ZachP's 20 gallon build

EW_Fish · Jan 11, 2017

You want the sand to tumble a little bit.

ZachP · Jan 12, 2017

EW_Fish said:
You want the sand to tumble a little bit.

I'll try turning it up a bit. When I had it turned up before it blew a big crater in the middle of the tank

Paul87 · Jan 12, 2017

No need for the sand to tumble. Is it gone in the morning before lights come on? What is your PO4 and NO3 reading?

NakiFantaki · Jan 12, 2017

Looks just like my tank!! Pretty sure it's just diatoms.. I think we started our tanks right around the same time. Mine is very slowly clearing up.

ZachP · Jan 12, 2017

Paul87 said:
No need for the sand to tumble. Is it gone in the morning before lights come on? What is your PO4 and NO3 reading?

No it's always there. PO4 has been steady at .015 and NO3 has been a little high around 10-15 ppm. I've been doing water changes to get it down. Today quite a bit of the algae has gone

EW_Fish · Jan 12, 2017

ZachP said:
No it's always there. PO4 has been steady at .015 and NO3 has been a little high around 10-15 ppm. I've been doing water changes to get it down. Today quite a bit of the algae has gone

I suggest a little bit more flow and water changes.

ZachP · Jan 13, 2017

EW_Fish said:
I suggest a little bit more flow and water changes.

I'm telling you man I have as much flow as I need, anymore and I'll be blowing zoas off the rock haha. I'll just keep up with water changes

ZachP · Jan 13, 2017

Has anybody else looked into the Santa Monica drop in algae scrubbers? They have one that could fit in one of my back compartments if I moved my heater. I'm thinking this might be a better option then a tiny fuge. For $100 I might be willing to try it out in a while

ZachP · Jan 14, 2017

Too anybody looking for extra shells for hermits I found this assorted bag for $2 at hobby lobby

Paul87 · Jan 14, 2017

Algae scrubbers are a lot more beneficial than a fuge. You'll need about bathtub full of chaeto for it to help with nutrients. Also I would clean those shells off in some vinegar and rinse them before using them, besides that good find.

ZachP · Jan 14, 2017

Paul87 said:
Algae scrubbers are a lot more beneficial than a fuge. You'll need about bathtub full of chaeto for it to help with nutrients. Also I would clean those shells off in some vinegar and rinse them before using them, besides that good find.

Ya I think I'll rinse them then let them soak in ro overnight then soak in saltwater tomorrow

Paul87 · Jan 14, 2017

ZachP said:
Ya I think I'll rinse them then let them soak in ro overnight then soak in saltwater tomorrow

No need in mixing up any saltwater, the residual RO on the shells will be fine to toss in the tank. Honestly tap water would probably be fine if you let them dry out before putting them in. Easy mode.

ZachP · Jan 14, 2017

Paul87 said:
No need in mixing up any saltwater, the residual RO on the shells will be fine to toss in the tank. Honestly tap water would probably be fine if you let them dry out before putting them in. Easy mode.

Well I already have some water mixed up. I just want to rinse them a couple times because they are super dusty and kinda dirty

ZachP · Jan 16, 2017

Came home today and my sixline has a problem with one eye. It doesn't really look bigger or more popped out then the other eye but it's whitish and glazed over looking. I'm guessing he brushed it on a rock or something because he does sleep in the rocks, maybe an infection. Any ideas what I should do? I really wish I had a hospital or QT tank but I don't [emoji22] he's swimming around and acting normal but I'm worried about him. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Paul87 · Jan 16, 2017

He may have just scraped it. I've gotten plenty of injury/illness advice from @Humblefish

Humblefish · Jan 16, 2017

White/glazed over could mean infection. Dosing antibiotics into a QT would be optimal; but you could try soaking either Erythromycin or Kanaplex in his food to help. Use a binder, such as Seachem Focus, to prevent the meds from leaching out into the water column.

ZachP · Jan 16, 2017

Humblefish said:
White/glazed over could mean infection. Dosing antibiotics into a QT would be optimal; but you could try soaking either Erythromycin or Kanaplex in his food to help. Use a binder, such as Seachem Focus, to prevent the meds from leaching out into the water column.

Thanks for the help. So say I'm using frozen mysis. I would just thaw it, then add both kanaplex and some focus and let it soak for a while before feeding? Would this affect corals at all? Sorry for all the questions, I've never used these products before.

Humblefish · Jan 16, 2017

ZachP said:
Thanks for the help. So say I'm using frozen mysis. I would just thaw it, then add both kanaplex and some focus and let it soak for a while before feeding? Would this affect corals at all? Sorry for all the questions, I've never used these products before.

You would take 1 tablespoon of food (frozen or pellets), and add 1 scoop of Kanaplex and 1 scoop of Focus to this. Add a few drops of SW until a paste like consistency is achieved, stir thoroughly and let sit for 30 mins before feeding. Leftovers can be refrigerated or even frozen for future use.

The Focus should bind the medication to the food, preventing it from leaching out and harming your corals. However, running some carbon while doing this isn't a bad insurance policy.

If the infection is mild, using an herbal remedy like Melafix might help ... I've read several times of people using it in their DT with no ill effects, but I have no experience doing such myself.

ZachP · Jan 16, 2017

Humblefish said:
You would take 1 tablespoon of food (frozen or pellets), and add 1 scoop of Kanaplex and 1 scoop of Focus to this. Add a few drops of SW until a paste like consistency is achieved, stir thoroughly and let sit for 30 mins before feeding. Leftovers can be refrigerated or even frozen for future use.

The Focus should bind the medication to the food, preventing it from leaching out and harming your corals. However, running some carbon while doing this isn't a bad insurance policy.

If the infection is mild, using an herbal remedy like Melafix might help ... I've read several times of people using it in their DT with no ill effects, but I have no experience doing such myself.

Ok thank you very much.

ZachP · Jan 17, 2017

The sixline is looking much better today. Eye is still a little foggy but not as bad as yesterday. I'm think I'm going to wait and see if it keeps getting better on its own.