Re-re-boot

ndrwater

ndrwater

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This is a repost from the other site because I don't want to type another 1000 words here, but i WILL be updating here as I go...
Those who know, know but i am redoing my tanks... it all started with the lights and a story...
Read below knowing that......

I got new lights .... And not the direction I thought i would go ..
Since i am off work for the next couple weeks, big things are afoot... Going to redo BOTH tanks... The 240 is still going to be a reef, but the 120 is going planted.... Because ..... Why not .. haven't done a planted tank in like 30 years and apparently like spending ungodly amounts of money of silly hobbies. I have 95% of what its going to take to make the swap in the 120. I am planning on taking the fish and corals from the LPS120 and putting them in my 240 to make a mixed reef.
The real hard part for me is that I have to part with one on my "bucket list" fish... I have an Asfur angel that was in the 240 from the time he was about the size of a 50¢ piece... Hes now 9-10" and gorgeous.... But.... He's a d!xk...part of the reason for the stall from my last attempt at a reboot was him... Anything... And i mean ANYTHING i put in the tank he destroys... Meaning any frags, or corals that went in lasted minutes before they were either dead, eaten, or lost to some far flung corner of the tank to never be seen again .. no amount of crazy glue, coral cement, epoxy was enough to stop him... Unfortunately, he has to go.. i found him a good home with a LFS that has a 1000 gallons display that he will hopefully be happy in ..
So.... The plan is tomorrow... 1st thing is Mr. Asfur has to be caught, which ought to be an adventure in and of itself, but I plan on re-scaping anyway, so even though the tank is 8', he wont be able to get away ... Then .. i think the swap of the LPS to the 240 is next... The fish in the 120 go into the 240 too... With no " King of the tank" this ought to go relatively smoothly... Then.... coming up with a new mounting solution for the new lights .. and THEN..... clean and prep the 120 for freshwater.....
Good thing Im off for 2 weeks ...
Ill post up lots of pics, hopefully have a minute or 30 to document this adventure and be done by the time I have to go back to work ...
Stay tuned!!! (I know i said that last time, but for realzies this time)
 
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drexel

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Asfur's are awesome looking fish! I worked at a store in the 90's that had one for the longest time and it was stunning. That purple and gold mix is so simple, but it stands out. I'm glad you found a good home for it, but looking forward to see how the new tanks will look. I took the deep dive into nano planted (low tech and high tech) and found it was cool, but the high tech nano was a lot of work. I found myself working in that little tank more than my reefs, just pruning, etc.
Btw, what lights are you going with on both tanks?
 
ndrwater

ndrwater

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drexel said:
Asfur's are awesome looking fish! I worked at a store in the 90's that had one for the longest time and it was stunning. I found myself working in that little tank more than my reefs, just pruning, etc.
Btw, what lights are you going with on both tanks?
Click to expand...
First time i ever saw an Asfur was at Tis Tropical Fish in Fountain Valley (dating myself hard here) and thought it was the most beautiful fish I had ever seen.... And then I saw the price.... $5k ... In like 1982.... Knew I would never have one... Till I did... All of this is why its so hard to part with Mr Dickerson...but... Time to move on..
As for the FW planted, this will be somewhere in-between high and low tech... Being a reefer at heart, how hard can it be? I may live to regret that statement, but we'll see ...
Need to finish my breakfast burrito, and then get on to making a mess of the tanks... Grandson is here for moral support and lending some help. Lots of pix will follow..
Promise...
 
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ndrwater

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So... Day one is done... What a chore... Mr McDickerson the Asfur is now Jimmy at Reef Lounge's problem. I just spoke with him a couple minutes ago and he'll be in the display in Corona... Gonna miss that fish... Best i can figure looking at old pix, i got him in 2017-ish...
But... Time to actually get the tank back to being a reef again ..
The photos I took show the fish, old dumpster fire of a tank and my helper for the day. My grandson was a great help and I really enjoyed hanging with and doing fish stuff with him today!!! Next gen reefer lets hope!!
I added some sand back to the tank today. I have to say i really like the look better than BB. I was having a discussion with @IvanW and were thinking there is a benefit to actually having sand.. we'll see...
Haven't swapped the lights yet. My original plan needs to shift gears, but Ill get there probably tomorrow...
Also need to move the SPS/Leather from the 120 over to the 240. I got tired and needed an adult beverage with the Mrs, so pause for today...
To be continued...
 
ndrwater

ndrwater

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One more snippet of info... Most of the live rock that was in the tank is currently in a 55 gallon barrel full of saltwater so I can put it right back tomorrow... Needed too move 85% of the rock to catch the stupid fish... Which, was super easy since they had minimal places to hide....
Till tomorrow....
 
Veinz

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Planted tanks look pretty bad ass. I feel like the fresh water guys have craft for aquascaping a planted tank. If you ever get a chance to go over to CK Fish World in West Covina they have some pretty cool planted tanks. Moving waterfalls, smoke/fog ontop of the water forest type scapes perfectly done. Pretty impressive
 
ndrwater

ndrwater

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Veinz said:
Planted tanks look pretty bad ass. I feel like the fresh water guys have craft for aquascaping a planted tank. If you ever get a chance to go over to CK Fish World in West Covina they have some pretty cool planted tanks. Moving waterfalls, smoke/fog ontop of the water forest type scapes perfectly done. Pretty impressive
Click to expand...
Been there years ago. Will definitely check them out again...
Ive seen the videos about the sand waterfalls etc, but im not that ambitious... Just want a cool tank with a gajillion cardinal tetras and maybe a cool pleco... I have a TON of stuff I have been compiling for the last.... Year...... For this tank.. and they say reefers are hoarders... Well...
.I AM a reefer, so that tracks.. a major bummer is Tongs in HB burning. That had SOO much cool wood and planted tank stuff. Really a bummer all the way around it with that.. but I'll get there. That is the last part of this journey... Today, I hope to re-scape the 240 and get corals and fish in it moved over .. going to probably leave that tank running past tomorrow because I dont think the family will appreciate a 3/4 torn apart and very probably stinky tank Christmas morning when I am cooking our traditional Eggs Benedict. I think id rather the focus be on the re-booted 240... To be continued...
 
ndrwater

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Welp... Getting there slowly but surely..
Got the 240 running and new and improved with SAND!!
Tore into the 120 and got the few corals worth saving into the 240. Also did the very technical "plop and drop" method of acclimating the fish from the 120 into the 240. With one exception, all were doing well. Including Mr. Cbb who was eating 5 minutes after his very unceremonious plop into his new digs.. The issue is with yellow tang #3.. he was initially accepted by his fellow yellows, but after a bit the largest of the existing yellows apparently remembered that the new guy was a fish that he had an issue with in the past and the aggression started anew. I turned off the lights to hope to calm everyone down. Tume will tell. If it doesn't work, i may have a yellow with need of a new home.....
The 120 was a bigger dumpster fire than I initially thought, but it has been drained half a dozen times now while stirring up what can only be described and many years of "I can't get back there with a gravel vac, it'll be fine" disgusting filth... Very glad i decided to do this on Christmas Eve when the fam is coming over tomorrow.... What a lovely smell we have discovered!!!
Knowing the wife would have my gentelman bits removed if I left things in anything resembling the mess she saw earlier, I opted to pull all the sand, flush the tank a couple more times and then refill with hose water to make things be "more acceptable" to the nose. Seems to have worked because my lovely wife isn't focusing on making me be a permanent alto singer and was praising how the 240 looked "looks like when it was new" I'll take the moral victory...
Tomorrow after all the festivities are over I'll get back to making the 120 something to look at besides a box full of water ..
Happy Holidays all and to be continued....
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ndrwater

ndrwater

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Looking like i have a yellow that needs a new home ... Anyone interested?
Currently hiding to save himself...

Aaaaaaaamd hes out and currently residing in my make up water barrel....
 
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