check out the new upgrade thread as this tank has been tanken down

[bvlester]

Sorry for any spelling mistakes and such I have Dyslexia.

You find pics on second page.

Started a bit slow had to make a new stand I kind of over build things that way they don't break. I have been around fish as long as I can remember my parents use to build thier own tanks. As a teenager I had a FW tank of fancey guppies sold them to one of my brothers friends that had a pet store. I kept FW fish all along untill I discovered Saltwater fish back in the early 1990's kept them for a few years untill I moved out and got divorsed. then had FW again moved a couple of BC to Alberta and them to Winnipeg Manitoba where I grow up. Now I am back In BC in Kamloops, starting up a SW tank was planning on starting a couple of weeks earlier but wanted a stand that met my streinght standards. The stand is larger than the tank that is on it this is for an upgrade that my wife has already put into my head.
So now the tank is a used one that I stripped all the old silicone off of and resiliconed not a perfict job but a nice one. I then added water and salt and Cycle let stand for a day and added drysand and Cycle, a day latter added some live sand and Cycle It has now been 5 days and Cycle additions have stopped with day 4 addition of Cycle, going down to Vancouver and I think I can add a bit of Live rock to the tank seems the tank is going to Cycle any ways My wife keeps asking when are you going to add a couple of fish and I keep telling her it will be a month or more. My water peramiters are fine there is not much in the tank for them to take off in a bad direction yet. I don't have my sump in yet looking for a over flow my get one in Vancouver this weekend. My protine skimmer is down in Vancouver I can't get it till next weekend.forgot to mention I had to install a GFI outlet and get a APC power fail backup unit. I have my filters and heater pluged into it good for 1 hours or more depending in power useage once I have sump and PS up and running then it should last a little bit longer. I need to build a hanging light ficture have everything needed right now all I have a couple of 30" hoods set up as the Live sand only needs a little light for a couple of hours for the first few days after that they will be on a timer. by the end of november I should have my custom hanging hood built and working. So there you go I'll try and take a couple of pics and post them for you guys. I am useing IO as that is what I had back in the 1990's, by the way I had a nano tank back then when everyone said you could not do it.
new thread http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=60707
Bill:razz::razz:

[bvlester]

Stopped at Pauls he remembered me from maybe 17 years ago or so. He has some realy good prices very healthy fish I may add. Also stopped at aquotic addictions very good guy there bought some LR, there as no one else responded to my PM's down there. Kind of hopping to get some LR cheeper than retail. Thats ok thought as I got a couple pieces with some critters on them and within a few minutes of being in my tank they have started comming out feather dusters atleast now I have something to watch ( came out after less thatn 10 minutes.) Water peramiters are good for only being a week old and having live sand in there for 6 days now I think I got a spunge on the LR and a some bright green algea.. I am keeping a log on water peramiters. Right now just the basic 4 tests but once I add fish or some coral months down the road. IO am looking adding coral, a couple of clowns and a angle or two in a month or so. once the cycle is done in the mean time I am going to try and get some aged LR. If you want to sell some and you are from the Thomson Okanagon even 100 mile house would work drop me a line I also get out to the Kootenays from time to time.

Bill

Looks good to me and thank to Aquadic addictions.

[bvlester]

Well on sunday I was able to buy some Live rock localy for a good price. He is treating a piece of bronching coral rock for me as it had a atapia on it it should be dead when I pick it up. I found one on a piece that I brought home. I have huge seringe about 2-3 oz's boiled up some water.I then squerted the little devil with 2 seringes and it has not showen its head again, I took the rock out of the tank to do this. I have been watching my tanks paramiters carfully ammonia, nitrate and nitrite are all at 0 Ph went up today a bit to 8.3. Built my sump today so that is done recieved my 2 return pumps. Going to get my protiene skimmer this weekend, my aunt was down at her beach cottage in Washington last weekend with all her kid sna dgrandkids. I don't blame her one bit it is hard for them all to get together. I am still finding new stuff on the rock from Aquadic Addictions 2-3 oysters and some spunges and worms copods feathers and maybe a coaral if it servives it didn't look to good I think the rock was picked up by the coral.
A single coliny. Anyway it did take some baby brine shrimp that I had frozen other than that i have larger stuff, I have been grinding up dried stuff for the feathers and morms allittle bit every couple of days. I take four or fife small pellets and grind uning a morter and pestle work great.

Bill

[Coincidentally]

If you are ever in abbotsford again pm me and i could probably spare a few frags for you.

[bvlester]

Nice meeting you and your kids. Nice tank you have there. Will give you a email and call when we go back to Van next.

Thank you,
Bill

[bvlester]

Well we got back from Van Sat and proceded to Aclimate live rock and coral just 2 pieces that we picked up from Aquadic Addictions. These were very small frags but worth it. After finaly getting them in the tank and turnning off the lights in the basment where the tank is setup. We went over to my mom's and brought supper. Came back and had a look at the rock andfound many things running around on them. I got a mushroom on one freebe, a couple of spunges and to top it off we got 2 orange feather dusters and one red feather duster. Some of the other feather dusters on some of the rock we picked up last week have grown quite a bit. When putting this batch of rock in the tank a 1/4 inch start fish letgo of one of the rocks. It was white I tried to watch where it laned so I would not place a rock on it but with a white sand bottom it hard to keep track. My sand is farly corse quite a bit of shell in it also, I have finner stuff under the corse is was done because 1) the corse was the live sand and 2) I like the look of having shells showing. I think it loos more natural this way I can change it at anytime, I have about 1 1/2 to 2 inchs on the bottom of my tank. I sure hope the star fish makes it and I hope it is a sand sifter I think they are cool star fish. Some of the live rock has worms berowed into it. There is also little whith coral tubs on the rock the a very fine tentical comes out of and then there is the soft white cotten looking tenticals or web on a few of the rocks looks very cool. shrimp swimming and running around on the rock, I think I like this batch better.

Tank test the four basic ones are PH 8.2 and nitrite ,nitrate and ammonia all test 0 still. Got to remember there is around 70 pounds of LR maybe a bit more. I have a couple more pieces to pickup that were having a bath for atapsia. I also had to pick up a few snails and a few blue legged hermit crabs. There is one of the Hermits that crawls up to the highest point on the rock and just sits there. I got these as there is a bit of green algea growing and a bit of brown elgea on the sand. I also picked up my skimmer barly fits in the 15g sump May have to make it a 2 partition sump insted of a 3 partition. I am looking at 20g sump this week when I can make arangment with the guy he is a canreefer and he also has a 90g tank which my wife said get it for that price so I will he also has an over flow that I am getting need backup unit. I will probably wind up with both tanks going just conect the 15g and 20g then I can have a good sized Sump and fuge or maybe somthing else but it will increase the water volume.

Bill

well picked up the 90g from bloat (jim) that is nice tank was hopping it was a long 90g but this works as now I don't have to get new lights. He said it was a starfire glass tank. Anyway it is nice and the sump, I will have to take apart to fix properly. After closer inspection so I need to get a piece of glass cut to fit the whole bottom and reasemble the tank as if were new going to be hard getting the braces off anf the baffels out but not imposable, then I am inbisseness. Now notice My wife told me to get these new parts for the next build. I think something is up.

Yesterday I picked up the last piece of LR for a bit nice branching coral, he had it in a tank with a bunch of shrimp. Atapsia cleaning tank should have done 2 of the other rocks but I got the little buggers that were on them Joe's juice. Any ways he was holding a couple of fish we decided to buy for our daughter as her hamster died a little while back. i would not let her get anouther one did you know they only live between 1 and 3 years depending and what type they are. So he kind of say You're going to take the fish today aren't you. Wheles start turning and I come to the conclusion that he had someone else interested in them. I say ok my tank is only about 4 day early for fish. We get them home and put bag in tank water 1 hour latter open bag add stress coat and meds and some tank water leave for 1 hour add more water . After 3 .5 hours of this by the way lights are out in basment no one else aloud neer tank. I have fed them and they eat like little pigs did not feed tomuch as they are only in the bag. Kids go to tank and I get to add fish with blue light on. Once in the tank I give them a bit of thawed brine shimp in tank water with a plkastic squert bottle they tank it right for the end first thing. I like feeding my fish this way that way I know that everyone gets some food. After a bit of food not to much all lights off again. Came back down stairs about 2 hours latter and one fish is not to be seen. Looked in every nook and cranny mover a bunch of rocks, I then took the bio life filter off its backing plate (by the way the bio life filter is comming out in anouther week or so.)

Tonight PH was up a bit but the rest of the test were all 0,0,0. so I think the tank is just ajusting to having a couple fish in it. I fed the two true perculas tonight they eat their fill under watchfull eyes once they stoped taking food readily feeding stoped. I find this way there is not much excess food in the tank. everything is growing including algae snails seem to be catching up though. Every time my wife gose down stairs she looks for the fish now and she is in the basments alot. I get my kids to help do stuff with the tank nothing to complicated. I have a outmatic feeder and lights are on a timer. so if we are away for a few days every thing will be alright. When away lights on for 8 hours only.

[bvlester]

Well I now have baby snails I think and feather dusters are multipling and some have migrated to the sand. Starpolups are growing I had to glue the zoes to a piece of coral that I had hanging around the house, they are doing better now. My clown fish are big pigs they get fed 2 daly first is flakes as they will not touch pelets. I will see if any other fish I get will eat them before I give them away. Tank test have been very good the PH went up a bit to 8.3 or so. It is not 8.2 or 8.4 some where in between test is not that specific. The ph dosn't seem to bother anything else I read that it should be good for the coriline algea. Mushroom is also doing very well once I found the right place for it, low flow but it like quite a bit of light. I have anoughter hitch hiker but I can not get a clear picture even with a magnifieing glass. All I know is it dose not like too much light or flow, probable moreso the flow is the problem it moves when ever it is in a high flow area bit it bulks up and looks nice. I have got to figure out how to activate my web space om my service providers account. The thing is in a small shell seems to stay in it. It is about the size of a pee. Sept28/09 well cross the thing seems to stay in the small shell it is migrating to the back of the tank now. At some point it will settle down and find a good home for it's self.I saw some other snails today and got a decent pic of the eggs on the glass.

[bvlester]

well the hair algea is almost gone tank looks good coriline algea is growing comes in as a red velvet looking algea and turns to coriline algea. I also have some cool feather dusters like a black one and one that kind of looks purpe they are farly large ones. I'll try and get good pic's once macro lens and adapter come in. peramiters are still good PH 8.3 ammonia , nitrite and nitrate are all 0.0 silinity is 1.024 -1.025 skimmer dosn't pull as much out of the water in the sump as it di in the main tank as a hang on. BTA decided to jump into a power head and killed it's self. It was a cheepo as it did not look good when I got it I just wanted to get nice and healthy again and pass on the saving to someone else that may have wanted a BTA I guess it was just too far gone. I have read many instances where a BTA has moved right on to a power head and in alot of them the BTA was not doing so good. I think they know they are done for and want to end it so they do what anyone in a terminal situation would do if given the chance. Anyways my other nem's are doing just fine one has up and sunk it's self into the sand and seems to like it there. Probably just anouther way to hunt for the little pink bristel worms, get them as they run over you. There is about 2" or more sand on the bottom of the tank. corals seem happy some doing better than others but all are healthy 2 type star polups, a few different type of zoes, a candy cane and frog spone and a couple of hammer corals also a frag of waving hands that the flame angle seems to eat once in a while or maybe the bright purple dottyback. the flame angle had a few white spots when I got it but they seemed to have droped off and he has been in the tank for a little bit and a couple of spots came back but with garlic extreem in the flakes and treeting the water with it they seem to be almost gone again. so that should be that for them.

[bvlester]

Well I have not been in here and updated for a while. Since last time I have been layed off slowdown at work. So as a couple of you know I lost the Flame Angle It would eat ok but that was slowly subsiding and it would have some white on it in the morrning and after the lights were on for a while the white would be gone. If you looked close you could see ridges under the scales. Resurch I figure it to be one of two things Flukes or ancker worms. Other fish started showing signs also cought (1-1.5 hrs off and on) the Flame angle and QTed her treeted for Ick as that is how it looked. Bad idear Flame Angle was dead in the morrning I think that catching her was to much. So with this knowledge in hand I decided after a ton of resurch and reading forums to dose my tank with PraziPro. I hated doing it but if you have egg laying flukes that are non speices specific then you either have to dose the tank or empty the hole tank and get rid of your sand and put rock in anouther container and cook it. cooking may kill the domit eggs and may not I have not found evidence that would say that 100% that it will kill dormit eggs.

Here is a example of eggs that can be reisilent to temperitures. Painted turtles eggs get burried in sand right so they heatup and stay worm durring the night. well if they don't get worm enough they will not hatch and can go dorment and hatch the following year. I found this out when I lived in Manitoba We took in some wild life talk at Grand Marie Beach one summer while visiting relitives. Now I know fist hand that Manitoba winters can be very cold. Winter 2003 when I moved back there it went down to -54 degrees celcus without the wind chill. I heard it in the radio when driving home one early morrning in December I believe it was about 3:00am.

So I dosed the entire tank I did however dose 4ml/20g insted of 5ml/20g and added 1ml ever other day for the entire 7day treatment, they recomend 5-7 days. I watched very carfully and went down and checked the tank right before bed time at 12am - 1am. I have not lost any fish, corals or snails and I have seen copods running around on the rocks large and small ones so they are still reproducing. I may have lost a couple blue leged hermit shrimps. But I am not sure, as I have one that was going around and killing its rivels; that would climb on it's rock. So the fish have all cleared up I can conclude from the end result that the infestation was a parisite. I figured it came in on either the Flame Angle or sea hare it never ate that much. it would eat for 5-20 mins and then go and sleep for 2-3 hrs. The flap on its back never completely opened and it never finished the job that I borowed it for. Water cemitry has stayed very good the whole time I treated the tank. So now I don't need the lecture about QTing when you get a new fish because I do. I figure I just didn't wate long enough I should have thrown anouther rock with green hair algea on in the QT tank instead of cutting it short. Well I have added anouther true percula clown and a week latter went back and purchesed the carpet nem the percula was hosting. Almost as soon as I put the carpet nem in the tank The new percula was over there giving it a nuge with it nose. I am hoping this will spur the other two perculas into hosting the nem I moved the seabe in to my 20g kids tank and I will move 1 of the perculas which ever is the odd one out. It seems that the original pair may split and the new percula will ba mated up. This was not my goal but nature will do what nature does. The other to perculas have shown interest in the carpet nem after watching the new percula for acouple hrs.

Well got to go,

Bill

[bvlester]

Hi I have not done much else but I have bought a couple of corals a orange monti cap and some cabage coral.
Bill
I removed pics posted for Leah so I have space to post other pics.

[argan]

Looking good!

[bvlester]

THanks for the comment I am going to post a paneramic shoot from a few weeks ago and now when I can figure out how on here. I have space with my provider but it does not show up here. Will have to try a couple of other things.

Bill

[jimbo222]

yep lookin good
need some pictures for sure!!:biggrin:

[Leah]

How is Mrs Potter?

[bvlester]

well she is doing very well and she other tank mates are fine also all are eatting very well she tends to like the frozen food more so. I soke my flake in garlic extreme and feed in the morning frozen at night. If I am away they get flake both times from an auto feeder. that is the best way my wife doesn't know how to do any of this stuff. I have an ATO so she doen't have to worry about that either. try this one let me know if it works.

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx134/bvlester/tankpic1-1.jpg

[bvlester]

now I know the photo bucket works so I will update with pics soon for now you get to look at a hole take shot that has not been edited. I don't like doing that, what I take a pic of you get to see.

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx134/bvlester/yellowzoe.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx134/bvlester/brownandorangezoes.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx134/bvlester/brownorangezoe-1.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx134/bvlester/yellowpolup.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx134/bvlester/Fameangle.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx134/bvlester/cleanershrimp1.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx134/bvlester/dottyandscooter.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx134/bvlester/dottyback.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx134/bvlester/orangemonti.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx134/bvlester/pottersangle.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx134/bvlester/nem-1.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx134/bvlester/tankpic1-1.jpg

Bill

[ElGuappo]

looking good. your 2 angels get along ok?

[Leah]

So nice to see her in her new home. Nice to see the pictures. Glad she is doing well.

[bvlester]

she will be moving to a larger condo in a little while when the 90g is ready. I still have to sdo a couple of things for it.

Bill

[bvlester]

looking good. your 2 angels get along ok?

I don't have the flame anymore as she died from illness and stress of caching her to go into the QT. That was one of the few pics I have of her and think it is a good one for show. Also the dottyback was eaten when it swam right onto my carpet nem, little guy didn't have a chance.

But I have yellow tail pygmy angle in the tank with the potter angle and they get along very well. If anything the little yellow tail is the aggressor. Potters angles are very docile and you should not have them with really aggressive fish they will die.


Bill

[bvlester]

coriline algae is growning good I have added a tuxedo urchin help with algea does a great job but it seems to like coriline algae also. one of my pepermint shrimp and one of my cleaner shrimp are loaded with eggs. Both are shy as soon as they see movment there gone so I can not catch them and place in to a different tank. To keep the babies and raise for sale so we will see what happens I wish this would have happened after I changed tanks. I may have to put off the tank change over for a bit I wnat to see if any of the babies servive and grow.. I think I will have to put the jaw fish in the kids tank insted of this tank. I will have to up load some more picture to photo bucket, I am going to try and get a couple of coral pics also.

Bill

[Leah]

Bill,

I have a pair of cleaners in a tank by them selves and they had eggs and none survived.
Not to mention having them in a reef tank, chances are probably pretty slim.
Let us know what happens though. :biggrin:

Leah

[bvlester]

Ya I will I'm just interested in seeing what happens as there is a lot of rock in this tank as all the rock is for the upgrade to the 90g. so there is about 110 pounds in the 55g a bit over kill but nice to see. Kind of like being on the reef it almost 40 rock 60 everything else. anyways it is deffinitly more in there than anyone alses tank I have seen ratio wise. I am sitting a tank that is about 3 times the size and it doesn't have as much rock.

My mother in law was over tonight and they have a B&B in the caribean they lived there for 12 years. She admiers my tank and thinks it looks alot like the reefs around where they were. Their place in at the commonwealth of Dominica part of the West Indies.
It's prity good if a person that has lived and swam on a reef on a continual basis can compare a tank to the real thing that is what everyone here is trying to do.

Well now I just checked my tank and I have about 1000 little baby shrimp swimming around right now. I think they are the pepermint shrimps babies. as 2 of my cleaner shrimps are still loaded with eggs.
Now things get interesting I put some in my QT along with a bit of cheato I also put some in my sump fuge as it has a lot of cheato in there. they might have a chance if spread out a bit.
Bill

[bvlester]

ttt

[bvlester]

well if all gose well I will be upgrading my 55g to a 110g or 120g depending on which tank he has still, instead of the 90g then I have to figure out which tank to sell. THis is going to be great more of every thing sort of I think I have almost enough corals I may get a couple more. There will deffinitly be more fish though. I have seen many tanks and alot seem to lack in the corals, I know it is a personal choice. I just thing we are suposto be recreating a eco system abit of plant matter does help a tank. that is why we have fuges and such for our tanks. Well that is the news so I may start a new journal for the new tank I hope things go well I will use as much of my water and sand as I can I also have a couple of bags of live sand here so the tank cycle should be nominal. I have asked him to keep some of his water also. I will be getting all of his LR he has it in a 225g tank so there is lots extras will be sold off for what I pay for it. THe LR has not had direct light for a while but has been in a heated and sirculated tank the whole time he has a skimmer in there also.

Bill

[Leah]

Bill,
Sounds great! Can't wait to see it. Ms Potter will have a hay-day in her new home. :biggrin:

Leah

[Marlin65]

Looking good love the flame picture.