kittenbritches' Reefing Journey

[Goaway]

24-hours. I didn't know it could take them three days — otherwise I would have started it sooner! I hated seeing him so sad, though.

I never used a nem cannon. But, I know the idea works. Nems who love light, will not stay in the dark for too long.

Hope all works out!

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

24-hours. I didn't know it could take them three days — otherwise I would have started it sooner! I hated seeing him so sad, though.

Yeah homie, 24 hours is normal in my experience with an nemss that move often. It for sure can take a few days if they are set.

 

[kittenbritches]

Guys, I think I'm dead.

My 4-year-old had RSV all last week, and yesterday she spiked a fever and started screaming and crying about her ear. We're going back to the doctor this morning.

Despite all that, everything is up, plumbed, wet, electrified, and stocked. /flex

I slept from midnight to three, and everything hurts, but it's done. My living room, however, is DESTROYED. Y'all are gonna have to wait until I get the millions of boxes out of here to see it all. I do also need to get my cords managed. It's a mess right now!

To hold you off, here are a few sneak peeks!

This weekend I learned that my fairy wrasse loves to harass my orchid dottyback. Relentlessly.

My anemone is furious, so I'm not moving his rock yet. It will still be in this corner, but I'm going to tweak it some when I finish the scape. I can't do that yet because I've got a frag rack depending on those rocks right now. The good news about this corner is it turns out to be preferred by the clowns. My BTA has never had so much company!

My sexy shrimp survived the move, and decided to live on my RFA! For a minute I thought he was going to be breakfast.

Sexy dance...

My tuxedo urchin made it, too, and even added some new shells to his hat!

The melanurus wrasse is pouting somewhere in the sand bed. I'm sure he'll come out soon.

As soon as everything is ready for company, I'll show you the FTS and all the guts! <3

 

[kittenbritches]

Yeah homie, 24 hours is normal in my experience with an nemss that move often. It for sure can take a few days if they are set.

Ah, yeah, makes sense. He's been in the same spot since the day I got him, and is holding on with a Kung Fu grip.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Ah, yeah, makes sense. He's been in the same spot since the day I got him, and is holding on with a Kung Fu grip.

Great update. I just did a big tank swap this weekend also exhausted does not even start to cover it.

I loaned one of my cannons to a local reefer here to remove some nexus burst nems he was selling. Worked on 3 of 4. The only bta I have seen Not climb the tube was the 4th one who lives super deep in a hole and never gets direct light anyway.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Sorry to hear about your little one, as a mom it kills me to see my babies in pain or sick. Hopefully she can get some relief from that ear! I homeschool my brood now, so we don't get sick as often as we used to when they were in school, thankfully.

Tank swaps are crazy tiring. I think more so when you only have one tank location, then means removing the one, setting up the second. I think it would be easier if they were in separate locations, not as much time pressure. In August, I upgraded my planted tank from a 48g bowfront to a 75g. I only have one big tank location, so the small one had to go to make room. Thankfully plants are much more forgiving than corals since I had plantss in buckets for days. Just catching all the fish tired me out.

 

[fishface NJ]

Hope she feels better soon! One instrument I had with all my kids, that was just as important as a thermometer, was the otoscope. I knew when there was an ear infection

 

[James_O]

Looking forward to an FTS!

Hope your little one gets better soon. I had a lot of ear infections when I was smaller, and they were not fun.

 

[kittenbritches]

Welp. Fun story...

Because of the delays in getting the rock transferred to the new tank whilst caring for my sick, feral child, I think the nitrifying bacteria in my rocks died and I filled my tank with decaying organic compounds.

When I transferred after the leak I had all of my rock in a brute can with a heater and powerhead. Since my can was already in use, I had to use five-gallon buckets this time, and my extra powerheads, as I mentioned earlier, crapped the bed when the leak hit the power strip.

So my rocks sat. Too long.

I can't get the smell out of my nose.

In good news, everything is still alive. Even the melanurus wrasse came out this morning. I was worried he'd died and was contributing to the problem, so was I very relieved when he showed up minutes before I was planning on sending in search and rescue.

It didn't dawn on me that I was heading for a crash until I went to bed last night and couldn't stop thinking about the stink. I had my light bulb moment right as I started getting sleepy.

I went downstairs and tested for ammonia and nitrate. I'd gotten used to skipping checking for nitrite because it hasn't been relevant for so long. I know some will say it still isn't. I tested for it after the other two, just to know where everything is at.

NH3: 0.50ppm
NO2: 0.25ppm
NO3: 10ppm

I had a 16 oz bottle of FritzZyme 9, so I added that. Turned off the skimmer. Stress searched fruitlessly for how long nitrifying bacteria can live without flow and heat, only turning up old posts about rock without water. Ordered Seachem AmGuard which will be delivered today, and more FritzZyme 9, which I accidentally lumped with Amazon's stupid prime delivery day so it won't arrive until Saturday.

I have to work today, so I can only do rescue work on the tank periodically. I will be testing again in about an hour, but the smell is less pungent and the fish all still hanging in is encouraging.

I am going to do a 20-gallon water change today as well. Brute can has been filling with RODI since 5:30 this morning.

If my tank crashes, I swear to God, I will yeet myself into the sun.

 

[kittenbritches]

Worst case, I refill the 40B in my bedroom and move the fish while I re-cycle the new tank. But what a PITA.

 

[Goaway]

Worst case, I refill the 40B in my bedroom and move the fish while I re-cycle the new tank. But what a PITA.

I know the feeling. I hope everything gets under control. Times like these, it sucks being states away.
When kids are sick, they need momma.

 

[kittenbritches]

Captain's Log: Day 76

Test results from this morning :
NH3: 0.50ppm
NO2: 0.50ppm
NO3: 20ppm

Nitrifying bacteria is starting to do its thing. We're gonna power through this mini-cycle.

I ended up doing a 50% WC and retested parameters to make sure.

NH3: 0.25ppm
NO2: 0.25ppm
NO3: 10ppm

Also, MIRACULOUSLY, the stench is almost completely gone!

I dosed 8.125mL of AmGuard, and will continue to test and dose as needed until the bottled bac arrives and while the bacteria in there continues to multiply.

The fish are all still doing well, despite the foxface doing a weird OCD dance all day long. Everyone is eating, no one is gasping or swimming to the surface for oxygen. Some of the stony corals are retracted, and the xenia are tiny and angry, but they're all hanging in.

Not the FTS we wanted, but the FTS we need

I'm still super grateful that gimpy chromis pulled through. His name is Bubba (the comeback kid). He's the one at the top who looks like he's seen some $h1t. Haha.

Bonus! This is what happens when you use your knee as a hammer.

Oh, and we did get that cat! Her name is Ellie.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

Captain's Log: Day 76

Test results from this morning :
NH3: 0.50ppm
NO2: 0.50ppm
NO3: 20ppm

Nitrifying bacteria is starting to do its thing. We're gonna power through this mini-cycle.

I ended up doing a 50% WC and retested parameters to make sure.

NH3: 0.25ppm
NO2: 0.25ppm
NO3: 10ppm

Also, MIRACULOUSLY, the stench is almost completely gone!

I dosed 8.125mL of AmGuard, and will continue to test and dose as needed until the bottled bac arrives and while the bacteria in there continues to multiply.

The fish are all still doing well, despite the foxface doing a weird OCD dance all day long. Everyone is eating, no one is gasping or swimming to the surface for oxygen. Some of the stony corals are retracted, and the xenia are tiny and angry, but they're all hanging in.

Not the FTS we wanted, but the FTS we need

I'm still super grateful that gimpy chromis pulled through. His name is Bubba (the comeback kid). He's the one at the top who looks like he's seen some $h1t. Haha.

Bonus! This is what happens when you use your knee as a hammer.

Oh, and we did get that cat! Her name is Ellie.

She looks like a proper supervisor!!

 

[James_O]

Captain's Log: Day 76

Test results from this morning :
NH3: 0.50ppm
NO2: 0.50ppm
NO3: 20ppm

Nitrifying bacteria is starting to do its thing. We're gonna power through this mini-cycle.

I ended up doing a 50% WC and retested parameters to make sure.

NH3: 0.25ppm
NO2: 0.25ppm
NO3: 10ppm

Also, MIRACULOUSLY, the stench is almost completely gone!

I dosed 8.125mL of AmGuard, and will continue to test and dose as needed until the bottled bac arrives and while the bacteria in there continues to multiply.

The fish are all still doing well, despite the foxface doing a weird OCD dance all day long. Everyone is eating, no one is gasping or swimming to the surface for oxygen. Some of the stony corals are retracted, and the xenia are tiny and angry, but they're all hanging in.

Not the FTS we wanted, but the FTS we need

I'm still super grateful that gimpy chromis pulled through. His name is Bubba (the comeback kid). He's the one at the top who looks like he's seen some $h1t. Haha.

Bonus! This is what happens when you use your knee as a hammer.

Oh, and we did get that cat! Her name is Ellie.

Awesome update! So happy the tank didn’t crash. That sump water must smell really good. ;Hilarious ;Troll

 

[James_O]

Awesome update! So happy the tank didn’t crash. That sump water must smell really good. ;Hilarious ;Troll

I was saying the sump water must smell good because Ellie (The cat) looked like she was sniffing it... not because the water smelled bad the other day because of nutrient issues. Sorry for the confusion if you took that the wrong was @kittenbritches.

 

[Goaway]

I was saying the sump water must smell good because Ellie (The cat) looked like she was sniffing it... not because the water smelled bad the other day because of nutrient issues. Sorry for the confusion if you took that the wrong was @kittenbritches.

Did kitten ever read that thread?

 

[James_O]

Did kitten ever read that thread?

Now I'm confused... she mentioned that her tank smelled weird yesterday (or a few days ago? My days are running together). I though that's why you and Frank put a "sad" reaction on my post, because I said this:

That sump water must smell really good. ;Hilarious ;Troll

That ^ might have come across as rude, so that's why I said this:

I was saying the sump water must smell good because Ellie (The cat) looked like she was sniffing it... not because the water smelled bad the other day because of nutrient issues. Sorry for the confusion if you took that the wrong was @kittenbritches.

 

[Goaway]

Now I'm confused... she mentioned that her tank smelled weird yesterday (or a few days ago? My days are running together). I though that's why you and Frank put a "sad" reaction on my post, because I said this:


That ^ might have come across as rude, so that's why I said this:

She would understand if she read the thread. You never know with cats.

 

[shadow_k]

YES more thread to read ! Following can’t wait to catch up

 

[LRT]

Captain's Log: Day 76

Test results from this morning :
NH3: 0.50ppm
NO2: 0.50ppm
NO3: 20ppm

Nitrifying bacteria is starting to do its thing. We're gonna power through this mini-cycle.

I ended up doing a 50% WC and retested parameters to make sure.

NH3: 0.25ppm
NO2: 0.25ppm
NO3: 10ppm

Also, MIRACULOUSLY, the stench is almost completely gone!

I dosed 8.125mL of AmGuard, and will continue to test and dose as needed until the bottled bac arrives and while the bacteria in there continues to multiply.

The fish are all still doing well, despite the foxface doing a weird OCD dance all day long. Everyone is eating, no one is gasping or swimming to the surface for oxygen. Some of the stony corals are retracted, and the xenia are tiny and angry, but they're all hanging in.

Not the FTS we wanted, but the FTS we need

I'm still super grateful that gimpy chromis pulled through. His name is Bubba (the comeback kid). He's the one at the top who looks like he's seen some $h1t. Haha.

Bonus! This is what happens when you use your knee as a hammer.

Oh, and we did get that cat! Her name is Ellie.

How does testing look today?
What kits are you using?