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That is horrifying...
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Oct 16, 2015 15:58
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Yeah and homeowners isn't going to cover something like that, they'll say you didn't have flood coverage or something stupid. I get that these tank manufacturers all have crap in their warranty that says that they don't cover damages, but I'm not convinced that is enough to absolve them from product liability in instances like this. I'd sue the poo poo out of them, especially because it's so obviously a manufacturing issue (they let the silicone sit too long before assembly). You don't get to say "welp, it's our company policy not to pay for damages our lovely workmanship caused, sorry!" Imagine if a car manufacturer tried to pull something like that.
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Oct 16, 2015 16:04
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 Holy cow.... I just read a good bit of that thread. Just... insane.... Not to distract too much from horrific tank explosion talk: Picked up a Fluval Spec V 5 gallon for my Mantis shrimp at a deep discount from the local fish store. They are not able to source me a mantis shrimp of the breed I want (Gonodactylus smithii common name: Purple-Spotted Mantis). How would I go about finding one? Liveaquaria has Peacocks but not these. I did find one site but they do not have any stock.
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Oct 16, 2015 17:54
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Rallos posted:
This is where you need to get lucky. Even stores that have them generally have them come in as one-offs. Bluezooaquatics.com sometimes have a few G. smithii, and you can set up an in-stock alert with them for those. Best bet is to check local reefing stores and see if any of them regularly gets small mantis shrimp, either by ordering or by accident. Then you just put in a request and wait. That's good because you need for your new tank to run with rock and water for a few weeks before it's really ready to be stocked anyway. Curious: what do you intend to feed them? Not too many small snails available in the trade, you could buy a bunch of stomatella but they don't reproduce fast enough for replacement. My recommendation would be to start with a basis of krill and use mid-sized blue leg hermits to supplement .... VAGENDA OF MANOCIDE fucked around with this message at 21:22 on Oct 16, 2015 |
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Oct 16, 2015 21:19
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Thanks for the tip: I've heard of people successfully feeding frozen krill and small clams on the half shell with tongs. In the meantime once the tank cycles I plan to get some small hermit crabs and additional clean up crew critters that my mantis is more than welcome to eat whenever I find him. Not sure what size I'm going to end up with to start so I'll have to figure out the feeding plan from there. Would it hurt him to feed freshwater/brackish snails?
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Oct 16, 2015 22:55
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Yes, do not feed a saltwater animal freshwater food or vice versa. They are generally unable to actually receive all the nutrition they need from it and it can (will) hurt whatever passes for a liver they use. If you cut up the clams into small portions the mantis will probably take it (also do not overfeed in a tank like that) but they're discriminant hunting animals and (my observation at least) they prefer prey-shaped foods. VAGENDA OF MANOCIDE fucked around with this message at 15:05 on Oct 17, 2015 |
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Oct 17, 2015 15:03
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Here are some tiny snails: http://www.kpaquatics.com/product/dwarf-cerith-snail/
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Oct 17, 2015 16:35
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Hood Ornament posted:Here are some tiny snails: http://www.kpaquatics.com/product/dwarf-cerith-snail/ Awesome, thanks! Ordered some instant ocean, a refractometer and other supplies online. Gonna pick up some live rock on Monday and start up the tank. Will post pics.
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Oct 17, 2015 17:03
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Just out of curiosity, has anyone tried running a reef aquarium with de-chlorinated tap water instead of RO/DI water? I'm talking about the same type of water you'd use in a freshwater aquarium, mixed with seasalt. Good RO/DI units are expensive and you have to continuously replace the filters. I've never tried it, but I'm thinking about giving it a go. I realized water quality varies from place to place, but you never really know until you try.
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Oct 18, 2015 04:38
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I've never done it personally, but supposedly you will be battling algae non-stop if you do. I'd say a RODI unit is more important than a skimmer. edit: this is a fantastic RODI for $125 http://spectrapure.com/RO-RODI/RODI-SYSTEMS/Refurbished-90-GPD-RODI-System I've got one, and have only had to replace the DI cartridge once so far after nearly a year. Enos Cabell fucked around with this message at 04:48 on Oct 18, 2015 |
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Oct 18, 2015 04:46
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Okay, thanks. I also have another question. Is a pH of 7.8 good for most corals? My duncans, anemone, and mushrooms seem to be doing really poorly and I can't figure out why. One of my mushrooms actually fell off and is rolling across the bottom. My pH is 7.8 and I heard that a pH between 8.0 and 8.3 is best for corals. Should I get a pH buffer? What could be causing such low pH values? My hydnophora SPS coral seems to be doing well though. Could it be that I'm using too much lighting? Bareback Werewolf fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Oct 18, 2015 |
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Oct 18, 2015 04:55
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SweetKarma posted:Just out of curiosity, has anyone tried running a reef aquarium with de-chlorinated tap water instead of RO/DI water? I'm talking about the same type of water you'd use in a freshwater aquarium, mixed with seasalt. Good RO/DI units are expensive and you have to continuously replace the filters. I've never tried it, but I'm thinking about giving it a go. I realized water quality varies from place to place, but you never really know until you try. You don't need to try to know, just measure your tap water for everything and see if it will support what you want. If your water has low TDS (<20) and no chloramines, metals, nitrates or phosphates then a softy or LPS tank might do well. Just realize that tap water can change seasonally or quicker depending on weather events and other stuff so you should probably test every time you use the water. On the other hand, peace of mind on input water quality for less than $150.
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Oct 18, 2015 05:02
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My duncans and anemone were doing really well for a while and now they seem to just curl up and hide. I realize the hydnophora (sp?) is an aggressive coral, but it's just a frag and it's far away from everything else. I've noticed that my calcium level is abnormally high. It's at like 1200 ppm. Could this be causing a problem with my corals? The Alkalinity is at 11.
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Oct 18, 2015 05:08
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SweetKarma posted:My duncans and anemone were doing really well for a while and now they seem to just curl up and hide. I realize the hydnophora (sp?) is an aggressive coral, but it's just a frag and it's far away from everything else. I've noticed that my calcium level is abnormally high. It's at like 1200 ppm. Could this be causing a problem with my corals? The Alkalinity is at 11. Your pH seems fine. Your calcium is way too high. It's probably not whats irritating your duncans and anemone but its still way too high. Your alkalinity is fine too but you could lower it quite a bit and you'd still be okay, like 8 is fine. I run around 9 alk. We have no idea how much light you're using but if you think its too much, its probably too much. Outside of SPS, everything else doesn't need THAT much light. If they are up high towards the light, try lowering them. My duncans are sitting on the sand bed. Also, what is your salinity and is it stable? How are you handling top off water? Temperature stable? If you can keep your salinity and temp stable, that is like half the battle. Water changes are the best solution for water quality issues. Make some fresh, non-tap water and do like a 35% water change, then do another 25% water change a week later. Keep doing water changes and testing parameters. For now, I really wouldn't recommend using tap water. From the sounds of it, your tank is already not doing well, especially if relatively easy corals like mushrooms and duncans are having trouble. I'd get some clean water in there and bring up the health of those corals, and then if you want to experiment with tap water do your thing. But like everyone else is saying, RO/DI units are pretty cheap. BRS often has their 75 gpd unit for sale and its a pretty drat good price. Filters are cheap and you don't replace them that often.
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Oct 18, 2015 10:38
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SweetKarma posted:Just out of curiosity, has anyone tried running a reef aquarium with de-chlorinated tap water instead of RO/DI water? I'm talking about the same type of water you'd use in a freshwater aquarium, mixed with seasalt. Good RO/DI units are expensive and you have to continuously replace the filters. I've never tried it, but I'm thinking about giving it a go. I realized water quality varies from place to place, but you never really know until you try. Yes. This was basically me for the last year. The fish didnt seem to care but inverts and coral obviously hated it. I would not reccomend it.
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Oct 18, 2015 13:40
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Bought 13 green chromis. Half died overnight. Should have researched how awful these fish are. Got a skunk shrimp and a huuuge blue/yellow sifter goby as well. Theyre happy. Also snagged some rare hammers, a brownish one and a toxic which is holy poo poo flourescent green its insane. Have to grab a pic. Imagine 2x the green of a hammer under actinics, but under 10k t5s.
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Oct 19, 2015 00:54
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Sorry in advance if this is a common question. I flipped through the thread but it's pretty massive so I figured it would be easier to just ask. I have had a handful of freshwater tanks and am considering getting my hands wet in some saltwater. I don't want to get a second mortgage on my house to finance it so I'm thinking something small - maybe 10g but I'm open to other options if they would have a similar cost (I know aquarium stuff generally has certain breakpoints in terms of price). What would I actually need to get for the tank itself beyond the basics found in freshwater tanks (heater/filter/powerhead/etc)? Is a skimmer necessary for smaller tanks? I worked in a large-scale aquarium lab for a while so I'm familiar with how to maintain and identify problems in water parameters for SW. I can probably still get access to proper testing equipment (refractometer, spectrophotometer, pH meter, RO/DI water) so that's not a problem - I just need stuff for the physical tank. I know about the absurd financials associated with saltwater, but what would I be looking at cost-wise for a small, basic FOWLR setup? I know that if I start a tank this will eventually turn into a 5-figure obsession with massive tanks and corals, but for now I'm going to put my fingers in my ears and ignore that inevitability.
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Oct 19, 2015 08:13
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-Inu- posted:Questions You can do a smaller tank if you have space or size issues but its really not ideal, especially for a beginner. You're limiting yourself in terms of how many fish you can put in (0-1) and will have trouble if your corals start growing. Also, most people find that the larger the tank, the easier the maintenance. It may seem counter intuitive but your fluctuations are smaller and you have a lot more room for error with a larger tank and more water volume. People often have issues with water quality in smaller tanks. Having said all that I'm going to start up a 20 gallon tank pretty soon and at the end of the day though if you pay attention to your poo poo it ain't that hard. I've had a 12 gallon nano before and had no problems with water quality but it was very tight and there were other maintenance issues. As for actually starting the tank, you've already covered the basics with RO/DI water, heater, and powerhead. For filtration, you'll want some live rock and a 1-2 inch sand bed. Some people go with no sand bed but I think this looks dumb personally. I've found that a larger sand bed, 3-5" really helps keep down nitrates to basically 0. Plus if you kind of slope it front to back or kind of in a diagonal it looks pretty neat. You won't need that much rock for a small tank though it depends on the aquascape you're looking for. There are a couple companies out there that now make some pretty awesome shapes. I have one that is basically tree shaped with branches and at this point it looks pretty cool. You can buy different shapes that fit together to make some really spectacular and interesting formations instead of just a pile of loving rocks. You will also need lights. There are a million different options out there but basically just get whatever LED fixture you can afford that fits your tank. Some people purchase kits and put the fixtures together themselves but I think this is unnecessary since you can get pretty decent fixtures on ebay and alibaba at this point for under $200. The higher quality fixtures will obviously run you a bit more but for a smaller tank, there are some not too expensive lights out there. You can probably get one of the small Kessil lamps which work great and I think they are under $200. This is all if you're keeping corals, if not you can just get some cheap Par38 bulb and call it a day. For 20 gallons and up, yes you want a skimmer but even for a smaller tank I don't see how it could hurt. The issue with skimmers on smaller tanks is often fitting them somewhere so it doesn't look like crap. I mean I doubt you'll have a sump for a 10 gallon tank so where you gonna put it? The all-in-ones have spaces for skimmers but you're either fitting the ones they sell which are often poo poo or modding something like a Tunze. Personally I will probably be purchasing a Innovative Marine Fusion 20. They seem to make pretty solid tanks and according to some threads on nanoreef I can the small Tunze skimmer in the back of it after some dremeling. If I don't go that route, I might get a Mr. Aqua tank and drill it but that seems like a shitload of work when you can just get the Fusion 20 for $200. visuvius fucked around with this message at 09:28 on Oct 19, 2015 |
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Oct 19, 2015 09:21
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You won't need $200 of LED lighting for a FOWLR.
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Oct 19, 2015 12:55
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Peep these hammers. The left ones are weird, the hammer pieces are much larger than normal and the color is very subdued. The toxic ones on the right are crazy neon green. The pic barely even does them justice. Also anyone know what this anemone is? He snagged a chromis and he was very happy about it 
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Oct 19, 2015 13:30
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I'll echo the point that larger tanks are often easier to keep; I went from a 4.4 to a 29, to a 55, and it's been progressively easier to get (and keep) running properly. However, an experienced freshwater aquarist should have no problem with even a 10g saltwater tank, if you want to limit your initial outlay. As someone who's worked in a water lab, you'll have no issues at all, since you already grasp quite a few concepts that many SW aquarists have to learn the hard way.
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Oct 19, 2015 13:37
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For a 10g cube tank you can get away with even a reasonably expensive Par38 like that $100 one I linked in a post above even if you end up doing corals, it'll be more than enough. The problem is doing a FOWLR in a 10gal--you can't. At best, long term, you're fitting in something the size of an adult clownfish, which is worthless if you're not really doing corals.
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Oct 19, 2015 15:35
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revmoo posted:Peep these hammers. The left ones are weird, the hammer pieces are much larger than normal and the color is very subdued. The toxic ones on the right are crazy neon green. The pic barely even does them justice. Looks like an LTA with those purple tips, not a fish friendly nem. They can host clowns, but if they decide they're hungry they will not hesitate to eat them.
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Oct 19, 2015 17:14
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Got my tank up and running! Got saltwater mixed and added the live rock. Looks like I have at least one hermit crab hitchhiker and some snails. My sand didn't arrive on time so I will add it when it gets here in a few days. Any tips on how to add it without creating a massive cloud in the water?   
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Oct 19, 2015 21:53
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Looks good. If you're using live sand, wash with ro/di water like you wash rice (google it). If it's dead sand then use tap water and finish with ro/di. A filter/and or/skimmer will help with the cloudyness as well (remove the filter after the water clears up!) Put the sand in a tupperware and submerge it and pour it as close to the bottom as you can also.
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Oct 19, 2015 22:01
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revmoo posted:Looks good. If you're using live sand, wash with ro/di water like you wash rice (google it). If it's dead sand then use tap water and finish with ro/di. It's dead sand. The tank came with a filter but I just left the sponge in. I didn't add the bio media or carbon. Should I take that out and grow some chaeto/copepods?
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Oct 19, 2015 22:33
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Rallos posted:It's dead sand. The tank came with a filter but I just left the sponge in. I didn't add the bio media or carbon. Should I take that out and grow some chaeto/copepods? What is bio media? That sounds like bioballs which are a no-no with reef tanks. Carbon is fine but usually not necessary. Macroalgae and pods are always a good thing. I'd remove the sponge and any other filters once your tank stabilizes. If you have a skimmer you can get by with occasional (monthly) water changes, but if not you'll want to do maybe 25% a week.....it's different for every tank. Test nitrates and phosphates and schedule water changes when those start to climb. Took a FTS last night:  Tank is recovering nicely from my little 2-year water change break. I've gotten nitrates down from 150+ppm to 25ppm or so. Going to do another WC or two and hopefully knock them down to the 5ppm range. If they persist I'm going to probably start carbon dosing with sugar. I'm blowing through reef crystals, $50 worth in the last week.
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Oct 20, 2015 13:09
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revmoo posted:What is bio media? That sounds like bioballs which are a no-no with reef tanks. Carbon is fine but usually not necessary. Macroalgae and pods are always a good thing. Cool tank! No I dont have a skimmer. Space is an issue so I'm trying to keep outside equipment to a minimum and all the little skimmers I've read about have crap reviews. Have you use an InTank Media Basket? I saw on a nano reef forum that people with my tank get a media basket and use a small sponge at the bottom, and then purigen and chemipure in the other two compartments. Is that overkill or will it make tank management a lot easier? Also... I have the API freshwater test kit, the nitrate test will work in saltwater too? I need to purchase a phosphate test kit. -e- What kind of hermit crab is this? 
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Oct 20, 2015 14:00
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Paguristes cadenati, red legged hermit crab, one of the best anti-algae hermit crabs in the 'biz.
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Oct 20, 2015 22:30
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broken clock opsec posted:Paguristes cadenati, red legged hermit crab, one of the best anti-algae hermit crabs in the 'biz. Debatable, I've had two forever and they just sit there all day. One of them had a 'spot' on one of the leaves of a monti cap, it sat there so long, for so many days, that it bleached the spot it would sit in. I'd remove it and it would just go right back. Jerks, those guys 
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Oct 20, 2015 22:37
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broken clock opsec posted:Paguristes cadenati, red legged hermit crab, one of the best anti-algae hermit crabs in the 'biz. Nice! Got my led fixture in the mail today. Turned it on and the hermit seems happier. Wandering around picking at the rocks. I need a solution to hang my new light. It's pretty big and weighs ~8 lbs. it comes with two d rings and metal cables but I need some sort of stand to hang it from. It's an office so hanging it from the ceiling or screwing into the wall/desk is not possible. Most of the ideas I saw on google depended on wall/stand or ceiling mounting. I was thinking maybe using the conduit with some sort of clamp to attach to the back of the desk? Sitting on top of the lid for now. 
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Oct 20, 2015 22:56
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That tank looks really good. You can probably rig up something with like a bookend or something that slides under the tank to hold the mount and then fabricate something to run up the side/back to the top to hang the light from. Seems like a good use for an erector set.
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Oct 20, 2015 23:05
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SaNChEzZ posted:Debatable, I've had two forever and they just sit there all day. One of them had a 'spot' on one of the leaves of a monti cap, it sat there so long, for so many days, that it bleached the spot it would sit in. I'd remove it and it would just go right back. Jerks, those guys Why you gotta drag that crab down like that, it's crab mentality.
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Oct 21, 2015 00:33
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So, my building is going dark for a few hours (7AM-3PM) this friday, should I be worried about keeping the water moving for those 9 hours? Will one of those battery powered airstone thingies get the job done? Heat I'm not worried about as it's still almost 80 degrees in the house all the loving time, thanks SoCal.
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Oct 22, 2015 00:13
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Yeah you need water movement and oxygenation almost immediately at 80 degrees.
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Oct 22, 2015 00:19
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Wandering Orange posted:Yeah you need water movement and oxygenation almost immediately at 80 degrees. The tank isn't at 80 degrees, I just meant it shouldn't have a problem holding close to 78 without the heater. Will an air pump cause enough movement, or will I have to get some sort of battery to power a thing.
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Oct 22, 2015 00:27
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For a couple hours, I wouldn't worry about it but 9 hours is a long time. Also I feel like without a chiller, fans or A/C going, the tank will have a hard time staying at 78. You probably need to rig something up for water movement. Maybe look for a cheap UPS? There are some posts on craigslist LA selling UPS's. Maybe you can snag one for cheap and get a new battery for it or something?
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Oct 22, 2015 02:54
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visuvius posted:For a couple hours, I wouldn't worry about it but 9 hours is a long time. Also I feel like without a chiller, fans or A/C going, the tank will have a hard time staying at 78. I was actually misinformed, its 9:30a until 3:00p. If I agitate the water say, hourly, with a baster all whole an airstone running, will that be ok?
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Oct 22, 2015 03:49
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I've run my tank days on the battery backup airstone
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Oct 22, 2015 12:38
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revmoo posted:I've run my tank days on the battery backup airstone Alright, I've got one that's powered by 2 D cells, and it will only be out for a few hours at this point. Just gunna go with it. The fish will be fine, not worried about the nems, those fuckers are bulletproof. If anything they'll stress and split 
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Oct 22, 2015 17:19
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