60g Cube, It's hip to be square!

Greybeard · Jul 10, 2017

Seeding a tank with beneficial micro fauna is important, even if you start with actual live rock, but these days, with most folks using dry rock, it's even more so.

Inland still selling this stuff? I thought they were backing out of the DSB/critter business.

ISPF is a good source, as well... http://www.ipsf.com/

hart24601 · Jul 10, 2017

Yep inland has a nice looking refuguium fauna package. I looked at ISPF too but it seemed redundant with Inlands and Inland had a bit more of what I am after. I think I dropped about 300 bucks between the three places with shipping so I hope it's enough for now! It's not very easy to find on inlands site and neither is garf grunge. I have heard some bad reviews of garf the past couple years so I hope it comes alright.

Greybeard · Jul 10, 2017

Garf suffered with LeRoy's passing. It's a real shame, many of us 'old timers' remember them fondly. Who knows, maybe they'll straighten things out.

Not sure what happened to Inland... there was a message posted some time back that they were moving away from propagation and research, and something there now saying that their restructuring is complete. Here's hoping they're still going strong. Years ago, it was a very cool place to tour.

hart24601 · Jul 11, 2017

I got the order from Florida Pets yesterday. I was worried because was out over the weekend, but the pods were moving and the brittle stars were alive too. I put the live sand in a Tupperware bowl for now as I will eventually remove it.

I got email from GARF - shipment notice with USPS tracking number. She also included a "clump of chato in with the grunge as well as some great sponges". So far the service has been good and very cool to include some extra stuff. Fingers crossed the grunge doesn't have non-reef material in it (as some have said it did previously). Would be fantastic if GARF got back on its feet! The Inland order comes today air saver overnight, I don't expect any issues with that order.

Daniel@R2R · Jul 11, 2017

hart24601 said:
Reading some threads and FB posts from people like Sanjay, there is a convincing argument that starting tanks with dry rock starts systems a bit too sterile... I think there might be something to that. I bought refugium starter packs (plus pods and the such) last week from inland aquatics, florida pets and some garf gunge plus. I am thinking of putting the grunge in a colander for a month or two in the display so critters can move into the display rock. The inland stuff is shipped overnight and is coming tomorrow. I will probably remove the filter stocks for a while after adding all this invert diversity. It might end up being a bit of a mess, but I think the system will benefit from the additions.

Cool idea. I'll be interested to see your observations on the impact this has.

hart24601 · Jul 12, 2017

Well I am happy to report that GARF seems to be ok! The package came in the protective wrap, with two cold packs. I didn't sort through all the grunge, but I didn't see anything that looked suspicious and it smelled of fresh ocean, no stink. Nice job!

I also got an order from gulf coast ecosystems, pretty impressed at their packaging and I have never seen branching coralline algae before, here are the fine and thick, the thick is really hard stuff.

Greybeard · Jul 12, 2017

Good to hear Garf's grunge is getting back to it's original quality.

hart24601 · Aug 3, 2017

Only because I am fussy and like to buy equipment...

I am going to pull the spy glass reactor and algae reactor and put a Kessil h380 over the spot the spy glass was. I have been running GFO and purigen in a bag and really it seems to work just fine. I might construct some acrylic divider so light doesn't bleed everywhere. I have noticed purigen really seems to discolor faster in my FW system so I will put the reactor in there and move the bag to the salt system.

hart24601 · Aug 4, 2017

I put this in another thread but because it's still my build:

I installed it the h380 at 3:30pm - took a fistful of chaeto out of the algae reactor (just a small amount) and put in the sump chamber. 0 other changes. And remember that this is a system that already was running chaeto in the reactor running 24/7.

3:30pm pH of 8.33
4:25pm pH of 8.40
6:30pm pH of 8.44
Now at 8:50pm pH of 8.47

With the frags in the tank I don't normally get a pH swing during the day with 100x plus turnover and just frags still.

I am shocked to see that change. Didn't expect that from just a little ball the size of my fist.

hart24601 · Aug 6, 2017

I wanted to make a light blocker for the skimmer, I was looking at various plastics and noticed a 3.5g water jug I had cut years ago. It fit the skimmer body almost perfectly! I cut and glued 2pc together for height and painted with krylon fusion. Left part of the bottom on so the skimmer holds it down.

hart24601 · Aug 8, 2017

I hate to say that I went through my expenses for the tank.... whew. I am embarrassed to post what I have spend on a free tank... but looking at receipts I have dropped at least $7,030 as of yesterday.

I had an acro rtn, Hawkins, a couple days ago. It reminded me that I don't really like the stress I get with acros. My disposition is I just get too much anxiety over them, they grow amazing but I really take it too personally when they RTN and they eventually always do, even Sanjay's huge colonies eventually go - just takes time. I pulled out 28 acro frags (!) to trade for other SPS and LPS. I am an acro free zone now! Still have montis and various birdsnests, but I will trade the acros for a variety of torches, gonis, lobos and hammers (and such).

hart24601 · Aug 9, 2017

Here are the web pics from aqua sd and vivid aquariums of the coral that came in today. It's looking good already.

hart24601 · Aug 9, 2017

Just and hour or two after coming in looking good!

Aquasd gave 3 freebies too. Sadly one is an acro so have to give it away - acro free zone! But it's a nice one.

Tommy Shumpert · Aug 9, 2017

Looks great

hart24601 · Aug 16, 2017

The kessil is a beast! I think that I am going to try pulling the skimmer for fun and running chaeto only with purigen and the oxidator is still in there too, just refilled it.

I also added the zeo automatic elements iodine and iron for the macro growth.

hart24601 · Sep 9, 2017

Update time. Been a lot of events.

So I wanted to try skimmer less but my pH got into the 8.7s! On 2 calibrated probes on both an apex and rkl. Added powerhead in sump but eventually put skimmer back in, however I pulled it out just now and will try few other options because with small sump it's hard to keep the skimmer free of gunk and a pain to take out for cleaning.

The corals didn't look so great after a while. The last thing I can think of is the epoxy for the rock (jb marine, not water weld) is giving problems.

So.... Set up 40b and 20l sump and moved all the coral there - lucky had all parts for a make shift setup.

Broke apart all the rock, bleach and acid treatment and a LOT of effort to peel, grind, chisel and drill epoxy out. It had turned yellow which could be leaching.

After that was done soak in ro/Di with triton detox and another compound unique corals sells to pull elements out (can't remember, it's something odd) then I used aquaforrest reef cement to make new structure.

That reef cement is good stuff. Needs bit of practice to not make a mess and a couple parts needed re-cement, but the overall structure is stronger and looks better than epoxy.

Put it back in the tank and after a while added coral back in.

Sure hope that's the issue. Never, ever, had such trouble with a tank, reef or not. It has been looking good for a few weeks now.

Also recently added some BTA, never had nems but they should go great with the rock. Added maxspect foam over the gyres.

Whew. That's a big update

hart24601 · Sep 9, 2017

Oh yea. I played around with light diffuser for the reefbreeders.

Rosco Cinegel Tough White Diffusion, 20 x 24 inches Sheet of Light Diffusing Material https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000B75TTE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_DfimsYnEFtXDf

Wow the difference is amazing. I love the look with diffuser. However there is a problem, the light bleeds right into my eyes with it on. So no diffuser for me but holy cow does it work awesome if I had lower lights or a canopy.

hart24601 · Sep 22, 2017

Well I guess it's not hip to be square.

I ordered a tunze 9004 DC skimmer for the smaller footprint. Wow it's awesome! Perfect little thing but it's spendy so it should be. I also just wasn't digging the light color, I got myself all excited on T5 so I got a giesmann matrix II 4 bulb with 2 blue plus, purple plus and actinic and the mounting legs. 1st off the BRS reviews are right, horrid legs.

But the bigger thing... I hate the look with T5.

So now I spent 800 on the tank this week and with all the downs and so little ups, I sold the entire package for 1 grand. Both RB lights, the matrix, the tunze skimmer and ato, the gyres, BM doser, rock, livestock everything except the H380 I will use for plants. Adding up over 9 grand in the tank, honestly that much, and not being happy just want it gone.

So that's all folks. No more salt for me again. Maybe someday a clam tank would be cool, but for dropping that much money and not enjoying it at all, I don't want to play anymore! My discus tank with auto waterchange does great and is no work at all...

Tahoe61 · Sep 22, 2017

Sorry to hear this.

Discus are awesome and if I were to go FW again they would be my first choice.

I hope you come back to SW eventually, know that you do not need to spend a small fortune to enjoy the SW hobby, but I know the maddening frustration the hobby can present.