Finished the last payment on my car here...3 months ago I think. There is a guy south east of me who makes tanks from acrylic. He'll make me a 120, 48x24x24, for less than 500. I want to do it badly. But currently, the flooring in my house was destroyed by wood borrowing beetles before I was born into this world. It holds the 55's world, but I don't want to push it with that kind of weight. I'm planning it big too...vortechs will power the 120 to go in tandum with my radions...oh it gives me goosebumps! Lol.

 

[Ausfish]

First thing I did when I got a tank was get home insurance that covers flooding from aquariums.
Just food for thought

 

[TLTGF]

Made a special stop at Preuss Pets in Lansing. They had "Top shelf" aqua cultured RBTA's like I've never seen. Paid an ungodly price, but it is literally glow in the dark. Even with the blue from lights you can see how amazing the color is.

 

[Sniperhank]

Wowwwwwwwwwwwwww

 

[NarwhalLover3]

Beautiful!

 

[TLTGF]

It's hard to adjust the blue out of a radion, but maybe I'll take one with the lights off in the morning with just the sunlight. It has a bluish disc and the tentacles look, all kidding aside, like a mixture of a pink and orange fluorescent highlighter. With the light completely dark in the small cooler that I was acclimating, I could see it clear as day.

Here's hoping that the clown's like it. So far, nothing...

 

[Sniperhank]

Besides AM, I don't have a blue look in my tank from my radions. I'm using Jonathan's schedule and like it.

In relation to your clowns, print a picture out of clowns using an anemone. Remember, tank bred clowns might never have seen an anemone before and don't know what to do with one. I've read it helps them out.

 

[rob_mango]

Very nice tim very nice.... love those things need to get better lights on my 29 bc so I can have one....

 

[TLTGF]

Besides AM, I don't have a blue look in my tank from my radions. I'm using Jonathan's schedule and like it.

In relation to your clowns, print a picture out of clowns using an anemone. Remember, tank bred clowns might never have seen an anemone before and don't know what to do with one. I've read it helps them out.

My lights don't look blue at all until I take a picture. :?

As far as hosting, my clowns 1st had their huge Duncan's which melted away, then I bought them a small green BTA and they hosted that immediately. It was just too small.

When I just got home from lunch I found them sleeping in it. Success!