Photos from my coral reef Aquariums

[Rocco]

I keep my salinity around 1.025, temperature 78-80, try for a pH of 8.3, calcium 420, kh 8-10. Running LED dimmable lights, with mostly blue/purple with full spectrum whites with red green and purple 440nm.

 

[Rocco]

 

[Rocco]

 

[Michael Balog]

Your tank is amazing! Great job!!!

 

[Rocco]

I feed the fish, crustaceans, and corals a variety of foods like dried zooplankton, spirulina enriched brine and mysis shrimp, copepods, fresh hatched brine, color enhancing flake food, and vitamin enriched sinking marine pellets. I use a small pipette to directly feed several corals and the pistol shrimp (who lives under rocks) and fish. The cleaner shrimp is fun and will dance for food, I sometimes wet my finger and dip it in the dry flake food. The Cleaner shrimp will eat directly out of my hand and off of my skin. If I don’t feed the shrimp directly they will steal food from the corals and out of their mouths.

 

[AngelaS267]

These look really awesome!! The images came out very vivid. Hope you has a great time.

 

[Sarah S]

NICE !!! i also had tanks all sizes fresh and sallt from when i was very young to recently when sadly due to different reasons beyound my control had to stopp. From what i can see youre doing great (two thumbs up ) coral reef tanks is VERY tough. So keep going and good luck my friend and enjoy youre reef tank as it will hopfully continue to grow

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

So pretty. We like fish too, and find it very therapeutic to have them in the house.

 

[Mary Terry]

Your tank is gorgeous! That is one of the coolest hobbies I've ever seen. It reminds me of diving and snorkeling in the Caribbean off the Yucatan coast, something I'll probably never get to do again but so glad I did it in the past.

 

[Judge]

Well done, Rocco.

Any chance you could take a wide angle picture of the entire tank?

 

[Rocco]

Well done, Rocco.

Any chance you could take a wide angle picture of the entire tank?

Wide angles and a close up of Gary. I am doing some maintenance today and have the lighting and protein skimmer on the “Shelbych” (shell-beach) tank rearranged.

The “Nemo” tank is the wider 10 gallon below

And here is Gary waving hello

 

[Rocco]

I used an old water jug lid to store a pile of snail shells, as a small shopping depot for the hermit crab population. I also placed a single zoanthid in there a month ago, because I had no better place (and no glue) to attach it to. Since then it split and became two zoanthids.

notice on one of the shells are several small bubble algae growing. This type of bubble algae is the largest single cell organism, I think. It grows to the size of a gumball of not maintained or removed. It will burst and release planktonic spores which settle and grow all over. They can be beau but also quickly get out of control and take valuable space from corals. green emerald crabs are primarily herbivores and sometimes eat bubble algae but mine doesn’t seem to enjoy eating it.

 

[Rocco]

For more info on bubble algae Valonia ventricosa - Wikipedia

 

[Lauren88]

Lovely tank, my Husband has a Red Sea 450 and it is his pride and joy. Very therapeutic!

 

[Sarah S]

Nice pics again thank you for Charing

 

[Sarah S]

notice on one of the shells are several small bubble algae growing. This type of bubble algae is the largest single cell organism, I think. It grows to the size of a gumball of not maintained or removed. It will burst and release planktonic spores which settle and grow all over. They can be beau but also quickly get out of control and take valuable space from corals. green emerald crabs are primarily herbivores and sometimes eat bubble algae but mine doesn’t seem to enjoy eating it.

The problem i see is that there are some fishes that would help in keeping this algeas down but im afraid that they (ie for ex tangs that could help as they eat this algeas = for ex a yellow tang (Zebrazoma flavescens ) require bigger tanks (Min 66 + Galons ). BUT perhaps you could try to find a smaller Sp of blennies ? Sadly trying with the invertebrates as you see there are both pros and cons with those BUT you could try to add a few more in there of the emerald crabs and see if the new ones go after the algeas. Judging from youre pics you do seem to have a good steady Biologi in that tank tho so if you nipp this bubble algea at the beginning you shouldent have much problems my friend.

And to clarify im NOT saying youre tanks is to small What im saying is that they seem to small for the kind of fishes that can help with this algea. Sadly the smaller the tank is the harder it is to maintain a balance in the water BUT you seem to have that well under control

What you also can try is if its possible take out said shell with the beginning of the bubble algea and using for ex a tooth bruch GENTLY polish it of. you could also let it soak a few days in fresh water

Btw heres a link to 7 good algea eaters list and very informative i have to say Algae Eaters - The 7 Best For Your Saltwater Tank

 

[Rocco]

Both tanks are definitely small. 10 gallons and 14 gallons. I considered adding a seaweed or lawnmower blenny But have not yet. As you mentioned correctly a tang would not have enough room in either system I have. I did pull the shell out. The original bubble introduction came inside a colony of zoanthids, a week after adding them I noticed a small bubble growing Through the feet of a cluster of zoas. I felt it alone and I believe the emerald popped and ate most of the original.
I was struggling with a stable pH and alkalinity a few weeks ago and turf algae is my only nuisance now. The bubbles are manageable while the turf is harder. I stopped the white lightning for almost two weeks now to combat it, and have since stabilized the pH at 8.2-8.3, the turf should slowly melt away soon.

 

[Judge]

Both tanks are definitely small. 10 gallons and 14 gallons. I considered adding a seaweed or lawnmower blenny But have not yet. As you mentioned correctly a tang would not have enough room in either system I have. I did pull the shell out. The original bubble introduction came inside a colony of zoanthids, a week after adding them I noticed a small bubble growing Through the feet of a cluster of zoas. I felt it alone and I believe the emerald popped and ate most of the original.
I was struggling with a stable pH and alkalinity a few weeks ago and turf algae is my only nuisance now. The bubbles are manageable while the turf is harder. I stopped the white lightning for almost two weeks now to combat it, and have since stabilized the pH at 8.2-8.3, the turf should slowly melt away soon.

Looks like your efforts are paying off.

 

[Sarah S]

="Rocco, post: 697799, member: 11494"]Both tanks are definitely small. 10 gallons and 14 gallons.

" NOTHING wrong with that i can actually say among private tanks the smaller ones have been the most Beautiful in many cases "

I considered adding a seaweed or lawnmower blenny But have not yet.

" I understand well if you do just make shore you do have algeas for it to grace "

As you mentioned correctly a tang would not have enough room in either system I have.

" Sadly im afraid so yes "

I did pull the shell out. The original bubble introduction came inside a colony of zoanthids, a week after adding them I noticed a small bubble growing Through the feet of a cluster of zoas. I felt it alone and I believe the emerald popped and ate most of the original.

" Okey then. Yes as i said theres both pro`s and cons with invertebrates for this thing same with fishes

would you belive me if i told you i even had a scool of flipping clown fishes newly bought same day (same sp as you i belive Ocellaris) strippning down 2 entire newly purchased corals (gasp ) just to then get stuck in my cirkulation pumps after ARG !!! " So im afraid its a hit and miss with this so called reef safe fish and invertebrates "

I was struggling with a stable pH and alkalinity a few weeks ago and turf algae is my only nuisance now. The bubbles are manageable while the turf is harder. I stopped the white lightning for almost two weeks now to combat it, and have since stabilized the pH at 8.2-8.3, the turf should slowly melt away soon.

" Yes as i said this smaller tanks are a living ............ to get stable with the PH and all the other parameters . A so its not my eyes that is wrong its only the Blue light on now . Yes you might also concidering to cut down on the ligning ours some more as you have strong i belive LED light ? NICE. And its better to cut down some on the hoers especually in this smaller tanks "

 

[Rocco]

I combined both aquariums into a 29 gallon System over the last 10 days. I cleaned both before transfer so that the bacteria for biological filtration will have minimal losses I also transferred a large canister filter loaded with de-nitrifying bacteria to the new system to minimize the cycling of the system over the last 5 days I slowly added more and more stable established live rock. I have just a few pieces Of live rock left and one cleaner shrimp to transfer