Mixed reef species guide - lessons learned from trial and error
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- čas přidán 25. 08. 2020
- One of the most challenging topics in the mixed reef space is species selection as we always manage to strike a balance between biodiversity and compatibility. Today I'll show you my 70-gallon mixed reef tank, where most inhabitants have been living and thriving together in what I perceive to be relative harmony in the past 12 months.
I'll be introducing corals, anemones, fish, crustaceans, tubeworms, bivalves and echinoderms, followed by a section dedicated to algae and clean-up crew.
One of the best mixed reef tanks i've ever seen.
Thank you Paul! Glad you liked it.
I myself experienced a period when I immersed myself in reef building and in figuring out the right way to a balanced ecosystem. I'm not sure if that was an addiction but I did feel that I was sort of escaping from reality to certain extent. As the system started to mature, I now spend just 10 minutes each day on maintenance works. But meanwhile I spend more time in helping others build reef systems to achieve their goals. This at least brings me back to reality a little bit. :)
Probably the only high end reef tank with some soft corals aside from zoas there are even nps corals to which most hobbyist forget that they even exist
I've watched a lot of content on CZcams about reef tanks and I'd have to say this is one the best. The detail regarding inhabitants is fantastic, as well as the reasoning behind it.
Not to mention that this is the most beautiful reef tank I have ever seen. Take a bow sir as your tank is awe inspiring and jaw dropping.
I felt exactly the same way... Just kidding :) Thank you so much for your kind words. Much obliged!
One of the best videos I ever seen, what a beautiful tank and a peaceful way that you talk and explaining your thoughts!
Thank you Carlos! Glad you enjoyed it!
Your tank is one of the most beautiful tank i've seen and is also extremely well maintained with no algae on the glass or substrate. You also did an excellent job in capturing the beauty of your tank with good lighting and video skills. You've got yourself a new subscriber.
Thank you White Knight! Algae combat was my paramount task in the first 6 months. I’m going to shoot a footage on how to keep the sand bed white and clean.
This is the absolute best reef aquarium video to date. I wish you had a million tanks so we could all enjoy the many varied topics
By far the best tank I have ever Seen I just wish you didn’t stop making videos but good luck with life anyways
I just cannot get over the colouration of these corals it’s insane
This is the most beautiful tank I’ve seen in my life
I have been watching reef videos for a few weeks, this is probably the best one i have seen so far. amazing job and a beautiful tank! keep up the great work.
ABSOLUTELY amazing tank! Inspirational....I wish you lived next door!
Thank you so much, much obliged!
Beautiful tank, meticulously planned and executed. You must be very proud and you deserve all the plaudits you are inevitably going to receive. Bravo 👏 👏 👏 🏴💚❤🐠
Thank you, much obliged 🙏
Top pick amongst mixed reef tanks 👍
Thank you so much!
@@zzyz : where do you live? I am based in Hong Kong. I am amazed with the diversity in your tank. Especially anemone and Garden Eel. I have a 24” cube waterbox which is 8 months old and trying to create a mixed reef.
@@yatisharon8324 Thank you! I also live in Hong Kong. Tank water typically starts to mature in roughly 6 months. 8 months is a good starting point to add live stocks to your 24" cube waterbox. You can begin with clean up crew, followed by fish, docile ones first, and then leathers, nems, LPS corals, finally SPS. Good luck and happy reefing!
It is like watching a documentary, love it and your reef tank is beautiful! Very well explained ! Looking forward for your next video!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I shall keep up the effort!
I thoroughly enjoyed your tank tour, you have an amazing little ecosystem. I have subscribed and will be looking forward to future updates,👍
Thank you Aussie for your kind support! The upcoming update will be on the rearing of garden eels in a mixed reef environment.
What excellent and useful information. Loved the tour of this reef!
Thank you Paul! My pleasure.
This is the most beautiful tank I've seen on CZcams so far. Absolutely perfect in my eyes.
Thank you Kevin. Much obliged!
Just ran across this video. Excellent rundown and your tank is something to envy.
Glad you enjoyed. Thank you Alex!
This is hands down the most beautiful aquarium I have ever seen it's literally Unbelievable it must have taken a decade to grow into this amazing Reef system Wowow
Thank you Larry! Although most corals were bought as colonies, all of them have seen substantial growths in the past two years. I have fragged nems, will do leathers and SPS too, which I'm going to talk about in my future episodes.
Really cool info about the sardine, going to see if I can find one for my tank!
Thank you Carl. I caught them on tide pool at night, when they tended to be less alert than in the day.
Absolutely stunning aquarium! Thank you for making this terrifically-informative video!
I love the garden eel, it's awesome. Amazing tank and lovely talk... great work!
Thank you so much! Glad you liked it.
Absolutely stunning tank! Probably the most diverse tank I've seen! Great job!
Thank you so much! Glad you liked it.
Best video and lays out in a detailed way what I intend to create
So much diversity!! Great video I could watch this tank for hours 👍👍
Thank you CrackerJack! You and me both!
Wow ! You blew my mind ..
Excellent knowledge you have
What a marvellous presentation !
I watched lots of good knowledgeable videos on reef tanks , but this one is the best I have ever watched…
Thanks alot for such knowledge.
thank you for your video! Very informative , new reefer of 2 years and always learning from my mistakes and great videos such as this !
Thank you Laura. Glad you liked it!
Good video man, I have watched it 3 times back to back and adding it to my list👍👍👍
Thank you TRAY NICE! Glad you enjoyed it.
The corals, the fishes, the decorations iz all purrrfectly amazing 🥺
Thank you!
This is the first video of yours I've watched and now you've got a new subscriber. Keep up your incredible work!
Thank you so much! Appreciate you liked it!
Incredible video!
This is one of the nicest tanks I've seen.
The best reef tank I have ever seen by far
Hi Roger - just found your channel after seeing the white sand bed video pop up - really nice advice and the music and voiceover is great! Well done ;) Happy Holidays
Thank you Sunny. Glad you liked it! Wishing you a year full of love and blessings!
I enjoyed this video. So much good footage and an amazing tank.
Thanks for visiting!
Rog this was soooo helpful….
I’ve never heard anyone explain all this like you have done in your tank before.
I’m just about to start off my tank…
Wish you lived next door buddy ! 🙌
Amazing Amazing tank & set up 🥳
Thank you so much! Patience is the key. Time cures everything. I wish you a great start with your dream tank!
Such a beautiful tank.
Thank you 🙏
Great reef tank! Good job! Nice mixture.
A beautiful tank. Lots of different species.
Thank you Annie 🙏
Great different types of reef tank and species setup and info subbed
Thank you Mo. I appreciate your kind words!
Gorgeous tank!!! So full and well cared for, I hope my tanks can look this good one day!
Thank you Sam. You can do it. It just takes time to cycle. Best of luck!
@@zzyz i have had a 60 lps cube for almost two years. Pretty good growth with those easier hammers, elegances, acans, bubble coral rock flowers and a scoly but i have not dabbed into sps yet. I want to start with a hardier species of montipora. Im just amazed how full your tank looks with all the variety!
Sounds awesome! When you try SPS corals, remember to keep your alkalinity stable and NO3 low. And when you procure from LFS, do pick those with noticeable growth. SPS corals without growth are usually slowly dying. Moreover, it will be easy to fix them on live rocks if you choose the fast growing species, which will encrust nearby rocks in a week or two.
yes i think my main issue is not monitoring my current display tank as much as i should. That along with my lack of experience with dosing i only replenish calcium alk and magnesium with water changes and i test twice a week before and after water change so id need ad to ramp up the testing if i want to feel comfortable with sps. Much appreciated for the advice and info i hope to see many future updates on your tank!
With water changes only, chemicals will be constantly declining. Dosing is a must to keep stability, not only for base chemicals, but also trace elements. SPS coloration is very sensitive to various minor chemicals. An SPS colony may look entirely different in different tanks. The next episode will be on the husbandry of goni/alveopora. Thanks for watching.
Simply amazing! I had a 91gal tank myself about a year ago and I had a bad gha outbreak but nothing I did worked. It was my first tank and I eventually had to break it down. It's in storage now but I will be using this video as reference next time I build my tank up again. Love this tank man and it's truly very inspiring! I HAVE to subscribe, can't wait for more content from you.
Thank you Alexander! GHA are indeed nightmare. Few cleanup crew eat them. Although tuxedo urchin sometimes consume GHA when they are hungry, it becomes difficult to get rid of GHA once they are everywhere. Having an algae reactor and algae eaters to curb their growth at the early stage of the cycle is the key.
@@zzyz Thank you for the advice! I'm definitely taking my time with my next build
@@alexandersouza1144 My pleasure! Good luck with your next build!
Great!! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Thank you, my pleasure!
Stunning tank! One of the most species diverse tanks I have ever seen; great work!
Thank you Andrew! I appreciate your kind words.
you sir just got another sub, great channel!! Would love to see a video of ur maintaince routine and equipment tour to see what makes this wonderful reef tick and what you do to keep it doing so aswell
Thank you Magroth! Really appreciate that! Sure, I'll do episodes on system and maintenance in the future.
Hey thanks for making this video Roger.
My pleasure. Thank you Benjamin.
I am absolutely in love with your set up!
I'm about to start up a marine tank again, so if I can bring mine up to the standards of yours, I'll be a very happy man!
Well done you, absolutely beautiful reef tank 😍👌🏽
Thank you so much! I wish you great luck with your new endeavors!
Thank you very much 😁
If I get my set up even half as good as yours I'll be happy! 😉👌🏽
@@timdogdawg4099 You can be better for sure. It just takes time!
Well, I have plenty of time at the moment, I think we all do, so there will be nothing but time and love to put into my tank.
Thank you for the encouragement and I'll hopefully share it with you as soon as I get it running. 😊👌🏽
@@timdogdawg4099 Great! Do share with us your findings. Really appreciate that!
You have a beautiful tank.
Thank you 🙏
Super fantastic video and saltwater aquarium too... Thanks for sharing..
Thank you so much! My pleasure.
Very nice specimens, thank you for posting
Thank you for watching!
You have quite an investment in corals/inverts there. What a wonderful, beautiful display.
So beautiful aquarium, very colorful.
Awesome video , beautiful tank and video was informative !!!!
Thank you Paul! My pleasure.
PLEEEASE do more videos on this tank or in general!!!! AMAZINGLY INSPIRING!!!👍👍👍
Thank you! That's the plan, more to come.
@@zzyz Good to know!! And thank you for the reply. Looking for to it!!
Beautiful tank.
Thank you 🙏
Very beautiful - thank you for your efforts
Thank you Otana! My pleasure.
I love this setup amazing work beautiful 🙏🏾
Thank you! 🤗
Thank you so much roger! I got lot of questions for you. I excited to hear back from you.
You are very welcome Jonathan. Let me know your questions anytime.
Wow! Im so happy to hear from your response speed. I want to and will watch the videos again....once i have the names of those creatures....also the biological terms that you are researching from first point of enthused personal experience till the point when we first interacted and fair reached for belonging grace together. Thank you so much for giving us a chance to relate on such things. Do you have others you talk to about those things in that tank perfectly placed with style and divine hope to help us feel whole and fullfilled in our resolving lives.
I want to to start with how you knew about arragements of corals and sponges. Helping feel pleasurable and supported by compatible forms of life. You just seem so beautiful by the way you presented your caring interest of the tank and all the descriptions you have put together from expertise and organized experience. Also the polyps? If im spelling it correctly. And said something about them in a way i want to know and learn from you. Your credit is your credit. My credit can be from your credit. Super cool thing. Im really looking forward to work with you more. What is your status?
You work alone or have people with similar agendas for such research opportunity's?
Hi Jonathan, thank you for your kind words! Not sure why your msg was banned from CZcams. I just received your msg a moment ago. I benefited a lot from an App called Reef App where you can find most tank inhabitants, knowing their characters and compatibility. I also learnt a great deal from online forums and by trial and error. I'm not very certain what you mean by polyps. If you were talking about polyp extension, it's pretty much related to stability in water chemistry, especially alkalinity. I also found that polyps would extend to their maximum at relatively lower alkalinity and nitrate levels.
Yes l, i will try to get that app,
thanks for the references.
i will do more research, so were you into the waters and film selectments that might be secreted by those sponges and hydra. Polyp extention seem perverted. Pardon my liberty of interpretation. Thanks so much.
@@jonathansantos2271 Thank you! I filmed from outside of the tank by iPhone 12 pro with an optical filter to filter out the blue light.
Always will support a skilled reefer, good stuff dude
Thank you Mason, much obliged!
Thank you Michigan. I bought colonies but almost all of them have gone through substantial growth except for one piece not seen much growth. I'm still looking into that. Maybe that is a slow growing SPS species that requires more patience.
3:25 LOL! So funny. I've never seen this before.
Thank you. It's indeed funny! I confirmed with a few reefers that clownfish do love sucking nems.
Very beautiful mixed reef. Great video and info. I subbed. 👋👋
Thank you so much!
What an amazing video
Thank you so much!
wow that is an amazing tank
Thank you Tom!
Amazing tank!!
Thank you 🙏
Just found your channel, what a fantastic mixed reef tank and diversity of life👌 I have a 100 gallon tank with a Tomini tang and would love to add a Yellow tang but not sure if my tanks big enough for 2 tangs although the Tomini is the smallest tang available. Great content, subscribed 👍
Thank you Mark! 🙏 They won’t be friends for sure, but might not fight to deaths. I usually put the newly added fish in a breeder box for a week or two to let it make acquaintance with its fellow tank mates and relieve stress. My yellow tang occasionally had conflicts with the rabbit fish as both of them are herbivores, but most of the time they got along.
Beautiful man,thanks for the video!
My pleasure Mikey and thank you too!
Great video, thank you!
Glad you liked it. Thank you too!
I want a saltwater tank so bad but I usually travel during breaks. Such a fascinating hobby.
I'm leaving my tank alone for a month hope it survives.
Awesome video
Thank you 🙏
This is stunning
you da man, Roger! great video, thanks
My pleasure. And thank you too, gold3n!
Hey Roger, just wanted to tell you that you have one of the most amazing tank I've seen in awhile.
Are you planning on making a video of your system in the future?
Brian Kim Thank you Brian, much obliged. Yes, that will be on my list. Regarding future pipeline, I might work on tank inhabitants and their intriguing behaviours first, then followed by system build and other aspects of reef keeping. If you have anything else which you would be interested to hear about, please do let me know.
Roger your tank looks like a scene out of Finding Nemo . Absolutely gorgeous .
Thank you Kevin. I wish I could have a blue tang as in the movie, but tangs do fight in a 70 gallon.
@@zzyz I think one blue tang could work for right now and grow it out for a larger tank down the road . Yeah I know they get big but if you can get a bigger tank it would be worth it . Another fish that may look good in your tank is a yellow head jawfish . Very peaceful fish . And scooter blennys . Yellow tangs would work too . Keep a close eye on that puffer.
Thank you for your great suggestions! The yellowhead jawfish looks cool. Will be a good addition to the bottom feeder fish. Scooters are similar to mandarins I suppose. And yes, I kept the yellow box fish out of the main tank to prevent it from releasing toxins under stress. I would definitely consider a blue tang should I have enough space. But a yellow tang is fit for the moment as it hasn’t grown much in the past 12 months.
Amazing tank!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you! 👍
YOUR REEF IS FULL OF LIFE. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL AND A REMINDER OF WHAT WE STAND TO LOSE IF WE DON’T GET WITH THE PROGRAM IN ADDRESSING HUMAN CAUSED CLIMATE CHANGE. THE CORAL REEFS NEED OUR HELP. LET’S DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO SAVE OUR PLANET’S BIODIVERSITY.
Thank you Graham. Can’t agree more. Climate change and nutrient pollution may lead to harmful algal blooms, killing the very bottom of the food chain. As Sadhguru, an Indian yogi said, without human beings the planet would flourish, but it would have only 8 years left should micro creatures disappear. The question is not how useful we are but how beautifully we live.
@@zzyz My opinion is the death of our reefs is pollution from humans and cruise ships. Climate has been changing forever life forms adapt.
Life forms adapt - I agree. Research shows that sponges have an adaptive advantage that allows them to have better survival to thermal stress compared to corals. As global warming continues, sponges may take over corals to dominate the reef.
Very beautiful reef aquarium. The back ground music is hi .
Thank you! I've changed background music in recent updates due to negative comments.
I've had two captive bred clown fish for 2+ years. I have a tank with 20+ anemones. They didn't touch one of them. A couple months ago I got a huge green anemone. It's split into 4 pieces since then. Two bigger pieces are in my display. They grew and grew and all of a sudden I noticed that the clowns we're hosting it. They've been hosting it ever since. Idk of they figured it out over time or of it was the type and size of the anemone. Whatever happened, it's awesome!
Great to hear that! I think you were lucky. Captive bred species are known to stay away from anemones, especially those three generations bred in captivity.
Wow... amazing reef
Thank you Steve.
Thank you soo much for explaining nicely 🥰
That is a seriously inspiring reef organization 👍🏻 #goals
Thank you! It's always been fun observing the interactions among tank inhabitants, sometimes enticing and inspiring.
@@zzyz I believe it!! Your tank has to be one of my favorites I’ve ever seen
@@ndTheArgonauts Thank you, much obliged! 🙏
Simply speechless... WOW!!!
That tanks looks great
Really good video!😄
Thank you Alex!
I didn't know you could add a garden eel to a mixed tank. Soo cool! :)
Garden eels are very docile. A gradual and gentle acclimation process is needed. Good luck! :)
Roger. What is a docile and gentle acclimation exactly?
@@RavineDriver Put it in a breeder box, make sure it is getting familiar with all types of artificial food you usually feed the tank, and let it see its tank mates, get acquainted with them before adding in.
Can you do more mixed reef videos. I’m starting on in my 40 Gallon Breeder tank
Sure, thanks for watching. The next episode will be on flow and lighting.
If you ever have the time to, could you please make a list of everything in your tank? Such as coral, fish, crustacean, etc. You have a wonderful reef tank, would love to do more research into how everything plays a role in this organization.
Thanks Ernesto. For your information:
- Corals: toadstool leather, finger leather, torch, frogspawn, goniopora, alveopora, brain, acan, zoa, grass polyps, clove polyps, sun polyps, mushroom, acropora and montipora
- Nems: green and red bubble tip anemones
- Fish: anthias, yellow tang, clownfish, tailspot blenny, lawnmower blenny, chromis, damselfish, cardinal fish, royal gramma, pipefish, goby, sardine and garden eel
- Crustaceans: blue leg hermit crab, peppermint shrimp, cleaner shrimp, sexy shrimp, anemone shrimp, pistol shrimp and acropora crab
- Tubeworms, bivalves and echinoderms: red fanworm, sea shell, mussel, giant clam, black cucumber, tigertail, tuxedo urchin and turbo snail
I’ve been dreaming of a white sand bed for 8 years....would you say your sea cucumber is key to attaining that? And are there types of cucumbers to stay away from? What size is your tank? Mine is 65gal.
@@RavineDriver I wouldn't say sea cucumber is the key. All of the measures mentioned in the video are jointly helpful. But sea cucumber is definitely the more effective creature than any other cleanup crew alone. I have a tiger tail and a black cucumber. I don't personally have experiences in other species. My tank is 70 gal, about the same size as yours.
Beautiful tank subbed.
Thank you so much!
Those blue leathers & that blue anemone 🔥
😄
Amazing
How is this possible to have a reef looking this good
Thank you mkvvv, much obliged!
I can't stop watching this video. What a beautiful tank! What's the blue/green tree like coral in the sand near your clam and garden eel at 11:54?
Thank you 🙏 That’s the finger leather from Australia.
Nice video editing and camera shots.
Thank you! I'll try iPhone 12 Pro for the next episode.
@@zzyz keep it up! You are doing great 👍
Will try my best! 🙏
Excelente Reef
Thank you 🙏
Roger I love all of your videos. You often say carbon overdosing is bad, how much carbon would you use for 100 gallon tank mixed reef like yours with an algae reactor? Thank you and please keep sharing your knowledge!
Will be converting my 120 soon and will definitely be looking at this vid again for stocking tips.
Thank you! And wish you great luck with your new tank!
@@zzyz taking the time to do my research while I wait for the 29g sump to be plumbed. I want a that thing loaded with cheato and pods. Probly gonna go predominantly softies to start with. On the bright side I learned the light i bought for 40 bucks apparently used to run like 900.
@@connerbixby6532 Great to hear that! Would you please share with us what the light you bought?
@@zzyz It is an older corallife oddysea model. 48" fixture 4 100w actinics, 2 175w metal halides, and 3 blue leds down the middle.
@@connerbixby6532 Sound gorgeous! Would appreciate it very much if you come back and share with us how corals respond to this lighting setup in the near future!
Awesome buddy many thanks 🙏😃👍🏴
Thank you Andrew. My pleasure 🙏
@@zzyz Roger can I ask what do you run your peramiters at . Cheers Andrew 😀🏴
I'll talk about chemicals in my future episodes. But simply put, I've maintained parameters at a very stable level as below:
- KH: 9.3
- Ca: 440
- Mg: 1320
- NO3: 5
- PO4: ~0
- Salinity: 1.024
Hope that helps.
@@zzyz many thanks , Can’t wait especially with no phosphates 🤔😂👍🏴
@@andrew5762 Strangely phosphates have never been my concern. Nitrates are more of a consternation for me. I believe if you are using algae reactors, phosphates will automatically be reduced to undetectable levels in a couple of weeks.
Do you have a setup spec anywhere and your dosing habits for this tank, I’m really interested for your spin on things
Hi Roger I just ran across this video. You have an absolutely amazing tank ..i have a 65 gallon. Mixed reef about 4 years old now . Established tank but I definitely learned a few things by watching this video..I have a problem with keeping acans ..they just don't do well in my tank . I feed them reef roids once a week with a little brine shrimp every now and then . I have two tangs and a six line wrasse, thats all the fish I have. I have torch corals, Duncan corals toadstool leather thats way smaller than yours , trumpets various mushrooms montapora, blastoma, and a few others , can't name them all right now..lol but my tank is getting crowded.. I run two original hydra first gen lights red sea skimmer a sump with carbon and phosphate pads one koralia wave maker..I keep my salinity about .025 and temp about 78 degrees F so I think my problem with acans is placement do you agree or do you think there is something else I might be doing wrong..?
Wow, that's a mature tank fully stocked! Thank you for sharing your stories. I once put my acan on a live rock. It opened well for a while and all of a sudden closed up overnight. I looked into the problem and found a brittle starfish was harassing the acan. I moved it to the sand bed and it has been wonderful ever since. However, not all corals will be doing well on the sand. For instance, bottom feeders such as sexy shrimps prefer to eat (or harass) hammer or frogspawn corals even though they are perfectly healthy.
Hello, your aquarium is amazing!
How do you control Xenia from overtaking?
Amazing tank. Can you go over your equipment. Tips and tricks that you do to maintain this beautiful tank and parameters that work for you and your tank. Great info and tank. I subscribe due to this video good job
Thank you Emmanuel! Sure thing, I'll go through setup, maintenance and chemicals in future episodes. The next one, however, will be on the husbandry of goni/alveopora.
What a beauty this tank is. Stunning. I wish my tank looks similar. I have two mixed reefs. 60 and 20.
Which tank it is???
Thank you 🙏 Mine is Red Sea 250, close to your bigger tank.
厉害，太佩服了，我下海半年还在犯错中。。。
谢谢🙏 水体差不多半年左右开始稳定，之后就会越来越好，坚持就有回报✊