GluttonousSolarWrasse's 120g

[GluttonousSolarWrasse]

Ok, so like many here, I lost my tale of the tank thread with the old site crash, so I am going to be starting one from here. I will not go too indepth about the whole setup process because the tank has been up and running since April 2011, and it is coming along quite well. Long story short, I bought a tank, resealed it, got impatient while trying to locate a new brace, a deal on a new RR 120 came along, I bought that, it is my current main display, and the old restored tank is going to become a puffer/1 large wrasse (red coris) FOWLR a little later on. So first up, let me describe the system.

120g Display w/ 40 breeder 3 chamber split intake sump. About 20g of the sump is a DSB refugium with live rock, macroalgea jungle, and poorly behaved fish as inhabitants
There is approximately 150lbs of live rock, with about 3" deep sand bed
lighting are 2 led fixtures (Chinese knock-off types purchased from red sand)
500watt jbj heater
eshoppes psk 300 skimmer
jbj ATO
milwualkee pH monitor (scavanged from my planted tank, for a CO2 injection system)
curently running a GFO reactor
giant *** mag drive return pump
2 Korellia magnum 5 power heads
2 Korellia nanos provideing flow behind live rock


The most current stocking list as of today, 10/1/2011:
Fish: (almost all have given names too, please forgive my insanity)
2 pyramid butterflys (Hemitaurichthys polylepis) (Ed & Eddy)
2 black ocellaris clown fish (Amphiprion ocellaris) (Bonnie & Clyde)
1 Spotted Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus picturatus) (Mandy)
1 Coral Beauty (Centropyge bispinosa) (Bianca)
3 purple fire fish (Nemateleotris decora) (Didn't name these yet)
1 lawnmower blenny (Salarias fasciatus) (George)
1 Orchid psudochromis (Psuedochromis fredmoni) (Didn't name this yet)
1 Purple psudochromis (Pseudochromis porphyreus) (Didn't name this yet)
1 Yellow Tail Damsel (Chrysiptera parasema) (Dante)
1 Yellow "coris" Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus) (Core-Boar)
1 Solar Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus solorensis) (Helios)
1 "adorned" wrasse (Cirrhilabrus adonratus) (Cygnus)
1 Vrolik's wrasse (Halichoeres vroliki) (Jacinto)
1 Radiant Wrasse (Halichoeres iridis) (Kevin)
1 Mystery Wrasse (Psuedocheilinus occellatus) (Lansdowne)
1 Lubbock's Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus lubbocki) (Arcturus)
1 Guineafowl Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon meleagris) (Socrates)
1 Flasher Wrasse (Not sure on the species of this particular guy) (didn't name this yet)
1 Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) (Cleany McCleanerson)
1 Red scale Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus rubrisquamis) (No name yet)

Inverts:
2 Harlequin Shrimp
7 Emerald Crabs
5 or so large red leg hermits
75 +/- mini Blue Leg hermits
5 or so nassarius snails
1 giant dopey *** electric blue hermit (affectionately known as Dopey Blue)
20 or so turbo snails
2 sexy shrimp
1 or 2 peppermint shrimp


As you can see, I love my wrasses. This is not surprising, as wrasses are clearly the best fish in the world (well them and angels/butterflys are). Anyone who disagrees is clearly a communist, and should be arrested for treason. I for one welcome our new wrasse overlords.

Really, the hardest part of the hobby actually? I can't decide which fish family I like best, so I have to have them all at some point!

I will be adding to this thread at intervals, with pictures, and maybe a list of corals. Also, I am going to be doing the vodka dosing thing. I will be posting results of that at interval too.

 

[howze01]

 

[TanksNStuff]

What he said. ^^^

I hear ya on the wrasses CJ. They are fantastic fish. I'm kind of partial to my target mandarin as being possibly the coolish fish ever though! I can watch him hunt pods for hours and I never lose interest.

They flutter around like a butterfly, dart out at some microscopic meal that I can't even see, sometimes he's even upside down stalking his prey. Besides that, look how beautiful they are (see my avatar)!

Not trying to disagree with you on the wrasses, but consider getting a mandarin sometime and you'll see what I mean.


PS, don't forget to add your pics.

 

[howze01]

pssst, George.... check out the 3 fish on his list!

 

[TanksNStuff]

Doh! I missed that one.

 

[howze01]

It actually started out as mine. I was told that the 2 different kinds of Mandarins wouldn't fight so I figured I would give it a try.....well, it didn't work. So, CJ ended up with her and pretty much from the beginning she ate frozen like a champ. She's a tubby little happy girl!

 

[GluttonousSolarWrasse]

Here are some pictures as promised. These were all taken with my Droid.

And George, there is a picture of Mandy for you. Mandarins were one of the fish that got me interested in reef tanks many years ago. They are such incredibly cool fish!

 

[howze01]

I can see I'm going to have to take some proper pics and post them in here.....

 

[Fish Brain]

Phone pics are better than no pics, but I'm not gunna stop you from taking more purdy pictures.

 

[Hawkeye]

Nice...more pics please. What kind of wrasse is in your avatar?

 

[howze01]

That's a Solar Wrasse in his avatar. Pretty freakin' cool

 

[Baxreefs]

Wow! That's some fish list!


Can't beleive the orchid and purple dottybacks tolerate the other's existance!!!

 

[GluttonousSolarWrasse]

Hey Phil, That is a solar wrasse in my avatar. There is tremendous diversity in solar wrasse appearance, so much so that many solar wrasse ecotypes look like different species.

Bax-The psuedochromis did fight at first-I thought that my tank was big enough that they would have separate territories. The fredmoni was added first, then a little while later the purple was added. At first the purple looked pretty rough, and I didn't think he'd make it. However, it seems that they have worked things out and get along (well tolerate each other) fine now, and both look great!

Here are some more pictures. My camera sensor doesn't seem to like the blue, so I'll have to figure something out to get better pictures.

 

[GluttonousSolarWrasse]

 

[GluttonousSolarWrasse]

I also just started the vodka dosing method as described in Reef Central's online magazine. The beginning dose for my tank is 0.45 mL daily for 3 days. Then the dose goes to 0.90 mL daily for for days. This completes the first week. The primary purpose of this treatment is to lower the available nitrate, hopefully to undetectable levels. I will be updating progress with this method here, at interval.

 

[asonitez]

how are you liking the chinese knockoff lights? do you feel that they are enough light?

 

[GluttonousSolarWrasse]

how are you liking the chinese knockoff lights? do you feel that they are enough light?

I like them very much. They have been in place since the start of the tank now, and have done a great job. I think everything gets plenty of light, and looks great under the lights. The only drawbacks are that these lights are not prgrammable, or dimmable in any way.

 

[Hawkeye]

i like the pyramid bflys' - really different than what one normally sees in fish tanks. Did you get them as a pair? My only experience on them was seeing them on the wii game Endless Ocean. Lol.

the solar wrasse is amazing. I assume you have a top for your 120? did you make it yourself?

 

[GluttonousSolarWrasse]

i like the pyramid bflys' - really different than what one normally sees in fish tanks. Did you get them as a pair? My only experience on them was seeing them on the wii game Endless Ocean. Lol.

the solar wrasse is amazing. I assume you have a top for your 120? did you make it yourself?

Hey Phil, yes the pyramids were bought as a pair, From Ocean Gallery-Brian happened to get three in, and I bought two. Later on I realized that I'd like three, so I went back to OG to get the third, but it was already gone. A little while later I got a third from another source, but it died about a month or so after, so I am back to the original 2 I got from O.G. The one that died had a nasty habit of nipping at my elegance coral, which ended up dying. I wondered if him doing that is what killed the coral, and himself.

Since I have such a Wrasse heavy tank, lids were absolutely essential. Even so, just recently I was sitting in my chair, and had left the top slightly ajar, and my solar wrasse decided to try to check out the non-aquatic world, and do a little laptop surfing. I got him back in the tank immediately, and he's doing fine, but it seems that they can and will jump through the smallest space.

The tops are made from screen window components from home depot, and some clear mesh that Jonathan obtained online somewhere. It was easy as hell to build. I think it took me a grand total of 45 minutes to make both tops. They actually look pretty good to, and is very effective at keeping naughty, curious, unruly wrasses in the tank where they belong!

Also, I am on vodka dosing day four, which means the tank is now getting a 0.90mL dose daily. This is double the days 1-3 dose. I am posting a picture from today to hopefully get an over all comparison of the efficacy of the vodak dosing method, photo to photo.

 

[howze01]

Soooooo, a few pics of Cj's tank. First is a partial FTS:

His new BSJ:

Chloe the Clam:

Peach Millie colony:

Pokerstar Monti

Bonsai

Pink Milli

Lastly, my favorite one. It's a "Tri-color" I got from Ocean Gallery for $20. Starting to look awesome!