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SaNChEzZ posted:I'd get that up to 1.026 personally. Also, is your refractometer calibrated? Just a thought That's with two separate refractometers.
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Dec 20, 2013 15:02
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MrYenko posted:Bulbs are CF, and started to get old around June, leading to a cyanobacteria outbreak that I fought off after bulb replacement. Makes them 5-6 months old, time to start thinking about replacement again, but last time, the corals were all fine, just smothered in cyanobacteria. They had a good time of it after the cyanobacteria defeat, as well. Unfortunately, adding GFO and carbon all at once to a system that wasn't using it before counts as "a big change" for a lot of the stony corals. Your water suddenly got a lot cleaner and clearer which reduced "food" in the tank and let more light penetrate deeper into the aquarium since carbon removes a lot of the yellowing compounds in the water. When you add GFO and carbon into a system you need to add them gradually so as not to shock your more sensitive corals.
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Dec 20, 2013 15:55
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Snails were eating the bryopsis at a good pace but they are literally just too slow to eat it before it spreads, hah. I've started the magnesium treatments and so far I haven't seen any effect on the snails (which I am now attached to  ). Since I don't have a bio load I figure now is the best time to dump some Kent in there and hope it works out. I've got my test kit for when it's all done and I've done my water changes. I've seen one bristleworm in the tank as well, scrubbing that weird black/purple algae off the big rock from my previous photos. Seems to be doing alright. One thing I haven't seen is the magnesium having any negative effect on the bryopsis so far, but I'm just in the first week of treatments and have been slowly raising the levels. Seems like maybe it is all turning a little brown but that could just be a desert hallucination. I also noticed it becoming coated in white in a lot of places, which I am chalking up to the feather design snagging detritus. About to hit a month without any water changes and I've had to cut my chaeto in half already. Not bothering to test water quality until I see a serious reduction in Bryopsis and can outlast the reproductive cycle, but visually it seems good! vvv Hmm, maybe the whitening I am seeing is that? Sucks to have everything delayed but I'd rather wait now than be sorry later. Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Dec 20, 2013 |
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Dec 20, 2013 17:04
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Incredulous Dylan posted:Snails were eating the bryopsis at a good pace but they are literally just too slow to eat it before it spreads, hah. I've started the magnesium treatments and so far I haven't seen any effect on the snails (which I am now attached to I didn't see much effect on the bryopsis until getting my magnesium up past 1800. It starts to whiten at the tips and then all of the "feathers" come off leaving just the stems. They basically just starve to death which is why it takes so long to be effective in my opinion. It doesn't seem to stop their reproductive cycle either so you need to starve out the babies too.
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Dec 20, 2013 18:27
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Welp. Just found my six line dead, missing it's entire tail. I'd say mantis but I have no new rock work. Definitely odd.
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Dec 22, 2013 05:20
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Any hermits or other crabs in your tank? I've found that they can do a shocking amount of damage to dead fish in a very short amount of time. Sorry about your six line. 
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Dec 22, 2013 18:48
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Just one scarlet hermit and he's good for nothing. He sat in the same spot on my monti cap for so long that there was a pale spot when I finally jump started him. I imagine it was either the mp10 or the serpent star. At least I didn't find him as a fish chip on the floor somewhere 
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Dec 23, 2013 07:19
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Time to start documenting my first ground up tank build. Started with a 30 gallon setup gifted from a friend moving. Has one clownfish, 2 blennies, another small fish, and a bunch of crabs, snails, and an urchin. No problems with it so far except some mild green hair algae issues from poor tank layout making it difficult to clean. Lesson learned. Moving to a: 150 gallon long tank (72x19x28) Goals with the new tank build are...a quiet, low maintenance tank, and we'll see where the desire takes me from there. Planning on a ~30-40 gallon sump, maybe reusing the old 30 gallon tank. I haven't ordered any of the supplies yet (except the powerhead), but here's the planned list: Pump: Eheim 1262 Universal Pump http://reefersdirect.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=556 Skimmer: Bubble Magus BM-NAC7 Cone http://reefersdirect.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=247 Heaters (2): Jager 300 Watt Heater 17 inch 2x http://reefersdirect.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=569 Powerhead: Hydor Koralia Evolution Aquarium Circulation Pump (1050GPH) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036RXO5M/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I also have a smaller powerhead from the 30 gallon tank that I'll use to make sure there are no dead spots. Planning on a Herbie style drain, and just digging now into lights and spectrum charts and things like that, and what sort of DIY light rig I'll be building. Any commentary on my choices? I know the skimmer is rated for a 130-185 gallon tank, but I'm not going to have a huge bioload for awhile, and if I do start to go that direction I'll probably want to do some DIY stuff on a higher quality skimmer to keep noise down. At this point, I'd appreciate if people have any recommendations on places buy the appropriate plumbing equipment besides home depot, and any advice/tips and tricks about assembling the plumbing. Also, any advice on moving from tank to tank, and getting things cured and ready to go as quickly as possible, given that I'm going from a 30 to a 150? Thanks all for any help 
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Dec 24, 2013 08:09
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Z3n posted:
Just as an FYI, you might need more powerheads depending on your flow requirements. I have a 150 (48 long, 24 wide, 30 deep) with three of the Koralia 1400s and three additional small Koralias (like, nano tank sized). The tank is not what I would describe as super turbulent. That being said, I love the Koralias overall. Quiet, long lived, easy to take apart and clean.
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Dec 24, 2013 14:24
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Good to know...that's easy enough to fix! What is the best way to determine if your tank has enough flow?
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Dec 24, 2013 17:54
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I think we just had a brief discussion about this a few posts up where someone posted a link to some study which showed that really, flow requirements are very light. Compared to what the study said the flow requirements were for corals in captivity, it seems like people are really going overboard.
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Dec 24, 2013 19:38
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Z3n posted:Good to know...that's easy enough to fix! If your fish aren't flat against one wall, unable to move, you need another MP60.
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Dec 24, 2013 21:18
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Heh. I usually base it on coral health and detritus build up. I also have more SPS and other high flow corals, so your particular needs may indeed be much lower.
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Dec 24, 2013 22:05
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MrYenko posted:If your fish aren't flat against one wall, unable to move, you need another MP60. Too much flow is just enough, got it. 
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Dec 24, 2013 22:49
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I'm asking this here, even though my shrimp are freshwater because I figure y'all have more experience with inverts. Does a rash of molting mean anything? My shrimp have been molting like crazy.
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Dec 28, 2013 12:02
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Eifert Posting posted:I'm asking this here, even though my shrimp are freshwater because I figure y'all have more experience with inverts. Does a rash of molting mean anything? My shrimp have been molting like crazy. I'd imagine that there are a lot of knowledgeable hobbyists in the freshwater thread too. Saltwater shrimp have to molt to grow; so, perhaps your shrimp are merely growing a lot right now. At any rate, other than the risks inherent to molting; it's not a sign of poor health, disease or problems in general.
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Dec 28, 2013 16:58
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Rash of molting in a saltwater tank might mean you're putting "too much" iodine in. Which can be very loving bad if the shrimp isn't completely caught up on calcium/etc.-intake. This is a good way to kill fancy ornamental shrimps. Although it's a decent way to maybe and hopefully save a shell-rotting mantis shrimp. Not sure what it means in a freshwater tank!
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Dec 28, 2013 18:11
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Eifert Posting posted:I'm asking this here, even though my shrimp are freshwater because I figure y'all have more experience with inverts. Does a rash of molting mean anything? My shrimp have been molting like crazy. For what it's worth, I've noticed my freshwater shrimp would molt often after water changes. Since (in some species) female shrimp are often only fertile a little while after molting, mating tends to occur around this time. Usually, it's a sign of happy, healthy shrimp who're getting ready to do a boogaloo. I'd just keep an eye on it and check in on the water parameters now and then.
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Dec 28, 2013 22:04
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Incredulous Dylan posted:I'm interested in any update photos you might have. Just began cycling my own nano-cube 28g CF quad with just two pounds of live rock, so I'm taking the month to read up and make decisions about how I'll want mine to look and run! In the meantime, just trying to figure out why one pump is audibly louder than the other. I'm OCD, I guess. Unfortunately my tank crashed during the summer , (drat heatwave). Im in the process of restarting it and several hermit crab survived so im kinda happy about it!
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Jan 3, 2014 04:08
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Sea Stars See! TLDR: Sea stars can see large objects and light. Their visual range is probably less than four meters. They probably can't detect movement. Anyways, sea stars are cool and one day I will have a tank setup just to keep one alive. By Christie Wilcox | January 7, 2014 10:13 pm quote:“All men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the delight we take in our senses; for even apart from their usefulness they are loved for themselves; and above all others the sense of sight” – Aristotle
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Jan 9, 2014 01:38
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I watched my red sea star disintegrate about a month ago, now there are several small white sea stars cruising around in my tank. 
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Jan 9, 2014 05:29
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Asterinas most likely. Pest or not, you decide.
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Jan 9, 2014 06:18
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I read an article on the Triton Method today over on RB. Anyone have any experience with it? Seems like another ULNS variant... I don't have a sump so I am out (for now!)
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Jan 9, 2014 14:58
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Welp. My 150 gallon sprung a leak yesterday. I've spent the last 24 hours moving livestock, draining water and trying to do damage control. Avoid this outcome if at all possible. While exciting, it is not at all enjoyable.
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Jan 10, 2014 22:13
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Castaign posted:Welp. A bit of an understatement, I'm thinking. Sorry to hear about your troubles though.
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Jan 10, 2014 22:27
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Yes, this hasn't been a great day. On the upside, I've gotten clear confirmation that my local fish store is, indeed, totally awesome. They immediately set me up with free loaner tanks and bins to transfer my live rock and live stock into, and they're going to bat with the manufacturer to get me a free replacement tank and stand. Can't really ask for better customer service.
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Jan 11, 2014 02:55
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Castaign posted:Yes, this hasn't been a great day. Jesus. That's customer-for-life territory right there. Specially seeing as the stores around me seem to see their customers as nothing more than wallets with legs.
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Jan 11, 2014 04:17
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MrYenko posted:Jesus. That's customer-for-life territory right there. Specially seeing as the stores around me seem to see their customers as nothing more than wallets with legs. Yeah, they are pretty much totally awesome. I've always been impressed with the fact that they will flat out refuse to sell fish, corals and inverts to people if the prospective client's tank is not ready or unsuitable for the animal in question, but this is a few steps above what I would ever expect from a business. They definitely have me as a customer for life. For any of you in the Athens/Atlanta area in Georgia, the store in question is Aquarium Outfitters. Their site (http://www.aquarium-outfitters.com/) is currently down for maintenance, but technical issues aside, I really and truly can't recommend them enough.
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Jan 11, 2014 05:08
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That is like my worst loving nightmare. Seriously, I have reoccuring dreams where I wake up to the sound of my tank shattering and 90g+ end up on the floor. My wife and I built our stand, and while I think we did a fantastic job, there is always something in the back of my mind telling me it could easily happen. Goondolences.
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Jan 11, 2014 05:11
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Internet Explorer posted:That is like my worst loving nightmare. Seriously, I have reoccuring dreams where I wake up to the sound of my tank shattering and 90g+ end up on the floor. My wife and I built our stand, and while I think we did a fantastic job, there is always something in the back of my mind telling me it could easily happen. Goondolences. Thanks. I know what you mean about the recurring dreams of tank disaster; I've had those same bad dreams. I guess the plus side to all of this is that it was a slow leak rather than a total structural failure. The tank is in my second floor office, so an actual break would have flooded the house. I'd guess it was letting go at about half a gallon an hour and I caught it early, so I was able to save most of the livestock and avoid doing major damage to the house. The worst part of it right now is trying to keep 150 gallons worth of livestock alive and healthy in a 36 gallon, a 20 gallon, a 15 gallon and an 8 gallon. So far I've lost two pearly jawfish, a clown goby, a fire urchin, several serpent stars and my little green mandarin. 
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Jan 11, 2014 21:55
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Man, Castaign. Talk about a nightmare. Glad to hear you avoided total catastrophe. So, the bryopsis has pretty much disappeared after going through all 16 fl oz of the Tech M coupled with a few weeks of lights off. I had to manually remove strands and clean the glass and back wall but with the lights on it hasn't made a return in a week so far. I haven't done a single water change since I started cycling since I wanted to keep the magnesium levels up and there's no bio load in the tank (RIP turbo snails). Now a new hair algae strangled my chaeto and bloomed in the tank, but it seems very easy to keep under control and I'm assuming the chaeto dying off fueled the initial growth. The new algae has long, soft green strands that don't branch and are clear of any feathering which is why I assume it isn't the bryopsis. I have a new bottle of Tech M coming in tomorrow, so the plan is 25% water changes weekly for a month while keeping the magnesium levels up. Then some larger changes to get magnesium back to normal, a test for ammonia/nitrates and my first fish!
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Jan 16, 2014 18:18
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My SO has just found an Oceanic 120 gallon with stand for $200 through a co-worker. He just upgraded to a 180 and just wants it out of his garage. He is also throwing in lots of dead rock and sand. This is a great deal and I'm not crazy, right? We're going to see it tomorrow after work. I've been told it needs to be cleaned, but is otherwise in perfect condition.
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Jan 16, 2014 20:29
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Is it an Oceanic Tech series? Either way it is a good deal if everything is in perfect condition. Oceanic systems were built like, err, tanks and it was sad to see them leave the market.
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Jan 16, 2014 20:41
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Wandering Orange posted:Is it an Oceanic Tech series? Either way it is a good deal if everything is in perfect condition. Oceanic systems were built like, err, tanks and it was sad to see them leave the market. Not a Tech series. According to him, it was bought by his brother in 1993. Also, with the dimensions I was given, I'm pretty sure it's a 155 gallon not a 120- 7'x18"x24". Anyone want to check my math? I figure with a tank that old we'll probably want to strip the old silicone and reseal it. Still a good deal? Guess I'll know more about the condition tomorrow.
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Jan 16, 2014 21:44
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Incredulous Dylan posted:Man, Castaign. Talk about a nightmare. Glad to hear you avoided total catastrophe. So, the bryopsis has pretty much disappeared after going through all 16 fl oz of the Tech M coupled with a few weeks of lights off. I had to manually remove strands and clean the glass and back wall but with the lights on it hasn't made a return in a week so far. I haven't done a single water change since I started cycling since I wanted to keep the magnesium levels up and there's no bio load in the tank (RIP turbo snails). Now a new hair algae strangled my chaeto and bloomed in the tank, but it seems very easy to keep under control and I'm assuming the chaeto dying off fueled the initial growth. The new algae has long, soft green strands that don't branch and are clear of any feathering which is why I assume it isn't the bryopsis. I have a new bottle of Tech M coming in tomorrow, so the plan is 25% water changes weekly for a month while keeping the magnesium levels up. Then some larger changes to get magnesium back to normal, a test for ammonia/nitrates and my first fish! Those long strands sound like bryopsis after the feathers fall off. At least, that description sounds like the bryopsis I had after the magnesium is elevated. You want to keep the levels elevated until those strands disappear too or the bryopsis will come back after a couple of months. After thinking about it for a while, the next time I get bryopsis in a tank I'm just going to take the rock out and light it on fire. The same goes for aiptasia.
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Jan 16, 2014 22:12
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Russian Dollies posted:Not a Tech series. According to him, it was bought by his brother in 1993. Also, with the dimensions I was given, I'm pretty sure it's a 155 gallon not a 120- 7'x18"x24". Anyone want to check my math? It's probably an Oceanic 135 at 72"x18"x24". Any indication if it's reef ready? Twenty years is a long time for silicone so a reseal is a good idea. That may lower the awesomeness of the deal since it is a pain in the rear end scraping old silicone but as long as the structural seams are still good, it isn't a difficult job. Hopefully 'it needs to be cleaned' just means micro algae film on the glass and not coralline encrusted everywhere. That's another PITA.
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Jan 16, 2014 23:13
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Wandering Orange posted:It's probably an Oceanic 135 at 72"x18"x24". Any indication if it's reef ready? It was used as a reef tank, but it's not drilled. He used a hob and sump setup. I believe he said the glass was 5/8" inch thick. If that's true it should be easy enough to plumb it. We actually have a secret hidden room in the basement of our house, and we're talking about running the plumbing through the wall into that room and setting it up for all the aquarium gear. That's a ways off though. Edit: He has also offered to frag off some coral for us from his 180 once we get this set up. I'm kind of excited to get over there and see what he has.
Russian Dollies fucked around with this message at 01:01 on Jan 17, 2014 |
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Jan 17, 2014 00:58
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Mantis shrimp's super colour vision debunkedquote:Mantis shrimp's super colour vision debunked Fast visual processing does seem like a nice evolutionary advantage instead of seeing lots of colors. It's easy to understand how the former could be helpful to a predator whereas color differences would be helpful for something with really specific food preferences which doesn't seem to be the case for mantis shrimp.
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Jan 25, 2014 16:17
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Castaign posted:Yes, this hasn't been a great day. I had a shop like this and they closed. If I were you I'd be telling everyone I knew to buy a tank from that place.
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Jan 27, 2014 10:41
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I'm hoping someone here can help me with this. I'm looking for an old article or forum post about a guy who found a 8-10 foot long bristle worm in his tank so I can show it to a friend, and despite somehow stumbling upon it a few times over the years, can't find it anywhere. Any ideas?
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Jan 30, 2014 22:19
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