Demise of a Reef Tank

[JustDavidP]

Alas.... the 75G is no more...#ed_op#br#ed_cl##ed_op#br#ed_cl#I was planning a 6' wall tank for this Fall/Winter. Another sudden#ed_op#br#ed_cl#crash of my reef has made this option a reality. Look at the picture#ed_op#br#ed_cl#below. After saving some of the coral, selling it and the fish, this#ed_op#br#ed_cl#is what my reef looked like on Friday. Today...just water and sand.#ed_op#br#ed_cl#Dave#ed_op#br#ed_cl##ed_op#br #ed_cl#
#ed_op#img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d620b3127cce937eb305798000000016108DcuHDZi10"#ed_cl##ed_op#br#ed_cl##ed_op#br#ed_cl##ed_op#br#e d_cl#

[perpetual98]

Did you figure out what happened? One of my 120's is slowly crashing. First all the softies started closing up. I ended up moving the zoos and stuff into another tank. Now some of the shrooms are looking shrivelled. I'm fresh out of nitrate tests too, so maybe I'll pick some up on the way home tonight. I did a 10G water change last weekend and I've got another 15G of new saltwater in the kitchen that I'll change tonight. I had a powerhead fall all of the glass a couple weeks back and it really screwed up the sand bed. Maybe that threw my balance off because it stirred up some of the bacteria in the sand bed. that's just a guess though.

[jerryc]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Man i hate to hear that#ed_op#IMG src="http://www.captivereefing.com/richedit/smileys/Sad/3.gif"#ed_cl#What happened#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[JustDavidP]

Well... a couple of things happened...

First of all, my new position with BBN has me traveling 1 week a month. Therefore, the tank had become neglected somewhat. When I was there, I kept to a schedule, but without a calc reactor etc. there were swings in the water. Some of the SPS started to suffer. sooooo....

I started to sell off corals. All of which were attached (2 years growth) to large chunks o' live rock. Removal of the rock caused my biofilter to get out of whack and bam...cyano etc. Then, I lost the big brown cap. It sent off a chain reaction that I quickly stopped, though I lost an acro too. Thereafter, I lost a powerhead into the sand and had a HUGE sand storm. That too caused the nitrates to explode and I had more losses.

Finally, I sold off all the coral, existing fish, live rock etc. And here I am today.

Again, the 6' wall tank is in the planning and will be much more automated to fit my needs/schedule.

In the mean time, I still have the 26 Bow with the tree pair of H. Reidi seahorses. They are amazing and very easy to care for.

Dave

[perpetual98]

I just set up a 26 bow in the bedroom. :) I don't have any livestock in it yet. Just some shrooms and zoos and a couple SPS, but I may move the SPS downstairs. I'm a sucker for shrooms and zoos. lol

I'm not sure what it going in that bow as far as livestock. Probably a couple clowns and maybe a shrimp/goby pair. Those are neat. I've got a candy-cane pistol shrimp (actually 2 of them, but I've only seen one lately) and they're paired up with a Randall's Goby. Really neat to watch them interact, but I wish they found a better place to burrow. They're set up in a corner by one of my overflows.

I think the powehead/sandstorm is what screwed up my tank too. I guess I'll work on some water changed and hope it takes care of itself.

[Reptoreef]

Man, what to say??? Holy cow!!! Dave, I feel your pain and hope ya the best in the new tank.

[JustDavidP]

It's gonna be schweet...I'm getting a 6' tank for COST. I'm going to have a GINORMOUS sump and skimmer. One of my buds is a finish carpenter and will be building a backside cabinet (accessible via the playroom) for me. The front will be facing my bar and I'm making a bartop with the tank as a backdrop.

Dave

[dakar]

Man that really sucks rocks Dave...... Glad to hear you have your new plans set and in gear though.

[carpenterwrasse]

dave....where did you get the seahorses and just how easy are they.....thinking of getting rid of my 75 and getting a smaller tank for horses

[JustDavidP]

I've had 3 ponies for a few months now. The other three have been
acquired one at a time over the last couple months. A 26Bow is
kind of small for 6 Reidi, but I perform agressive water changes and
skim like ****. Also, the fact that there is 30 lbs of LR and
macro in the system helps.#ed_op#br#ed_cl#
#ed_op#br#ed_cl#
They are SUPER easy...IF they are tank raised. Wild caught tend
to shun frozen foods. My ponies eat frozen mysid, brine, and
krill with gusto. I feed them just once a day and top off with
RO/DI (1/4 gallon) every two or three days. When the Reef is
truly ripped down, I'm going to use the auto top off for my pony
corral. #ed_op#br#ed_cl#
#ed_op#br#ed_cl#
When I travel, my kids feed them. No worries about calcium levels
etc. The nitrates are naturally low due to the tonga branch and
macro. The calcium, PH, alk etc. are all kept in check with water
changes. I change 5 gallons every week.#ed_op#br#ed_cl#
#ed_op#br#ed_cl#
Dave#ed_op#br#ed_cl#
#ed_op#br#ed_cl#
#ed_op#img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5db06b3127cce9181e5a725d200000016108DcuHDZi10"#ed_cl##ed_op#br#ed_cl#

[ramoth41]

Sorry to hear about the tank .. there must have been a message in the crash!! I think it prolly was..... "GET OFF YER BUTT and build that wall tank!!"
:roll:
Can't wait to see the finished product! I'm still waiting for my wall to get built! Really the WALL not the tank in the wall !!

We had a crash a while back but it only hit the SPS and LPS not any of the softies.. Guess I got lucky on that score! Same reasons too simple neglect... it happened not to long after Ron's heart surgery! Kinda hard to do water changes with an IV in your arm for 3 months! and I'm asleep 1/2 the time soooooo

Goos luck I bet it will be beautifull again real soon!!
sarah

[JustDavidP]

Thanks..with info and friends like all of you, I'm sure it will be a much better reef.

D

[dakar]

Well as soon as you get her up and running then the sooner we can help you populate it! Get building my friend :razz:

[davejnz]

I've always felt you had one of the nicest and successful SPS tanks that i've got to view over the past 2 yrs.The growth/color of your corals has been excellent over the yrs and is a tribute to your husbandry/approach with your reef.

[JustDavidP]

Thanks! We shall see what the future brings