mseepman's 16" starfire nano

[mseepman]

Well, I've been planning a nano tank for my office ever since I picked up a 16" cube tank from another Canreefer. I've posted the building of the stand and light canopy in the DIY forum (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=41662) already and finally I'm starting to get the rest of the tank together.

I plan it to be mostly dominated with SPS corals...a brave venture but hopefully something I"m ready for. I've got a variety of SPS frags in my 70G tank from other Canreefers and from Coral Master. I've also picked up about 20lbs of EcoRox from Bulk Reefsupply and they look just awesome. I have Fijipink livesand for a shallow sand bottom as well.

Here's my equipment list so far:

RK2 (just bought it online today)
Two Little Fishies reactor for GFO powered by a MJ400 pump
QuietOne 3000 return pump
SCWD (bought used from OKGUY)
5 gallon Eclipse Acrylic sump
4-Liter DIY ATO
Hydor Koralia Nano Powerhead
Triple Fan DIY chiller

I will up-loading photos of the tank tomorrow. Let me know your thoughts on my plans.

[mseepman]

Okay, so here are the beginning pics of the tank build. I work from home and this is going in my office...hopefully something that will relax me during the work day.

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/medium/Empty_Tank1.JPG

This cube was previously running using a cannister filter by a Canreefer in Calgary. I didn't want to use a cannister closed loop and so I needed to deal with the dual bulkheads in the bottom of the tank. I built a 4 x 6 glass overflow for it using egg-crate for the skimming...but since this was my first time doing this...I made the egg-crate too low for where I wanted the water level to be in the tank. To fix this, I attached a 1/4" pane of acrylic over the bottom two rows of the egg crate...very ghetto but I'm hoping it will work.

I painted the back of the tank black since I will be running a SCWD in the back and I didn't want to see it all the time.

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/medium/Empty_Tank_Stand1.JPG

In the bottom you can see the beginnings of my planning for what will fit down there. The sump will be a 5 gallon Eclipse tank that I previously ran for FW. I picked up a thin container from BRS to be used for my FW ATO. I plan to do a low-cost ATO using a TOM air pump and a timer. I also plan on using GFO right from the beginning...hopefully to prevent any of the algae outbreaks that so often plague a new tank.

The last thing you see down below is my extremely ghetto chilling fan set-up. I cut a piece of acrylic, carved 3 holes in it and screwed on 3 pc fans from Princess Auto. I hardwired them to a Variable voltage adapter and I plan to bolt it to the wall inside the stand aiming at the sump. My hope is that this will cool the entire tank enough that I don't need to worry about a chiller.

Tonight I plan to dry-fit some of the plumbing and hopefully give you some more pics.

[LeeR]

That looks really good i really like the stand and tank. Will you be covering the overflow with black acrylic or a thin layer of tinted glass? Also i would maybe sugest changing your sump to a normal 5 gallon or make yourself a custom sump.. that little think might be hard to fit bafles and what not in to.


are you going BB?

[mseepman]

Also i would maybe sugest changing your sump to a normal 5 gallon or make yourself a custom sump.. that little think might be hard to fit bafles and what not in to.


are you going BB?

I agree with you on the potential problems of fixing baffles into the hex tank. I'm looking into options today.

As for the bottom, no, I'm going with a shallow sand bed as I already have a Pistol/Goby pair for the tank sitting at the LFS.

[mseepman]

Well, after some suggestions on my choice of a sump tank, I've purchased a 5 gallon glass tank and will be using that for my sump. I've already put in two glass baffles to help reduce micro-bubbles and will try to take some pics tonight.

For some reason, the 5 gallon rectangular tank seems smaller than the Eclipse 5 gallon hex tank...

[mseepman]

Well, I did some dry fitting of my Herbie plumbing today and was hoping for some input to make sure that I haven't screwed anything up.

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/medium/plumbing1.JPG

The rear pipe would be my emergency overflow pipe. I left it high so that I will hear it if water starts needing to use this pipe. The front pipe has a gate valve for adjustment and a union so that I can take it apart if I need to.

Please give me your opinion.

[LeeR]

hey, i would suggest a true union above the gate valve and one for the back up retern to... just incase you need to move the tank or fix a problem with the gate... good call on a gate and not using 90 elbows. Will your return be run up over the back?

[fkshiu]

Well, I did some dry fitting of my Herbie plumbing today and was hoping for some input to make sure that I haven't screwed anything up.

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/medium/plumbing1.JPG

The rear pipe would be my emergency overflow pipe. I left it high so that I will hear it if water starts needing to use this pipe. The front pipe has a gate valve for adjustment and a union so that I can take it apart if I need to.

Please give me your opinion.


I would actually have the emergency drain go all the way down into the sump water. A Herbie seems to work best when there's is just a trickle of water going down the emergency drain. As well, barometric pressure can cause the water level in the overflow to vary over the course of a day which will sometimes cause a trickle to go down the emergency drain. Having the emergency drain that high would cause a lot of unnecessary splashing and salt creep. If your main drain is clogged, the massive flushing sound from the emergency drain going full bore will be more than than enough to alert you to an issue.

[mseepman]

Machete, the return will be going up over the back...I have an SCWD and two u-tubes which will hopefully give me some alternating currents in the tank. I also have a union for the emergency but wasn't sure whether to use it or not. If I lower the emergency pipe into the tank as well, I will for sure need to use it.

Fkshiu, thanks for the advice...I don't have any Herbies to readily look at so all advice is appreciated. I will lower the emergency as you suggested.

Anyone else with some thoughts?

[JDigital]

The herbies I have seen, all the emergency pipes are left out of the sump water level, including my tank. If it is submerged, it will be just as quiet as the main drain if you get a clog. The whole point of a herbie is silence, having a trickle in the emergency would kind of defeat the purpose, IMO.

I'd leave it where it is... and I would scrap the union on the emergency to, The emergency pipe is usually tall enough in the overflow that it only drains the for and inch or so (again, on the herbie systems i have seen).

[mseepman]

Thanks for the info JDigital.

I have a question on bulkheads...mine are slip on the bottom and thread on top. The 3/4" adapter I have to thread into the bulkheads doesn't seem to thread very easily. Do people use silicon to make it go easier or lubricants? Shouldn't the PVC threaded adapter screw all the way into the bulkhead?

[JDigital]

Thanks for the info JDigital.

I have a question on bulkheads...mine are slip on the bottom and thread on top. The 3/4" adapter I have to thread into the bulkheads doesn't seem to thread very easily. Do people use silicon to make it go easier or lubricants? Shouldn't the PVC threaded adapter screw all the way into the bulkhead?

It should... unless the adapter has been cross-threaded somehow. :question:

[fkshiu]

The herbies I have seen, all the emergency pipes are left out of the sump water level, including my tank. If it is submerged, it will be just as quiet as the main drain if you get a clog. The whole point of a herbie is silence, having a trickle in the emergency would kind of defeat the purpose, IMO.

I'd leave it where it is... and I would scrap the union on the emergency to, The emergency pipe is usually tall enough in the overflow that it only drains the for and inch or so (again, on the herbie systems i have seen).


You don't hear anything if there's just a trickle of water going down. Surface tension makes the salt water adhere to the sides of the pipe as it goes downward. It's only above a certain volume of water that the you start hearing anything. In fact, Herbie himself concluded (somewhere in the original RC thread) that adjusting it so that you get a slight trickle down the emergency drain appears to most easily stabilize water levels.

If you get a clog in the main drain you will get a very noticeable flushing sound because there's no valve to slow the water down.

[mseepman]

It should... unless the adapter has been cross-threaded somehow. :question:

I've check both my bulkheads...no cross threading. It's just a really tight fit that I've never tried to push past the first 5 threads or so just in case I couldn't get them apart again.

[mseepman]

Well I continue to try and move this nano project forward. Tonight I started plumbing the SCWD that will provide flow from my return pump. I will be using a Quietone 3000 which I hope will have enough juice considering it's only about 4 feet of head. I ran into some trouble with keeping the piping to conform how I wanted it to behind the small 16" tank, as such I was forced to consider using 90's. I know they cut down on the flow but I'm hoping that this will still work. I found some new fittings at Home Depot so I thought I would try them...works like a compression fitting.
Here it is so far:

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/medium/SCWD_setup.JPG


Once I get everything plumbed, I decided that I would use EcoRox from BRS. I saw them in Gools new tank (which is looking great) and really liked the look.

I plan to seed it with another 5lbs of Live rock I have already.

[Myka]

Looks awesome Mark!!! Having never done the Herbie myself, but reading a lot, I would keep the emergency drain where you have it as well. :)

[mseepman]

Thanks Myka...this seems like the never ending project because I just can't get everything done. The more I read, the more I think I have to do before I start the tank.

I've been reading a lot on the Herbies...I do know that quite a few people have said that they have a slow trickle down their emergency pipe because things seemed more stable when they did this. I think it will be a bit of trial and error.
I've ordered new bulkheads because I just wasn't really happy with the ones that came with the tank. For some reason, my plumbing just wouldn't thread properly and I'm hoping new Bulkheads will fix this problem.

[Myka]

Why don't you just not glue the end of the overflow pipe, and then you can shorten and lengthen it without redoing the whole thing to find out what works best for you?

Can't wait to see the tank up and running. But when you do get that far I'll feel pretty bad about not having my cube setup!!! I have to change the design plans now though as I can't get the slate for it anymore... :(

[mseepman]

I still feel that you'll regret not setting that up as a SW tank. Just put everything that's going into the 40 into the cube and work slowly up from there. I don't see where you have to spend a whole bunch more money other than maybe a little more lighting.:biggrin:

[Myka]

I still feel that you'll regret not setting that up as a SW tank. Just put everything that's going into the 40 into the cube and work slowly up from there. I don't see where you have to spend a whole bunch more money other than maybe a little more lighting.:biggrin:

Honestly, I am thisclose to purging all my corals. I just want to set up a productive Bangaii breeding system. I've done it all...now I'm interested in making money off it. ;) Seriously, what would be better than to make a living off breeding fish? Pipe dreams really, but not entirely unobtainable. :D

To setup the 75 cube as a reef tank I would need to upgrade skimmer...or go skimmerless. And lighting would be a big factor. I would need more rock too. Basically $1000 easy...and Central America is calling my name soooooooo badly!!! :p

[mseepman]

Well, the urge to travel sometimes over-rides everything. Do it while you can...

[Myka]

Ya...one of these days!!! So...new updates??

[mseepman]

None to report...waiting on bulkheads and RK2 to arrive. I could hang the light but I've been working on the new house plans and finally started to get somewhere so I have focused on it.

[Myka]

Ah, gotcha! I'd be neck deep in house plans too. I of course, like that sort of schtuff. :D

[mseepman]

Myka, tried to hang the light, ran into some issues...pm'd you about them.

[mseepman]

Well, I got a little farther in my efforts to get this tank running today. Thanks to my brother (the extra set of hands were a must) we got the light hood on tonight. What a pain in the... No studs lined up with where my hangers needed to go, so after some ghetto modifications, we got around that...don't ask how.:lol:

Anyways...here are some pics:

This is the hood just after we got it hanging. The tank and stand will go back around 2 more inches still which will center things a little more.
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/Light_now_hanging.JPG

Here is the tank with just the dual T5HO lights on.
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/Tank_with_T5_only.JPG

Here it is with both the T5HO and the 70W 14k MH.
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/Tank_with_T5_and_MH.JPG

My RK2 arrived in Vernon today, but I was not home to get the delivery...so tomorrow I will pick it up and get to working on that.

[JDigital]

That's alot of light... lol... Looks great though, I like the hanging hood.

[mseepman]

That's alot of light... lol... Looks great though, I like the hanging hood.

Thanks, I think that the light looks a little overwhelming there because there is nothing in the tank and it's reflecting off the bottom. We'll have to see what water, rock and some sand do to it.

[Myka]

Glad you managed to get it hung! Looks great!!!! Almost time to get it wet.... :D :D :D

[Okguy]

Wow Mark looks great! You're gonna have to wear sunglasses while you work. :mrgreen:

[mseepman]

Thank guys...it's been a real struggle to get it this far with the limited amount of time I get to work on it. Today I need to do some maintenance on the main tank so probably not much of an update for tomorrow.

As for getting it wet, I need my RK2 in place first and then the whole stand and tank have to go back about 2 inches. Once that's done, plumbing can be completed and then we will add some water.

[Myka]

RK2? Koralia 2?

[mseepman]

Reefkeeper 2. I decided with the DIY equipment on this, the best way to control it was with an actual controller. So I bought a ReefKeeper 2.

[Myka]

*wolf whistle* Really...? That's gonna be quite the pimped out uber nano! :D

[mseepman]

That's the plan...:lol:

[JDigital]

That looks like a slick unit! I may have to do a bit more research on it. :biggrin:

[LeeR]

:mrgreen: pimped out nanos are the way to go!

[mseepman]

Okay...so opened my new Reefkeeper2 today...Wow, how does any tank run without one of these? This makes life sooooo much easier...and this is the cheapest one out there...I can only imagine what the pricier ones do for you.

[Myka]

Awesome!! Pretty handy lil puters eh? :D

[JDigital]

Okay...so opened my new Reefkeeper2 today...Wow, how does any tank run without one of these? This makes life sooooo much easier...and this is the cheapest one out there...I can only imagine what the pricier ones do for you.

Besides not get the pH probe standard... what comes with the package?

[mseepman]

The package includes the remote head unit, the 8 outlet power block, the myreef software, a RS232 (serial) connection for your computer, temp probe.

For the extra $10, I bought a splitter that will enable me to run the temp probe and communicate with my PC at the same time. Many computers these days don't have an RS232 port...including mine. I purchased a serail to USB converter cable and will be trying to see if it works for this application once I get water in the tank.

The real keys here are that it controls the lighting (of which I have 3 different sets on this tank), it controls the heating and cooling, feeding breaks, maintenance breaks, certain ATO's and with the right powerheads, it will control wavemaking. On top of monitoring PH and temp.

[mseepman]

Oh, I forgot to mention that it just looks cool too...:biggrin:

[JDigital]

The package includes the remote head unit, the 8 outlet power block, the myreef software, a RS232 (serial) connection for your computer, temp probe.

For the extra $10, I bought a splitter that will enable me to run the temp probe and communicate with my PC at the same time. Many computers these days don't have an RS232 port...including mine. I purchased a serail to USB converter cable and will be trying to see if it works for this application once I get water in the tank.

The real keys here are that it controls the lighting (of which I have 3 different sets on this tank), it controls the heating and cooling, feeding breaks, maintenance breaks, certain ATO's and with the right powerheads, it will control wavemaking. On top of monitoring PH and temp.

Sounds like something you should be throwing on your 70G... not the 16... hahaha.

[mseepman]

You know what...I thought about that...but I've had the 70 for years, and I've found one way or another to automate many of my daily tasks already simply due to neccessity. On the 16, I'm starting from scratch with no room to work.

[mseepman]

So today I completed most of the plumbing...though I say completed with a little hesitation. In the overflow, I couldn't get the PVC to thread completely into the bulkhead so I attempted to add silicone to ensure a "no-leak" fit. Gotta wait until the silicon dries before I test it for leaks. God help me if there are leaks because I can't get my hand in the overflow to re-silicone.:redface:

Otherwise, I think everything else went well. I plan to leak-test tomorrow and if all is well, add my SW.

[Gools]

Let me know when you get the RK2 hooked up to your computer. Then I'm going to make you come over and do the same to mine :)

My dad is coming in from Winnipeg on the 15th if you want anything from sprayer parts or anywhere else.

I also tried talking Charlote into selling me your pistol, and goby pair. She didn't go for it. Haha.

[mseepman]

Haha...good try...I'm working my tail off on this nano just to get that pair home from Complete Pet...speaking of which...they got a crazy order of fish on Friday. For your big tank, you should take a peek. Beautiful Vlamingi Tang and some really nice triggers. Lots of others I couldn't identify.

I will take a good look at that catalogue again and let you know if anything would work for me. Thanks for the offer.

[Gools]

I was in there today. The Vlamingi was on hold for someone. The only thing I wanted was that convict tang, but have to many tangs as it is, and didn't want to push it.
Have you been to AJ's lately? I haven't been there in about a month. Need something else in the tank, cause I'm getting bored.

[mseepman]

How many tangs do you have now? You have a pretty big tank...I've seen some similar tanks with a lot of tangs in them and they don't seem to be doing too badly.

No exciting fish at AJ's right now, at least none that I saw yesterday when I went in. I'm looking for some Nasarius Snails but no-body carries them around here.

[Gools]

I've got 5 tangs in there. I could put more, but I'm waiting to find the right unicorn tang that I use to have, like the one on my Avatar.

I need to take a trip over there and see how your setup is coming. Sounds like it's going to be one hell of a nano.

[mseepman]

That's the plan...if nothing else, it has to teach me what I'm doing well enough for me to be ready for the 250G I'm planning in the new house.

[Myka]

I'm looking for some Nasarius Snails but no-body carries them around here.

Total Pet in Kelowna has them often. Only place I've seen them in the Okanagan.

[mseepman]

Well, I tested the plumbing today...no leaks!!!:biggrin:

I put most of the water in and I"m just making some more SW to finish it off. Got the temp up to 79 and holding. RK2 works like a dream. I will take some pics as I finish the ATO and put the sand in.

Haven't filled it up enough to put my sump into place yet but that will occur tomorrow or Wed probably.

[Myka]

It's best to not put your sand in until after the rock, and wait until the rock cycles the tank (regardless whether it's cured or not). Can't wait to see pics!! :D

[JDigital]

I am getting pretty excited to see this tank with water and rock.. then sand... then some inverts..... then some corals..... then some MORE corals, and a fish.... then more corals..... OH MAN!!!!!

[mseepman]

I am getting pretty excited to see this tank with water and rock.. then sand... then some inverts..... then some corals..... then some MORE corals, and a fish.... then more corals..... OH MAN!!!!!

Hahaha...you and me both!!!

[gqlmao]

Woah thats a nice looking nano if I could say, it looks like the nano version of my cube seriously :D.

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm259/gqlmao/PDR_0351.jpg

[mseepman]

True enough...nice cube tank!!

[Okguy]

Well, I tested the plumbing today...no leaks!!!:biggrin:

I put most of the water in and I"m just making some more SW to finish it off. Got the temp up to 79 and holding. RK2 works like a dream. I will take some pics as I finish the ATO and put the sand in.

Haven't filled it up enough to put my sump into place yet but that will occur tomorrow or Wed probably.

Hey Mark, sounds great! I'm excited to see it in person. Are you going with the ATO we discussed? Can the ATO be run using the RK2? I'm also curious how well the RK2 maintains the temperature. Now that it has cooled off drastically outside, I find it even more difficult to keep my temperature swings in check. I came home yesterday to find my cooling fan and both heaters on. I'll be watching your tank closely to see if an investment in the RK2 is worth it.

Cheers,

Kevin

[mseepman]

Hey Kevin, I have to say that I am nothing but happy with the RK2 considering it's price. It does keep my temp under control. It uses one channel to control the heater (with a cut-off in case heater control itself fails) and one channel for my chiller (Which is a bank of fans on the sump) Since putting water in, getting it to 79 degrees, it has not had a variance of more than .1 of a degree (currently that mostly consists of heating the water rather than cooling it).

Here are some pics of the rockwork in place (still missing the seeder rock).

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/Rock_In_Water.JPG
http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/Rock_from_side2.JPG

I had what I thought was a better setup, but I couldn't pass the magnet everywhere around it and that was not acceptable for me.

The SCWD is working well, but a little noisy for me. (Kinda a creaking sound)

I'm a little disappointed in my flow...so many elbows that its cut down more than I thought it would be. May have to bump that Quietone (which isn't that quiet) up to an Eheim or something. Any recommendations for me? (I don't want it generating too much heat)

[mseepman]

I am wondering about my circulation in this tank. I have approx. 950gph flow between the two Koralia nano's (I replaced the MJ400 in the picture) and the return pump (Quietone 3000 through an SCWD).

Does everyone think this is enough flow for a 16G SPS dominated tank?

[JDigital]

I am wondering about my circulation in this tank. I have approx. 950gph flow between the two Koralia nano's (I replaced the MJ400 in the picture) and the return pump (Quietone 3000 through an SCWD).

Does everyone think this is enough flow for a 16G SPS dominated tank?

that is like 60x turnover... I'd say that is plenty for SPS.. :mrgreen:

[mseepman]

Ok, thanks...I look at the water column and it just doesn't seem to move like my 70G so I couldn't help but wonder.

[Okguy]

I am wondering about my circulation in this tank. I have approx. 950gph flow between the two Koralia nano's (I replaced the MJ400 in the picture) and the return pump (Quietone 3000 through an SCWD).

Does everyone think this is enough flow for a 16G SPS dominated tank?

I'm not sure if a Quietone is pressure rated or if the SCWD can handle the back pressure, but you could always try the enductor I made last year when I was bored. If you are interested, I can drop it off this weekend. It's just sitting in my workshop collecting dust.

Cheers

[mseepman]

Hey Kevin, that would be great. I will check into whether it's pressure rated. Feel free to drop by, we'll be in and out all weekend.

[mseepman]

It's best to not put your sand in until after the rock, and wait until the rock cycles the tank (regardless whether it's cured or not). Can't wait to see pics!! :D

I'm not saying I'm ready for sand yet, but I was wondering if you had suggestions on the best way to put the sand in now that the rock formation is built? How do I keep it from clogging the rock up?

I put the seeder rock in today...if I don't see any cycle in the next few days I might just try to put the sand in.

[Myka]

Put the sand in a cup or bowl (after it's rinsed if it's dry sand), then gently lower it to the bottom of the tank and gently dump it out. Your tank will still get uber cloudy though. Use a turkey baster to baste rocks 2-3x a day.

[Marlin65]

Since you are using Eco-rox and just a small seeder rock just put your sand in.
Usually when you cure your rock in your tank you get allot of die off that settles on the bottom. It is easier to remove it without sand.
You won't have this problem because there is nothing to die off.:wink:

[Myka]

Ohhhh yaaaaaaah, I forgot you were using EcoRox. I agree with Marlin.

[mseepman]

Well thanks to everyone who said...."get that sand in there" as I was itching to put it in.

It's Fiji Pink Live Sand so hopefully it will help get the Eco-rox going along with the two small pieces of cured liverock that I put in there already. It ended up being about 2" all around the outside...but that will slowly lower as the sand works it's way into the center of the rock formation.

Here's a pic of the sand just after I put it in:

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/Sand_In_Front.JPG

All the rocks have been blown off and I'm hoping that it will clear up over the next 24 hours or so. Any suggestions for removing the scum off the top of the water. I really don't want it going into my sump because I know how pick the SCWD's are and this stuff will kill it.

[Myka]

Looks great!!!! Post some new pics when it clears up! Try using a fine net to catch the scum off the top. If that doesn't work use a cup and scoop it out. You can use water from your 70g to help get the bacteria going in the nano too. :)

[Okguy]

Why not use one of your filter socks?

[Marlin65]

X2 filter sock will clean it right up.

[mseepman]

That's what I was thinking...will give that a try. I need to make some filter socks to be used in the sump so detrius doesn't plug up the SCWD in the future.

[mseepman]

Well today I added my first little critters...two hermits.

I've been watching my parameters and here's where they sit right now.

Salinity: 1.025
Amonia: 0
Nitrite: .3 mg/L
Nitrate: 10 mg/L
Cal: 450
Mag: 1350

I've been watching at night with the old flashlight and sure enough I've now got some pods and some starfish showing up...very few though. There is some tiny bit of green algae showing up on the seeder liverock and so the new hermits should find it tasty.

[mseepman]

So I've been putting the T5's on for a little longer each day. My two hermits are doing fine...they gobbled up the little bit of algae that had started so hopefully they won't starve before more comes along.

Here's a pic of the tank now.

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/first_inhabitants.JPG

There is a slight browning of some of the Eco-rox facing upwards towards the light...I would imagine that it's diatoms or something of the sort. The seeder rock is also in on both bottom sides and has some starfish and feather dusters on it.

[Oscar]

Very nice job. I am going to tag along to see how this comes together, especially as you add SPS. Are you going to add fish as well?

[Gools]

Mark how do you find the starfire glass? Big difference? Looking good, have to make a trip over there one day
Later

[Oscar]

Hey Kevin, I have to say that I am nothing but happy with the RK2 considering it's price.



Why the RK2 and not the elite? Who did you get the RK2 from?

[mseepman]

Nigel, I love the starfire...and yes, I do see a difference. When I do the next big tank I will be doing all viewable sides in starfire if I can afford it. It's just so clear.

Oscar, I picked the RK2 for price...it's for my nano tank and not my main tank so I couldn't justify paying too much. It's awesome by the way...I still don't know how I could have done this without it.... I've got a PH probe now, and I need to fashion a holder out of Acrylic and then I will get it going. I plan to connect it to my PC tonight and flash it to the latest firmware so that it can e-mail me if there is any problems with the tank when I'm out. I purchased it directly from the manufacturer...shipping and duty were a little higher than I liked but still, all in I'm looking at under $350 including taxes.

[Okguy]

Mark, I've got some scrap acrylic if you need some to build your probe holder.

Cheers,

Kevin

[mseepman]

Thanks Kevin,

I went to IPP in Kelowna and got a "pile" of acrylic for $10. They have pre-wrapped piles available in all kinds of thicknesses and it was a great deal. I also got the right stuff for putting it together and the right jigsaw blade for cutting it.

[Pier Pressure]

If you are worried about the hermits starving due to lack of algae, just throw in a small wafer so that they have something to chew on. Algae wafers are pretty cheap at the petstores. Nice tank, by the way.

[mseepman]

Thanks...I ended up putting in a coral that wasn't doing great in my main tank and it has a little algae on it's plug...so their feasting on it.

Wish I knew exactly what the "brown" algae that's forming on everything was and if there was a need to do something about it.

[mseepman]

So today, the local LFS brought in some really nice specimens for nanos so I couldn't help myself and got my first fish for the tank...a yellow clown goby. It's only about 3/4 of an inch long. I will post pictures tomorrow but after the initial fright, he seems happy.

[fishytime]

Yes pics please. Clown gobies is sooo cute.

[mseepman]

So today I added the Pistol Shrimp / goby pair that I had sitting at the LFS for the last 45 days. Needless to say, it was quite the job catching them in the display tank at the store.

Here's a short video of my pistol making himself a new home:

http://s485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/?action=view&current=PistolShrimp.flv

Glad I put the rock in first and then the sand so I shouldn't be having any cave-ins.

Everyone else seems pretty happy in the tank. Here's the new little Clown Goby I added last week:

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/ClownGoby.jpg?t=1222127957

I am having a pretty good time with this little nano already.

[mseepman]

So I added my firs corals to the nano today. Been checking all the Params and they seem fine.

Heres a little too close FTS:http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/FTS3frags-1.jpg?t=1222380629

And here are the different frags:
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/Frag1.jpg?t=1222380709
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/Frag2.jpg?t=1222380726
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/Frag3.jpg?t=1222380739

I didn't get the picture but within 15 minutes we had decent polyp extension on the frags already, so that's a good sign.

I know that they look a little worn, but I got these from another local reefer and they had a bit of a rough intro to my main tank.

If anyone could tell me the type of algae on frag#3 that would be great. It's not regular hair algae because there was a little of that on a rock and my hermits cleaned it up within one day...while they won't touch this stuff at all.

[Okguy]

Hey Mark, I have no idea what the algae is but if you don't want to have it spread I'd take it off your nice clean rocks ASAP. Especially if the algae eaters won't eat it. I'd hate to see you have to battle any algae on your rocks like I have too...

[mseepman]

Yeah...I was hoping that with new water...and phosguard I would just see it shrivel and die....but that hasn't happened. I should probably use the new Phos that I got from BRS in this tank but I was hoping to use up the crappy Seachem stuff I still had left.

[Myka]

Looks great!! Can you scrub that algae off the plug with a toothbrush or something? I'm not sure what it is either. I don't recognise it.

[mseepman]

Well I took the plug out of the water and scraped it off with a blade. It didn't work as well as I liked but hopefully it got rid of most of it.

There was a tiny bit of hair algae on one of the other plugs but before I could get to it, one of the hermits was busy mowing it down and as of last night, there is none left.

For some reason, this tank greens up the glass really really fast...in one day. I have been checking PO4 and it's not high...almost not detectable on my Salifert test kit. My main tank which only gets cleaned once per week reads 4 times higher. I added some more phos in a different spot in the sump. I think my reactor isn't working right because I don't have enough flow in it. I've got a new pump on it's way from OA that will bump that up and get better flow soon.

[Myka]

Well you don't have much for bio filtration in the nano, which is the likely contributor to the algae.

[mseepman]

Bio filtration meaning the Liverock? I know that the Ecorox are going to take a little while to seed...so that's probably it.

Any recommendations for now? I change about 15-20% of the water per week right now.

[Myka]

Bio filtration meaning the Liverock? I know that the Ecorox are going to take a little while to seed...so that's probably it.

Any recommendations for now? I change about 15-20% of the water per week right now.

Yep bio filtration = live rock. Aside from cooking the EcoRox before hand...there's not much to do other than wait it out.

[mseepman]

Well, I've been a little busy with my year end at work lately and so I've been remiss on getting updates for this thread.

Over the last week or so, I've been moving some coral frags over from my main tank to the nano.

Here are some pics:
FTS
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/FTSOct3-2008.jpg?t=1223067895

Closeups
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/FragCloseup2.jpg?t=1223067926
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/FragCloseups.jpg?t=1223067960
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/Fragcloseup3.jpg?t=1223067974

I've been pretty religious on checking this water and here's my current readings using Salifert kits
Cal: 450
Alk: 7.7
Mag: 1300
PH: 8.1
Temp: 79.5
PO4: .25
Nitrate: <10

The MH/T5HO combo has been putting out some pretty serious heat on me...but my DIY FAN bank has been maintaining things at about 80.5 at their worst.

[Myka]

Lookin good! :) Are you seeing any coralline growth yet?

[JDigital]

Do you got pics of the DIY fans?

I might have missed the post if you did...

[Myka]

I'm gone for 5 weeks, and there are NO updates to read?!?! I'm a little miffed!! :lol:

[mseepman]

Well, Myka pointed out that I had not done any updates on here in waaay too long. So here are few new pics.

Full tank shot...as you can see, we've got Coraline growth and some pest algae too.
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/NanoFTSNov08.jpg?t=1227117235

Here's my little clown Goby...still doesn't trust me when I get close to the tank.
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/MyClown.jpg?t=1227117288
You can see the pest algae just below his nose and just above him to the left. Not sure what it is yet. Anyone willing to identify?

Here's an Acro I got from Red Coral in Calgary...pretty new so it hasn't colored up yet.
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/UnknownAcro.jpg?t=1227117339

Lastly, here's a little movie of my Goby/shrimp pair hard at work moving sand. It's really cool having these guys.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/th_CIMG4228.jpg (http://s485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/?action=view&current=CIMG4228.flv)

[brizzo]

Looking good, I love the silly little face of clown gobies!

I'm no expert, but that looks like the start of bubble algae!

[Myka]

Awesome!!! Not sure on that "pest algae"...looks kinda bubbly or fluffy or something? Excellent coralline growth coming in though!

[mseepman]

It's fluffy...and comes off easy enough, just grab it with tweezers and the whole clump comes away. Problem is that it grows back in a few days.

Coraline is coming on nicely. Just put in some Zoa frags this week so those pieces are a little whiter than the rest.

[Myka]

Weird algae. Are there many clumps? What if you chip the rock out where it is attached? PITA I know, but it might work.

I love the Goby/shrimp pair. :D

I thought it was going to be an SPS tank? Are you planning to remove the Zoas?

[JDigital]

Tanks looking good mseep! Love the YCB, mine is quite entertaining.

[mseepman]

Myka, I just don't think I could bring myself to try to chip the rock as there are about 20 spots with that algae now. I will continue to try to pull the algae out until I can identify it a little more and come up with a better solution.

As for the stocking...it was going to be strictly SPS, but as yet, the tank isn't really mature enough to push the SPS stocking levels with more frags, so I've been adding some zoas for color. I think that the zoas can live peacefully with the SPS if they had to...unless someone knows differently. I have some more frags for the tank once I feel confident with the tanks maturity.

[mseepman]

Well I added the 3rd and what I thought was the final fish to my tank last week. A really nice little perc that I picked up a the LFS. Unfortunately, after only 4 days he decided to go carpet surfing during the night. I haven't had a lot of clowns jump on me before so I wasn't expecting that.

I guess it's time to come up with some type of "false eurobrace" that will prevent future attempts once I replace this little guy. Any suggestions on how to do this out there?

[Myka]

Myka, I just don't think I could bring myself to try to chip the rock as there are about 20 spots with that algae now. I will continue to try to pull the algae out until I can identify it a little more and come up with a better solution.

As for the stocking...it was going to be strictly SPS, but as yet, the tank isn't really mature enough to push the SPS stocking levels with more frags, so I've been adding some zoas for color. I think that the zoas can live peacefully with the SPS if they had to...unless someone knows differently. I have some more frags for the tank once I feel confident with the tanks maturity.

Bummer about the algae. I've learned the hard way to rip out any plants that I don't know what it is. Chances are if I don't know what it is, it's bad!!! Haha!

Zoas tend to take over the rock work, and sting the SPS causing flesh loss/death. Also, zoas release more toxins into the water than most other corals which irritates SPS. If you can figure out a way around that by maybe trimming back zoas that encroach the SPS and running carbon, then maybe you won't have any problems?

Got any new pics?

I redid my aquascape and did a major cleaning on my tank before I left. I hope it's ok!!!

[Oscar]

It's fluffy...and comes off easy enough, just grab it with tweezers and the whole clump comes away. Problem is that it grows back in a few days.


I think I have some of that stuff too.

I might be investing in a sea hare soon. If it does it's job maybe you and others in the Okanagan would like a time share?

[mseepman]

Well, I thought it was time to update this thread with a FTS and another pic of my problem algae (hoping that someone can identify and tell me how to eliminate it)

Here's a shot of the tank (note that I have a cheap camera and my picture skills leave a lot to be desired)
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/FTSFeb2009.jpg?t=1235005482

And here's a close-up of my problem algae (top left corner)...Any ideas....anyone???? This stuff is taking over. I boil some of it off once per week but this is hard on the tank's inhabitants and my salinity level.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/NanoProblemAlgae1.jpg?t=1235005523

[Myka]

Your rock is coloring up nicely. Tank looks great. :)

[Leah]

The little yellow goby looks embarrased with his/her red checks. Really neat color on your
rock. Love the pictures.

[mseepman]

Thanks...I'm really enjoying having this little tank in my office when I work all day. I have a new sump to put into this tank to replace my little 5 gallon DIY job. I got one made of Acrylic at IPP in Kelowna...about 8G, a lot taller and with a built in PH probe holder. It will allow me to put the new Bubble Magus skimmer in which should make a water quality difference for me right away. I hate the Prizm that is on there now.

[Myka]

Thanks...I'm really enjoying having this little tank in my office when I work all day. I have a new sump to put into this tank to replace my little 5 gallon DIY job. I got one made of Acrylic at IPP in Kelowna...about 8G, a lot taller and with a built in PH probe holder. It will allow me to put the new Bubble Magus skimmer in which should make a water quality difference for me right away. I hate the Prizm that is on there now.

Awesome! What did the sump end up costing you if you don't mind my asking?

[mseepman]

Well I thought I should update this thread with a few new pics. I'm really enjoying having the tank in my office as it's a great distraction when my work day has me pulling out my hair and cursing at the phone.

Note that I'm trying to improve, but my picture skills suck terribly.

Here's a FTS...
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/FTSMarch09.jpg?t=1237579066

A few pics of some of my palys...
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/Blueishpalys.jpg?t=1237579102

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/GreenPalys.jpg?t=1237579125

One of my inhabitants...so far I haven't caught him nipping the sps:smile:

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/clown.jpg?t=1237579231


And lastly, my continuing battle with this algae that no-one can identify.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/algae2.jpg?t=1237579311
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/algae1.jpg?t=1237579330

[Myka]

Lookin good!!! The rock is really looking great now! I would try adding various different inverts (shrimp, hermits, snails) to see if you can find one that will munch on that algae. Prob won't find one, but it's a shot in the dark anyway.

[Myka]

Hey Mark, try Peyssonnelia for that algae. There is at least one species that looks like your algae.

[BlueAbyss]

It sort of reminds me of Botrycladia algae (spelling?).

[mseepman]

Thanks to both of you, but I"m pretty sure it's not either of those

Myka, your pics look more like that plating algae that was bothering that one acro.

I'll try to take some more pics to see if anyone else has ideas. It's taking over...probably 20-25% coverage of my rocks now. It comes out when I pic at it in big clumps as if you chopped off a piece of sponge material. It's spongey actually.

One possibility might be Fauchea sp? http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-01/sl/images/image025.jpg

[Myka]

No hot-linking to that pic....grr

That plating algae was Lobophora wasn't it? I can't remember what it looked like... :o

[BlueAbyss]

Was that the golden plating algae? Did I see that on here or NR?

[Myka]

I don't know if it's "the" golden plating algae, but it is kinda golden. :D

[BlueAbyss]

:lol: Aha! So I'm not dreaming!

I love macro, I would just keep picking it off, sort of an 'in tank refugium'. Though less refuge and more algae filter, I guess :biggrin:

[mseepman]

haha, macro's I can appreciate...this is starting to reach epidemic proportions...I'm thinking about trying a little blue or black stripped tuxedo urchin to see if he'll munch on this stuff. With my luck, he won't.:sad:

Sadly, my very fat little clown Goby dove to his death today. He must have decide to carpet surf just before I checked on the tank as he was still wet. He was a lot of fun, but I don't think I'll replace him with another as already my SPS is happier today than it's been in a while (better polyp extension) so he might have been nipping.

I've put a few new pics of the algae up in case someone recognizes it for me.
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/ProbAlgae1.jpg?t=1242943241

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/ProbAlgae2.jpg?t=1242943262

[BlueAbyss]

Wow that stuff IS taking over. Best of luck getting rid of it... maybe it will go away after a while, like a phase of some type (like the HA phase that a lot of people seem to go through)?

[Badfish]

Just read through the thread... Real nice tank! As far as your algae it looks like dictyota algae or nitophyllum. Good looking stuff in my opinion and i think its also a sign that things are doing well. Try a small diadema/longspine urchin.
HTH

[Myka]

You know, that's funny I was just thinking that it sure looks like Dictoyota, but it's totally the wrong color. A Diadema might do the trick, but they grow REALLY fast! Like really, really fast.

Take a hunt through here maybe. I already have, and can't come up with anything, but you'd be better at recognising it since you look at it everyday. http://saltcorner.com/sections/guest/algaepage/algaepage.htm

[mseepman]

Thanks for the info...I'll look into those type of algae.

It may be good, but it's taking over and has started to force some of my zoas to recede and some of my SPS to RTN.

[mseepman]

Added a new addition to the tank today. Great find considering the availability of stuff around here.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/newpompomcrab.jpg?t=1243035785

Any suggestions on what makes these guys happy in our tanks?

[JDigital]

No idea what makes them happy, but I have a pair in my 75 and I've seen them trying to spawn... So I figure they are happy.. haha :lol:

[BlueAbyss]

:laluot_18:

OMG I love these crabs!

[new but handy]

What did you pay for the pom pom? I have one in my fuge you could have, or still can if you want a pair

[new but handy]

I think he is still in there:redface:

[BlueAbyss]

I'll be getting a pair for my nano, when it's ready for livestock. Or two.

[mseepman]

Complete pet had them on for $15 (they only had one) but it had both anemones (sometimes they drop them). I took a long time added it and everything looked great yesterday. Can't find it today (but I hear that's common for these guys).

Really a great little creature.

[Myka]

Oh great addition Mark!!! I love Pom Pom Crabs! They do tend to be shy though, some people think they are dead, but they show up months later. They seem to like to hide for awhile, then learn to come out. Hey, you should take a pic of that coral to get it IDed. The one I thought was Porites-esque! :lol:

[Oscar]

I think he is still in there:redface:

I am heading to the Coast next week and a pom pom is on my list, but if you have one you'd like to part with...

[Oscar]

Mark:

If you are still struggling with algae I now have 2 urchins. I would like to get rid of one now that my algae issue is more or less under control.

[new but handy]

I like him but in my 180 I don't think I would ever see it so I keep it in my fuge. I actually got it as a hitchhiker.

[new but handy]

Mark I have to be in Falkland for 12 so I will get hold of you when I get back. If I could have a piece of eggcrate that would be great. I am going to go do 9 holes before I go, so it will have to be after

[mseepman]

Well, it's been a while since I updated this...mostly because my picture taking just leaves so much to be desired.

Here's a FTS of my nano...I've been away for a bit so it needs a scraping that will come this weekend.
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/FTSNanoSept09a.jpg

Here's a closeup of one of the SPS in the tank that's doing quite well.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/nanoTankacro.jpg

And lastly, in trying to deal with the unknown algae that has plagued this tank so badly, I've added a fuge recently. I know the light is ghetto but it's made from parts of a coralife light that simply fell apart on my last fuge.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/NanoFuge.jpg

It's gravity fed back to the tank. As I haven't figure out how to stop the chaeto from plugging the return, I've got it locked in a breeder box for now.

[Myka]

Cool little fuge! Have you thought of using egg crate to hold the chaeto back?

[mseepman]

Thanks Myka, I have thought about using the eggcrate but what is to stop little bits from clogging the return. I know Chaeto usually sticks together but I wasn't sure I wanted to take the risk.

I have the eggcrate so maybe I'll give it a try.

[Boomboy]

try cheato with some filter floss if your that worried about it. make a layer of eggcrate so that the floss can just sit in between and you can replace it.

[mseepman]

Ahhh...now that is an ingenius idea!!

Now that you've suggested it...what about maybe using one of the charcoal pads or nitrate pads?

[Myka]

Those pads are not a good idea imo since they are essentially made from media dust and too much gets into the water.

my picture taking just leaves so much to be desired.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/FTSNanoSept09a.jpg


Try turning your ISO to 200 or less, then adjust the "F" setting to wide open. Then turn down the shutter speed (I think it is lol) to 1/4 or 1/8 or so to really darken up the pic. Then use a photo adjusting program to fine tune. I use Picasa (free) even though people say it's horrible, it's easy to use!! :D Take a read through a picture taking thread I posted up a little while ago. They really helped me!! http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=53743

How is the Pom Pom doing? Does it still have both pom poms? I'm still thinking of adding one or two to my tank. I see my Emerald crabs all the time, so I think I would see Pom Poms too...maybe not?

[mseepman]

Thanks Myka. I had a feeling that they were too good to be true.

The pompom is doing great...he has both pom poms and comes out regularly.

I read your thread on taking pictures and I need to do it again. I will try what you have suggested.

[mseepman]

So today after much debate over the last few months I got an urchin (tuxedo) which I hope will help tackle my algae problem. I spent some of the morning epoxying down any loose corals and then picked him/her up in the afternoon. I'm acclimating it now so I will try to get pictures tonight or tomorrow.

Got the fingers crossed that it might help.

[Myka]

That's not a bad idea. If all else fails the urchin will do well in your 70.

[mseepman]

Well, here's my new little Urchin buddy. Hopefully he does what I've read elsewhere on the net and mows down all my algae.
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/NewUrchinBuddy.jpg?t=1254334704

You can see that ugly red stuff all over the rocks above him in the pic.

[Myka]

I have my fingers crossed for you!

Say, how's your 70 doing? I don't think you have a journal for it do you?

[mseepman]

Hey Myka, no I don't have a thread for my 70G tank. I didn't even know about this site when I started that tank. I've included a few pics in the FTS thread but not much more.

The tank is doing well. I'm still struggling with some algae on those two acros tips but hopefully my change to dosing will help in the long run.

As for my urchin, so far, he's ripped some algae off to use in his camoflage, but I don't see any eaten yet. Not sure how fast that happens so maybe I'm just being impatient.

I will try to get a FTS of the nano with my wife's camera tonight. It is an A640 so it has more range, including controls over the aperature...which my camera doesn't.

Don't uncross those fingers...lol..

[mseepman]

Well after suggestions from a few people I thought I would put a picture of my 70G tank up since I haven't done so in a long time.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr220/mseepman/70GFTSSept09.jpg?t=1254423857

I originally wanted to change over from softies to SPS with the odd LPS but now I'm in a holding pattern until my new tank is started (roughly a 280g) where I hope to have some softies at one end (low flow end) and SPS at the other end.

[fishytime]

looking goooood there Mark....a 280g huh?....theres a bit of a jump:lol:

[mseepman]

Yeah....I'm looking forward to it. I'm waiting this week to find out if the contractor for our new house can start in late Oct, early Nov. If not, they will push us to early spring which will make me want to cry. If they can start, then I'll be putting quote requests out for an 84x32x24 tank along with a 100g sump. It will be a peninsula tank and we've already drawn it into the plans with a basement fishroom (8 x 10).

You can see why I want to get started already.:lol:

[Myka]

That is so exciting Mark!!! :D

Your tank is looking great. That Monti Cap has really grown in nicely. I think those Yumas have increased population too eh? Lookin good! =]

[mseepman]

Thanks Myka...I need to try to clean the back wall soon. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with it. Wish I could rid myself of all the mushrooms though. Not sure what to do for the future.

[Bugsy]

Hi Mark, your tanks look very nice....:wink:

As for the Pom Pom Crab, he will eat and sweep the sand for any left overs that fall. I have had mine for a year now and yes they do hide but every once in a while they come out. They will eat everything from frozen to small flakes if you feed that. Great little guys that is for sure.

Bugsy....:biggrin:

[mseepman]

Well after being away for much of Christmas my Nano tank is showing some struggles. I developed some type of slimy brown algae on all the SPS and it's already resulting in about a 60% death rate for them.

A couple are holding and I'm doing all I can to keep the stuff at bay. My parameters were pretty good, PO4 was a little high as I was due for a GAC and Phos change in mid Dec and didn't get it done until Jan 2nd.

None of my efforts seemed to be affecting this stuff so yesterday I tried some chemi-clean just in case this stuff was related to cyano. Funny thing is that my sand is as clean as a whistle...my fuge has a tiny bit of cyano but nothing major at all.

Anyways, the LPS and zoas are all fine so we'll just keep fighting the good fight and see what comes of it. Worst case scenario I make a Frag-a-lot order of $10 frags and re-fill the nano once I know this stuff is beat.

[Oscar]

That sucks.

[Bugsy]

Sorry to hear that Mark, if you decide to place an order with fragalot please let me know.

:biggrin:

[Snufflupagus]

Hello,

Love the tanks you have, they are looking great! In reading I saw you were having some problems with an unknown algae. Well I have a small nano tank at work and it had the same kind of algae in there and I had no clue what to do about it. I took a shot at adding one single hermit crab to the tank to see if he would get rid of the algae and to my surprise two days later he had litterally cleaned over half a medium sized rock bare to the rock surface. I'd say if you are able to add a hermit crab to your tank, it's worth the shot. I think it's a blue legged crab we added, but don't quote me on that. I hope this helps.
I've also heard from a friend that tang fish will eat this algae up like nothing also, though I think the nano tank is a little small for a tang, if you have a bigger tank that can handle the tang after he is in the nano for cleaning reasons, that could be an option too.
Just trying to help. Hope some of my advise helps.

[mseepman]

Thanks for the compliments on my tanks. I really do love this hobby, I just haven't had the luck I wished for in my nano tank.

On the note of what to hit that algae with, I've got blue-legged, red-scarlet, and left handed crabs in the tank and they have no interest in the Algae. I've got a tuxedo urchin and even that won't touch it other than to decorate itself.

I've been sorely tempted to do the Tang thing but as it grows up, I really don't have room for it in my main tank and that just isn't acceptable. Maybe as time goes by, I'll figure out some way to do it.

[kien]

wow, you weren't kidding, you have a lot of mushrooms in there! Are they all the same species? What colour are they ?

[mseepman]

wow, you weren't kidding, you have a lot of mushrooms in there! Are they all the same species? What colour are they ?

Haha...and that's with me culling every week. Painful I know.

They are the blue mushrooms that seem to be incredibly hardy.:(

[new but handy]

hey man how's it going
I have got a 3" yellow tang you could try for a while to see if he will eat it

[kien]

I think that moving your tank to the new 280 might be a good opportunity for an intervention. Before you aquascape the 280 just get in there, tear it down and scrub those rocks clean.

[mseepman]

hey man how's it going
I have got a 3" yellow tang you could try for a while to see if he will eat it

Thanks for the offer...but the tank is only 16" x 16" and that would be torture to a tang. I see that the LFS has some 1" Blue tangs in so maybe I might look at that.

[new but handy]

Oh ya i forgot it was that small. oh well keep trying

[mseepman]

I think that moving your tank to the new 280 might be a good opportunity for an intervention. Before you aquascape the 280 just get in there, tear it down and scrub those rocks clean.

Yeah you are right but man, I don't relish the thought. When you do this...how do you deal with the other corals attached to that rock?

Can you tell I'm just dreading this.

[Bugsy]

Hello is this slime algae?

[mseepman]

Hello is this slime algae?

Missing the picture on this post.

[kien]

I remove all corals from the rock. It ends up being a complete reaquascaping nightmare-um.. I mean chore. Everything is removed save for the mushrooms. I even had to pull out the chisel to remove my favourite corals from infested rocks :lol: I feel your pain. Oddly, even after all that effort I went and threw a rock of blue mushrooms into my new 150g tank :drinking: Surprisingly they are keeping to themselves but I have had to give away a few prunings.. that reminds me, I should prune this weekend.

The other thing you can do is just sell the darn mushroom rock. There are lots of people out there who'd be more than happy to take it off your hands I'm sure.

[mseepman]

I remove all corals from the rock. It ends up being a complete reaquascaping nightmare-um.. I mean chore. Everything is removed save for the mushrooms. I even had to pull out the chisel to remove my favourite corals from infested rocks :lol: I feel your pain. Oddly, even after all that effort I went and threw a rock of blue mushrooms into my new 150g tank :drinking: Surprisingly they are keeping to themselves but I have had to give away a few prunings.. that reminds me, I should prune this weekend.

The other thing you can do is just sell the darn mushroom rock. There are lots of people out there who'd be more than happy to take it off your hands I'm sure.

I just can't imagine doing this. What about my encrusted SPS? Yikes. I will be buying a lot of Eco-rox for the big tank and I was hoping that my 90lbs of Liverock from the current tank would be sufficient to seed the system. I also don't have and have never had aptasia...so my hopes included not adding any other LR as it might have this pest.

[Bugsy]

Mark I was asking you if this was slime algae you have.

I re-read your post though, unless you want another tang one thing I can recommend that will make this stuff curl up and die is erythromiacin. When I first started in the hobby Sharla told me about using this in a very very small amount. That stuff just died immediatley. I never had an issue again.

The only draw back is it can bug your beneficial bacteria a touch but wow does it work. I have some human stuff that I keep to give you an idea when I moved stuff to my 3 gal and disturbed everything, I had this starting so I opened a capsule and took out 3 bead of this and zapped it all, never had an issue since then. So I have used it twice in a new setup and never had a problem with it coming back again.

Just a suggestion as appose to the fish unless you would like a new tang. AJ's has a tiny blue hippo in the front tank across from the till. Watch out for their rock though, lots of aptasia in there.

[kien]

for my new 104.72G tank I have a rubbermaid tub full of live rock that I got from a canreef that I'll be using. One of the rocks has way too many mushrooms on it and they started to spread so I decided to cook those rocks. They've been sitting in my basement with just a thermometer and powerhead for about a month now. The mushrooms are all dead. Had to do lots of water changes but the rocks are nice and clean now, although I am still cooking. I know you have encrusted corals on some of your rocks so you don't want to do that to all of them. You might just have to bite the bullet and chisel them off the rock so that you can clean it. They will grow back :-) Also, you don't need 90lbs of rocks to seed your new rocks. Maybe half of that?

[mseepman]

So bringing this thread back from the archives...this tank started with a plague algae of some type that no-one could ever identify...but since then, valonia got in on a frag and has completely taken over. It's overcome all but the hardiest of corals and has covered about 50% of the rock. I prune out a baseball sized amount each week and you can't tell I even touched it. I run a fuge on this plus GFO and Carbon (via reactors). I do have some phosphates...but still less than my main tank (which has no algae problems)

Any suggestions to deal with this? I have thought about taking the rock out to scrub it down but I have a pistol/goby pair and if the rock comes out I won't be able to get it back in through the sand...thus the pistol will probably dig out a hole and get crushed.