2006

I originally set this tank up around February 2006. It was a stock CurrentUSA 12g AquaPod with the stock pump switched out with a MaxiJet 900 to keep the temperature of the water lower. I used one bag of CaribSea AragAlive live sand and around 15lbs of cured live rock. I filled the tank using RO water and Instant Ocean salt mix. I also added a pouch of BioSpira after setting up the tank and there was never any noticible nitrogen cycle that took place. Unfortunately, I made my worst mistake first, and added a large piece of live rock with a cool "plant" growing on it. I was into freshwater planted aquariums at the time I made the venture into saltwater and actually saw this plant as a good thing. Little did I know I just added a life long plague to this tank...Caulerpa brachypus! 

 

May 31, 2006

First FTS as the diatom bloom was subsiding and after visiting a few local stores

June 10, 2006

A few more purchases including a Crocea clam, Pink Trachyphyllia, and a Colt Coral that promptly melted.

June 16, 2006

Made my first "big" purchase with the Acan Lord colony in the center. Also got some more zoas and a pink Goniopora. I still have frags of this Acan today after all these years.

July 12, 2006

After my first online purchases from UltimateFrags and Extreme Corals. Also a few from a fellow forum hobbyist who threw in a lot of freebies.

July 18, 2006

July 22, 2006

Switched salts to Reef Crystals around this time and did 2 part dosing with Seachem Reef Complete and Reef Builder.

August 9, 2006

Traded the Crocea clam for a bunch of Zoanthid frags and was on a bit of a zoa/paly bender. Also got a Fire Shrimp with tons of personality.

September 13, 2006

Zoa Pox started thinning out my collection as I started getting into LPS. I got one of the first ever frags of Nuclear Greens from the original namer which I still have today along with the Original Safecrackers.

September 20, 2006

Upgraded the stock PC lighting to a 70w Current SunPod. Also got the tiny single polyp Micromussa frag that grew into the colony I have today.

October 8, 2006

Switched the stock bulb to a 14K Ushio and got my first few Acros, namely the highlighter green colored Acro chesterfieldensis and a purple tricolor.

October 23, 2006

Got the Red Blasto and single polyp frag of orange Acan echinata that became the colonies I have today. Also tried my luck with a Mandarin Dragonette who soon got moved to a larger frag tank.

November 3, 2006

December 2, 2006

2007

 

January 14, 2007

Started having a weird problem where the corals were turning transparent. All parameters seemed to be fine so I thought it may have been from the lighting not providing enough blue spectrum.

March 11, 2007

Added a 40w Current Satellite Dual Actinic PC fixture to suppliment the MH. Also had an outbreak of Asparagopsis and borrowed a tang for a couple days. He was stressed the whole time and went home early.

April 13, 2007

The Asparagopsis just got worse and worse. Fortunately I found out that Mexican Turbo Snails love to eat this algae and 5 of them got rid of it in a couple weeks.

May 20, 2007

I got the idea to move all my zoas/palys to a frag tank that recently got a lighting upgrade and made this tank my "Stony Nano". Shipments had just been allowed for the first time from Australia and I got my first frags of Aussie Acan lords and a Duncanopsammia. I decided to get an Orangetail Damsel for some reason to go in this tank. Also tried adding more flow with a Power Sweep powerhead.

June 14, 2007

Seemed like the better the corals grew, the better the Caulerpa did as well.

July 30, 2007

SPS collection slowy growing

August 16, 2007

After this I decided to take drastic measures to get rid of the Caulerpa. I bought a bunch of Dry Pukani rock and eventually moved all these corals and the Damsel to the frag tank.

September 29, 2007

New rock in and corals moved back. Decided to go with a Purple Firefish and a Red Firefish for the new layout. I also upgraded the lighting to a 150w HQI fixture I made out of a security light housing and socket/ballast from a used JBJ Viper. I chose the Phoenix 14k bulb and was very happy with it. The nice blue spectrum of the bulb freed up the 40w Satellite for use on a new planted tank I set up.

October 21, 2007

As the nutrients leaked out of the new rock, this grassy algae began to carpet everything. Added a couple chalices and a frag of Meteor Shower Cyphastrea that now covers that rock its on.

November 8, 2007

Upgraded the flow to a Hydor Koralia 2 and turned this little tank into a whirlpool. The SPS did just fine after that! Also added a Helfrichi Firefish and got my first SPS frags from ORA.

November 24, 2007

Added some Orange Catseye Snails for cleanup but they never did much.

December 6, 2007

2008

Despite switching to new dry rock, the Caulerpa managed to find it's way back and quickly covered up the new rock just like it did the old. I didn't take any pictures of the tank until April that year.

April 14, 2008

May 24, 2008

June 7, 2008

Scored a couple Tyree Watermelon Chalices, back when they were one of the only LE chalices.

August 4, 2008

Started having to fight constantly to keep the alkalinity up. I never knew how fast SPS could absorb it out of the water when actively growing. The LPS responded by mild bleaching.

In mid September 2008 Hurricane Ike hit Texas and I went with a crew to work on clean up and rent drying equipment. I was gone for a month and while driving down hit high winds on the highway. I received a call later that day from the person watching the tanks saying the power had gone out and was told they'd call back when it came back on. It was almost two weeks later when power was finally restored and I was sent these pictures of the tank to show the devastation

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 The coral I was most worried about, True Armageddons, gone after two years of healthy growth

Nuclear Greens and Purple Deaths did better than I expected

Most LPS died back to the skeleton, but eventually recovered after months of TLC

Both Watermelon Chalices died early on during the power outage

All SPS were just skeletons when the power came back on

The Duncanopsammia did the best through this tragedy and showed hardly any stress

October 11, 2008

When I got home I cleaned all the death out of the tank, did a few water changes, and moved the now very bleached large Acan lord colony back from the frag tank. It was the only survivor from that tank and I never set that tank back up.

October 18, 2008

Got some new frags from a local frag swap including a couple Prism Favias and a War Coral. I also decided to go back to lighting the tank with the 70w SunPod since I wasn't keeping SPS anymore.

November 10, 2008

I just moved into my new house and the tank moved without any incidents. I added an Ocellaris Clownfish and a Yellowtail Damsel to add a bit of color to the tank.

December 12, 2008

Corals were starting to color back up slowly and algae was thriving from using tap water since the new house doesn't have an RO/DI unit. I also quit using the Hydor Koralia as it was just too much movement for the tank now that it was LPS dominated.

2009

January 2, 2009

Moved the Yellowtail Damsel to a 29g FOWLR I had set up and most corals were coloring back up still.

January 29, 2009

March 8, 2009

Moved the zoas/palys to the 29g and added a baby Diadema urchin to help clean up the algae that was covering the rock.

March 21, 2009

Urchin growing fast and doing wonders on the nuisance algae

September 22, 2009

Once the urchin outgrew this tank he too went into the 29g with the Clownfish. The algae soon returned. I added a Purple Pseudochromis and slowly lost time for the tank between work and getting engaged. I didn't take any pictures of the tank in 2010 and was pretty much out of the hobby until early 2011. All tanks were moderately neglected but rebounded nicely when the aquarium bug bit again in 2011.

2011

After a year of being mostly out of the reefing hobby, my interest finally returned and it was time to get my tanks back in shape. I started using bottled distilled water only for this tank and switched salts to the ESV B-Ionic Seawater System. In my opinion this is the best salt mix out there and I've tweaked the recipe a bit so I don't have to dose to keep levels up as long as I do my weekly 40% water changes.

February 21, 2011

Some new additions, namely a neon green and red Trachyphyllia, a Sun Coral, and a couple new Aussie Acan lords. Also added some Astrea snails to clean up the turf algae growing on the rocks.

March 7, 2011

My wife decided we needed a Derasa clam and I made the switch to the 70w XM 20k bulb. Easily my favorite bulb so far. Also added my only remaining zoa frag, 2 polyps of the Original Safecrackers to the top of the right rock structure. It's now well over a hundred polyps.

March 15, 2011

Moved the Bicolor Pseudochromis to the 29g and got the fish my wife wanted, a Black Ocellaris Clownfish. Also got some new frags including some Blastos, Favites, and a Lithophyllon.

March 29, 2011

Decided to try some SPS and got a blue Acro hoeksemai and a Montipora setosa. Not the best idea since this tank doesn't run the kind of flow it used to the last time I kept SPS.

April 16, 2011

The Acro. hoeksemai wasn't happy with the lower flow of this tank and STN'd badly.

May 6, 2011

June 6, 2011

A bit of a Bryopsis outbreak.

July 14, 2011

August 14, 2011

Things filling in and the Caulerpa making its comeback once the Bryopsis was gone.

September 14, 2011

Moved the Derasa clam to the 29g where it has since easily doubled in size.