Saltybubbles288
Active Member
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2017
- Messages
- 116
- Reaction score
- 66
I wouldn't consider myself an expert by any means but perhaps a semi-seasoned aquarist. Thanks to the wealth of information available on the internet and especially here on R2R I'm able to handle many projects that would have turned me away just a few years ago. 12 years or so in the hobby and even working part time for an aquarium setup/maintenance company never taught me as much as combing these forums. In this spirit I'd like to share just where my current projects and problems/solutions are in hopes to share a bit of this knowledge.
(Workshop)
The Tanks:
150ish gal. "Reef" Cube
29gal Freshwater
10gal Brine Shrimp Tank
4L Phytoplankton (soon to be 8)
20gal Berghia Tank
10gal Aipstatsia Tank
(Main Tank Picture)
The Main tank is a 2'6" cube with 2 seperate 20gal High tanks underneath running in tandem, one as a sump the other as a refuge for safer pod cultivation. Running 2 Eheim Heaters, 2 Jabeo pumps and 2 wave makers, 2 Marsaqua Lights and a coral box skimmer.
Stock:
2 Blue Chromis
1 Royal Gramma
1 Maroon Clown
1 Mckoskers Wrasse
1 Purple Queen Anthias
1 Aipstatsia Eating Filefish
1 Lawnmower Blenny
1 Sandhopper Blenny
1 Mandarin Dragonette
1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
5 Emerald Crabs
A dozen or so of Blue Hermits
A dozen or so Astrea snails
GSP (green star polyp) small colony
Pulsing xena
2 Blue ricordia Mushrooms
(Freshwater pic)
The freshwater tank is actually a cold water tank running a marineland HOB filter that actually is 12 years old and perhaps the one of last pieces of my original equipment (still running strong) with a tetra whisper air pump. This is a very low maintenance tank which seldom ever has an issue. Though the decorations need to be bleached in this photo.
Stocked with about a dozen Odessa Barbs.
(Brine Shrimp pic).
(Hatchery)
This Tank is a lot of fun but a lot of maintenance, it requires frequent water changes and a ton of air line. Running 5 air stones a sponge filter and small tetra heater. The brine shrimp are hatched in a 2 liter bottle sitting in an old fish food container, with an airline ran through the lid, cheap and effective. Both are lit with workshop clamp lights. Which effecently heats the hatchery and provides enough light for a good hatching response.
(Phyto shelf)
The phyto is a new setup for me, innoculant of nanno was purchased from Mercer of Montana. It is a pretty common 2l setup running a cheap grow light board purchased off amazon. Easy to do and worth the money it will save you!
(Berghia)
Another newer tank for me this is a relatively bare 20gal tank with just a couple rubble rock for eggs to be laid on. Running 2 Marineland 75 HOB filters and a older heater I've had it is stocked with 10 new nudis and will be used as a safety colony.
(AIPSTASIA TANK)
This is a 10 gallon tank with a heater a power head and a handful of pipe fittings, that's it. Besides the aipstatia.
The problems, their solutions and expansions:
1. AIPSTASIA!!!!!!
2. GHA (Green Hair algea)
3. HLLE?
4. Anthias (Tailrot/bacterial infection)
5. Coral problems
6. Brine Shrimp water quality
7. Saving money on salt
8. Phyto goes FAST!
9. Berghia cultivation.
10. Bleaching Decorations or equipment.
1. Aipstasia has reached the point I just cant handle it anymore. I've tried peppermint shrimp, only to have the murdered by the skunk. I Bought the file fish, he ignored them. I've tried Aipstasia-x only to have them laugh it off and reproduce. My tank is to deep to reach all of them very well. This plague has been a huge disappointment and really taught me a few lessons. I have recently ordered berghia and will be indroducing them into the tank once I have a few eggs in their tank to safely establish a back up colony.
2. GHA in my main tank has always been an off and on issue for me but up till a few weeks ago I actually ran skimmer less. The lawnmower blenny is a new addition as well. A large amount of rock work and cheato has always curbed the issue for the most part. But I believe this method just cant handle the expanding bio load. Since the additions the hair algae is disappearing at a noticable rate. I have also purchased some coraline algae in a bottle, which I will be adding in a few days to outcompete it for real estate. All in all this is on the up and up.
3. My royal gramma seems to be showing a bit of what appears to be damaged skin near his head. Which I have diagnosed as possible HLLE. Along with this I have noticed some jerky swimming. I've read stray voltage could be an issue, a grounding probe is arriving tomorrow to help fix this issue. Selco soaked food along with selco gut loaded brine are being fed daily as well. The gramma will also be treated with kanaplex and metroplex beginning tomorrow.
4. My purple queen anthias the poor thing is fighting what appears to be a few bacterial infections. This coupled with a finicky eater has caused quite an issue. I have created a homemade feeding station, which I can inject selco loaded shrimp and kana and metroplex treated mysis into the water column nearby to get food close to him without startling him.
5. While I only have a couple of easy to keep coral they have had their set off issues, due to a move they spent some time In a 20g tank which lead to their decline, I actually thought to Gsp to be dead. Since they have been moved into the dt and have recovered a lot. I have changed to reef Crystals which had helped seemingly. Aipstasia has caused an issue for real estate, and actually caused one of my ricordia to recede and split. I have stalled on coral and am just maintaining on this front until other issues are solved.
6. Brine shrimp dont need great water but the quality declines quickly due to the population densitys and food. Seachem phyto mix has left a film on the glass and caused issues for me in the past. Weekly, I drain all water, using a fine sieve that fits on a 5 gallon bucket I filter out all shrimp and add them to a freshly filled tank. The high amount of airlines and air stones cause a problem as well and require weekly cleaning and reset up. This is a constant fight.
7. Salt is not cheap, so less of a problem more of a tip. I have managed to save a bit by saving all water from water changes in the dt. I then dilute this water to 1.020 and use it for my aipstasia tank, brine shrimp and phytoplankton. I save about 30 gallons a week this way.
8. At 50 dollars a gallon seachem phyto is not cheap, a bottle can go in 2 weeks. So I have started culturing it myself. Using a 2 part fertilizer has shown some real thick densitys too, better than store bought. I am actually going to double production once more rigid tubing arrives in the mail, it so easy to produce. About a $75 investment and I have constant supply. WORTH IT!
9. The berghia are new to me and intimidating. To feed them set new issues for me, while I have a ton of aipstasia on my rock, I will not introduce it to a rather sterile berghia tank. I was able to solve this by setting up an aipstasia farm, which I was able to stock by siphoning off my sand into another sieve and collecting 50 or so with a pipette.
10. Mentioned briefly before, bleaching equipment and purigen is a small task in itself, while many should be familiar with it for safety I'll mention it. While bleach can be used to clean plastics it is dangerous, just rinse very thoroughly and then soak for a few hours in prime.
Any input or questions are welcome, there is nothing I enjoy talking about more, also if you want to know where I got any of the equipment most of it is from amazon and I can link it.
*pictures to come and still writing but enjoy the draft!*
(Workshop)
The Tanks:
150ish gal. "Reef" Cube
29gal Freshwater
10gal Brine Shrimp Tank
4L Phytoplankton (soon to be 8)
20gal Berghia Tank
10gal Aipstatsia Tank
(Main Tank Picture)
The Main tank is a 2'6" cube with 2 seperate 20gal High tanks underneath running in tandem, one as a sump the other as a refuge for safer pod cultivation. Running 2 Eheim Heaters, 2 Jabeo pumps and 2 wave makers, 2 Marsaqua Lights and a coral box skimmer.
Stock:
2 Blue Chromis
1 Royal Gramma
1 Maroon Clown
1 Mckoskers Wrasse
1 Purple Queen Anthias
1 Aipstatsia Eating Filefish
1 Lawnmower Blenny
1 Sandhopper Blenny
1 Mandarin Dragonette
1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
5 Emerald Crabs
A dozen or so of Blue Hermits
A dozen or so Astrea snails
GSP (green star polyp) small colony
Pulsing xena
2 Blue ricordia Mushrooms
(Freshwater pic)
The freshwater tank is actually a cold water tank running a marineland HOB filter that actually is 12 years old and perhaps the one of last pieces of my original equipment (still running strong) with a tetra whisper air pump. This is a very low maintenance tank which seldom ever has an issue. Though the decorations need to be bleached in this photo.
Stocked with about a dozen Odessa Barbs.
(Brine Shrimp pic).
(Hatchery)
This Tank is a lot of fun but a lot of maintenance, it requires frequent water changes and a ton of air line. Running 5 air stones a sponge filter and small tetra heater. The brine shrimp are hatched in a 2 liter bottle sitting in an old fish food container, with an airline ran through the lid, cheap and effective. Both are lit with workshop clamp lights. Which effecently heats the hatchery and provides enough light for a good hatching response.
(Phyto shelf)
The phyto is a new setup for me, innoculant of nanno was purchased from Mercer of Montana. It is a pretty common 2l setup running a cheap grow light board purchased off amazon. Easy to do and worth the money it will save you!
(Berghia)
Another newer tank for me this is a relatively bare 20gal tank with just a couple rubble rock for eggs to be laid on. Running 2 Marineland 75 HOB filters and a older heater I've had it is stocked with 10 new nudis and will be used as a safety colony.
(AIPSTASIA TANK)
This is a 10 gallon tank with a heater a power head and a handful of pipe fittings, that's it. Besides the aipstatia.
The problems, their solutions and expansions:
1. AIPSTASIA!!!!!!
2. GHA (Green Hair algea)
3. HLLE?
4. Anthias (Tailrot/bacterial infection)
5. Coral problems
6. Brine Shrimp water quality
7. Saving money on salt
8. Phyto goes FAST!
9. Berghia cultivation.
10. Bleaching Decorations or equipment.
1. Aipstasia has reached the point I just cant handle it anymore. I've tried peppermint shrimp, only to have the murdered by the skunk. I Bought the file fish, he ignored them. I've tried Aipstasia-x only to have them laugh it off and reproduce. My tank is to deep to reach all of them very well. This plague has been a huge disappointment and really taught me a few lessons. I have recently ordered berghia and will be indroducing them into the tank once I have a few eggs in their tank to safely establish a back up colony.
2. GHA in my main tank has always been an off and on issue for me but up till a few weeks ago I actually ran skimmer less. The lawnmower blenny is a new addition as well. A large amount of rock work and cheato has always curbed the issue for the most part. But I believe this method just cant handle the expanding bio load. Since the additions the hair algae is disappearing at a noticable rate. I have also purchased some coraline algae in a bottle, which I will be adding in a few days to outcompete it for real estate. All in all this is on the up and up.
3. My royal gramma seems to be showing a bit of what appears to be damaged skin near his head. Which I have diagnosed as possible HLLE. Along with this I have noticed some jerky swimming. I've read stray voltage could be an issue, a grounding probe is arriving tomorrow to help fix this issue. Selco soaked food along with selco gut loaded brine are being fed daily as well. The gramma will also be treated with kanaplex and metroplex beginning tomorrow.
4. My purple queen anthias the poor thing is fighting what appears to be a few bacterial infections. This coupled with a finicky eater has caused quite an issue. I have created a homemade feeding station, which I can inject selco loaded shrimp and kana and metroplex treated mysis into the water column nearby to get food close to him without startling him.
5. While I only have a couple of easy to keep coral they have had their set off issues, due to a move they spent some time In a 20g tank which lead to their decline, I actually thought to Gsp to be dead. Since they have been moved into the dt and have recovered a lot. I have changed to reef Crystals which had helped seemingly. Aipstasia has caused an issue for real estate, and actually caused one of my ricordia to recede and split. I have stalled on coral and am just maintaining on this front until other issues are solved.
6. Brine shrimp dont need great water but the quality declines quickly due to the population densitys and food. Seachem phyto mix has left a film on the glass and caused issues for me in the past. Weekly, I drain all water, using a fine sieve that fits on a 5 gallon bucket I filter out all shrimp and add them to a freshly filled tank. The high amount of airlines and air stones cause a problem as well and require weekly cleaning and reset up. This is a constant fight.
7. Salt is not cheap, so less of a problem more of a tip. I have managed to save a bit by saving all water from water changes in the dt. I then dilute this water to 1.020 and use it for my aipstasia tank, brine shrimp and phytoplankton. I save about 30 gallons a week this way.
8. At 50 dollars a gallon seachem phyto is not cheap, a bottle can go in 2 weeks. So I have started culturing it myself. Using a 2 part fertilizer has shown some real thick densitys too, better than store bought. I am actually going to double production once more rigid tubing arrives in the mail, it so easy to produce. About a $75 investment and I have constant supply. WORTH IT!
9. The berghia are new to me and intimidating. To feed them set new issues for me, while I have a ton of aipstasia on my rock, I will not introduce it to a rather sterile berghia tank. I was able to solve this by setting up an aipstasia farm, which I was able to stock by siphoning off my sand into another sieve and collecting 50 or so with a pipette.
10. Mentioned briefly before, bleaching equipment and purigen is a small task in itself, while many should be familiar with it for safety I'll mention it. While bleach can be used to clean plastics it is dangerous, just rinse very thoroughly and then soak for a few hours in prime.
Any input or questions are welcome, there is nothing I enjoy talking about more, also if you want to know where I got any of the equipment most of it is from amazon and I can link it.
*pictures to come and still writing but enjoy the draft!*
Last edited:
