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Magickiwi
07-15-2013, 07:54 PM
Here's my current gear:

24g JBJ Nano Cube (Frag Tank)
• 150 HQI Hood
• Hydor Power Head/Wave Maker
• JBJ 150w Titanium heater/controller
• JBJ Nano-Zapp UV Sterilizer
• Tunze 9002 Protein Skimmer (replacement collection cup by mediabaskets.com)
• Replacement Media Basket By Mediabaskets.com
• Running Purigen, Chemi-Pure Elite
• Tunze Nano-Osmolator ATO

90g Reef Display Aquarium
• 2x250w HQI Bulbs (14k) + 2x54w T5 (Actinic) + 8x3w 420nm Actinic LEDs
• 20g Sump With HOB Overflow
• Eshopps PSK-100H Protein Skimmer
• Dual Chamber Media Reactor (Purigen+Chemi-Pure Elite)
• JBJ 300w Titanium Heater/Controller
• Coralife Turbo-Twist UV Sterilizer
• Tunze Osmolator ATO
• Ecotech MP40 Power Head/Controller

All tanks offline due to house renos

Magickiwi
07-17-2013, 07:32 PM
Repainted the back of the larger tank from an ocean blue to flat black. Used Behr premium paint and primer exterior latex and it took three coats before I stopped seeing light through the paint. Gave it two more and called it a day.

Just flooring and baseboards to install and then I can set up my tanks again!

11purewater
07-18-2013, 01:03 AM
The worst thing in this hobby is staring at an empty tank!:lol:

Magickiwi
07-18-2013, 01:37 PM
The worst thing in this hobby is staring at an empty tank!:lol:

This is true, although I finished painting the basement so it's on to flooring and baseboards and then I am ready to fill them up! Ordered a chiller and some odds and sods from J&L so naturally I am having trouble concentrating on the damned basement.

thmh
07-18-2013, 02:14 PM
Empty tank sysdrom is dangerous the symptom are compulsive buying, buying multiple by mistake and being broke. :-)

~Tony

kien
07-18-2013, 03:21 PM
are you intending to keep the tank in the basement?

Magickiwi
07-18-2013, 06:18 PM
are you intending to keep the tank in the basement?

Yep, that's the plan. Why do you ask?

michika
07-18-2013, 07:00 PM
I like where this is going...but...

http://www.expeditionportal.com/mscott/Users/mattscott/buildthread/this%20thread%20is%20useless%20without%20pichers.j pg

Magickiwi
07-18-2013, 07:10 PM
I like where this is going...but...

http://www.expeditionportal.com/mscott/Users/mattscott/buildthread/this%20thread%20is%20useless%20without%20pichers.j pg

Haha, pictures very soon! I'm desperate to get my tanks going again but damned reality keeps getting in the way... Here's an idea, I'll take a picture of the hell that is my basement ATM and you can see all the construction tools and other crap getting in the way of my fun! :D

Back to the basement question: Is there a reason why it would be inadvisable to put the tanks in my (developed) basement?

kien
07-18-2013, 08:00 PM
Yep, that's the plan. Why do you ask?

Just curious. I don't know anyone in Calgary that runs a chiller on their tanks so that's a bit different :-) (that doesn't mean that there aren't Calgary tanks with chillers.. I just don't know any of them).

Magickiwi
07-18-2013, 08:08 PM
Just curious. I don't know anyone in Calgary that runs a chiller on their tanks so that's a bit different :-) (that doesn't mean that there aren't Calgary tanks with chillers.. I just don't know any of them).

That comes from having a 150w HQI bulb an inch or two from the surface of the water in my 24g Nano. :)

A friend from work has a RSM 130D and he's having heat problems with it. He's looking at getting the same chiller as me.

kien
07-18-2013, 08:14 PM
Back to the basement question: Is there a reason why it would be inadvisable to put the tanks in my (developed) basement?

The only regret that I have ever heard from people with basement tanks, myself included, is the visibility (or viewability) aspect. Some people, again not ALL people, find that having their tank in the basement reduces or limits its visibility. A lot of home activities happen on the main floor, and by the end of the day you're exhausted and go to bed, without even seeing your tank. Then you sometimes get into a slump where your mindset is something like, "there's a tank in the basement, it needs a skimmer cup clean, glass cleaning, there's a frag rolling around on the sand bed, new dosing solutions need too up, this, that.." But because you don't see the tank it's easy to procrastinate and let maintenance slide. I'm not suggesting that this is what's going to happen to your tank. Simply that this is the only reason that I know of not to have a basement tank. Having said all that, TONNES of people have successful basement tanks :-).

Now, you're probably going to say that your developed basement is intended to be the prime recreation or entertainment area. That's good, it'll help. Again, this goes back to visibility of your tank. Ultimately, the more you see it the better off it'll be. Even if you're just glancing at it from across the room. How's that saying go.. Oh ya, "out of sight, out if mind." :-)

kien
07-18-2013, 08:18 PM
That comes from having a 150w HQI bulb an inch or two from the surface of the water in my 24g Nano. :)

A friend from work has a RSM 130D and he's having heat problems with it. He's looking at getting the same chiller as me.

An inch from the water?!?? Yikes!! And ya, I can definitely see heating issues on an RSM. Those tanks tend to be sealed up with a lid which reduces evaporation thus limiting cooling. An open top (and possibly a strategically placed fan) goes a LONG ways in helping to cool a tank. A chiller will get the job done too though :-)

Magickiwi
07-18-2013, 08:33 PM
An inch from the water?!?? Yikes!! And ya, I can definitely see heating issues on an RSM. Those tanks tend to be sealed up with a lid which reduces evaporation thus limiting cooling. An open top (and possibly a strategically placed fan) goes a LONG ways in helping to cool a tank. A chiller will get the job done too though :-)

My Nano Cube is one of the "Next Generation LED" tanks. Essentially JBJ's first kick at an LED hood, so they were really anemic looking. The MH hood is incredible (after I swapped out the fans), I will have no time raising frags in it. (Other than some possible bleaching at first with that much light)

The RSM set ups are really good looking IMO but yeah, I don't dig the sealed tops. My friend also has the tank set up on his main floor with no central air and a south facing room.

As to your other post I can totally understand what you're saying. For my house the basement will be the main living area, so keeping it in the fore front of my mind shouldn't be an issue. The problem will be with leaving it alone instead of constantly fiddling :)

kien
07-18-2013, 08:43 PM
The RSM set ups are really good looking IMO but yeah, I don't dig the sealed tops. My friend also has the tank set up on his main floor with no central air and a south facing room.

As to your other post I can totally understand what you're saying. For my house the basement will be the main living area, so keeping it in the fore front of my mind shouldn't be an issue. The problem will be with leaving it alone instead of constantly fiddling :)

Ya, the all-in-one units do look pretty sexy. The newer models with the LED lights are nice, plus I think they've caught on and now have open tops on their newer models. Main floors with a south facing windows can be a challenge. That's what I have to battle. My tank sits in my living room with a giant south facing living room window. I have an open top with a fan and central AC though so that helps. I still have to keep my blinds closed in the summer. Ironically, in the winter when the sun does blast through the windows more its cold enough outside (and in the house) that I can keep the blinds open mostly all winter.

Constantly fiddling will be something that both you and your tank will suffer through for at least the first 6 months. Possibly up to a year. After that, it should get better :lol:

Magickiwi
07-25-2013, 01:54 PM
Finally got the flooring in! Astute readers may notice the lack of baseboards though...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Vdt4a3JBvLg/UfEtSM9zB5I/AAAAAAAAAnU/O8hM0Ciejdg/w506-h750/photo2.JPG

michika
07-25-2013, 04:20 PM
I just notice the magical freestanding pants :)

michika
07-25-2013, 04:25 PM
Haha, pictures very soon! I'm desperate to get my tanks going again but damned reality keeps getting in the way... Here's an idea, I'll take a picture of the hell that is my basement ATM and you can see all the construction tools and other crap getting in the way of my fun! :D

Back to the basement question: Is there a reason why it would be inadvisable to put the tanks in my (developed) basement?

Oh ye old reno basement. I too have that problem. Although it does make you feel really good about yourself when you take those before and after photos! Cheap rah rah rah moments for the win.

The only regret that I have ever heard from people with basement tanks, myself included, is the visibility (or viewability) aspect.

I have a basement tank. Hell the thing had to be built in my basement. I love it. However my basement is also where my television and gaming areas are, its also where puppy snuggles are best given and received.

So there is some truth in whats mentioned, but if your basement is a destination for something other then just your tank, it might work out better.

Magickiwi
07-25-2013, 04:57 PM
I just notice the magical freestanding pants :)

Yes, they are amazing. Too bad they don't wash themselves.

Magickiwi
08-12-2013, 01:39 PM
Water test last night! Time to start hooking everything up now. So close I can almost taste it. (Not the salt water, that's just a figure of speech.)

Will follow up with more pictures once I have something interesting to show.

michika
08-12-2013, 03:23 PM
Yes, they are amazing. Too bad they don't wash themselves.

If only, if only.

Magickiwi
08-14-2013, 02:03 PM
Big night last night for the set up of my large aquarium. Got most of it pieced back together, still a couple small items outstanding. The following was assembled last night:

- sump installed and hoses, pumps, overflow and return set up
- small cracks along the bottom of the sump where the main bulkhead meets the floor. I siliconed them inside the sump, I hope they won't leak...
- UV sterilizer installed on return from sump
- Dual media reactor and pump installed
- Protein skimmer installed (HOB)
- Heater and controller installed
- ATO unit set in position to be configured when system is wet
- MP40 unit installed, still need to position and configure the controller

Not bad for a guy that went home from work sick earlier in the day. For some reason I am taking a long time to get better...

Remaining items:
- hang light fixture and solder/install moonlight LEDs
- configure ATO when system is wet
- position and install MP40 controller
- configure protein skimmer when system is wet
- rock work! (this could take forever...)

I haven't touched the nano-cube set up yet, it's been a big job getting the large tank set up again. Will take pictures of the set up tonight when I get home.

Dearth
08-14-2013, 02:23 PM
I stressed when I got my 33 gallon going was so much stuff to buy then when I started my 95 gallon I stressed again because so much stuff to buy again and learning how to make it all work.

Looking forward to seeing pictures of your tank

Magickiwi
08-14-2013, 03:48 PM
I stressed when I got my 33 gallon going was so much stuff to buy then when I started my 95 gallon I stressed again because so much stuff to buy again and learning how to make it all work.

Looking forward to seeing pictures of your tank

If I had it to do from scratch again I'd probably just buy one of the larger all-in-ones like the RSM 250D or possibly even one of the smaller S series systems. I've spent enough on the larger aquarium that it would make it economical to do.

Magickiwi
08-19-2013, 02:52 PM
Wow! Sick as a dog again this weekend but for some reason I couldn’t just sit and stare at an empty tank during my misery. I managed to set up the entire tank on Friday night and almost the entire day Saturday in between vomiting and napping.
Friday night:
- Completed rockwork and placed it in the aquarium on white egg crate (matches the sand better than the black)
- Installed heater in display tank (There wasn’t enough room in my sump with my very large circulation pump and small reactor pump)
- Heater controller was installed in cabinet
- Installed UV sterilizer in cabinet
- Installed dual media reactor in cabinet
Saturday:
- Ran plumbing for main sump, return pump (Quiet 6000), UV sterilizer, media reactor (Ehiem Universal 600)
- Installed media in reactor chambers (.8 Carbon in chamber 1, Phosban in reactor 2)
- Purigen and Coppersorb in sump
- Installed protein skimmer (HOB style, not as pretty but couldn’t fit one in sump)
- Mixed water and pumped into tank
- Pressure tested all plumbing, fixed one small drip on return but touch wood it all seems to be tight
- Started circulation pumps
- Started protein skimmer
- Started heater (500w heater brought water to temp overnight)
Sunday:
- Half dead by this time
- Tested water in the AM and ammonia=0, nitrite=0, nitrate=0, phosphate= not measurable by test kit
- Went to Gold’s looking for live rock but they didn’t have any pieces that were interesting to me so I went to Pieces and bough 20lbs of very well shaped rock with at least some coralline and remnants of leather corals, sponges, etc with the hope that some may come back
- Placed rock in tank
- Installed HQI bulbs in fixture and holy hell they are bright as the sun


Once again everything was done as a sprint so naturally the setup process has NO pictures. OCD > Me... This morning I did find a nice blue sponge that is attached to the LR I bought. Hopefully it survives :D

Dearth
08-19-2013, 03:37 PM
Sounds like you had a very productive weekend despite the fact you you were busy trying to see your insides :wink:


When your done dying :biggrin: how about posting some pictures so we can ohh and ahh

Magickiwi
08-19-2013, 04:10 PM
Sounds like you had a very productive weekend despite the fact you you were busy trying to see your insides :wink:


When your done dying :biggrin: how about posting some pictures so we can ohh and ahh

I thought I was going to see my shoelaces if I kept it up...

Will post a picture as soon as I can figure out how to share from Google+. The first one was a fluke lol.

Magickiwi
08-19-2013, 06:20 PM
As promised here is one crappy camera phone picture. You can't see my DSLR off to the right side on a tripod. Will be looking forward to working my macro lens :)

Yes I do know the rock work looks like crap but I was TRYING for a natural reef look while maintaining lots of ledges, cracks, tunnels etc. More reminiscent of my recent trip to PVR. The two pieces on the far right are actually for my daughter's tank and will be removed in a few weeks.

Oh yeah, and you can see one of my dog's bum in this picture. He's just shaking his booty for you.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JPg8zE4qY2o/UhJjF5mMpsI/AAAAAAAAAsg/tFBPb5K2ZuM/w426-h528/photo.JPG

michika
08-19-2013, 06:30 PM
Congrats on your second photo linking fluke! It looks good. Whats in the back left? A little bit glow-y in the corner?

Tell your dog he? she? needs a cameo from the front end.

Dearth
08-19-2013, 06:35 PM
It's looking good

Magickiwi
08-19-2013, 06:35 PM
Congrats on your second photo linking fluke! It looks good. Whats in the back left? A little bit glow-y in the corner?

Tell your dog he? she? needs a cameo from the front end.

Thanks, the photo sharing went a bit better than I was expecting.

The pink glowing stuff is actually fluorescent whiteboard marker. With just the actinics going it really pops! So I wrote the starting tank parameters on the side. :)

Dog is a he, I have two male standard poodles that are my boys. I think we can arrange a photo-op with the two of them and my tank :)

Magickiwi
08-21-2013, 02:50 PM
OK so last night I installed the ATO unit. So far it seems to be working well at trying to keep my sump at a constant level. Although the water level in reservoir seems to be dropping more rapidly than I expected. Still some fine tuning to do with the return pump as it seems to empty the sump faster than the overflow box can fill it.

Salinity is in line now. After I added the live rock from Pieces the salinity went through the roof. Temps are great, despite the basement being very cool.

The protein skimmer is still breaking in so there is a TON of micro-bubbles being released into the display tank. Fingers crossed that will calm down in a couple days.

michika
08-21-2013, 03:57 PM
You may want to invest in some lids for your tank and any open water sources. My tank is also a basement set up and I found I gained back a certain degree of evaporated water and heat loss by adding lids. It also helps save a few pennies on your electrical bill!

Magickiwi
08-21-2013, 04:49 PM
You may want to invest in some lids for your tank and any open water sources. My tank is also a basement set up and I found I gained back a certain degree of evaporated water and heat loss by adding lids. It also helps save a few pennies on your electrical bill!

Yes that is a good idea. Once things stabilized my plan was to cover the open chamber for the sump and the overflow with Saran Wrap. I have a glass lid for the tank but I'm not sure if they will work with my overflow, return hoses, skimmer, etc. hanging off the back.

michika
08-21-2013, 05:45 PM
I can see how that would be an issue! In the winter (January/February) the difference adding those lids made was pretty obvious from one day to the next. Hopefully you're plan will work well!

Magickiwi
08-21-2013, 06:57 PM
I can see how that would be an issue! In the winter (January/February) the difference adding those lids made was pretty obvious from one day to the next. Hopefully you're plan will work well!

Definitely when the air gets really dry and cold covering the water will help. Hopefully the saran wrap will do the job on the sump and overflow though. I figured it's water and air tight and cheap, disposable and would be easy to wrap the whole thing.

Magickiwi
08-22-2013, 06:59 PM
OK here's a couple more iPhone pictures until I can process the ones on my DSLR. The first one is the main display tank with the HQI and T5HO lights going. Extremely bright! The second photo is my sump with the return pump, reactor pump, and ATO sensors. As you can see I have a little tidying up to do with the wires, hoses etc.

Main Tank:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YdwAjjuzg48/UhZgEnoE8AI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/XqXKghutnSk/w742-h871-no/photo+%25281%2529.JPG

Sump:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-l3gCzOwvQWM/UhZgEADVCwI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/dXlbaVcYrcg/w960-h720-no/photo.JPG

Kraken
08-22-2013, 07:14 PM
If you are feeling the empty tank syndrome, I like to add some brine shrimp eggs in there, and just watch the little buggers swim around...helped me through the cycle period!

Magickiwi
08-23-2013, 01:58 PM
Measured most tank parameters last night:

Ammonia= undetectable
Nitrates= undetectable
Nitrites= undetectable
Phosphates= undetectable
pH= 8.1
Salinity= 52.8mS
Temp= 81deg
Calcium >400 (crappy test, will use my colorometer tonight to measure)
Alk test kit was a piece of junk, will use colorometer tonight to measure.

I'm starting to see a couple little purple corals, not sure what they are. There appears to be a couple orange sponges gaining mass. Near the output from my MP40 there's a few tiny things that look like hairs with tentacles extending from the very tip. Could be aptasia but I'm pretty sure they aren't. Just not sure what they are.

Going to add a zoa frag this weekend and see how it does. I know it's too early but I've been dosing with Seachem's stability and there just doesn't seem to be any waste material in the water column. The skimmer is producing foam but it's not dark, more of an ivory color.

With these params do you think I'm jumping the gun?

michika
08-23-2013, 02:09 PM
That is a clean and shiny sump you have there!

I don't know how to convert mS to SG for salinity..but your other parameters look good for livestock. I don't think low dKH (not saying you have low levels) would impact zoas at all.

I do like the brine shrimp idea though.

Dearth
08-23-2013, 02:25 PM
Have you started to see the brown bloom yet? Add some crab and/or snails see how they do

Magickiwi
08-23-2013, 02:27 PM
That is a clean and shiny sump you have there!

I don't know how to convert mS to SG for salinity..but your other parameters look good for livestock. I don't think low dKH (not saying you have low levels) would impact zoas at all.

I do like the brine shrimp idea though.

It's basically a hair shy of 1.026. I am planning to add a tiny bit of salt but I wanted to see if more leeched out of the LR I bought from Pieces. I might leave it be too because I am planning a partial w.c. this weekend.

Well I'll see how the zoas do before I go too crazy. Might also get a couple blue chromis or possibly damsels to see if I can get a little ammonia. Just want to make sure the tank cycle is established before I invest too much in coral.

reefwars
08-23-2013, 02:35 PM
if you want a free tester zoa frag to try out pm me and if you want to swing by this weekend you can come grab one to try out im in the se near 17th:)

Magickiwi
08-23-2013, 02:36 PM
Have you started to see the brown bloom yet? Add some crab and/or snails see how they do

In Calgary the crabs or snails can be just as expensive as fish :( Even the tiny blue legged crabs are going for around $7 ea. I haven't had any algae blooming. The coraline seems like it is growing though

Magickiwi
08-23-2013, 02:36 PM
if you want a free tester zoa frag to try out pm me and if you want to swing by this weekend you can come grab one to try out im in the se near 17th:)

Same, I'm in the SE near you. I'd love a free frag to try if you're willing to donate one to the cause :)

reefwars
08-23-2013, 02:42 PM
Same, I'm in the SE near you. I'd love a free frag to try if you're willing to donate one to the cause :)

sure i think i can spare one to the cause:P im free most of the weekend if you want to swing by just pm me and we can arrange something:)

Dearth
08-23-2013, 02:44 PM
Well I would throw some fish in there then like chromis I would hate to see a coral thrown in there and die as coral is already expletive enough not sure how much chromis cost in cowtown here they cost me 4 bucks a piece for 4 chromis

Magickiwi
08-23-2013, 02:56 PM
Well I would throw some fish in there then like chromis I would hate to see a coral thrown in there and die as coral is already expletive enough not sure how much chromis cost in cowtown here they cost me 4 bucks a piece for 4 chromis

The price for chromis and damsels here are probably just shy of $20, maybe as low as $15ish. So adding fish etc. isn't more economic than adding zoa frags :(

Dearth
08-23-2013, 03:02 PM
Wow that is expensive I get virtually all my livestock from J&L aquatics even with the cost of shipping its still cheaper than buying local maybe you should tr them?

Magickiwi
08-23-2013, 05:17 PM
Wow that is expensive I get virtually all my livestock from J&L aquatics even with the cost of shipping its still cheaper than buying local maybe you should tr them?

Oh I will be :)

reefwars
08-23-2013, 05:23 PM
Oh I will be :)

or come to concept where we either match or beat j and l on livestock:P

if j and l doesnt have it then we match live aquaria

this obviously is not a guarantee as its region specific for fish but 9 out of ten times we can:)

Magickiwi
08-23-2013, 05:31 PM
You guys are just off 32nd in the NE aren't you? Got any chromis or damsels in stock? How about zoas?

reefwars
08-23-2013, 05:46 PM
You guys are just off 32nd in the NE aren't you? Got any chromis or damsels in stock? How about zoas?

were actually opening a new store 4 times as large as our old one was , so we are currently closed and we dont open untill sept1 and livestock will be in the weeks to follow:)

check out our build thread here on canreef

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=100048

Magickiwi
08-26-2013, 01:16 AM
Added two emerald crabs and five peppermint shrimp. Pretty pricey at big Al's but I was there for buffer and calcium anyway. Peppermint shrimp took care of my first aptasia that came on a zoa colony from golds. Two emerald crabs to eat the algae that's starting to form here and there.

I actually saw one peppermint shrimp get into a tug of war with my torch coral over a pellet. Was pretty funny. The emerald crabs parted ways as soon as they were put in and are going to town on algae. Going to have to do a custodian package order from J&L.

Magickiwi
08-26-2013, 03:07 PM
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kqTzpvXhl6A/Uhtt_BjxamI/AAAAAAAAAvg/ZdnIZ0AQXws/w426-h320/photo.jpg

One green torch coral. I can't believe this coral has survived my ham-fisted handling and general stupidity. Polyps are extending very nicely, almost back to the length they were in the LFS. No stingers drifting out yet, but I've made eating pretty easy for it. Hand fed a few brine shrimp and it seemed to like them.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FT4js_jNpSo/UhtxnyW6UgI/AAAAAAAAAv8/9O_h9Ww2wgY/w426-h320/photo.jpg

Five dollar chromis playing a game of irritate the zoas. Very pretty and curious fish, best $15 I've spent in weeks!

Magickiwi
08-27-2013, 01:21 AM
Aaaaand five turbo snails, 10 margarita snails, 10 nassarius snails and forty blue legged hermit crabs in tonight. They are cleaning up the uglies quite nicely. Raised pH and it is holding nicely at 8.2.

Man those turbo snails clean fast!

Magickiwi
08-27-2013, 04:18 AM
Does anyone know about bristle worms? I found one on the same coral frag that had the aptasia yesterday. I've read they will only eat the dead zoas and crud that falls on the coral. Can someone confirm this? I may have to toss this frag if I continue to have problems.

Dearth
08-27-2013, 04:23 AM
Vast majority of bristle worms are harmless to the system and are effective CuC and generally nothing to worry about unless you inadvertently grab or brush one.

My tank is loaded with them I am not a fan of them just because I find them ugly repulsive creatures.

If they are greyish and flat looking or grey with a red tip they are harmless to your system

Magickiwi
08-27-2013, 04:28 AM
If they are greyish and flat looking or grey with a red tip they are harmless to your system

It is this. Thanks for the piece of mind. If I do get tired of them there is a wrasse that eats them isn't there?

Dearth
08-27-2013, 04:36 AM
Most wrasses will munch on them but only a few actively seek them out as a food source

Arrow crabs will eat them as a primary food source but most likely will attack and eat critters and feather dusters that you want to keep too once the worm population is decimated

Coral banded shrimp will eat bristle worms too but not always and may attack and eat other smaller critters in your tank as well

Magickiwi
08-28-2013, 01:29 PM
Missing a chromis this morning... He didn't come out for food and he wasn't around the normal hiding spots. I sure hope I don't have a predator in the tank.

Is it possible an emerald crab got him?

michika
08-28-2013, 01:46 PM
Missing a chromis this morning... He didn't come out for food and he wasn't around the normal hiding spots. I sure hope I don't have a predator in the tank.

Is it possible an emerald crab got him?

Maybe, but probably doubtful.

In my experience Chromis don't die, or if they do they rarely leave remains, just the mystery of their disappearance. Still though, I hope he shows his face later and was maybe just late getting out of bed.

Dearth
08-28-2013, 02:05 PM
I've had chromis that looked healthy and part of the community just disappear I have ever only found the remains of one fish the others who knows where they go.

On the other hand it could be hiding if you haven't seen it after 3 days most likely it has been consigned to the fish graveyard

Magickiwi
08-28-2013, 02:13 PM
Best case scenario is that the missing Chromis is a male and is guarding eggs. But I'm not incredibly hopeful of that, from what I understand their breeding in aquariums is relatively rare.

As soon as Golds gets their order in I will likely go pick up a few more anyway. They are so small and I like the way they school. Plus the "green" ones I bought are very blue.

Magickiwi
08-29-2013, 05:42 PM
Did a parameters check last night and the results look almost perfect. Do you ever have the feeling that things are going too well?

Ammonia: Undetectable
Nitrate: Undetectable
Nitrite: Undetectable
Phosphate: Undetectable
Calcium: 420
Alk: 8.3
pH: 8.18
Salinity: 52mS
Temperature: 81 degrees

Cleaning crew has almost all of the brown algae cleaned off the rocks; they are showing purple, white, and grey now for the most part. No algae blooms on my glass or equipment but I do get a little green growth here and there, which is handled by the cleaning crew almost as soon as I see them. No diatom blooms on my sand and the blue hermits are keeping it as tidy as an operating room. Coraline seems to be growing slowly but at a steady pace, and the feather dusters, corals etc. that hitch-hiked on my live rock seem to be thriving. Last night I had a turbo snail releasing his love juice into the water flow, little sucker was going at it for at least 20 minutes... The free with purchase rock crab I got is keeping my sump very tidy although I don't know how much he loves living in there. (No rock, algae, etc. for him to monkey with)

Doing a 20% water change this weekend, really just to replace trace minerals and bump my salinity slightly. I’ve been dosing with a coraline booster and adding calcium and alk using Seachem’s reef builder/buffer. I've validated all my test kits using their reference samples so I'm pretty sure my numbers are spot on.

reefwars
08-29-2013, 05:45 PM
Best case scenario is that the missing Chromis is a male and is guarding eggs. But I'm not incredibly hopeful of that, from what I understand their breeding in aquariums is relatively rare.

As soon as Golds gets their order in I will likely go pick up a few more anyway. They are so small and I like the way they school. Plus the "green" ones I bought are very blue.

worse thing about chromis is they almost always kill of the weaker of the bunch , schooling doesnt last long as pecking order is established:)

usually as they get larger:)

tang daddy
08-29-2013, 09:04 PM
worse thing about chromis is they almost always kill of the weaker of the bunch , schooling doesnt last long as pecking order is established:)

usually as they get larger:)

Plus one, I even had 3 established chromis from my buddies tank that was up for 2 years, it was a 90g. When I moved them into the 75 with less room there is only 1 left. Never had success keeping a bunch, but maybe in a bigger tank with more room they could be friends?

Dearth
08-29-2013, 10:34 PM
I had 4 blue green chromis in my 33 gallon for a year plus 5 more fish they all got along fabulously never no aggression issues but I also think its the way you introduce them to the tank as well everything was introduced at once cept the clowns. Same thing with my big tank I introduced all the fish from my small tank to the big tank at the same time as the fish I got from J&L and so far everyone gets along no aggression issues as of yet

reefwars
08-29-2013, 10:42 PM
I had 4 blue green chromis in my 33 gallon for a year plus 5 more fish they all got along fabulously never no aggression issues but I also think its the way you introduce them to the tank as well everything was introduced at once cept the clowns. Same thing with my big tank I introduced all the fish from my small tank to the big tank at the same time as the fish I got from J&L and so far everyone gets along no aggression issues as of yet

theres always exceptions to the rules , its not a guarantee but what happens more times then not.

its not usually an issue with new fish but as they establish their territory and pecking order the weaker of the bunch will be knocked off, if they are all of even strength then it will take time for some to outgrow the others , if they pair off its even worse.

its not a guarantee but a general guideline with chromis:)

reefwars
08-29-2013, 10:43 PM
Plus one, I even had 3 established chromis from my buddies tank that was up for 2 years, it was a 90g. When I moved them into the 75 with less room there is only 1 left. Never had success keeping a bunch, but maybe in a bigger tank with more room they could be friends?

its possible , but more than likely survival of the fittest , however if a tank is large enough that one can hide and not be found then less chance of being killed.

Magickiwi
08-30-2013, 03:21 PM
Still have two chromis as of this morning so that's better news!

Put in the freebie frag you gave me last night reefwars. Thanks again for that. They are open and thriving today. May have damaged my large zoa colony though. When I tried to use putty to glue it to my live rock I think I squished a few polyps. The shrimp went insane when I put it back in the tank and there was white stuff coming out.

Magickiwi
09-01-2013, 01:53 AM
Went to golds and picked up one of these. I forget what he called it but said it was an anemone. Can some one ID this so I don't have to embarrass myself by calling back?

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/01/6avyhytu.jpg

Magickiwi
09-01-2013, 02:30 AM
11795

Slightly better picture.

Magickiwi
09-01-2013, 02:41 AM
Also I found another free crab. Was doing mortal combat with a skunk shrimp. Would live it if someone could ID it too?

11796
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/09/01/4uty6e6a.jpg

Dearth
09-01-2013, 02:44 AM
Hard to tell with the anemone but its looks like a rock flower as to the crab can't help you:sad:

Magickiwi
09-01-2013, 02:57 AM
Yeah rock flower looks right. Didn't want to miss special care instructions by forgetting the name. The crab went into my sump with the other fella I found n


Shawn

Magickiwi
09-04-2013, 01:47 AM
20% water change tonight while watching a Kung-Fu movie. Slight bump to salinity to put it in the 53.5mS. This salt is very hard to gauge correctly. I've rolled the bucket, used the formula right on the bucket, and the water winds up more saline than I can account for. And I always lowball the math when starting water. Can't figure it out.

Magickiwi
09-04-2013, 02:17 AM
20% water change tonight while watching a Kung-Fu movie. Slight bump to salinity to put it in the 53.5mS. This salt is very hard to gauge correctly. I've rolled the bucket, used the formula right on the bucket, and the water winds up more saline than I can account for. And I always lowball the math when starting water. Can't figure it out.

Also a picture of my green and white Torch Coral. Six heads and getting bigger.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--dznt8d3H4k/UiaZW2T7SmI/AAAAAAAAAxU/A_zV2NTO1uQ/w1024-h768-no/20130903-IMG_1079.jpg

Magickiwi
09-06-2013, 04:23 PM
Added a bunch of livestock last night:

* Sand sifting starfish
* Spider Conch
* 2x Ocellaris Clownfish
* Blue Tang
* Bubble Tip Anemone

Many thanks to Kien for the BTA, my hope is that it will host the two clowns. The clowns are captive bred and from what I understand they normally ignore anemones. The anemone decided to hoof it to an excellent spot for viewing, water flow, and light; but it also happens to be directly under my largest zoa colony :( The zoas were all closed this morning so I think the anemone may have laid the smack down on it. I'm planning on moving it later today if the nem is still in this spot. The nem is in its glory right now, wide open and red and bubbly.

So far the tang has been a ghost in the tank. He likely found some tiny crevice to sit and wait out the ugly giant that was so mean to him. The clowns are out doing their thing and aren't even slightly intimidated by me. My chromis are doing the same thing as the tang, which is strange because they never actually hide from me for long. So far the conch has moved a whooping six inches and didn't move overnight at all. The starfish has made a small tour but isn't moving at warp speed either.

Protein skimmer is still a microbubble factory but it is pulling black, thick and nasty juice from the aquarium so I can't fault it for that. Going to do the vinegar wash that others have recommended for it this weekend. Hopefully that settles it down and the bubbles go away. I've been searching for another HOB skimmer and I'm tossing two different models around in my head. The Deltec MCE600 is the front runner but that price is ouch! The other skimmer I'm considering is the Tunze 9011DOC. Both have excellent reviews on the net and I like the Tunze brand but the deltec has tons of features that the Tunze doesn't.

kien
09-06-2013, 04:43 PM
Just got caught up on your build. Looking great!

The 'nem sounds happy! It's a double edged sword with 'nems. They are gorgeous and vicious, both at the same time.

Magickiwi
09-06-2013, 05:06 PM
Just got caught up on your build. Looking great!

The 'nem sounds happy! It's a double edged sword with 'nems. They are gorgeous and vicious, both at the same time.

TYVM. That's high praise considering your tank and experience.

The film algae in my tank is starting to collect a bit, which his odd because my test kits are still showing nitrates well under the recommended maximum and phosphates are undetectable. My photo period was pretty long so I've taken a couple hours off to see if that slows down the film algae, although I'm concerned it will also slow down the coraline.

All other tank parameters are right where they should be. pH, temp, salinity, calcium, alk, etc. are right in the green. I'm running cuprisorb as well to take care of any trace copper that may be leeching from the rock/substrate or from the copper pipes in my house.

kien
09-06-2013, 05:35 PM
TYVM. That's high praise considering your tank and experience.

The film algae in my tank is starting to collect a bit, which his odd because my test kits are still showing nitrates well under the recommended maximum and phosphates are undetectable. My photo period was pretty long so I've taken a couple hours off to see if that slows down the film algae, although I'm concerned it will also slow down the coraline.

All other tank parameters are right where they should be. pH, temp, salinity, calcium, alk, etc. are right in the green. I'm running cuprisorb as well to take care of any trace copper that may be leeching from the rock/substrate or from the copper pipes in my house.

Film algae on the glass or on your rocks? Glass film algae is normal. Just be thankful your tank isn't on the main floor with sunlight hitting it! With my tank in the living room I get crazy film algae growth thanks to the sun :twised:

Dearth
09-06-2013, 06:12 PM
Film algae on the glass or on your rocks? Glass film algae is normal. Just be thankful your tank isn't on the main floor with sunlight hitting it! With my tank in the living room I get crazy film algae growth thanks to the sun :twised:

Same here with limited space half my 95 gallon gets sun and scraping the glass daily film algae on glass is one of those lil evils we get to live with however if it is on your rock/sand that is a different whole story

Magickiwi
09-07-2013, 11:59 PM
Well I added two cleaner shrimp because they are beautiful and because my daughter loves them :) also added two nudibranchs to help out with the algae. Next additions will be corals and a few astrae snails if I can find any. Golds didn't have a lot in today. Big Al's was very well stocked but those prices...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Magickiwi
09-15-2013, 12:10 AM
Just picked up my brand new Tunze 9016 at the post office. Ordered from J&L as a 9015, looks like they decided to upgrade me to the 9016.

First impressions:
- wow this thing is a lot bigger than I expected
- The water doesn't go very far into the throat of the collection cup which is surprising
- wow this thing is a lot bigger than I expected
- motor is a little bit louder than the eshopps but seems to blend into the sound from the pumps so it's not too bad and I expect it will quiet down a little once it's broken in
- lots of microbubbles at first but within an hour there are almost none

Hopefully this will fix my obsession with microbubbles in my tank.

Magickiwi
09-30-2013, 03:16 PM
Added an ozone generator to my Tunze 9016 this weekend. It is a real balancing act getting enough ozone in to affect my ORP reading but not adding so much that it escapes the skimmer/tank. I've read many warnings about ozone in the home and I'm aware that if it's detectable by your sniffer then it's bad.

The effect was amazing though. I would say that overnight my tank started showing signs of improved health. There was an obvious reduction in film algae on my glass and rocks. After my daylight period on Sunday (8 hours) I didn't even have to scrub the glass. My corals are brighter and my anemones are looking much more "perky". The fish seem to be better off too, although I have never had problems with the fish. (aside from a missing Chromis that I later discovered had tried to go for a walk).

My starting ORP was sub-one hundred and I was able to get it up to 192 within two days. Don't know if I'll be able to get it any higher without increasing the amount of ozone I'm generating. Which in turn presents a problem with it leaking from the skimmer/tank. Anyone have experience with a Tunze 9016 and ozone?

Madreefer
09-30-2013, 03:52 PM
Hey why'd you decide to run ozone? I dont know of anybody that runs it. Always wondered how and what it does for skimmers to make them work so much better.

kien
09-30-2013, 04:06 PM
I'd be interested in this as well. Can't say that I've heard of any reefer running ozone on their tanks.

Magickiwi
09-30-2013, 04:16 PM
Hey why'd you decide to run ozone? I dont know of anybody that runs it. Always wondered how and what it does for skimmers to make them work so much better.

Overnight I had about a 100% increase on what was already collected in my skim cup during the previous week. According to Tunze the ozone helps break down the long protein molecules into ones small enough to be skimmed. Skimmers basically use O2 as an oxidizer in the reaction chamber; with an ozone generator it uses 02 and the MUCH more oxidizing O3.

I decided to run ozone because I added a couple pieces of SPS coral and with my tank being relatively young I want to maximize my chances of the coral surviving. I ran a Coralife Turbo Twist but wasn't getting enough dwell time on the lamp to make any difference because it is inline with my main return pump.

I was dubious about adding it because so many people said you don’t need it if you've got a UV sterilizer or your tank is mature or whatever. It is more complicated to use and there are safety concerns but seeing what an impact it has made in such a short time has convinced me it’s something I want to use. The generator has a built in ORP controller and even with the probe being an extra cost it is still cheaper than many UV sterilizers and uses less electricity.

A good example is that last night before dosing my tank with phytoplankton my ORP value was 192. Immediately after adding the phyto my ORP value decreased to 148. This morning it was 178 and climbing again.

My concerns are mostly around increasing the ORP value of my tank water to a safe and effective level without A) exposing my family or livestock to dangerous levels of ozone and B) slowing down the growth of my coral or coralline.

Magickiwi
10-03-2013, 02:33 PM
Well it’s been nearly seven days since the Ozone generator got installed and it has made a huge difference in the health of my tank. My ORP reading went <100 to 250 and holding over the course of the week. I have been slowly increasing the ORP value and so far all my livestock seem to be thriving under the new conditions.

The appearance of my display tank is noticeably improved with far less film algae after my light cycle and my sand bed, which I was having problems with, is MUCH cleaner. I have used my magnetic scrubber twice since installing the Ozone; once the same day and then last night to clean up sporadic algae blooms. My rock is much cleaner as well, which I attributed to my urchin’s appetite and the ozone preventing more algae build up. The tank is much livelier as well which is probably from the decreasing amount of algae and detritus forcing the crabs, snails and other cleaners to venture out for food. I was going to get a tiger cowrie but I don’t think I have enough left on my sand to feed him and the crabs, snails, shrimp, cucumber, conch, sand sifting star, etc.

I honestly didn’t think it would make this much of a difference in my tank since it was in decent shape to begin with and I was using good carbon and Rowaphos in a reactor. I did intend to document some of the changes but decided it would be too embarrassing to highlight the low points of my aquarium to show the progress it has made.

Parameter check shows all the values I’m watching are right in the green.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: ~0 (It showed color but still didn’t match the low range of the test)
Phosphate: 0 (Colorimeter on the way for a more accurate picture than the Seachem test I’m using)
Copper: 0
pH: 8.18
ORP: 250
Alk: 208
Ca: 421
K: 1300
Mg: ~400 (Red Sea test kit, pretty complicated so I’m not 100% accurate with it yet)

Getting a bit more livestock tonight for the Nano and my main tank: RBTA, Plate Coral, and a bit of cleaning crew refresh.

thmh
10-03-2013, 02:40 PM
Thanks for a detail progression write up! Definitely worth following this thread, thanks Shawn!

~Tony

kien
10-03-2013, 02:50 PM
Good to hear that everything is trucking along! Where is that FTS at??

Magickiwi
10-03-2013, 03:34 PM
Thanks for a detail progression write up! Definitely worth following this thread, thanks Shawn!

~Tony

Thanks for the encouragement! I wish I had followed a more scientific method in evaluating the ozone but it's hard to find the time and energy after a long day to do a proper write-up etc. I try not to be a fan-boy for any particular product but I've been amazed so far.

Good to hear that everything is trucking along! Where is that FTS at??

I dunno, where's your's? lol

kien
10-03-2013, 03:42 PM
I dunno, where's your's? lol

OH SNAP! touche. haha.

Magickiwi
10-04-2013, 02:47 PM
It was a big night for livestock for my tank last night. Did a refresh on some of my cleaning crew; 20 nassarius snails, 5 turbos, and 3 emerald crabs (one male and two females). In addition I added a RBTA to my daughter's tank and a plate coral to mine.

Also I'd like to talk about my ambitions as a reef keeper. When I was six years old my parents gave me my own fish tank, since I am allergic to cats and dogs (I love my two dogs now though) and my mother is terrified of snakes. The first fish I asked to put in it was a yellow tang... Of course being six I didn't know that there were essentially two environments that fish are found in: freshwater and saltwater. Naturally my heart was broken because I only had a freshwater tank so I left with a few guppies and the good old flying fox algae cleaner. As the years went on I wanted to make the jump to saltwater but didn't have anywhere near enough money to do it on my own. So I planned to set up my first marine tank the "right" way. Meaning I would have to wait until my finances were such that I wouldn't have to buy low quality gear and that I could keep whatever I want (within reason).

Last night I finally got my yellow tang... I fell asleep in my chair watching him swim so gracefully and slowly. I really got an excellent specimen too, his yellow color is deep and rich and there are no flecks of other colors. His fins are all intact with no nips or tears. He ate twice for me last night and once at the LFS before I left with him. There were no problems at all acclimating him, I did the drip method just to ensure success, and as soon as he was released into my tank he started doing slow laps around the rock work. Within an hour he wasn't shy at all and wouldn't hide if I came to have a look. It's interesting that even though he is just about flourescent yellow his skin does not react to the purple night lights; he's black as coal under them.

For me this was an event that closes the loop on a lot of my ambitions in aquaria. I have a thriving reef tank done my way and my yellow tang "Maui" to enjoy it.

Livestock list as of now:
- 2 green (blue) chromis
- 2 pink skunk clownfish
- 1 hippo tang (Dori; my daughter picked the name)
- 1 yellow tang (Maui)
- 1 green brittle star
- 4 emerald crabs (three females and a male)
- 40+/- blue and red legged hermit crabs
- 3 peppermint shrimp
- 2 skunk shrimp
- 1 sand sifting star
- 1 black knobbly sea cucumber
- 1 spider conch
- 2 lettuce nudibranchs
- 1 green carpet anemone (Sarlacc The Magnificient)
- 1 RBTA
- 1 metallic yellow rock flower anemone
- 30 nassarius snails (give or take)
- 15 turbo snails
- 10 astrea snails
- 10 margarita snails
- 1 rock crab living in my sump

Coral list:
- 1 six headed torch coral colony (green)
- 1 metallic orange ricordia colony
- 1 daisy polyp coral colony
- 1 green star polyp colony
- six colonies of assorted zoas and palys (some are brand name some are beautiful no-name)
- 1 metallic green plate coral (started extending its feeding polyps within five minutes of being in my tank)
- 1 blue staghorn frag
- 1 ponape birdsnet frag
- 1 frogspawn frag (which seems to be growing like I'm giving it steriods...)
- 1 red, white and blue acan frag that is doing well but isn't thriving where it currently resides
- 1 blue mystery coral that hitchhiked in on my live rock

On a side note my ORP reading was 258 after my daylight cycle. The setpoint for my ORP controller is 250 so my ozone generator hasn't produced ozone in a couple days now. It's almost like my ORP hit a tipping point and is increasing on its own now.

Kryptic4L
10-04-2013, 03:14 PM
Cool story bro.

It's amazing how many people never end up with the fish that got them motivated in the hobby to begin with. Congrats on getting your tang and your in before the export ban :)

kien
10-04-2013, 03:19 PM
Indeed, a great story. My son who is 6 has had a fresh water tank in his bedroom for a year now and he has started to ask me when he can convert it to salt :lol:

Dearth
10-04-2013, 03:35 PM
It is always good to follow your childhood dream and you finally got to make it happen....



On a side note

FTS PLEASE!!!!!!!!

Magickiwi
10-04-2013, 03:53 PM
Cool story bro.

It's amazing how many people never end up with the fish that got them motivated in the hobby to begin with. Congrats on getting your tang and your in before the export ban :)

I get the feeling that a lot of our hobby may be "in before the ban". I try to buy ORA fish where I can because I have a strong belief in what they are doing and I recognize the possibility that fish farms may in the future be the only way for us to get exotic fish. And rightly so, if the technology and husbandry techniques support it.

Thanks for hearing my story guys :) It's the small things in life that make a difference to a person's well being.

Magickiwi
10-11-2013, 12:30 AM
It has been a hard week at work. More than a week, a couple weeks now... I get home after work and someone knocked over a bunch of my coral. My frogspawn was resting on its side, my acans were almost upside down, etc. I grab my CA glue and get more miserable by the minute as I'm gluing the errant coral back in place. Stupid rock won't stupid stick to the stupid glue BAH!!

Finally all coral is moved into place and I stand back to look at it when down to my left I see my RBTA has climbed up a bunch of my rock work and my GSP frag is in danger of nem warfare. Oh look it's also stinging my favourite zoas. They are just brown and orange swampy tidal pool zoas but I call them Cleveland Browns, after my favourite NFL team.

As I'm glaring at my RBTA there's a flick of movement in the edge. As I clue in to what I've been staring at it dawns on me. My pink skunks are playing in the RBTA! Hot damn!!! I've been hoping for this as they don't show any interest in my Haddon's and there they are playing and bobbing along. That's great! I look around at the rest of my tank and wow my torch coral polyps are getting long. That rock anemone is the most gorgeous banana yellow I've ever seen! Hey look my yellow tang Maui is actually eating nori for the first time! A colony of the prettiest pink and purple zoas that I think look like Utter Chaos even though they most likely aren't.

So cheers to my pink skunk clowns and even my RBTA for making me smile and brightening my outlook after a rough couple of weeks.


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gLGLFLKNz5s/UldEu0-6vhI/AAAAAAAAA5E/Lv4k6GkhbXE/w1220-h869-no/20130903-IMG_1078.png

P.S. You can see my Cleveland Browns just to the left of my RBTA and pricing starts at $500/polyp.

wmcinnes
10-11-2013, 06:01 AM
P.S. You can see my Cleveland Browns just to the left of my RBTA and pricing starts at $500/polyp.

hahaha, this made me laugh! :lol:

Magickiwi
10-11-2013, 01:29 PM
hahaha, this made me laugh! :lol:

A bargain at twice the price! :)

Magickiwi
10-16-2013, 04:37 PM
So I’m still doing battle with my Hanna Colorimeter Phosphate LR checker. The first one I got from Eseasonsgear.com (don’t shop there; they are TERRIBLE) was broken out of the box but I managed to get a reading of .18ppm of phosphate. All my chemical tests say almost zero for phosphates as does the growth of my SPS and LPS coral. My Ponape birds nest is branching and growing despite my green brittle star crawling on it at night. The polyps I have are growing pretty slowly (zoas, daisy polyps, GSP, palys, etc.) but they are growing and splitting etc.

Chemical tests I have used:
API – Would not indicate any phosphates
Salifert – Would not indicate any phosphates
ELOS – Would not indicate any phosphates
Seachem – Gave a color that is just starting to show on their scale (<.01ppm)

As I am fairly confident that the checker I was sent had already been returned to this company for being broken, I went to a LFS and bought another. The readings the first checker had given me (all ranging between .09-.28ppm for my tank) don’t agree with the new checker, which also reads high (.08-.24ppm).

Since using the first colorimeter I replaced about 250ml of Rowaphos that was just a few days old with 250ml of PO4x4 and then again with 500ml. And yet my phosphate levels are either staying high or increasing, all according to the checkers. My carbon/GFO reactor is taking water from my sump and returning it to the sump. The carbon is full blast (Rox.8) and the GFO chamber is just fast enough to make the surface boil.

I did a 20%ish water change yesterday with freshly mixed RO/DI water which caused something in my tank to release a huge amount of offspring. Which in turn were promptly consumed by anything that could move. I stirred my sand last night which no doubt released a bunch of phosphates into the water column. The water is very bright and sparkles like diamonds under my metal halides. I haven’t tested today but I’m suspecting that the colorimeters will show very high levels again. My ozone generator is plugging away and only produces ozone when my tank's ORP reading is under the set point (currently 350).

Yesterday I ordered a Hanna ULR Phosphorus colorimeter and will do the conversions to PO4 based on those values. From what I’ve heard the phosphorus checker provides much more reliable readings than do the phosphate checkers. Also I ordered 1L of Rowaphos since it looks like I’ll be using that stuff up like it’s free… I also ordered 5 new 10” inserts in case my GFO cartridge isn’t letting the water flow properly (it’s a long shot).

Does anyone out there have any insight in to why/how my phosphates can read so high for a colorimeter but not for good quality chemical tests? And if they are so high then why are my corals and livestock not pushing up daisies?

lastlight
10-16-2013, 05:15 PM
Can't comment too much on your readings but I will say that I previously always got zero readings in my reef using the phosphate checker. i'm happy getting actual values to work with with my ULR although the darn reagents are much less common.

Magickiwi
10-16-2013, 05:18 PM
Can't comment too much on your readings but I will say that I previously always got zero readings in my reef using the phosphate checker. i'm happy getting actual values to work with with my ULR although the darn reagents are much less common.

If it works more reliably then I'm happy. Readings with the phosphate checkers don't seem very accurate/consistent.

Reef Pilot
10-16-2013, 05:25 PM
I use the Hanna phosphate checker and found it to be very accurate and consistent. The trick is to be sure your vial is clean (no fingerprints or smudges) and mix the colour solution for close to the max time (3 mins). Also be sure to press and hold the Add C2 or you won't get the full 3 min countdown. If you just press and release, you will get a reading but it may not be accurate.

Like you, I found the other chemical tests reading zero while the Hanna read higher. But as my phosphates dropped further, the Hanna also consistently read zero. So I believe the Hanna.

Magickiwi
10-16-2013, 05:47 PM
I use the Hanna phosphate checker and found it to be very accurate and consistent. The trick is to be sure your vial is clean (no fingerprints or smudges) and mix the colour solution for close to the max time (3 mins). Also be sure to press and hold the Add C2 or you won't get the full 3 min countdown. If you just press and release, you will get a reading but it may not be accurate.

Like you, I found the other chemical tests reading zero while the Hanna read higher. But as my phosphates dropped further, the Hanna also consistently read zero. So I believe the Hanna.

That's fair enough and if it works for you then awesome. I am dubious about how well it is working for me though.

I always use the same vial. When I clean it I soak it in vinegar to remove any mineral deposits and the soak and rinse in RO/DI water. I do use the timer on the checker. I don't normally mix for three minutes, just two or so.

Well I guess I will just swap out the POx4 frequently, although I might just switch back to the Rowaphos. Just don't see how the tests are always higher then lower then higher still etc.

Reef Pilot
10-16-2013, 05:58 PM
I do use the timer on the checker. I don't normally mix for three minutes, just two or so.


I always mix close to the 3 min max. I find 2 min is not enough to dissolve all the colour mix.

What do you mean when you say you "use" the timer? Do you add the vial the 2nd time after mixing, and before pressing and holding the C2?

Magickiwi
10-16-2013, 06:03 PM
I always mix close to the 3 min max. I find 2 min is not enough to dissolve all the colour mix.

What do you mean when you say you "use" the timer? Do you add the vial the 2nd time after mixing, and before pressing and holding the C2?

Yep, exactly as the instructions indicated. The kit came with two vials and one gives me lower readings such as in the .15ppm range for my tank and 0.00ppm on my RO/DI water and the other vial gives me values in the .25ppm range and .04ppm in my RO/DI water. So I started using the one that gave me the lower values but even then the results have been wildly different. I haven't actually ran two tests back to back on my tank water yet but I am willing to bet that I'd get different numbers that exceed the +-4ppm accuracy.

Reef Pilot
10-16-2013, 06:17 PM
Yes, I always use the same vial for the complete test. Don't know what else to suggest.... Hopefully your reagent powder is OK. Good luck.

Magickiwi
10-16-2013, 06:28 PM
Yes, I always use the same vial for the complete test. Don't know what else to suggest.... Hopefully your reagent powder is OK. Good luck.

Believe it or not I've eliminated the reagent as the potential failing point. I bought refills from two locations so I now have three different expiration dates for my reagents.

Magickiwi
10-18-2013, 03:25 PM
Getting a couple kinds of coralline algae growing in my tank now. One is a deep red, pretty much a burgandy color. The other is the lighter purple that covers most of the live rock I purchased. Funny how it is adhering to the plastic items in my tank first though. My protein skimmer, a power head, probes, temperature sensor etc. All are turning purple but the dry rock has only recently started to get purple.

No sign of my black knobbly cucumber for a couple weeks now. He's either buried in the deep sand and loving life or has completely been consumed/decayed. I haven't lost any fish or anything so it seems unlikely that he has died...

Going to refresh my blue legged hermit crab population this weekend if I get the chance. They've been dying as they fight over shells but I'm pretty certain I have a predator eating them. Bits of broken shells etc. and an obvious decline in their numbers. I'm about 75% sure that it is my green brittle star that's doing it but I do hear the occasional snapping sound from the aquarium. I always thought it was my skunk shrimp but I'm beginning to suspect a mantis shrimp of some sort...

All corals are alive and doing very well as are all my anemones, fish, inverts. Baby snails on the rock last night, not sure what species yet though they are all too small to make out yet.

Phosphates are still through the roof according to my colorimeter but still not showing any signs that I can see of high phosphates. Ordered the phosphorus colorimeter from reefsupplies.ca so I'll see if I can get that to agree with the phosphate test. From what I've read it's more reliable than their phosphate model.

Magickiwi
10-20-2013, 08:04 PM
OK, try not to be too brutal. It's my first marine tank...

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DVyGKswaKrg/UmQ4yzq3TqI/AAAAAAAAA58/lvZ4v6A_GiA/w1373-h869-no/untitled.jpg

Not pictured is a small hippo tang, and you have to try to find my pink skunk clowns playing silly in the RBTA.

WarDog
10-20-2013, 08:25 PM
What is there to be brutal about?... that looks AMAZING!!

Magickiwi
10-22-2013, 08:35 PM
What is there to be brutal about?... that looks AMAZING!!

Thanks, I guess I see more flaws than other people do. The diatoms in my sand bed are a bit of a problem and my marco dry rock isn't getting purple as quickly as I'd like.

kien
10-22-2013, 08:39 PM
Tank looks good! All it needs now is time :-)

Madreefer
10-22-2013, 08:43 PM
Thanks, I guess I see more flaws than other people do. The diatoms in my sand bed are a bit of a problem and my marco dry rock isn't getting purple as quickly as I'd like.

Your tank looks great!!
Check your mg if your worried bout coraline algae.

Magickiwi
10-22-2013, 09:20 PM
I monitor my Mg every week or two. According to the RSM kits it is usually in the ideal range. Possibly a phosphate issue according to my Hanna checker but no other test kits lol.

I had bought the cuke to sift the sand bed as my star doesn't seem to get deep enough and my green brittle never leaves the rock. But the cuke is MIA.

Magickiwi
10-23-2013, 06:25 PM
Added an Apex JR controller last night in order to use it as a light controller since Coralife can't put out a product that actually functions.

So far so good, it set up pretty easily and it's publishing graphs etc. I haven't opened the internet to it yet because I want to ensure I'm not exposing my entire network.

The temperature probe agrees with the JBJ controller I've been using for my heater. That's the only probe that comes with it. Also I'm only able to run my lights on the power bar since I have four plugs for my lights and the power bar that came with it only has four outlets. Maybe I'll upgrade to the eight outlet bar if things continue to go well.

My expectations for this unit are relatively low and as long as it controls my lights as expected I won't mind investing in additional probes etc. I wanted to get the oxygen saturation probe for it but it's $600 just for the probe! You would still need to spend $125ish on the controller!! I'll settle for pH, temperature, ORP, Salinity etc.

One thing that's kind of goofy is that every module you add on comes with a temperature probe. How exactly is that useful? With the JR you can add up to four modules so what exactly would I do with five temperature probes?

Anyway the JR is less than 1/2 the price of the full blown Apex controller so I'm happy with the limitations on it and what it comes with etc. The only thing is that damned power bar lol... Would be nice to control my pumps, UV, ozone, skimmer, etc.

Magickiwi
10-24-2013, 04:16 PM
Last night I added a couple banded coral shrimp to my main tank and one to my daughter's tank. They are all a little nervous but within a couple hours the two in my tank got pretty comfortable and were doing what appeared to be shrimp sex. I thought geeze that was quick, I was worried they'd tear each other up.

Managed to find a first grade maxima for my daughter's tank. It's a tiny little sucker, only about 1" or so but already you can see it's going to be a special one... The shell is so white and clean, it's too bad they don't stay that way because the gorgeous blue flesh would rock the milky white shell.

The testing of the Apex Jr went well so I have connected it to my main lighting. Would have been nice to have more than four outlets but I'm OK getting another power bar if things continue to go well. Also it's good to note that the Jr doesn't support power consumption monitoring, unless you get another power bar... I am a little disappointed at the included software. There doesn't seem to be near as much flexibility in the graphing features as I want. I'd also like to change some graphics on the dashboard but there doesn't appear to be a way to do it.

Slyguy00
10-24-2013, 04:21 PM
Looks great! I wouldnt be to worried.

Magickiwi
10-27-2013, 01:13 AM
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-BbnMAjHaScg/UmxqK0MIZ4I/AAAAAAAAA60/laAfKvoU7Qc/w1304-h869-no/IMG_3123.JPG

Magickiwi
10-27-2013, 01:19 AM
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ecJIhX_4k5k/Umxr9oGpKxI/AAAAAAAAA7c/gIgA3662r4Q/w1229-h869-no/untitled-43.jpg

Magickiwi
10-27-2013, 01:32 AM
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--3XARwCsY2Q/Umxu_8hFECI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/j7bRFRy4PAE/w1241-h869-no/untitled-59.jpg

Magickiwi
10-27-2013, 01:39 AM
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3io7BAc-gBk/UmxwlF_-DBI/AAAAAAAAA9A/g0jo_Q1f9fY/w1340-h869-no/untitled-31.jpg

Magickiwi
10-27-2013, 01:43 AM
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uWMISUFuXXc/UmxxlLYpaEI/AAAAAAAAA9c/AD6nFz_Ov2Q/w1304-h869-no/untitled-7-2.jpg

Magickiwi
10-27-2013, 01:48 AM
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xj0X-fgPWRs/UmxyqSbYsDI/AAAAAAAAA-E/YUiJi9TEd7o/w1270-h869-no/untitled-41.jpg

Dearth
10-27-2013, 06:52 AM
I love my green chromis very entertaining fish to watch

Magickiwi
10-27-2013, 04:25 PM
They aren't very green are they?

Magickiwi
10-28-2013, 01:55 PM
Found a clutch of clownfish eggs last night. Hiding in a crevice under my RBTA there was an orange glob that looked orange/peach colored. Well googled clownfish eggs and what do you know?

I will TRY to raise some but I know nothing about how to collect the babies once they're hatched, how to keep them separate from everything that would eat them etc.

If all goes well I'll have a bunch of baby pink-skunk clowns!

Magickiwi
12-02-2013, 09:20 PM
Added a few fish and slugs today courtesy of my frequent flyer friend!

Added:
- red-headed goby
- catalina goby
- two lettuce nudibranchs
- tiger tail cucumber

Magickiwi
12-10-2013, 02:27 PM
Added a few fish and slugs today courtesy of my frequent flyer friend!

Added:
- red-headed goby
- catalina goby
- two lettuce nudibranchs
- tiger tail cucumber

After adding the two gobys and the tiger tail only to lose them to my green brittle star I have made one subtraction (the green brittle star) and four new additions:

- One golden head jawfish
- Two common cleaner wrasses
- One Allardi Clownfish

Got the clownfish home and he hangs with my torch coral or the Haddon's carpet. He's obviously a wild caught and has a fair amount of fin damage. He's perking up a little every day and is becoming more mobile. Why do I let myself feel sorry for fishies in the pet store?

Magickiwi
12-11-2013, 02:37 AM
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-htB5w7OWSZU/UqffHzBP9qI/AAAAAAAABEw/sDngwJorkSg/w1304-h869-no/20131210-untitled-57.jpg

It's like a warm cozy blankie...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Gs7XzRkXRkA/UqffTxTcBRI/AAAAAAAABE8/JqHIdP6HoYc/w1304-h869-no/20131210-untitled-47.jpg

Aye aye sir!

Magickiwi
12-13-2013, 04:33 PM
So I got tired of having to start the siphon on my eshopps overflow after tank maintenance and feeding, and thought it would be a good time to try something different. I decided on the CPR-100 overflow and Tom's aqualifter pump as I've heard great things about them. I was a little unsure if I'd like the CPR and Aqualifter combo, it just seemed like more things that could go wrong.

My specific requirements were that I wanted something that would stop the overflow when I activated a feed timer and would start again after the cycle was ended. Also it needed to restore the circulation through my sump after a power-outage. Secondary considerations were better skimming, better build quality, quieter, etc.

Starting with the Tom's aqualifter pump I was expecting something kind of hollow feeling and cheap because that's honestly how it looks in the images I've seen of it. Also 90% of aquarium specific gear wind up being made with the least possible amount of materials and in the cheapest manner possible (Coralife are you listening?) The pump is surprisingly hefty and chunky feeling, which in itself doesn't mean quality but is a pretty good start. I plugged the pump in the wall and set it on my floor and it was very loud... Fortunately that's because there wasn't any water moving through it just yet and as soon as it was actually siphoning water it went nearly silent. I am very happy with this unit and I'm a little sorry I haven't had a use for one before now. One of the hangers for the back of the overflow or to hang it to my stand would keep it off the floor which would be pretty handy for cleaning up around the tank.

Moving on to the CPR overflow itself I was a little startled at how much wider it is than the Eshopps model. It is easily twice as wide as the Eshopps and is made of heavier acrylic, with a much wider overflow comb. It is wider at the back and has a slightly different drain that my Eshopps 1" hose wouldn't fit quite snug enough without PVC glue. The good news is that they are very common schedule 80 fittings. The strainer inside the overflow box is a common slip fit strainer with a hole drilled through the top for a vent tube. I'd like to tell a story about how easy it was to set up and level, etc. but the whole truth is that I didn't do squat. I didn't need to. I set it on the back of my aquarium and the water level was perfect without so much as turning a single adjustment screw. Same with leveling it against the back of the tank, I had nothing to do. Once the glue had cured I plugged the Aqualifter into the nipple at the top of the overflow and poured enough water into the back to complete the seal and boom it was running.

The overflow and my pump must have been very well matched because I didn't need to adjust *anything* and the water in the sump and the tank stayed exactly as it was. I was extremely pleased while slightly disappointed at not having to do anything short of lifting the appropriate hoses etc. into place. It is clearly skimming MUCH more surface water due to the increased area of the comb and it is also much quieter than my Eshopps overflow.

So far it's a 10/10 and I still need to try out the feed cycle and see if it works like I am hoping. Also I should point out that the air-line the aqualifter uses should be a pretty heavy gauge, like the ozone resistant kind so that it won't kink quite as easily. The thin stuff I'm using now is pretty weak so it looks like it will easily kink up after a while.

Magickiwi
12-19-2013, 01:29 AM
Check out the tents on this torch coral:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wEAmupDT2iE/UrJOtmhHcDI/AAAAAAAABGw/VwpRxqVIVys/w1310-h873-no/IMG_3445.JPG

That's a full grown cleaner wrasse in front of it. Here's a picture of the first month I had him:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kqTzpvXhl6A/Uhtt_BjxamI/AAAAAAAAAvg/ZdnIZ0AQXws/w1164-h873-no/13+-+1

Magickiwi
01-13-2014, 03:38 PM
Does anyone read these?? :)

So this weekend was a good and not so good for my 90g reef tank. On Friday night I bought two golden head sleeper gobies (one for my tank one for my daughter's), two PJ Cardinals, and a small Copper-Band Butterfly. The Copper and the PJs weren't really a great buy as the copper and one of the PJ's didn't even last 24 hours. They wound up getting picked off by something during the night and they are gone without a trace.

Also went to Golds and got two corals and a rock with macro algae. You would not believe the amount of red worms I got off them when I dipped them. I bought a white bubble coral as well as a peach and baby blue acropora. The acropora was clean but the bubble had at least thirty red worms come off in the dip. I left it in for extra long and blasted the rock with a syringe to make sure that the dip got into all the crevices etc. Also sprayed the coral but more gently. The rock with macro was covered in worms and slugs as well. I pulled off seven large slugs, an emerald crab (freebie woohoo!), three blue-legged hermits, three or four unknown snails, and some sort of polyp (looked like an anemone). Of course it was infested with worms too. The dip looked like a worm collector when I was finished.

Right now they are in a QT and I'm going to dip them again before they go into my DT. Pictures to follow.

kien
01-13-2014, 04:17 PM
Does anyone read these?? :)

I don't.

reeferfulton
01-13-2014, 04:19 PM
I read them :biggrin: i read lots but rarely post

Nobody seems to reply on build threads either much lol .

Sound like you got alot more then you paid for lol . They should include a free bottle of dipping solution with each coral they sell lol .
Hopefully you you got all the bad pests ..
Good luck , sorry to hear about the fish lost . Your store have any policy on survival ?

Magickiwi
01-13-2014, 04:29 PM
I read them :biggrin: i read lots but rarely post

Nobody seems to reply on build threads either much lol .

Sound like you got alot more then you paid for lol . They should include a free bottle of dipping solution with each coral they sell lol .
Hopefully you you got all the bad pests ..
Good luck , sorry to hear about the fish lost . Your store have any policy on survival ?

Yes, Pieces has the SOL policy with regards to fish purchases. (Marine fish only that is) The copper did OK for a little while but deteriorated pretty rapidly. Quite the disappointment because I've been hoping for one for some time now.

Kien: You don't even read your text messages so why would you read a tank thread? :P

Madreefer
01-13-2014, 04:31 PM
Good thing you dip your corals? So you're shutting off your overflow at feeding time to prevent the food from getting sucked down or?

kien
01-13-2014, 04:31 PM
Kien: You don't even read your text messages so why would you read a tank thread? :P

whatever. I read ALL my text messages (unless they're from Brett). :razz:

Magickiwi
01-13-2014, 04:37 PM
Good thing you dip your corals? So you're shutting off your overflow at feeding time to prevent the food from getting sucked down or?

Yeah, I have a 30min feed cycle on my Apex which shuts down my wave maker and return pump/siphon during feeding. I was feeding a mix of BBS, dried plankton, and cyclopeeze. They ate here and there and picked at the snail eggs on my tank walls etc.

Magickiwi
01-13-2014, 04:38 PM
whatever. I read ALL my text messages (unless they're from Brett). :razz:

OK but replying isn't actually part of the process. I sent you a txt about a couple purple-tip frogspawn a few weeks ago now. Wanted to give you firsties!

kien
01-13-2014, 04:39 PM
OK but replying isn't actually part of the process. I sent you a txt about a couple purple-tip frogspawn a few weeks ago now. Wanted to give you firsties!

you must have sent that text to the other (fake) kein, because I didn't receive any texts from you !

Magickiwi
01-13-2014, 04:47 PM
you must have sent that text to the other (fake) kein, because I didn't receive any texts from you !

I used the # you PM'd me. So uh, you're like the girl at the bar that can't just say no so she has to give you a fake #? You're such a tease...

Anyways, interested in a purple tip frogspawn? :D They are pretty plush.

kien
01-13-2014, 04:50 PM
I used the # you PM'd me. So uh, you're like the girl at the bar that can't just say no so she has to give you a fake #? You're such a tease...

Anyways, interested in a purple tip frogspawn? :D They are pretty plush.

I probably PM'ed you a fake number.

Magickiwi
01-13-2014, 05:05 PM
We have names for chicks like you Kien...

Dearth
01-13-2014, 06:20 PM
Ohhh Kien is such a player......

kien
01-13-2014, 06:37 PM
Ohhh Kien is such a player......

don't hate the playah, hate the game.

Magickiwi
02-12-2014, 07:51 PM
Deltec MCE600

Well I was finally able to track one of these down at Wai's in Calgary. He had it at a great price too @$549 ($30ish less than average). I got the display model which I don't normally do but he said he'd take it back if it leaks or has any hidden damage. It doesn't appear to have any issues.

I took it home and cleaned it out, took the plastic off etc. The set up for this skimmer is stupid easy, there's nothing to do. It could be because mine was a display model but all I had to do was unpack the thing, fill it up, and then plug it in. Immediately I noticed that the intake and output tubes were far too long and projected into my tank quite a ways. No problem, the manual says I can cut these back as needed; which I will do once I'm sure I don't have to return it.

I hung it, adjusted the bracket, installed the degassing thing on the return pipe and plugged it in. First thing it does is overflow... Swearing and growling I clean up the salt water, re-read the instructions and make sure I am doing things as per their instruction. OK ready to go again, it overflows and quite substantially this time. More swearing and growling as I think to myself that it may not be a product for me if it's this problematic at the start. I raise the skim cup even more and plug it back in and it works! No over flowing, and a fine white foam in the pump chamber. A couple more minutes go by and then it overflows the skim cup. Man what a pain in the butt! I dump the cup and adjust the air a bit etc. and plug it back in and it stays more or less stable.

By the time I had plugged my ozone line into the venturi tube things were working just fine. No over flowing and no wet skim etc.

First impression is that it is pretty twitchy to start up despite it being plug and play. It is loud only due to the return line being above water level. The construction of the skimmer is exceptional, everything is made out of much heavier plastic and Lexan than other skimmers; in particular my Tunze 9016. The unit probably weighs 10 or so lbs without water in it. I like the space for a bag of filter media; which I have used for carbon. I was never able to filter the output of the Tunze skimmer through carbon to remove the O3 and I'm glad I am able to now.

I'm cautiously optimistic about the skimmer. It will be my third skimmer now and I have yet to find one that I am confident in and I think does a decent job. Every review, thread, blog etc. says this is the skimmer to go with so I have my fingers crossed.

Also I have JUST received my two Allardi's clowns from Kraken's Reef and I will be introducing them to my POTM winner Clark eventually.