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I would get a couple of Nassarius snails to stir up the sand and just get like 10 more hermit crabs. Have you tested your water or had it tested? Make sure all your parameters are in line before you add too much stuff. A lot of the clean up crew you buy WILL die, no question, so just try to mitigate that.
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Feb 1, 2016 20:23
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Rallos posted:The Ark in Merrillville usually has them. I bought 9 of them a couple weeks ago. If you're close to the loop you could bring me some $ and is be happy to get them for you as I live out that way. I work in the loop. I'm not really into SW, but The Ark pretty much rocks, and Paul, the guy who does the SW stuff knows his poo poo. I mostly deal with John on the FW side of things.
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Feb 1, 2016 20:25
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You could add more hermits TBH. Also if you have some algae growth already get a tuxedo urchin. Those guys are great at eating algae. Fun to watch, too because they like to pick up things and carry them on their heads. Also, try to grab a few empty shells from the LFS if they'll let you have em. Otherwise when your hermits start to grow they will kill your snails for their shells.Desert Bus posted:I'm not really into SW, but The Ark pretty much rocks, and Paul, the guy who does the SW stuff knows his poo poo. I mostly deal with John on the FW side of things. Yeah Paul really knows his stuff. Good guy. I'm in there all the time so we might have ran into each other.
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Feb 1, 2016 20:33
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RC Cola posted:I enjoy that all of you are from chicagoland. I got 5 turbo snails, 6 hermits, and 1 emerald crab. What else should I add to my cleanup crew? 40 gallon breeder Turbos are ok but I like banded trochus snails better for smaller tanks (no astraea, gently caress astraea). Definitely 10-15 more hermits. Emeralds are hit or miss and unless you get a bubble algae outbreak and find an emerald that will eat the stuff I'd do without--I've had meaner ones try to attack my fish before. Definitely some nassarius snails for sand sifting, possibly a large tonga one if you don't have anything that eats snails and want to splurge for a beautiful nassarius specimen. I use a diamond watchman goby for sand duties in one of my tanks, though. A single sand sifting star might be ok, tank is probably too small for a sea cucumber (love 'em). A single fighting conch could do reasonably well too. Other options that I recommend as main components of cleanup crews, or just supplement for well-rounded tanks: money cowrie (Monetaria annulus) nerite snails mini conchs (Euplica somethingorother, you usually see these, maybe 1/3 to 1/2 inch long, in LFS tanks, see if they will give you a handful for free, they will reproduce and are cool) stomatella - you usually can't avoid them even if you want to (you don't want to) they come on liverock and reproduce easily mini serpent stars - detritivores, easily reproduce abalone - if you have the rockwork to support one or two, go hog wild--they're great hairy chiton - reefcleaners regularly carries these, they're good to have if you have lots of easily climbed rockwork, maybe 2 as main components of a cuc in a 40gal VAGENDA OF MANOCIDE fucked around with this message at 03:06 on Feb 2, 2016 |
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Feb 2, 2016 03:00
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 Finally about to get the Innovative Marine Lagoon 25 up and running in the office. visuvius fucked around with this message at 08:54 on Feb 10, 2016 |
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Feb 10, 2016 04:59
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visuvius posted:
Awesome! Where did you get the stand? It doesn't look like the innovative marine one (I could be wrong here)
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Feb 10, 2016 13:50
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It is the IM stand. The stupid thing was backordered for months.
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Feb 10, 2016 23:53
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Oh. Nice. That looks pretty slick. Is it sturdy?
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Feb 11, 2016 03:00
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Tunze Osmolater has failed. I really REALLY do not understand why people think those things are decent. It literally didnt even last two months. I'm not even going to warranty it, just going to buy something else. It's a poo poo design.
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Feb 12, 2016 19:34
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revmoo posted:Tunze Osmolater has failed. Get this. And be happy! It's a tiny little pump but it can push a lot of water! Plus it's super tiny. I have two of them and love em! Can't beat the price point either. Even better, there is no float switch to get stuck or fail! And the sensor faces the inside of the tank so that you dont have to place it on clear glass, and dirty glass won't mess it up. I use it with this and it works great. The line fits through the mounting hole on the side so you can keep the lid completely closed if you dont have it mounted to a wall. (I put mine in the cabinet) Rallos fucked around with this message at 20:38 on Feb 12, 2016 |
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Feb 12, 2016 20:34
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I think I want one that uses a conductivity sensor.
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Feb 13, 2016 00:55
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revmoo posted:I think I want one that uses a conductivity sensor. I've heard that those can overflow your tank very easily if salt creep builds on the sensor.
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Feb 13, 2016 00:59
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Rallos posted:I've heard that those can overflow your tank very easily if salt creep builds on the sensor. Perhaps. I want to see better engineering on these things. What if the ato water constantly cleaned the sensor, for example.
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Feb 13, 2016 01:03
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Rallos posted:Get this. And be happy!
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Feb 13, 2016 01:35
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Rallos posted:Oh. Nice. That looks pretty slick. Is it sturdy? It actually is fairly sturdy and looks really nice. My Osmolator has worked great ever since I got it about 3.5 years ago. Its never actually failed and I'm really hard on my stuff, basically to the point where I busted the thing because of a combination of poor placement and lovely power supply maintenance. Their warranty service was great and they replaced the main control unit even though I was a month past the 2 year warranty. I just set up the Osmolator Nano on the work tank and it was easy enough. Now a Tunze product that is kind of a pain in the rear end is the 9001 skimmer. Its been tough finding a good spot for placement in the back of the Lagoon 25 and the magnets on it are weak as poo poo.
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Feb 13, 2016 01:37
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I use one on my little 5 gallon office tank and it keeps the water level rock steady. Something any other ATO I've tried (several) has failed to do. It also works on my larger tank at home.
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Feb 13, 2016 03:29
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cat are poo poo
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Feb 13, 2016 12:56
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   I spent waaaay to long adjusting the skimmer but I think I've finally got it set up decently. The Innovative Marine reactor works well enough but when using GFO it was really hard to not get fines in the water. I'm probably over filtering the water. I've got a filter sock, a caddy with Ultramaxx (Carbon+GFO), filter floss x 2, a skimmer and the reactor. Hoping I can get 0 phosphates. I was going to just put a Kessil LED I've already got over it but I think I'm going to go with T5s for this setup.
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Feb 15, 2016 07:13
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visuvius posted:
I've got the bigger version of that skimmer and it is a piece of poo poo. I cannot get it to remain working for more than a couple days. I'll get it all set, skimming nicely, then the next day I can hear it choking from upstairs. I have to disassemble it, refit all of the tubes/pumps and then it works again for a little bit. I really really wish that my bubble magus fit in my back chambers, that thing is a rockstar.
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Feb 15, 2016 07:29
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Yeah I"m going to stick with it for a couple of months and I think ultimately I'll upgrade to the Aquamaxx HOB-1. Its a little pricey for a nano skimmer but I'm hoping I can find one used on Reef Central or something. I really didn't want a HOB but there just doesn't seem to be a decent, compact skimmer.
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Feb 15, 2016 23:11
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You might want to keep this in mind. I bought one of these and it's a tank! Works great! Very well made and the pump is dead silent.
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Feb 16, 2016 18:44
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Yeah thats definitely another option. I'll have to look at some reviews but I'm sure its nice. I have an Aquamaxx at home so I figured I'd stay with that brand but really if I see a used version of either I'm pulling the trigger.
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Feb 17, 2016 00:48
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visuvius posted:Yeah thats definitely another option. I'll have to look at some reviews but I'm sure its nice. I have an Aquamaxx at home so I figured I'd stay with that brand but really if I see a used version of either I'm pulling the trigger. Where are you located? I actually broke down the tank I was using mine on and am debating whether to keep it or not.
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Feb 17, 2016 04:29
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Rallos posted:Where are you located? I actually broke down the tank I was using mine on and am debating whether to keep it or not. I'm in Southern California. How loud was that Reef Octopus HOB for you? I see how the water flows out from the skimmer and into the chamber, looks like it could be noisy? Trying to keep the decibels down in the office.
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Feb 17, 2016 21:49
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What part of So Cal? It worked pretty quiet for me. The return comes with several circular sponges that you fit around the bubble trap to eliminate micro bubbles and reduce noise. The little reducer cups are also adjustable so you can adjust to find the right water level that makes the least noise. As far as noise goes. My return pump is louder. Rallos fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Feb 17, 2016 |
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Feb 17, 2016 22:03
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I'm in South Orange County like 6 miles from the 5 fwy. Yeah this tunze is not working out.
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Feb 17, 2016 22:31
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I grew up in the Palos Verdes/San Pedro area. I live in Chicago now but would be willing to ship if you want it. I could do $115 + whatever shipping turns out to be (its big, but not heavy) if you are interested. PM me.
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Feb 17, 2016 22:46
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visuvius posted:I'm in South Orange County like 6 miles from the 5 fwy. Are you looking for a HOB only? I've got that bubble magus (non-HOB) just sitting around, it owns bones.
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Feb 18, 2016 00:37
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SaNChEzZ posted:Are you looking for a HOB only? I've got that bubble magus (non-HOB) just sitting around, it owns bones. Yeah looking for a HOB or something that will fit in the back chamber of the Lagoon 25. Its 2.8" deep x .7" wide. I'm guessing the Bubble magus has got a bigger footprint than that. Honestly I'm probably being a little hard on the Tunze at the moment as there is nothing really to skim in the tank, its basically sterile. Whatever skimmer I get beyond this will be overkill for the tank. Local guy is selling the Reef Octopus HOB for like $100, I'm just worried it won't fit in the back chamber at this point and the tank will look dumb pushed up from the wall like 5 inches.
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Feb 18, 2016 01:39
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I would rather get a hob refugium at that point. A skimmer is not for every tank.
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Feb 18, 2016 02:43
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A good point. I opted to run my biocube skimmer less and I am using the inTank media basket (filter floss, chemipure elite, and phosban) and the fuge basket with chaeto. Just keep up with water changes with a tank that size and you'll be good. (I change 5 gal/week).
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Feb 18, 2016 03:09
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visuvius posted:Yeah looking for a HOB or something that will fit in the back chamber of the Lagoon 25. Its 2.8" deep x .7" wide. I'm guessing the Bubble magus has got a bigger footprint than that. Yeah, it's an NAC 3.5, pretty big. Maybe 5" square footprint. I've been unhappy with the Tunze from day one. I had a lovely tiny little no-name skimmer that worked better. I can hear it choking away as I'm typing this.
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Feb 18, 2016 08:11
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SaNChEzZ posted:Yeah, it's an NAC 3.5, pretty big. Maybe 5" square footprint. Looking back at your picture, how long has it been running? If it hasn't been running that long you should move the collection cup up some, looks like whatever skimmate you are pulling out is very watery. If there's not much to skim the cup shouldnt really be filling at all. In my (non-expert) opinion it looks like the white bubbles are coming too far up the neck of the skimmer, if they were maybe an inch down that would probably be good. After it breaks in you should start seeing some skimmate if there is enough bioload to make any nastyness. Skimmate should be dark brown to black and nasty smelling. If its real watery and tea colored you have the cup set too low. Edit: Looking at your picture again, it looking like you have the skimmer in the middle chamber. You want to move it to one of the side chambers if possible. The middle chamber where the return pump is has water level fluctuations that can affect your skimmer performance. The skimmer ideally should reside where the reactor is or in that same second pocket on the other side. Rallos fucked around with this message at 15:45 on Feb 18, 2016 |
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Feb 18, 2016 15:42
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Rallos posted:Looking back at your picture, how long has it been running? If it hasn't been running that long you should move the collection cup up some, looks like whatever skimmate you are pulling out is very watery. If there's not much to skim the cup shouldnt really be filling at all. In my (non-expert) opinion it looks like the white bubbles are coming too far up the neck of the skimmer, if they were maybe an inch down that would probably be good. After it breaks in you should start seeing some skimmate if there is enough bioload to make any nastyness. Skimmate should be dark brown to black and nasty smelling. If its real watery and tea colored you have the cup set too low. Its been running maybe a year? But this was a downgrade from a much larger tank. The problem is that when I move it up to thincken the mix it chokes out and won't skim at all. I'm very familiar with how skimmers work and this one does not work well. Not talking skimming properties alone, just in general, mechanically.
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Feb 18, 2016 18:20
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SaNChEzZ posted:Its been running maybe a year? But this was a downgrade from a much larger tank. The problem is that when I move it up to thincken the mix it chokes out and won't skim at all. I'm very familiar with how skimmers work and this one does not work well. Not talking skimming properties alone, just in general, mechanically. That's odd, I've heard a lot of good things about Tunze skimmers, well, the 9001 specifically, although I havent actually used one.
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Feb 18, 2016 19:13
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The whole top plate design on the Tunze is terrible. The plate under the collection cup pops up very easily and you have to make sure the thing is sitting JUST right so that it doesn't do that. I bought the Reef Octopus HOB off the guy, should be here in a couple days and we'll see if it fits in the middle back chamber. If it does not, I'm wondering if I can put the intake pipe in the left 4" chamber and the outflow pipe in the middle chamber, so that the skimmer is sitting off center. Like I'm wondering how that will effect the water level in the middle chamber.  Also I'm planning on stripping the black backing off of just the right 4" chamber and turning that into a refugium. I just need to find the right light to attach to the back vertically.
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Feb 18, 2016 19:14
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visuvius posted:The whole top plate design on the Tunze is terrible. The plate under the collection cup pops up very easily and you have to make sure the thing is sitting JUST right so that it doesn't do that. The IM fuge light works well. I use one. On the nuvo tank you can set it up like how you said with the intake in the left chamber and the outflow in the middle. Is that the 30 gal? You might have enough room but on my nuvo 20 gal I had to disconnect the return on that side in order to get the outflow pipe to fit in that space. I just took off the Y tube and attached a straight one to the other side and it worked great. I had an MP10 for flow so it wasn't a big deal, actually the increased pressure from not being split two ways created a stronger flow I think. You could also replace the stock return pump with two smaller pumps and put one on each side with the return going straight up and that would work too. The outlet of the skimmer would hit the Y tube in the middle. Rallos fucked around with this message at 19:20 on Feb 18, 2016 |
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Feb 18, 2016 19:18
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Its the Lagoon 25 and I've already removed the Y hose because like you said, even the Tunze skimmer wouldn't fit with that hose in place. I replaced the IM return pump with a Eheim compact which is way quieter. drat that Magnafuge light is pretty cool but $60 is steep man for a fairly basic LED light. Gonna see if I can find something cheaper.
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Feb 18, 2016 19:53
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My LFS hooked me up with a good discount since I spend a lot of $ there.
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Feb 18, 2016 20:29
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God, gently caress vermetid snails so hard. My tank is about 2 1/2 months old and a few came in on my live rock. They've been reproducing noticeably since then, they're even growing on the goddamn glass. I don't think I'm overfeeding my tank, I typically feed each of my three sexy shrimp a tiny food pellet each every 2-3 days, and the ricordeas about twice a week. I guess I'll have to start taking proactive measures against these fuckers.
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Feb 19, 2016 07:34
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