|
My old softy 29 gallon: Currently I am in the stages of setting up my 180+90+40breeder+27clam+180sump/refugium setup
|
#
¿
Jun 8, 2008 05:56
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 16:45 |
|
|
It's a bitch to scrape off the front though.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 8, 2008 21:41
|
|
|
TooLShack posted:Hey Fang, is that GSP growing on your magfloat? Yes, I just superglued it on and it did great.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 9, 2008 17:29
|
|
|
Please don't put a mandarin in a 6.6 unless it has been trained to eat frozen, even then, please don't.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 10, 2008 19:22
|
|
|
You get fish and snails to clean up for you, plus you have a lot more beneficial bacteria that helps as well.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 11, 2008 00:09
|
|
|
You just get more critters. Waterchanges are kind of important too, but I have gone a year without a waterchange before.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 11, 2008 14:10
|
|
|
Maybe you know this and are just using them for the cycling, but those test kits you have right now are not very good quality (especially the stick on inside one). You may want to invest in some better brands. Other than that, the rockwork looks great. What do you have for flow in there?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 13, 2008 04:05
|
|
|
For breeding fish and non-reef systems they are fine, but they do not measure small levels as well. Not to mention that those can sometimes randomly expire and give you 0 instead of what you actually have. I recommend salifert or elos test kits especially wen it comes to Alkalinity and calcium. For the cycling, the stick on is great, but I just want to make sure you weren't planning on using it for a reliable source when it is set up. How is the Koralia nano? I have heard good things but I have never actually seen one used yet.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 13, 2008 12:54
|
|
|
Be careful with the green star polyps, they can take over a tank.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 17, 2008 02:23
|
|
|
I would say no to the sand sifting star and jawfish. The star will starve once it goes through that sandbed and the jawfish would not have enough sand to have a happy, natural, environment. Nassarius snails are always good, hermit crabs are good, maybe a watchmen goby or other sandsifting goby. You could also probably use some more water movement, I can't see any powerheads from the picture and a hang on back filter would not be enough. Also, cleaner shrimp aren't algae clean up, they might occasionally munch on algae but they won't just consume it.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 17, 2008 04:17
|
|
|
The snails would do fine, but even if your filter is bigger than you need, I'm sure there are dead spots on the tank that need more flow.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 17, 2008 13:48
|
|
|
Skunk cleaners are much more entertaining than peppermints in my opinion.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 26, 2009 01:08
|
|
|
spixxor posted:So...what's the best course of action when your two year old dumps a packet of gravy mix into your reef tank? mashed potatoes
|
|
#
¿
Oct 26, 2009 13:23
|
|
|
Your skimmer should actually be cranking out some delicious salty gravy at this point. Skim wet.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 27, 2009 00:07
|
|
|
Just checking with you, but you know that is a camel shrimp and not a peppermint shrimp, correct?
|
|
#
¿
Nov 3, 2009 16:31
|
|
|
TauntTheOctopi posted:I have a 30g with a clarkii clown and a sand sifting goby (this kind). I've had the clown since July or August, and now I'm thinking I want to get a second one. Is it too late? Would they get along even if they're not introduced together? If you add one that is small enough, it should get the poo poo beat out of it and submit to the female. You risk losing it but if you try to get an evenly sized one you risk losing them both.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 20, 2009 01:42
|
|
|
Wow, I can't say I have ever seen that before
|
|
#
¿
Dec 17, 2009 19:10
|
|
|
Wow, that tank looks packed. By BRS do you mean the Boston Reefers Society?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 13, 2010 14:32
|
|
|
My mom found my pinkbar goby today! In the sump... 16 feet below the tank. My dursos have grating on them. Wtf.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 2, 2010 03:40
|
|
|
acro crabs are my favorite  I miss mine
|
|
#
¿
Mar 4, 2010 04:38
|
|
|
Although there is no issue finding them where I'm from (besides berghia) I agree with him. Sea hares require a lot of food, but if you have enough fresh algae growing for it then it will do fine with shrimp. Sea lettuce doesn't eat so much (in fact it was recently discovered that they steal chloroplasts from their food and are actually semi-photosynthetic animals, one of the only)but they are extremely delicate. Almost all nudibranchs eventually make it into a powerhead and get chopped to shreds. If you are looking for one of the "cool" nudibranchs, they are really hard to find and most often eat nothing but specific coral or sponges. I don't know if I would say it is worth it.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 4, 2010 17:42
|
|
|
MrFurious posted:Does this hold true for the substrate munching sea-stars and sea cucumbers? Does anyone have experience with these? My tigertail is great, it's just important that you have enough substrate for them, especially as they get better. As for 'sea apples' I would avoid them as well as any other filter feeding cuke unless you are spot feeding them or have a gorgonian/sponge 'dirty tank'
|
|
#
¿
Mar 4, 2010 21:58
|
|
|
Andrew Rhyne is one of my professors, he is a pretty smart dude
|
|
#
¿
Mar 23, 2010 23:01
|
|
|
How about a refugium?
|
|
#
¿
Mar 25, 2010 20:38
|
|
|
Do you by any chance use phosban? The white pellets have been known to contain an aluminum bond which can close softies for some inexplicable reason.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 31, 2010 17:45
|
|
|
Just don't expect the same as your halides, you'll miss them
|
|
#
¿
Apr 23, 2010 06:49
|
|
|
Yeah, definitely don't put the ocellaris in there. I think the neon and goby would be fine though.
|
|
#
¿
May 23, 2010 15:16
|
|
|
Not really hardy, but if you want an absolutely beautiful fish for a 5 gallon a yasha hashe goby with a shrimp is always entertaining.
|
|
#
¿
May 23, 2010 16:12
|
|
|
Tunicate, one of my favorite things about liverock. Hopefully nothing eats it and you get a colony.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 3, 2010 03:39
|
|
|
Instead of using phosgaurd, which I think is aluminum based, use GFO. It's cheaper, more effective, and the aluminum allegedly causes some soft coral to close for no apparent reason
|
|
#
¿
Dec 5, 2010 22:18
|
|
|
I've built a couple of varying sizes of those stands, they are very easy to make and if you want to put a plywood ledge on it you can give the plywood a coat of epoxy paint to have a rot-proof ledge to rest food, test kits, or whatever you put near your tank. Just make sure that it is completely level, emptying a tank after you notice a lean in the water level is a pain in the rear end but necessary for the sake of your floors and aesthetic value. You can also add a wrap-around drape or cut shower curtain to the ledge to make a sturdy, but ugly stand a hundred times prettier.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 8, 2010 15:01
|
|
|
^^^Harlequin serpent stars are neat, if you're into that kind of thing^^^Umph posted:Where as with liverock+fish, you replace the mechanical filter with a protein skimmer? What's the science behind that? The rock does much of what the mechanical filter did, but produces something that only a skimmer can handle? I've read the whole newbie guide you provided by the way, it's just a ton of information to consume, and they seem to cover full blown coral tanks. Mechanical filters remove coarse and fine particulate solids, rocks (or any biofilter) house chemoautotrophic bacteria which convert ammonia to nitrite to nitrate, protein skimmers remove amphiphillic dissolved organic compounds which heterotrophic bacteria would regularly convert to ammonia and thus adding nitrates to a system. What I recommend is to get a decent canister filter, a skimmer, and use dead rock and sand seeded from another tank. There is no reason to spend extra money on liverock when it's contagious. If you go reef all you will need to do is add the lights and unless you are going to clean it daily, ditch the canister. Umph posted:Last question I promise: I use rubber trash cans. My R/O runs into a 100 gallon bin and I mix my water in a 70 with a powerhead and heater. During the waterchange just use pumps instead of buckets.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2010 05:54
|
|
|
sweetheartjess posted:um, not to be a total creeper, but where did you get your username? When I ask to fenagle a bagel that means "can I bum a cigarette." It's an inside joke between me and a couple other friends. WEIRD. My name's in it and it was a school nickname. Also a bagel store. Umph posted:In addition to my previous questions, if I was to buy base rock and just chuck it in there, what turns it into live rock? Does it just 'happen' or do I need to introduce some sort of bacteria? Would a ton of base rock with some nicer precured live rock for show in aesthetically pleasing spots allow the base rock to turn naturally into live? Or should I forgo liverock completely and just let the sand do the work? I guess im under the impression that liverock looks prettier, but maybe I'm way off base. If they are the same type of rock, will both end up looking the same in the end? Dryrock needs to be seeded with some liverock to get any microorganisms that would make it liverock. The coraline algae and all the prettiness will come later, but I think the wait is worth the time waiting and money saved. Also, the less liverock you put in your tank the less likely it will be for you to pick up any pests, get it from someone with a nice tank. Umph posted:I was looking at the prices for liverock, and with this 150 gallon monster there's no way I can afford to buy enough. Where do you guys buy your stuff online? I live in the midwest http://www.marcorocks.com/ This guy's my boy. No rock is taken out of water and it's all ancient coral rock gathered from quarries on a reef pushed out of water long ago. If you want a genuine looking reef I go for this stuff. Also, it's very light porous rock for its size so you won't need to buy hundreds of pounds of rock. Umph posted:Can I sick to the basic setup if I buy a few low light tolerant coral? Or do I need a sump and osmosis thing at that point? I always suggest reverse osmosis. When I am spending this much money on an aquarium I would like to know exactly what is in the water. It is a pain in the rear end to wait for but that's why I have my reservoir trash bucket. For fish only and the basic coral you might get by fine, or you could end up with a ridiculous never-ending cyano condition. It's the luck of the draw at that point. Does the tank have an overflow box? If there is any way for you to do it, I would go with a sump. It's incredibly convenient, keeps equipment out of the way, and allows you to use an in-sump skimmer which are drastically more efficient than hang on back varieties. The coral will completely depend on your lights. If you get a basic T-5 setup or power compacts, you will be able to keep a lot of basics: zoanthids, mushrooms, GSP, xenia, and most softies in general. It's a hobby that is a lot easier if you start off right rather than going back and fixing mistakes. It's going to cost you money, but if you're going to be keeping a healthy FOWLR, going slightly reef isn't going to make too much more of a dent.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2010 09:46
|
|
|
Yeah, actually I agree with that. I've just been taking aquaculture classes and we always overkill everything.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 12, 2010 02:15
|
|
|
Cowslips Warren posted:For a seastar/urchin tank, would sponge filters, powerheads, and a protein skimmer be enough filtration and water motion, or should I look into a canister as well? Strictly seastars and urchins? You pretty much just need powerheads. It's a grimey looking tank but that's what those guys love. Search some Martin Moe stuff it you're looking at diademas. I've heard him speak a couple times and the man's an urchin master.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 13, 2010 03:19
|
|
|
Coral stop growing with a certain level of nitrates, either 15 or 25 ppm I think. You might get a lot of algae too.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 21, 2010 22:30
|
|
|
From The Reef Aquarium: Science, Art, and Technology by Delbeek and Sprung: "The nitrate level in reef aquariums should be less than 1ppm as nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) ideally, but need not be maintained so low. In fact nitrate levels as high at 10 ppm nitrate-nitrogen (approximately = 40 ppm nitrate ion) may encourage more rapid growth of both soft and stony corals (D. Stuber, pers. comm.)"
|
|
#
¿
Dec 23, 2010 02:04
|
|
|
A refugium works wonders for lowering nitrate to near sterile levels.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 23, 2010 09:36
|
|
|
Melchior posted:I've got to replace the flooring in the room my tanks are in, so I've been trying to think of a good way to move the tank without disrupting too much. I'm thinking of moving the live rock with corals into my saltwater mixing bin temporarily, and putting the fish in a bucket. Once I get the tank moved I will put everything back in so it runs normally until I finish replacing the floor. Does anyone have any special considerations I should be thinking about? I don't have any spare heaters except one for a 10g tank, so maybe I'll fill that up with some clean water for a bit. Rubbermaid tubs work pretty well for holding LR, water, fish, etc. You should go get additional heaters anyways, they fail every once in a while and it's good to have a backup.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 6, 2011 19:42
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 16:45 |
|
|
I had one of them called a russet fairy wrasse that was a perfect inhabitant, the only aggression I ever saw was flashing my other wrasses and tangs but nothing more.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 9, 2011 00:52
|
|