I have disappeared for a while mostly due to embarrassment. My tank went to hell. I have been traveling about 50% of each month and have 3 small kids and little time to keep things up.
My mistakes:
1. Rushing it - I went from 35G to 75G to 155G in 1 year. Introduced livestock before the system was complete, and put in corals after 6 months before the system was settled.
2. Decided on predator reef - Lionfish, puffer, Niger Trigger. High waist and cleanup crew not an option. High waste = High phosphates and nitrates. Now what isn't covered in bubble algae is covered in Aptasia. I can't stress how much Aptasia there is. can't see them in the pics very well but it is an uninterrupted carpet.
3. No quarantine was used and now I have a carpet of Aptasia and all sorts of other pests
4. I was overconfident and thought that as an Automation Engineer I could overcome built in shortcommings with sensors, massive filter setup, automated water changes, and high flow. Sounds great on paper but when things started breaking down while I was out of town like my algae scrubber, half of my DIY LED fixture, and cheap Chinese heaters, I did not have time to fix them and lacked motivation because the tank looked like crap. Any Engineer worth his salt would have STARTED with a robust proven approach instead of throwing conventional wisdom out the window before a true understanding of the hobby was developed.
Plan:
1. Fix/replace broken equipment. Complete the original build to make maintenance easier therefore more likely to happen.
2. I very begrudgingly gave my corals to my father and shut off the lights. Despite the system conditions I had beautiful coral and fish. With the coral gone I can kill the photosynthetic pests, take down my fixture for repair, remove rock for cleaning without risks to corals, and as a last resort use non-reefsafe treatments.
3. Add a phosphate reactor.
Any thoughts long term? I love the look of a reef and the challenge of the chemistry and biology involved but I hate the idea of giving up my fish. I will not embark on another unsound plan that ignores the fundamentals. I want to do things right this time. I am willing to drain the whole thing, cook the rock, and start from square one if I have to.
Advice is appreciated
I have attached pics of the aquarium before the downfall and it's current state.
My mistakes:
1. Rushing it - I went from 35G to 75G to 155G in 1 year. Introduced livestock before the system was complete, and put in corals after 6 months before the system was settled.
2. Decided on predator reef - Lionfish, puffer, Niger Trigger. High waist and cleanup crew not an option. High waste = High phosphates and nitrates. Now what isn't covered in bubble algae is covered in Aptasia. I can't stress how much Aptasia there is. can't see them in the pics very well but it is an uninterrupted carpet.
3. No quarantine was used and now I have a carpet of Aptasia and all sorts of other pests
4. I was overconfident and thought that as an Automation Engineer I could overcome built in shortcommings with sensors, massive filter setup, automated water changes, and high flow. Sounds great on paper but when things started breaking down while I was out of town like my algae scrubber, half of my DIY LED fixture, and cheap Chinese heaters, I did not have time to fix them and lacked motivation because the tank looked like crap. Any Engineer worth his salt would have STARTED with a robust proven approach instead of throwing conventional wisdom out the window before a true understanding of the hobby was developed.
Plan:
1. Fix/replace broken equipment. Complete the original build to make maintenance easier therefore more likely to happen.
2. I very begrudgingly gave my corals to my father and shut off the lights. Despite the system conditions I had beautiful coral and fish. With the coral gone I can kill the photosynthetic pests, take down my fixture for repair, remove rock for cleaning without risks to corals, and as a last resort use non-reefsafe treatments.
3. Add a phosphate reactor.
Any thoughts long term? I love the look of a reef and the challenge of the chemistry and biology involved but I hate the idea of giving up my fish. I will not embark on another unsound plan that ignores the fundamentals. I want to do things right this time. I am willing to drain the whole thing, cook the rock, and start from square one if I have to.
Advice is appreciated
I have attached pics of the aquarium before the downfall and it's current state.
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