56 Gallon Column Restart!!!

[Pigpen17]

OH NO! NEW CARPET RESTART!!!!!!

I am in a world of crazy right now. I got tanks all over the house! We just got new carpet installed, so I had to break down my year old 56g tank. As long as I had the tank empty I replaced the sandbed. Now it's like I'm starting over. I have fish in a temp tank in my daughters room, rocks in a tank in the kitchen, a fish in tank transfer, and my coral, serpets star and crab in a tank on my desk.



Tank Transfer


Live Rock/CUC


Fish in a temp tank


Coral and crabs on my desk.


The rocks, coral and CUC go back in in a few days. Fish are out for 72 days. I just finished TT all of them. I did not have Ich symptoms, but I suspected I may have Ich in the tank, so again, as long as it's starting over, why not go fallow as well and TT everything from here on out.

The other big thing for me was starting with 100% RO water this time and running GFO right out of the gate.

[Pigpen17]

Well, I got the rocks in the tank. I wanted to aquascape differently. My last set up had rocks on the back glass, and I had all kinds of stuff building up back there, so I wanted to have no rocks touching glass. As well, it increases the swim space for fish. Now they can swim all around the rocks.

NEW WAY:




The only problem is I love it too much, and I can't see where to put my last rock with the Xenia on it. It's perfect just the way it is, but I have to fit that other rock in there somewhere.

[top shelf]

It sucks you had to start over but sometimes it can be a positive if you make it that way and it looks like you have.

That is a very nice scape and I can't say as I blame you. You could always try to remove the Xenia and pick a new place to put them or depending how big the rock is maybe half bury it like an island in front of and off center the arch on the right. Gl with the start over.

[gr3]

I really like the way you have your aquascape set up, I too do not like it touching the glass. I have a corner tank so mine is in a triangle shape.

[Pigpen17]

Thanks. Oh God I used to love my corner tank. Great set up gr3.

[Pigpen17]

Full Tank Shot. Still week one.





I have added my CUC back in and added my rock with the Xenia since this shot. I'll upload shots where I get home. I'm not crazy about the rock addition. I really loved the way it looked without it. Thinking of possible alternatives.

Plus some new toys to play with. New pump and a bubble guard for my aquamaxx.

[Pigpen17]

Update: Two Weeks up and running.

I got the Xenia rock in the tank. I don't really like it as much with the big rock added, but the Xenia/Porcelain Crab combo really has to stay in there. I am not putting Xenia on my main aquascape, so there ya go. Also added the Bubble Stopper for my Aquamaxx-1. Not only dose it really work well, I have never seen anything like it. Brilliant. The output tube runs into a cup and overflows over a sponge. I think we may see other HOB skimmers copy this idea. Still running GFO and lights are on factory set Custom Program. So far everything is good. Still no fish in. Going the full 72 days.

Here’s some photos.











Still no GHA from before I broke this down. There was some when I added the big rock. but it died off pretty quickly. So far so good. I still have this other kind of Tuff type Algae, but it's just sitting there........for now.



Just orderd a Birdsnest from Divers Den as Well. My first SPS. I would have like to have a bit more time into the tank, but I have been looking at Birdsnests for about a year, and I have never seen one like this beofre. It's almost black with purple polyps. I almost let it go, but I just couldn't.

[Pigpen17]

5 month update. Thought I would post some photos.

Everything is still doing well. Going though a bit of Cyno, but 3 day lights out one a month is starting to work it out. Yeah, it's still very empty, but I'm working on it. Nothing good happens fast, right?