C-Reefer's Journey Into The Dark Side

C-Reefer · Mar 27, 2018

Thank you very much!! This is precisly the answer I was looking for.

I do need copper and metro then. Rid Ich is for temporary relief if a fish is already showing symptoms from what I gather. At least with copper I won't be changing the water once or twice a day. Basically, from what I understand, I will not be using rid ich, it will be used as a first aid med basically, when I first notice symptoms to stop the disease in its tracks, especially something like brook or velvet that can kill in hours this is important.

I am not an overly observant person. However, he will be in my room and I will be watching him closely every day. However, I'm not sure I'm experienced enough to notice the signs of little things. However, this disussion will come up when I get more fish, not something I need to figure out right now.

I will order Seachem Cupramine, Salifert Copper Test Kit, and Seachem Metroplex.

Edit:
Do you like Salifert or Seachem copper test kit best?

Humblefish · Mar 27, 2018

C-Reefer said:
Do you like Salifert or Seachem copper test kit best?

Salifert for testing Cupramine. Very easy to read IMO:

C-Reefer · Mar 27, 2018

Perfect. I use Salifert for nitrate testing and love it. So much better then API.

C-Reefer · Mar 28, 2018

Do you suggest API general cure or seachem metroplex? I know API general cure has praziquental (mispelled I'm sure), and metro. Is it better? I will be treating with Prazi-Pro after copper and metro treatment is done, so I can make sure he's completely clean. Also, will 100ml of Seachem Cupramine be enough?

In my shopping cart right now is:
Seachem Cupramine
Salifert Copper Test Kit

Humblefish · Mar 28, 2018

C-Reefer said:
Do you suggest API general cure or seachem metroplex? I know API general cure has praziquental (mispelled I'm sure), and metro. Is it better? I will be treating with Prazi-Pro after copper and metro treatment is done, so I can make sure he's completely clean. Also, will 100ml of Seachem Cupramine be enough?

I would grab both. GC can be used in lieu of Prazipro to deworm; but for treating brook & uronema you’ll want to use straight metronidazole.

100 mL of Cupramine should last you for awhile.

C-Reefer · Mar 28, 2018

But I already have Prazipro so I don't need General Cure right?

C-Reefer · Mar 28, 2018

So GobiWan was moved to QT without much hassle. It took a bit, but no coral frags were knocked off. He will be left in QT for 2 and a half months. I will let him settle in for 5 or 6 days before starting meds. Rid Ich will be for emergencies. I will be ordering seachem Metro, and cupramine and a salifert copper test kit. I need to go ahead and order those.

I went ahead and took out the rock on the far left front and I love it. I hadn't realized how packed my tank was with live rock. I think I'll be definitely making a bonsai structure to keep open sand. I think lower branches will be zoas/acans, higher branches will be LPS or SPS. I moved my hammer/frogspawn, which I saw a pic of a true frogspawn on WWC.... my frammer is like 95% hammer. Only 1 or two branching tentacles that I can see. Distinct hammer shape. Anyways, for now its moved over to close to my bisplatter hammer. It had been getting too much flow on the other side right under the powerhead, so now away from the flow it has the best PE i've seen yet.

I attempted to frag some zoas, not sure how it went yet. They're on a frag plug. Hopefully they heal up! Also fragged my mushrooms again. Kind of. I'm happy to say the shroom I chopped into 4 is doing quite well, all pieces are happy and only one is not fully healed. I had to get 2 of my shrooms off a rock, so I chopped off the top and left the foot. It should grow into another shroom.

Reef ready rock from BRS is coming tomorrow, I'll start working on my bonsai structure.

Timer started. 2 and 1/2 months from now GobiWan can go back in DT!

Humblefish · Mar 28, 2018

C-Reefer said:
But I already have Prazipro so I don't need General Cure right?

Correct

C-Reefer · Mar 29, 2018

Great!

I will get:
Seachem Cupramine
Salifert Copper Test Kit
Seachem Metroplex

GobiWan seems to have settled in, picked the biggest pipe and just sets there. How do I check him out for abnormal signs if he's in a tube not out swimming around? I made sure to position the pipe where I could easily see in but... I don't know if I should shine a flashlight in or if that would disturb him too much.

@Humblefish thank you so much!!! You have been incredibly helpful. I was very lost and confused on the medications, and you came out and gave me what works, and why, in a way I could easily understand. Thank you! I will continue to ask for help throughout the process, but I just wanted to thank you for what you've done so far.

C-Reefer · Mar 31, 2018

Uhhhhh I did a thing guys. I am rescaped as of now.... I put the old LR in QT so if I want to go back I can put it back in. It will stay alive as theres no meds in there yet, params are exact same as DT. No pics yet... but it looks COMPLETELY different. I'm not quite sure if I like it or not since it looks so different. I'll give it a day or two and let it clear up before passing judgement. It is much more minimalistic. Lots of sandbed room, and a cove style. A very wide cove.

I did go ahead and order copper, copper test kit, and metro. I won't be spending anything next month unless its an emergency.

C-Reefer · Apr 1, 2018

Rest of the meds arriving Monday so I should start my 30 day copper treatment Tuesday.

Water change today, cleaned and mounted everything and I gotta say.... I love it way more then it was. Got the ugly frag rack DIY out and Galaxea on the sandbed, got some sticks mounted, I'm really happy. Everything is clean and looking good. Stuff's still mad and its a bit cloudy from the gravel vac so I'll upload pics tonight! Looks way better from the side too where I see it quite a bit.

I can't wait for the white reef saver to be covered in coralline... even just algae to make it not blindingly white would look better. I'm sure it will quickly darken haha.

Oh yeah... the first part of my giveaway prize has arrived!!!! I'll show ya'll that when I get pics tonight.

C-Reefer · Apr 2, 2018

Ahhhh this is going to be fun. Buckle up folks!

To start us off, my giveaway prize arrived! A 540DC Simplicity Skimmer and a Simplicity 3x2L Dosing Container. Super cool! The only problem is... I'm not sure if I can use it! Its in-sump only, and for a heavy bioload skims 240 gallons. The Dosing container is sleeeeeek but not sure if I want to hang on to it and eventually get a doser, or what. Think I'll ever need to dose? When I get an ATO and alk starts dropping I'll put kalk in the ATO but, idk what else I'd dose. Do you guys think it would be wierd or ungrateful or something to sell it? I haven't opened it so if I decide to sell it I can sell it as unopened brand new.

QT got set up over the week with lots of help from everyone, and the last batch of meds arrived today. I feel pretty confident I now have all the meds I need and can treat pretty much any disease I come across. I have Rid Ich+, Prazi-Pro, Cupramine, and Metroplex. All I need to start treatment is my copper test kit which should arrive sometime this week. GobiWan has settled in quite well, and is eating like a pig, and the bruise looking things have gone away. I threw my weekly chaetotrimmings in with a light so hopefully it will keep nutrients down. Will I need to take it out when I start meds? This is his 5th day in QT and I think he's doing quite well. I've been feeding him lots to get him healthy before starting treatment.

How long should I work up to therapuetic leves of copper? A week? Or 2-3 days?

And now.... for the big one! I rescaped ya'll! I think it looks way better. Lots more swimming room, extra water volume, more coral placement area, and it looks better. I used BRS Reef Ready Rock, gave it a rinse in RO/DI water and popped it in.

One of my main criteria was an open sandbed, and a better view from the side where I see it a lot. I think I succeded!

Everything already looks happy again! None of it is glued down, although it is securely stacked, so that way I have the ease of pulling a rock out if I need to. I love the new rock, its full of holes, and seems far more porous then the old stuff. Also, it fits together like puzzle pieces. If I was going to do another tank build I would only use this stuff. So check it out!

The new mushroom rock. They'll attach quickly. I moved them all to the left so the rock would protect them from the stinging galaxea....

Thought this was cool.... I trapped some air under my monti by accident when I was turkey basting around and it looks like mercury. Speaking of the monti its growing like mad. When I got it about the first inch was dead, but now its encrusting in all directions. Soon it will be encrusted on the rock!

My super happy hammers. The new one is happiest I've ever seen it since I moved it.

C-Reefer · Apr 2, 2018

Gotta have more coral pics!

Two seperate sides. Duncan came out all the way after I fed it lol

This! its the meanest coral I've ever seen. Really pretty though. Under blues you can't see the tendrils connecting the tips, and the tips are bright green and it looks like they're just floating around. It was getting nervously close to my shrooms so I moved them to the other side of the rock lol. Sweepers aren't bad in this pic, most of the time they're longer.

It was reaching all the way to that rock.

Top downs anyone? I need to get one of those things you can put your camera in like a pipe and it stays dry and the bottom is clear so you can get close to corals. Top downs are the only time I can get colors right

Orange feather dusters anyone? I just now noticed them, they're super cool

C-Reefer · Apr 3, 2018

Anyone know any good pumps for a DIY ATO? The tiny $3 pump I got from eBay didn't work... lifted the water like a foot. So.... I'm going to get another one as everything works, I just need a pump, and to put everything together. I've got one float switch working, but I need to add the other one (just wire it inline with the other), make the holder, and clean up the mess of wires from the relay. I'll probably seal the relay in a plastic box to keep it from getting wet or electrocuting anyone.

WP 1100 Water Pump 290 GPH Aquarium Pond Fountain Hydroponics Adjustable Flow 19962635465 | eBay this is probably the best I've found but max head height of 5 feet... My tank sits right at 4.1 ft so I should be good right?

Oh just found this one. For the same price as the one above, this is at 370 gph head height is 6.6 feet. I won't be blasting my tank with 370 gph though as when you get higher and higher flow decreases. Think this one will work? 53 - 710 GPH Submersible Pump Aquarium Fish Tank Fountain Water Hydroponic | eBay Or I could get the 240 gph version with 5.3 head height, which do you guys think? The 240 gph is $10, the two others are $14. If I'll be good with the 240 I'm good to save a few bucks, if not I'm fine with that too.

C-Reefer · Apr 5, 2018

Oh, I also need a 12volt wall adapter... that's why it wasn't working. I'd been using a 5volt like a phone charger, and I could see the LED light up meaning it was getting power, which puzzled me endlessly until I checked the adapter and it was 5 volts.... it needs 12 volts to flip the relay.

So, I just read something about color around 10k will dull coral colors but get faster growth, and color of 20k will slow coral growth but bring out better colors. Also, i've been seeing lots of people say they only have whites on for 3-4 hours. My lighting schedule is ramp up 30 minutes to full blues, then an hour later ramp into whites, then both at full blast until sunset (30 min), which ramps down into a low moonlight about 10% blues. My question is, if I run full bues for most of the time, and ony turn on whites for a few hours in the middle, will it affect my PAR? Lighting is a Current Marine Orbit.

revhtree · Apr 5, 2018

Looking good!

C-Reefer · Apr 5, 2018

revhtree said:
Looking good!

Thank you very much! Its definitely a work in progress, but I'm happy with it.

So the copper test kit arrived today. I now have kordon rid ich+, Prazi-Pro, Cupramine, salifert copper test kit, and metroplex. @Humblefish I believe you said to slowly ramp up copper in one of your articles? Like over 5-7 days? Will I need to take my Chaeto out for the treatment? It says to use 20 drops per 10.5 gallons the first day, then repeat the second. So mabye 7 drops a day, and just 5 on the last day? And then leave it in with no water changes for 30 days? And start Metro after 20 days have gone by.

C-Reefer · Apr 6, 2018

I will be starting copper dosing today. I will pull the live rock and chaeto out. i will be starting with 7 drops a day for 5 days, then the 6th day dose 5 drops. I will be testing daily as I ramp up, and if I need more or less the 6th day then I'll adjust accordingly.

I'll pull out Live Rock and Chaeto out of QT as I read something on here about it soaking it up.

C-Reefer · Apr 6, 2018

@Humblefish will having the cycled Matrix in my HOB affect the copper by absorption? I have to leave it in or I won't be cycled. It's a small amount, mabye half a cup? Will it absorb a max amount and then stop, or will the absorption be negligible? Any side affects I should be watching for other then not eating? After this is over I will be getting a sponge like you suggest so I don't have to worry about any meds being absorbed.