- Location
- Brooklyn
Am I Loco?
- Thread starter bigbris1
- Start date
- Status
Let me try to straighten out a few things. I have had a few successful reef tanks in years past. So much so that I was able to sell them while still running complete and matured. Even delivered and set some of them up for folks.
And while I haven't been on MR in a while I've met some really great people on here, most of which I don't really see posting for whatever reason. The title of "Algae Farmer" was an old joke from years back for those who're wondering about that.
Similar to how "RO water will be provided for any reefers who aren't of drinking age" quips at reef parties. As far as us drinking what we call "waste" water, it's no worse than drinking tap water. Actually it at least has been filtered thru the sediment and carbon chambers and unless the RO membrane was used and constantly flushed, which mine wasn't, it's harmless, especially when TDS from the tap is -50ppm.
This hobby, as we all know, requires a tremendous amount of patience and some of us do better in that area than others (i.e. someone buying a fully running & mature system as I mentioned earlier vs someone who takes their time, and I don't mean with the initial tank set up-no water). But that doesn't mean that there are no alternatives to starting up and the time it takes to do so with success.
Remember the great DSB debate? This is sorta like that.
Who says it's better to cycle your tank with a few Chromis than with a tang? Is one fish better than the other? No. I'm carefully monitoring the health of my tank's inhabitants and water quality. There are ways to cycle a tank more quickly.
Who says you can't grow sps until you've been in the hobby for years or without MH? The regurgitation of those ideas are sometimes silly and just that; someone repeating something someone else said.
So, my intent here isn't to tick anyone off, torture my family or helpless creatures. It's to have a nice, healthy tank set up and complete (minus age and all that comes with it) in record time.
I will post pics later.
Bris
And while I haven't been on MR in a while I've met some really great people on here, most of which I don't really see posting for whatever reason. The title of "Algae Farmer" was an old joke from years back for those who're wondering about that.
Similar to how "RO water will be provided for any reefers who aren't of drinking age" quips at reef parties. As far as us drinking what we call "waste" water, it's no worse than drinking tap water. Actually it at least has been filtered thru the sediment and carbon chambers and unless the RO membrane was used and constantly flushed, which mine wasn't, it's harmless, especially when TDS from the tap is -50ppm.
This hobby, as we all know, requires a tremendous amount of patience and some of us do better in that area than others (i.e. someone buying a fully running & mature system as I mentioned earlier vs someone who takes their time, and I don't mean with the initial tank set up-no water). But that doesn't mean that there are no alternatives to starting up and the time it takes to do so with success.
Remember the great DSB debate? This is sorta like that.
Who says it's better to cycle your tank with a few Chromis than with a tang? Is one fish better than the other? No. I'm carefully monitoring the health of my tank's inhabitants and water quality. There are ways to cycle a tank more quickly.
Who says you can't grow sps until you've been in the hobby for years or without MH? The regurgitation of those ideas are sometimes silly and just that; someone repeating something someone else said.
So, my intent here isn't to tick anyone off, torture my family or helpless creatures. It's to have a nice, healthy tank set up and complete (minus age and all that comes with it) in record time.
I will post pics later.
Bris
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- Location
- Franklin Lakes, NJ
No. It's not.
Running a tank with a DSB, SSB or BB are different ways of running a tank, and each of which require different maintenance. You're saying that you want to do something that has been proven to be a problem many times, by many people.
The current mentality is NOT to use fish to cycle your tank, as it's not necessary and it causes undue stress to the animals. The use of chromis mentality of old was due to the fact that they are a hardy fish, and can deal with the stresses of a cycle. So YES, one fish is better than another. (Especially when one fish is dealing with the stress of being in too small of a tank in the first place).
Who said that? Most people I know suggest starting with an easy to care for SPS and progress from there. T5, LED, MH and even PC can all be used to keep different SPS corals assuming the water quality is decent.
No one is mad at your questions. It's your resistance to listen to the answers that people have given you that's pissing people off.
Do what you want to do. This is a great community, and people here have given you great advice. Do what you want with it.
OK, so now I'm making RO water fluctuating between 0-2ppm TDS and have done about 4 WCs with this quality water.
Currently have diatoms and stir the sand once every day so that my gorg, sponge & sps can eat. Target fed the buttons and Duncans today. The angel is picking at the diatoms and the CuC came out of hiding.
Had another casualty
, a cleaner shrimp, he looked ragged and was swimming erratically so I put him out of his misery. The other one is doing fine tho.
Corals are opening and I've even got 3 babies growing out of my hammer! Water params as of yesterday were:
PH: 8.0
Ammonia: ~0
Nitrite: ~0.25
Nitrate: ~10
Ca: 420
dKH: 13
Temp: 82
PO4: 0.25
OH, and I think you guys were right in that you need very high water quality especially in such a closed/small system. This isn't the ocean, after all.
Thanks for the refresher course!
Currently have diatoms and stir the sand once every day so that my gorg, sponge & sps can eat. Target fed the buttons and Duncans today. The angel is picking at the diatoms and the CuC came out of hiding.
Had another casualty
, a cleaner shrimp, he looked ragged and was swimming erratically so I put him out of his misery. The other one is doing fine tho.Corals are opening and I've even got 3 babies growing out of my hammer! Water params as of yesterday were:
PH: 8.0
Ammonia: ~0
Nitrite: ~0.25
Nitrate: ~10
Ca: 420
dKH: 13
Temp: 82
PO4: 0.25
OH, and I think you guys were right in that you need very high water quality especially in such a closed/small system. This isn't the ocean, after all.
Thanks for the refresher course!
I've tried taking pics but my camera just can't compete with the human eye. Here's what I've got:
Fish
Yellow tang
Coral Beauty
2 Firefish
Banded Goby
Inverts
Blue legged hermits
Red legged hermits
Nassarius snails
Turbo snail
Cleaner shrimp
SPS
Green/blue acro
Orange acro
Blue/green acro
Orange monty cap
Pokerstar monty
LPS
Green tip hammers
Purple/green acan
Purple/red acan
Green/pink acan
Blasto merletti
Aussie duncans
Galaxia
Candy cane
Mushrooms
Orange/blue rics
Blue/green Yumas
Red mushrooms
Polyps
Green clove
Orange/green clove
Red/green palys
Green palys
Purple zoas
Orange zoas
Green zoas
Pink zoas
Other
Blue polyp gorgonian
Orange w/white polyps sponge
Fish
Yellow tang
Coral Beauty
2 Firefish
Banded Goby
Inverts
Blue legged hermits
Red legged hermits
Nassarius snails
Turbo snail
Cleaner shrimp
SPS
Green/blue acro
Orange acro
Blue/green acro
Orange monty cap
Pokerstar monty
LPS
Green tip hammers
Purple/green acan
Purple/red acan
Green/pink acan
Blasto merletti
Aussie duncans
Galaxia
Candy cane
Mushrooms
Orange/blue rics
Blue/green Yumas
Red mushrooms
Polyps
Green clove
Orange/green clove
Red/green palys
Green palys
Purple zoas
Orange zoas
Green zoas
Pink zoas
Other
Blue polyp gorgonian
Orange w/white polyps sponge
- Location
- Kings Park, NY
Your camera took fine pictures in your very first post so why not post some recent ones?
So this tank has been up and running since roughly 4/25 and is currently stocked with what you have listed?
And I know I said I would stay away but this thread is like that wicked car crash you drive by. You KNOW you shouldn't look or slow down but you JUST have to...
- Location
- Long Island, 11769
It's not "hating," it's general respect for living organisms.
- Location
- Kings Park, NY
I ask 2 simple questions and you reply with "Why all the hate" ? I see no hate in my post. The comment at the bottom was in response to my saying I wan't going to post anymore Lol.
You posted pretty decent pictures in your very first thread but now you say the camera doesn't do it justice so your not going to post any? It didn't make any sense and I questioned it. Sorry :sigh:
I also asked if that was what was currently in the tank simply because that amount of Bio-Load in LESS than 4 weeks is quite honestly either unbelievable or just downright asking for a crash. I don't know HOW much more simple it could be put. :scratch:
You stated in your last post to me "I've been doing this for years and know what I'm doing.". Yet a few posts back you make the statement "OH, and I think you guys were right in that you need very high water quality especially in such a closed/small system. This isn't the ocean, after all." I would think that someone who has been doing this as long as you say you have would have already known that. Quite honestly it's one of the first things that is learned. Kinda like the ABC's/123's of fishkeeping.
As far as my tank goes I answered that in the PM to you a day or 2 ago. My camera also takes crappy pictures but here it is filling.
Here is the sump I run...
And here it is last night filled up and running.
I know it's empty but I don't like experimenting so I am taking my time, doing the cycle the "Old Fashioned" way. Maybe in 3-4 weeks I will have my first coral and/or fish in it.
Beerfish makes a GREAT point. "No one is mad at your questions. It's your resistance to listen to the answers that people have given you that's pissing people off". That really about sums it up.
I've only been a member a short time but I have learned quite a few things. One of the most important is just to be straight up. If you ask for advice you don't have to take it but don't argue it. Your free to do what you want but with the vast knowledge of the members here it really is DUMB not to take some of the advice to heart.
I'm done. I will watch but doubt I will post anymore. Take care
You posted pretty decent pictures in your very first thread but now you say the camera doesn't do it justice so your not going to post any? It didn't make any sense and I questioned it. Sorry :sigh:
I also asked if that was what was currently in the tank simply because that amount of Bio-Load in LESS than 4 weeks is quite honestly either unbelievable or just downright asking for a crash. I don't know HOW much more simple it could be put. :scratch:
You stated in your last post to me "I've been doing this for years and know what I'm doing.". Yet a few posts back you make the statement "OH, and I think you guys were right in that you need very high water quality especially in such a closed/small system. This isn't the ocean, after all." I would think that someone who has been doing this as long as you say you have would have already known that. Quite honestly it's one of the first things that is learned. Kinda like the ABC's/123's of fishkeeping.
As far as my tank goes I answered that in the PM to you a day or 2 ago. My camera also takes crappy pictures but here it is filling.
Here is the sump I run...
And here it is last night filled up and running.
I know it's empty but I don't like experimenting so I am taking my time, doing the cycle the "Old Fashioned" way. Maybe in 3-4 weeks I will have my first coral and/or fish in it.
Beerfish makes a GREAT point. "No one is mad at your questions. It's your resistance to listen to the answers that people have given you that's pissing people off". That really about sums it up.
I've only been a member a short time but I have learned quite a few things. One of the most important is just to be straight up. If you ask for advice you don't have to take it but don't argue it. Your free to do what you want but with the vast knowledge of the members here it really is DUMB not to take some of the advice to heart.
I'm done. I will watch but doubt I will post anymore. Take care
- Location
- Brooklyn
Strgazr, where are the tangs? How can you possible be cycling a tank without a few hundred dollars worth of livestock in it? I think YOU need the help in proper reef care more than him.
A. I couldn't care less if people are getting pissed off at what I'm doing, direct that hate ate the people collecting specimens illegally, etc.
B. What I meant about my camera is after seeing the pics I posted earlier, my camera can't do justice to the way my tank looks now.
C. After years of not even thinking about reefing, one would do well to explore what they'd done previously. I "took it slow" as you say and still encountered many of the issues that come up in here. This time I'm simply showing that one doesn't necessarily have to "Take it slow" for success.
Remember, we like to go to meets and such so you guys should really watch what you post here. Speaking from experience. See my reefer ratings if you have any other questions.
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- Location
- Kings Park, NY
- Location
- Franklin Lakes, NJ
The only one talking about hate here is you.
My tank is a mess right now, and you've had more casualties in 2 weeks than I've had in nearly a year (and the last ones I had were due to a move). So yeah, not taking it slow is really working out... Good job.
Oooohhhhhh.... You're scary. Just cut the crap.
You asked questions, didn't like the answers, and now you're telling people to watch what they say... Or what? No really, what?
- Location
- Kings Park, NY
Post a picture of the tank...
Otherwise I think your....
OR...........MAYBE.....IT'S.......ALL..........JUST............
Otherwise I think your....
OR...........MAYBE.....IT'S.......ALL..........JUST............
- Location
- Brooklyn, NY
A relevant reprint of an article from 2004 by Randy Holmes Farly on the Advanced Aquarist blog:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/1/chemistry
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/1/chemistry
Last edited by a moderator:
- Location
- Kings Park, NY
Randy the link is dead...
- Status
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