Reef Tanks · 90 US GALLONS

Bluewater Lagoon

Skyler Rodriguez · Established October 2024

About

A mixed reef built around a rock arch that never quite worked out, so it ended up as a more open scape than planned, and honestly it looks better for it. Two firefish gobies hover near their little caves most of the day, darting back in if anything moves too fast near the glass. The lyretail anthias school together over the rockwork, always in motion, which makes the whole tank feel busier than it is. Rock was bare white for a while but it's filled out with coralline and a few frags glued in odd gaps. Running an Oase BioMaster Thermo for filtration and an Eheim Compact pump for flow, swapped in a while back. It's got a different hum than the old one, still notice it sometimes in a quiet room. Salinity gets checked with a refractometer more often than it probably needs to be, old habit from the early cycling days. Sand near the base rock shifts a little differently now with the new flow pattern, small thing but I notice it every time I look.

Photo Timeline

New gear installedPhoto Date Feb 25, 2025 · new pump, new noise

First fish going inPhoto Date Nov 17, 2024 · first fish in

Just filledPhoto Date Oct 21, 2024

Journal

5 updates

Note Feb 25, 2025

new pump, new noise

Swapped in the eheim compact pump for circulation today. Corals have filled out a lot since the early days, rock's mostly covered now which still throws me off a little every time I look at it. Had the box sitting on the floor by the stand for like two days before I actually got around to installing it, kept putting it off. Once it was in I noticed it's got a slightly different hum than what I had before, not loud exactly but noticeable in a quiet room. Hoping it settles in or my ears just get used to it. Flow pattern definitely changed, I can see it pushing sand a bit differently near the base rock. Anthias seem fine with it, still schooling around like usual. Firefish still hovering near its rock like always.

Note Nov 17, 2024

first fish in

Added the first fish today, a firefish goby. Bag was floating up top for a while getting temp matched before I let any water mix in. Once it finally got released it shot straight down and hid in a little gap between two rocks and didn't move for like twenty minutes. I was starting to worry but then it poked its head out, looked around, and darted back in again a few times. Rock's still mostly bare at this point, just a few small frags glued down here and there, lots of open space still. Feels weird having just one little fish in a tank this size but gotta start somewhere. By the end of the night it was actually hovering near its little cave instead of hiding fully, so that felt like progress.

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Comments

Steve KellySep 20

how deep did you end up going with the sand bed for that goby? mine keeps digging his down to nothing

Avery HarrisSep 19

The firefish goby hanging near the rockwork is such a good centerpiece choice for this, low key but always catches my eye.

Kevin CoxSep 1Question

No coral in there so not my usual thing, but that anthias color against the rockwork looks great. How long did it take the tank to fill in like that?

Tank owner replied

Thanks! Honestly it wasn't super fast, took a few months of just letting the frags grow out before the rock started looking covered instead of bare. Felt like nothing was happening for a long stretch and then it kind of caught up all at once. Anthias definitely helps sell the color against the rock too.

Morgan SanchezAug 31Question

Tank looks really settled for a year in. How's the firefish doing with the anthias, any bullying or do they just ignore each other?

DDuc SandersJul 30

Firefish and anthias together looks great, no jumping issues in a 90?