Introduction

[dlux5life]

Hi Guys-

My name is Keith. This is my first reef tank. I am not new to keeping tanks though. I had a fresh water tank for roughlyy 3 years and upon moving out, helped my roomate with a 120 gallon salt water fish only. During the ice storm that hit last winter, we lost power in Dunstable for about 9 days. We weren't able to find a generator in the midst of everything and lost the tank.

My set up is a 55 gallon reef. The tank was a gift from the roomate. It didn't come with built in overflow so i have a CPR Aquatics hob overflow and sump set up. The stand that i purchased wasn't really deisgned to hold a sump, so i had to make due with a 7 gallon model. I have recently built a fuge in there.

I've got a coralife 120 superskimmer and about 60 lbs of lr in the tank now. I use a Fluval 305 canister filter and have an Acquitic Life 4 X 65 watt PC system.

Besides the clean up crew, Ive only got two black and white clowns in there now. I am not exactly sure what I want to get for livestock next. Eventually I know that I am going to want to get a bright wrasse like a Velvet Fairy Wrasse.

Do you have any reccomendations?

Here are some pictures. I am welcome to suggestions!!

 

[dlux5life]

....And thanks to Frank for the great frags!

 

[coralcor]

i thought i new those frags. my tank is full of frags from frank lol.

tank looks great... cant wait to see this one fill in

 

[Behrmon]

Looks like a good start. My 1st two suggestions would be more rock and more flow.

 

[dlux5life]

I have a bonus comming soon from work and I know that flow is something i need to improve. I am thinking of getting a Ecotech MP20.

Does anyone on the site have any experience with this unit?

I had more rock before. I had a small issue with some aptasia. I took out the LR that had the aptasia and have it sitting in a cooler filled with fresh water with a high concentration of kalkwasser.

After 5 or so days in the kalk solution, I am going to recycle the rock with salt water and a powerhead for about a month or so. I want to minimize any impact of putting that piece of rock back into my tank after all the living organisms living on it die. It was about a 20 lb rock.

 

[cilyjr]

welcome !!!!!

 

[frank180reef]

nice!

Did I see a starfish in there?

 

[dlux5life]

Nope no star fish in the tank. It may be the mushroom that you see in the lower left corner.

 

[jayman10134]

if you dry out the rock first and get all the stuff off of it you should just be able to put the rock right in and it will cycle in the tank. i think in the reef talk forum there has recently been discussion about this topic. the corals look great!

 

[jayman10134]

Nope no star fish in the tank. It may be the mushroom that you see in the lower left corner.

i think he meant in the second picture on the left. it looks like 3 purple legs from something.

 

[dlux5life]

Actually that is one of the coral frags that frank sold me. I cant think of the name of it off the top of my head right now.

 

[tigerslacrosse4]

i think i have that same powerhead thats on the left wall im using it as a return tho..

 

[coralcor]

Actually that is one of the coral frags that frank sold me. I cant think of the name of it off the top of my head right now.

athelia(sp?) ? maybe...

 

[Blueflu1]

Welcome. I am not far from you if your in Dunstable.

 

[gonorth16]

welcome! great looking tank

 

[dlux5life]

Hey Guys-

I just order a Vortech MP-20 to adress my flow concerns.

http://vimeo.com/3693940

Check out the video if you haven't seen these things before. I am pretty excited for it.


Anyone here on the boards running one of these right now?

 

[Blueflu1]

Vortech is the Mercedes of Powerheads. Many people on here have them. Good choice.

 

[dlux5life]

Update

Hey Guys-

A few pics of my tank now. A few things have changed for the better.

More Rock
More Flow due to getting an Voretch MP-20
and More Fish (Pyles Fariy Wrasse)

 

[frank180reef]

nice
the lighting looks great!

 

[Cherokee_Dude]

Now that's a gorgeous fish! Nice selection