Sorry for the lack of updates!

The tank is coming up to its year now and a lot has gone on since my last blog entry

I have a few new corals which I will post up on here and I am very happy with the tank all the levels are fine apart from my nitrates which are sitting between 25 to 50ppm

I have managed to get rid of the candy shrimps finally

I have introduced pom pom crabs which are now mating and I have a gravid female which will provide excellent food for the tank inhabitants

Fish list
Bangai Cardinal (Female)
Pair of clowns
Leopard wrasse
Yellow goby

Inverts
Cerith snails x 6
Pom pom crabs x 3
Hermits
Red legged
Blue Legged
Blue knuckle
Zebra

Corals
Zoas - blue, pink, orange, green, yellow
Palys - green
Protopalythoa
Pulse coral
Mushrooms - green, ricordea, red
Hammer x 1
Frogspawn x 3
Pavona
Gorgonian
Leather toadstool
Bush coral
Galaxea
Fungia


Parameters

Ca - 405 Mg - 1245 Alk - 3.37 DkH - 9.44 NO3 - 25 - 50ppm

Jon

My game plan for LPS domination!

Red crosses - soft corals to go

Yellow arrow - Fox coral position

Light blue arrow - new position for blue zoas

Green arrow - Duncan frag ledge

red arrow - favia moved slightly

Purple, Orange, Light blue, pink and light purple crosses

more Euphyllias!

J

Duncan frag arrived 03/07/07

Heading for 7 months next week

Sorry I havent been updating the blog on my aquarium.....I have been busy with the tank replacing the filter media with live rubble and placing a new filter media above that (piccies to follow soon).

I have recently purchased a Duncan 'whisker' coral frag which has been in the tank for 3 days now and is doing really well

I am planning on adding a fourth fish this weekend which will be a peacock or splendid leopard wrasse eventually a mate will be introduced for my Bangai female

Photos and other updates to come soon


J

More photos

More photos

The clowns love their toadstool

full tank shot - the tank has changed around a bit

Nice blue Zoas paid for from frag sales that week!

Lovely frogspawn coral

I'm BACK!

Hi there

It has been quite a busy few weeks or months since my last post just a little update

The tank was left for 8 days in May - and it survived no problem

Also before I left I got hold of a nice blue zoa rock and a three branched frogspawn at a really good price!

Also for my birthday I got a frogspawn coral from my aunt and uncle which was great and my most recent purchase was a branching hammer coral - photos to come soon

Jon

Frogspawn coral.....

Oh yeah its gonna be great

Fingers crossed

Three months a few days ago

My tank is three months old now!

I am planning to get a fluro green frogspawn from Fishman Frags......http://www.fishmansfrags.co.uk/

I am sooooo excited its my birthday next month so for the tanks 4 month anniversary the frogspawn is going in.....

Jon

Argh! the temperature is too high

Well it was around 26C outside today and the RSM has been getting up to 28C - I have been cooling the tank with an office fan

The tank is fine by all accounts - the heat made the new bangai go a bit mad but they all seem to be doing okay

My RSM thread on Reefs UK has had some great comments from other RUK members

'Looking great Jon... good to see all those frags doing well.. will soon be full once they all grow. rgds leigh...'

'look very good now!!! very natural!!!'

'Inspirational tank Jon - looks stunning. My RSMs about a month old and I'm looking forward to stocking my first fish and softies soon.'

Here is my thread for more photos etc
http://www.reefsuk.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11282&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=45


Pictures of my mum getting her hands wet well she wanted to say hello to the cleaner shrimp
coming soon

Latest parameters
Ammonia 0 - 0.25ppm, Nitrites 0ppm, Nitrates 2.5 to 5ppm

Latest additions
Zoas - rock of pinks very nice pic to come soon

Latest frags available for fellow RUK members
Zoas, Toadstools, Mushrooms, Star polyps and some pulsing Xenia - Red Sea and standard eventually

Leigh in Oxon had some frags off me recently and he has reported that all the frags apart from the star polyp survived

the finger leather has started to expand



Jon

Tank has been alone for three days!

My colleague James has popped in to check on the tank......everything was okay apart from the bubble surge from low water levels....I am considering reversing the filter media the coarse filter first and then the fine filter so hopefully the clogging will be reduced within the filter wool as the larger stuff has been captured by the coarse filter.....

I will be testing the parameters when I get back later today and I will also be posting some pictures aswell


Regards


Jon

Sorry for the lack of reports

I have been busy with work but I have also been progressing with the aquarium. I have a several new additions

Triple headed toadstool coral
Sand sifting snail
more mushrooms
more zoas - from steve

and I have just added a new fish - a lovely bangai which I got from a member of Reefs UK - from West Sussex and it is captive bred - sex unknown

My tank parameters have go a little haywire Ammonia 0.25ppm, Nitrite - up to 0.2ppm and nitrates 5ppm - I am making water changes over th elast few days and I have managed to get the nitrites down to 0.1ppm so far I need to get them down to 0ppm with the easter hols coming I hope to get the levels down a bit

both sets of parents have seen the tank now and they all love the tank......my mum even got into the swing of things allowing the cleaner shrimp clean her hand and arm ( I have photos to be posted soon)

My bangai cardinal has settled in well and it feeding nicely a very cool fish make the clowns look small

Gearing up for posting my first frag

the reefs UK web forum is a great place for advice and lively discussion about reef keeping - and I have actually managed to frag some of my corals and people are hapy to swap or buy some of my frags.....

So I have been lookign for suitable packaging for the Xenia frags and eventually I will be posting a toadstool frag to Sheffield -

It is quite nerve racking as you just dont know whether the frag will survive the postal system.....

hopefully the frags will get to their intended destinations

JC

Tank is two months old!

A little worrying that my mushrooms were not looking to good - though the furry mushies are doing great, the new zoas are growing well, and my new frags are extending nicely

It looks like I have a Montipora (encrusting) which is growing.......

I am holding off on any more additions as I think that slowing down would be a good idea as my parameters are not sorting out and it is probably my fault adding a little frag there and a little frag here (pictures to come)

I have a tiger sand sifting snail and a toadstool on reserve at Maidenhead Aquatics (Farnham) - once the parameters have stabilised next week then I will be getting those in the tank

Eventually I will be getting a few more fish - just two more

I hope to get a neon goby and the baby bangai when it has grown up a bit

JC

my new shrimp

settled in nicely

ARGH!

My rock work is falling my rock work has fallen

and I had to rearrange the rock work - luckily no livestock was harmed and you know I actually like the rearrangment - I have clipped the algae including the large clumps of caluerpa and my frags survived okay

Photos to be posted tomorrow

Latest parameters

Salinity - 1.027
pH - 8.0
Temp - 24.9C/26.2C
NH3/NH4 - 0 - 0.25ppm
No3 - 2.5ppm

Over th elast few days I have managed two water changes - around 10% each and this has brought the ammonia down the pulsing Xenia are now happier and are pulsing

I need to deal with the phosphate as it was tested tonight and it was over the low rate needed - 0.5 -

I hope the extra Phos ban will help reduce this

Furry Mushroom coming on nicely

After the flatworm infestation the mushroom is now growing well and is budding hopefully into a few more on the rock

Update - Frags

Zoas and Trumpet Coral

Parameters (27th Feb 07)

Temp - 26.4C
Salinity - 1.026
NH3/NH4 - 0 to 0.25ppm
NO2 - 0ppm
NO3 - 2.5ppm

1st March - 10% water change at 11.00am

I have also blagged some lime green mushrooms from my LFS (cheaply) I have now superglued the substrate on the mushrooms foot to live rubble and have placed them in the substrate to recover before being moved up into the live rock

Things are going okay
JC

My First Frag.....1st March 07

I have taken the plunge and have fragged my first coral from the dead man's finger coral (at least that what I think it is) - I took the coral cut off a nice piece off with a scalpel and then superglued the frag onto a piece of live rubble from the tank......

Bloody hermits pushed over the frag.......fingers crossed it recovers okay

Photos to be posted soon



JC

Rock rearrangment

I knew I had to get the rock work away from the tank glass so it can be cleaned properly, so I have re arranged the rock work - hopefully the displaced corals will recover okay (they normally do).

I am also looking at where further corals will be placed in the rockwork - though I will be leaving the addition of corals for a period of a few weeks so I can get the parameters stable -

An annoying thing that has started to happen is the start up of the hood fan - makes an incredible noise......but it sorts itself out after a while


JC

Star polyps

A different angle

Tank shot

Parameters have been tested a few times over the last few days - these will be posted soon

The furry mushie is recovering nicely

New mushroom rock

May have go overboard with the corals!

Not bad for a fiver though

The percs are colouring up nicely

People always slate captive bred stock, my perculas were quite light orange with not much dark markings, after a few weeks they are colouring up nicely

New Mushroom anemone

It was hoped that the new furry mushroom would provide an ideal subsitute for the clowns - I had previously seen these corals at our LFS which were adopted by the clown fish within the display aquarium.

Unfortunately the mushroom hasnt been itself - I had thought that the acclimatisation process was a little short - and so I thought I had shocked it

Today though I realised that an infestation of flukes or flatworms was possibly responsible for the anemone not extending - I have been picking off the flukes with a pair of fine tweezers from my college disection kit

I am hoping that this will allow the coral to extend its polyp/tentacles

So fingers crossed


Jon

Clowns taking in their new home

The clowns are in....

The clown fish have settled into the tank quite well - they are now feeding on brine shrimp quite well and are exploring their surroundings

Mushroom frags

I have picked up a nice green striped mushroom though the one in the background took a beating and hasnt come through the ordeal yet

Tank shot almost a month old

If only

to tidy up the algae growth on the tank.........


I am sure that when the clown fish arrive hopefully tomorrow the tank will become even more interesting rather than just a load of rock with the odd movement of the hermits, sea slugs and turbo snails.....

Evidence....

......that Louise (my wife) is getting sort of interested in the aquarium

The coral frags are also doing okay

Top views of tank with flow off

Shrimps doing fine.....

but keep on hiding though

Zoanthid numbers

The Zoos are spreading and getting larger

I have counted over 27 polyps

calibration

after a further calibration test - the salinity is 1.026 to 1.027

I topped up with RO water today (6th Feb) and later a small water change

My readings today are getting there - the nitrates are 2.5ppm while the ammonia is getting to '0' but there is still a trace making the colour slightly green - it needs to be yellow

I have reserved my first fish at my LFS - a nice captive bred percula clown - in fact a pair and they have names already - Harley.......I will check the other name - both are clown names

I hopefully have a bangii cardinal also waiting (fingers crossed) again a captive reared bangii - F1 generation of wild caught parents

New additions

Some candy shrimps

These little fellas are resting in a device called a fintro which uses a one way valve to introduce aquarium water into the vessel over 30 to 45 minutes

so far everything has been introduced through this tray system - hermits, turbos, and other snails

though alot of my other stowaways just came in with the live rock and they are doing just fine....

Readings

2nd February - Morning reading salinity 1.026 - 1.027
My new salinity meter is much accurate than the other salinity meters/measuring devices I have (no offence red sea) -

The fine filter was replaced today with Juwel Aquarium poly pads - I have many filter pads which helps keep any blockages to a minimum - I will be away for the weekend (just two days) so I will make sure that the filter is clean before leaving

12pm -
Salinity 1.028 Temp 24.5C pH 8.2
Ammonia = 0 - 0.25ppm
Nitrite = 0.1 ppm
Nitrate = 5ppm
Calcium = 450ppm
Alkalinity - Normal to High (1.7 - 2.8 to 2.9 to 3.6)

I have a few frags from my LFS - all free a few more polyps, some encrusting Xenia and a piece of leather coral - all have pulled through the move - expanding their tentacles, polyps etc within the flow

Added some Nitrobac - around 60ml to help reduce the Ammonia etc

Will see what effect this has when I get back

Lettuce sea slug doing fine

The big green nudibranch or sea slug is doing really well in the aquarium - not bad for a stowaway - he likes to venture out during the night and doing the morning where he leaves a trail of slime along the tank glass.......


I have noticed other invertebrates including very small snails, other iospoda type bugs and small starfish type inverts on the tanks glass

The fine filter media has taken a beating recently being washed often to be de clogged and increase water flow

I have to keep the fine filter clean and it seems to last around two to three days before flow is reduced and produces air bubbles.

I haven't received the new attachments for the power heads yet I am sure that RS are very busy but hopefully this will prevent some rattling of the power heads

The noise of the tank is reasonable - the main noise coming from the protein skimmer which is working very hard cleaning up the water - plenty of black or rather dark goo coming from the collection cup

The algae within the tank includes macro green and macro brown algaes which have come on the live rock - There maybe some phosphates within the water so the next thing I may need is some phosphate remover for the filter treatment centre

New salinity refractometer

My tank salinity is 1.026 - I have missed today's readings as I was out all day

Next reading of the parameters will be tomorrow morning. I managed to get a few freebies from the LFS - a few more polyps, Xenia and a piece of a leather coral - will have to wait and see whether these will pull through - my readings previously were not dangerous and the Zoanthids and other polyps are doing fine.......


.......Fingers crossed

copepods

I think you can see the little white copepods on the tank glass

something new every day (copepods)

Taking some up to date photos of the tank and down amongst the substrate and along the bottom of the tank - hundreds of copepods and other inverts

photos to follow soon

The RSM system 5

The outlets which provide a really good flow around the tank

The RSM System 4

The heater compartment where the water comes after moving through the protein skimmer (you can see the bubbles to the right)

The RSM system 3

The top of the protein skimmer (you can see it is working really well)

A clean is needed

The RSM system 2

The fine filter (you can see it needs replacing)

The Red Sea Max System

I thought I should show how the system is faring with the set up and actually how the treatment centre actually works

Photo 1 the inlet

The tank is getting alot cleaner

The clean up crew have done a fantastic job clearing away the algae blooms which have taken over the whole tank.....

My clean up crew currently

Bought from lFS

5 blue legged hermits

5 red legged hermits

12 turbo snails

20 nassarius snails

Freebies (from the live rock)

1 lettuce sea slug

3 crab (unknown species)

1 snail (unknown species)

The parameters of the tank are relatively stable after my break away over the weekend

RSM is fine....

According to Louise, tonight I have to stay over in Essex at my Parents after traveling from Coventry. The RSM is fine with real problems to report - last I saw the tank on Friday (photo posted soon) which was becoming cleaner thanks to the clean up crew and possible die off of the diatom bloom, I thnk that over algae are taking hold - bubble algae etc which is green on the glass etc

Noticed a small crab during the day - a shed exoskeleton was found on the rock (again photo to be posted soon) so this indicates that this crab is growing in the tank

When i get back I will be testing the phosphate levels, other parameters and topping up the evaporation which may have occurred over the three days I was gone

I plan to pop into the LFS in Rayleigh, Essex where I may pick up a mushroom anemone - depends on whether the manager feels I could put these in my tank.....

I know that I am around 1 to 2 weeks away from housing my first few fish (clowns)

more to come soon

Its a wee bit late

Finally I have managed to get hall free of the clutter - RO, salt water containers, buckets, etc

It was all needed for setting up the tank -

I will be away for the weekend and I wonder how Louise will fair looking after the RSM?

Links

One of the many websites I have found really useful
www.reefsuk.org

My thread
http://www.reefsuk.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11282

Other websites will be listed here soon

recording the growth of these polyps in my tank

I was luckily enough to have some stowaways on the last addition of live rock a nice mature piece which was just under 1kg in weight





I plan to record the growth and numbers of these corals



There are 20 polyps on the live rock and the larger discs are growing nicely - I just have to figure out how to show this on camera

This photo was taken by my Olympus SP-500uz which is a great camera - 5 times the megapixels of my camera phone

Readings (25th Jan 2007)

Readings

pH 8.4
Salinity 1.023
Ammonia - 0.25 ppm
Nitrite - 0 - 0.05 ppm
Nitrate - 5 ppm
Calcium - 400 - 450 ppm

D'oh forgot the temperature readings - which would be around 24.9 (digital) to 25C-26C (red sea digital)

Finally managed to get back into my blog

Something must be wrong with my computer settings - still I am here now

I have some welcome news, my blog is being watched by none other than the deputy director of marketing at Red Sea!!!

It makes you feel a little worried that you may be doing the wrong things with regards to setting up the red sea max or something but I am glad that my experiences may help you guys to come up with further ideas to combat some of the 'problems' that Red Sea Max owners (myself included) are finding out setting up this tank.

The one thing I have to say is that Louise is more comfortable with the apparent neatness of the Red Sea Max - Louise saw the alternatives in the LFS the last time we visited together....it is often just me annoying the fish shops sales people..... but some of the other tanks with their externally mounted skimmers etc were not for her

Though she did reacte quite severely when she first came home to the red sea max

I am sure that when my first fish go into the tank things will be much more different

I think that a couple of percula clowns would do the trick - (captive bred of course)

the use of super glue!

The polyps were not stable enough on the live rock so I have managed to get some super glue and I have stuck the polyp rocks to a larger rock - Hopefully they will pull through.....

New polyp added today

Just couldnt resist a few polyps for my tank and at only 50p what a bargain!

10 p each - I have three in this photo and another two elsewhere in the tank

Daytime sighting of sea slug

Amazing what you get from your live rock -

this is a beauty of a sea slug

New crab species

Seen last night - nice looking crab

readings

24.7 to 26.3C

Salinity - 1.022 - 1.023 (1.025)

Ammonia - 0 ppm

Nitrite - 0.1 ppm

Nitrate - 5 ppm

pH - 8.2 to 8.4

5% water change

5 ml of phyto added

photos show the difference in temperature according to thermometer!