The reef of ufotofu
- Thread starter ufotofu
- Start date
As for the Salifert kits - I only know what I hear. I agree they are $$, but my problem is I just can't find them in stock anywhere (at a reputable dealer, that is). I'm inclined to think that you'll get a better test kit from higher volume retailers b/c the reagents will be fresher (if that makes sense). Chemicals have a shelf-life just like milk, vitamins, etc. Some stuff like pH indicators you don't have to really worry about (just store them in a cool, dark, dry environment), but other test kit reagents are prone to degradation. Just a word of caution...
Good idea - test your tap water for Ca. I'm gonna test my tapwater, makeup IO water (RO/DI), and tank again.
I checked Drs. Foster and Smith last night. They sell Pinpoint Ca monitors. They are pricey (like 250-ish), but accurate to within +-5ppm. Don't really need to know that kind of accuracy - just watch your tank growth. I take photos and keep a log of all my test results and general appearance of inhabitants along with any noted observations. You probably do the same thing if you have time. If you have Excel, you can do it really easy and make charts of everything. Yeah, I'm a nerd...
BTW, what FPS did you play as Mr. X?
Good idea - test your tap water for Ca. I'm gonna test my tapwater, makeup IO water (RO/DI), and tank again.
I checked Drs. Foster and Smith last night. They sell Pinpoint Ca monitors. They are pricey (like 250-ish), but accurate to within +-5ppm. Don't really need to know that kind of accuracy - just watch your tank growth. I take photos and keep a log of all my test results and general appearance of inhabitants along with any noted observations. You probably do the same thing if you have time. If you have Excel, you can do it really easy and make charts of everything. Yeah, I'm a nerd...
BTW, what FPS did you play as Mr. X?
unreal tournament GOTY (game of the year)
it's still played. i still play it actually. i think it was game of the year in '99
they made more graphic modern versions since, but they don't compare to the original. 8)
i am going to buy a couple salifert kits.
where are you located?
it's still played. i still play it actually. i think it was game of the year in '99
they made more graphic modern versions since, but they don't compare to the original. 8)
i am going to buy a couple salifert kits.
where are you located?
Unreal, huh? I was just wondering b/c I used to play Medal of Honor online, and there was an "X" that I believe was from up around your way. I used to always run into 'him' on certain maps.
Anyway, back to business...
I'm in Chattanooga, TN.
I just got through testing EVERYTHING. I ran simultaneous tests on both my tank water and RO/DI water just to get a baseline for the response of these Red Sea kits (pH, Alk, NH3, NO2, NO3, PO4) and the SeaChem Reef Status Calcium kit. I rinsed all testing containers 3 times in tap water and then 3 times in RO/DI water (0 ppm TDS) just to make sure there would be no cross contamination going on - or at least minimize it. Listed below are my results:
Tank listed 1st, then RO/DI results
PO4: 0.1-0.2 ppm 0 ppm
NH3: 0.0 ppm 0.0 ppm
NO2: 0.0 ppm 0.0 ppm
NO3: 10 ppm 0 ppm
pH: 8.6 (!) LOW (< 7.4)
Alk: 1.7 - 2.8 meq/L 0 - 1.6 meq/L
Ca: 325-350 ppm 0 ppm
salinity: 1.0245
Temp: 80.5
The Red Sea kits have expiration dates on them. They all say 12/08.
The Seachem Calcium is pretty cool for the fact that it includes a reference solution (425ppm Ca) that you can titrate to recalibrate the test. It's a pretty complete test with lab-grade reagents. I checked the kit by titrating the reference and came up with a little bit different result. The only problem I see with this kit after working with it awhile is that the endpoint is not absolutely clear. It's easy to get a minimum value, but an actual value might be a stretch which is why I've included a range above for my tank Ca result.
I'll probably use what I've got until they're gone then I'll invest in a better kit. I bought the Red Sea Master Marine kit b/c it was on sale for 20.99 at the time. I got the PO4 kit for 9.99 extra. I think the Seachem Calcium was 22.99.
Anyway, back to business...
I'm in Chattanooga, TN.
I just got through testing EVERYTHING. I ran simultaneous tests on both my tank water and RO/DI water just to get a baseline for the response of these Red Sea kits (pH, Alk, NH3, NO2, NO3, PO4) and the SeaChem Reef Status Calcium kit. I rinsed all testing containers 3 times in tap water and then 3 times in RO/DI water (0 ppm TDS) just to make sure there would be no cross contamination going on - or at least minimize it. Listed below are my results:
Tank listed 1st, then RO/DI results
PO4: 0.1-0.2 ppm 0 ppm
NH3: 0.0 ppm 0.0 ppm
NO2: 0.0 ppm 0.0 ppm
NO3: 10 ppm 0 ppm
pH: 8.6 (!) LOW (< 7.4)
Alk: 1.7 - 2.8 meq/L 0 - 1.6 meq/L
Ca: 325-350 ppm 0 ppm
salinity: 1.0245
Temp: 80.5
The Red Sea kits have expiration dates on them. They all say 12/08.
The Seachem Calcium is pretty cool for the fact that it includes a reference solution (425ppm Ca) that you can titrate to recalibrate the test. It's a pretty complete test with lab-grade reagents. I checked the kit by titrating the reference and came up with a little bit different result. The only problem I see with this kit after working with it awhile is that the endpoint is not absolutely clear. It's easy to get a minimum value, but an actual value might be a stretch which is why I've included a range above for my tank Ca result.
I'll probably use what I've got until they're gone then I'll invest in a better kit. I bought the Red Sea Master Marine kit b/c it was on sale for 20.99 at the time. I got the PO4 kit for 9.99 extra. I think the Seachem Calcium was 22.99.
Went to a LFS today, and I found a nice Royal Gramma that I had to have. I've been planning on acquiring one for some time now (read the FOTW feature on here). I've passed on a couple lately partly b/c I wanted to give my tank a little extra time just to be sure it was finished cycling and partly b/c the specimens were kind of ragged looking. Anyway, this one was just about perfect and he was taking mysis and brine like nobodies business. Anyway, he's now in my tank and cautiously exploring the new place - mostly hiding so far (it's only been 3 or 4 hours). He's found a nice cave under my green mushroon rock.
In other news, I had one of the smaller mushrooms detach itself from the rock sometime last night. I found it on a nearby rock. After scooping it up, I gently placed it on a smaller rock in the refugium where it has now reattached itself and seems to be doing fine.
Another new aquisition is a nice hammer coral. I got a really good 'deal' on it b/c it was injured. A 10% portion of it has suffered injury from a soft coral sting. It was nursed back to health and now seems to be doing fine - It's just not a 'show' specimen b/c of the injury. From my reading, these corals are very hardy and such stings are generally not entirely fatal if removed from the harmful environment in time. This one was on my must-have list so I decided to give it a whirl. See the pics below.
Phosphates are finally starting to come down. Currently showing <0.1 ppm. Looks mid-way b/t 0 and 0.1ppm.
I did another 10% water change yesterday using RO/DI water. Changed out the filter sock and added another 250g of Phosguard. I've found that turning the filter socks inside out and then washing them in the washer on gentle cycle (cold water, no detergent of course) gets them really clean. I've also been gradually raising the salinity. It's now about 1.024-25.
In other news, I had one of the smaller mushrooms detach itself from the rock sometime last night. I found it on a nearby rock. After scooping it up, I gently placed it on a smaller rock in the refugium where it has now reattached itself and seems to be doing fine.
Another new aquisition is a nice hammer coral. I got a really good 'deal' on it b/c it was injured. A 10% portion of it has suffered injury from a soft coral sting. It was nursed back to health and now seems to be doing fine - It's just not a 'show' specimen b/c of the injury. From my reading, these corals are very hardy and such stings are generally not entirely fatal if removed from the harmful environment in time. This one was on my must-have list so I decided to give it a whirl. See the pics below.
Phosphates are finally starting to come down. Currently showing <0.1 ppm. Looks mid-way b/t 0 and 0.1ppm.
I did another 10% water change yesterday using RO/DI water. Changed out the filter sock and added another 250g of Phosguard. I've found that turning the filter socks inside out and then washing them in the washer on gentle cycle (cold water, no detergent of course) gets them really clean. I've also been gradually raising the salinity. It's now about 1.024-25.
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Having kind of a problem getting my Ca up where it should be. I was dosing Kent TechAB every AM, but pulled my head outta my arse after Randy Holmes-Farley's article on Ca and Alk. Curtailed the TechAB and I've been kitting the Kent Turbo Calcium pretty hard since Tuesday, gradually building up my dose and testing twice/day. Today's dose reached a full teaspoon dissolved in about a 1/2 gal of RO/DI topoff. I finally broke out of the 300 mark today - reaching 325-350ppm. Still not getting any precip whatsoever, but I'm going to start monitoring the Mg anyway.
I was having a problem with the green mushrooms detaching and floating off (lost 3 mushrooms to this). Moved the main rock down to the bottom of the tank under and overhang. The shrooms are now receiving about 75% of their light via reflected light off the sandy bottom. They are now opening full and seem to be changing colors a bit - a little more brown in with the green.
The Royal Gramma seems to be more at home with each passing day. He now feeds on mysids and brine via plastic pipette. He literally eats from the end of the pipette tip. All I have to do is put enough pressure to gently release them and he nails them immediately. The long tip pipette is very handy for feeding the hammer coral as well. The hammer seems to be accepting larger mysids if I place them gently inside the tentacles using the pipette.
In other news, I noticed on Wednesday that my Xenia has replicated. There's a tiny stalk with 3 small tentacles on it about 1cm away from the two main stalks. The entire clone is about 4mm diameter so far. Pics are below...oh, and a couple of the hermits molted this week. Such funny little guys - they change 'clothes' almost daily it's hard to keep up with who's who.
I was having a problem with the green mushrooms detaching and floating off (lost 3 mushrooms to this). Moved the main rock down to the bottom of the tank under and overhang. The shrooms are now receiving about 75% of their light via reflected light off the sandy bottom. They are now opening full and seem to be changing colors a bit - a little more brown in with the green.
The Royal Gramma seems to be more at home with each passing day. He now feeds on mysids and brine via plastic pipette. He literally eats from the end of the pipette tip. All I have to do is put enough pressure to gently release them and he nails them immediately. The long tip pipette is very handy for feeding the hammer coral as well. The hammer seems to be accepting larger mysids if I place them gently inside the tentacles using the pipette.
In other news, I noticed on Wednesday that my Xenia has replicated. There's a tiny stalk with 3 small tentacles on it about 1cm away from the two main stalks. The entire clone is about 4mm diameter so far. Pics are below...oh, and a couple of the hermits molted this week. Such funny little guys - they change 'clothes' almost daily it's hard to keep up with who's who.
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i have many types of mushrooms now, but one type in general is kind of dull maroon-ish with blue speckles all over it. i really liked them when i got them, but they do the same thing-detach from the rock and float somewhere else. i don't know why they do this, i am thinking because they dislike strong flow. the ones that have attached near bottom, on the lower side of a piece of rock, have recently begun to bleach. the rock is large, and i'm not going to re-position it, so i guess they are doomed. 
i use a 10cc syringe to feed my corals. i mix misis shrimp with cyclop-eeze, and DT's premium reef blend. i feed, what i consider to be, extremely heavy.
i just added what was sold to me as a Trachyphyllia geoffroyi, and he(or she ) eats like a hog!
i use a 10cc syringe to feed my corals. i mix misis shrimp with cyclop-eeze, and DT's premium reef blend. i feed, what i consider to be, extremely heavy.
i just added what was sold to me as a Trachyphyllia geoffroyi, and he(or she
) eats like a hog!I've found that the mushrooms are doing great in indirect light with very little current. Mine are getting lit via light reflecting off the sandy substrate, and I've constructed a 'wall' to shield them from all but very gentle flow across their surface. If they don't get just the right amount of flow and light they seem to want to bail out and find their own spot. One that floated away is on the bottom towards the middle of the rock structure. It's doing fine, though. Gets little current there and it's a shady spot...go figure.
Got some more test kits today. I tested the phosphates with a different kit (Seachem) to compare to the Red Sea kit that keeps giving me the same value (0.1ppm) no matter what I do. Well, the Seachem kit says 0.0ppm PO4 which is more like it. The absolute truth probably lies somewhere in between. :wink: Been using RO/DI and a largish bag of Phosguard for a while now.
Also got a Seachem Iodine kit, and it shows my iodine levels to be about 0.03ppm. This is, according the the kit, about half the level of natural seawater. I've yet to verify that, but everything looks good right now so...
The Ca still creeping upward. I am steadily increasing my Turbo Calcium dose each day (testing every day). Today, I started a steady drip of a solution of 3 tsp Turbo Calcium in 2 gallons RO/DI water. The testkit shows 325-350ppm...still.
Came in from work this afternoon, and the tank looked better than it ever has so far. The mushrooms were opened up larger than I've ever seen them. The largest one had a diameter of more than 3" with great vibrant green color as well.
Soaked the mysids in Selcon this afternoon. The Royal Gramma didn't really like it too much.
Got some more test kits today. I tested the phosphates with a different kit (Seachem) to compare to the Red Sea kit that keeps giving me the same value (0.1ppm) no matter what I do. Well, the Seachem kit says 0.0ppm PO4 which is more like it. The absolute truth probably lies somewhere in between. :wink: Been using RO/DI and a largish bag of Phosguard for a while now.
Also got a Seachem Iodine kit, and it shows my iodine levels to be about 0.03ppm. This is, according the the kit, about half the level of natural seawater. I've yet to verify that, but everything looks good right now so...
The Ca still creeping upward. I am steadily increasing my Turbo Calcium dose each day (testing every day). Today, I started a steady drip of a solution of 3 tsp Turbo Calcium in 2 gallons RO/DI water. The testkit shows 325-350ppm...still.
Came in from work this afternoon, and the tank looked better than it ever has so far. The mushrooms were opened up larger than I've ever seen them. The largest one had a diameter of more than 3" with great vibrant green color as well.
Soaked the mysids in Selcon this afternoon. The Royal Gramma didn't really like it too much.
Been a few days since I last posted an update. I guess I'll just start updating every 30 days or so. Now that the tank is pretty much going there's not much to show until it grows in some.
Since my last update, I've added and changed a few things worth noting.
1. I added a Coral Beauty angel after finding one at a LFS that I used to work at about 15 years ago (whew time flies). This is absolutely the nicest CB I've seen in a store for sale. I've had him about a week and a half now, and he just keeps getting better each day. I've been feeding him a mixture of mysid shrimp, Ocean Nutrition Reef Formula and finely chopped table shrimp. Of course, it also grazes on 'pods on the glass and rocks and algae constantly.
2. I purchased a Skunk Cleaner shrimp from the same store one day when they were unloading their newest shipment of tropicals. I snagged him before he ever was unpacked, brought him home and acclimated him. He immediately was right at home in the tank, and would cling to the end of the pipette to get food straight from the tube (mysids, table shrimp, etc). He is the most lively shrimp I've ever seen in a tank - a real character.
3. Also added a Serpent starfish. He's not very active. In fact, until today he's stayed hidden under a rock the entire time. He came out partially today so I fed him a piece of shrimp. He snagged it and then disappeared again. He was VERY sluggish the first day in the tank, but I notice today he definitely has picked up the pace a little since I last saw him. His color looks better, too.
4. Last, but definitely not least, I picked up a nice looking Crocea clam this past weekend. I originally wanted to hold out for a really deep blue or gold clam, but this one pasted all the 'health checks' with flying colors and the price was right. I brought him home, and while acclimating him in a plastic container floating on the surface he got spooked. He slammed his shell shut so hard that he squirted a powerful stream of water that hit the ceiling (about a 4' reach)! I've named him Croc.
After seeing several tanks with aquascaping done using stacks of rock with a very open design and plenty of swimming area I decided I needed to redo my own tank. The angel was too big to use most of the nooks and crannies in my tank. Besides, the water flow was lackluster and there just wasn't room for much else in the tank given the 70-80lbs of rock I had. I ended up taking every piece but the one the Xenia is attached to out and starting over. I got rid of about 25 lbs of rock (traded it to a LFS for store credit). While the current structure isn't as open as some (eg. Sanjay, Mr. X, etc.), I feel it's a definitely step in the right direction. After only 3 days, I can already tell everyone seems to be much happier with the new aquascape. One note - while arranging some rock in the tank I had a few chunks sitting in an inverted trashcan lid nearby. I heard a flipping sound and looked over to find the Royal Gramma (Flash) gasping for water and flipping around. I hurriedly (but carefully) scooped him up in my hand and returned him to the tank. He must have been out of water for 2 mins. max. However, after a brief spot of pouting he has returned to his old 'Flash' self again. His dorsal fin did sustain a little damage, though. Nothing major, just a little ragged. If anything, he has become even more friendly after his close-call with he and the CB regularly engaging in a friendly feeding fenzy every time the dinner bell rings. What's even crazier is the Skunk Cleaner jumps right in there with them to feed. Pics below.
Since my last update, I've added and changed a few things worth noting.
1. I added a Coral Beauty angel after finding one at a LFS that I used to work at about 15 years ago (whew time flies). This is absolutely the nicest CB I've seen in a store for sale. I've had him about a week and a half now, and he just keeps getting better each day. I've been feeding him a mixture of mysid shrimp, Ocean Nutrition Reef Formula and finely chopped table shrimp. Of course, it also grazes on 'pods on the glass and rocks and algae constantly.
2. I purchased a Skunk Cleaner shrimp from the same store one day when they were unloading their newest shipment of tropicals. I snagged him before he ever was unpacked, brought him home and acclimated him. He immediately was right at home in the tank, and would cling to the end of the pipette to get food straight from the tube (mysids, table shrimp, etc). He is the most lively shrimp I've ever seen in a tank - a real character.
3. Also added a Serpent starfish. He's not very active. In fact, until today he's stayed hidden under a rock the entire time. He came out partially today so I fed him a piece of shrimp. He snagged it and then disappeared again. He was VERY sluggish the first day in the tank, but I notice today he definitely has picked up the pace a little since I last saw him. His color looks better, too.
4. Last, but definitely not least, I picked up a nice looking Crocea clam this past weekend. I originally wanted to hold out for a really deep blue or gold clam, but this one pasted all the 'health checks' with flying colors and the price was right. I brought him home, and while acclimating him in a plastic container floating on the surface he got spooked. He slammed his shell shut so hard that he squirted a powerful stream of water that hit the ceiling (about a 4' reach)! I've named him Croc.
After seeing several tanks with aquascaping done using stacks of rock with a very open design and plenty of swimming area I decided I needed to redo my own tank. The angel was too big to use most of the nooks and crannies in my tank. Besides, the water flow was lackluster and there just wasn't room for much else in the tank given the 70-80lbs of rock I had. I ended up taking every piece but the one the Xenia is attached to out and starting over. I got rid of about 25 lbs of rock (traded it to a LFS for store credit). While the current structure isn't as open as some (eg. Sanjay, Mr. X, etc.), I feel it's a definitely step in the right direction. After only 3 days, I can already tell everyone seems to be much happier with the new aquascape. One note - while arranging some rock in the tank I had a few chunks sitting in an inverted trashcan lid nearby. I heard a flipping sound and looked over to find the Royal Gramma (Flash) gasping for water and flipping around. I hurriedly (but carefully) scooped him up in my hand and returned him to the tank. He must have been out of water for 2 mins. max. However, after a brief spot of pouting he has returned to his old 'Flash' self again. His dorsal fin did sustain a little damage, though. Nothing major, just a little ragged. If anything, he has become even more friendly after his close-call with he and the CB regularly engaging in a friendly feeding fenzy every time the dinner bell rings. What's even crazier is the Skunk Cleaner jumps right in there with them to feed. Pics below.
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Another pic showing two types of replication going on at once from the same colony. Pic shows Xenia almost finished cloning itself and a small new stalk growing totally separate from the others on the same small rock. It started pulsing about 3-4 days ago. You can see it just to the left of the 1st stalk's base; about the diameter of a nickel. I've had this colony for about 3 weeks and it has doubled in size. Probably going to have to frag it soon.
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good story and good pics!
i had nothing but problems with my CB. good luck with yours. they are beautiful fish.
i might try another, or possibly a flame angel when i upgrade my tank (i'm thinking of a 300 gallon total volume DRILLED system in the near future).
i agree with you on the "open aquascaping".
the alternative is really just a pile of rocks. alot of unusable space imo.
did you end up drilling them and using some sort of rods for suspension, or did you use the epoxy?
i had nothing but problems with my CB. good luck with yours. they are beautiful fish.
i might try another, or possibly a flame angel when i upgrade my tank (i'm thinking of a 300 gallon total volume DRILLED system in the near future).
i agree with you on the "open aquascaping".
the alternative is really just a pile of rocks. alot of unusable space imo.
did you end up drilling them and using some sort of rods for suspension, or did you use the epoxy?
Oh yeah, Ca finally started climbing up after adding 2 tsp of CaCl2 per day for about 2 weeks. It's now sitting at a stable 380-390ppm. The coralline is starting to really grow, too! Many colors as well - pink (fluoresces), green, purple, white. My sump has pink coralline growing on the glass where the refugium light hits it at night, too.
Everything is 0 except nitrates which were 5ppm last night.
Also started adding iron and magnesium (Kent).
Everything is 0 except nitrates which were 5ppm last night.
Also started adding iron and magnesium (Kent).
300 gallons! WOW! I think I'll get into a 180 or 200 when I get a house. This is the largest I can get while in an apartment. I'm just trying to find out what works and what doesn't right now and hopefully give some animals a nice home along the way. My aim is to be able to house some nice tangs and maybe a small school of something.
Yeah, I was thinking Flame Angel or Cherub Angel before I saw this one. Angels are one of those fish that have to be caught and transported just right. Otherwise, they live up to the horror stories: look at them wrong and they kick the bucket. I hope this one stays healthy b/c it's really beautiful. Angelfish remind me of the lyrics to The Gambler by Keny Rogers: "...you gotta know when hold'em, know when to fold'em, know when to walk away and know when to run."
I used a combo of techniques. Some of the pieces I used J Sprung's Two Little Fishies epoxy. Others just seemed to fit like puzzle pieces so I just left them w/o epoxy. If you ever use the epoxy I'd do it during curing or on rock you can leave out of water for a while. The epoxy does not have any sort of adhesion until it has cured in the water for about a week or so. It cures much better out of water. As glue, it doesn't work very well at all. I think it would be great stuff to use on a large base rock structure (like on Sanjay's 500). There's probably a more cost effective solution, though. Also, it makes your skimmer foam like mad for about 24-36 hours after use. a couple weeks after use, though, coralline covers it up so it looks pretty natural after a short time.
Yeah, I was thinking Flame Angel or Cherub Angel before I saw this one. Angels are one of those fish that have to be caught and transported just right. Otherwise, they live up to the horror stories: look at them wrong and they kick the bucket. I hope this one stays healthy b/c it's really beautiful. Angelfish remind me of the lyrics to The Gambler by Keny Rogers: "...you gotta know when hold'em, know when to fold'em, know when to walk away and know when to run."
I used a combo of techniques. Some of the pieces I used J Sprung's Two Little Fishies epoxy. Others just seemed to fit like puzzle pieces so I just left them w/o epoxy. If you ever use the epoxy I'd do it during curing or on rock you can leave out of water for a while. The epoxy does not have any sort of adhesion until it has cured in the water for about a week or so. It cures much better out of water. As glue, it doesn't work very well at all. I think it would be great stuff to use on a large base rock structure (like on Sanjay's 500). There's probably a more cost effective solution, though. Also, it makes your skimmer foam like mad for about 24-36 hours after use. a couple weeks after use, though, coralline covers it up so it looks pretty natural after a short time.
lol...you missed the 2 important words...."total volume".
i think the main display is going to be a 150 gallon 5' tank. the sump will be my existing 125. there will be 4 compartments instead of just 3, one will be a frag prop area, with rows of built up egg crate.
the lack of luck i had with my coral beauty was it's horrible aggressiveness towards all other tankmates. he drove a few fish to ich, and then death. i ended up trading him for credit when i transferred the 75 gallon to this 125.
i won't bother with the epoxy. i like the acrylic rod technic.
i have a bottle sitting here called coral-vite, also from kent.
twice i have added it and twice my corals looked horrible shortly after.
i don't add anything anymore. just water changes (20% a week).
i think the main display is going to be a 150 gallon 5' tank. the sump will be my existing 125. there will be 4 compartments instead of just 3, one will be a frag prop area, with rows of built up egg crate.
the lack of luck i had with my coral beauty was it's horrible aggressiveness towards all other tankmates. he drove a few fish to ich, and then death. i ended up trading him for credit when i transferred the 75 gallon to this 125.
i won't bother with the epoxy. i like the acrylic rod technic.
i have a bottle sitting here called coral-vite, also from kent.
twice i have added it and twice my corals looked horrible shortly after.
i don't add anything anymore. just water changes (20% a week).
Wow! That is gonna be a massive sump! I can't wait to see the results.
Yeah, I never fool around with those supplements that contain redundant stuff that just feeds either my protein skimmer or hair algae. I add specific things (elements) that I know are being depleted by biological activity in the tank and those never in excess. I tend to stay away from something if it sounds hokey or has 'secret' ingredients. A lot of stuff on the market today is simply 'snake oil' IMHO.
I too change water weekly - about 10-15%. I may experiment to see how biweekly 10% changes do. They will hopefully be adequate if I don't overstock. I'll continue to dose Ca and a couple other things, though.
Yeah, I never fool around with those supplements that contain redundant stuff that just feeds either my protein skimmer or hair algae. I add specific things (elements) that I know are being depleted by biological activity in the tank and those never in excess. I tend to stay away from something if it sounds hokey or has 'secret' ingredients. A lot of stuff on the market today is simply 'snake oil' IMHO.
I too change water weekly - about 10-15%. I may experiment to see how biweekly 10% changes do. They will hopefully be adequate if I don't overstock. I'll continue to dose Ca and a couple other things, though.
Well, it's been about 2.5 mos. since I last posted here with photos. Here's what's been going on since then:
1. Found a nice little Brown Scopas tang here locally at a nice price. He was really shy at first, and the Coral Beauty really tried to beat him up during the first few hours. However, he soon joined the gang and now everyone seems to be cool with each other again. When I got him, he had a small cut at the base of his dorsal fin, but over time that has healed nearly 100%. At first, he would only eat Ocean Nutrition Seaweed Selects Red Marine Algae. Soon, he started eating mysids and now eats just about anything. The algae is still his favorite, of course.
2. The Xenia has multiplied every which way possible. I had to re-scape that side of tank to put them near the top so they would quit growing upward. Now, they're just spreading all over the top of the rock forming a thick colony. The entire colony is really awesome to watch - every single polyp still fully pulses about once every 1-2 seconds or so.
3. Coralline algae finally started establishing itself once I got my Alk and Ca levels where they need to be. Pink and purple is crusting all over the place. I adjusted some things to where the temp would stay between 78 and 80 F. They seem to like it there and no higher. I add the Kent A and B Ca/Alk system about once every 1.5-2.0 weeks. The clams shows about 0.5 cm of new shell growth as well.
4. I had a bout with the stinking slime algae that lasted about a month or so. I believe the cause was a decomposing Turbo snail and feeding frozen table shrimp the previous month. To get rid of it I slowed feeding to one large, slow feeding every other day. I changed out about 10% of the water every other day for about a week or so. I aerated the top and middle layers of sand by blowing tank water with a turkey baster before the water changes. I also used Phosguard and Kent carbon on a rotating schedule 24x7 for about 2 weeks. I shortened my photoperiod to 10 hours of actinic, 5 hours MH and 24x7 moonlights. It's totally gone now.
5. I added a Yellow Watchman Goby, 2 blue-legged hermits and a Turbo snail. The snail immediately died upon hitting the tank. The hermits made quick work of him, though. His shell was totally empty 3 hours later.
6. The mushrooms really faltered for a while. I honestly thought they were on their way out. But, as soon as the slime algae subsided the mushrooms all came out, changed colors and are among the healthiest 'shrooms I've ever seen. strange.
7. I've stopped checking the water parameters for the most part. I check stuff like salinity and Ca/Alk monthly unless something looks off. I really just go by looks more than a kit reading nowadays. It's great!!!
I'm pretty much were I need to be in terms of stocking the tank. I'm gonna let it grow and keep working my way toward a larger tank in the future. Probably in the area of 180-200 gallons.
Pics follow!!
1. Found a nice little Brown Scopas tang here locally at a nice price. He was really shy at first, and the Coral Beauty really tried to beat him up during the first few hours. However, he soon joined the gang and now everyone seems to be cool with each other again. When I got him, he had a small cut at the base of his dorsal fin, but over time that has healed nearly 100%. At first, he would only eat Ocean Nutrition Seaweed Selects Red Marine Algae. Soon, he started eating mysids and now eats just about anything. The algae is still his favorite, of course.
2. The Xenia has multiplied every which way possible. I had to re-scape that side of tank to put them near the top so they would quit growing upward. Now, they're just spreading all over the top of the rock forming a thick colony. The entire colony is really awesome to watch - every single polyp still fully pulses about once every 1-2 seconds or so.
3. Coralline algae finally started establishing itself once I got my Alk and Ca levels where they need to be. Pink and purple is crusting all over the place. I adjusted some things to where the temp would stay between 78 and 80 F. They seem to like it there and no higher. I add the Kent A and B Ca/Alk system about once every 1.5-2.0 weeks. The clams shows about 0.5 cm of new shell growth as well.
4. I had a bout with the stinking slime algae that lasted about a month or so. I believe the cause was a decomposing Turbo snail and feeding frozen table shrimp the previous month. To get rid of it I slowed feeding to one large, slow feeding every other day. I changed out about 10% of the water every other day for about a week or so. I aerated the top and middle layers of sand by blowing tank water with a turkey baster before the water changes. I also used Phosguard and Kent carbon on a rotating schedule 24x7 for about 2 weeks. I shortened my photoperiod to 10 hours of actinic, 5 hours MH and 24x7 moonlights. It's totally gone now.
5. I added a Yellow Watchman Goby, 2 blue-legged hermits and a Turbo snail. The snail immediately died upon hitting the tank. The hermits made quick work of him, though. His shell was totally empty 3 hours later.
6. The mushrooms really faltered for a while. I honestly thought they were on their way out. But, as soon as the slime algae subsided the mushrooms all came out, changed colors and are among the healthiest 'shrooms I've ever seen. strange.
7. I've stopped checking the water parameters for the most part. I check stuff like salinity and Ca/Alk monthly unless something looks off. I really just go by looks more than a kit reading nowadays. It's great!!!
I'm pretty much were I need to be in terms of stocking the tank. I'm gonna let it grow and keep working my way toward a larger tank in the future. Probably in the area of 180-200 gallons.
Pics follow!!
Attachments
it's coming along great!
yeah..i have a similar xenia problem. 1 colony of the brown regular xenia, and one colony of the red sea variety. finally, they have made it to the top and are now just getting thicker. i have noticed that once in a while a stalk will droop over and lie as if it is dying, and then once it attaches to the rock it's laying on, it starts sprouting up again....so if they can't grow up, they grow sideways :roll:
yeah..i have a similar xenia problem. 1 colony of the brown regular xenia, and one colony of the red sea variety. finally, they have made it to the top and are now just getting thicker. i have noticed that once in a while a stalk will droop over and lie as if it is dying, and then once it attaches to the rock it's laying on, it starts sprouting up again....so if they can't grow up, they grow sideways :roll:
Well...here's my first post in many months. The tank has been on autopilot much of the time. Here's the lowdown:
Finally got my Ca and Alk up. Still using Kent 2-pt solution to maintain it. Pretty simple. 5 mL every week or so. Started dosing iodine a couple months ago (Two Little Fishies Iodine). 2mL every week. I also add Kent Essential Elements at 2mL every week. I do water changes once/month at 10-15%.
I rarely test for anything now unless something looks amiss. Well, I test a few key things before and after the water changes just for tracking purposes.
I've quit using activated carbon for the most part. I installed a Two Little Fishies PhosBan reactor. I can't recommend it enough...wonderful product. I had a slime algae problem before, but the PhosBan cleared it up in about a week. I haven't seen any since.
Here's a pic to break up the text... :wink:
Finally got my Ca and Alk up. Still using Kent 2-pt solution to maintain it. Pretty simple. 5 mL every week or so. Started dosing iodine a couple months ago (Two Little Fishies Iodine). 2mL every week. I also add Kent Essential Elements at 2mL every week. I do water changes once/month at 10-15%.
I rarely test for anything now unless something looks amiss. Well, I test a few key things before and after the water changes just for tracking purposes.
I've quit using activated carbon for the most part. I installed a Two Little Fishies PhosBan reactor. I can't recommend it enough...wonderful product. I had a slime algae problem before, but the PhosBan cleared it up in about a week. I haven't seen any since.
Here's a pic to break up the text... :wink:
Attachments
Another great change I made was ditching the stock 10,000K HQI bulb that came with my Current system. I started seeing the purple corraline changing to pink and the clam was gaping pretty wide so I made a change. I now use a 250W DE 20,000K lamp by XM. I also changed the actinic T5s out. I'm running Super Actinics for part of the day. I don't really seem to need the actinics with the 20,000K lamp, though. I really like the blue look - looks more natural to me. The corals and clams REALLY fluoresce, too.
I also added a Maxi-Jet 1200 modded to flow about 2000gph, but that proved too strong for the tank. I yanked the mod and am currently just running the MJ unmodded and it seems sufficient for this size tank. I'm still running the other powerhead as well.
Equipment-wise, no other changes to report...yet.
I also added a Maxi-Jet 1200 modded to flow about 2000gph, but that proved too strong for the tank. I yanked the mod and am currently just running the MJ unmodded and it seems sufficient for this size tank. I'm still running the other powerhead as well.
Equipment-wise, no other changes to report...yet.
Attachments
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