Nanologist
New member
Hey all! Decided it's time to start a log of my first reef tank. The journey for me started last year in a standard 10g FOWLR when my GF wanted to get hermit crabs. Knowing nothing about keeping a saltwater tank I obviously hesitated, but with the help of online friends and forums my worries waned. We started with 3 scarlet hermits, nassarius snails, nerite snails, a bunch of friendly hitchhikers from the LFS live rock and later on we added a purple pseudochromis, porcelain crab and a banded trochus snail. There were a few aiptasia on the live rock as well so I got some good practice at dealing with them using Kalkwasser paste. 
I ran the FOWLR for about 7 months before getting an IM Fusion AIO 10 gallon and moving everything over in December 2017. During this time I also invested in a RODI unit, water testing equipment, an inTank media basket, a Smart ATO Micro, VCA Random Flow Generator nozzle and small things like filter media, Reef Roids, etc. Since rock flower anemones(RFA) and shrooms don't require intense lighting I went with a Kessil A80 Tuna Blue. The filter media I'm currently running is filter floss, Poly Fiber, Chemi-Pure Blue, and MarinePure balls.
Not long after I setup the new tank VIP Reef shared some pics of their RFA garden. It's incredible and if you're on Instagram I highly suggest you check it out. There was no alternative for me after seeing it and I just had to try something similar. I wanted a little more variety than just the nems though so someone suggested Ricordea Florida and other mushrooms.
My first two RFAs were added at the start of the new year, 2018, and have been doing great. They were put in to "test the waters" since I was a bit concerned at the age of the tank regardless that all the rock and contents in it had been going strong for the last 7 months in the other tank. After a month or so WWC put on one of their live sales and it was a great opportunity for me to pick up some Ultra Ricordea Florida and a Superman Rhodactis for a great price. Of course I couldn't turn down some $5 frags so I ended up with some WWC Nuclear Halo Zoas, Merletti Blastos, and their daisy style GSP.
The frags were just removed from the plugs last weekend, except for the zoa and blasto frags. They aren't part of my grand plan so they won't be staying long term. Figured I'll let them grow out for awhile and trade them at a frag show for another RFA or shroom. I kept the GSP though and mounted it on the back wall since the daisy look will compliment the garden.
Comments are welcome and thanks for taking a look!
I ran the FOWLR for about 7 months before getting an IM Fusion AIO 10 gallon and moving everything over in December 2017. During this time I also invested in a RODI unit, water testing equipment, an inTank media basket, a Smart ATO Micro, VCA Random Flow Generator nozzle and small things like filter media, Reef Roids, etc. Since rock flower anemones(RFA) and shrooms don't require intense lighting I went with a Kessil A80 Tuna Blue. The filter media I'm currently running is filter floss, Poly Fiber, Chemi-Pure Blue, and MarinePure balls.
Not long after I setup the new tank VIP Reef shared some pics of their RFA garden. It's incredible and if you're on Instagram I highly suggest you check it out. There was no alternative for me after seeing it and I just had to try something similar. I wanted a little more variety than just the nems though so someone suggested Ricordea Florida and other mushrooms.
My first two RFAs were added at the start of the new year, 2018, and have been doing great. They were put in to "test the waters" since I was a bit concerned at the age of the tank regardless that all the rock and contents in it had been going strong for the last 7 months in the other tank. After a month or so WWC put on one of their live sales and it was a great opportunity for me to pick up some Ultra Ricordea Florida and a Superman Rhodactis for a great price. Of course I couldn't turn down some $5 frags so I ended up with some WWC Nuclear Halo Zoas, Merletti Blastos, and their daisy style GSP.
The frags were just removed from the plugs last weekend, except for the zoa and blasto frags. They aren't part of my grand plan so they won't be staying long term. Figured I'll let them grow out for awhile and trade them at a frag show for another RFA or shroom. I kept the GSP though and mounted it on the back wall since the daisy look will compliment the garden.
Comments are welcome and thanks for taking a look!
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