How did that happen.......there is a 260 gallon aquarium in our walkout basement family room now....Not anymore

[Jeto2004]

Dispersal in progress:
2hours after adding the bunch

Next morning:

Later in the early evening:

 

[Jeto2004]

Why do they all bunch up in one corner?

 

[Jeto2004]

Started out with pH reading of 7.8 and maybe got it up to 7.89 when doors were open in the early fall. But something interesting is happening in the last week ph started to raise. Tonight I reached ph 8!!! Yeah!!!!

 

[Scubafrog]

Why do they all bunch up in one corner?

This is exactly what my Nerites from Reef Cleaners do as well. They will move around (I guess when they get hungry) but always end up huddled back in a corner or in my AIO sump area.

My daughter also thought I ordered too many snails for her 20G AIO. Looked just like your earlier picture.

 

[Jeto2004]

This is exactly what my Nerites from Reef Cleaners do as well. They will move around (I guess when they get hungry) but always end up huddled back in a corner or in my AIO sump area.

My daughter also thought I ordered too many snails for her 20G AIO. Looked just like your earlier picture.

After observing now for a week, I think they search out low flow area to rest during the day

 

[Jeto2004]

While Ca and Mg stayed stable my Alk dropped steadily from 7.58 to 6.89 during the last two weeks. So I decided to dose some Sodium Bicarbonate via Baking Soda route. Randy Holmes recipe and BRS calculator were spot on. Raised Alk to 7.56 with target of 7.5. Will see how the Alk, Ca, Mg, will fare over the next few days.

 

[Jeto2004]

New addition to the tank:

 

[Jeto2004]

Tank woke up to slightly cloudy water! Probably a little bacterial bloom. Measured ammonia, but nothing to mention. Guess that what happens with increased bio load in a new tank. Will let it go for a couple of days to see if it clears up. Would running carbon help?

 

[Jeto2004]

Looks like CUC is keeping diatoms in check! Like how the sand bed and rocks look now after a week with the snail crew in the tank! Oh Carolline algae, were are you?

 

[Jeto2004]

Cloudiness of the water receded after a couple of days. Made progress on some of the doors.

Also cut to size the panel inserts from the salvaged mahogany plywood from the demolition of the build in shelfs. Still have to cur rabbets. Then it goes to sanding before glueing things up.

 

[Jeto2004]

New in inhabits added to tank:
3 emerald crabs and 15 blue and 15 red leg hermit crabs:

Love how the hermit crabs went to work on the sand and how the emerald crabs hanging upside down from the rock work.

 

[Jeto2004]

Got to work more on the some of the doors today. Slowly getting there.

Tested Tank parameters:
Alk:7.57
Ca:411
Mg: 1308
NO3: 1ppm
PO4: 0.02 ppm
Salinity: 1.026 or 35ppt, which over the last couple of weeks increased to this target value from my S.G. of 1.023.

Looking good so far. Diatoms are kept in check by the CUC. Noticed more complex algae to appear.

 

[Jeto2004]

Very excited. Looks like one of the cleaner shrimp is carrying eggs. Hard to see but she certainly carries something below in comparsion to the other. If these will hatch I know that they will probably end up as life food. However I find this very exciting.....

 

[Jeto2004]

This one just wanted to say hi!!

 

[Jeto2004]

Got all the supplies to do a diy battery back up for my three MP40’s.

 

[Jeto2004]

Thanks to @Quietman I added a yellow watchman goby to the tank. It went straight into the backside of the rock work and wasn’t seen for three days. However yesterday it started to peak out his hole at feeding time. Fortunately he choose a den facing the front of the aquarium. He is in one of the smaller formation that is separate from the two larger ones slightly in the left back. I think I will call it from now on “Goby Island”. The layout makes it hard to get a good pic of him without distortion from the glass.

 

[Jeto2004]

After drilling and installing the hinge hardware I did a dry fitting of the unfinished canopy doors. Already like the look and it’s nice to see the tank with out the blaring light fixtures.

 

[Dierks]

Oh, My!!!!! Hello there Tank, You are looking mighty fine today!!

Great work Buddy this thing just continues to impress!

 

[Jeto2004]

Oh, My!!!!! Hello there Tank, You are looking mighty fine today!!

Great work Buddy this thing just continues to impress!

Thank you for the kind words sir!

 

[Jeto2004]

Put together the battery back up for the MP40. My work once again is cat inspected and approved. The only thing missing is an extension cable to plug in the battery charger. It was nice to pull out the soldering iron, haven’t done it in a while.