OP
OP
Paul B
paul b
It's been about 4 months and it's time for an update. I think this tank move was a success and it was the second tank move for this tank and it is the third glass it is in. It started in 1971 in a 40 gallon tank, then in about 1979 I moved from our tiny apartment and upgraded and moved everything into a 100 gallon tank . Then 4 months ago I again moved and put it all in the 125 gallon tank as the old 100 gallon was to scratched and I couldn't get it out of the wall in the old house. The gravel, water and everything else was always moved with me to the new location. Some of the gravel has been in there since the 60s and probably there are things in there from the 50s. 
Once in a while I will find a marble, a piece from a plastic soldier or Lionel train.
I didn't lose any livestock during the move although some of the corals got buried and lost some of their tips. I also can't find one of my anemone crabs but he may be in there someplace. I see two of them but I had more.
Since this tank is larger I needed to add more corals and a good friend of mine gave me a bunch of pulsing Zinia and other very cool stuff that has been thriving beyond my wildest dreams. Well, not the wildest ones as they involve a flounder, bowling pin and a bottle of Rogaine.
My bluestripe pipefish, (which are new) are pregnant and probably gave birth last night. My old pair which I had before the move had problems. My Janss pipefish which is 3 times the size of the bluestripes bit the male bluestripe almost in half and he only lived a few weeks after that and the female died of old age as they only live a few years and she was well past her lifespan. I have two teenager bluestripes now and so far the Janss leaves them alone.
My male mandarin is a little overweight and I have not had time to hatch a single brine shrimp since I have been here. I think he gets "Take Out" besides the white worms and other stuff he finds. He is also kind of old. I forget how old, but old.
The tank went through the normal algae cycle which ended and now some of it is growing again. I don't think of this as a bad thing, just a normal, natural thing as I want a short growth of algae and sponges to cover the rocks as is happening. The new algae is now growing only on the glass rocks and sides and not on the corals. Healthy corals can convince algae to grow someplace else and most of it grows on my algae scrubber.
I haven't changed any water since I set up the tank but I will try to collect some soon, it is very windy today so I can't collect it unless I want to go swimming. I put my boat on dry dock yesterday and this year I didn't hardly collect mud which I like to add but I can probably still get some of that from the shore here. I also didn't hardly get any wild amphipods this year. I am in a new location and can't find any yet. But I will.
I am volunteering at the Long Island Aquarium here and see if I can get any mud or amphipods there or at the back of the place which is where I keep my boat.
The tank is still very natural and extremely easy and cheap to maintain. I throw in some calcium and alk occasionally and clean the glass, that's about all my maintenance. I feed almost every day with some clam or LRS food and live white worms as I can't get blackworms here.
For the anthius, and pipefish I use Cyclopeze which they go nuts for and those fish are all fat and have beautiful colors and fins.
I still use my skimmer and now installed a much smaller ozonizer than I like, but I made a mistake when I bought it. I thought it put out 200mg/hr but it only puts out 50. It should be enough to at least discourage some growth of worms inside the skimmer because I built the thing and I can't really chop them out of there.
My above the tank algae scrubber grows algae almost an inch thick every two weeks which is perfect but I only have a trickle of water going into my reverse undergravel filter and I would like a little more flow. I need to re think my plumbing to make that happen.
All the corals, including the SPS and sponges are growing very well and I doubt they could grow faster. I do almost nothing to the tank because I am constantly building and re designing our new home although it is a brand new building. I don't like they way people do things so I am changing almost everything around, including walls.
In short, I am happy with everything
Once in a while I will find a marble, a piece from a plastic soldier or Lionel train.
I didn't lose any livestock during the move although some of the corals got buried and lost some of their tips. I also can't find one of my anemone crabs but he may be in there someplace. I see two of them but I had more.
Since this tank is larger I needed to add more corals and a good friend of mine gave me a bunch of pulsing Zinia and other very cool stuff that has been thriving beyond my wildest dreams. Well, not the wildest ones as they involve a flounder, bowling pin and a bottle of Rogaine.
My bluestripe pipefish, (which are new) are pregnant and probably gave birth last night. My old pair which I had before the move had problems. My Janss pipefish which is 3 times the size of the bluestripes bit the male bluestripe almost in half and he only lived a few weeks after that and the female died of old age as they only live a few years and she was well past her lifespan. I have two teenager bluestripes now and so far the Janss leaves them alone.
My male mandarin is a little overweight and I have not had time to hatch a single brine shrimp since I have been here. I think he gets "Take Out" besides the white worms and other stuff he finds. He is also kind of old. I forget how old, but old.
The tank went through the normal algae cycle which ended and now some of it is growing again. I don't think of this as a bad thing, just a normal, natural thing as I want a short growth of algae and sponges to cover the rocks as is happening. The new algae is now growing only on the glass rocks and sides and not on the corals. Healthy corals can convince algae to grow someplace else and most of it grows on my algae scrubber.
I haven't changed any water since I set up the tank but I will try to collect some soon, it is very windy today so I can't collect it unless I want to go swimming. I put my boat on dry dock yesterday and this year I didn't hardly collect mud which I like to add but I can probably still get some of that from the shore here. I also didn't hardly get any wild amphipods this year. I am in a new location and can't find any yet. But I will.
I am volunteering at the Long Island Aquarium here and see if I can get any mud or amphipods there or at the back of the place which is where I keep my boat.
The tank is still very natural and extremely easy and cheap to maintain. I throw in some calcium and alk occasionally and clean the glass, that's about all my maintenance. I feed almost every day with some clam or LRS food and live white worms as I can't get blackworms here.
For the anthius, and pipefish I use Cyclopeze which they go nuts for and those fish are all fat and have beautiful colors and fins.
I still use my skimmer and now installed a much smaller ozonizer than I like, but I made a mistake when I bought it. I thought it put out 200mg/hr but it only puts out 50. It should be enough to at least discourage some growth of worms inside the skimmer because I built the thing and I can't really chop them out of there.
My above the tank algae scrubber grows algae almost an inch thick every two weeks which is perfect but I only have a trickle of water going into my reverse undergravel filter and I would like a little more flow. I need to re think my plumbing to make that happen.
All the corals, including the SPS and sponges are growing very well and I doubt they could grow faster. I do almost nothing to the tank because I am constantly building and re designing our new home although it is a brand new building. I don't like they way people do things so I am changing almost everything around, including walls.
In short, I am happy with everything
