Hello Reef Beginner
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- Thread starter Avgwarhawk
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jerrysol22
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Thanks yours too!
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"15 gallons at a time"-- Lol. Have to love that! Congrats. Just be sure to do a ton of reading and not push too fast due to enthusiasm. (Example: We here could have told you that the Hawk would be a problem in a 15 gallon. And as for the Urchin, in a brand new tank, make sure you feed Nori and/or algae pellets to compensate for the lace of algae.) Keep having fun! 
Avgwarhawk
Active Member
"15 gallons at a time"-- Lol. Have to love that! Congrats. Just be sure to do a ton of reading and not push too fast due to enthusiasm. (Example: We here could have told you that the Hawk would be a problem in a 15 gallon. And as for the Urchin, in a brand new tank, make sure you feed Nori and/or algae pellets to compensate for the lace of algae.) Keep having fun!
My wife fell in love with the hawk fish months ago. She has been wanting a SW aquarium for a few years. It was time. She had a vision of the hawk on a rock as she seen in the LFS. Well, she got just that. We noticed the hawk never bothered the fish that were introduced the same day with him. In fact, the hawk hid while the others swam about without issue. Not until a Goby was introduced a few days later did the hawk show it's true nature. My wife was undecided of what fish had to go back to the LFS. I advised her that the hawk needs to go because if any new fish are introduced to the tank the hawk would behave the same way. She agreed. The hawk was replaced with a Royal Gramma. Peace fell over the tank.
Ursula the Urchin is doing quite well. Loves the power head and moves about the glass. We did/do use algae wafers for the urchin and hermits. The Fire Shrimp ate the wafers as well but digs the Mysis shrimp. The aquarium is now getting into the ugly phase. Plenty to eat for them. We added a Margarita and Trochus snail. The margarita snail is eating machine. My wife watched a video on great CUC. There was mention of conch with the snorkel appendage and cute little faces under the brim of the shell. Sigh. She decided on an Olive snail(oh oh). Yes, a meat eater. I get mixed response for the Lettered Olive Snail. Bad for a reef tank. No problem for a reef tank. I'm keeping an eye on him. He does eat shrimp pellets(hopefully not our shrimp!). It has not bothering the other inverts. The olive snail does turn the substrate over well. He came from the LFS and was in an aquarium with coral frags, fish and other inverts. I understand it has a potential to be a terror but its behavior at the moment it does not appear it will be a problem. The jury is still out for me concerning the Letter Olive Snail.
For now, steady as she goes.
Avgwarhawk
Active Member
@JumboShrimp
The you see videos like this: A Lettered Olive Snail quietly eating a chunk of some kind of food. There is just to much conflicting info on this snail.
The you see videos like this: A Lettered Olive Snail quietly eating a chunk of some kind of food. There is just to much conflicting info on this snail.
Nice. I thought about the kit as well but decided I wanted larger. Still, one the best deals for newcomers to salt. Enjoy . Glad the clown was just, well, being a clown
Avgwarhawk
Active Member
When we made the purchase they said you will want a bigger tank eventually. They were right. I would like a larger tank. But this aquarium kit is a good starter for getting people into the hobby. Getting the OTHER stuff to maintain it they forgot to mention(LOL). My wallet is a wee bit empty now. It is easy to maintain(water changes and cleaning). It will be a good secondary aquarium for QT or just making a coral only aquarium. At the end of the day we are thrilled with what we have accomplished.
Avgwarhawk
Active Member
Many say the smaller tanks can be hard to keep. Water parameters swing quickly, etc. This appears to be true but correcting it does not take much. Water changes on large tanks must be a bear.
Avgwarhawk
Active Member
If you have kept up with this thread you'll recall the missus picked a Lettered Olive Snail. A predator apparently. Reef safe on one forum. Not reef safe on another. Will eat shrimp and snails. The snail has been behaving and spending the day under the sand. It does a great job turning the sand and cleaning up. With that said and still a bit leary of this meat eater I decided to get a fresh raw shrimp at the grocery store. I cut a small piece suitable for the snail. With a long set of tweezers I target fed. Nearing the snail with the chunk of shrimp, out came the snorkel. It surface out of the sand like a submarine. It then used it appendage/foot and grabbed the piece of shrimp. Then it burrowed under the sand happy with it chunk of shrimp. I guess I'll do this one or two times a week. A fat happy full Olive snail is not going to grab a unsuspecting snail or fire shrimp.
Avgwarhawk
Active Member
Thank you. It is very rewarding.
Avgwarhawk
Active Member
Today I tossed out the API master kit. I have found they are not very accurate. Like most who say the same. It's more ballpark readings. Specifically ammonia that I witnessed three weeks ago. This weekend, nitrates reading are suspicious. Solid water change. Nitrate did not budge. Suspecting the nitrates test by API as being less than accurate I ordered a Salifert Nitrate kit. API tested 80 Nitrate. Tested the same after a large water change x2. No change. The aquarium inhabitants are all doing well. What gives, right? The Salifert test kit tested at 25 Nitrate. Yes, still high and I'm working to resolve the high Nitrate but never the less it's not 80 that API was reading. No change after 2 large water changes. API went to the circular file cabinet in the garage.
Avgwarhawk
Active Member
I like taking pictures of coral the day I place them in the aquarium. Then a few weeks later. It shows if there is any growth or nothing at all. Always good to see positive growth. Two weeks ago
Today.
Today.
Avgwarhawk
Active Member
Lettered Olive snail get a bad rap IMO. Mine has been great. Has not eaten any of my invertebrates. I feed it jumbo gulf shrimp. It's a cool addition to my reef. Feeding time video below. . Chunk of shrimp. Takes it and goes under the substrate. I don't see him until the next feeding. But I know he is active at night. The substrate is turned and different with the flow of water. Fat and happy snail.
Love gobies. I had a Jawfish goby and always active keeping its burrow clear and hovering nearby to snag any food particles.
minh nguyen 0311
New Member
Great stuff! Eager to see what's coming.
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