Greg's 75g [Archive] - Page 2 - Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board

gregzz4

06-02-2012, 10:42 PM

Wrapping the pipe with foam insulation won't do the trick as the humming still transfers through my current foam pads. It is then amplified through the wall

I'd thought about moving a couple pieces here and there to get it all away from the wall, but the weight of the long section is too much and everything sags, thus it will always rest on something

On the plus side, installing individual pumps should eliminate one issue ...
Right now I'm having to adjust the chaeto tank level too often and, if I make any adjustments on the reactors, it's messes up the chaeto level
Same goes if I would ever shut off the uv/chiller circuit for any reason
I'm sure I will like having everything on it's own pump and with the adjustable eheim compacts I won't need the ball valves anymore

I'll be able to service individual hardware pieces without shutting everything down, service the reactors without the chaeto overflowing etc

gregzz4

06-06-2012, 02:46 AM

No plumbing done yet
I'm hoping to scape some rock in the 36g tomorrow

Just found one of these buggers in the DT
( picture from Wikimedia )

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/29/Flatworm.Mgiangrasso.jpg

Coralgurl

06-06-2012, 02:48 AM

Whatis that??

gregzz4

06-06-2012, 02:53 AM

I'm pretty sure it's some kind of flatworm - like the acro eating kind
Maybe someone will confirm that

Delphinus

06-06-2012, 02:59 AM

I keep a canary wrasse in my stocking list for two reasons: 1) they are an awesome fish and 2) they will keep flatworms away. It's too bad the buggers jump - so a plan to keep jumpers from escaping is essential.

gregzz4

06-06-2012, 03:18 AM

That's a nice wrasse - it's now on my secondary list
So is a mesh to replace my eggcrate. I don't want tan lines on my corals :smile:

Nano

06-06-2012, 03:39 AM

:lol: I always have the lid open when I'm home now until I can get to the store for some screen. Lol pain in the arse

daplatapus

06-06-2012, 04:32 AM

Whatis that??

Yup, definitely a flat worm. Exploring where no flat worm has gone before, searching out new life....

Coralgurl

06-06-2012, 04:39 AM

Yup, definitely a flat worm. Exploring where no flat worm has gone before, searching out new life....

Learn something new everyday :razz:

gregzz4

06-06-2012, 04:42 AM

Funny thing is, if I hadn't seen it free-swimming, I may not have ever known it was there
I'm sure it would have soon starved anyway :wink:

Enigma

06-06-2012, 02:01 PM

I'm pretty sure it's some kind of flatworm - like the acro eating kind
Maybe someone will confirm that

Nope. It isn't the acro eating kind: if the photo is an accurate representation of what you've got. It is harmless.

This is the acro eating kind:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-09/mc/images/tn_weatherson_jpg.jpg

gregzz4

06-07-2012, 02:41 AM

Thanks for trying to link the pic Shelley :razz:

All 4 of the hermits have molted over the last few days, so I gather the tank is OK right now. Everything is testing zero today, but that will change soon ...
I'm off to attempt a scape out of the new LR to replace the center base rock in the DT

Enigma

06-07-2012, 02:53 AM

Oops. Used the original image location instead of the one in my Photobucket account.

http://i1035.photobucket.com/albums/a435/Iasgair/240f5b04.jpg

The acro eating ones don't have the two pronounced "lobes" on the arse end. The other baddies are reddish and have three lobes.

The ones you have are harmless. I've got them in one tank. I spent a couple of hours trying to get a grip on what's what.

gregzz4

06-07-2012, 04:12 AM

Thanks Shel

The lone one I found was definately the same as the pic I posted
Not that I'm worried about it as there's nothing to eat so I assume they'll starve out right now anyway :wink:

gregzz4

06-07-2012, 07:30 AM

Finally got some scaping done with the new LR
First was a little mishap with some coral glue :redface::lol:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01081.jpg

Here's the before shot of the scape

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01041.jpg

And here's the after shot

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01083.jpg

I removed 35lbs of base rock and added 25lbs of LR
The scape is missing a piece between the right and middle towers ...
We'll have to find something at the LFS
Next is to add as much of the leftover LR to the sump and sell the leftovers :lol:

ensquire

06-07-2012, 07:41 AM

Looks awesome.

gregzz4

06-07-2012, 07:54 AM

Thanks Mike
I was all nervous about the look of it
The wife was at work and I just went for it
She likes it too :mrgreen:

Still needs something though ... CORALS :razz:

gregzz4

06-07-2012, 08:29 AM

Although it's not ideal, there's now about 60#LR in the DT system - 40# in the DT and 20# in the sump
The rest is in the QT
I know LR in a QT isn't the best, but I need to seed the filter

Now I just have to see what the DT does with the new LR and we can buy some fishies for the QT :smile:

Nano

06-07-2012, 12:57 PM

Looks great Greg! I love the separate structures :D

Enigma

06-07-2012, 01:53 PM

Very nice new scape!

daplatapus

06-07-2012, 02:24 PM

Agreed! Very nice. Maybe you want to come to the island and do mine? :D

Casey8

06-07-2012, 05:03 PM

Now I can say this is NICE ... VERY NICE with the new scape !

gregzz4

06-07-2012, 06:58 PM

:redface: Thanks all
I'm happy the wife is pleased with it

Agreed! Very nice. Maybe you want to come to the island and do mine? :D
Ya, sure :wink:

lastlight

06-07-2012, 07:08 PM

I really liked that middle tower but another swim-thru is also nice to have.

You've got a nice slope on the right for mounting coral too... personally I'd remove that little vertical nub you added to the end there as it will block a lot of coral from view when looking in the tank's end maybe...

gregzz4

06-07-2012, 07:22 PM

Ya, we liked it too, but it had to go as I needed more LR
Literally minutes after it went in the snails were all over it

I agree with the small bits I added on the right
They're loose and are only there to help add some coralline

Looking at the tank again this morning, I'm not going to add anymore rock on the left of the right pile. Looks like a great spot for some larger critters

Cugio

06-07-2012, 07:28 PM

I love the new aquascape. What type of epoxy did you use? Would you mind sharing the brand?

gregzz4

06-07-2012, 07:43 PM

I love the new aquascape. What type of epoxy did you use? Would you mind sharing the brand?
I used this epoxy (http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/product-info.php?product_ID=tz-z010474)the first time around. It's really strong stuff when cured, but I highly recommend you use it outside of your DT. If you handle it in the DT, it will cover everything with a messy residue. I could clean it from glass and such, but it stuck badly to the skimmer cup and stained the socks. It needs to cure in warm water, so it's a bit of a pain to use
Last night I used this glue (http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/product-info.php?product_ID=mc-etcg075). It's much nicer to work with but nowhere near as strong. Although it may seem expensive, it's actually much cheaper than the $6-7 75ml tubes of loctite

Thought I'd share some angled shots to show all the coral mounting locations and the dual swim-throughs

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01090.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01088.jpg

Cugio

06-07-2012, 07:45 PM

Thank you. :)

gregzz4

06-08-2012, 04:59 AM

Well wouldn't ya know it. I wasn't planning on SPS any time soon, but I was talked into some as they are easy
Now I'm gonna have to test regularly :surprise:
Thanks for the Montis tang daddy :mrgreen:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01093.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01091.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01092.jpg

lockrookie

06-08-2012, 06:10 AM

i keep forgetting a person should test from time to time i think my last test was 6 months ago...maybe.. well congrats on the corals:) filler up

Coralgurl

06-08-2012, 02:55 PM

Great build, love the scaping! Hard to resist corals! Like Doug said, filler up!

Nano

06-08-2012, 02:57 PM

:mrgreen:
yay! CORAL!

tang daddy

06-08-2012, 05:47 PM

Hey Greg it was nice meeting you yesterday and seeing your clinical set up, very pristine.... Also redundancy redundancy redundancy!!

The montis we traded are lime green montipora capricromis, red cap, and green cap with blue polyps which is alittle colored down ATM but will definitely colour up with the Ati blasting them!

gregzz4

06-08-2012, 05:58 PM

Thanks, Chris, it was great meeting you and having you over
I'm off to solve the readings issue

Bblinks

06-08-2012, 09:55 PM

Don't know how I have missed this thread...Very nice build Greg. I am loving your attention to details which I really lack...:redface: I would love to come over and check out the tank if you are ever available. I would love to see you over my place for the same reason. I know you are coming out to the frag swap and let me tell you its gonna be a blast.

keep up the good work!
BTW We love pictures.

gregzz4

06-08-2012, 10:19 PM

gregzz4

06-09-2012, 07:41 AM

Where am I now, sump v4.0 ? Or is it v5.0 ?

Here's what I did today ...
I hot-plumbed a swing check valve into the return .. gotta tell ya, no better way to increase your blood-pressure - no spare parts and just have at 'er :angel:
Put a heater in the DT, the Vortechs kept the flow goin' and the soon-to-be-removed sump 1262 kept the sump active enough that the Ranco never kicked on with the back-up heaters :wink:
So, I waited about an hour for the PVC stuff to air-out with some air flow and back into the system it goes
http://www.emofaces.com/en/emoticons/f/fingers-crossed-emoticon.gif

Turned out just fine, and now the return is actually quiet :whoo:
No more humming through the lines, nor the wall from the sump room :cheer2:
I extended some lines so nothing would touch the wall anymore. Poor fishies though as the sound is still in the tank :redface:

It may mean nothing to some of you, but I'll tell ya, it means the world to me when I can make it quieter for the wife
She never complained, but I know that if it was enough to bother me, she was only being 'nice' about it :razz:

So, once that was done, I knew I had to remove the sump circuit stuff from the wall clamps ....
I ran an eheim 1000 for the chaeto and an eheim 2000 for the UV/Chiller and I'll be dammed, it's SUPER quiet :mrgreen:

New check valve, but it's only there to stop the splashing when the pump restarts ...

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01094.jpg

Before the sump re-plumb

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC00944.jpg

After the re-config

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01100.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01099.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01095.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01098.jpg

I have temporarily hooked up a Maxi 600 for the GFO ( last pic ), and it has a T
I may do this permanently for the GFO and Carbon ( I don't have the Carbon reactor running yet as I see no need to )

It's just a T near the valve that came with the TLF Reactors and it dumps back into the sump, so it doesn't matter what size of pump I use

SUPER happy with the new setup

Now I'll have to sell an Eheim 1262 that I bought brand new last month as I already have a spare :biggrin:

Paigee

06-10-2012, 06:09 AM

Your scape is ingenious!

gregzz4

06-12-2012, 07:02 AM

Your scape is ingenious!
Thanks Paigee :smile:

The Alk was dipping below 5 and the Ca was about 390. I hadn't touched the water for about 3 weeks as the system was new
I'll chalk up the drop to the new LR and Coralline sucking up the minerals
I dosed Alk over the weekend and brought it back up. Then, when I tested the system today, the Ca was back up now on it's own

All looks good and the NSW from the IO bucket almost matched the DT perfectly. I'm going to run the system for a week and see if WCs will keep up with the params without dosing
Although my current params are not ideal, they are manageable

After today's 10% WC the readings are;
Sg 1.025
pH 8.2
KH 10.5
Ca 440
Mg 1350
NO3 0
PO4 0
80 F

I am going to keep the temp where it is for now as there are so many arguments about temperature and I like it where it is
The tank is stable for this time of year with our very minimally insulated home and is easy to maintain

The QT got a 50% WC and then some critters

Ocellaris from the Vancouver Aquarium that were traded in @ J&L
I missed out on the one black guy I saw last week, but being less than 3/4", I was nervous about feeding the poor little dude
So, today I grabbed this feisty little one. He/she is all over the QT, but owns the 5" PVC :lol: Such an active little critter, so the pics suffer

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/NewOcellaris.jpg

I watched a tank of PJs for awhile and picked out a pair for the wife, but I like them too :wink:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/NewPajamas.jpg

And a locally bred Bangaii who is quite eager to play with us. Comes straight to me during the whole acclimation and liked having his/her picture taken :smile:. Should be a good survivor
Lots of blue in the pec fins

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/NewBangaii.jpg

gregzz4

06-12-2012, 07:28 AM

And, ya, they're just basic fish, but they are our first SW ones, so it's a start :razz:

Madmak

06-12-2012, 07:57 AM

Family is family!

Enigma

06-12-2012, 01:22 PM

Nice! I love the little perc . . . They are some much fun to watch.

Are you prophylactically treating for anything while they're in QT?

gregzz4

06-13-2012, 02:36 AM

Not really treating, per se, but I am using some Stress Guard ( and Stability )
I'm just going to watch them
Right now my biggest concern is them eating. I think it's too soon as only 1 PJ is eating blood worms. The've all attempted mysis, cyclopeze and gut-loaded brine, but I think it's a matter of stress
If they aren't all eating tomorrow, I may drop the SG a bit to give them a hand

Nano

06-13-2012, 02:43 AM

Oh SNAP! I just saw this! Nice to finally have some little friends in there hey?:mrgreen:

Coralgurl

06-13-2012, 02:59 AM

Awesome new additions!

I've added some teeny chromis and black and white clowns to my 55, been feeding them Arcti pods, they seem to love it.

lastlight

06-13-2012, 03:04 AM

congrats on the critters! now you've got a few more reasons to camp out in front of the tanks.

tang daddy

06-13-2012, 04:28 PM

Greg, nice little fish, did you get the bangaii from Jl? If so I have the same captive bred but from batch 2 which I took the challenge of raising myself. They started off tiny but are growing quickly, I got 2 and they were fighting but now paired....

Your clown might be use to pellets if it's captive bred but they should start eating within the week.

Good that you're params are back to where they should be, my alk is sitting at the same as yours which is alittle higher than I want it, gonna try to drop it to 9.

How are the sps frags? Are they growing?

gregzz4

06-13-2012, 08:55 PM

Chris, all the dudes came from J&L, so maybe the same batch as yours
Definately spending more time in the sump room right now :smile:

Things are looking up
Brine was spat out today, but now the Clown and both PJs are eating blood worms
I'll give the Bangaii another try tonight with some garlic flake

gregzz4

06-15-2012, 04:14 AM

Bangaii is still not eating
Today I tried some garlic soaked ( Brightwell garlic power ) mysis, bloodworms and fortified brine shrimp
The PJs and the clown loved all of it :wink:
I went to J&L and most, but not all, of their's are eating
If this dude doesn't eat tomorrow morning, I'll have to take him back and get one of the ones that are

I don't want to stress him out with another move, but Jeff has told me to bring him back
Poor little dude :sad:

Nano

06-15-2012, 04:54 AM

damn that suck man. Hopefully you get better luck this time :)

Enigma

06-15-2012, 04:17 PM

Did you ask Jeff exactly what the Bangaii was being fed at the shop? I find that feeding the exact same thing, at the exact same time as what the store did, and in the same manner, can really help to get fussy eaters eating.

gregzz4

06-15-2012, 09:06 PM

I've been feeding the same mysis, bloodworms, vitamins and garlic that they use
I watched them feed it last night and a few of their bangaii didn't eat it, but the rest pigged it all down
Today my PJs and clown ate it all again, but the bangaii ignored all of it
I hate to do it, but he's goin' back today

Nano

06-15-2012, 09:17 PM

gregzz4

06-15-2012, 09:42 PM

No stress from the other fish that I can see. He's the biggest of the bunch and the others take no food that is near him, but after it passes by him, they will jump on it

He's acting just as the others at the store I observed last night that weren't eating;
Swims to the food, turns away from it and hovers

I've done a whole lot of reading on Bangaii not eating. What I've read has not left me with any confidence that he will turn around anytime soon
He has no belly to speak of so, in a nutshell, tonight will be 4 days and back he goes

gregzz4

06-16-2012, 03:58 AM

It's all good now
The new bangaii ate before I took him/her home and just now ate with everyone else
It's also roaming around quite a bit more than the other poor dude

I feel bad that I couldn't help the first one, but sometimes it's a matter of cost over preservation :sad:

gregzz4

06-16-2012, 05:58 AM

Too funny
One of the PJs was chasing the other, but now, with the new Bangaii chasing him away from his fave spot, the PJs have become friends again
The clown isn't bothered by anyone, even though he's not even half their size

I have a QO1200 running the UV and the clown owns the whole thing ...
Pump, hose, pad, it's all his
Too funny, it's like he's hosting it :smile:
He's gonna be disappointed in the DT without a pump to own

The PJs are picking pods off the glass, even after eating, so all is lookin' good

Happy little QT right now

Can't wait to add them to the DT and get some more dudes in the QT

New Bangaii, looks the same as the original, except it has a full belly and a longer second dorsal ( clown looks huge in the pic, but he's only about 3/4" )

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/SecondBangaii.jpg

Algae is an issue in the DT as the new LR I added still had some NO3 and PO4 leaching. I expected this and will just have to wait it out
Currently the algae is coated in diatoms so it's not too terribly nice to look at
I've been siphoning out what I can and filtering the water through a seachem 'THE BAG' and pouring the water back into the sump socks. Can't be any worse than not removing it at all

Skimmer has been working overtime so I can't complain

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01134.jpg

gregzz4

06-16-2012, 06:25 AM

Also, I dropped my tank temp to 79 from 80
I'll watch how well the chiller keeps up and make a decision

Nano

06-16-2012, 06:59 AM

Yep he looks nice and fat :)

gregzz4

06-16-2012, 07:06 AM

Yep he looks nice and fat :)
I'd say so too
And he's not staying in one spot
Lights on or off, hes roaming everywhere
Lookin' right now, he's going after stuff that's floating ...
I'm very happy with his appetite and the fact that he's hungry and interested
Tomorrow morning should be a good time

Like I said, I feel bad for the dude I returned, but I can't save the world

The PJs are still arguing, so I'll have to see how that goes

lockrookie

06-16-2012, 08:06 AM

glad to see al is well give the pj's somem time they maybeok just seeking dominance

gregzz4

06-16-2012, 08:18 AM

I hope you're right about the PJs as I thought they were a pair at the store ......... :noidea: what's going on but I would swear they were a pair when I bought them
There were about 7 in the store and these 2 hang out lots
Maybe I judged their attitudes wrong and they were the bossy ones going after each other
I hope the dominance thing settles down soon ...

Good news is the Bangaii doesn't put up with their crap, so maybe it'll stop them from bickering :smile:

lockrookie

06-16-2012, 08:25 AM

my clowns tried to pick on my picaso trigger when i got it.. that lasted a day trigger gave them what for and that ended that

gregzz4

06-18-2012, 05:38 AM

Tonight's update
In the QT, the Clown, Bangaii and the dominant PJ are eating just fine
The other PJ is not eating as much and I may return it soon as I don't want it to starve. It's being pushed into an end of the tank and, even though food goes that way, it's not eating much. I'm disappointed as ( I've said it earlier ) I was convinced I brought home a pair that got along
Although, I won't mind having only one PJ, I thought they'd be happier in a pair, or even a group
With our stocking plans, I don't want to add any more PJs as 3 or 4 would be too much

The DT is going through a hair algae phase right now, and most of it is covered with diatoms, but it's not on all the LR, just here and there
There is some algae that looks like Bryopsis, but it's very whispy / frail looking and easy to remove
I also have some turf algae growing in small tufts, which is also easy to remove, and am not overly worried about it at this time
I'm siphoning out sand that is too ugly to look at, disturbing the algae on the LR and waiting it out
I'm sure glad I decided to add this new LR to the system now instead of after I had fishies in there, although there have been no measureable readings of anything to speak of
I only wish I had a Tang in there right now :smile:

gregzz4

06-18-2012, 06:15 AM

Hmm, something to add ..
I just fed mysis, 2 kinds of fortified brine, and bloodworms, with garlic and vitamins, all mixed together
They went after it as fast as normal, but they kept eating it ( I will try this mix again tomorrow morning )
Then the lights went out and they kept eating ( as expected with the cards ) but the curious thing is, the clown kept eating too, and everyone ate the brine for the first time
The clown is all over the tank finishing off whatever he can find
15 mins and the clown is still roaming around eating every little thing he can find

Guess I was used to the clown hosting his pump and not roaming

The Bangaii is getting used to us just fine
He/she has already recognised that we are the food machines and comes right to us immediately :wink:
Great addition as the wife misses our freshwater angels

gregzz4

06-22-2012, 06:01 AM

My Tunze Osmolator is sensitive to voltage changes, and the warning 'beep beep beep' goes off whenever I unplug something on it's circuit
I was going to solve this issue with a surge suppressor, but am now glad I didn't

Last night, I wasn't watching the house temp ... I hear the beeping and go to my office
Office temp was only 79, but the QT was over 81
- I've set the QT lights to turn off if the temp gets to 81
The QT lights were turning on and off. This light cycle caused the ATO to trip, which I heard from another room :lol:

Nothing like some more automation, although unplanned, to help me keep my critters safe :wink:

Today I bought a 12v power supply and wired it to a spare 120mm 1900RPM 106 CFM computer fan I had
I used some foam for dampening and a mesh screen for dust
I programmed the 12v supply on the PC4 and now the fan keeps the QT cool enough that I won't need a chiller :biggrin:

I'd post a pic, but Photobucket is doing maintenance

gregzz4

06-22-2012, 07:45 AM

Installed the new impeller for my SK181 tonight
The restart issue is gone, but I'm not happy with the noise from the pump now
I was able to previously rid myself of the noise with a few re-starts, but now that's not the case
Hopefully it will change over time

I also now find I need to re-adjust the skimmer as the new impeller sits in a different location in the pump ( more forward to the venturi ) and it has changed the adjustment level ( water height wise )

Just a matter of re-tuning and I'm sure I'll be happy
I'm just dammed glad I didn't have to pay big bucks for the impeller upgrade :smile:

Ce La Vie, it works :razz:

gregzz4

06-24-2012, 05:34 AM

The frag meet today @ Bblinks's was awesome
Got to meet many others
Brought home more frags than I thought I would ...

Here's some, but not all
Crappy pics with a Sony WX5 and some PO'd corals in the shots ...

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01148.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01146.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01144.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01142.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01150.jpg

I brought home over a dozen frags, but the camera wouldn't show them all

I glued one Monty to the overflow box, so this should be interesting

Stay posted as they grow :wink:

Nano

06-24-2012, 05:51 AM

I glued one Monty to the overflow box, so this should be interesting

COPYCAT!!!!!!!!!!:bad-word:

jk I did it cause it seem like a good use of useless space lol.
looks like you got fragged up today bud! Can wait (as I'm sure you can't either) for it to be all full and grown in!

gregzz4

06-24-2012, 06:40 AM

COPYCAT!!!!!!!!!!:bad-word:
Can't help it
It's such a great idea :razz:

You have to admit, though, that I got some sweet frags :mrgreen:

Better pics will come later ...

gregzz4

06-25-2012, 03:18 AM

The fan is keeping the QT cool, even when my office hit 81 today

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01140.jpg

I moved the newest monti today. It's in the corner of the overflow against the glass now. Looks much better - not so much like it's just floating nowhere

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01188.jpg

Here's some better pics of all my frags

Polyps that came with the second batch of LR

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01218.jpg

Montis from tang daddy

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01213.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01210.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01220.jpg

Couple from Steve Fedyk

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01204.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01211.jpg

And a bunch from g_dawg ( I think - tang daddy brought them ) and Bblinks

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01167.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01216.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01215.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01212.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01209.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01207.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01206.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01205.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01203.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01146.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01202.jpg

Thanks for all the great frags guys :mrgreen:

SeaHorse_Fanatic

06-25-2012, 07:39 AM

COPYCAT!!!!!!!!!!:bad-word:

jk I did it cause it seem like a good use of useless space lol.
looks like you got fragged up today bud! Can wait (as I'm sure you can't either) for it to be all full and grown in!

I did this years ago. I also glued it onto old canister filter return pipes that could hang over the back of the tank so I could move the montis around when they got too big or frag them by taking the plastic tubing out of the tank completely. Very user friendly. Feel free to be a COPYCAT:wink::lol:

gregzz4

06-26-2012, 04:05 AM

Today's readings are looking good
I didn't expect to see any drastic drops in params with such a small amount of coral, but I'm going to stay on top of it anyway :wink:

All but 1 coral have lots of PE
I've been in contact with the seller and am hoping to get an answer as to where this particular coral was most happy in his tank

SG 1.025
Temp 78.9 - 79.3
pH 8.12 @ 5am ( still dark, but ambient morning light )
pH 8.21 @ 11pm ( lights out, moons on 11% )
Mag 1400 - 1450
KH 8.5
Ca 410-420
NO3 trace
PO4 not measureable

I'd like to see my Mag drop a bit, but am happy enough with the Alk and Ca for now
I haven't started dripping Kalk yet as I haven't found a vessel I like, so I have been dosing Alk as needed ( in small doses ), but haven't had to add any yet since the addition of the new corals
Hopefully this week I'll find a nice container of some kind for the Kalk dripping

I bought some live phyto today for the corals and I'll start with feeding 2-3 times/week, although tonight may tell me how much they want
I don't want to feed daily yet as the small corals are still acclimating, and the current algae is semi-under control

With all the LR I've added to the sump, the drain section is staying amazingly clean, but we'll see what happens once I start feeding fish in the DT :wink:

The QT dudes are doing well
Today was 2 weeks for the Clown and PJs, with this coming Friday being 2 weeks for the Bangaii
Everyone is eating well, although not all the same food - fussy little kids
I'm looking @ about July 27th before I will add them to the DT, barring any visible signs of infection
This'll put them @ 6 weeks in the QT and then I can start looking for a Tang to munch all the algae that's keeping me busy :smile:

Lastly, I defrosted the office beer fridge today
I don't know why I didn't store the frozen food in it until now, after all these years of keeping it in the kitchen fridge :lol:
The office beer fridge freezer section is large enough to hold all 17 flats of food I have stock-piled :rolleyes:
Plus, besides beer, pop and extra jarred people food, there's plenty of shelving for the new phyto, and somewhere to hold the defrosted dish of food for the QT dudes

I guess that's enough for today
Thanks for following along :mrgreen:

gregzz4

06-26-2012, 09:10 AM

I'll add my lights as I'd like opinions, and I can look back on it

Lights are 8 x 54w T5s

12 hours Blue Plus ATI
11am to 11pm

9 hours Aquablue Special ATI
12pm to 9pm

5 Hours Blue Plus ATI
1pm to 6pm

2 Hours Fiji Purple and Superblue KZ
2pm to 4pm

gregzz4

06-28-2012, 07:42 AM

Oooh, new frags from a buddy ... thanks Carrera75 :mrgreen:
Pics to come soon ...

Rics, Mushrooms, Palys, Candy Canes, Hammer and GSP
I know, I don't want palys and GSP, but I will control them with rock placement ....

Some awesome Rics, a totally gorgeous neon Candy Cane, kool Hammer ...

Pictures may show how awesome Daniel's stuff is, or not ...

Blue mushrooms, Red mushrooms, ....
They look so awesome on my rocks :smile:

So, pics to come soon ...

Madmak

06-28-2012, 02:05 PM

Lastly, I defrosted the office beer fridge today
I don't know why I didn't store the frozen food in it until now, after all these years of keeping it in the kitchen fridge :lol:
The office beer fridge freezer section is large enough to hold all 17 flats of food I have stock-piled :rolleyes:

Just FYI but keep an eye on the frozen stuff as I also recruited a bar fridge for this. Turned out the freezer area wasn't cold enough to keep my food frozen as there is a small salt content in all of it. I'm back to walking upstairs...

gregzz4

06-28-2012, 09:06 PM

Thanks for the warning
I've had to move the salt content foods already :smile:

gregzz4

06-28-2012, 09:31 PM

I pulled the rock out that has the polyps on it as I see I'm already going to have to pluck what has spread

Here's the new critters

Lava and Aussi from apexifd
Great colors - crappy camera :razz:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01224.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01226.jpg

And a bunch from Carrera75
Neon green candy cane

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01225.jpg

Red and Blue mushrooms

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01223.jpg

Green, Orange and Teal rics

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01222.jpg

Green with Pink hammer

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01221.jpg

Some palys

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01228.jpg

And finally, some GSP ( no, you didn't - yup, I did )
I'll keep it to the rock island

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01227.jpg

And a so-so FTS - no fruit stand here
I'll have to break out the tripod and turn off the blues next time
I'm seeing signs of the coralline spreading :biggrin:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01229.jpg

gregzz4

06-30-2012, 07:22 AM

Hi Greg, this is amazing. I remember reading the first page and pointing out to my wife that he was able to steal the bathroom for his RODI station. She scolded me on that comment.

I don't know if you answered this or not already, but won't you have a detritius trap underneath that stand for your protein skimmer? It doesn't look like the water flows underneath that first baffle, but rather it goes over top.

As of today, there is no detritus in the return section, just some sand
I'm quite happy with how clean it's staying so far

gregzz4

06-30-2012, 07:27 AM

Forgot to post awhile back about the PJs
The one who wouldn't eat had me concerned as it wasn't eating anything live, so I tossed in some NLS pellets and, BAM, holee was he hungry :biggrin:

I've since been feeding both PJs pellets

I've got the Clown and Bangaii eating Blood Worms, Cyclopeeze and Mysis - all fortified with vities, and some garlic for good measure
I'm going to try to spot feed the Clown and Bangaii with some idea in mind to turn them onto pellets
I may try the clam shell trick

All is happy for now :wink:

Cugio

06-30-2012, 05:07 PM

As of today, there is no detritus in the return section, just some sand
I'm quite happy with how clean it's staying so far

That's awesome. Great design. I wonder what version 7, 8, 9, 10 of your sump design will look like. lol

gregzz4

06-30-2012, 08:17 PM

I wonder what version 7, 8, 9, 10 of your sump design will look like. lol
:lol:

gregzz4

07-02-2012, 03:42 AM

I started using some carbon today, so here's both reactors running

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01236.jpg

I'm going through a LOT of filter socks right now
I currently use 4" x 14" nylon mesh ( not the felt ones ), and the tank is burning through anywhere from 3 to 6 per day, and the skimmer is making lots of brownish-greenish muck that I clean out every few days or so
I hope this daily swap-out routine changes once the algae calms down
I'll do some research on socks - nylon vs felt

Double-checked all params today and, as far as I can tell, there's no reason why anyone should be unhappy
With that said, the GSP hasn't fully opened for 2 days, but I've read that's not uncommon, so I won't worry about it for now
Hammer, Frogspawn, Zoas, Rics, 'Shrooms and SPS are all opening / having PE during the day, and some have major PE after lights out, so I'd say all is good so far ....

Seeing some SPS growth too :smile:

Speaking of params;

DT

Free and total NH3 0
NO2 and NO3 0
PH4 such a small trace, may as well be 0
pH 8.2
Sg 1.025
Temp 79 - 79.3F
KH 7.5
Ca 410
Mg 1300

QT

NH3 0
NO2 0
NO3 1.5
PO4 0.03
pH 8.1
Temp 79 - 79.4F
KH, Ca and Mg TBA

With a 10% WC on the DT, I get enough of a bump that it's lasting all week
So, looks like I won't need to drip Kalk yet ... until the SPS start to take off :smile:

Next couple of weeks will let me know if I'll need to add Mg, but for now I think the salt mix will be enough

Having to rescue Margarita snails daily. Seems they maybe find themselves in front of the MP10s when the flow patterns change, or something, so they need to be righted here and there
I'll probably replace them with some others soon

Happy tank so far, just waiting out the fuzzy/stringy hair algae phase

fishytime

07-02-2012, 03:48 AM

very impressive looking sump....almost looks mechanical, like the engine room on a sub or something.....now, the challenge will be keeping it looking like it does today:razz:

Aquattro

07-02-2012, 03:58 AM

now, the challenge will be keeping it looking like it does today:razz:

I want to see this in a year, will the salt win or the OCD? :razz:

gregzz4

07-02-2012, 04:57 AM

very impressive looking sump....almost looks mechanical, like the engine room on a sub or something.....now, the challenge will be keeping it looking like it does today:razz:

I want to see this in a year, will the salt win or the OCD? :razz:
:lol: I've already had Brett and others question me on sump cleanliness

I'll post some more pics tonight for future reference ...

gregzz4

07-02-2012, 05:38 AM

Sump pics for future reference
2 Months after Salty, and 1 Month after latest LR added to Dt and Sump
Some sand got past the socks that I will eventually :rolleyes: remove ...

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01242.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01239.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01240.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01241.jpg

gregzz4

07-05-2012, 05:52 AM

If you've been following along, you'll know I have been haphazardly battling hair algae
I've been told it will eventually go away, but I don't see how, when it feeds on PO4 and releases it back to the water colum whenever I mess with it

I did a couple stupid things ...
1 - I let it grow
2 - I tried to scrub it off the rocks, which probably only spread it throughout the whole tank
I stupidly thought I could filter it with socks and keep it under control

Well, that didn't work
I should have just started trimming it, and siphoning it, once it became an issue
Now I'm using it to set the flow for my powerheads :rolleyes:
I'll say it has been useful to the point where I am happy with the overall flow in my tank ....

I've tried picking it off the rocks and siphoning to a point, but I can't keep up

So, to my chagrin, I bought some critters today
6 Mexi Turbos, 2 Long Spine Urchins and a Sea Hare

Don't fret the poor dudes I just added ...
Once their jobs are done, I will pass them on to other reefers :biggrin:

We'll see how the LFS staff recommendations work out
If it doesn't, I won't mention them
If it does work out, I'll praise them :wink:

Pics later once they are zoomin' 'round :smile:

Reefie

07-05-2012, 07:34 AM

I have tried similar suggestions in my tank to battle GHA. So far, I've got a mix of snails and hermits, Starry Blenny, 2 Tuxedo Urchins, and a Seahare. The only thing I'm missing is a "partridge in a pear tree." To top that, I'm also running RowaPhos passively.

The critters do a decent job mowing GHA down to a certain degree, however GHA always comes back. In my situation, I am suspecting PO4 leaching from my LR. I don't know if you'll be in the same boat with me Greg.

I am awaiting my last resort that is expected to arrive on Friday.....FozDown! I have heard great things about this product. It is even supposed to remove PO4 from LR, which in my case will solve my problem. I will keep you posted as soon as I receive some and start using it.

gregzz4

07-05-2012, 08:49 AM

gregzz4

07-05-2012, 09:44 PM

Yup, I'd say I have PO4 leaching as I added some new LR last month that wasn't fully cured

Reefie

07-06-2012, 08:55 AM

You and I were supposed to meet to trade some frags, or am I mistaken ........

No, you aren't mistaken. I've just started a new job this week and it is a huge learning curve for me, so I haven't had time to arrange anything. I made a frag for you of the ORA/MIMF Purple & Green Acro. Some people have called this a Garf Bonsai, Tricolor Valida, etc. It's about 1" tall, I'm waiting for it to heal a bit first.

I've got GHA issues in my DT that I'd prefer to get control of before cutting a piece of the ORA Purple Stylo, ORA Bird of Paradise, ORA Cali Tort. The GHA might grow over the fresh cut instead of healing first.

I've attached pictures from ORA in case you don't know what they look like.

Purple & Green Acro
http://img.tapatalk.com/6031980c-a7ce-6aa1.jpg

Purple Stylo
http://img.tapatalk.com/6031980c-a7e1-4286.jpg

Bird of Paradise
http://img.tapatalk.com/6031980c-a8ec-094a.jpg

Cali Tort
http://img.tapatalk.com/6031980c-a9b8-daca.jpg

gregzz4

07-06-2012, 09:14 PM

Those are very nice
I too would like to get my HA under control and before adding any more corals
PM me when you're ready and we'll talk

gregzz4

07-08-2012, 12:20 AM

I was going to post pics of the new cleaners, but there's no point as we've all seen them before, and they aren't zoomin' 'round, as I hoped they would

Lookin' for a way to exfoliate your fingerprints whilst getting to know every nook and cranny of your LR ?
Spend hours plucking algae by hand :smile:

In all fairness to our algae-eating dudes, there's just too much for them to keep up with, and some are not touching the longer stuff at all
The Hare is going over most of the lower half of the tank, but it's not doing much other than cleaning off already cleaned areas
The Urchins are acting like the Mail Carrier and constantly treading the same patches
And the Turbos are pretty much the same as the Urchins, except they hardly move around at all up 'till now
This is one of the Urchin's paths, with the Hare coming along behind to grab the leftover easy stuff;
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01244.jpg

So I'm trying to give them a hand and today I spent a few hours plucking it and dipping my fingers in a cup of RO to rinse it off

This is an example of how unfair a Boss I've been
Before;
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01243.jpg

After picking;
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01245.jpg

After brushing and blasting with the baster;
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01246.jpg

I'm going to try this approach for awhile, instead of the brush cut and water change route
Lots of sock changes and blasting rocks with the turkey baster for awhile after will probably spread it around again, but it can't keep growing forever as I'm not feeding the tank
I realise some of the algae will get past the socks, but we'll see how it goes
I've also turned off half the T5s and backed off the hours of the remaining ones. I hope the SPS aren't to peeved about this ...

I'm off to buy more socks :smile:

gregzz4

07-08-2012, 04:14 AM

I bought 6 more socks
I am now blasting the rocks with the baster every 5 mins for the next hour after scrubbing and I'll see where this gets me ...

I am still adamant that if I do this enough, I may get a grip on things
I now have 15 socks to rotate :rolleyes:

gregzz4

07-08-2012, 06:15 AM

English composition has never been my strong point .... so suffer ye all who enter here :razz:

This is my new plan
I am going to scrub the LR everytime I see some hairy stuff I don't like, blast the LR with the baster for an hour or so, and change socks until they don't plug up ....

Not the greatest plan, but it seems to be working, so I am going to fly with it

Better than trying to give the HA a brush cut and siphon out the water everytime I get to it
Not that there is anything wrong with that idea, but I can't change that much water whenever I feel like it ...

The Sea Hare hasn't been doing much ...
"And a bell was ringing in the village square for the rabbits on the run"

That's an excerpt from a Paul McCartney song, in case you young bucks didn't know :razz:

So, the little bugger is pretty slow. I'm keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't starve ...
We're going to call it Ricochet Rabbit ...

Changing socks seems to be my new job ...

I've been using IO salt and I have found it's very high in Ca

Carry on my wayward son ... I'll post more later :razz:

gregzz4

07-10-2012, 05:26 AM

Time for some more critters
Since I'm now able to see through the hair algae, it appears we have a couple of Aiptasia. I counted over 20 :surprise:

I feel the tank is mature enough, so I bought 2 Peppermint shrimps today
I've been acclimating them for a couple hours and am going to now plop them into the DT before the lights go out
Hope they're hungry dudes :wink:

Until the QT fishies go in, I'll feed the shrimps once a week, but only after all the aiptasia are gone :lol:

Forgot to mention ...
I would have bought some berghias from Bill, but I spotted a crab a couple days ago ...

Ginu

07-11-2012, 08:32 PM

Hey Greg,
I was just looking over your build thread to see how the 75g is doing as I just got one last night (upgrade here I come) as well and I wanted to give you a tip on the HA.

I had some HA growing in my 34g cube and tried pretty much everything besides a sea hare and strawbery top hat snails. Only visual progression was to let it grow and prune it weekly.
Needless to say I've spent over 100$ in additives, scissors, brushes, you name it and the only thing that did the trick was a strawberry top hat snail which a fellow canreef member gave me while I was buying some clams.
I was a little scheptical at first since these guys are quite strong and big which allows them to knock over corals quite easily, but to my surprise the snail cleaned the entire tank of all algae (this includes rocks and back wall) without any coral casualties... I suggest trying one as they are inexpensive.

Enigma

07-11-2012, 09:02 PM

Have you thought about attacking the algae with H202?

gregzz4

07-11-2012, 09:10 PM

Thanks to both of you for the thoughts/tips

I'm trying to let the algae run it's course as the LR can't leach forever
Don't forget, the tank is still maturing and things will change

I'll keep the ideas in mind just in case :smile:

gregzz4

07-12-2012, 04:39 AM

Boring updates ...

The sea hare is still poopin', so I'm not worried anymore about it starving
The turbos have finally started to move around
The urchins have been on the move for a couple of days, even during the day, and are also poopin', so all is lookin' A OK for now
The new peppermints are settling in alright. They haven't eaten the aiptasia yet, but I'll give them another 5 or 6 days before I worry about feeding them

I installed a new dryside today, so now both MP10s have new motors and I have them turned up to 75% with virtually no noise :smile:

Just over 2 weeks to go, and the first batch of fishies go into the DT :smile:
I'm going to start trying them on different foods now
Tonight is going to be an experiment with freeze-dried SW plankton soaked in DT water and a touch of GarlicPower
Next time I'm out I'll see if I can find some live clams and maybe some scallops
If they don't like the scallops, I know Donna and I will :razz:

Skimmer is pulling out dark, dark stuff
Even wet, it looks kinda like bad coffee
I'm off to clean the cup and we'll see what happens next ...

Glad to see someone's still lookin' :lol:

OK, nevermind the plankton idea
Nobody wanted it .... I'll save it for when they're bigger

gregzz4

07-12-2012, 05:39 AM

I've decided to go with a bud's thoughts ...

I'm going to keep the lights on their regular schedule so the SPS don't pale and let the algae run it's course that much faster

Mostly posting this just to document it :smile:

Claudia

07-12-2012, 05:40 AM

Any new pics?

gregzz4

07-12-2012, 05:47 AM

Nothing worth posting, but thanks for asking
Everyone has seen the recent critters I added ...

Once the corals grow a bit more I'll post some growth shots

Until then, unless something extraordinary happens, like I catch the crab, move along, nothing to see here :mrgreen:

gregzz4

07-18-2012, 01:00 AM

Well, the crab killed the sea hare :sad:

Hare was MIA on Saturday and we had to go out, so I spent little time looking for it
Sunday I found it ...

In the 'ceiling' area of the big swim-through, crammed against the rocks ... what was left of it anyway
I first spotted it with a hermit having lunch

After determining it was really dead, I tried to remove it with my fingers to no avail
I had to pry it off the rocks as it's butt end was half stuffed into a hole
When I pried more, as it came out, claws came with it and then let go

I'll assume the crab grabbed it as it slid over the opening in the LR
No way it died first as it was against the 'ceiling' of the swim-through

Poor little dude
He was doing really well too - nice, dark poops and roaming all over

I am currently trying to trap the little bugger as he has also tried to eat a margarita snail. I saved the snail and am using raw shrimp for bait
He's been smart enough that when I spotted his main opening with a flashlight, he covered it with some rubble :surprise:

gregzz4

07-18-2012, 09:03 PM

Success :mrgreen:

This is my crab trap. Raw shrimp on a piece of rubble with a couple wraps of string. 2 nights of rotting meat proved to be too tempting :lol:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01255.jpg

Hard to believe, but this is the hairy-legged little bugger that killed my 3" sea hare

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01270.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01273.jpg

I suspect it also ate all my bristle worms and brittle stars, if that's possible, as I've not seen any since I put that new LR in
I'm going to introduce Mr Crab to Mr Mantis @ J&L :twised:

I picked up a used Tunze ATO for the QT from Bblinks. The tank goes through a couple litres a day :surprise:

While I was @ Rich's, I saw an absolutely stunning frag that I just couldn't pass up
A branch broke off and it fell in a hole, never to be found again, otherwise I would have glued it

Thanks for an awesome piece Bud !!

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01284.jpg

Ginu

07-18-2012, 09:18 PM

Too bad for the hare and its good you got the little bugger.

I'm just in the process of upgrading my 34 AIO cube to a 75g and boy does it take forever to fill this thing up with water...
Also if you can try a strawberry top hat snail for algae :)

Bblinks

07-18-2012, 09:20 PM

gregzz4

07-18-2012, 09:25 PM

gregzz4

07-18-2012, 09:27 PM

Glad you caught the little bugger. I will give that contraption a try this weekend see if I'll get lucky and catch a crab or two myself.

Glad you like the green birdsnest, there will be more coming your way.:wink:
I can't wait for the wife to see it tonight :smile:
Let those frags grow while I battle this algae

And don't be surprised if you have to leave the shrimp in for a day or 3

Ginu

07-18-2012, 09:41 PM

Glad you caught the little bugger. I will give that contraption a try this weekend see if I'll get lucky and catch a crab or two myself.

Glad you like the green birdsnest, there will be more coming your way.:wink:

I have to agree, the birds-nest looks good. I had a frag which was doing quite well and while on vacation something knocked it off and it ended up in the pistols cave.... Now im left with a 1cm branch with 10 polips from the salvaging process...
I am also very curios to see what else the pistol might hide in his cave under the rocks as he seems to be quite the pack-rat.

I have a half dozen Astrea snails. Aren't they the same ?
I also have a half dozen Turbos

Well they are similar but the top hat snails grow much larger and have a huge algae appetite. My 9 astreas were not able to compete with one top hat snail as the astreas would eat algae for a day and sleep for the next two weeks which is obviously not enough to keep the tank clean.
The one disadvantage about the top hats is the size.... they tend to knock corals down if they are not glued.

With that being said one top hat is keeping the tank algae free and I dont have any experience with the turbo snails as JL always had bad batches of them.

Enigma

07-18-2012, 09:43 PM

That is one ugly crab! Glad to see that you caught it.

FishyFishy!

07-18-2012, 09:50 PM

Yeah that thing is nasty. Was it a Gorilla Crab or something?

EDIT: Now that I actually look at it, I'm not sure thats a Gorilla crab. But an Ugly SOB none the less.

gregzz4

07-19-2012, 01:05 AM

Ya, not a Gorilla
It was hairy, but not tarantula hairy :smile:

He met his new buddy this afternoon

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/LFSMantis.jpg

I figured it's only fair, since he ate the sea hare alive :twised:

I grabbed a few Strawberries while I was there ... can't hurt

gregzz4

07-23-2012, 05:36 AM

Did some algae scrubbin' tonight
I turned off the return and hooked up an XP2, then I went to town with brushes
This is what I am dealing with

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01290.jpg

And after a couple hours of scrubbing and filtering

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01291.jpg

I made a couple accidental green birdsnest frags - clumsy

Next weekend I will start transferring the first fishies from QT :mrgreen:
I'm still trying to get the Bangaii to eat pellets, but the Clown and PJs love them, so they get to go into the DT first

lockrookie

07-23-2012, 06:00 AM

try peroxide dosing for the algea may help you

gregzz4

07-23-2012, 06:05 AM

I've looked into that, and it's been suggested before, but if I don't filter out all the dead algae, it'll just release the PO4 back into the water, won't it ?

lockrookie

07-23-2012, 06:09 AM

yes scrub scrub away dose with peroxide right after.. and a bit every day its how i killed it all in my 50g.. then i stopped and i spent 8 hours friday night scrubbing again.. ppond ppl do this as well too.

fishytime

07-23-2012, 06:15 AM

you could also try elevating your mg.....most macro algae dont like high mg levels

gregzz4

07-23-2012, 06:15 AM

Alright then
It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I have something indoors to do :wink:

Thanks

gregzz4

07-23-2012, 06:16 AM

you could also try elevating your mg.....most macro algae dont like high mg levels
I've been keeping this as a backup, but thanks for the reminder :smile:
It had slipped my memory to try it

gregzz4

07-27-2012, 02:36 AM

Lots of updates ...

So, the wifey surprised me with a brand new Tunze ATO for the QT
I had no idea she was doing this when I bought Rich's used one
I sold his yesterday

Thanks Donna :mrgreen:

Tues night I decided to start raising my Mg
I will start off by stating there is a possibility that my testing methods were off ....
Also, I should have waited a day after the WC before adding the Mg liquid

The end of a bucket of IO salt ....
NSW
11.5 Alk
520 + Ca ( I should have tossed the water at this point )
1250 Mg

DT
7 Alk
450 Ca
1250 Mg

I then did a 15+% WC and waited a couple hours
Next, I re-tested the DT
7.5 Alk
440 Ca ( ??? )
1250 Mg

As you can see, there is already a discrepancy in the Ca
NSW test must have been off, or minerals were interacting during testing as I tested the Ca 2 more times, and still read 440ppm

Next, I added enough liquid Mg to raise it by 100ppm
3 hours later, and I tested 1350 Mg

Now, here's where I deviated from advice and added another dose of liquid Mg
An hour later I tested the DT
6.5 Alk
500 Ca
1400 Mg

Again an hour and another retest
7.5 Alk
460 Ca
1400 Mg

Obviously at this point the Mg, Ca and Alk are trying to balance each other

Then, 2 days later ...
8.0 Alk
520 Ca
1350 Mg

pH and Sg have been stable the whole time
The only effects I have seen so far is one Turbo acting a bit lazy, and the Frogspawn has been remaining closed a bit longer than normal

I have just mixed 20g of NSW from a new bucket ( free T-shirt :smile: ) and will be doing a 15% WC soon as I feel the Ca is too high

I've also been doing WCs from the DT to the QT as ( I've mentioned before ) I am ready to start adding fishies to the DT

The Turbos and Strawberrys have been doing an OK job of keeping some sections of rock clean, but nothing huge

The Peppermints cleared out all but 1 or 2 Aiptasia
The timing is good as they will be getting leftover fish food very soon

Guess that's it for now

gregzz4

07-29-2012, 03:41 AM

The DT now has it's first fishies
They are quite small so I'm not worried about adding all 4 to 110g of water
They are mostly feeling a bit lost in the space they have, but there's no signs of stress per se ... just some grouping with the cardinals
The clown is actually the most inquisitive of the bunch
Now I have to find some more critters for the QT :smile:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01299.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01300.jpg

gregzz4

07-31-2012, 06:17 AM

Today I bought a pair of cleaner shrimp from J&L for the DT and they are happily sharing a station already

I also bought, from J&L, a Hector's Goby and Starry Blenny
Both are less than 1.5"
And from Island Pets I picked up a One Spot Foxface who is about 3 or 3-1/2". It was apparently there for weeks and eats mysis. I spotted what may be MI ( one spot ) so it's currently acclimating in a drip bucket with a small amount of ParaGuard. It's peed at me, but is still swimming around, so all looks good so far

The blenny, goby and fox are going in the 20g QT for probably 6 weeks
The LR I have in there right now is overgrown with fuzzy and long, hairy, dark green algae so I figured now is a good time to add some grazers
I've added a tray with some sand that I will inject with tigger pods for the goby, plus I am populating the tank with tigger pods. I just have to read up on how to add this bottle of phytoplankton to the pod bottle :wink:
I may get a small batch of chaeto to float in the QT for some pods too .. not sure yet. I'll make sure the little dude doesn't starve as it's too small for mysis ( apparently ), but we'll see

If the Hector doesn't stay fat, I'll either post him or take him back
The Starry will have a field day in the QT
The Fox, well, won't be terribly happy in a 20g for up to 6 weeks, but the fact it eats mysis will help

Pics to follow over the next day or 2, after everyone has some color back

Ginu

07-31-2012, 06:45 AM

Gooduck with the starry and make sure you post updates. I would eventually want to add a dragonet in my 75 but it looks like the whole project is being pushed for a while as I have to drain the tank (save as much water as possible) and level it as right now it is not leveled (should have measured instead of assumin the floors were even)...

gregzz4

07-31-2012, 07:32 AM

I'm more concerned about the Hector goby rather than the Starry blenny
Dragonettes are another issue I won't try right now - good luck with yours if you ever do ...

Ginu

07-31-2012, 07:18 PM

I'm more concerned about the Hector goby rather than the Starry blenny
Dragonettes are another issue I won't try right now - good luck with yours if you ever do ...

Oh I wont be adding any pod eating fish for at least 7-9 months or when I can make a fudge that can sustain enough pods for them.

I'm in the process of also making a custom refugium which would be connected from the sump return, however I need a very odd size tank and I was quoted $125 for a custom acrylic sump approx ~ 12long, 20high, 10wide... so now I'm contemplating if i should just scrap my old style sump and put a new one in there with a refugium and switch the external pump for a submersible.

gregzz4

08-01-2012, 03:11 AM

Well, the cleaner shrimps didn't make it. One died about 16 hours in, and the other about 20. Just dropped to the sand upside down and that was it
I tested everything and nothing is off. Also no copper shows on test
I use Elos and Seachem kits
It's been 3 days since the tank saw any stress guard, so that is long gone
They were only in the bag for an hour on the way home, a half hour temp acclimating, and 45 mins of dripping in a bucket with an air stone
I doubled their water about 3 times then placed them in the DT with my hand
I'll have J&L test my water tomorrow, but I don't think they'll find anything as the peppermint shrimp are doing fine
Guess it's just one of those things

So, on the happy side, all the new QT fish are eating well
The hector is on tigger pods and seems interested in mysis
The starry and fox are eating mysis and pellets

Hector likes the sand bed

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01307.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01302.jpg

Look dead center to find the blenny ( under the hector )

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01303.jpg

Fox's spot is pale, and was in the store as well

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01309.jpg

Coralgurl

08-01-2012, 03:20 AM

That's a cute pic of the hector and blenny! Sorry bout the shrimp, that sucks! I've had my cleaners for about 6 months now and my fire shrimp for a year! Hope your water tests ok, but I think sometimes these things happen.

gregzz4

08-01-2012, 03:37 AM

Ya, I'm pretty confident J&L won't find anything off

I meant to add that I'll grab some veggies for the fox tomorrow as he doesn't seem interested in the current algae growth
Plus some chaeto for the QT as the tiggers aren't cheap

I spoke too soon ...
The hector eats cyclopeeze :smile: so no chaeto for now

gregzz4

08-01-2012, 11:38 PM

J&L found nothing wrong with my water ....

I'm adding these sump pics for daplatapus' thread

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01314.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01316.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01313.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01315.jpg

Ginu

08-01-2012, 11:42 PM

Not sure why but I can't keep cleaner and pepermint shrimp either and my water is good...however I do have a CBS who has no problem with the water and a pistol again with no issues.

gregzz4

08-01-2012, 11:55 PM

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01317.jpg

gregzz4

08-05-2012, 05:59 AM

Bblinks

08-05-2012, 09:47 AM

Algae update

All's lookin good so far
All I did was try to raise my Mg, but then my Ca went kinda high, so since then all I have done is to try and keep everything in check
I have done a couple WCs to keep my Alk and Ca inline, and only once have dosed liquid Mg to keep it up around the 1350-1400 mark
I never got a chance to raise it up anywhere near 1600

With proper params and quite the work crew, I'm now wondering how everyone will get enough to eat :smile:
Most of the rock has been stripped clean by the urchins, turbos and top hats
You'll have to look at the top left and top right rock piles to find what's left

I'm still scrubbing the glass and overflow box, but I'd say it is definately under control

Future plans may involve re-homing possibly 1/2 of the main crew as I don't even have any coralline left to speak of :surprise:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01320.jpg

What a difference... Tanks looking really good dude, hopefully all the corals are doing just as good. It's only a matter of time before the tank starts to fill up with coralline algae then it's bye bye urchin. I never really like urchin except when they are on a nigiri sushi. The one I had clear cut the tips of 4 of my sps colonies and needless to say it went back to JL. Keep an eye on that guy.:wink:

The Guy

08-05-2012, 11:16 AM

Ginu

08-05-2012, 08:12 PM

Wow! is that 5 heaters I see in your sump?

Yup that's the heating unit... Looks cool doesn't it? However for the ammount of water he has running, I think they are more efficient.

Hey Greg seeing as your sump is very well organized and made up, I might have to bug you on what's the best way to make some sump dividers...

I want to add a refugium to my sump and can't quite figure out if I should add an external tank divided into a refugium/ato compartment or if I should just modify my current sump and add a refugium to it.
What's better? Fast moving water or slow moving water over the refugium? Currently I have three pipes with gate valves running off my return pump, and I could easily take one and redirect it to a refugium...

One of the return pipes goes through a media tower which runs filter floss and carbon (makes a ton of noise) one runs into a extra compartment for the tunze skimmer as it is finicky about the water level and the third gate valve is capped at this moment.
I bought a euroreef rs100 which will replace the tunze skimmer and one of the returns so I will have at least two rerun pipes available for a refugium.

gregzz4

08-06-2012, 01:58 AM

Wow! is that 5 heaters I see in your sump?
Yup
3 x 200w on an RKE and 2 x 250w on a Ranco for backup if the circuit for the first 3 fails
I like redundancy :wink:

gregzz4

08-06-2012, 02:01 AM

I want to add a refugium to my sump ...
There's a lot of personal preference involved there
You'd get better advice and some great tips if you start a thread

gregzz4

08-06-2012, 02:03 AM

What a difference... Tanks looking really good dude, hopefully all the corals are doing just as good. It's only a matter of time before the tank starts to fill up with coralline algae then it's bye bye urchin. I never really like urchin except when they are on a nigiri sushi. The one I had clear cut the tips of 4 of my sps colonies and needless to say it went back to JL. Keep an eye on that guy.:wink:
Yup, I'm getting some great growth. It's almost time to post some shots
As for the urchins, I will probably remove both in a month or so
I'm just going to play it by eye for now and see how it goes
I think the snails will be able to keep up once the HA calms down

Nano

08-06-2012, 02:13 AM

Wow looks much better now bud :) now I gotta start putting the livestock back into mine tomorrow

gregzz4

08-09-2012, 02:58 AM

I've decided to give away one of the urchins as 2 is now 1 too many
Man, these little guys, along with the turbos and tophats, have decimated the algae issues :smile:

Today I added 6 ceriths, and am waiting for J&L to get more nassarius and cleaner shrimps

I may shorten the observation time for the 3 dudes in the QT tank as they are all eating really well and I've seen nothing to indicate there are any issues

6 weeks in QT is safe, but I'm impatient
Plus, I feel bad for the foxface ( Smudge ) being in such a small tank, and I'd like to see the hector's ( Hector ) have a go at all the isopods in the DT

gregzz4

08-13-2012, 01:39 AM

Well, I finally got a good pic of Smudge
Ignore the spots on the tail, those are on the glass

Looks like it's not MI. When I blow up the image, the spot is not concentric, nor is it raised
I think it's a scar
Plus, it's been 14 days
The odds of it being a case of internally erupting MI are slim, and as I stated, it's not a raised bump

So, looks like these 3 new guys in the QT are going into the DT this week :razz:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01330-1.jpg

gregzz4

08-15-2012, 11:54 PM

A week ago I bought a couple felt filter socks, just to see how long they'd last before overflowing
I'm quite happy to say they're not even close to overflowing yet
I was only getting a day, or even only half a day, with the mesh socks
I thought it was the excess algae in my DT, but with it gone, such is not the case
Here's the kicker
The mesh socks are 300 micron, and the felt are only 200
So, I've bought more felt to have 2 full sets and the mesh are going into a box, only to be used when the felts are in the wash

So nice not to have to change socks first thing in the morning and then worry about getting home to do it again
Plus washing socks every 2 or 3 days was getting a little old :wink:

Seriak

08-16-2012, 02:05 PM

My felt socks initially lasted over a week when they were new. Now they last just under a week before they start to overflow. I am still working out a good way of cleaing them. The washer works but it's not perfect. I think I have 8 socks now that I alternate in and out before I have to breakdown and clean them.

gregzz4

08-16-2012, 09:27 PM

Smudge, Hector and Bennie went into the DT last night and have settled in nicely
Smudge has eaten all the turf algae already :smile:

I may have to start saving for a better camera

Bennie found himself some tunnels to hang out in inside probably the best rock for viewing him

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01370.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01372.jpg

Royal Aquariums

08-16-2012, 09:36 PM

Nice setup, really like the way you have arranged your sump.

Bblinks

08-16-2012, 09:37 PM

Wow dude, everything is looking great. I see that birdsnest is growing quite a bit. I think it's almost time for a visit. I will have to bring some presents over.:mrgreen:

gregzz4

08-16-2012, 09:42 PM

Nice setup, really like the way you have arranged your sump.
Thank you. Took me 4 attempts to get it to this point :rolleyes:

Wow dude, everything is looking great. I see that birdsnest is growing quite a bit. I think it's almost time for a visit. I will have to bring some presents over.:mrgreen:
Thanks Rich. I can't wait for some massive growth :smile:
The birdsnest is doing well, but a lot of what you see are all the extra frags you gave me
Maybe you could bring your camera with you ? Please ? :smile:
Presents are always good :mrgreen:

gregzz4

08-16-2012, 09:45 PM

Here's Smudge
He's still a bit leery sometimes

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01376.jpg

And this is Hector
He's munching away on isopods
I just missed all the sand coming out his gills

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01375.jpg

Bblinks

08-16-2012, 09:50 PM

Thank you. Took me 4 attempts to get it to this point :rolleyes:

Thanks Rich. I can't wait for some massive growth :smile:
The birdsnest is doing well, but a lot of what you see are all the extra frags you gave me
Maybe you could bring your camera with you ? Please ? :smile:
Presents are always good :mrgreen:

Funny I was gonna ask you what camera you are using to shoot? I like your pictures, and of course I will bring my camera over. anytime.

gregzz4

08-16-2012, 09:53 PM

Bblinks

08-16-2012, 10:23 PM

It's a Sony point and shoot
It only retails for around $350
It does the job for build pics, but I can't get any decent coral shots of anything that's not near the front
I'm thinkin' I'll have to start saving for something like yours

That camera really made a difference in my pictures quality with the help of Wayne(ricereef) but it also made a large dent in my wallet. I guess if you want to play you gotta pay. I think I saw some one selling a 5D for a good price on the forum.....:twised: Let me know when you are free, I am taking holidays next week.

gregzz4

08-16-2012, 10:24 PM

It can wait till you get back, I've gotta focus on some other stuff right now

gregzz4

08-18-2012, 12:48 AM

Bought a new colony today
I got impatient trying to find something for our 1 little 1" clown to play in
I was initially looking for a torch, but I can always add one later
So, I bought a Frogspawn from J&L
It has 5 heads and is about 3" across the skeleton
I'm dripping it now, and will give it a quick dip and rinse before I glue it to a rock
Can't wait to see it open up in the DT :smile:

Definitely going to have to wait some weeks now before we add anything new

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01377.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01378.jpg

gregzz4

08-18-2012, 02:28 AM

New Frog colony in the DT
It's so much brighter than the frag I bought ... frag is to the right
Difference in color is amazing
More pics to follow as it opens up ...

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01379.jpg

gregzz4

08-18-2012, 03:27 AM

New Frogspawn is quite happy
I haven't glued it to a rock yet. It's just sitting on top of a chunk of rock
Hopefully the urchin doesn't upset it too much ...

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01382.jpg

lockrookie

08-18-2012, 04:18 AM

are you sure thats frogspawn.. ive never seen frogspawn like that with such a large skelaton..my first impression is hammer coral or wall hammer

either which way i think is a great piece

gregzz4

08-18-2012, 04:36 AM

Ya, it's an awesome piece ...
It is definately a Frog
I always want to support the LFS, but never though I would buy something this big from them ...

More pics to come ...

gregzz4

08-18-2012, 04:47 AM

I have printed pics for my clown to look at ...
Aside from the ones my Wife wants to see, I hope the clown pics the ones we like ...
Don't lose faith ...
We may get this captive bred Vancouver Aquarium Amphiprion ocellaris to host something yet .... :lol:

I'll keep you all up to date as it happens ...

Nano

08-18-2012, 05:47 AM

I tried it for a month solid no luck. I don't know if thw age has anything to do with it as mine are still young, just a year old

wmcinnes

08-18-2012, 12:21 PM

My clown doesnt even look at my torch :cry:

fishytime

08-18-2012, 02:59 PM

often times clown fish hosting in euphillia doesnt work out so well.....Ive seen clowns kill torches and on the flip side Ive seen burn marks on the clowns from being stung, that can lead to secondary skin infections.....the best relationship is with a nem.....

jorjef

08-18-2012, 03:24 PM

often times clown fish hosting in euphillia doesnt work out so well.....

That is why I was a little hesitant to put my gold bar in .. I wasn't so worried about him but the corals with him thrashing and damaging things. So far so good.

tang daddy

08-20-2012, 06:28 PM

Greg, nice to see the evolution of this tank after a few months, looks like it's maturing and all the hard work payed off, no more pest slate on the rocks...
Looks great buddy!

gridley

08-22-2012, 03:16 PM

Hi Greg - just looking through your thread - very nice set up - glad to see how well everything is coming. Well done! Regarding a new camera, obviously the Cannon is very popular - I have a new Sony A65 and am very, very impressed with it - another option to consider. Again, well done on your set up!

gregzz4

08-22-2012, 09:11 PM

Thanks guys. We're enjoying it more now that we're past some of the teething pains

I'm still getting a lot of dusty algae on the glass, but other than that, it's staying very clean now

After seeing Shelley's post about her 55g I realize my new Euphyllia is sometimes called an Octospawn
The clown has looked it over a couple of times and I've decided to just let things happen for now. Hosting or not, I'm OK either way

I've had to take down the chaeto tank as I built the baffle too high and water eventually started to seep out the top between the glass and the trim
Just more proof that silicone, glass and plastic don't mix well
I'm going to try and slot the baffle and I'm not in a hurry as I don't have any chaeto right now

Nano

08-22-2012, 10:49 PM

gregzz4

08-23-2012, 07:25 AM

Since this hobby is all about throwing money away ...

I bought some Berghias today from Bill
I tried to catch my Peppermint shrimps - to no avail

Over the next week or so I'll try to catch the shrimps, but I think I'll have to buy more Nudis

I was going to post some pics, but Photobucket is down ...

gregzz4

08-23-2012, 08:00 AM

OK, Photobucket is back

Here's some shots of the Nudis heading for the rocks
Hold on to your seats folks, these pics are gonna ... ummm ... put you to sleep :razz:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01387.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01388.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01389.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01390.jpg

gregzz4

08-23-2012, 08:03 AM

You should split the fuge into 2 parts, the fuge and a section for a little algae scrubber. I hear you don't need to scrape the glass as often with one as the algae is beong encouraged to grow elsewhere. Not sure if that's 100% accurate or not bit if i had room on my tank I'd install one.
Thanks for the thoughts Kenny

I haven't decided yet what to do with the tank
I may expand things and encorporate a scrubber .... not sure yet what I'll do

I have ideas of moving things in my office around and installing more tanks :rolleyes:

gridley

08-23-2012, 02:56 PM

gregzz4

08-24-2012, 12:11 AM

Just courious - since I'm new at this - is the intorduction of the Berghias to control aiptasia :question:
An attempt to, yes

The obvious happened ...
The Peppermints got lazy. As soon as I added fish the shrimp got a free ride with all the food floating around and don't appear to need to eat the aiptasia anymore :smile:

Coralgurl

08-24-2012, 01:02 AM

Keep us posted how they work out, I added peppermints as well that haven't touched the aptasia in my tank. If they work for you I may give them a go too!

Tank looks awesome!

molotov

08-24-2012, 01:05 AM

Oh no.....please don't tell me you're battling aiptaisa. That sux.....I had a couple but quickly terminated them. That was a couple months ago. I too have peppermint shrimp so if I did have any more aiptasia since then, I think the pep's probably would have destroyed them as well.

Oh well I guess it's all part of the game. Best of luck with your fight my friend.

gregzz4

08-24-2012, 01:06 AM

Keep us posted how they work out, I added peppermints as well that haven't touched the aptasia in my tank. If they work for you I may give them a go too!

Tank looks awesome!
Will do, and thank you
Can't wait for it to fill in a bit

gregzz4

08-24-2012, 01:08 AM

gregzz4

08-26-2012, 06:22 AM

Saw a berghia last night, so the peppermints haven't eaten them all ... yet

Bought more coral yesterday

I got a Purple Valida bansai acro, a red and a green acro, a wedge of green and, I think, yellow leptastrea, a nice green florida ric, and both some blue and some green zoas
All small stuff, so don't stay tuned for any major pics :mrgreen:

Everything else is doing well
Algae is still under control
Hector and Bennie have eaten all the Isopods, so I hope the Hector's learns to eat mysis soon ....
The foxface is finally used to me having my hands in the tank, so no more worries about getting stabbed :smile:

Oh, I got 8 days out of my new felt socks and washed them before they were overflowing
Far cry from the old mesh ones, so, very happy there
Plus, they washed up very nicely

Nothing else to write home about Ma ...

Pics soon ...

gregzz4

08-28-2012, 10:27 PM

New acans - the red is a rescue

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01397.jpg

Don't know why I thought the leptastrea was green and yellow
It's actually burgandy, green and baby blue

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01396.jpg

Purple valida bansai. Can't see the purple in this shot. It'll show up as it grows

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01399.jpg

Ric garden, although I don't think the yumas are going to make it

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01400.jpg

No pics of the new zoas - they're too small right now

Moved things around a bit
Octospawn is much happier in it's new spot

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01393.jpg

Enigma

08-31-2012, 02:02 AM

Very nice new acquisitions! I love the valida. :) And, those nudis are darn cute. If I wind up with aiptasia I'm going to get an army of them. :lol:

How big is Smudge? He looks huge!

gregzz4

08-31-2012, 04:31 AM

Smudge is only about 4"
Close up shots make him look like a monster :smile:

Good thing our power outage today didn't last very long ...

Grabbed more frags from Rich tonight :mrgreen:

And from J&L I picked up a purple fire fish and a royal gramma

Pics to follow in a day or 2

Bblinks

08-31-2012, 07:11 PM

looking good buddy.

gregzz4

09-01-2012, 01:13 AM

New frags from Rich. Thanks again buddy for mangling your colonies for me :smile:

Zoas and Palys are still closed a bit from handling

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01411.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01412.jpg

All the zoas so far from Chris and Rich

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01414.jpg

Couple new SPS - can't remember their names

Pink Digitata ?

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01410.jpg

Red something or other :lol:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01409.jpg

Nano

09-01-2012, 03:21 AM

Some nice zoos Greg! I'll have to ste them from you when I go to the island next :P
Tanks looking good.

gregzz4

09-01-2012, 03:24 AM

Well, if you're going to the island, you can bring me some of your zoos as I'm just off the #1 highway ( literally beside it ) :mrgreen:

fishytime

09-01-2012, 03:59 AM

pink/orange digitata and red samerensis?..........looking good mang.....

PurpleMonkey

09-01-2012, 04:54 PM

Thank is looking great Greg!

gregzz4

09-02-2012, 02:02 AM

pink/orange digitata and red samerensis?..........looking good mang.....
Thanks for that
I really should write stuff down when I buy it :rolleyes:

Thank is looking great Greg!
Thanks Harp :smile:

Nano

09-02-2012, 02:13 AM

Are your yumas doing better? If not try moving them down to the SB in a lower light. I find mine hate the direct light and do bes there.

gregzz4

09-02-2012, 02:16 AM

Are your yumas doing better? If not try moving them down to the SB in a lower light. I find mine hate the direct light and do bes there.
Funny you ask
I am thinking about moving them into an overhang as they are not getting any better, and spot feeding is difficult where they are

gregzz4

09-02-2012, 03:35 AM

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later

I am Sooo glad I place all new fish in QT
Of course, it doesn't help that I don't QT corals, shrimp, snails etc as I've rolled the dice, or rather, spun the cylinder, there

Anywhoo - poor Gramma :sad:
I saw it flash once before I bought it, but could not see anything, even with a pair of 300+ magnifier glasses on

2 days later and ...
( best pic I could get )

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01421.jpg

Nano

09-02-2012, 04:04 AM

that sucks man, sorry to hear! My cherub got ich even after a lenghtly qt in hypo. possiby from the stress or possibly cause it wasnt qt long enough or properly. despite that, I bought some herbtana microbe lift, treated the tank for 2 weeks and he was fine for 6 months until losing him in the move. might be worth a shot. its in your system now so your pretty well going to see it from time to time I'm sure. but herbtana worked great for me, plus its reef safe and not stressful to the fish. I think its derived from natural oils from plants (i think.)

good luck man!

gregzz4

09-02-2012, 04:20 AM

its in your system now so your pretty well going to see it from time to time I'm sure
good luck man!
Yup, definately sucks but all is not lost as they're in the QT, so all is good

The DT is not contaminated ( at least from this fish ) :smile:

After this is dealt with I'll leave the QT fallow

I'm treating with Paraguard right now and am considering doing a Hypo

I was feeling guilty about the firefish being in there, but then I recalled it came from the same system @ the store, so it already has it :wink:

gregzz4

09-06-2012, 02:27 AM

A little FYI

I have been keeping some LR in the Observation/QT for hiding places and filtration
I wasn't worried if it had to be medicated as it's a small piece of rock
If I was to ever use copper I would remove it first

I've been using Seachem Paraguard daily and so far I've seen;

Dead brittle star
Dead asterina stars
Amphipods are OK
Isopods are OK
Palys and aiptasia close up right after dosing
Aiptasia opens up after about 18 hours
Palys don't open at all

Rice Reef

09-06-2012, 05:28 AM

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01393.jpg[/QUOTE]

Hi Greg, nice meeting at Rich's couple weekends ago celebrating his and families' birthdays. Love the rockscape!

gregzz4

09-06-2012, 06:02 AM

Thanks for liking my 'scape Wayne
I may remove the top of the middle island down the road to make room for corals
I really like Rich's low rocks with all the big corals ballooning around :smile:

It was great meeting and talking with you too
I hope you guys had a good time at the swap in Vic

Hope the investment is treating you well :smile:

gregzz4

09-10-2012, 06:08 AM

DT is going very well - nothing to report there

QT is definately infected with MI
It has come and gone every 2 or 3 days ever since Sept 1st
The Royal Gramma has always been hit by it, but now, for the first time, the Purple Firefish has a spot

I've been, since Thursday, looking for an SL1 so I can more easily monitor the pH while running hypo
I have a plan now and will be picking up a probe Monday

I'll be going for a total of 10 weeks before these critters go into the DT
2-3 days of dropping the Sg, 2-3 days while the spots go away, 4 weeks of hypo, 7 days to raise the Sg, and 4 more weeks of monitoring to see if it comes back

Yeehaw :lol:

At least they are in the QT
And I'll be able to put the LR back in the QT after all this as it'll sit fallow in a bucket in the meantime

tang daddy

09-10-2012, 07:29 AM

Greg, nice to see your persistance in the QT of fishes, you are one of few that do this that actually follow through till the end!

How is the growth of corals coming along?

gregzz4

09-10-2012, 08:52 PM

I can imagine how peed I'd be if I'd just tossed them in the DT :smile:

There is growth happening here and there, but nothing camera worthy yet
I'll definately get some pics up once they're worth seeing

gregzz4

09-13-2012, 04:15 AM

Haven't started the QT hypo yet, but I got the SL1 and a new pH probe running
I was @ J&L today and put a hold on a Kole tang that just arrived yesterday, so I won't start hypo now until Sunday or Monday as I'll pick up the Yellow eye on Saturday
Couldn't have been better timing :smile:

The chaeto tank is finally back up and running, although I have nothing to put in it right now :rolleyes:
I picked up a pair of 5pc diamond cutting wheel sets (http://www.princessauto.com/pal/product/8049025/) for a dremel from Princess Auto
I thought I'd go through a bunch of el cheapo units but, surprise, one disc got the whole job done :smile:
It's not the prettiest as I did it freehand, but I'm super happy that I didn't have to remove the baffle :mrgreen:
No more leaking over-the-glass/under the trim
That 'mark' below the right angled cut is just a scratch from slipping with the wheel

I was even able to arris all the edges with the wheel :smile:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01435.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01436.jpg

Nano

09-13-2012, 04:29 AM

Nice job Greg :) should keep the creep down now too

gregzz4

09-13-2012, 04:36 AM

Nice job Greg :) should keep the creep down now too
Thanks mang - mission definately accomplished :wink:
Now it's time for a couple wobblies and some surfing right after I throw something at the feedmees :smile:

Coralgurl

09-13-2012, 04:41 AM

Dont ever have anything to say but great job! Things are coming along nice in your slice of the ocean. Nice to be able to sit back and enjoy! I know I've slowed down a lot just to let things stabilize. How's smudge doing?

Nano

09-13-2012, 04:45 AM

Me too. I haven't put my hands in the tank for a few days now. That's got a be a record for me :P today I sat in my chair and I only see the one spot open for my purple monti when I get it, other then that I was like "yep.. good job Ken, good job."

gregzz4

09-13-2012, 05:17 AM

Thanks for stayin' interested guys and gals :biggrin:

Dont ever have anything to say but great job! Things are coming along nice in your slice of the ocean. Nice to be able to sit back and enjoy! I know I've slowed down a lot just to let things stabilize. How's smudge doing?
Well thanks for jumpin' in :smile:
Mine's slowed down too now, thankfully. I have some dudes in the QT and it will be nearing the end of Nov before they go in the DT. Talk about being patient - yikes :surprise:

Smudge is doing very well thanks. He's the king of the tank right now, but the biggest scaredy-cat err fox, and the biggest PIGGY I've ever seen. He eats like a freshwater Pike cichlid. Dart, gobble, oh look more over there, dart, gobble, oh you can't have that it's mine, dart, dart, dart :lol:

I haven't seen an update on yours - did it make it through after the powerhead traction ?

Me too. I haven't put my hands in the tank for a few days now. That's got a be a record for me :P today I sat in my chair and I only see the one spot open for my purple monti when I get it, other then that I was like "yep.. good job Ken, good job."
Nothin' like havin' to do nothin' with your tank but sit back and enjoy :biggrin:
Once I get these guys outta the QT I'll be able to set a lot of this on ignore :mrgreen:

Although ... there are still a lot of corals and such I want :rolleyes:

Coralgurl

09-13-2012, 06:33 AM

Your entire build has been methodical and full of patience, I'm sure the qt time will go by quickly. looks to me in my very limited experience you are doing everything the right way. A great build thread to watch and follow, always watching your updates.

No updates on my tank worth posting. Dealing with another outbreak of cyano, seems to be clearing up. Interest comes and goes. I get panicky about things and having shut down thoughts so I figure leaving it alone ( just maintenance) not adding anything and letting it settle is best for now.

So happy smudge is doing well! Mine didn't make it. After getting stuck to the power head a second time, I put him in a small breeder container I had, floated it in the sump but didn't put the lid on it. He got out and when I got home yesterday he was stuck to the intake of my gfo reactor pump and dead. I will try another one but might put it in my smaller tank to start, they seem like a very gentle fish and might be a good idea to have it with less aggressive eaters for a bit.

Keep the updates coming:lol:

gregzz4

09-13-2012, 07:00 AM

I'll PM you about this and that

gregzz4

09-14-2012, 11:14 PM

Here's a couple new pics of Smudge - maybe I should rename him Pudge :razz:

He just went through a 2" square of purple nori in less than 5 mins

Ack, Photobucket is acting up
I'll get the pics up soon

I just got home from J&L a little while ago and am acclimating a Kole to go into QT with the gramma and firefish

Be a nice surprise for Donna when she gets home tonight :biggrin:

Nano

09-14-2012, 11:22 PM

Lucky guy. I wish I could have a tang :( maybe once I build the next tank :P how's all the corals doing?

gregzz4

09-14-2012, 11:39 PM

how's all the corals doing?
Corals are looking very happy
I moved the yumas into some shade and they are coming back to life, but I can't show you right now 'cause P-bucket isn't uploading

I'll be getting some growth pics up soon too when I get some more patience :wink:

Once you buy a new place I know who'll be getting some bigger fish :biggrin:

Bblinks

09-14-2012, 11:53 PM

I think you have over worked photo bucket....:twised: I have no problems with it.:mrgreen:

gregzz4

09-14-2012, 11:57 PM

I think you have over worked photo bucket....:twised: I have no problems with it.:mrgreen:
:rofl:

gregzz4

09-15-2012, 12:48 AM

I couldn't be happier right now :mrgreen: well, maybe, but as far as fish go ...

I put the new kole into the QT about 5 mins ago and it's already picking at the LR :multi:

Still no P-bucket action ...............

Ginu

09-15-2012, 12:52 AM

I couldn't be happier right now :mrgreen: well, maybe, but as far as fish go ...

I put the new kole into the DT about 5 mins ago and it's already picking at the LR :multi:

Still no P-bucket action ...............

Woa no Q for the Kole? Im debating doing the same with mine as my 10g Q tank is housing a goby with the buddy pistol along with a grenn chromis and a ton of rock and sand. My plan is to move all that in the 75g, clean out the 10g and have it setup as a Q tank.

You're brave and will be watching this for updates!

gregzz4

09-15-2012, 12:55 AM

Woa no Q for the Kole? Im debating doing the same with mine as my 10g Q tank is housing a goby with the buddy pistol along with a grenn chromis and a ton of rock and sand. My plan is to move all that in the 75g, clean out the 10g and have it setup as a Q tank.

You're brave and will be watching this for updates!

WHOOPS
I meant QT :lol:

No not brave, or silly, just too excited to type correctly :razz:

gregzz4

09-15-2012, 12:58 AM

Chris, thanks for pointing that out :lol:

Definately put your dude into your QT, even if it means you have to clear it out tonight, or postpone the purchase a day or so, or whatever

You know how prone tangs are to MI, nevermind everything else that could happen

I wanna make sure this little guy is eating well and hopefully bug-free
The plan is for a day or so of feeding, then I'm going to start dropping the Sg and go through the whole hypo bit

Ginu

09-15-2012, 01:13 AM

gregzz4

09-15-2012, 01:16 AM

My QT is currently 1.025 @ 79f with 5-10lbs of LR
I have an Aquaclear 50, and an 8watt UV run by a Quiet One 1200 on it's lowest setting

I'm not running any chems right now and probably won't
I did a week of Paraguard and it killed all my brittle stars, some asternias, and the few polyps haven't opened since

I add Paraguard when I'm acclimating and treat it as a dip, right before I net the dudes to the QT

Once I start to drop the Sg I'll put the LR in a bucket for the fallow period

Keep your Sg up until after you acclimate, then drop it over 48-72 hours if you plan on going hypo
Otherwise, keep it between 1.024 and 1.026

Ginu

09-15-2012, 02:16 AM

gregzz4

09-15-2012, 02:36 AM

I like the hypo salinity method to be honest as it kills most parasites and it's not harmful to the fish.
I was under the impression that drip acclimation when introducing new fish into the qt tank is not necessary. They just match temps and drop the fish in lower salinity water which shock the parasites off.
Nope, couple bad ideas there ...

Hypo has only been proven to kill MI, and only at levels as low as 1.009, although it does help newly aquired fish recover from problems ...
The lower salinity allows them to 'sluff off' salt more easily ( osmoregulation ) as there is less salt content to take in to start with
This allows them to focus on digestion and healing etc etc instead of spending time trying to rid themselves of the amount of salt they take in
'Dropping' new fish into a tank without a drip is one of the best ways I can think of to kill them :razz: - or at least stress them out enough that they will eventually die :wink:

There are plenty of acclimation procedures online, and even J&L has a page about it

You MUST properly acclimate your new critters, any kind of new critters, if you expect them to be as healthy as possible

As far as 'shocking' parasites off of new aquisitions goes, read about freshwater dips and follow the instructions closely
You could also read about medicated dips, such as using prazipro or paraguard, but again, read first, and don't do anything you don't fully understand :smile:

Ginu

09-15-2012, 03:25 AM

I keep reading and reading, guess everyone has their methods and I was thinking the same about dropping the fish directly in lower salinity water...

Here is the post:

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/fish-invert-reference/saltwater-setting-up-quarantine-tank-35693/

gregzz4

09-15-2012, 03:37 AM

I've only browsed that article but I don't like what I read ...

Here's a great link for you

Randy Holmes-Farley articles (http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/f162/randy-holmes-farley-articles-26533/)

And one I like about Hypo (http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/23131-hyposalinity-treatment-process.html)

gregzz4

09-19-2012, 03:39 AM

OK, some new pics ...

Here's a couple new pics of Smudge - maybe I should rename him Pudge :razz:

He just went through a 2" square of purple nori in less than 5 mins

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01466_zpsd861131d.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01467_zpsa111669b.jpg

Our newest addition doesn't have a name yet
The spots are worms on the glass

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01475_zpsb8db4ac0.jpg

gregzz4

09-19-2012, 06:10 AM

FYI ...

Adding an airstone to your QT makes a huge difference concerning pH

My aquaclear 50 just didn't cut it for gas exchange as my pH dipped below 7.8
I added an airstone and the pH came back up over 7.9 within the afternoon

I hope to see it back within normal ranges tomorrow

daplatapus

09-19-2012, 02:43 PM

Nice addition, love the yellow eye kole's. You'll like him, tons of personality.Ph was always my problem with hypo, just could never seem to keep it up no matter what I did, thus my affinity for the tank transfer method for MI :)

Ginu

09-20-2012, 03:21 PM

Looks good. Mine is a little darker and very active although hes not interested in any food I offer which annoys me... instead he kicks up all the sand creating a sandstorm like I've never seen...

I remember being warned with my pistols creating storms, however this guy beats them all which is quite annoying to say the least as I keep looking at the 34gallon cube which is crystal clear and vs the 75 which is a white cloud in the afternoon.

gregzz4

09-22-2012, 02:11 AM

Chris, our new Tang is in a barebottom QT, so I have no idea what will happen when it finds sand :wink:

New FTShots

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01493_zps95a9704e.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01490_zps029e44f9.jpg

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01494_zps51fe012f.jpg

Ginu

09-22-2012, 02:49 AM

Looks good.
How much lr do you have in the display? It looks awesome.
I'd love for my water to look as clean as yours, but I'll have to improvise and teach the tang some new tricks which don't include sand kicking.

gregzz4

09-22-2012, 03:07 AM

I'll guess about 50lbs live and another 20lbs base

There's another 20lbs or so in the sump that I'm going to sell
I'll post it once it's weighed and in a tub ( thanks to Brett, Brad and Albert for the indirect encouragement to remove it :smile: )

Coralgurl

09-22-2012, 03:31 AM

gregzz4

09-27-2012, 01:51 AM

Thanks Sheena .. we're growing quite fond of the little piglet
Got a decent shot of him recently
We'll call this pic 'Look at me while I poop' as he does this sometimes
I guess he doesn't want to be bugged while he's pushing :lol:

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01511.jpg

After some reading and thinking, I pulled the LR out of my sump today
I put it in a rubbermaid, placed an add to sell the rock, went to J&L, and when I got home it was sold :smile: ( thanks Vince )

Although I never really got much detritius per se in the skimmer chamber, it's now easier to remove the errant sand
Boooorrriing post ... only a sump pic

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01517.jpg

gregzz4

09-27-2012, 02:24 AM

Guess I'll post a few updates, then I'm going to photodump a bit :smile:

I finally go the QT down to 1.009 and will be starting the 4 week hypo clock in a couple days - once I'm sure the fish look MIckless
I dropped it over 5 days, just 'cause I didn't want to do it too fast, and not overnight without supervision
I think this slow drop ( I went through 20-30g of RO :smile:) may have helped with params as I've not seen any ammo etc yet
The gramma, purple firefish and kole are doing quite well and eating lots
I am also happy to report the new Kole is now eating NLS pellets, soft spiro pellets, brine/mysis, and nori from a rock :biggrin:
Qt pH is stable @ 7.85 and there's a Tunze osmolator to keep it @ 1.009 so I'm good to go. I may raise the pH a touch, but all is good

In the DT I added a handful of nassarius and ceriths today, and hope they'll keep the sand looking a little cleaner than it is now

So, I'll start dumping some random pics now

gregzz4

09-27-2012, 02:50 AM

Spiny urchin is getting big

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01503.jpg

And he sure likes nori

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01439.jpg

Our clown, Goober, has doubled in size in 2 months

July 28
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01299.jpg

Now
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01451.jpg

Our Bangaii ( Boo ), PJs ( P & J :rolleyes: ), Starry blenny ( Benny ) and Hector the Hector's goby have all doubled in size too, but I don't have any good pics right now

I planned to do a big photodump tonight, but what I though were usable shots are junk, so I'll leave you with this for now

I bought some watermelons from Rich, and there were a couple really nice, bright green palys mixed in
I thought, well, I'll just leave them 'cause they are great
Jump forward to yesterday when 2 had grown to 6+ heads, so I did some surgery in a dish
My first time fragging zoas/palys ... what a slimy mess, and the toxin leaking from the wounds I made :surprise:

ANYway, I now have all my palys on a separate rock from my zoas ( I think/hope )

This rock now has 3 kinds of palys on it, and these are the recovering green ones

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01518.jpg

Here's what's goin on with my zoas right now

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01519.jpg

I'll try to get some good pics when the lights are all on so I can post growth shots and such
More for my own future reference, but you know I like to share :biggrin:

ensquire

09-28-2012, 02:07 AM

Looking good Greg. Excellent progress.
You are so patient, wish I could do that.

molotov

09-28-2012, 03:52 AM

Lookin good my friend. Are you still battling HA? Corals look fantastic. Also your sump os looking killer. Nice work!

gregzz4

09-29-2012, 12:22 AM

Looking good Greg. Excellent progress.
You are so patient, wish I could do that.

Lookin good my friend. Are you still battling HA? Corals look fantastic. Also your sump os looking killer. Nice work!

Thanks guys
Not having any major HA issues, just a bit here and there
I'm sure once the Kole tang goes in I won't see much at all

Nano

09-29-2012, 12:27 AM

Yessir looking good. Just you wait til I can upgrade :twised:

gregzz4

09-29-2012, 12:30 AM

Coral photodumping
I've said before that my camera isn't the greatest, so some are blurry

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01522.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01523.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01524.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01525.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01526.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01527.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01528.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01529.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01530.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01531.jpg
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01532.jpg
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http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/xx136/Gregzz4/75%20Gallon%20Build/DSC01548.jpg

Ginu

09-29-2012, 01:30 AM

Looking good. Can't wait for some of those frags to mature...

I think I'll start my 75g thread this week as I an most likely on holidays starting next week.

Out of curiosity, how did you get the kole eating pellets and other stuff?
Mine is not interested in anything but algae although it fattened up quite a bit since I got him... I confess about not cleaning the aquarium for him to eat.

gregzz4

09-29-2012, 02:50 AM

Out of curiosity, how did you get the kole eating pellets and other stuff?
Mine is not interested in anything but algae although it fattened up quite a bit since I got him... I confess about not cleaning the aquarium for him to eat.
I may have just been lucky ...

The QT has some LR that the Kole lived on for the first few days, so that helped. He was pooping green all the time :smile:

The QT has a simple 15w bulb
I kept my office lights off for a couple days, and still sometimes feed with the office lights off
He's getting used to me, but eats better when he can't see me

They get lunch anywhere between 12-2, but the lights come on @ 11am
They get dinner anywhere between 9-10, and the lights go out @ 11pm

It's possible that the Kole was so hungry by lunch that he would eat anything I threw in there :wink:

I noticed, on day 2, that he was mouthing pellets, and by day 3 or 4 he was eating most of what he grabbed. Now he eats everything he takes in

I had no problems with him taking to frozen, just a day or 2 and he was hooked

For the nori, I put a piece of rubble on the bottom, with the nori wrapped under an elastic, and left it in all day. I put a new piece in every afternoon
It only took him 1 or 2 days to pick at the rock, then he found the softened nori, and with it staying in the tank all day, I found he was finishing it

2 days ago I put nori on a clip, about half way down the glass, and left it in overnight
The next morning it was still there, but I saw him start picking on it around noon, and it was gone in an hour

Tonight I bought a veggie mag for the Kole and will see how it goes tomorrow
If you haven't seen one of these, you can move it anywhere on the glass you like once it's in the water
I'll train him with this so he's ready for the DT

gregzz4

10-06-2012, 02:58 AM

Our purple firefish, Cleo, died today, but the gramma and kole are fine ...
The tank is due for a WC, so I have some small readings of NO2 and 3

Cleo has eaten every meal since we got her on Aug 30 - guess it's just one of those unexplainable losses ...

QT hypo readings are;
pH 7.8-8.1 - Pinpoint probe and Seachem test kit
Temp 79F
Sg 1.009 - calibrated ATC refractometer
NH3/NH4 0.00 - Brand new Elos kit, and brand new Seachem Ammo Alert reads safe
NO2 0.05 or zero - Seachem ( hard to read these kits )
NO3 1.5ish - Seachem

I then ran the Elos ammo test kit with both RO and DT water, and they both read the same, so I'm calling it a zero reading for ammonia in the QT

ensquire

10-06-2012, 03:16 AM

Always sucks when one dies. I was gonna give the old WC line but I didn't want to steal someones glory LOL And you already have one planned

Nano

10-06-2012, 03:21 AM

:cry:

gregzz4

10-06-2012, 04:12 AM

Aww Jeez, I might have poisoned Cleo :redface:

I just went to feed the fish and the frozen stuff smelled kinda rank. I guess the liquid garlic disguised the smell last night .... :cry:
I keep the DT food separate from the QT, so only the Firefish, Kole and Gramma ate this batch

I keep the thawed mysis etc in a small, covered dish in the beerfridge
I use it up in 2-4 days, then thaw more

I'll have to keep a closer eye on my habits and smell the food closer before I use it

Now I feel like a murderer :twised:

jorjef

10-06-2012, 04:23 AM

Why do you pre thaw and store rather than just thawing before you feed them?

gregzz4

10-06-2012, 05:22 AM

I've been pre-thawing it as I was forgetting to get it ready in time for their dinner

I've been thawing it in a covered dish in the fridge
Then I rinse it in RO and dose it with vities and garlic

Guess I'll have to start thawing it every afternoon when I get home :wink:

jorjef

10-06-2012, 05:33 AM

Just throw a piece of frozen in a small glass with tank water and rinse with your RO Takes about 15 minutes.

Ginu

10-06-2012, 05:58 AM

I have a weird routine of feeding frozen... I basically keep everything frozen and cut shavings of them (mysis, clams, mussels and shrimps), then I throw them in a cup of ro/di water and stir. Within 30 seconds its all thawed out and at this point I strain, rinse again with ro/di water, apply garlic and let it sit for 5 min. Right after I throw the entire concussion in a pint of rodi water and feed the tank.

So far it's been working well and haven't had any casualties or issues with the food going bad.

Also my kole finally found the algae clip and it picks at it all day (usually its clean at the end of the day).
If I don't add the sea veggies clip, the kole checks the spot periodically during the day, it's quite funny to watch.