Cardinals Spawning
The first picture shows a trio swimming side by side, the males have slightly longer dorsal fins and a more pronounced jaw. The males go either side of the female and 'tickle' her with their anal fins when ready to spawn. She then produces the eggs which are fertilized by a male, the eggs are then gathered into one of the males mouths and hatched in there. The male then doesn't eat until the young have been released. When hatched and free swimming the fry are released to fend for themselves, they usually gather in the spines of one of my urchins.

I'm still running the tank skimmerless using algae as my main nutrient export and the inhabitants are extremely happy. I have noticed a large amount of sponges and tunicates appearing which are obviously appreciating the unskimmed water.

At last - the clowns have spawned in view
I have waited months to get a picture of them but they always spawn behind the large leather in the centre of the tank. The tank is still skimmerless and I'm using the various algae as nutrient export.

Both pictures show the male on egg duty, the female is out of shot chasing everything away within a 20inch area. They do tolerate the small yellow tail damsels and the chromis which have also spawned behind the rock on these pictures. I guess there's around 200-300 eggs but they seem to be reducing overnight due to predation.

I will add a photo of the full tank soon to show just how big the corals have grown. The leather in the middle of the shot in the post below has doubled in size and was last measured at 28 inches across!!

All Change............... sort of
Just a quick update:
The tank is now sumpless and skimmerless. I've added five more large pumps to aid in water circulation which has more than doubled water turnover and added another 20kgs of living rock. I'm now doing a strict 20% water change every fortnight and running carbon on a permanent basis. The skimmer wasn't removed instantly, I gradually reduced the time per day it was on using a timer over a period of weeks.

The tank has been like this now for a couple of months and water quality has actually improved after an initial spike , which was fairly unnerving. I think the huge water surface movement and the various algae that is harvested is the contributing factor to this.

Here is a photo of it since the sump/skimmer has gone. The bubble is a bit grumpy because it has just been moved. You can actually see how it's splitting into 2 when it's closed. All of the leather corals are the same ones from the first tank photo below, you can see how they've grown. The leather in the middle of the shot is even bigger than in the photo, it actually rubs on the glass, again it's closed up a little because I've touched it when moving the bubble. The tank is now 99.99% silent, I can only hear the water rippling...... heaven.

The regal in the picture below is the same fish that was mentioned in an older post. It's face and fins are all much improved and about as good as they'll get. It's also now 7-8 inches long including it's tail and is extremely fat!!!

A few shots of a little friend
This crab has been in my system from the very start. It has survived living with triggers and other invert munchers because of it's rather inventive place to set up a home - on top of the overflow!!

Having said that it must be smart because it's a female!! You can actually see the apron under the carapace fully open in the photos. It is a pointed triangular shape in males and rounded in females. The photos below show the crab itself and a shot above the weir and then a shot from just under the water level by the weir. The crab actually lives inside the holes on top of the overflow, it used to fit in them easily, now it does something houdini would be proud of as it squeezes through them.





a view from the top of the overflow and her favourite spot

a view from under the water where the water filters through the algae then into the overflow

Easter Eggs!!
My yellow tail damsels have decided to spawn right in the corner of the tank and for a change in full view. The chromis have also spawned but unfortunately in amongst the rocks. Sorry for the poor picture but I didn't want to disturb the fish too much.



I must also add that after ill health for a few months and being in hospital for a while most of my fish have been re-homed , I've kept the regal that was rescued from ebay and a few of the smaller fish. The tank now looks after itself for a while without too much work to be done and my wife manages it for me when she can.

Unwanted Guest
Just found this slug in the tank - It was laying eggs!!!! I've removed all of the eggs that I could see and it was still laying them even in this container. The camouflage of these creatures is astounding, I've never noticed it before and it's approximately 2inches long. I think it looks like it's from the tritoniid family and obviously a soft coral muncher.

Bully Boys

These 2 are definitely the last editions to the tank. After removing a couple of fish a few weeks back it left me with a little room to introduce a couple of babies to the system. Hopefully these will both be long terms inhabitants along with the blue ring angel.

The Clown Trigger

He may only be around 3 inches long but this is a fish with a big personality and reputation. He already stands his ground with every fish in the tank and does not back down. The killer reputation may prove to be true with this one when he matures!! He already enjoys a nibble on corals !!

The Powder Blue Surgeon / Tang

This is another fish with a big personality and reputation. This specimen has only been in the tank for 24 hours and is trying to dominate it. I'm hoping that it settles or it may not be a long term inhabitant. This fish has come from someone's aquarium so it is used to prepared foods and has no problem taking any food, with coming from a tank it is also far less at risk from the sudden demise that most of the powder blues suffer when coming in from their natural environment. These shots were taken when the tank was in full sun, hence the yellow colouring.

A Pair of Old Timers

The Fiji Damsel

Lawnmower Blenny

Rubble Base - Again

I've decided to install the rubble base again. I can't live with the bare bottom tank, even when the coralline is covering it. The fish are happier with it back in, especially the triggers and butterflies who enjoy a good rumage around in it.

Hogfish Removed

The Dianas Hogfish was taken out a few weeks back because of continual fighting with the Pinktail Trigger . The tank was peaceful before it was introduced but as the trigger has grown, they both wanted to be dominant. The hogfish changed to pure white when fighting, which was amazing considering it's normal crimson red colour.

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Upgraded skimmer

With not being able to fit the shorty inside the cabinet and being able to lift off the cup, Aqua Medic have just released a new model skimmer that sits between the 1000 model I currently have and the shorty. It's called the ' turboflotor blue 3000 '. The design is a little different from a cylindrical acrylic tube because it has a built in bubble trap at the front of the skimmer, another thing that may seem odd is the colour. Instead of the black/clear we have become used to this is blue/clear acrylic. It comes with all pipework which are push fittings and an OR3500 feed pump, it only runs from the one pump. It has a very good dial adjustment to raise the level in the cone in minute adjustments if required. Its also a hang on if you've not got a sump but it is fairly large and ~2ft tall x 10in x 7in for the body alone. The cup holds around 2ltrs of skimmate but their are drain holes on the cup, which are screw fittings.

The following picture shows all of the pipework etc. that is supplied when built. The outlet uses standard 40mm pipe. To give an idea of size the round part of the cup is the size of a deltec apf600 cup but with the square extension section added this is huge.

This picture is the unit straight from the box.


Here it is installed in the sump, it's just got to bed in a little now.

Maintenance & feeding regimes

I'm currently doing a 10% water change on a weekly basis using 'Instant Ocean' salt. This is helping to keep the nitrate to <20.>I add nothing to the water in the way of additives other than dripping Kalkwasser in on a daily basis. This helps to reduce phosphates ( as well as the p04 remover ) and increases the ph to 8.3-8.5. I also like the rockwork to look nice and purple even though the triggers enjoy eating the coralline algae, it's a never ending battle. I mix my kalk using distilled white vinegar which may also help to reduce the nitrate and once a week I use a normal kalk mix. The link below explains using vinegar.

http://www.reefscapes.net/articles/breefcase/kalkwasser.html



The tank is heavily stocked and with having fairly large fish I have to feed a fair amount of food to ensure all of the fish stay plump. I don't believe in keeping fish and almost have them starve because the nutrients might build up. Daily feeding is as described below and all of the foods listed below are alternated to give a daily variety:

flake or pellet first thing in the morning
Half a sheet of nori midday
flake or pellet evening

The foods below are fed sporadically throughout the day but only at weekends and as a treat. Only one of these a day are added:

Frozen enriched brine/mysis/angel food/marines dream with garlic
Whole cockles in shells
mussels/cockles /lancefish
Cyclopeeze flakes/powder

The next list is the types of food I use and trust to give a good balance and enhance colours/vigour of the fish:

Ocean nutrition formula 1 flake & pellet with garlic
Ocean nutrition formula 2 flake & pellet
Ocean nutrition brineshrimp flakes
Ocean nutrition prime reef flakes
New era aegis flakes type 1&2
New era Herbivore flakes
Frozen SFBB spirulina enriched brineshrimp
Frozen SFBB omega 3 HUFA enriched brineshrimp
Frozen Gamma whole mussels/cockles / lancefish / mysis

Rubble Base Removed

After a few weeks of having a rock rubble base in the tank I have decided to revert back to a bare bottom system. The butterflies and triggers loved rummaging around in it and eating bristleworms and mysids but I found that it was holding way too much detritus even with a relatively strong flow around the tank. With no rubble the detritus is kept in suspension and removed through the filter system.

Auto top-up installed

I've just purchased an auto top-up system from a member on ultimate reef who makes them himself. Although it's a basic model it will do the job more than adequately for my needs. I've attached it to a small newjet pump and I'm using a 25litre container for an RO top-up reservoir. Even if it fails at the on position it won't fill my sump and overflow and the extra 25 litres wont alter the sg. of the water too drastically to do any harm. I'm very impressed with it.

The last inhabitants

The following pictures are the final 2 members of the setup.

Dianas Hogfish

Crowned pearlscale butterfly

At last the tank is full of fish. Well to be honest it's a little over stocked at the moment. The small fish from the old system now definitely have to be re-homed ( approx. 6 ).

All of the remaining fish will be allowed to grow until the tank can't cope with them or the fish actually get too big for the tank. They will then either be placed into a newer larger system or found new homes in large systems. There are 2 or 3 fish that I know will have to go eventually. All of the fish when grown will be split into different tanks or I will make the decision of which to keep, a few have already developed personalities that I would miss. It may prove to be a hard choice.

Pyramid butterfly

Yet another new addition to the tank. This is possibly the most suited butterfly to a reef tank or a tank containing corals. It's mainly a planktivore and enjoys anything that's placed into the aquarium from brineshrimp to nori. He's not been in for very long and he just has a nip on his tail which was caused by the multitude of other butterflys he was in the shop tank with. His face is also a little darker when settled, obviously he doesn't like having his picture taken and has gone a little pale and showing his displeasure.




Cleaner Wrasse

This fish came from my last system and I've owned it for around 2.5 years. It is the most efficient form of parasite control in my tank and is always doing a cleaning service for one of the other fish.

Sorry for the blurry photo but he never stays still enough to snap

A couple more tankmates

My Bluethroat trigger lurking in the shadows

My lipstick Tang having a morning grooming session

The rescue mission

The photo below is supposed to be a regal tang. He was advertised for sale on ebay for the meager price if £2. The picture below is actually the ebay photo. After various members of Ultimate Reef contacting the seller she decided to withdraw the sale and hand the fish over to someone else with the intention of helping it to recover. He know resides in my display tank after a being in quarantine with medication and a few medicated dips. He has major HLLE beginning to get a firm hold on him, his face and gill covers are massively erroded and the lateral line is just starting to form pits along it. He has also been in some major battles and has old bite scars along his flanks. His fins have been chewed away and also a possible fin rot infection hasn't helped. The caudal fin is so badly chewed it is growing back deformed.

So who is to blame? the owner for letting it get like this or the shop for obviously selling a delicate animal that needs expert care?

Despite all of the problems that the little fellow has had he really is a fighter. He eats as much as I can put in front of him and shows no fear when I feed him from my fingers. I did originally go to fetch him from the owner with the intention of euthanasia but after thinking about what he's gone through for apparently 2 years, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So here we are today after having the best enriched foods I can get hold of and excellent water quality his face has slowly turned blue again after only days. There's just a patch around his eye stil that is healing and his fins are slowly growing back, even the rays on them are growing.

For the soppy people out there, he has been christened ' Miracle ' by my wife because she thinks that it's a miracle he's alive!!

Another addition

These 3 pictures are of my Paletail Unicorn Surgeon. He can change his colour instantly from a silvery blue to a mottled colur ( as below ) and then to almost black at night.

You can just see the horn starting to grow between his eyes

This side view gives a better impression of the horn growth

A few more tankmates

Juvenile Blue Ring

Magnificent Rabbitfish / Lemonpeel Angel / Cleaner Wrasse

Bali Jawfish