Lost in the Sauce
BANGERANG!!!!
Pm me your address. I didn't sign up for the secret Santa this year so Poof. You've got a RODI unit.
Perseverance Reef
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Fishy888
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At 3:00 this morning I finally finished. It took me about 3 hours longer than I expected but everything is humming along. I made sure none of my corals were buried in sand including my duncans. They did end up partially buried but they look ok. They’ were closed up of course.
Later today I’ll start getting my rockwork back together. I think my xenia and GSP colonies will be much happier once the rockwork is done and they’re back where they were more or less.
Later today I’ll start getting my rockwork back together. I think my xenia and GSP colonies will be much happier once the rockwork is done and they’re back where they were more or less.
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Lost in the Sauce
BANGERANG!!!!
When you moved it, did you end up removing the sand? If you didn't remove and wash the sand, or left it and just highly disturbed it, be on a Very close watch for any sort of ammonia spike.
I know the sand hasn't been in there that long, but weird and terrible things can happen with tank transfers. I've seen entire display tanks literally wiped out.
I know the sand hasn't been in there that long, but weird and terrible things can happen with tank transfers. I've seen entire display tanks literally wiped out.
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Fishy888
2500 Club Member
I did reuse the sand when I set up the cube. I didn’t move the sand bed when I did the water change last night. I left the sand bed and about an inch of water in there and moved tank, stand, sump and all in one fell swoop.
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tbrown
Nominated Cronie Intern - Might be failing?
If it stirred up old sludge in the sand it can cause that ammonia spike.
Lost in the Sauce
BANGERANG!!!!
Got it. The murkiness of your water is freaking me out a bit.
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Fishy888
2500 Club Member
I know it. That was right after I finished at 3 AM. I actually typed that right after I finished but I never sent it evidently. I was exhausted though. While not perfect it’s much better now.
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Fishy888
2500 Club Member
Come to think of it though I probably did disturb the sand some while filling the tank. I finished the aquascape a couple hours ago. I blew all the crud off the rocks while doing the aquascape so the water is a bit murky again but not nearly as bad as early this morning.
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Fishy888
2500 Club Member
So here’s the updated scape.
It should clear out fairly quickly though. I will get my water tested at my LFS tomorrow. I’m grateful that, while more a freshwater than saltwater shop they do test for ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, PH, and salinity. It helps that they’re only 4 or 5 miles from here. I suspect they use API so I take that into account however I can monitor trends. I’ll let them keep testing those things so I can buy the tests I don’t have. Fortunately I can rely on water changes to keep my fledgling reef going strong until then.
Now that I have a nice RO/DI unit coming (thank you again @Lost in the Sauce) I am thinking about a couple of modifications to the stand. I want to make a place to attach the unit and a small brute trash can as well as to hold peristaltic pumps and reservoirs. This would be on the right side. To the left I want to enclose the outlets and have a place for an apex or other monitoring system. For now the RO/DI will have to live in the kitchen for now.
It should clear out fairly quickly though. I will get my water tested at my LFS tomorrow. I’m grateful that, while more a freshwater than saltwater shop they do test for ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, PH, and salinity. It helps that they’re only 4 or 5 miles from here. I suspect they use API so I take that into account however I can monitor trends. I’ll let them keep testing those things so I can buy the tests I don’t have. Fortunately I can rely on water changes to keep my fledgling reef going strong until then.
Now that I have a nice RO/DI unit coming (thank you again @Lost in the Sauce) I am thinking about a couple of modifications to the stand. I want to make a place to attach the unit and a small brute trash can as well as to hold peristaltic pumps and reservoirs. This would be on the right side. To the left I want to enclose the outlets and have a place for an apex or other monitoring system. For now the RO/DI will have to live in the kitchen for now.
Lost in the Sauce
BANGERANG!!!!
I saw someone load up a 23g brute, inside a nice laundry hamper looking thing from Walmart. I thought it was pretty dang slick.
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Fishy888
2500 Club Member
One last update for tonight. Here’s the latest snapshot of Perseverance Reef. The water is once again clearing out nicely but I still see a thin haze. I think it’ll clear out tomorrow though.
I have coralline growth on a couple of rocks now. It’s primarily on rocks that were in other systems before I bought them. There’s some however on a rock that’s been here since I started this reef.
It’s definitely NOT cyano. As much cyano as I’ve been staring at these last few months I can attest to that. I also have a shell from a dead turbo snail that has a ton of coralline growth on it. Then there’s this guy..,,
There’s a bunch of coralline and spirorbids on its shell. The first set of lights went off for the night so it’s a bit harder to see here.
I’m seeing a ton of asterinas out. I’m glad they’re doing well. I hope my micro brittle stars are as well. I’m pretty sure they are. I’ll have to go looking for them tomorrow.
I have coralline growth on a couple of rocks now. It’s primarily on rocks that were in other systems before I bought them. There’s some however on a rock that’s been here since I started this reef.
It’s definitely NOT cyano. As much cyano as I’ve been staring at these last few months I can attest to that. I also have a shell from a dead turbo snail that has a ton of coralline growth on it. Then there’s this guy..,,
There’s a bunch of coralline and spirorbids on its shell. The first set of lights went off for the night so it’s a bit harder to see here.
I’m seeing a ton of asterinas out. I’m glad they’re doing well. I hope my micro brittle stars are as well. I’m pretty sure they are. I’ll have to go looking for them tomorrow.
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Fishy888
2500 Club Member
Today things look much better.
My corals look a bit better today although my cabbage leather is developing a mucus coat. It’ll be back to its normal self in a day or two at most.
The original GSP colony came loose from the rock I had it glued to. That’s just as well though. I’m going to try to attach that colony to the same rock as the newer colony.
My corals look a bit better today although my cabbage leather is developing a mucus coat. It’ll be back to its normal self in a day or two at most.
The original GSP colony came loose from the rock I had it glued to. That’s just as well though. I’m going to try to attach that colony to the same rock as the newer colony.
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Fishy888
2500 Club Member
So a really good friend of my wife’s and mine gave us $50 each worth of Amazon credit tonight for Christmas. I got a dual inline TDS meter and a set of 25 reagent packets for my PO4 checker.
I didn’t take anymore pictures tonight but I saw some starfish legs hanging out of a rock or two. I also saw a bunch of my hermits out scavenging.
For the first time I noticed the centers of my GSP are starting to glow green when the first set of lights goes off. This is the highest I’ve ever had the original GSP colony in the tank. The proximity to the lights and higher flow are making a difference.
My xenia colonies are being buffeted by the flow currently. I’m going to try to rig the second pump using fishing line so it can’t move around. It’ll only be a couple of weeks before I get my new pump. Of course it’s a magnetic mount and has a vastly superior flow pattern.
I didn’t take anymore pictures tonight but I saw some starfish legs hanging out of a rock or two. I also saw a bunch of my hermits out scavenging.
For the first time I noticed the centers of my GSP are starting to glow green when the first set of lights goes off. This is the highest I’ve ever had the original GSP colony in the tank. The proximity to the lights and higher flow are making a difference.
My xenia colonies are being buffeted by the flow currently. I’m going to try to rig the second pump using fishing line so it can’t move around. It’ll only be a couple of weeks before I get my new pump. Of course it’s a magnetic mount and has a vastly superior flow pattern.
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Fishy888
2500 Club Member
Well it seems the snail I got the other day is not doing well. It was already falling off the glass the morning after I acclimated it and it’s only gotten worse.
This has happened with the last four or five snails I bought at our closest LFS. I don’t know if something changed with her supplier or if she’s changed her acclimation process, but I acclimate all inverts for a minimum of 3 hours, often 4. This last snail got 4 hours. It used to be that her Mexican turbo snails lived close to a year in my tanks. It doesn’t happen with any other inverts from her store, or even with her astrea snails. It’s just the turbos.
As of the moment it’s still alive but it’s already fallen twice today. I’m debating whether to leave it in and let my 12 hermit crabs, bristle worms, and other CUC have some escargot; or whether I should just take it out from now. I finally have my phosphates in the sweet spot and my corals are looking good. The last thing I want is a big ammonia spike followed by a large swing in phosphates and nitrates. I’m leaning toward taking it out before it has a chance to cause a spike.
Should I take it out or leave it in?
This has happened with the last four or five snails I bought at our closest LFS. I don’t know if something changed with her supplier or if she’s changed her acclimation process, but I acclimate all inverts for a minimum of 3 hours, often 4. This last snail got 4 hours. It used to be that her Mexican turbo snails lived close to a year in my tanks. It doesn’t happen with any other inverts from her store, or even with her astrea snails. It’s just the turbos.
As of the moment it’s still alive but it’s already fallen twice today. I’m debating whether to leave it in and let my 12 hermit crabs, bristle worms, and other CUC have some escargot; or whether I should just take it out from now. I finally have my phosphates in the sweet spot and my corals are looking good. The last thing I want is a big ammonia spike followed by a large swing in phosphates and nitrates. I’m leaning toward taking it out before it has a chance to cause a spike.
Should I take it out or leave it in?
Lost in the Sauce
BANGERANG!!!!
Leave it. Feed the beast.
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Fishy888
2500 Club Member
That’s what I decided to do. I put it on the back glass where there’s still some algae and it’s holding on for now. I suppose if nothing else the CUC will have a smorgasbord and the coralline on its shell can grow and help seed the tank.
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Fishy888
2500 Club Member
I don’t think so because I bought the peppermint shrimp from the same tank the snails were in. She keeps them together. I honestly think it’s the supplier more than the owner of the LFS. She’s meticulous about her tanks. That said whether this one lives or not I’m staying away from turbos from now on. I really want trochus and cerith snails. I just don’t want to have to buy a crazy amount for shipping for the handful of snails I’d buy. There is a place an hour north of here. It’s the one I got my 90 cube from. I need to see if they carry trochus snails or if they can get them in.
Lost in the Sauce
BANGERANG!!!!
I think they meant is there copper in your tank. It kills inverts.
ICP test showed elevated tin in my system last year. I found a few questionable places, but have been running a very small bag, passively of cuprisorb or metasorb or something.
I've put it into my every few months rotation. They're a cheap insurance policy against any metals hanging out in the water, if a source arises.
