From The Bedroom Down To The Lounge

[1entra]

Firstly I would like to begin by saying I'm sorry for not having started this journal sooner but here goes...

After a very bumpy start with my first marine tank almost 2 years ago, the future looked bleak and at many a time I thought about packing up... but Ma Mamma Didn't raise no quitter so I battled on until i started to win and success with my mini reef appeared like a light in the horizon... slowly but surely I overcame many difficulties (with much of you guys help I must add) and the tank started to transform into a beautiful little world in my very own bedroom.

Where the journey began.

18 months later

And then back in January I decided it was time to get rid of my Malawi Cichlid set-up as I had lost all interest in them as they had become dull and boring in comparrison to the fascinating marine species I had come to adore and instead transform the Juwel 120l into a nano reef. I appologise I did not take many pics as I went along but I will upload what I do have on my phone onto the computer.

I purchased the following equipment as preperation for starting the new tank: Deltec MCE300 Protein Skimmer, 300w Heater, Hydor Koralia 1 Pump, Digital Probe Thermometer, and a 150w MH unit with double actinic lights and LED moonlights (nabbed from tank upstairs as had replaced the above tanks with an Arcadia Series 3 MH unit). Didn't need any water test kits or Refractometer as already got.

15.01.2009: After tank had been thoroughly washed and cleaned, I took out the corner filter box and went on to paint the back of it black

24.01.2009: Brackets for MH unit were drilled into wall and tank was filled with RO water Salt (Reef Crystals) was added

27.01.2009: 10kgs of the worst quality LR ever, purchased from an absolute wa**er off aquarist classified ads who was shutting his system down. Had been REALLY excited about getting the the LR but most it it turned out to be 2 giant conch shells weighing almost 1kg each, ocean rock rubble and other bits of crap. As you can imagine I was a tad bit peeved off!! and threw most of the rubbish away only keeping the pieces that looked like genuine LR and demanded a full refund which the seller reluctantly gave!!! Taught me a valuable lesson of buying off unreputable numptys off the net

28.01.2009: I went to LFS and hand picked 8kgs of really nice colourful cured LR, and although expensive it was worth it as I know what I was getting

29.01.2009: Caribsea Aragonite LS 20lbs along with 10kgs of Coral Sand added. Didn't need that much but didn't wana run short and had already opened the bags before I realised so thought what the hell I might as well add it all now.

30.01.2009: Tested water- Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 10-20, pH 8.0................... Tank had finished cycling so i carried out a 40%ish water change ready for CUC

01.02.2009: In the search for bargains on CUC on ebay I found a local gent who was selling off his system with only 6 turbo snails, 2 fan worms, a couple of mushrooms and a sand sifting starfish remaining... all for a tenner... so how could I posibbly say no I went and collected so knew what I was getting.

04.02.2009: A PJ Cardinal that was getting picked on in my tank upstairs was moved down and added for his own safety and protection along with a red leg hermit crab

05.02.2009: I know... I know... way too soon to be adding another fish but I saw a really nice and healthy Cirrhilabrus Solorensis (Solar Fairy Wrasse) going at a reasonable price... it would have been rude to have said no!

11.02.2009: I should have been out buying Valentines pressys but instead I endup spending my cash on 5kgs of cured LR, 4 Red Leg Hermits, and 2 Electric Blue Hermits

18.02.2009: Water stats- Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 10, pH 8.2

21.02.2009: A local reefer was selling off his tank so again I couldn't resist a bargain so bartered my way into getting 2 False Percs, a Firefish, a large'ish finger leather, a large'ish toadstool, a fire shrimp, a boxer shrimp and a cleaner shrimp along with several small frags of shrooms and xenia (all came with their own pieces of LR)

 

[1entra]

Another New Tank..?!!!

Although the New tank had been set up for just over a month I decided the Juwel 120 was a tad wee bit small for my likeing and I could do with a slightly larger tank so I end up getting myself a Rio 180 and painted the back black as is now the norm for me! Also washed and cleaned the tank thoroughly.

13.03.2009: The day of the move...
I took out all the LR and placed into 3 buckets that I had set half filled with tank water that I syphoned out prior.
No LR in the tank meant the fish were so much easier to catch and they were all put into a large polystyrene box filled with tank water along with a heater and remaining livestock including CUC and corals.
Tank and cabinet were removed from their location and replaced by new tank and cabinet which I filled with pre-mixed salt water bought from LFS.
Once water had reached set temp I put the LR and LS back into the tank along with the tank water from all 3 buckets.
Tank left over night to settle with livestock all situated in the box

14.04.2009: A bad day...
All livestock from box added to new tank- in my hast and excitement I forgot to acclimitise them
What I should have thought about is that the lfs use a different salt mix and their SG is slightly higher than mine at home so due to this stupid mistake on my behalf I lost both my fire and cleaner shrimps along with 4 turbo snails... It could have been alot worse but luckily everything else although quite stressed managed to pull through

Since then I have added several more corals and fish and am looking to get myself a 4 x 2 x 2 foot in the very near future so please don't bite my head off at my stocking list as the current tank is only a temporary home for everything and although overstocked I make sure I religiously carry out a 20% water change so keep nitrates etc on a low.

My Current stock is:
Yellow Tang (only 2 inches was the smallest I could find)
2 x False Percs
PJ Cardinal
Solar Fairy Wrasse
Firefish
Royal Gramma
Exquisite Wrasse (impulse buy... will be moving to tank upstairs as soon as I manage to catch it)
Bi-colour blenny
Female McKoskeri Wrasse
Flameback Angel... only bought yesterday

CUC/Inverts:
4 x Red leg hermits
2 x Electric blue hermits
5 x Nassarius snails
3 x Trochus snails
2 x Turbo snails
1 x Money corie
1 x Sand sifting starfish
1 x Serpant starfish
2 x Feather dusters
1 x Cleaner shrimp
1 x Boxer shrimp

No more fish what so ever will be added to this system. All fish that I have bought are small and so far I have not had any problems with them. The only real bickering came upon adding the Exquisite wrasse to the tank, but the solar wrasse soon established it's dominance and now both fish get along just fine and even swim around the tank together in search of food.

Also to make you aware due to the success of my HOB refugium on the tank upstairs in keeping nitrates and phosphates low I also purchased 1 for this tank and it has been up and running for the last 3 weeks or so with cheato taken from my other fuge upstairs.

Pictures of tank will be added later on today as I have spent the last 2 hours getting this journal started and now am absolutely knackered. so I'm offski

Please do leave your comments and thoughts but try to keep you use off language nice on views of me overstocking my tank

 

[seffieuk]

Well, thanks - you made my day - come home from work to read the start of your lovely journel great start and much enjoyed

Seffie slaps hand of 1entra but knows that upgrade will be along soon so will say no more

Wow, you sure have some nice wrasse's - please do us some

Seffie x

 

[1entra]

Here you go guys a few pics of the tank and live stock:

 

[1entra]

 

[Trod]

Thank you very much for sharing your journeys, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and your pictures are truely great

 

[TigerIssey]

I think you have some beautiful corals and some beautiful fish.

I would love to see some closer pics of the wrasse (I know how fast they are) that exquisite is looking lovely.

I am a wrasse freak myself, you seem to have some beauties, hence the request for more piccies of them

 

[SkiFletch]

Love the wrasses, but you probably assumed I did

 

[1entra]

Thanks for the comments guys, the tank is still only in beginning phase. I intend on getting a few more colourful corals including some beginner SPS like encrusting/plating montiporas and possibly a birds nest to go in the middle top of the tank behind the finger leather etc. Can you guys name me a few other quite easy to keep SPS that you would like to see and would wreckon will look good in my system? I am open to all ideas but would prefer something that isn't too rare so is easily available.

Also guys what are your thoughts on the positioning of the corals so far??? For some reason there is something I am not too keen on and is either missing or out of place and so am not fully content on the layout so far but just cannot figure out what it is... I may tweak things around when I do a water change this coming weekend and see if it makes any difference.

Also as you will have noticed I have got quite a bit of what appears to be either diatoms or brown slime algae on quite a bit of my sandbed which I am not too keen on and believe it is due to not enough water movement as there aint much on areas where the pump is eaching, so plan on tackling that issue first buy possibly getting another hydor koralia 1 pump on the opposie end of the tank. What you think??

I would love to see some closer pics of the wrasse (I know how fast they are) that exquisite is looking lovely.

I am a wrasse freak myself, you seem to have some beauties, hence the request for more piccies of them

For you my dear I will try my utter best to get some more better quality pics up of the wrasses. As you already well know they are not the slowest of fish (unlike my PJ Cardinal) and are quick to dart when the camera comes out and also my skills with a camera are not the best in the world (unlike you tina) but I will keep trying till I manage to get a couple of good uns. Also for your information the exquisite was so much more colourfull at the lfs I just had to have it, the pink markings on it were almost illuminous. But upon arrival to it's new home the solar wrasse had a bit of a go at it in order to establish it's dominance and since then the colours seem to have dulled down a touch.

Btw guys please feel free to add comment or suggestions of what corals/inverts I could get next to add some more colour to tank. Initially the piece of LR at the bottom right corner of the tank behind the green fungai plate coral, was covered in in a beutiful red leafed algae... but my Yellow Tang took quite a liking to it... and it soon disapeared

 

[TigerIssey]

Also for your information the exquisite was so much more colourfull at the lfs I just had to have it, the pink markings on it were almost illuminous. But upon arrival to it's new home the solar wrasse had a bit of a go at it in order to establish it's dominance and since then the colours seem to have dulled down a touch.

Unfortunately it appears that this is the downside to keeping more than one fairy or flasher wrasse in one aquarium. I have read alot about this since knowing I was getting the upgrade tank as I would like to add at least one more, depending on other stock, water levels etc. Having said that though, the colours do seem to be still very vibrant.

And I must thank you for trying to get more pictures for me, as you say they are not the easiest to photograph (especially when the big bad camera monster comes out), I can sit here drooling then . I would love a lineatus and labouti, think one or both may be a little over the budget I want to spend at the moment though, so any I can see may lead to the next wrasse purchase.

 

[ben1987]

tank already looks like its been running months, great start having all your old stock to move over. Looks nice

 

[1entra]

Unfortunately it appears that this is the downside to keeping more than one fairy or flasher wrasse in one aquarium. I have read alot about this since knowing I was getting the upgrade tank as I would like to add at least one more, depending on other stock, water levels etc. Having said that though, the colours do seem to be still very vibrant.

And I must thank you for trying to get more pictures for me, as you say they are not the easiest to photograph (especially when the big bad camera monster comes out), I can sit here drooling then . I would love a lineatus and labouti, think one or both may be a little over the budget I want to spend at the moment though, so any I can see may lead to the next wrasse purchase.

Yea that is true abouit the the flasher/fairy wrasse as like most fish they are quite territorial and once authority has been established then only the dominanat male tends to 'flash' and keeps all his vibrant colours whereas the others have to tune things down a touch. Also I find my exquisite hardly ever flashes which is a bit of a shame really as it is has some awsome colouration that I have to miss out on!!!

Still have not been able to get any decent pics of the wrasse as they just dont wan to blumin stop still for a second but I will keep trying

tank already looks like its been running months, great start having all your old stock to move over. Looks nice

Thanks ben. It was quite a bit easier already having a few corals going spare in my other tank along with being able to frag other eg. the frogspawn. Also by offloading some corals from the other system it has left it looking a lot more roomy and dont think it looks as cluttered any more.

Btw guys to make you aware the Rio 180 comes with a black strut bar that runs across the top cetre of the tank. I found this blocked out a lot of the light from my MH which is also located in the centre, so I end up sawing it off. Initially I was quite worried as to how much strength this bar actually provided the tank but it now seems the tank is able to run without it's support.

 

[1entra]

Here you go Tina Iv managed to take a few pics of my Exquisite Wrasse just for your pleasure (and anybody else that likes wrasse and dont mind looking at all the pics) I have tried to get pics from all different angles in order to highlight all the colours and markings but even then the camera does it no justice as it is way more vibrant and 'exquisite' in real life. The colours seem to shimmer in different lighting and also dependant on what mood it is in:

A couple of pics of my solar wrasse:

A few of the Flameback Angel... His colouration and markings are also very vigorous especially the blue coz looks almost illuminous at times:

And finally guys... a FTS(or 2) :

 

[TigerIssey]

Nice exquisite. I know exactly what you mean about the camera not capturing the colour the same as you see it. There is enough in the pictures to suggest to me what he looks like though. Just cannot see the colour change itself which is part of the beauty of these wrasse. He is beautiful. The solarensis is nice too, but I LIKE the exquisite. When I went to LFS Wednesday, she has a Carpenters, McCoskers and the Red Velvet Fairy that came in with my Filamentous. I was hard pressed not to reserve one I can tell you. I want to very careful about the one I pick though, I reckon I may get 1 or 2 more max, so it has to be special.

I do like that angel too, and he is very photogenic. Very nice stripe along the bottom of the anal fin.

 

[seffieuk]

Which is your favourite fish 1entra?

Seffie x