ZeeSparrow's 75G LPS tank build

[Swope2bc]

You will all be way ahead of me, time and finances will slow the early side of my build tremendously... But I'll get there!! I also love the frog spawn! Ever considered a simple filter on your camera to get truer color?

[Grizz717]

I bit the bullet also and bought a CandyCane and two mushrooms. Had to run to Jacksonville. Will post pictures Tuesday night. My wife keeps asking when I'll buy some fish and put them in QT. Probably next weekend!

[ZeeSparrow]

Originally Posted by Swope2bc

You will all be way ahead of me, time and finances will slow the early side of my build tremendously... But I'll get there!! I also love the frog spawn! Ever considered a simple filter on your camera to get truer color?

I'm just using my old iPhone 4s so.... Yeah. Might have to spring for a real camera some day.

[ZeeSparrow]

Originally Posted by Grizz717

I bit the bullet also and bought a CandyCane and two mushrooms. Had to run to Jacksonville. Will post pictures Tuesday night. My wife keeps asking when I'll buy some fish and put them in QT. Probably next weekend!

Now the candy cane question makes sense! looking forward to your pictures. What fish are you going to add first?

[Swope2bc]

Yes but you can use small bits of colored plastic that will take out the blue providing better images. Even with an iPhone

[ZeeSparrow]

Really...I just might have to look into that!! Someday I do want to get a camera for macro pics though. We rented one on our vacation to Maui and I really liked it!

[Grizz717]

Either two clowns or two Bangai Cardinals.

[Swope2bc]

I think bangai are some of the coolest fish for being so common and black and white! I know little of their personality though.

[RingingEars]

Everything is looking great Zee.
Love the frogspawn. I can't wait to get another. I had one years ago. I got it as small frag and it got huge fast. Love em.
I was hoping to have my tank setup by now, but I had an MRI on my shoulder Sat and it looks like I may need surgery to clean up some arthritis so my tank, for now, will have to sit in the garage for a few more week :/ Oh well, such is life.
I have been buying all kinds of gear for it though so it should be pretty "automated" by the time I get to it(late summer grumble-grumble).

[ZeeSparrow]

Originally Posted by Grizz717

Either two clowns or two Bangai Cardinals.

Originally Posted by Swope2bc

I think bangai are some of the coolest fish for being so common and black and white! I know little of their personality though.

I agree. They're very cool looking fish but I don't know anything about them either.

Originally Posted by RingingEars

Everything is looking great Zee.
Love the frogspawn. I can't wait to get another. I had one years ago. I got it as small frag and it got huge fast. Love em.
I was hoping to have my tank setup by now, but I had an MRI on my shoulder Sat and it looks like I may need surgery to clean up some arthritis so my tank, for now, will have to sit in the garage for a few more week :/ Oh well, such is life.
I have been buying all kinds of gear for it though so it should be pretty "automated" by the time I get to it(late summer grumble-grumble).

Oh man sorry to hear that! Shoulder surgery sucks... But better to get it fixed early. My mom just had a full replacement for the same reason. Wishes she would have done it sooner. Best of luck in your recovery!

I got myself an app for the phone called Manual. Didn't have much time to play with it tonight but I did get one shot I particularly like:

[mmittlesteadt]

I'm finding tank photography quite difficult. I only use a point and shoot, but for tank photos I mess around with the light intensity and spectrum (just for the photo shoot and then it goes back to my normal settings). Which reminds me...I want to get the controller for my Kessil.

Nice pics Zee.

[ZeeSparrow]

Yeah, I'm not much of a photographer so it's been very difficult to get any decent pics. More learnin'!

Here's a lovely close-up of what I hope will go away in time (and water changes, siphoning, yadda yadda):

[mmittlesteadt]

Yeah, I here you. I'm getting diatoms. Time for a larger CUC. At least my rocks have some color. Everything is doing well.

[ZeeSparrow]

Haha I hear that! Glad things are going well for you. How's the GSP?

My nitrates are now down to 10 (or lower - hard to tell with the API test I have - will be getting Salifert one for this tank soon). I did another 10 gallon w/c tonight, using half of that for a w/c for the clowns. Also gave them a dose of Prazi. No issues present but I'm willing to use preemptively. I don't know if I'll do two doses or not...

6/11/2015
NO3: ~10
PO43-: 0
SG: 1.026
Mg: 1350
Ca: 450
dKH: 7.7
Temp: 80.1F

[mmittlesteadt]

My GSP came back better than it ever has been in my tank...polyps way out, but there are still more to come out as it has spread already. Left my camera at work, but I'll take pics.

How's your chaeto doing? Is it growing any? It should consume nitrates and grow, especially if you have the light over it, on a lot.

[ZeeSparrow]

Glad to hear your GSP is doing well.

Yes the chaeto is growing. I am using a 5k light for about 12 hours each night.

[mmittlesteadt]

Originally Posted by ZeeSparrow

Glad to hear your GSP is doing well.

Yes the chaeto is growing. I am using a 5k light for about 12 hours each night.

A friend of mine that runs the saltwater section at my LFS says he'll sometimes run his fuge light for 24 hours every day and his chaeto is growing like crazy.

I'm only running mine for 12 hours, on a timer, opposite my display lights, but it has grown and my nitrates are about 5ppm, but I'm going for softies (aside from my LPS goniopora) and I've read that Xenia loves nitrates and phosphates.

I know Xenia can grow crazy, but maybe if you isolate one on a rock it will absorb more of your nitrates.

[ZeeSparrow]

I could get Xenia, but I've decided I'd rather not. My intent is to stick with LPS for now... maybe add a few easier SPS later, as I do like the montis. But no softies, zoas, mushrooms. Water changes, skimming, chaeto are nutrient exports for now. And without fish, I think I'll get the nitrates down as far as I want them without adding your weeds.

[mmittlesteadt]

Originally Posted by ZeeSparrow

I could get Xenia, but I've decided I'd rather not. My intent is to stick with LPS for now... maybe add a few easier SPS later, as I do like the montis. But no softies, zoas, mushrooms. Water changes, skimming, chaeto are nutrient exports for now. And without fish, I think I'll get the nitrates down as far as I want them without adding your weeds.

LOL. Yeah, Xenia can be pretty invasive. My goals are different as I'm trying to establish the most self sustaining natural system I can which will require the least amount of effort on my part.

The culmination of my freshwater experience was a 120 gallon freshwater planted tank. I had no filtration on it. Only the right balance of fish and plants, a CO2 tank, lighting and a couple of circulation pumps. Completely planted throughout (even the gravel bed was chocked full of carpet grass, mosses, etc.).

I had no cover on it, used metal halides suspended over it, and grew orchids all around the tank outside it, spider plants hung above it with their roots in the tank water (think chaeto but freshwater) and my Amazon swordplants grew up and out of the water and even flowered above it.

I had four huge Altum Angels and over 100 Cardinal Tetras in that tank and I only did top-offs. I didn't do any water changes in over 4 years and never once had a problem with it. But that was 30 years experience with freshwater.

These saltwater reef systems are really challenging me, but I like a challenge.

[RingingEars]

That exactly what I want to do. LPS and SPS. I had Xenia in my old tank and it grew like weeds. Never again.
Well it looks like I'm going to have to live vicariously through you guys for a while. I saw the Ortho surgeon yesterday and he said I tore my Supraspinatus in half. Doc said it's been like that for a while now. That accounts for the pain I've been having in there Having surgery on the 1st of July and will be down for a couple months or so...
New tanks just sitting in the garage for now
So keep showing update pics so I don't go stir crazy

[mmittlesteadt]

We will. You can check out my build thread too (if it helps you pass the time). I know just how hard it is to have to wait. It's a few pages long now and I have fish and corals in it. 40 gallon build thread...

[mmittlesteadt]

Hey Zee, here's my GSP...

It's come back to life and is doing great now.

A pic the day it was put in the tank before its polyps disappeared and the base started spreading...



About a week later moved to a slightly different spot (the base spread is in the back in this pic). If you look real close at the bottom of its base, right at the corner of the frag plug, you can see one of it "star" polyps pretty clear...

[coralsnaked]

How are you liking your Reef Breeder Photon 48's. Pretty powerful for a 75 are you running any optics or just the 120 spread. The Jabeo DCT 8000 is pretty strong also for filtration on a 75. If its the newer model you can run it thru a controller if you want. However the newer models always go back to full power after an outage so for safety not to flood the DT your overflow must be able to handle the full 8000 lph no matter where it is set down too. But with Apex it would be no worries. Good looking tank and I approve of your equipment choices.

[ZeeSparrow]

Nice, Mark. I have freshwater experience too, but never did much with plants. I tried a little but my black thumb ensured I had no success. My freshwater tank now has no plants (not even fake ones).

[ZeeSparrow]

Originally Posted by RingingEars

That exactly what I want to do. LPS and SPS. I had Xenia in my old tank and it grew like weeds. Never again.
Well it looks like I'm going to have to live vicariously through you guys for a while. I saw the Ortho surgeon yesterday and he said I tore my Supraspinatus in half. Doc said it's been like that for a while now. That accounts for the pain I've been having in there Having surgery on the 1st of July and will be down for a couple months or so...
New tanks just sitting in the garage for now
So keep showing update pics so I don't go stir crazy

Oh man... at least you know what it is, and will be getting it fixed! Gives you time to really iron the details on your build before you start!