Tuni's 120g

[tunicata]

Hey folks,
This tank has been set up since late summer but I have today off and figure I'll finally post this stuff.

This was my initial problem...I didnt know how to install the RODI undersink.

However, I already bought the tank off of CL and needed to clean it up

Made some baby steps on taking the weird color/stuff off of the wood. I first tried hand sanding...that was more work than I was interested in. Then I tried a cheap sander...which was imperfect and caused me to worry about my health...then I finally said "let me go the easier way" and I got more of the toxic goo (and after that resanded)

Anyway...that took me weeks and I also had to fully figure out that RODI problem.
Fixed!

I first tried it in the bathroom and specifically in the tub to make sure it worked/investigate how long i could let it run, etc.
I got the rubbermaid used and it was dirty due to salt residue?? I didn't know saltwater sitting smelled so musty!!

 

[tunicata]

After the water was taken care of, I needed to finish the body of the tank.
This is what it looks like after 3 coats of stain. I did the job myself and as you can see it is kind of runny...so I added another coat and now it is darker and you can't see the drips as much. I dont think I have an updated pic of that though, just trust me it looks cool.

In addition to all that other stuff I had to get my rock situated. Marco Rocks...rock.

So I put the rock bases in to then be covered by the layers of sand. I am aiming for a deepish sand bed so I got like 5 bags of sand from drsfosters cheap and free shipping to my door! (you can see the darker stain a little bit in this pic)

I did finer sand below coarser sand because my mentor tank up in Maine has maintained DSB tanks for over 15 years just like that. When I was going to college up there, she had one of only 2 or 3 SW stores in maine (she still does). So, I set up mine like hers.

WATER!

 

[tunicata]

Next come the lights!!!
The tank came with some PC lights which would not have been sufficient for my plans.

So, I had to change them out.

Almost done

 

[skene]

Hope the rocks aren't leaning up against the glass... that would be a big no no... but the tank looks like it's coming along nicely.

 

[tunicata]

So, at least a month passed...and I got a CUC From Maloney at reefcleaners (I seeded the tank with a piece of LR, cup of sand, and about 10 g of water from a 5 year old tank). I also brought some tank water from Coral Theory to be tested. The tests suggested that my tank was cool to be stocked. I started slowly...cleaners only for like a month!

Snails moving around

This is a pic probably a month after that, with some awesome juvi tank diatoms

That was like...2-3 months ago.
I now have many frags (leathers, zoas, some shrooms, kenya, xenia, blasto, hammer, gsp) and the mandatory clowns.

I need some more fish though...wrasses, I am falling for them.

 

[tunicata]

Thanks Skene.

The rocks are not on the glass. That's one reason I wanted a wide tank. I started off with a 65g years ago and it was annoying.

On this tank, the rocks have about 3 inches to spare before they touch the glass on the back wall and about 10 inches or more to the front.

 

[kenconnect]

Looking great best of luck with it..

 

[tunicata]

Ok, so some more pics.
These lights are so blue...I don't like how it effects the pictures. I dont have any white lights, just the phoenix 14ks

Here is the side view, see no rocks on the glass.

FTS

My leathers!!

 

[tunicata]

Here is a pic of the sump.
I just traded a frag for some chaeto so now I have some of that.

I also have a phosban reactor. The skimmer needs a new gasket for hte connection between the head and the body of the skimmer. It leaks a bit without it, that's why I put it to sit in the fuge.
Prior to noticing the small leak, it sat outside of the tank in the inflow container, thus giving me enough space for a full fuge. Either way, the fuge footprint is big enough to hold the skimmer and macro...

 

[ecvernon]

great start! only thing i am concerned about is your sump tank water level. Can it handle extra water in case of return pump turning off. level looks very high

 

[tunicata]

Ah, yes, I did that today.
I haven't installed an ATO yet...trying to find one that is easy to install/operate and good for the amount of space I have.

Anyway, I woke up to seeing it was wicked low (less than 1.5 inches) and then I over did it! Later on, after the pic, I siphoned out about 3 gallons and now it sits only about 3-4 inches above the pump.

Also, on the return line, I did not trust the siphon hole (because during testing, I saw that the siphon hole wasn't working!!!) so I wedged something under it and now less than a gallon of water (if the water line is only 2-4 inches above the pump, then after power failure the water rises only another 1-2 inches leaving tons of space) will "backflow" into the sump when the pump fails!!!

Thanks for catching that!

 

[tunicata]

Picked up a few things today:

have to find out what this is, I know it is a sea cucumber and a filter feeder nd just hope it isnt a sea apple. there are two in the tank:

these were also hitchhikers, have to ask him if he remembers what these are. two batches of them (5 total) i can see an underlying skeleton so i guess it is lps:

gorgonian, have to ask what ytype

have to ask what these are. Thought they were dead but obviously not

also thought these were dead but they are not all dead. it looks like washed out black sun polyps to me:

peppermint shrimp

 

[tunicata]

i never know which is which because people sell them under the same name... both of the next pics were sold as nepthea
i think this is the "rare" palau nepthea

and this is the sinularia (i got this a while ago)

does anyone know? i thought the nepthea was brighter green. either way i like them.

a maze coral to nurse

random zoa polyps that were stuck on a medium rock (the brown looking ones

yellow sun polyps to nurse

tons of new live rock scrubbed and some still recooking:

not sure if i like the rock work. will rescape if necessary after the swap as thatll be the last day of tank live stock purchases

 

[tunicata]

sorry, forgot about the urchin

and also found a sprig of red gracillaria

 

[skene]

nice looks like it's coming along..

 

[jck16]

Cool looks like things from my tank are already springing back up in your tank. Hope everything does well.

 

[tunicata]

Thanks!!!
The shrimp has gone MIA...I hope she comes back.

After the swap I'll rescape the tank and actually glue/putty the rocks down.

Not sure if I should use putty or glue actually...I hear mixed reviews.
Currently, I'm tired of trying to use the glue even on frags because two days later, the frags start swaying/glue comes undone.

So, we'll see.

 

[ssminnow81]

looks good

 

[tunicata]

Oh, I have so many new friends on order at the swap tomorrow.
I am making a new batch of rodi water and setting up acclimation pods.

Anyway, have a few new friends:

A wrasse, I dont know what type it is. It has lines up its body, with a small eye on it's tail, but then has a colorful face. It doesnt like my camera.

dendros (1 big head 1 baby), I should be picking up a 5 head frag from the swap too. I already paypaled before I got this one in the pic and thought itd be rude to back out, so I'll have to frags soon.

cute zoas, dont know what type

rics? and my purple death palys

weird toadstool

fire shrimp?

mandarin

torch

 

[tunicata]

hammer

my weird ora lobo

this piece is left over from when the foot of the lobo melted

my rbta chillin

cloves? these started as 3 little hands and in 3 months exploded into over 20 hands

purple long tentacle plate nem

new kids on the block. they were kept fat and happy by their previous dad, so I had to change my feeding schedule. They are still fat and happy and have a nicely varied diet

so this is some kind of euphyillia that is/was near death. i was going to throw it out when i got it but noticed that some of the flesh was still there. after 2 days it was still there and i noticed it started to plump up in the light.
ill get another ic but in the past two weeks ive seen it pump up even more and start to see baby tentacles. the mouth is starting to develop more.
i dont know what it is, but hope it is frogspawn since i dont have that yet

mangroves (black and red) and chaeto and dragons breath

fts

thank you to all the people that are helping to make this tank happen. i love watching it at night