Rwynn's 40g Reef Tank

I'd worry more about the damsel than the clowns.:D
The tanks takin shape Rwynn.Great work.

I dont know that I would add a CC star.Especially in a pico tank.I dont think there would be enough food to keep it from starving.
 
I'd worry more about the damsel than the clowns.:D
The tanks takin shape Rwynn.Great work.

I dont know that I would add a CC star.Especially in a pico tank.I dont think there would be enough food to keep it from starving.

Thanks, yeah I was thinking, if the Damsel and the Clowns don't get along then the Damsel will get moved to his own 10-20g tank and the CC will go with....if the fish get along ok then the CC will go to a new owner or the LFS since I'd like to add coral in the future. I didn't think the Damsel would be tolerable of the Clowns and vice versa...but maybe moving all the rocks around when I added the Clowns was a good idea.
 
Ok. For now I think the fish will stay as is. I want to get closer to the recommended amount of LR, get my fuge and pod population going strong and add a few corals and then once things are going more on their own add 2 Green Mandarins(and most likely be done with fish). Does any think that 5 fish would be too much for my 40g?

I will have 2 false percs, 1 domino damsel, 2 green mandarin.

Full CUC and an assortment of LPS and Soft Coral.

50 - 60lbs LR, 5g Fuge(fully stocked with pods and LR/LS Chaeto, etc) and a 10 - 20g sump with skimmer.
 
Sounds like a plan.But forget about having 2 mandrines.Unless you can get them as a mated pair,they'll kill each other.Plus I doubt a 40 gallon hold enough live food to support 2 mandrines,mated or not.
 
ok, what if i opted for a larger refugium, say 20g or so, with a 30g sump...all pumped full of pods and fed buckets of yummy pod food(and yes mated pair sorry that was the point of 2 actually, forgot to mention that)

Ideally I want clown babies and mandarin babies down the road one day.
 
So, I scrapped the mandarin idea...think I'll add a sand sifting gobie...put the Damsel in his own 10g along with the CC Star and start focusing on fleshing out the LR aquascaping, quality corals and inverts....and save my last spot for a truly unique fish once I'm done...maybe 1 mandarin once it is all stocked up and pod infested.

My lights will be here on Friday and I'll be getting that setup, along with my 10g sump..pictures will be included!
 
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Gah, got my lights today...the actinics come on fine..the MH comes on for about a minute and then click off...seem to have to be unplugged for 5 minutes or so and then they will come back on for a minute or so when plugged back in.,..frustrating, but I figured there would be issues with a 99$ light..so lets see how aquatraders handles the situation...
 
That sucks to hear! MH won't come on again right away if you unplug them or turn them off -- they need a few minutes to warm up. But I'm assuming that's not the problem you're talking about.
 
That sucks to hear! MH won't come on again right away if you unplug them or turn them off -- they need a few minutes to warm up. But I'm assuming that's not the problem you're talking about.

Doesn't appear to be this, I assumed there would be a warm up period, but they come one and are amazing for about a minute, maybe 2, then the click off and are no more....occasionally they will flicker on for maybe 1/2 a second and then go off again...I'm assuming a wiring or Ballast issue, the 2 T5 Actinics that are built into the fixture have been on steady without issue for a few hours.

I checked for heat on the ballast and fixture and they are cool to the touch, even opened the ballast and it seems to be all intact and no heat or burn marks etc.
 
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i had a ballast that did that once and i thought it was a bad bulb but i ended up getting a new raw ballast and cap and replaced it all.

i think it is your ballast
 
i had a ballast that did that once and i thought it was a bad bulb but i ended up getting a new raw ballast and cap and replaced it all.

i think it is your ballast

Despite my schoolin I am a novice eletrician, should any 150w ballast work as a replacement?
 
Woot, it was a great day today. Got a Koralia 3 for 20$ new at Fintique in SA. It makes my tank look like a tsunami, very cool, the fish seem happy.

Added a Sleeper Gold Head Goby also, for sand sifting duty. He seems to be doing well..Also got a nice 7lb rock fresh in from Fiji this morning. It is curing after a good scrubbing...

Added some more live sand and it has the water all funky, I'll put some more photos up once it is clear again.

Did the plumbing for the siphon to send water down to the sump also, that actually turned into a GREAT way to do water changes since it sits next to a small pump I was using for water flow, in the tank. Just move the intake pipe near it and it starts up the siphon...
 
The water was looking clearer this morning, but I tend to wake up 20 minutes before I have to be at work, wearing pressed clothes lol. So I'll get some photos tonight when I get home. Hopefully these will be some of the last pictures before I start adding corals.
 
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