# Way over my head



## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

So I'm a science major and my professors, advisors, and research coordinator know that I'm into reefs and aquariums. So Wednesday morning I get a call from one of them asking me if I want a large reef that's been neglected at his church.

I said yes of course who doesn't want a free tank

Well now that it's said and done took me 3 hours and 4 people to take the tank down and I'm still in the process of building it back up. My calculations the tank is anywhere between 90-140g it's a four foot tank, two feet wide and deep. Has about 100-200lbs of lr and tons of coral

Led lights
Wet dry filter

Livestock is 
A very deformed yellow tang
Pair of black occelaris clowns
A lawnmower blenny
And a neon dotty back (might trade him at the lfs)

Only cuc was a brittle star about 2feet long from arm to arm


The tank was very neglected a lot of detritus and cyano

I have the fish in temporary set ups as well as the coral as I slowly build the tank back up in my house.

Now I have a total of 4 large tanks and 2 small ones (3 if you count a fuge as a separate tank)


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

Definitely post some pics!! Glad you saved the tank.


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

In the process I lost one of the clowns, the blenny and the star


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## big b (Aug 17, 2014)

Aww, not the clown fish


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## LizStreithorst (Aug 5, 2015)

Not a bid deal. Fish are just fish. You will get more and take good care of them. You're doing fine. Don't be down because you lost a couple fish.


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## big b (Aug 17, 2014)

Fish are not just fish. If they were "just fish" then people would not ever cry when a fish died. They get close to our hearts, they make us laugh. But I have to agree with Liz on this. Don't be so down just cuz a few of them died. You didn't have enough time to bond with them and have them get close to your heart.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

It's a 120 gallon.
Whew...rehabilitating a neglected tank is a chore. Good luck with it!


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i have never ; ever ; cried over losing a fish.or even a bunch of fish.


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## Elliott225 (Jan 9, 2014)

Never cried over losing fish but it does make me sad when I lose one. I hate to lose any living creature, flora or fauna, because I feel like I not doing the best I can. I know it happens but I still hate it.

I just lost one of my dogs to cancer about a month ago and it still hurts. I cared for him in his last month of life doing everything like caring for a bed-ridden human.


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

I got really sad because I felt a little responsible for it...

I got the clownfish a new friend and all is well. Only issue with this tank is the lack of life in it. My other tank I'll look at it around 11pm after lights out and there's little things everywhere. On the new one.... Not so much I have yet to see pods or anything in this tank


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## big b (Aug 17, 2014)

lohachata said:


> i have never ; ever ; cried over losing a fish.or even a bunch of fish.


Of course you haven't. I should have put that mostly girls would cry over a dead fish. No offense to anyone who is a girl.


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## LizStreithorst (Aug 5, 2015)

Anyone who cries over the death of a fish has no concept of what emotional pain really is.


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## big b (Aug 17, 2014)

What about little 3 year olds when "bubbles" dies?


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## LizStreithorst (Aug 5, 2015)

A child that young doesn't, or at least shouldn't, have a realistic conception of emotional pain. I thought that we were talking about adults here.


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## big b (Aug 17, 2014)

We were but you said "Anyone" so I brought anyone in to the story, and "anyone" happened to be a 3 year old.


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## LizStreithorst (Aug 5, 2015)

A 3 year old is allowed to cry.


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## LizStreithorst (Aug 5, 2015)

e048 said:


> I got really sad because I felt a little responsible for it...
> 
> I got the clownfish a new friend and all is well. Only issue with this tank is the lack of life in it. My other tank I'll look at it around 11pm after lights out and there's little things everywhere. On the new one.... Not so much I have yet to see pods or anything in this tank


I'm afraid that I know nothing to little about salt water but it seems to me that you are doing well. The magic doesn't appear overnight. Perhaps you can add something from one of your existing tanks to the new one to get it kick started. Good luck.


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

I've been slowly adding micro fauna to the new tank and it seems to be helping my water is almost perfect just phosphates a little high


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## big b (Aug 17, 2014)

Are we gonna get pics of the tank?


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## PuterChickFL (Feb 23, 2010)

give it time. sounds like that tank was really unhealthy. And for such a large tank, it had to be way off to go bad. Once you get the ecosystem back on track you will be real proud


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

For some reason I can't upload more than one picture at a time from my phone


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

Before pics


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

Tank set up before


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

Tank moving


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

Livestock moving


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

Tank set up now


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