First saltwater tank, 40 breeder

[KleineVampir]

I could throw in some more trace elements! But end the experiment? Never!!

I definitely agree that nothing should just die immediately when it goes into your tank.

 

[NY_Caveman]

If you have high nutrients still I say skip the chili for a while and see what happens.

As far as copepods, I would add them any time. I added them to my live and dry rock when I cured it. I consider them part of the CUC, not just food. They can get into tiny holes and crevices to clean up.

 

[KleineVampir]

Hm...maybe.

But yeah I'm skipping the chili for a while.

Would the pods feed the fish automatically? Maybe they could if enough survived and got going? I feel like they might put me in a weird spot when it comes to feeding. At least now I feed them food and they eat it, and that's it.

 

[count krunk]

Add the pods now. They'll never replace you feeding but for the fish and others that eat them would be nothing but a benefit

 

[KleineVampir]

You think they're that good, huh? The dang things are kinda expensive!

Operation eliminate acclimation is coming to an end. A surprising amount of creatures can go completely without acclimation, that is for sure. Literally nothing in my tank has been acclimated. However, some critters just aren't gonna be like that. Some really do need to be acclimated. Like Astrea snails apparently. And probably shrimp. And apparently chitons and cowries because those did not make it. Then again the chitons did not come in water so acclimation was not possible.

Don't know why it took me so long to figure this out, but Margarita snails are supposed to be the best at eating hair algae. May finally be the dang critter I've been looking for! Also gonna give astrea snails a try but I'm gonna need to get the acclimation thing going first. Right now I'm thinking 5 astreas and 25 margaritas. Yeah, I am not messing around! I've just about had it with hair algae.

 

[KleineVampir]

Well after a bit of research, apparently Margarita snails do not last very long in warmer aquariums. Mine is at 76. I might switch the amount around. 25 astreas, 5 margaritas just to try them out. But I gotta wait until my acclimation apparatus is actually here.

 

[KleineVampir]

Today I covered up one of the windows. There's another one too but it's in the next room. It really lights up in that room all morning long which has probably been adding to the algae problem. It's indirect sunlight but I guess even indirect sunlight can have an impact if it's bright enough for a long enough time.

 

[btmedic04]

Thos astrea snails will do some work. I put 5 in when my nuvo 10 was going through the uglies and they had it spotless in 2 days

 

[KleineVampir]

Thos astrea snails will do some work. I put 5 in when my nuvo 10 was going through the uglies and they had it spotless in 2 days

Dare I ask what kind of 'uglies' they were? Still sounds good. But were you talking about hair algae, film algae, or something else? Think they have a chance against a forest of hair algae like what I've got?

 

[btmedic04]

Dare I ask what kind of 'uglies' they were? Still sounds good. But were you talking about hair algae, film algae, or something else? Think they have a chance against a forest of hair algae like what I've got?

It was hair algae and it was all over the rock work and even a bit on the sand. My cuc for that tank consists of 2 trochus snails, 2 nassarius, 5 astrea and 4 hermit crabs and an emerald crab. Theres no algae to be seen and I only have to clean the glass once every 4-5 days

 

[Chris L]

As far as your algae is concerned.....recently i restarted my tank bare bottom. This is my first bare bottom mind you and the amount of crap that accumulates in/on the sand you don't really see is astonishing. Once a week in my 5 gallon water change i will be siphoning out the crap. This could be contributing to your nutrients/algae issue. Not to mention the type of what looks to be dry rock you are using can sometimes carry high phosphates because it comes from a quarry.

 

[KleineVampir]

As far as your algae is concerned.....recently i restarted my tank bare bottom. This is my first bare bottom mind you and the amount of crap that accumulates in/on the sand you don't really see is astonishing. Once a week in my 5 gallon water change i will be siphoning out the crap. This could be contributing to your nutrients/algae issue. Not to mention the type of what looks to be dry rock you are using can sometimes carry high phosphates because it comes from a quarry.

I knew that about the phosphates, to an extent. How long are those rocks gonna have phosphates coming out of them? I mean I cured them pretty decently.

 

[bubbasguppies]

I had the same issue with phosphates leaching. I had to do an acid bath and restart my 40B.

 

[Chris L]

This is what i have done in the past as well. I put the parts in a bin with Vinegar to dissolve the outer layer then put them in an RODI bath with power heads for about a week i believe. Never had much of an issue with algae other than diatoms for a little bit.

I had the same issue with phosphates leaching. I had to do an acid bath and restart my 40B.

 

[KleineVampir]

Welp I just bought 25 astrea snails! Yeah I jumped the gun a little because I don't quite have the acclimation gizmo yet. But, it should arrive before the snails. What can I say, I like to live dangerously! xD

 

[KleineVampir]

Also in talks with a local glass company to see if I can get some custom mirror work done, to put on the outside of my refugium, shiny part pointing inward of course. Yeah I don't think we're about to mess around inside the fuge, so I'm thinking we just stick them onto the side. I mean they are clear acrylic sides.

Yeah it's my wacky idea to have mirrors containing the light inside a fuge. But it does make sense. All the light that bleeds out is a waste of light, and it goes into algae that I don't want it to go into. The mirrors will not only completely block the outgoing light, but they will hopefully shine some back into the chaeto which is what I want.

The big question is, how much is that gonna cost? Well, I dunno...but the kessil lights are basically either 230 or 300 dollars. And even then there would be even worse light bleed. This way it takes advantage of the light I already have in an efficient way.

Yyyep, I am NOT playing around. I have declared war against hair algae!

 

[KleineVampir]

Am I a complete freak if I actually put mirrors on my fuge? I know it might constitute bizarre behavior on my part but honestly...what else am I gonna put on the sides?

 

[KleineVampir]

Well I got the astreas this morning and I'm acclimating them now. They came with plenty of water in the bag, and thankfully 1 bag given that's all my acclimation gizmo can handle.

I'm really confused though, how somebody at tidal gardens, could think that you can acclimate snails that are shipped dry. I'd ask if I'm missing something but I think it's other people who are missing something if you think you can acclimate something that didn't come in water.

 

[KleineVampir]

Jeez....100 dollars and 3 hours I spend on these guys, and they aren't even moving yet? Pretty anticlimactic stuff. Hopefully they'll acclimate once and for all and get to moving. I thought 3 hours of acclimation was pretty generous...besides, the bag filled up with water. It was time!

 

[KleineVampir]

Ok they're moving around fine. Took them a while, plus I moved them to that flat rock in the middle so I think that helped. You wouldn't think something that lived in the ocean would hate sand so much! Chitons and the astreas are the only 2 I've ever seen that aren't good on the sand.