10 month old tank

[acasden]

My son and I started this tank 10 months ago, it has been a great experience for us. It is a glass 75 bowfront with a 30 gallon sump, PC skimmer, UV, 4x65 powercompacts, it has been very easy to care for and have had very few problems at all. I can provide more details if requested.

 

[4angel]

Great job!! Tell your son its also fun cleaning!!
_________________
Honda CB175

 

[acasden]

here is another picture, i am playing with photoshop to decrease pixels to post on the web,

 

[acasden]

here is another

 

[acasden]

so here is a question- i want to upgrade to halides to do hard corals but things are working so well i don't want to mess around, i need a confidence booster that the increased lighting should be no problem . also, my 6 yr. old is looking for a comment on our tank, (ok, me too)

 

[Unarce]

The tank looks good, but you really need to slow down. Honestly, you've accumulated stock over a 10 month period at an alarming rate for a new tank. The lack of coralline growth on your liverock, overflow, and rear glass indicates that your tank isn't mature enough to go to hard corals.

You can go to metal halides now if you like, but take your time with these corals for now and make sure everything stablizes in the long run. Then, look into SPS corals within the next 8-12 months at the soonest. :wink:

 

[brahm]

...um...nc...

You can go sps, but you will need to change some things around more then just your lights, I think you have a good thing going and would keep up with the LPS & Softies, and maybe start with some of the hardy and easier to keep SPS like Platting Montiporas.. Acroporas require a very low nutrient enivorment, and you have far to many fish to make that possible... I don't think your tank requires any more time to "mature" but by removing certine corals that will confict with sps, and lowering you bio-load be removing many of your fish, switching your lights to Halide and staying ontop of your water paramaters it is entirly possible. I'd also start off if you are going to do acros, with some Captive pieces first as they do alot better then the Wild Caught acropora. I think your tank looks really clean the absence of algie is a GOOD sign imop.

 

[acasden]

thanks for the help, as far as moving too fast i must say i have had vey little loss of fish or corals over the past 10 months, the corals are growing very quickly and the fish are growing and getting fat. the water parameters have been fine, have good coraline algae growth, no bad algae so far, i do not plan to add more fish at this time.

 

[aquarist=broke]

It's awesome compared to mine, all i have is a tank with two pieces of rock and a million little animals. no fish or anything.....for now....

 

[ChrisV]

Very nice indeed, I would add a plant refugium and go for the acros :wink: Keep the fish

 

[Juck]

I think that's a very nice looking tank.

Can you list all the fish you've got in there?

(I hear the Tang police putting on their jackboots)

 

[Algae Blenny]

Beautiful tank. I have two questions:

1. What camera are you using?

2. In the 3rd pic what is the red and white fish in the back of the tank, second highest?

Thanks

 

[acasden]

thanks for the nice comments, i understand concern about moving too fast but really don't understand the problem,
the red and white is really black and white and a chromis, the camera is a canon sure shot 330, 3 megapixal, i used photoshop to decrease the size and make it work for the web site.
fish include a yellow tang, blue hippo, kole tang, 2 clown , chromis, hogfish, wrase, cardinal, and pseudochromis, all getting bigger and doing well, i would give more detail but just got home from work and am too tired

 

[Juck]

You list 10 fish,, I see a Damsel and a Firefish as well so that makes 12,,, including 3 Tangs,, your tank is hugely overstocked.

A single tang in a 75g is the sensible limit ,, some would say Zero is even better in a tank this small. Three is going to end in tears.

Your tank looks great but you've done a very poor job researching your livestock.

 

[ChrisV]

Juck, you really think his tank is going to crash suddenly because of overstocking? I doubt it unless he overfeeds or his fish outgrow the tank. Anyhow keep up the good work acasden and consider ways to keep your bio load in check.

TDS meter may help,
-CV

 

[Juck]

I don't recall saying the tank is going to crash,, although with all the crap produced by 3 tangs I wouldn't bet against it.

I'm more concerned about the welfare of the fish. Maybe one tang and 4 or 5 of the smaller fishes would be a more appropriate load for a 75g.

 

[acasden]

the fish seem to be thriving, i have had most of the fish for over 4 months without a loss, the fish do not seem to be suffering, i am not sure i can agree with the concept of "overstocking" if things are going well,

 

[Juck]

lol,,, ok,, you know best. Let's see how many of these fish are 'thriving' a year from now.

Good luck

 

[Unarce]

You mustn't take it the wrong way. Juck and I feel you've got a beautiful display started and just don't want to see it go wayward. Reefkeeping is apparently new to you, so things like 'overstocking' will become understood through experience. In reality, a 10 month old tank and 4 months without a loss doesn't constitute success. You're really just in the honeymoon period.

Each time you add a fish, coral, or invert, you change the chemistry of your tank with the additional bioload. Your frequency of acquisitions may explain some of the 'little loss of fish or corals over the past 10 months'. Although you feel your fishload is normal, don't compare your local fish store's display as an example. The numerous fish in their tanks are meant to be housed temporarily.

Aside from the 3 tangs, everything seems manageable. All of the fish and corals are extremely hardy species and excellent choices for entry-level reefing (with the exception of the Goniopora which requires a lot of feeding).

I strongly recommend sticking with what you have now and get your feet wet. You'll be looking into some major changes when going from soft to hard corals (lighting, circulation, chemistry). Too many become frustrated and quit the hobby because they rush or plan poorly. You want this to be a long-term interest that you and your son can share. The lesson in patience for a 6 year-old is priceless.

 

[acasden]

thanks for your kind words, i certainly do not question the knowledge and experience of those who have been doing this for a lot longer than me, and it may well be early and time will tell. when i am not taking care of the tank i am a orthopaedic surgeon and i know that only long term results are what count, not short term. i have no plans for more fish at all, will probably wait on more lighting.
i guess so far, so good but it is early in this hobby for me.