[Bamaguy]

I've been posting a little bit here over the past week. I have a new 90 gallon tank and took a few pictures to show the process. I bought the tank over the MLK holiday weekend and got water in it that Monday. As of today the tank is a week old and I am awaiting the new tank cycle and entertaining myself with pictures of fish and saltwater forums till I can add fish. Here is the tank.

[Bamaguy]

Pictures are a little fuzzy. Will try to get better shots. Here is the sump.


And here is another fuzzy shot of my first pests. A batch of aiptasia (?) which need a nice bunch of peppermint shrimp to find them.

[Bamaguy]

Today I ordered a RO/DI unit for home water changes and a new skimmer; Turboflotor Skimmer 1000. Somehow I originally managed to buy the loudest worst rated skimmer in existence to start with a Seaclone 100 so I am going to possibly put it on a 20 gallon I have for a med tank. The hobby has definitely gone beyond what I wanted to spend but I hope by getting everything before the fish, that I will be in better shape. I plan to add more live rock and eventually replace the bio-balls with live rock so I can eventually do a reef-like tank instead of a FOWLR.
This Thursday I should have some more powerheads and a new light fixture (basic for now (2 T5s) and I will add some more live rock.
Hopefully sometime soon, I will add a cleaner crew when the new tank cycle ends.
If the credit card can take one more hit, I might also pick up a mini fridge for fish food. My wife might freak out to have frozen krill next to tommorows porkchops in the main fridge.

[Taras1]

Actually the Krill and frozen pods add a delicate yet balanced flavor to the pork. If you wrap the frozen food well in plastic and then in a zip-lock freezer bag, you shouldn't have a problem.

PS: Can the bioballs, they're nitrate factories. The LR rubble though is a great idea.

[Bamaguy]

Tonight I removed any "lace" rock and added a 54lb piece of live rock from the local fish store. I took some pics and you can see it to the left of the tank. It really is impressive and looks more natural than all the smaller pieces. I also inherited a starfish and a pencil urchin by accident. Apparently they were chilling on the rock. My goal is to get a 130lbs of live rock into the tank and then to replace the bioballs with rubble. I need one more good 24lb piece and I will be there. These shots look alot better. Hopefully by time I get fish, I will be a better photographer. Enjoy!

[ilovemash]

That piece of rock is ROCKIN!!!! Lol I do see some aptasia, injections or peppermint shrimp are in your immediate future I hope!

[Jeremy0322]

Looking good so far, keep the pics coming!

[Bamaguy]

Originally Posted by ilovemash

That piece of rock is ROCKIN!!!! Lol I do see some aptasia, injections or peppermint shrimp are in your immediate future I hope!

I've never seen a LFS carry 20+ lb rocks for bigger reef tanks. I have a ton of Aiptasia on two other rocks that is harder to see. 2 Peppermint shrimp and a cleaning crew are waiting in the wings.

[aquasalt]

Looking great! Why didn't you break up the lace LR and use it to replace the bioballs?

I have a very similar setup to yours. Please keep the pictures and updates coming!

[aquasalt]

BTW, you may want to use Joe's juice on the aiptasia in the meantime before the problem gets out of hand. I don't think that a peppermint shrimp can handle aiptasia as big as the one on the left side.

[Bamaguy]

Originally Posted by aquasalt

Looking great! Why didn't you break up the lace LR and use it to replace the bioballs?

I have a very similar setup to yours. Please keep the pictures and updates coming!

I'm not absolutely sure that the "Lace Rock" can serve as filtration or that it is real live rock. I think it was and it definitely looks like it (sorta like moon rock) but I would rather be 100% sure.
I'm going to look for some Joe's Juice today. The LFS guy suggested that but didn't have any in stock. Thanks for the interest in the tank.

[Bamaguy]

2-02-2008
My Cycle is finally finished! Wooohoo!
I also got my Turbofloter skimmer and a Ro/DI unit in today from Dr Fosters and Smith. Unfortunately the Corallife Ro/DI unit is broke and I have to send it back.
I added the skimmer though and have to wait till Tuesday to grab some water for a water change from the local fish store. My PH is dropping to around 7.8 but otherwise all is clear.

I picked up some more live rock that is more platelike in anticipation of adding corals down the road. The pictures today are the final set up for the live rock. My son, Gavin jumped in the shots while he looked for the starfish that was on the glass earlier.

I should have my first fish by next Friday barring any problems. I plan to swing a waterchange Tuesday and then monitor till Friday. Then I shall blow some payday money on some fish!!!

[Bamaguy]

2-05-2008
Today I ordered two new powerheads that put out a little less heat than the Maxi-jet 1200s I was using. I put a rush order on them and hopefully them and the Joe's Juice should be in by Friday. I still have one rock covered in Aiptasia so I hope it works.
I called Foster and Smith and they were extremely helpful on my broken RO/DI unit. They shipped a new one immediately and are sending me a packing label for the broke one I received. Service was top-notch! RO/DI should also be here by Friday.
Today I got Live Rock rubble for my filter and replaced my Bioballs. It's a pretty simple setup compared to some I've seen but it seems to be working. PH is still a little low at 8.0 and temp is high due to the Maxi-jets but otherwise Nitrates, Nitrites and Ammonia are all at zero. Comments are welcome!
2 New Firefish should be the first tankmates Friday after I catch Fedex.

[dfurbee]

Nice! My next tank will be a reef ready tank. Good job, and cute kid

[Bamaguy]

2-09-08

I had a busy weekend. I messed with my skimmer till I got it pumping foam into the collection cup. Woohoo! I was beginning to think the thing didn't work.

I bought my first fish! I got a very nice blackspot Foxface from the LFS. He had been there a month and is in good health. He is a skittish little guy though. He spent the first day hiding and the second day wandering around behind the rocks. He did eat some seaweed from a clip at some point when I wasn't looking.

I did a Joe's Juice treatment for Aiptasia and got rid of almost all of it.

I got a buyer for my old 55 gallon who is coming next Saturday to pick up the tank. The extra cash should speed my ability to add a better light system to my 90 gallon so I can begin to add some corals.

I will try to post some shots when Mr. Shy gains some confidence.

[Bamaguy]

Here's a pic of the first fish. He is getting braver day by day. The picture isn't that great. I will blame half of that on me and half on his shyness.

[prototypep2p]

nice looking foxface'

[Bamaguy]

2-14-08
Well it was a great day in fish land. The LFS guy sold me a retrofit light system for $200. It's Power Compacts which I know isn't the best but it beats my 40 watt bulb and I have plenty of space to either add a T5 strip later if needed or remove it and go metal halides when I get ready to go beyond basic soft corals. What a difference an extra 180 watts of light did to my tank.
I also added two new perculas that are quite fiesty and entertaining. Before I could get back from the store, my wife said the shy foxface had come out to take a look at his new tank mates and to show his fins off.
My 4 year old is gone to spend the night with his grandparents. I can't wait to see his face when he gets home. Here are some new shots. Hopefully the lights help my awful picture taking abilities.

[Bamaguy]

2-19-08
Battling Heat- Tank is doing well. I did however find out that the clip on fans that many hobbiest use for sumps are not sold at Walmart, Lowes or Home Depot during the winter months. It's a seasonal item which was a bit frustrating. Currently I have a big floor fan pointed at the front of my sump with the door to my stand open. It isn't pretty but it is keeping my tank below 79 degrees. Today I gave in and ordered a fan from Marine Depot for $25. Overpriced by comparison but at least by next week I can shut the doors to my stand again.
I also bought a grounding probe and a grounding plug. I should've done this first but live and learn. I hope to get the electrical stuff cleaned up this weekend and get it further away from my sump.
I also added a pair of firefish which are quite entertaining. So far all my fish have been very cooperative for aquascaping purposes. The clowns stay on the right corner, the Foxface on the left lower corner and the firefish in the middle.

I will add some pics tonight with the new fish. I would like to add some soft corals/mushrooms here soon. Should I be adding anything to the water to prepare for this? I ordered a two-part calcium/alkalinity buffer and a phosphate sponge (want to grab a Phosban 150 later) with the fan, but I don't want to overdo it.

[Bamaguy]

2-24-08
Meant to post sooner but it's been a busy week. Today I rewired my tank and got a GFI plug installed. Better late than never but it is a big pain trying to install a plug behind a full sump. Do this step first!
I also added a brand new flame angel today and have shots of him and the firefish. The other day I added some peppermint shrimp, some snails and a dragon goby for cleanup. This morning I got my RO/DI unit set up and took over the laundry room for a fish room of sorts.

[Bamaguy]

A few more of the fishy room:

[Bamaguy]

So today is one of those days every reefer or wanna-be reefer looks forward to. Fed Ex came! I got some additives and a nifty clip on fan, so now I can remove the unsightly floor fan sitting in front of my tank. It is very quiet so hopefully it does the job.

[Bamaguy]

I picked up some mushrooms, GSP and a Colt Coral that I tried to get some descent shots of. The last shot is a piece of coral that broke off a live rock I purchased. I put it close to my light and it is growing something but I can't tell what it is yet. Any ideas? Unfortunately I can't get a nice shot of it.







Mystery Coral?

[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!

[aquasalt]

I meant to tell you that the black background looks a lot better, IMO! It hides the overflow!