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Snoopdog
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Frozen scallop, it is cheap and they devour it.
Gulf Coast
- Thread starter Snoopdog
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Right outside Semmes. Running the 50 gallon IM AIO. Wanted to keep things simple this time, just a few fish, then grow out some corals. With my 180 gallon a few years ago, it just became too much. Larger systems are so easy to maintain, but man, when you run into a problem, it really hits the fan.
BamaCoastPyrat
Well-Known Member
Well you're probably not too far from @Snoopdog . He's our resident coral pusher out in west mobile. What went wrong with the 180? Eventually I would love a large setup.
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Snoopdog
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That is why I have pushed back getting a bigger tank, even when I get that urge. Mine is the perfect size for my house and my waxing and waning interest.
I think the new AIO tanks are so great and well thought out. I do not miss the days of having tanks drilled, durso stand pipes and the general garbage hardware. My life is easier and tank does so much better than my old 75 gallon back in the day.
Ceece911 how long has it been running and what is in it so far?
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Snoopdog
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Anyone notice on places like Facebook marketplace how people try to sell the old black rim tanks with a stand they put together in their garage with pine? You know the post I am talking about. It looks like it has been on their back porch or in the garage for years, the stand looks crooked, doors hanging off and they did a ****** job painting the stand? It will be something like a 120g and they are asking for $1500. It just boggles my mind people think they have something there and expect to get money out of it. Hobbies are a money sink, you will not get your money back out of it.
Case in point, I saw this one recently. $2000 Notice on the right hand side of the stand the trim is missing and the **** looks like it is separating. It just looks ugly honestly, plus I would not trust the seals on something that looks that old. The glass is likely scratched to hell and back. I mean more power to the guy if he is able to get something cheap and peddle it off to someone but hell I would just give that to someone.
I am not trying to offend anyone, hell I had one of the old treasure chest style tanks back in the day. You know the one you bought from B&B with the unfinished stand and you had to take it home and stain it? But I do think I paid less than that way back then and the price has not went up on those, we have better options these days.
Case in point, I saw this one recently. $2000 Notice on the right hand side of the stand the trim is missing and the **** looks like it is separating. It just looks ugly honestly, plus I would not trust the seals on something that looks that old. The glass is likely scratched to hell and back. I mean more power to the guy if he is able to get something cheap and peddle it off to someone but hell I would just give that to someone.
I am not trying to offend anyone, hell I had one of the old treasure chest style tanks back in the day. You know the one you bought from B&B with the unfinished stand and you had to take it home and stain it? But I do think I paid less than that way back then and the price has not went up on those, we have better options these days.
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BamaCoastPyrat
Well-Known Member
I have been watching marketplace looking for a decent deal on a larger tank and everything is ridiculously priced. I frequently see tanks listed above retail price. So why pay more for a tank when you don't know the condition of the glass, seals, and whether or not they were using the tank at one time to store dead cats.Anyone notice on places like Facebook marketplace how people try to sell the old black rim tanks with a stand they put together in their garage with pine? You know the post I am talking about. It looks like it has been on their back porch or in the garage for years, the stand looks crooked, doors hanging off and they did a ****** job painting the stand? It will be something like a 120g and they are asking for $1500. It just boggles my mind people think they have something there and expect to get money out of it. Hobbies are a money sink, you will not get your money back out of it.
Case in point, I saw this one recently. $2000 Notice on the right hand side of the stand the trim is missing and the **** looks like it is separating. It just looks ugly honestly, plus I would not trust the seals on something that looks that old. The glass is likely scratched to hell and back. I mean more power to the guy if he is able to get something cheap and peddle it off to someone but hell I would just give that to someone.
I am not trying to offend anyone, hell I had one of the old treasure chest style tanks back in the day. You know the one you bought from B&B with the unfinished stand and you had to take it home and stain it? But I do think I paid less than that way back then and the price has not went up on those, we have better options these days.
I picked up a 75 gallon this morning from Petco. It was half off and then I had gift certificates from giving blood, came to less than $100 out of my pocket.
Scratch08
Valuable Member
I have an urchin you can borrow...@.Haliax. @Snoopdog I now have 24 gallons of salt for a 40 gallon system. I don't think I will have to buy salt until the next time prices bottom out.
I finally got a couple of Hannah checkers for nitrates and phosphates. With the way green hair algae grows in my tank, I assumed that they would be sky high. My nitrates are at 2.0 and my phosphates are at 0.07. So now I'm not sure what to do to combat this stuff.
along with manual removal I went from this….
to this in about a month…
Trick is you have to get it all out so you can figure out where your nutrient numbers really are… then it’s easier to get them under control and keep the gha at bay.
Next up… hello people! Thanks @BamaCoastPyrat for pointing me in the direction of this thread…been on the site for almost 7 years and don’t recall seeing much activity in the local forum… so haven’t checked it in a long time.
Currently 2 tanks running, an IM 25 lagoon AIO that is primarily my nems and softies tank (no recent pics and the glass is dirty right now so no pic tonight) and the CDA 120 above.
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Snoopdog
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I have an urchin you can borrow...
along with manual removal I went from this….
to this in about a month…
Trick is you have to get it all out so you can figure out where your nutrient numbers really are… then it’s easier to get them under control and keep the gha at bay.
Next up… hello people! Thanks @BamaCoastPyrat for pointing me in the direction of this thread…been on the site for almost 7 years and don’t recall seeing much activity in the local forum… so haven’t checked it in a long time.
Currently 2 tanks running, an IM 25 lagoon AIO that is primarily my nems and softies tank (no recent pics and the glass is dirty right now so no pic tonight) and the CDA 120 above.
I agree. GHA removal is a two prong approach. Finding the problems and fixing them, along with manual removal. Plus just time, lots of time. Nothing good happens in a reef tank overnight.
Scratch08
Valuable Member
I personally, and this is me, would not qt the bumblebees( I also don’t qt corals, just a few dips in this and that and in they go). Couple of quick freshwater rinses and into the tank they go, and I’m placing an order for 50-60 or more on Monday. The other thing I wouldn’t do is feed them heavily or in my case at all… they will come to rely on what you give them and not hunt for their natural prey, just my thoughts from observations over my almost 30 yrs of some sort of sw tank.
The 180 was great. Had bad luck whenever I went on vacation though. Had a fish feeder overfeed, then had someone else overfeed another time, returned pump failed another. Basically coming home then getting crazy algae blooms like the one above. I was big on manual removal and scrubbing over 100lbs of rocks 2x week and doing large water changes for for over a month or two after every mistake took it's toll on me at the time. I broke it down when I went back to school for nursing, but knew I would get another after life settled a bit.
Yes!!!! I fell in love when I seen the AIO tanks. It was a tough decision between the 50 lagoon and 80 shallow reef from IM, but with the crazy cost of corals now, I figured it would be a few years before I could even fill the 50 the way I wanted to, so I went with it. I also went with the AIO because I felt it would help control and limit me. Have a nice simple tank with just a few fish and nice corals.
Tank's only been up 2 months. Just have a small hammer, torch, and piece of monti cap for corals, flame and firefish.
BamaCoastPyrat
Well-Known Member
I might take you up on the urchin offer, it would be good to get this stuff knocked completely out. I have a pencil urchin in there and just moved CUC over from the QT of a emerald crab, about a dozen snails, and about 30 blue leg and red leg hermits. Between that and scrubbing the rocks with a soft tooth brush and pulling at the GHA 2-3 times a week, it has started to make a big difference.I have an urchin you can borrow...
along with manual removal I went from this….
to this in about a month…
Trick is you have to get it all out so you can figure out where your nutrient numbers really are… then it’s easier to get them under control and keep the gha at bay.
Next up… hello people! Thanks @BamaCoastPyrat for pointing me in the direction of this thread…been on the site for almost 7 years and don’t recall seeing much activity in the local forum… so haven’t checked it in a long time.
Currently 2 tanks running, an IM 25 lagoon AIO that is primarily my nems and softies tank (no recent pics and the glass is dirty right now so no pic tonight) and the CDA 120 above.
That's why I am not too worried about it. I had a cyano infestation, than bubble algae (that was awful), now GHA. I will eventually move past this and probably on to the next problem.
Do you have any pictures yet?
My back glass GSP has started to take off! I can see daily new growth!
And does anybody need any free chaeto? My chaeto ball has all of a sudden exploded to the size of a soccer ball and it is now too big to tumble.
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Snoopdog
Valuable Member
I might take you up on the urchin offer, it would be good to get this stuff knocked completely out. I have a pencil urchin in there and just moved CUC over from the QT of a emerald crab, about a dozen snails, and about 30 blue leg and red leg hermits. Between that and scrubbing the rocks with a soft tooth brush and pulling at the GHA 2-3 times a week, it has started to make a big difference.
That's why I am not too worried about it. I had a cyano infestation, than bubble algae (that was awful), now GHA. I will eventually move past this and probably on to the next problem.
Do you have any pictures yet?
My back glass GSP has started to take off! I can see daily new growth!
And does anybody need any free chaeto? My chaeto ball has all of a sudden exploded to the size of a soccer ball and it is now too big to tumble.
I spy nirvana's.
Scratch08
Valuable Member
If you check the pic of my 25 lagoon there are nirvanas and pandoras(I think) running rampant in it
BamaCoastPyrat
Well-Known Member
Those nirvana's are some of my favorites.
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Snoopdog
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One cool thing about Nirvana's, the color absolutely changes with the light. The more light they get, within weeks their color changes to something gorgeous.
BamaCoastPyrat
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That's pretty cool.
What do you use to cut these plugs? I need to cut the bottoms of them flush.
BamaCoastPyrat
Well-Known Member
I gave up on all of the fragging advice that I have read that did not work in previous attempts and decided to use tools the way I know how to. I placed each plug upside down in my vice and used an angle grinder with a diamond blade. Took about 4 seconds to knock off each plug base. Now I have 12 zoa colonies on this rock.That's pretty cool.
What do you use to cut these plugs? I need to cut the bottoms of them flush.
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