Bigtuna's Ocean In A Wall

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BigTuna

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Joined
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Location
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So here is my journal. I started just over two weeks ago. I converted my tank from an 'established' Fresh to salt. I'll do my best to be as detailed as I can, and I appreciate all comments and input. Even if you want to criticize, I welcome it, just please be constructive.
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I should also ask you to forgive my photography skills. I'm terrible. Anyways, here goes I guess.



So my first day began with a trip to my LFS (over an hour drive) to get supplies. I was there most of the afternoon and evening. I got home around 10pm and spent the next 12 hours working on my conversion.

It begins. My Freshwater Tank in its final few moments before conversion.
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My conversion supplies
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Hitchhiker in my live rock. Snowflake eel I believe. I managed to keep him alive and returned him the next day.
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Chaos begins
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It's getting late
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Morning has arrived. Tank was pulled from wall, new black background and Aqueon 220 hang on overflow was installed. 30 Gallon Aqueon Proflex Model 4 Sump installed as well.
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Sump
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120 kg of live rock was put in first, then aragonite. Blinded.
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Sump running with Protein skimmer that leaks!
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Later that day I was able to go back to LFS and get it replaced. Marineland 300
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Fast forward a few days, wife helped me with a rearrangement of the live rock. Also, powerhead was put in the tank. Looks MUCH better than before, IMO. What do you guys think of our first ever LR aquascape?
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unfortunately the damsel did not make it. Water was not quite ready

Rookie mistake. I had the Overflow return both plumbed near the middle of the tank. So both were moved for better flow.
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brown algae has started to creep all over right now as well
 
Looking good. What is your proposed stocking list? corals? Fish?

-Tyler
 
Here are my water parameters tonight

Ammonia- 0.5ppm
Nitrate- 10ppm
Nitrite- 0.3ppm
Alk- 280ppm
pH- 8.3

Brown algae is getting pretty ugly. It's getting worse quickly. Here's a pict taken just a few min ago.

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Looking good. What is your proposed stocking list? corals? Fish?

-Tyler

My dream is to someday have an Achilles Tang. I'm also interested in Dogface and Porcupine Puffers (for the wife), Foxface, Copperband Butterfly, Blue Tang, Yellow Tang, Emperor Angel (unfortunately, I don't meet req. for the Emperor.

I still have a ton of research to do, but these are the beauties that have caught my attention.


Rock setup is lovely!

My original layout was two mounds on each end with open sand in the middle. My intentions were good, but the finished product didn't cut 'er. The new layout was inspired by wife and features a couple caves on each end with complete open water for the larger fish up top. Here's a closer view of the one end.

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Just realized now that I had already shown the close up of that end. Its the other end which I don't have a pict of :good:
 
This is looking really good. The brown algae is a diatom bloom. They are perfectly normal and the CUC will clean it up pretty quickly. If you look at the first couple pages of my journal you will see the same thing =). Are the snails and CUC chomping it down pretty quick?

-Tyler
 
Looking good

The layout looks good too IMO :good:


Bae
 
Thanks guys. As for the CUC all I have currently is 5 turbo snails, and they aren't keeping up or gaining on the algae bloom. It's been going on for almost a week now. not enough man power?
 
Definitely not enough for the size of tank you have. I would recommend Astrea snails and or Cerith snails. Great inhabitants! I'd say mix and match another 10 snails to start.... Make sure you acclimate them after floating =). Astreas sometimes flip on their backs and can't get up, you just need to tip them up so they don't die or get eaten once you have shrimp/hermits etc.


-Tyler
 
Tyler, I wish I would have seen this message earlier. I drove all the way to my LFS with a water sample tonight. I even asked them about more CUC and they told me to hold off???? I did get a Red Fromia Star, so that is a start, but I will increase the CUC more. Next week my LFS is supposed to get a good stock of Tangs and Angels that I like so after seeing my water sample and knowing what my goals are they wanted me to try a couple fish. Of all the ones they thought would be good, I decided on a pair of Cardinals. I'm just going through the acclimation now. We hope that they thrive well enough that some time next week I may actually be able to add an Angel/Tang perhaps. I'm thrilled at the possibility so I hope everything goes well.

I'm going to check out your journal later tonight. Looking forward to checking it out.
 
This looks very good Tuna! And the size of the tank is great. I've always considered that marine is too expensive in Canada. Hopefully you will prove me wrong...

Thank, biulu! Are you asking me to break down my costs? :D It was expensive, but I didn't exactly do things efficiently in terms of the finances of this whole project.
 
So my new pals:


Mick and Keith
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And, for my wife's new addition, Ringo.

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