Fish Tank Room

[143MPCo]

Hey Alex! It's been a week and haven't seen anything happening here.... How's it going?

Updates...
One magnificent foxface still in QT, will be out in the DT by Saturday.

I have a small (new tank) cyanobacteria issue and have in the past treated it with Dr Tim's Re-Fresh as I'm no fan of treating cyanobacteria with traditional antibiotics or algaecides and re-fresh claims it's fighting it with isolated bacterial cultures... on Saturday I dosed the recommend amount to my tank turning off the skimmer, etc... This was at 9:00 a.m. and headed out to get a Starbucks coffee with my wife; normal Saturday. I came back in about an hour later to check in on things and quickly noticed a few large clear flatworms floating in the water doing the dance of death; excellent news right... now the only thing that changed was turning off the skimmer and dosing Re-Fresh so I scooped a few of them into a clean plastic cup and just to see if it was related to what I had dosed, add a few drops of re-fresh and left it for a bit, when I returned the flatworm had literally disintegrated.

To say I was surprised was an understatement until I recalled reading not to over-dose as the packaging states "beware that high doses of Re-Fresh may harm snails and shrimp".

I've been searching and trying to find any remaining flatworms but have had no luck, I'm not due to re-dose the tank again until Tuesday this week so will be interested to see if it dislodges any more or if this was a fluke.

BTW, the cyanobacteria has all but disappeared and am left with just a few very small patches.

Update2: 2nd dose two days ago and noticed again a few flatworms doing the dance of death; far less this time around. I've been trying to see if I can visually catch any remaining flatworms but have had no luck. I have two more doses left but this seems odds that they have reacted in this way to something that is just suppose to be a bacteria.

Has anyone else noticed this that has used the product?

Yet another build thread I need to catch up on....wonderful hahaha

Thanks, and welcome to my extreme obsession; an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind. = if my tank was a person I would have a restraining order placed against me!

 

[KDawg0623]

WOW!! Thank you for this thread! I just spent the last couple hours reading all 31 pages! Luckily here at work I am like my own boss... lol. But I just couldn't stop, I needed to see more and learn more, I am such a noob at this and am working on fixing a free 250g tank. I don't have any space for it but I am going to look in the house this evening and see if I can get any approval from the wife on maybe allowing a bit more room some where lol. Throughout the whole thread you have always been so kind and thankful, It is great and refreshing to see and read that. Fortunately in this forum there are quite a few like that. This is the only forum I am apart of and will only be a part of, my daughter can look this and I don't have to really worry about her reading anything inappropriate, but I digress. This is an outstanding build and great thread! Thank you again for sharing. I am sure I will be asking all of you a LOT more questions in the near future lol

 

[143MPCo]

WOW!! Thank you for this thread! I just spent the last couple hours reading all 31 pages! Luckily here at work I am like my own boss... lol. But I just couldn't stop, I needed to see more and learn more, I am such a noob at this and am working on fixing a free 250g tank. I don't have any space for it but I am going to look in the house this evening and see if I can get any approval from the wife on maybe allowing a bit more room some where lol. Throughout the whole thread you have always been so kind and thankful, It is great and refreshing to see and read that. Fortunately in this forum there are quite a few like that. This is the only forum I am apart of and will only be a part of, my daughter can look this and I don't have to really worry about her reading anything inappropriate, but I digress. This is an outstanding build and great thread! Thank you again for sharing. I am sure I will be asking all of you a LOT more questions in the near future lol

Hello @KDawg0623 , thank you for kind words it's really appreciated!!!

If I may make a recommendation it would be to take the wife to a local marine aquarium conference or better yet MACNA... that's literally how I got the wife to let me take over the house with tanks... she's so hooked she sometimes brings frags home on the weekends...

 

[KDawg0623]

Thank you very much for the recommendation I have been hearing more and more about MACNA and conferences. I think it would be awesome to be able to go to one some time. My wife and daughter enjoy the 110g that we have right now. My dilemma at the moment is how to set up the 250g and keep the 110g going at the same time with her knowing lol. Now we have not got into the corals yet. We have to mushrooms, that is it so far. But it is in our plans for the future.

 

[prsnlty]

Well Alex, I knew you were holding back! Lol

That is so interesting, I have never heard of that product before today. I agree also, seems strange that a bacteria can kill like that but we have bio warfare weaponry.... and kill humans with lethal strains of bacteria. I suppose that can be done in aquaria as well. I would be concerned however in this case what else it does damage to in the long run. If it killed flatworms it probably also killed all pods too. Im always leary about new "natural" products ever since I used Herbtanna (when it was new) on suggestion from a LFS before with great regret. It didn't work well for the job it was intended for and killed every single invert in my 150g tank. So much for reef safe

 

[143MPCo]

haha you caught me! lol

Jackie, that's interesting that you brought that up (was thinking I should've said something) after seeing the flatworms dieing I was concerned about my pod population being killed off but to present and with no natural predation in the tank (yet) they have been exploding in numbers! I can only theorize (as I have no proof) that the combination of Dr. Tims Re-Fresh and toxins released by the dieing cyano might have something to do with the dead and dying flatworms... I have changed the carbon (ROX8) in 4-day interval after the dosing just to be on the safe side. I just wish I had a way of proving the theory but this is a first for me!

 

[prsnlty]

True, it could've been the die off... good point. It's such an interesting - keep you on your toes - hobby isn't it?! Lol.

 

[143MPCo]

It's such an interesting - keep you on your toes - hobby isn't it?! Lol.

You nailed it on the head, this keeps us on our toes and always interested!!!

 

[DaveMorris]

Cool build thread. I hate glancing at these and then realizing that I have to read for hours to get caught up!

 

[ryan weiland]

Nice set up hopefully one day ill have something that nice

 

[143MPCo]

Cool build thread. I hate glancing at these and then realizing that I have to read for hours to get caught up!

Hey Dave... isn't that part of the fun? lol

Nice set up hopefully one day ill have something that nice

Thank you Ryan, I see one in your future my friend!

 

[Helenareefer]

Perhaps it's been addressed earlier, but do you have any issue with bubbles from the return? Seems like all the stirred up water in the sump would create them.

 

[143MPCo]

Perhaps it's been addressed earlier, but do you have any issue with bubbles from the return? Seems like all the stirred up water in the sump would create them.

Hello @Helenareefer ,
No none at all, in part because of the long run of the sump most if not all of the micro-bubbles that would have made it back to the DT have a chance to pop... additionally water in the sump circulates counter-clockwise pushing the water back towards the drains... and lastly the sump is all but full of live-rock suppressing whatever microbubbles happen to come into contact with it.

 

[Helenareefer]

Hello @Helenareefer ,
No none at all, it part because of the long run to the return most if not all of the micro-bubbles that would have made it back to the DT have a change to pop... additionally water in the sump circulates counter-clockwise pushing the water back towards the drains... and lastly the sump is all but full of live-rock suppressing whatever micro-bubbles happen to come into contact with it.

That's cool. I am collecting equipment for a VERY simular build and was contemplating on how to partition off a return for no bubbles. I have the exact same sump tank.
I have about 15 foot of head and a long horizontal run back to the tank though, so I guess it shouldn't be a problem.

Sweet build BTW. I hope mine turns out half as good.

 

[143MPCo]

Sweet build BTW. I hope mine turns out half as good.

Thank you!!! Best of luck and post up some pictures!

 

[Helenareefer]

Thank you!!! Best of luck and post up some pictures!

When I get everything together I will start a build thread. I'll probably be hitting you up for some plumbing advice.

 

[143MPCo]

I'll probably be hitting you up for some plumbing advice.

I'm no expert but happy to help if I can.

 

[ATB USA]

Very nice

 

[143MPCo]

Very nice

Thx ATB!
Can I get a skimmer?

 

[Ed Menard]

I have to say I love the attention to detail...for the first time in my life I'm wanting a house because of your build!...well done Sir!