Back from Iraq, Now lets setup my 120g!

To get free shipping and free gifts I needed to spend a few extra dollars. They had some really cheap ricordias, so I got a few. I figured they are a very hardy coral, so what better for my first.

They came loose so I had to mount them.

First I placed one on a paper towel to dry out the little bit of substrate it was attached to. I did the same with the rock I was going to use.

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Next I applied a large blob or super glue to the rock.

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Then I placed the ricordia down into the glue.

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Now I placed some glue around the outside edges of where it was going to attach.

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Last I dunked it into the tank which quickly hardened the glue. It is sitting happily now.

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I repeated the same procedure with a double nucleus orange.

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When I went to check on the tank today I found 2 things.

First I found some pods crawling around in the chaeto! I also saw a bunch of what looks to be air bubbles in it that weren't there before. I wonder if this is oxygen being released, or if its pod eggs.

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My wife then noticed smaller pods crawling around in one of the overflow towers.

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The second thing I noticed is brown patches on the glass. I'm guessing this is diatoms, and it is my first outbreak of anything. The first of many to come I'm sure. I've got lots of hungry snails chowing down!
 
I bet those pods are ecstatic with no real predators around... :)

Just curious - how long has it been since the tank finished cycling to today?
 
The tank never officially cycled. I guess my rock was fresh enough, and already fully cured. I took my chances adding a cuc, but I still have no signs of ammonia. The tank has been live for 3 weeks now.
 
I discovered a small problem yesterday. The chaeto I had growing in the display tank had grown so much it was getting sucked into the closed loop intake. So time to move it into the sump.

To do that I had a small new diy project, a rubbermaid refugium to go with the rubbermaid sump!

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I love having spare parts just laying around so I dont have to buy new stuff!

Here it is in the sump. Its getting cramped in there.

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This weekend I went to Austin and visited all the stores I could find online. I did my best to pickup something small from every store. Still haven't messed with the white balance on the camera, so the colors are slightly off. If I miss id something please let me know. I also need help iding one thing.

First we have a green centered paly and and orange monti cap.

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Next some 2 sets of zoos, one of which hasn't opened much yet, and some red people eater palys.

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This one has zoos and palys on the same rock, and some type of brain frag on the other. Im not sure exactly what king, though it looks like maybe a favia. Any clues?

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Here are the rics I put in a lil while back. The green appears to be splitting a second polyp off.

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The tank is getting lots of algae going. Ive noticed diatoms, green algae and bubble algae. Please tell me this is bubble and not dinos....

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Lastly a fts.

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Sorry for the lack of updates, I will post a good FTS tomorrow.

I need a couple ids, 2 bad, 1 good.

This is my biggest concern, it came out of one of my zoa frags a little while back, and is stressing them to not open.

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This I think is some type of hair algae. A good number of my snails are even covered in it.

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And on a good note, I saw this little guy and made kinda an impulse buy. He is a goby so I figured I didnt really need any special care so I figured whats the harm. Cant find an id anywhere though.

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Ok its looking to be feather dusters, bryopsis, and a sand perch. He is a cool little guy, but it looks like he will get pretty big, 8 inches. He is reef safe as long as I dont keep shrimp. I think hes a keeper, but definately lesson learned on research even though I thought i knew what he was for the most part.
 
@Scuba_Steve wrote:
Ok its looking to be feather dusters said:
What did you find out about it?
Is it a decorated goby, or one of the sleeper gobies perhaps, I can't tell from the pic... He is cute though lol...

I made same mistake when I first stared in this hobby... lesson learned!!! :shock:
You choice wasnt as bad as mine... lol. you might see a decline in that pod population now though.... :lol:
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No its not a goby at all. Its a sand perch. They can get up to 8 inches although 5 is common in the aquarium. They appear to be reef safe as long as you dont keep any shrimp. He has a great personality though. He hides sometimes, but is often out cruising around the tank, especially at feeding time.
 
Here are the full tank shots I promised although they are a few days late.

Daylight

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Actinic

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Some updates... The Sand perch is doing great, he has a lot of personality and can be seen out often, especially at feeding.
I have begun battling my bryopsis. Im using Kent Tech M to bring my magnewsium above 1650. 3 cups a day for 2 days now and Im around 1550. Its hard to tell as the scale on a salifert mg test only goes up to 1500. The cyano has begun decreasing although there is still a lot, and hair algae is now coming in. Hopefully this new tank algae will go away soon.
 
Welcome home. Thank you for your service, Sir. Your tank is looking good. Is that a Golden Gate bridge?? Keep posting more pix. We love to see this kinda work . Great.
 
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