The Maelstrom 120

AbjectMaelstroM · Feb 27, 2020

saltwaterpicaso said:
nice tank I ended up drilling my returns for 3/4 and using the vca random flow and wish I went with the modular overflow I have the synergy and its cheap. where did you purchase the radion clone chips

AliExpress. But honestly, I would go with a good blackbox unless you're looking to do a small-ish cube. Par just wasn't there.

AbjectMaelstroM · Feb 28, 2020

@samnaz how is your CUC acclimating? Seems half of mine started moving, but the other half seems dormant. Pretty much none of the hermits seem to be moving. Dwarf ceriths for the list part are moving, trochus are moving, nassarius moving. Emerald I can see is alive but hasn't left his spot on the rock.

Hoping the ones not moving aren't all dead.

samnaz · Feb 28, 2020

AbjectMaelstroM said:
@samnaz how is your CUC acclimating? Seems half of mine started moving, but the other half seems dormant. Pretty much none of the hermits seem to be moving. Dwarf ceriths for the list part are moving, trochus are moving, nassarius moving. Emerald I can see is alive but hasn't left his spot on the rock.

Hoping the ones not moving aren't all dead.

I’d pull em out and sniff, quickest easiest way to be sure they aren’t dead. My CUC order is doing fantastically but it only consisted of two Mithrax crabs and a cowrie (and some macro algae). IME hermits are pretty hardy. Hoping for the best.

AbjectMaelstroM · Feb 28, 2020

samnaz said:
I’d pull em out and sniff, quickest easiest way to be sure they aren’t dead. My CUC order is doing fantastically but it only consisted of two Mithrax crabs and a cowrie (and some macro algae). IME hermits are pretty hardy. Hoping for the best.

Yeah I'm gonna yank em tomorrow and give them a sniff. Most snails seem to be good. The red hermits are the questionable ones.

AbjectMaelstroM · Feb 29, 2020

Moved into the big house...

CUC update:

Seems none of the 3 red hermits made it.... Well, jury still out on one. The other two have become lunch for the blue hermits. Not sure if they're going lord of the flies on me or if they kicked it overnight. Snails are still cruising. I dropped in aglea wafer and have dropped in some reef frenzy for the meat eaters. Hopefully it's enough.

AbjectMaelstroM · Feb 29, 2020

Well, speaking of uglies, they're starting in my QT for coral /inverts.

AbjectMaelstroM · Mar 7, 2020

AbjectMaelstroM · Mar 11, 2020

So for some reason, within the last week, PO4 has been bottoming out. I've been dosing it back to 0.08 but so far it goes back to 0 within a couple days. Not really sure what's using it up as I'm not running GFO or any macro algea.

Uglies might be starting up and that's what may be taking them up.

Next order of fish is approaching:

Flame hawkfish
Diamond goby
Melanaurus wrasse
Carpenters wrasse
Red Head Solon fairy wrasse

Schnizzle · Mar 11, 2020

When I had GHA running rampant I always read 0.00 to 0.01 on PO4. Soon as I cleared up the GHA, PO4 shot up to 0.38 before reigning it back in. Long story short, I would agree. haha

AbjectMaelstroM · Mar 11, 2020

Schnizzle said:
When I had GHA running rampant I always read 0.00 to 0.01 on PO4. Soon as I cleared up the GHA, PO4 shot up to 0.38 before reigning it back in. Long story short, I would agree. haha

That's why im a bit hesitant about dosing, but I also REALLY don't want to get dinos, haha.

I guess I'll see what I end up with.

Schnizzle · Mar 11, 2020

AbjectMaelstroM said:
That's why im a bit hesitant about dosing, but I also REALLY don't want to get dinos, haha.

I guess I'll see what I end up with.

Every time I see a little wisp of slime I panic. I'm with you.

AbjectMaelstroM · Mar 13, 2020

PO4 is still being used by.... Something.

Today after work will be picking up the next round of QT fish:

Flame Hawkfish
Diamond Goby
Purple Firefish

Also placed an order with Bay Bridge Aquarium for some pre-QTd fish to outsource some work:

Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse
Carpenters Wrasse
Melanarus Wrasse (male)
Flame Tomini Tang

Wrasses are still is his QT (@Humblefish approved!) but still shouldn't be long.

Much excite, very wow.