jvalentine83

Hey all, So I have recently had 3 fish die randomly (no ich, velvet, etc). Two were Flasher Wrasse's (one Blue Flasher, one McCoskers Flasher), and one was a Copperband Butterfly. They all came from the same LFS. They lasted about 2 weeks, and were doing really great before their sudden deaths. In both cases, after about 2 weeks, they stopped eating one night during feeding (after eating well the whole time) and by the next morning are on the sandbed dead and I can't explain it. No other fish in my tank have any issues (2 DaVinci Clowns, 2 Bangaii Cardinals, 1 Yellow Watchman Goby). I've read on various forums that it could be the collection method. Some vendors use cyanide and that can cause random sudden death of fish a few weeks after they are collected, anybody know if any of the local shops here purchase from vendors using this method? I know its unlikely, but just trying to cover any possible issue it could be. I have no clue otherwise, anyone with another idea? Current tank Parameters: pH: 8.2 Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Nitrate : 5 Phosphate: 0.19 (this is higher than I'd like) Alkalinity: 8.8 dKH Calcium: 440 Magnesium: 1470 I appreciate any advice

Redid my aquascape and captured a quick video! 20190602_184447.mp4

Welcome to ARC!!

Its been a while since I updated, tank is doing great! Here is some shots of new and growing coral!

It being Easter I wasnt sure. Anyone know if anything is open?

Quick Video: 20190413_171650.mp4

Alright.....tank finished cycling about 2 1/2 weeks ago and I've begun to slowly stock the tank!! Current inhabitants are as follows.... Fish and Inverts: (2) DaVinci Clownfish (2) Banggai Cardinalfish (1) Sunburst Anthias (1) Sand Sifting Starfish (1) Cleaner Shrimp (10) Snails (7) Hermit Crabs (1) Christmas Hermit Coral: Hammer Torch GSP Green/Orange Ricordea Mushroom Blue Rhodactis Mushroom Nirvana Zoas Duncans Red Gonoporia Teal and Red Acan Lord

Cycling finally completed on Thursday of last week! And my skimmer came in:

Still waiting on the cycle to finish but grabbed a few shots after installing some under cabinet sump lighting!

Welcome to ARC!

after consideration, I decided to take the rock off the glass. I liked the look, but you are right....it'll be hard to control detritus buildup. Here is a video of the new scape: 20190325_195536.mp4

Glad I got to meet some of you! Had a fun time! Thanks to all who made it possible!

Finally got my lights in! Went with the Kessil AP700 over the two A360X's, mainly because its more than enough light for a mixed reef. If I move to a more SPS Dominant tank in the years to come I may upgrade..

\ New Aquascape!

Finally got water, sand, and rocks into the tank!! This is not the final aquascape, just put all the rocks in to make sure they cycle fully. I'll aquascape in a few days and update the thread

You are correct, I mixed it up in the display tank, not in a mixing tank. But I have no sand or rock in the display tank. The only reason I chose to mix the salt in the display tank was I dont have a container large enough to mix the water for this sized tank, 91 gallons :/

Last night I began to start up my Red Sea Reefer 350. I filled it up with RO/DI water (BRS 7 Stage RO/DI), ensured no leaks and that it ran fine. No sand or rocks in the tank yet. Put a Maxspect Gyre xf330 pump in and began adding Red Sea Coral Pro salt into the tank and letting the Gyre and my return pump (Sicce Syncra Silent 4.0) do the mixing. Water temp was about 70 at this point. Got the salinity up to 1.026, added a heater set to 78, and made sure to scrape the bottom of the tank to kick up any salt that may have settled and watched it for a few hours, hoping for the water to clear. By the time I went to sleep it was still a bit cloudy but clearing up overall. However when I woke up this morning it was MUCH cloudier than when I went to sleep. A thin white layer had formed on the Gyre and bottom of the tank (didn't really look like salt deposits though?). Anyone else have this issue? Will it clear up eventually or did I mess something up?

Got the stand built! Put the aquarium on the stand and got everything connected this morning. Waiting on a few equipment shipments to arrive and my rock to finish cycling before adding water. Just must remain patient

A mixed reef. Mostly SPS, but I have always been a fan of Bubble Coral, Duncans, Ricordea, and Zoas!

Hello All, I have been a member of this site for a few years but not very active at all, mainly because I have not had a tank up and running since 2013 when I lived in Louisiana. My dive into reef aquariums started in 2008 when I started up my first tank; a 55 gallon (48x12x24) tank with hang on skimmer and T5 lighting. After having that tank for a few years I got an Oceanic 75 gallon (36x18x24) system with a sump and metal halide lighting. Both tanks were really successful and healthy for a few years. Then life happened and my girlfriend and I broke up and since she owned the condo we were living at, this meant I need to take the tanks down (the apartment I had rented after the breakup was on the 2nd floor and couldn't support the weight of the tanks). I was so hard selling all my fish and coral that I had been collecting over the years that I decided that I would not set up another tank until I owned a home of my own and would not have to go through that experience again. Well, here we are 2019 and I have owned a home in Cedar Park since August! I waited until now to start to set up a new Red Sea Reefer 350, mainly because I wanted to get settle into the house! About a week ago I began cycling all my old rock in a brute trash can. Adding Dr Tim's One and Only and some pellet food to kick off the ammonia spike. I am using the BRS 7 Stage RO/DI unit to filter my water. The Red Sea Reefer 350 arrived to my home yesterday evening and I figured it was a good time to formally introduce myself and start a build thread! Current Equipment: BRS 7 Stage RO/DI Unit Red Sea Reefer 350 Sicce Syncra Silent 4.0 Return Pump Planned Equipment: (1) Red Sea RSK-300 Protein Skimmer (2) Kessil A360X LED lights with Mounting Arms (1) Maxspect Gyre XF330 (1) BRS Carbon & GFO Dual Reactor

Great looking tank! I really like your aquascape!

I am going to try to make this one!

Welcome!!

Welcome!

Welcome!