Cali Kid Corals

My tank journal, then, now and future

DIY'd 36"x24"x16"x3/4" Clear Cell Cast Acrylic
DIY'd 30"x16"x18"x3/8" sump/fuge, Eheim 1262 return
6x39W ATI Powermodule w/2@Blue+,2@Aquablue Specials,Aquasun,Super Actinics<<,gonna probably swap out for another Blue+
2 EcoTech Vortec powerheads MP40W
ATB Small Cone Skimmer
Shuram Jetstream 1 Calcium Reactor
Cole Palmer Peristaltic Pump w/ Easy Loader head for CaRx feed
Current 1/3 HP Drop in Chiller for summer
Tunze ATO
ACJr. w/ temp,pH probe
2 phosban reactors
1 Koralia Nano for flow in fuge, need a K3

Started reefing in early Dec of 2007, with a BC14 and Sunpod 150W, then in a month, I upgraded to a 30G Oceanic Cube w/ 10G sump.
Then in January, just after 30G setup, I bought some 3/4" acrylic and started planning the 60G. Originally was going to go with 48x24x16, but worried that the cost of the biggger tank would push me past budget. Originally my livestock was mostly softies, with some LPS. My fish consisted of a pair of B/W clownfish, and a Mandarin. Yeah I know, dumb. Caring for that Mandarin was my goal, since after purchasing it, I found out how hard they were to keep in a nano. When I bought the Mandarin, I of course bought the tiggerpods that were recommended. I rarely saw the mandarin in the BC, so when it came time to upgrade, I figured I'd only have to catch the two clownfish. To my surprise, not only was the mandarin alive he was healthy....
newhomeview-1.jpg

I made a thread at nanoreef.com where I called the Mandarin the "most expensive fish ever" I spent hundreds of dollars seeding my tank with copepods, buying 15,000 from a supplier from SoCal.

Anyway fast forward to today and my 60G.
The parameters are as follows...
1.025
Ca 420 kept stable running my CaRx at 60 ml/min and 90 bpm running on a timer from 10am until 6pm
Alk 8.0
Mg 1350 run 10% Zeomag to 90% Large Schuran type media
Ph inside the reactor is at 6.45 from 10am-6pm
Ph 8.2 daytime 8.0 nightime
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates .25 with LaMotte kit
Phosphates .008 D@D precision kit
I dose vodka at 1.5 ml a day and every two weeks I dose one vial of Prodibio Bio Digest
Feed 3-4x's a day

Fish
pair B/W Clown fish
true percula
purple tang
mandarin
flame angel debating on whether to get rid of him
flasher wrasse
5 chromis
Just added the flasher wrasse and 5 chromis to increase bio load since dosing vodka/prodibio

RBTA
Coral list
pink yuma
war paint australia scolymia
various ricordea
Octo frogspawn...non branching type
Dendros
dragon soul favia
two types of Acan Lords
ORA corals
Red Planet tabling
hawkins Enchinata
chips
green birdsnest
pink birdsnest
Borealis
Plum Crazy
Valida
Rose Mille
Pearlberry
Oregon Tort
Cali Tort
Bali Slimer
montis
Leng Sy Cap
Idaho Grape Cap
LE Sunset
Setosa
Superman
Mystic Wannabe
Rainbow
ATL Appleberry
Undata
reverse sunset digita
blue w/green poly digita
orange, but really red colored digita

I'll try to get the whole list, but I get most of my coral off RC, or from Diver's Den. From the start I spent a lot of money at Lucky goldfish in Oakland, buying a lot of my earlier Yumas and scoly's there. But since I started bringing hunter fish and crabs, I can get most anything for free. I need to get a frag of that watermelon chalice.... :thumbu

here are some pics
Swore off Yumas when my prized piece melted one day after being in my tank for 4 months
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Not completely swore off them, my only Yuma now
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1/2 tank shots...too much sun this morning
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New sump installed,
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Check out the nog....the results of carbon dosing
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CaRX, in side cabinet I built to house it, need to ziptie those wires
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The best test kit in the hobby...observation....looks like things are good
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Niiice! I like the rock formation tapering off to the right - gives a good sense of depth.

From the sump shot, looks like you got a cocktail of supplements. Any one of those you can strongly recommend?

Also, vodka? Second time I heard of that. I'd love to be one of you fish...lol.
 
Yeah, I dose 1.5ml of vodka a day, and every two weeks, I do a 15 gallon wc, then turn off my skimmer for a couple of hours and dose one ampule of biodigest. The other stuff is iron for my fuge/once a week, and there's lugols that I always have around for dipping, and there is some amino acid, but I am not ready to dose that, probably in the next couple of weeks. The white container is rowaphos, that I used to toss into a phosban reactor. Actually, from what I have found, I really took it slow with the vodka, I didnt want to burn my acros., the vodka combined with the biodigest is working wonders on my tank. And I have quite the bioload, and feed the fish at least 4 times a day....formula 2 soaked in garlic juice and selcon, rods food, nori,Marine B pellets, all kinds of stuff.

Thanks for the comments, I was just about to redo some of my rockwork, I just redid it the other day, see all the fresh epoxy :p never satisfied

Thanks phong
 
Yes! A couple of months ago I started up a BC14 so I could keep some LPS that seem to hate the 60G, so I have transferred it over the last few weeks, and only have a couple of Yumas, an AOG colony and RBTA, which my clowns host, so I dont think Im going to move those.

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Here's a shot recently of my 60G

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After using the Powermodule 10x39W for a couple of months, I came to the conclusion that I needed a bigger tank so I didn't bake my corals. So I ordered an A.G.E. 40"Lx28"Wx22"H, 1/2 starphire on three viewing sides, and 1" PVC bottom. It will have an external overflow made of Acrylic. I ordered the tank in mid January, but they have had huge builds going on, so my tank wont get done for another month I'm sure. Here are the CAD drawings from AGE

40x28x22craig.jpg


I can't wait :D
 
Thanks Lyn, the Yuma is around 3" in diameter, give or take a 1/4". I've had it a year +, that pink one, and a orange/white/blue baby, are the only Yumas that survived of around 6, that I purchased. They would look great for a month or more, then all of a sudden melt on me. >:(
 
First month running, upgrade from 30G to 60G, the pbt was being housed in my tank, when my buddy's tank went belly up
new053.jpg

Now
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And here is a little preview of my new tank, waiting for Max to complete the stand....
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Picture of the overflow, which has the ability to raise and lower the display tank's waterline.
Behind the teeth, there is a section of acrylic that slides and locks using thumbscrews
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Been cooking rock since mid January, waiting for them to build it....It was a long time to wait, but when I popped the lid off the crate, I was really satisfied by the build.
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FTS BC14
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New palys picked up at ATL
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Nah, those cookies had no calories...no butter, no sugar... carbs? What carbs? They were made out of.....styrofoam... yeah, styrofoam, the biodegradable kind. :D
 
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