Nick's 345G Build

[this is me]

I’ve been using RO line with a short bit of silicone tubing to connect the RO line to the pump head. The extra rigidity seems to handle any solid chunks well, and I’ve never had a clog occur for the last 5-6 years I’ve been operating the system like this. I just route it into the cup through the ventilation holes of the lid, so easy removal and no modifications necessary. Combined with my Vertex skimmer neck cleaner, I can go months (if need be) between cleanings.

I have to look into this. Right now, I can comfortable leave the tank for 6 weeks without any issue. But the skimmer cup will get full and skimmer will turn off in about 3 weeks.

 

[rock-n-reef]

Picked up the bad boy green gigantea today. These guys have been with me since 2015 but were in my friends tank last year when I broke down the old tank. The green was wreaking havoc in his tank.
This is about an hour into the tank. The size should double that when it’s all settled.

They are beautiful! Love the two contrasting colors.

 

[this is me]

Quick video of the giganteas this morning

 

[reefkeeper2]

Quick video of the giganteas this morning

Love them. The most beautiful Gigantea I ever saw was in a shop called the hidden reef in Fall River many years ago. It was both blue and red. I should have bought it because I have never seen its like again.

 

[afboundguy]

In that video you can't really tell how big they are until one remembers they're in a 4 foot tank!

 

[this is me]

Don’t know if I’m growing into the Gem or It’s truly a striking fish. I admit, I didn’t really think the fish was that nice. I got it because it’s somewhat rare and expensive. Haha. It’s certainly growing and putting on some weight.
If you’re thinking about getting one, I would highly recommend it especially with the going price and health AllthingAquatic is offering right now.

 

[this is me]

Last update for 2020.
Overall, it has been a good year for this new build despite of all that was happening. Let's hope for a better 2021.
Just before Christmas, I added another Whitetail Bristletooth Tang, a Magnificent, and a pair of Blue Spot Jawfish. All is well. As the year ended, I can proudly say that I haven't killed any tang in this build. I've lost a few Anthias and Chromis but that was about it.
Here to 2021!

 

[LaxFrags]

Wow!

 

[BiGGiePauls33]

Didn't even recognize the Mag FF earlier, tank looks great

 

[this is me]

Jawfish are pissing me off. This madness gotta end!
As much as I love the Blue Spot Jawfish, this is not what I can tolerate. I thought they just make their burrow and not just digging for the hell of it.

 

[this is me]

And I have to admit. I need to do a better job than "add the fish to the tank, research after".

Now the pain of trapping the fish. Not my cup of tea. But a punishment for doing the above.

 

[LaxFrags]

I have the same problem with my engineer goby. Really cool at first, now just a pain. When I first did my aqua scape in my 72g rocks weren’t stable. The other day they all crashed down and lots of coral (green mushrooms so wasn’t that bad) were smushed into other rock. Such a pain!

 

[rock-n-reef]

And I have to admit. I need to do a better job than "add the fish to the tank, research after".

Now the pain of trapping the fish. Not my cup of tea. But a punishment for doing the above.

Keep the tank lid open for the night and you can pickup them on the floor in the morning! no guarantee on your beautiful wrasses

 

[this is me]

Keep the tank lid open for the night and you can pickup them on the floor in the morning! no guarantee on your beautiful wrasses

Tank is actually open top. The only protection is the eurobrace. I like to live life on the edge like that.

 

[shrimpchips]

Jawfish are pissing me off. This madness gotta end!
As much as I love the Blue Spot Jawfish, this is not what I can tolerate. I thought they just make their burrow and not just digging for the hell of it.

Yup, jawfish are pretty well known for that. They also like to rearrange debris and will grab loose frags off the sand and occasionally bury them. One way to keep them from digging constantly is to have them fully establish a burrow. You really need a lot of marble sized rubble for them to line and stabilize their burrows, or else it keeps collapsing, and they keep digging.

 

[rock-n-reef]

Tank is actually open top. The only protection is the eurobrace. I like to live life on the edge like that.

Oh my! I wish I could find you the clip of my old pin tail that decided to take a flight from the tank couple of years ago. Caught that on my nest cam. It hit the wall almost 9 to 10 feet away from the tank and landed on the floor. never had a tank without screen-top since then.

 

[this is me]

Yup, jawfish are pretty well known for that. They also like to rearrange debris and will grab loose frags off the sand and occasionally bury them. One way to keep them from digging constantly is to have them fully establish a burrow. You really need a lot of marble sized rubble for them to line and stabilize their burrows, or else it keeps collapsing, and they keep digging.

Thanks for the inputs. I will try to place more rock rubbles. The thing is, it has built several burrows throughout the tank. And I've placed quite a bit of rubbles for it to use as reinforcement. Now it seems like it just dart out of its burrow, grab some sand, and spits it out, and dart back to its burrow. I do want them in the tank for more diverse personalities. But this is getting ridiculous.
I'm not worried about the rock slides since my rock foundation is underneath the sand and touched the bottom. But the constant acans burial has to stop.

 

[shrimpchips]

Thanks for the inputs. I will try to place more rock rubbles. The thing is, it has built several burrows throughout the tank. And I've placed quite a bit of rubbles for it to use as reinforcement. Now it seems like it just dart out of its burrow, grab some sand, and spits it out, and dart back to its burrow. I do want them in the tank for more diverse personalities. But this is getting ridiculous.
I'm not worried about the rock slides since my rock foundation is underneath the sand and touched the bottom. But the constant acans burial has to stop.

Does it hang out in the water column or stick to the substrate? If it’s digging multiple holes and not hovering over the burrow, that probably means it’s not happy with the burrow or spot. When I have had jaw fish in the past, once they settle in, the digging stops. They’ll hover over their burrow snatching food out of the current and bolt back into their hole when scared, but rarely wander far from the burrow. Also hilarious to watch them “close up” for the night by blocking their burrow hole with rocks. It can take a while but as long as you’ve got enough substrate and rubble for it to build a satisfactory burrow, it should be happy and stop burying everything on the sandbed.

 

[this is me]

Maybe they’re not happy with where they are and probably will never be. The tank probably has too many fish and they’re not comfortable with them. They stay in the burrow with half of it body sticking out. Any fish swims by, they open their jaw and back up into the burrow a bit. They do their ninja darting when it’s feeding time. They do not want to be out of the burrow. The problem, they have their burrow they like, it just they come out and dig near it just for the hell of it. And go back to the burrow.
I may hang on for a little bit longer but when see my Acanthophyllias are full of sand, the acans and clams are buried, I just want to spear them out of the tank.

 

[gobyvin]

I think your sand bed will never satisfy the jawfish, it looks too shallow. Burrows are often long, and they do maintain multiples in the wild too, I believe. If you have an open area where they burrow I have a last attempt to make you and the fish happy.
If burrow is in an open spot, scare them to it. Destroy all other burrows, move a ring of extra sand around the last burrow. Pile an obscene amount of rubble inside the ring of sand so they can’t avoid seeing it. Clean off your corals and clams. Wait. If that doesn’t work, find them a home. Good luck.