Reeferpat's tank journal

[Reefpat]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to BAR and it's great to be here!
I've been keeping saltwater tanks for the past 20 years, mostly FOWLR's with some aggressive species (triggers, lionfish, eels, puffers, angelfish, anglers, etc.)
I was out of the hobby for about 4 years, long story short; I got a divorce, broke down my tank, sold most of the equipment, been renting at places that don't accept fish tanks, finally bought a house and the first think I did was start a new tank

My new tank is a 120 rimless tank, which has been running for about 6 months, instead of doing a FOWLR I'd like to start a mixed reef tank and explore the world of coral keeping. At the moment I only have a few fishes that have been helping mature the tank; Emperor Angel, Blue Jaw Trigger, Long Nose Trigger, Maroon Clownfish, Long Tentacle Anemone, Cleaner Shrimp and a couple of Pulsating Xenias. Before I continue adding other fish, i wanted to get started with some corals.

Some of the members in this forum suggested I started a journal and join DTBC. I just did some research on this program and I think it's awesome. I'd love to start picking up some frags , learning how ro keep/care for them, building a reef tank and eventually paying it forward and doing the same for new reefers. I'm not very picky with any specific corals at this time, any recommendations, help or advice from any member will be much appreciated!

Here are some pics of my tank and babies.

 

[Coral reefer]

Welcome! Aqua scape looks cool.
Any coral colors or types you’re into? Where are you located?

 

[MolaMola]

Welcome! I really like your rockscape. I do not know about fish, but is that emperor angel reef safe?

 

[Reefpat]

Thanks man!
Some of the colors I like are red, orange, blue, and/or purple, but honestly I'm not that picky in the colors for now.
Would love to get started with some zoas, hammers, staghorn, acans, torches and/or chalices but again, any advice or recommendations are always well received!
I live in San Rafael.

 

[Coral reefer]

Thanks man!
Some of the colors I like are red, orange, blue, and/or purple, but honestly I'm not that picky in the colors for now.
Would love to get started with some zoas, hammers, staghorn, acans, torches and/or chalices but again, any advice or recommendations are always well received!
I live in San Rafael.

Pm me and make a journey to Pacifica. I will get you started.

 

[Reefpat]

Thanks @MolaMola ! There's a lot of debate about this. I've owned emperor angels in the past and have housed them with a few softies and have never had a problem with them bothering the corals or any inverts.. In my experience/opinion, keeping them well fed is the secret from keeping them happy and away from them!

 

[jhuynh]

Thanks @MolaMola ! There's a lot of debate about this. I've owned emperor angels in the past and have housed them with a few softies and have never had a problem with them bothering the corals or any inverts.. In my experience/opinion, keeping them well fed is the secret from keeping them happy and away from them!

welcome to our reefing community. tons of knowledge here for you. always ask questions along the way.

just my opinion, please rethink that about the angel and triggers. this particular angel is considered not reef safe and triggers are a hit or miss. i wouldn't risk it no matter how well fed they are.

 

[Coral reefer]

The blue throat are pretty safe ime. The emperor will pick in some types of corals almost for sure. Which types? When will they experiment? Who knows. But they almost definitely will eventually. Beautiful fish tho.

 

[Reefpat]

This past couple of weeks I’ve received a lot of support from some of BAR’s members and a few nice looking frags. Big thanks to @Coral reefer, @keithschon and @DaddyHook All the corals are doing pretty well in the tank so far. For those that were concerned about the Emperor Angel, his been behaving and hasn’t touch any coral but I’m keeping a close eye on him. Anyway here are some pics of the tank / frags.

 

[1NC0GNIT0]

Welcome to BAR! Very nice additions to your Awesome tank!

 

[Mike Yasin]

Welcome to BAR! How are the corals holding up with the Emperor?

I'm up in Novato, and when you've got a handle on it, I'm happy to throw a few LPS your way.

 

[Reefpat]

@Mike Yasin I'll reach out to you in a couple of weeks and take you up on this kind offer! Thank you so much! The Emperor is actually not touching the corals but his being a little a..hole to some of the other fishes. Sadly I might have to let him go.
-Pat

 

[Mike Yasin]

The Emperor is actually not touching the corals

Got it. Saw a CL post from someone in San Rafael selling an Emperor that's been munching on coral. Must be a coincidence.

 

[Reefpat]

Yeah that was me. He did nip on a couple of zoas but didn’t touch any other coral, should’ve specified this on the post. In any case the Angel found a new home this morning in a fish only tank where he’ll ve very happy. Thanks for everyone that was concerned

 

[Reefpat]

Its been around 4 months since I switched from FOWLR to a mixed reef tank. I’m living how the tank is looking and this new challenge. Last month I got a few more great pieces from @ashburn2k and @Otakuthugster which have been growing nicely. Looking forward for this frags to grow so I cab eventually put up some frags in DBTC!
Here are some shots I took this morning.

 

[MolaMola]

Hey - I am looking at a carpet anemone with a porcelain crab?!!

 

[Turkeysammich]

Tank looks great but You gotta space your corals out a little further apart. They will grow into each other and coral warfare will begin.

 

[Zumareef]

Awesome mixed reef!

 

[Reef-Geek]

where did you get the clam from?

 

[Reefpat]

Tank looks great but You gotta space your corals out a little further apart. They will grow into each other and coral warfare will begin.

Thanks for the advice. I will plan on moving them further apart!