My 55 in progress/ 10K XM review

[ctxmonitor]

nano, I don't know yet.. But if you think about it base rock cost around $2/lb and live rock cost around $3-4 /lb.. I would rather pay the extra then have to wait 6-8 month just to begin seeing my base rock covering with coraline algae.

I brought my from a fellow member here, but I don't think the live rock is doing good.. They were out of water for 4 days, before I brought them. The coraline are pale and the smell of the water is bad. I hope when it cure the coraline start to get back it cover quickly..

I didn't leave any light on them now because I was told that it will cause alage boom from all the dead bacteria and critters. Only have a powerhead and hob filter in the tank right now.

I live near Dyker Heights.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Just the bulb and put it in. It looks great it's WAYYYYY brighter than the old bulb. I'm glad it came. Do i have to reacclimate the corals to this bulb like only keep the light on a few hours then gradually increase it?

 

[nanoreefer22]

I'm starting to notice a large increase in the amount of feather dusters in the tank over the past two weeks. The "feather duster" part is getting bigger and there are increasing numbers or them. Could this become a problem if the just keep on multiplying? Are the feather dusters a good sign or a bad one?

 

[House of Laughter]

Are you sure they are feather dusters? They don't multiply very quickly from what I know.

Can you take a picture of one and post it here?

House

 

[nanoreefer22]

These are them. These are just a very few of them.

 

[marrone]

I've got them in my tank and they do multiply very quickly. They're a type of worm and they build tubes along the rocks. Eventually they'll peak and some will died back. Don't worry about them to much.

 

[ctxmonitor]

nano, do you have a full tank shot? I want to see. As I am lacking behind you in the setting up my tank.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Sure as soon as i get home

 

[ShaunW]

Originally posted by nanoreefer22:
I'm starting to notice a large increase in the amount of feather dusters in the tank over the past two weeks. The "feather duster" part is getting bigger and there are increasing numbers or them. Could this become a problem if the just keep on multiplying? Are the feather dusters a good sign or a bad one?

They are a great sign. I love all the little creatures in my tank!

 

[Josh]

This is the best part of owning a tank.

Unfortunately, after a while it is very hard to introduce new life forms, people generally accept the fact that a tank has fully matured and even by adding new rock and sand you will be unlikely to add to the species of microfauna in the tank.

That is usually when you decide to get a new (read: bigger) tank and start the process all over again.

I can't wait till May! New tank coming soon!

 

[nanoreefer22]

This is right after I got the rock and aquascaped. LMK what you think.

Kris

 

[nanoreefer22]

Hey everyone its been a long time since I've posted. Today i noticed that a hitchhiker crab is eating feather dusters, i caught him the act breaking a couple off the rock playing around with them a little then he let them go.

I'm now looking to get a skimmer for my 55g. Do you guys think that a CPR Bak-Pak would be ok for the tank, if i could get it used? Only planning on a few smaller fish if i get the skimmer.

 

[jackson6745]

Kris Iim going to be honest with you here

The bakpak is the biggest piece of junk, no good, worthless skimmer ever made but it is better than nothing

I'm really not a fan of any hang on skimmer but if I had to choose, for the money, it would be a remora. You can find a used remora pretty cheap. Try not to settle, in the end it will end up costing you more in upgrades and overall lack of performance.

Hey btw, you aquascaping looks cool. Before you add fish you should take the shiny stuff off the back of your tank. Your fish will try to attack the reflected images of themselves all day.

[ February 25, 2005, 11:11 PM: Message edited by: jackson6745 ]

 

[nanoreefer22]

I'll pass on the Bakpak then. I'm still trying to persuade my mom to let me get rid of my freshwater fish so i can turn that tank into a sump. My dads ok with it already.

I guess I'm gonna have to get that sump before I get a skimmer. I'll just be doing weekly water changes in the meanwhile. Everything in the tank is doing great. Thanks, I like the aquascaping too. For once I haven't torn it down after a week.

The tufas working out really good. Thanks for the tip on that kind of rock. The algae is starting to grow on it and it looks WAY better than the lava rock at this point. Can't wait til its covered in coraline. Today I noticed my first little piece of coraline algae on the glass. Its about time it started.

I'll take that shiny stuff(giftwrap) off and get a nice black background. Thanks for the heads up on the skimmer once again.

 

[marrone]

Rich I think you have the skimmer mixed up the SeaClone is the worst hang-on skimmer that they make. The BakPak are actually pretty good skimmer and for a 55gal will do the job and remove alot of junk. Try and get the BakPak2 or 2R as they're new and you should be about to find them on RC or Ebay for a pretty cheap price. The Remora series are really good hang-on model but do go for alot more money than the BakPak.

If your not going to go with a sump then you should be fine with either the BakPak or Remora.

Michael

 

[jackson6745]

Michael I stand corrected

The seaclone is the biggest piece of junk skimmer lol
I'm really not impressed with the bakpak though. Yes, it will remove some wastes but not enough IMO. The remora allows you to get a "wetter" foam and does remove more waste from what I have seen (still not enough for a moderately stocked 55gal). I know sometimes I take things to the extreme

but a big skimmer has the power to do great things to a reef. I have seen reefs that had nitrate problems in the 20-30ppm range which was lowered to 0-2ppm simply by upgrading to a big euroreef or MRC skimmer. I don't believe there is such a thing as "overskimming" and there is no danger of removing too much waste. If you want to have an easier time keeping good water quality, especially if you're a newbie, buy the biggest/best skimmer that you can afford. It really comes down to how much money you're willing to spend. I do realize that not everyone has the extra cash for these big skimmerers but water quality can still be kept with smaller skimmers and a LOW bioload.

Nano, you may want to send DRZL a PM if you're interested in a DIY project. He made a euroreef-type skimmer pretty cheap for his reef.

[ February 26, 2005, 02:17 PM: Message edited by: jackson6745 ]

 

[nanoreefer22]

I'll send him a PM.
One question by bioload do that include corals or is that only fish?

I want to know cause I ended up going heavy on corals. So I dont want anything to cause the tank to have problems.

 

[jackson6745]

nano, I am talking pretty much about fish since you have to feed them the most and they make the most waste

 

[marrone]

Rich I agree the Remora is better than the BakPak but the BakPak does work very well and depending on what's in his tank should do the job. And yes the bigger skimmer the better but there does reach a point where your over doing it and just spending more money for a something that will work fine but if you got the lessor model the results would be just as good.

There was a column in the Reefkeeping Magazine just recently dealing with purchasing the largest, biggest models of skimmers out there whether it's what you need or just because it the biggest. It's almost like a arms war as there is alway something bigger and better coming out. Some time you just need to keep it simple. The article also deals with the trended corals that seem to go for a fortune in the beginning until everyone has one.

Here the link and it toward the bottom on the skimmer:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-02/ac/index.htm

 

[4angel]

Hay Kris excellent job on the tank. Youll find that a good skimmer will always help you in maintaing excellent water quality. However there are also a few guys on this board that dont even run a skimmer and all have fantastic looking tanks. MAXPOWER2112 has done great without. look for a pic of his tank. Keep up the great work.... ENJOY

[ February 26, 2005, 07:54 PM: Message edited by: 4angel ]