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Some of my polyps took a few days to fully open and I don't even dip them, so I wouldn't worry too much yet. They're probably just shy. 
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Aug 30, 2008 21:02
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My duncan coral died, what the gently caress. My SPS encrusting Monti thing is actually growing, so I guess my lighting is going alright? Also, I'm having problems with corals staying put. Recently all my mushrooms and rics have started falling off wherever I glued them, even though they've been there for weeks. I don't think my urchin has been messing with them, he's not carried anything in a good while. It's just a big pain in the rear end to have to fish corals out of whatever crevice they've managed to fall into. I've gotten the itch lately about upgrading my tank to a 10 gallon. I saw the awesome Live Framing article in this month's Marine Fish & Reef magazine, and I really want to start a project with something similar. The article mentions that live framing was designed for big tanks, but I want to scale it down a bit to apply to nanos. I have daydreams about a 10 gallon tank with a big arch of liverock with hidden powerheads and fully removable pieces.
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Sep 17, 2008 18:07
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Psimitry posted:It wouldn't actually be that big of a deal for me to downgrade to a 50G tank and not worry about the 90G, but I have the friggin' achilles tang and I love him. What about a 75? I'm wondering what it would cost to go up to a 10 gallon, possibly with a fuge as well. I ideally want 2 powerheads, I know nothing about overflows and top-offs and fuges. Ugh.
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Sep 17, 2008 20:33
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csammis posted:If you used an in-tank overflow design - basically partition off one side of the tank with plexiglass, one side with overflow teeth and the other with a return pump - it wouldn't cost that much. Clear plexiglass is cheap, cutting can be done with hand tools (if you're patient), and you can put partitions in the overflow area to create a low-flow area for a fuge. Wow, that's a nice setup! I was thinking of something like this, and putting my lettuce sea slugs and other delicates in the fuge along with the algae. I'd just be afraid of them (or something else) getting caught in the return pump, would I have to have a completely seperated compartment with some sort of netting for the pump? Right now my powerhead is covered in netting to keep my slugs safe, but it cuts down on flow a lot.  Edit: Whoops, I see that he put rubble at the bottom to allow for flow but keep important stuff in. Good deal. csammis posted:A sump and an out-of-tank-into-sump overflow, yes (arguably). The setup I posted to hide equipment, and a refugium in general to cultivate critters and This. I want to mainly seperate equipment and use it to provide a safe haven for my slugs, as well as a place for copepods and such to multiply. Psimitry posted:LOL in my very first tank (an 18G tank, which actually WASN'T my later sump) I had I think 4 powerheads. Yup. I have one hydor right now in my 6.6 gallon. Aphelion Necrology fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Sep 17, 2008 |
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Sep 17, 2008 21:04
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Well today is just poo poo. My tank crashed. I have no idea what happened, I did my regular water change and parameter checks on Thursday, everything seemed fine over the weekend. This morning I wake up to a tank basically engulfed in brown algae. I did a big water change and got all my params back to normal, but I had a big nitrate and nitrite spike, and also had a bit of ammonia. Casualties include: Pair of sexy shrimp, one anemone shrimp, pair of lettuce sea slugs, most of my snails, some hermits, some zoas, and possibly my urchin. My featherduster dropped his crown as well. My ricordeas look fine, as do a good portion of my zoas and palys, but I my SPS corals aren't looking so hot. I'm crossing my fingers for them. I'm really upset. I have no idea what happened and I just feel like a failure. I'm very sad about the loss of my slugs and anemone shrimp, they were my favourites.
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Sep 29, 2008 17:56
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Psimitry posted:Chances are something died and had a nasty explosion of organic waste. I don't have any fish or anything "big" really, but I guess it wouldn't take much to cycle a 7 gallon. I can only imagine my sea cucumber could cause something like that, but he's still very alive. My heater and powerhead are up and working fine as well (I have a Stealth). I can't find my urchin, so he might be the cause. I wanted to upgrade to a 10 or 20 gallon, but I think this little catastrophe has made me a bit shy. I certainly didn't lose everything, or even a large amount of expensive things like some people have, but it's still depressing. I miss my little sea slugs!
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Sep 29, 2008 18:51
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I had 2 slugs, and there is still a big bunch of hair algae that I got just for them. They were always hanging out in it, so I figured they were eating it. When I came in this morning the slugs were basically...melted. 
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Sep 29, 2008 20:16
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streetlamp posted:Thanks! I'll be sure to post any updates if I go ahead any do this. Can anyone recommend a good 10gal that doesnt need to be modded to hell? The AP24 is a nice all-in-one as long as you stick with soft corals and such, I looked into getting one myself but instead I'm going to try to DIY my own 10 gallon with an in-tank fuge and a big sunpod light so I can have a clam. (If anyone has a used 20" 150w Sunpod they want to sell, send me a PM)Most all-in-ones usually need to be modded in some way, especially once you get into the more light-intense corals. They usually need lighting/cooling upgrades, and a lot of people replace the stock pump or modify the filters into fuges. Modding seems to be part of the fun, actually.
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Sep 30, 2008 22:38
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Psimitry posted:Metal-Halide (A.K.A. Halide, MH): The current mainstay lighting system in the reef aquarium hobby. EXTREMELY intense lighting. Light from this type of fixture can penetrate all but the deepest reef tanks (and if you need to penetrate deeper, you can simply use a higher wattage bulb). Currently the closest replication of natural sunlight available. Produces a characteristic "shimmer" that cannot be reproduced with any other form of common light fixture. One can realistically grow any form of coral under this type of fixture. So why don't I like them? loving HEAT. Seriously. These things are unbelievably hot. They are a space heater for your room, and most people who run multiple high wattage MH systems employ a chiller because these lights employ so much loving heat into the water. They must also be placed about 8 inches away from the water's surface, otherwise a random splash of water can cause the bulb to explode (they're that hot). I really, REALLY like the look of these bulbs, as long as they're in someone else's house. Yeah, a splash of water shattered the glass cover on my metal halide lamp (70w Viper Clamp Lamp), but the bulb needs to be replaced soon anyway and that's a good excuse for me to get the 150w with built-in fans. I was dumb, my light is only about 4 inches from the water.  Also, if you are planning on having any clams or large anemones in your tank, I would suggest MH lighting.
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Nov 10, 2008 18:30
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Psimitry posted:Anemones or clams will do just fine under IR-T5HO. I kept a green BTA happy and healthy under them, my former roommate kept a HUGE Rose anemone near the bottom of the tank with the exact same IR-T5HO setup. The only reason one should HAVE to use MH is if your tank is 30" deep or deeper. I'm probably just biased, since now I have MH, I don't think I'd want any other lighting. I love the intensity and how it presents the colors of my tank. I was also told by several big clam keepers that MH are the best, but it's true that IR-T5HO would work as well. I'm planning to get a baby clam and an anemone soon, probably a green BTA actually. How did you like yours? Aphelion Necrology fucked around with this message at 21:45 on Nov 10, 2008 |
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Nov 10, 2008 21:43
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You didn't cycle the tank first? There's a good chance the chemical spikes from the live rock will kill your new critters. Sorry.
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Jan 20, 2009 14:33
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bobbert posted:The live sand probably will not help you to much. With one of my tanks I bought the rock local and it was only out of the water for minimum amount of time, when shipping the rock is out for a longer period of time. This will bring a stronger cycle(more die off), and I would say the right thing to do would be to find another temporary home for your inverts at least for a few weeks, they might survive but its going to be rough. I don't know how much a serpent star can take, I would bank on the shrimp not making it. After you add your rock some wait a few days run a few tests and then you will know where you are at with cycling. If you purchased your rock locally, not saying its better, your cycle would be less maybe this is what they were using as reference for the advice they gave you. I agree with this. Shrimp are VERY sensitive and yours will most likely die, but I have a serpent star just like yours and it has survived many accidents including a mini-cycle. It took my tank almost 2 weeks to completely cycle after I added my liverock, so I would think of returning your inverts or finding a babysitter until you're sure everything is safe.
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Jan 20, 2009 21:37
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I am selling my Green BTA, and while removing it from the baserock, it actually split into two equal pieces. (Total accident, I didn't see that half of the foot was actually on a different piece of rock! ) I believe it was in the process of splitting naturally due to the size and shape of the original 'nem. Nothing "came out" of the 'nem when it tore, and both parts seemed to pull their edges together, so I can barely see where they came apart. This happened over 24 hours ago and both halves look healthy, no shriveled tentacles or anything, their feet are unharmed, and my clowns are still hosting both parts. Should I be concerned? Each piece is about 2 inches across at the foot.
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Jan 22, 2009 18:32
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Psimitry posted:Dose a normal bit of iodine into the water (A couple drops of Lugol's solution should do the trick) in order to help it fight off anything that might try to attack the wound and to help the healing process. I dose iodine already.  Now it's a waiting game, I guess.
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Jan 22, 2009 21:11
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I've been giving serious thought to downgrading my 12g Nano, getting rid of everything but rics/zoas, and turning it into a tank for seahorses/pipefsh and small ornamental shrimp. I'm thinking of having the bottom of the tank for the soft corals, and then planting some plants to grow upward for the horses. I'd also downgrade from my Metal Halide lamp back to the stock hood with PC bulbs. The shrimp I'm thinking of are things like Sexies, 'Nem Shrimp, and perhaps Harlquins. I'd also dump my hermits for favor of sand-sifting cucumbers/starfish. A difficult adventure, but I want it so badly!
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Jan 24, 2009 17:48
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optikalus posted:After much observation, it appears that my hermits are pissing off the GSP. One hermit in particular (the largest one in my tank) will cross over the entire patch until its all closed up. I can't see it physically attacking it, but something is obviously happening as the GSP doesn't want to open back up right away. Just walking over them shouldn't really be a problem unless it's being bothered by something else as well. However, most LFS will take a free hermit. I recently got rid of all my hermits by just giving a few away with each coral frag I sold to private buyers.
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Feb 13, 2009 18:26
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Eagerly awaiting critters from LiveAquaria today. A Bluestripe Pipefish, some Ghost Pipeshrimp, and more Sexies. I've spent time totally redoing my tank into a ornamental shrimp/pipefish/seahorsie paradise. Hope to get photos up soon.
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Feb 17, 2009 18:08
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optikalus posted:Have you bought from them before? I'm curious as to how well the stuff do in shipping from them. I bought from Drs. Foster & Smith before and shipping was amazing -- >100lbs of stuff for like $16 shipping. Liveaquaria is run by DrsF&S, and the shipping is good. I've ordered from them several times. I now have 5 Sexies, the 3 Pipeshrimp that immediately buried themselves, and the Pipefish. The Pipefish is eagerly picking pods off my back wall as we speak. My tank has been up and running for a year before I got this guy, so it's pod city. I plan to start up a mysis hatchery within the next week or so as well. I'm trying to get photos of the Pipefish, but he's only 2 inches long!
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Feb 17, 2009 23:17
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Psimitry posted:So I'm probably going to tear down and sell my setup. Not only would the extra cash be nice, but I can't get ahold on what the gently caress is going on in my tank. I just have an occasional coral that just decides its time to die and does it. My anemone has split like 4 times so I definitely have some sort of irritant in the water, but I don't know what it is. It's not a bug parasite, it's no water parameter that I can figure out, and everything else looks healthy. Ugh, I felt the same way after my tank mini-cycled and I lost almost everything. Sometimes it's best to take a little break and start over when you get your confidence back.
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Feb 18, 2009 17:21
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Morbid Florist posted:I just got a 14gal biocube but I have a couple of questions about putting things in it. I'm a salt guy from 10 years ago but things have really changed in a lot of ways and I'm relearning a bit. I don't need tips about starting it, but between this thread and that nano-reef site I seem to be part of a largely silent group of saltwater people. For a FOWLR tank, stock lighting and filter should be fine, the only thing I'd say is to take out the bioballs in the back. You can also upgrade the pump or add something like a koralia powerhead to up the flow, if you like. But honestly, for a bare-bones tank like you're describing, you should be fine running it stock.
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Feb 18, 2009 21:25
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Morbid Florist posted:That bioball removal is another one I don't fully know why I should get behind it. I've read and understand the base reasoning, but not everything adds up. I've seen people say they replace them with other media, leave it wide open, throw a skimmer in it, etc. I've run my tank for a year without any filter besides the liverock and a course sponge in the back to catch debris. I am getting a skimmer soon, but only because I want to keep sensitive seahorses.
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Feb 18, 2009 22:01
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Sixline Wrasse. They're so cute!
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Feb 19, 2009 18:32
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Morbid Florist posted:REALLY! I'll look more into that little guy. Wrasses rule. Huh, I've never known them to be aggressive, personally. Honestly it probably depends on what shrimp you have. I would expect them to pick on the tiny shrimp like Sexies, but something like a Cleaner Shrimp or a Fire Shrimp would be just as big as the wrasse!
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Feb 19, 2009 18:51
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My peppermint shrimp randomly croaked as well, I'm told they tend to do that. Also hydroid jellies are so cute! Enjoy them while you can, because they seem to have a population explosion and then just kinda vanish.
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Feb 23, 2009 17:42
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I've heard lots of good things about SeaLifeInc liverock, I say go for it. Seeing what comes out is the best part anyway! Speaking of, I finally got my dwarf seahorses. Holy poo poo they are cute. Not only that, but one of them gave birth in the shipping bag, and now I have mini minis floating around.  Decapsulating brine eggs is a bitch. Will get photos of horsies soon.
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Feb 27, 2009 04:08
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U.S. Barryl posted:I think I'm gonna spend my tax returns on a saltwater setup. Buying all the components together seems to get ridiculously expensive. Does anybody have any opinions on the nano cube kits? I was thinking about getting this one: That's a good one, with that light you should be pretty unlimited in coral choices. The only thing I'd keep an eye on is those lamps tend to get pretty hot, so you might want to look into upgrading the fans in the hood.
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Feb 27, 2009 04:44
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Am I the only one slightly uncomfortable with the idea of collecting wild? On the other hand, even though I try to always buy captive-bred, I know some species are only wild-caught. Though I suppose it's better to collect a single animal yourself than to buy the one that survived out of hundreds from the ocean to a LFS.
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Mar 3, 2009 18:12
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And finally, some seahorse photos. A newborn Dwarf Seahorse! So teeny!  A Seahorse riding a pencil urchin, with my Bluestripe Pipefish in the background.    Here's a Seahorse looking a little   This is my current desktop background.  And also, my Harlequin shrimp. 
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Mar 4, 2009 01:23
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Vigilantly Vigorous posted:The harlequin shrimp are beautiful. Too bad I've only seen the red variety here. Got mine from LiveAquaria. They actually have a mated pair for sale right now, and I'm very tempted, but I'm pretty close to my invert limit in my little tank.
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Mar 4, 2009 03:14
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csammis posted:Bah, my 10g is crashing and I'm not sure why. Over the past week both of my zoa frags have curled up and died, my mushrooms are looking pretty unhappy as well, and the water surface has developed an extremely noticeable film that a pair of Koralias aren't breaking up enough to be skimmed out. Water parameters are nominal except for slightly elevated nitrate that I've been combating with weekly water changes, but to no avail. I'm going to step it up to every-other-day changes and keep an eye on my cats to make sure they're not putting kitty-litter feet in the water Sounds similar to my 6.6 Gallon before it mini-cycled and I lost most of my livestock. I'd suggest doing more frequent changes, maybe even a daily change of a gallon or so, to see if that stops the crash. I used to remove surface film by quickly running an unbleached paper towel across the surface. Good luck!
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Mar 17, 2009 17:31
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Morbid Florist posted:Do corals bounce back after a bit of a beating? I picked up some more live rock while I was there and a few pieces turned out to have seemingly wounded little corals on them. They still have color, but they're small and don't look so hot. I've seen corals make amazing comebacks before, so there's always a chance. You might consider dosing iodine, I've done that with wounded corals and anemones before.
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Mar 17, 2009 18:30
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moechae posted:Awesome, I'm definitely gonna try my hand a building a sump now. Any specific size I should go for considering my tank's going to be around 45-55 gallons, or is it pretty much whatever will fit under the tank? Probably whatever you want, a lot of people use 20-29 gallon sumps under a 55.
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Mar 20, 2009 19:52
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And if the firefish isn't eaten, expect it to commit suicide via carpet-surfing.
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Mar 22, 2009 17:28
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Morbid Florist posted:Hmm that's not a bad idea. While we're on the subject of feeding, I hope someone can ID something for me. The fish store people use these crazy long eye droppers, almost like what you see people using in bio/genetics on TV, to get food to corals without arm-tanking or freaking out fish as much. I CANNOT find these goddamn things anywhere in life, let alone the internet. Best I can find are "long" eyedroppers but 2" isn't long to anything but an ant. They call it a "Sea Squirt" feeder, made by Kent Marine.
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Mar 24, 2009 16:56
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ludnix posted:Isn't that just a skinny turkey baster or is there something I'm missing? Pretty much, it's also extendable and has different tips you can use.
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Mar 24, 2009 20:01
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Hypnotized posted:All the little starfish in my aquarium went crazy spawning last night. My tank had dozens of little piles of starfish all over. Here is one of the groups. That is really cool, and cute!
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Mar 25, 2009 22:23
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Hypnotized posted:Here are a few new photos: Aw I love these guys! I have one right now, and I'm getting two more. They're really full of character for shrimp.
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Apr 7, 2009 00:38
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Some more recent seahorsey goodness.  This is a baby Brazilian, a bit of a rescue after being sucked into a sump. We'll see how she does...  And my pipefish like to dance. 
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Apr 8, 2009 17:45
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Peppermints are experts at randomly dying.
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Apr 16, 2009 16:26
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I keep dwarf seahorses with no protein skimmer. I'm a daredevil.  I keep them with pipefish and a pygmy wrasse, as well as some sexy shrimp and other harmless inverts. I have a soda-bottle brine shrimp feeder, and they are fed daily. So far they are thriving, and breeding.
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May 17, 2009 04:50
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