NaClFinatic's 90 Gallon Reef - Page 6

Krash · 03-29-2008, 01:23 AM

Great thread NaCl! I have a general question if you don't mind me posting it in your thread. As I am following the Borneman method for stocking a tank, he mentions that the first corals stocked in the tank should be pioneer corals and not climax corals. What corals are considered pioneer and what are consider climax? Thanks.

NaClFinatic · 03-29-2008, 09:08 PM

Im not sure about pioneer vs climax. Pioneer species are probably those more likely to propogate and grow in a fresh area in the wild to begin a new reef area. The climax species probably are more picky about environment and don't show up until the reef is better established. I would just start out with the hardier species and work your way up to the more challenging specimens. But not to say you couldn't thow a piece of anythign in and have it do fine. Mainly I think it is to experiment with some and be sure your parameters are steady and slowly increase the number of specimens (and along with that more food causing more bioload).

I am a very light feeder. Most would say not enough. I feed just a little zoplankton, frozen cyclops, or frozen plankton about twice a week. Plus seaweed for the tang. Right now I wrap a bit of nori and red seaweed on a broken plastic hanger and tape that to the tank edge. It takes the tang 2 or 3 days to finish that then I wait a day before adding more.

RocketSeason · 04-06-2008, 11:35 PM

just tagging along on this thread. It all looks great!

-Matt

magaman · 10-15-2008, 04:42 AM

Great tank thread. Right now I'm in the the planning phase of another tank, either this one or the 72 Bow. Either way something with the MEGAFLOW system. Also plan on going with a 30g sump/fuge, biggest difference is the fuge won't be separated like yours, it will be 1 chamber entry from tank with protein skimmer, overflows into large center area which will be the fuge with heater, and then baffle to return area with return pump possible phosban reactor down the road.
Anyway, got a question on the plumbing, the kit comes with bulkheads for flex tubing I wanted to at least hard PVC the return, what bulkhead parts did you have to use to work with the up-pipe?? Also I see you use some flex tubing, what size, I see the instructions call for 1.25" ID but some people have use 1" and even 1.5" ID tubing? Any other plumbing suggestions as well would be great.

NaClFinatic · 10-29-2008, 11:23 PM

I am not a big fan of the megaflow. I think it needs to be more open in the top section. This is becasue my DSB covers the bottom inlet. Who knows what builds up in there then, but it is a comparatively small space so proabably not a big deal. Then my HA clogs up the little middle inlet. (I can't really clean that out with the way my rockwork is, so my own fault I guess.) But that leaves the water approaching the top of the upper inlet with a high turnover. (I run a QuietOne 3000 return.) Anyway I do not see the Megaflow as a selling point. As for the overflow kit, it was fine. I used a union to hard plump my return and the drain just has some tubing. ( I would consider something like spaflex as I have heard it can help keep things more quiet.) I did have to drill an extra hole or two in the dorso standpipe to prevent siphoning becasue not enough air was getting in. This just made it louder though. My return union appears to be 3/4" and fits right onto the bulkhead. The 1.25" ID tubing barely fit on the drain. It is alomost impossible to get off (I think I actually cut it off). Of course the next size is too big. Maybe try to find something a little more flexible since most of the tubing this size is pretty heavy so it doesn't give much.

**CarmieJo** · 10-29-2008, 11:26 PM

Hi David! How's your tank doing?

NaClFinatic · 10-29-2008, 11:40 PM

Top story: Ok its not new news and not good news but the HA is still hanging around. I blame the nori. With some cleanings it seemed to be waning some but I have been neglecting water changes and it is back in business.

The good news: Even though I have been very neglect on water changes, things are checking in fine.

What's new: MORE FISH! I have had an algae blenny, 3 lyretail anthias (1 male), and a royal gramma (my new favorite) since spring. I ordered them online (liveaquaria) mainly to get the blenny but wasnt going to pay shipping for one fish. Well the blenny was the one that did not make it. So I ordered another from ThatFishPlace. It did not make it either. (I had to order because the LFS never had them and won't take requests. This includes the TFP store that is not too far away for me.) Finally my favorite LFS had a few! And he is happy as a clam in the sea of HA.

The bad news: Besides the blennys I also lost my old favorite, the mandarin. I can spot copepods on the glass if I don't clean it (which doens't happen often anyway) so I don't think that he wasted away. But I actually thought he was going to die several months running so maybe he was just getting old. I am not getting another just in case for some reason the blenny pestered him and put him over the edge. I never saw any indication of this, but half the time I have no idea where the blenny is.

Other news: New reasons for not being around the forum and continued fish neglect: Fatherhood and working on another degree. Both going great but definitely time consuming!

NaClFinatic · 10-29-2008, 11:44 PM

Oh forgot to mention the corals... I lost all my sensitive species (brown acro, purple acro, green acro, and superman montipora), but the others are growing like weeds. I figure my lighting really may have been barely adequate for those.

rayme07 · 10-30-2008, 12:51 AM

Hi David thanks for the update. sorry for the loses of your fish and corals that must be a bummer. Anyways I love royal grammas they are an awesome fish very funny and curious at least mine was.
Hope your HA goes away soon. Best of luck. Thanks again.

**CarmieJo** · 10-30-2008, 11:02 PM

Congratulations David! Thanks for the update. It sounds to me like your priorities are in the perfect order.