[plecosword]

ITs nice!

[cappy290]

That tank is coming along very nice. I wanted to buy a foxface and my lfs told me is was not good in a reef tank? is this true or not? well let me know how u make out with yours, b/c i really like these fish. Keep up the good work

[aquasalt]

Originally Posted by cappy290

That tank is coming along very nice. I wanted to buy a foxface and my lfs told me is was not good in a reef tank? is this true or not? well let me know how u make out with yours, b/c i really like these fish. Keep up the good work

Foxfaces are reef safe.

[Bamaguy]

I've heard mixed things about Foxfaces and Flame Angels but so far mine have been model citizens. The Foxface is still skittish and hides alot which is kind of annoying since he's my biggest fish but come feeding time he is front and center. Thanks for the responses! My stocklist so far:
Blackspot Foxface
(2) Percula Clowns
(2) Firefish
Dragon Goby
Flame Angel
(2) Peppermint Shrimp
(2) Turbo Snails and (2) Astrina(?) Snails

Last 2 Additions:
Hippo Tang or Purple Tang
Melanorus Wrasse

Overall I am more of a fish guy and only plan to have Zoa's, Softies and Mushrooms in the tank.
My idea for corals is to cover the top in Colt and Xenia and Leather Corals, The middle areas with Zoa/Ricordia type coverage and the bottom for various Mushrooms. All basic and easy to keep but with enough color variations to make it cool looking.

[dfurbee]

Matt,
Sound like it will be a nice tank.

[Bamaguy]

Originally Posted by aquasalt

I've been enjoying reading your thread, especially since I have a 90 also. It's been a great frame of reference!

Is the fan effective in controlling the temperature? Have you tried placing it more above the return section? How is the salt spray? Have you noticed any humidity issues since lacing the fan? Forgive all my questions.

I will have to defer to someone more experience on the coral questions, but I will say that everything is looking real good so far.

One more question, intended more as a word of caution, are you concerned about increasing the bio-load too quickly? are you quarantining?

Thanks and keep the pictures coming!

Before adding the clip on fan, I was using a large floor fan in the front of the tank. It was causing alot of evaporation (2-4 gallons every two or three days) so this fan by comparison isn't lowering the temp as much but also isn't causing as much evaporation. Tank is still staying around 78.5 degrees and was around 77.7 with the floorfan. Saltspray is on my sump but not getting out too much.
So far I have increased the bioload by one to three (The 3rd fish was the dragongoby with the CUC) fish a week. I currently am holding off for a about a month before adding anymore fish. My LFS is really good and they even have dates of aquistition on their price tags and hold fish for two weeks before selling to the public. Otherwise I would've been more likely to quarantine. Over the next month I plan to not buy anything else and to set up a quarantine tank. My next fish will be a Tang which are notorious with Ich so I plan to quarantine him first to be extra safe. I did probably rush it a little bit and wouldn't recommend doing so. It was so dang fun going every Friday to the fish store but I've calmed down and am backing off before I overload to fast.

[aquasalt]

I'm just asking because I see so many people on these threads load up their tanks with fish and corals, in what seem like weeks, when all the literature suggests to go s~l~o~w~l~y. In all actuality, your stocklist isn't all that long. Thanks for the response on the fan, will definitely be experimenting with a similar design once the Florida Sun kicks in.

[Bamaguy]

I've tried saltwater before and failed but I feel like I am on the right track now, thanks to forums like this. However, I hope people learn from me and my mistakes. I did a few things right this time and a few things totally backwards. The things I learned that were most important was:
1. Don't use tap water
2. Let the cycle finish before fish
3. Get a good skimmer
On the backwards side I would say I got it right but not in the right order was:
1. Ground the tank with a GFI and a grounding probe. (First tank I had went belly up because of this but mine is safe now!)
2. Don't rush and quarantine fish. I added fish faster than I was planning due to excitement and I was lucky not to suffer Ich or something similiar.

Overall I think I got in a hurry because the LFS I found was A+ compared to the less than compentent fish stores I've seen in the past but I've also seen several stories of Tangs causing a Ich outbreak in a reef tank so I want to be careful.
I have friends come over every Friday to hang out and I'm anxious to let them see a awesome tank. It makes it tough to be patient but so far so good. I wasn't as patient as I would like but tommorow my friends will see a pretty sweet tank with a few coral and some very nice fish. Ten years ago, I would've never waited out a cycle or paid out money for a RO/DI unit and a above average skimmer. Slowly I'm learning.

[Bamaguy]

One other piece of important advice from a fellow nube is to add the vast majority of live rock before you add fish. Very few LFS can claim "cured" live rock and if you order live rock, it will have some die off. I think I was lucky on adding a few more fish than normal because I made sure to get enough rock and make sure the ammonia cycle finished before I added a fish.

[aquasalt]

Do you know how many lbs of LR you have in there? What exactly happened to your first tank?

[Bamaguy]

Originally Posted by aquasalt

Do you know how many lbs of LR you have in there? What exactly happened to your first tank?

I estimate about 120lbs of live rock. I tried to set my 55 up as salt water back in the day and did a multitude of stupid things unfortunately:

* I used a Lowe's double shop light sitting directly on the tank and electrical current was getting into the tank.
* I added an Anemone too soon and it died and turned the tank all milky
* I rushed the fish additions and also added predatory fish (Lunar Wrasse and a Valentino Puffer) with Shrimp

Anyway, the Anemone wipe out was when I took the tank down. I did manage to keep a Yellow Tang and a Tomatoe clown for about a year but I didn't take very good care of the tank back then, I tended to be cheap and the LFS at the time wasn't very good. I kept African Cichlids for about four years in the 55 after the SW wipe out and then made the jump to a larger SW tank with my current venture.
Having a RO/DI unit is great because it seems anytime I am ready to do a water change is the day that the fish store is closed. In the past I didn't buy one which made me lazy about water changes. I also bought one of those cheap Skilter HOB which I'm not sure if it ever worked.

[Fishhead Junkie]

NICE TANK....i wish i had the money and a nice wife that would allow me to get a huge tank like that. she probably wouldnt mind if i put it in the finished basement but then i would never get to look at it and the kids would mess around with it. to think, when i was 16, i had a 60 gallon hexagon plexiglass saltwater tank, now i am 33 and only have a 29 gallon nano....i think i am going in the wrong direction....MARRIAGE..it s a killer!!

steve

[Bamaguy]

Originally Posted by Fishhead Junkie

NICE TANK....i wish i had the money and a nice wife that would allow me to get a huge tank like that. she probably wouldnt mind if i put it in the finished basement but then i would never get to look at it and the kids would mess around with it. to think, when i was 16, i had a 60 gallon hexagon plexiglass saltwater tank, now i am 33 and only have a 29 gallon nano....i think i am going in the wrong direction....MARRIAGE..it s a killer!!

steve

I definitely can relate. I am fortunate to have a 20X15 greatroom, so the fishtank isn't in the way too much. I actually bought the 90 due to it being the same length as my old 55. It doesn't take up anymore space.
As for the wife, my lease was up on my car so I traded it in for an 04 Envoy with all the bells and whistles. Somehow, I ended up driving her old 93 Altima and she got the Envoy with the leather seats and stuff. She also wants lipo and all manner of other things. I just decided I was at least going to get a fishtank out of the whole thing.

[Fishhead Junkie]

HAHAHAHAHAHAH...you crack me up, but it all makes sense to me seeing as we are both guys that are married..follow the path of least resistance i always say.

i figure if i hit the lotto, i can get a fishtank any size i want and she wont say crap to me..of course if i do hit the lotto..she would probably run off with the mailman and leave me with the dog, 2 cats, and 3 kids...hmmmmmmmm....HUGE FISHTANK, NO WIFE, 1 DOG, 2 CATS, AND 3 KIDS...it might not be too bad.

[aquasalt]

...and the thought of marriage becomes even more appealing...

[Bamaguy]

Originally Posted by aquasalt

...and the thought of marriage becomes even more appealing...

LOL, I guess we aren't selling it very well.

[Bamaguy]

So I've got a few corals in the tank. Mostly softies but I bought a tripod for my camera today and got some better shots of them. Nothing professional but at least you can tell what you're looking at now. Enjoy!

[Bamaguy]

More:

[plecosword]

nice gobies!

[Bamaguy]

3-14-08
Well
Some things have been going well and some have not.
My corals are really filling out and all fish are healthy and eating well. However I keep having fish disappear. 2 Peppermint Shrimp, 1 Dragongoby and one Firefish all disappeared. Last Sunday I found the Firefish on the floor behind the tank. I have glass tops on the tank and can't figure out why fish who normally stay in mid to low areas of the tank keep jumping out the top? I've also been battling some green algae that seems to form daily no matter how much I clean. I feed the fish twice a day and keep the lights on for about 10 hours.
On the good side, my fish that haven't went over the wall are doing great. I bought a Melanarus wrasse and still have 2 clowns, a firefish, a Foxface and a Flame angel. Will post some more pics this weekend.

[jimw369]

Slow as you go there BAMA! Hope you didnt have any bad critters ride in on the LR. Placid fish can also be chased to jump out of the tank. But by what maybe?
Food for thought. You never know.

[Bamaguy]

Originally Posted by jimw369

Slow as you go there BAMA! Hope you didnt have any bad critters ride in on the LR. Placid fish can also be chased to jump out of the tank. But by what maybe?
Food for thought. You never know.

I guess I might have to do an all nighter with a flashlight and take a look?

[Bamaguy]

Here are some new shots of the corals filling out and the wrasse who wouldn't pose nicely for pics.

[JackedupSOB]

Nice setup and pics any updates?

[Bamaguy]

Originally Posted by JackedupSOB

Nice setup and pics any updates?

Tank is doing well. My Colt Coral and Xenia have had pieces break off and root elsewhere in the tank. The main pieces are growing like weeds. I also bought a big fuzzy mushroom that takes up the entire middle rock of the tank. I've been waiting to take pictures after I bought another fish but it's been a slow process since the LFS doesn't seem to have that one good "show" tang that I would like to add. They have tons of Yellow and Sailfin Tangs but everytime I stop by they are out of Hippos and Powder Blues or anything a little more colorful. Since my Foxface is yellow, I really wanted to add a blue fish for the other "big guy" but I just haven't saw one I want yet.
I'm battling a color issue as well with coral. Most of my soft corals and stuff appear as washed out pinks and greens from a distance so I'm also looking around for some inexpensive Zoas and Mushrooms with some deep darker colors to offset my pastel colored softies.
I am thinking about just getting a Sailfin or a Yellow tang this weekend because the LFS says the Blue and Powder Blues aren't as hardy. I will get some new pics this weekend to update.
If those excuses for no updates don't work, I've also been playing Rock band way too much and have been lazy.