I'm back in! Only, no salt this time around!

Kylie has discovered the aquatic varmints

Well, that break only lasted 3 years. I'm back into the aquarium hobby. But, this time around I'm going with a freshwater planted tank using the Diana Walstad (El Natural, Natural Planted Tank) method. I've read enough of her book to give it a go.
I decided to blog about my tank as a personal reference and to provide info for anyone looking for similar setups. I think the tall tank is something hobbyists tend to avoid for the planted tank for a few reasons: you need long arms to work with the plants at the bottom of the tank (I have those), water circulation and the idea that the bottom of the tank won't get enough oxygenation (canister filter seems be doing well on water movement, so far).
June 22nd: I started with a 70 gallon, tall Visio glass aquarium (36 X 15 X 30"), stand and canopy, a 36" strip of Current USA Pro Plus LEDs, San Diego tap water treated with API Tap Water Conditioner (too guilty to use the RO water....or, just being environmentally responsible, at least to some degree), two bags of Miracle-Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix (8-Qt., each), two bags of Seachem Laboratories Flourite Black Substrate (15.4 lbs, each) and a Cascade 1200 canister filter. A heater will be used during the winter months.

Cracked Aquarium

The first set up lasted an overnight stay, however. I got home from work in the nick-of-time to see the water level unusually low by about an inch or two. I started checking frantically for leaks, but couldn't find any until I ran my hands against the back lower left of the aquarium. The water was dripping slowly out the back and wicking its way out of the house! The aquarium, being under warranty, was promptly drained, cleaned and swapped out for a new one. A crack was discovered on the bottom glass. For the uninitiated: this is a very rare occurrence and shouldn't dissuade you from considering a glass aquarium of this size. Just discuss it further with your local pet store if you need further reassurances.
So, that changed my Diana Walstad substrate formula. I ended up taking the drained, mixed soil/Flourite and placing half of it into the new tank. Then, another two new bags of Flourite (this time, extremely well rinsed!) was placed on top of that. Two filter socks (8 X 12", 800 micron) were filled with well-rinsed Vigoro red lava rocks and buried under the soil to create a mound on one side of the tank.

Jun 24: Tank V2, initialized

More details on the steps taken to bring up this tank in a later post. For now, the tank has cleared up with a few water changes, driftwood placed and several fish are enjoying their new home!

Exiting the Hobby...for now.

A few last pics before I drain the tank of its critters and sell off the equipment (13Jun2014):

 

 

The new (self-contained aquarium), four-legged furry friend:

 

Kylie, the Scottish Terrier

 

Anemone Fun

This is the right half of the 55 gallon glass tank. The purple LTA anemone (Macrodactyla doreensis) looks decent today. It goes in and out of moods, but stabilizes for several weeks. I used to run two MP10 pumps, but found that the anemone as well as the Frogspawn coral didn't seem to do well with all that water flow, so I removed one. They still don't like the single one, but I've got to keep the water moving or suffer debris build up. These two specimens, therefore, get placed in the low flow area of the right side of the tank.

This week I lost two large SPS corals (tricolor Valida and Scripps acro, usually very hardy in my tanks) and it coincided with the increased rate of Alk and Ca dosing that I applied at the beginning of this month. I usually struggle with getting the Alk up from the 7's, so I had decided to double the drip timing. The Alk was high at 9.2 dKH yesterday. The pH rose over this month as well, but stabilized in the 8.2 area. So, now I'll give the tank a chance to recover (Alk will drop) and decide on a rate between 1 and 2X of what I was working with.

Breaking up the Turbinaria sp.

The Turbinaria sp. coral (yellow scroll coral) from my old 110 gallon tank setup was finally taken out of the quarantine tank and broken up into pieces. I could see polyps and a little gain in coloration while it sat in the Q tank, so I decided to take a few pieces and super glue (gel) them in my 50 gallon cube tank. There were some larger chunks that I'll try to grow out on the sand bed and offer them for trade later.

After a while, I just used my gloved hands to break more pieces off. Then, I used the wire cutters for trimming. I threw away most of the dead coral and kept the underlying live rock for the refugium. 

I glued 3 small pieces at the same level on one of the live rocks. You can see a green variety of Turbinaria sp. near the recovering yellow scroll coral frags. I'm hoping that the pieces will grow and attach themselves to the the rock before a crab comes buy and dislodges them.

 

Calcium and Alkalinity Dosing

I followed instructions at BulkReefSupply (BRS) to create the Calcium and Alkalinity solutions. Then, I drilled holes on the tops using a 7/32" drill bit and a smaller hole to allow for air. I'll have to find another screw top when it comes time to mix new solutions. The hard-line tubing had a tight fitting, but was easy to slide in through the holes I'd drilled. The BRS peristaltic pumps came with their own mounting and screws. I used smaller wood screws to secure the mounts under the stand next to my 50 gallon reef tank. Now, I'll have to figure how to program my RKE to dose each solution.

 

 

Pink Fromia Sp. Sea Star

I was told that the Fromia sea stars eat only sponges. But, since I'm using well established live rock from my old system, there should be plenty of sponges to choose from as this sea star goes on the hunt for food. This pink variety really adds some color pizzaz to the color of my 50 gallon tank! Note the sponge structures embedded in the live rock near the sea star.

Bon Appetit!

Blonde Naso Tang

I sure am going to miss this guy. Since I'm downgrading from a 110 gallon reef to a 50 gallon cube, I can't transfer him. I hope I can find someone with a large enough tank to keep up with his growth. This guy would fetch you your slippers and morning newspaper if it weren't for that dang thing called "seawater".