GOFOR'S 52" x 36" x 26" CDA Peninsula & SoCal Tank Room Build

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SUMMER UPDATES

Hey All!

I know it's been a while, but all worth it since my tank seems to finally be back on track and stocked with both fish and corals. I've basically been quarantining and/or sourcing fish for the entire Spring and Summer, and think I'm close to being done adding new fish (now onto more corals). Here's what I have up to this point:

Blue Star Leopard Wrasse: My kids call her “Cotton Candy” due to her coloration. This girl was one of the survivors of my old group of fish. Honestly, one of the prettiest fish out there and always gets comments from anyone looking at the tank. Might add another one.

Flame Hawkfish: No name for this guy yet, but I’m sure that’ll come soon. My kids love this guy’s personality and old man face.

Lineatus Fairy Wrasse: a beautiful and active fish that has always been on my wish list. Might name him “Lenny” or something, but I’ll let the kids vote on something.

Golden Rhomboid Fairy Wrasse pair: another fish that I've always wanted. Definitely much more beautiful in person.

Rose-Scales Fairy Wrasse: not many fish have the deep pink coloration of this one. I clearly have a fairy wrasse addiction brewing.

Bangaii Cardinalfish: I hopefully have a pair of these (I don’t know how to sex these fish, but bought a pair that seemed to not hate each other). So far so good, as they seem to hang out together most of the time and I don’t see any bickering.

Royal Gramma: “Kobe” as the kids have named him (with my influence), is one of those fish I have to have in each of my tanks.

Firefish: “Spike” is another fish that is a mainstay with my tanks. A beautiful and unique fish that costs less than a couple gallons of gas these days.

Zebra Dartfish: I got a trio of these guys and they are such an underrated shoaling fish, and never stray too far away from each other always swimming up in the current above the rockwork. In fact, my firefish likes to join the crew every now and then and ride the current with them.

Blue-spotted Jawfish: “Jaws” is BUY FAR my kids’ (and wife’s) favorite fish. A TON of character and beautiful.

Borbonius/Blotchy Anthias: this is a fish that I’ve always wanted, but the price tag was just a bit too much. Well, when Seaside had their sale on them a while ago, I just had to snatch one up. Very cool fish. Now to think of a name.

Tang Gang: I ended up getting a tang gang made up of a Powder Blue Tang, Gem Tang, Yellow Scopas Tang and the Whitetail Bristletooth tang. All beautiful in their own right and seem to get along so far.

Bellus Angelfish: I currently just have one of these, but plan to add two more so that I'll have a little harem.

Pair of Black Snowflake Clowns: two of the last fish I've added up to this point. Another fish that I kind of had to get for the kids. Not hosting anything yet.

I might add another fairy wrasse or two, but other than that (and the ones listed above), I think my fish list is complete!
 
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Equipment Updates

40-watt Pentair UV Sterilizer: And with the amount of money spent on all of these fish and my parasite paranoia getting the best of me... I've also added on a very beastly UV Sterilizer (fits like a glove!). I'm running it for the protozoa/fish parasite recommended flow rate, but the side benefit is that I have definitely noticed a decrease in algae build-up on the glass AND my water has never been clearer.


Chiller Install: I originally planned to install my chiller inside my "Sump Shed", but keeping in mind that I do plan to add on a calcium reactor in the long-run, I wanted to leave room in the shed, so the Chiller had to go... but with the extremely hot August we've had, it couldn't go away. Rather, it was moved to outside of the shed but housed in an extra trash can where I drilled holes for the plumbing, and then made the front and back swiss cheese for ventilation. On hot days where the chiller might run a little longer, I just take the lid off entirely so as to maintain a good amount of ventilation around the chiller.


Thanks for looking!
 
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Looking clean!
I'm jealous of that black wall. I need to get to scraping mine :)
Ha! Thanks!

Yeah, I try to scrape it once a month and it ends up not being a huge chore if I just stay on top of it.

I didn't realize how much time I free up when I'm no longer having to QT any fish (since I'm not actively looking to add any more other than a few I already have lined up from Marine Pleasures). Now I just allocate 100% of my "fish time" to QT'ing new corals and making sure my DT is in good shape.
 
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Jimbo327

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What size is that chiller? And just wondering why do you need to put it into a trash can? I had thought about putting my chiller outside, on top of the shed. But just by itself, not in any containers.
 
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What size is that chiller? And just wondering why do you need to put it into a trash can? I had thought about putting my chiller outside, on top of the shed. But just by itself, not in any containers.
Hey Jimbo!

It's a 1/5HP JBJ... I just have it online to keep the tank below 80-degrees on the hottest of days (like the whole month of August this year!). Does the job well.

The only reason I have it in the trash can is for when it rains (which is rare obviously). I'd rather have it protected from the elements so that it keeps running optimally.
 
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No crazy updates this time around. But finally adding some corals I picked up at Reef-a-Palooza (after quarantine). All kept their color pretty well. Oh, and ignore the two frags of death... those were some of the first additions that I kept around in case they made a comeback. Spoiler alert... they didn't :D.

 

Smite

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Looking super clean. I like that chunky frag front row, 3rd from the right.

This things gonna be epic when those acros start filling in up top. Great color
 
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Looking super clean. I like that chunky frag front row, 3rd from the right.

This things gonna be epic when those acros start filling in up top. Great color
Thanks man! I think that frag is the TSA Four Lokos that I had gotten during a TSA sale around the same time as Reef-a-Palooza. Definitely a nice piece.
 

drexel

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Just went back and skimmed through your build, nice work all around. Like most of us, we've all gone through these issues, whether it be fish, coral health, biology, etc.. sometimes these things are a mystery. Losing fish is the hardest thing and something you never get use to. I learned a long time ago if you source fish, get them from one place that you trust or QT yourself. I only buy fish from one source now, no matter how bad I want a fish I see somewhere else. Also, I had issues from Reef Cleaners (pyramid snail invasion), so I'll never order from them again. I'm not a huge fan of dry rock myself, but in the hands of someone like you with the proper skills, you can make it work in your favor. Great work and I look forward to seeing more updates.
 
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Just went back and skimmed through your build, nice work all around. Like most of us, we've all gone through these issues, whether it be fish, coral health, biology, etc.. sometimes these things are a mystery. Losing fish is the hardest thing and something you never get use to. I learned a long time ago if you source fish, get them from one place that you trust or QT yourself. I only buy fish from one source now, no matter how bad I want a fish I see somewhere else. Also, I had issues from Reef Cleaners (pyramid snail invasion), so I'll never order from them again. I'm not a huge fan of dry rock myself, but in the hands of someone like you with the proper skills, you can make it work in your favor. Great work and I look forward to seeing more updates.
Thanks! Glad you were able to look through the journey. The destination is nice (which we never really get to in this hobby), but the journey is what it's all about.
 
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