My fishy aquarium.

[Mark Novack]

I'm hoping for a story haha

The trigger went for the shrimp destined for the Zebra moray. The moray responded by taking the trigger's head with shrimp hard between its jaws. The battle lasted only a second, but the trigger received abrasions to the face, Zebra got the shrimp, and we were quite excited at the moment with my shrimp hand in the middle. I think the trigger learned. The tank boss, surprisingly is the Leucosternon, powder blue tang. Small but monstrous in character .

 

[Rich Klein]

Beauty for sure

 

[Mark Novack]

2 April. Performed a 110 gallon water change yesterday, about 55%. RO water, heated, then buffered, then salted. Vacuumed about 30% of the sand. Today the fish look weightless in the invisible water. Also made some small changes to the aquascape to improve the look and confuse the old residents. This seems to diminish, completely, the territorial disputes between the Leucosternon and the Imperator, the newest majestic arrival. Next step is testing Ca, Mg, KH, and nitrates. By habit, my top off water is charged with Mg after a change of this quantity as Mg levels are always lower after a change. I use Redsea Coral Pro. I used to try this or that amazing brand but the best results I have is by choosing a reputable brand and staying constant.

I'll post my primary levels after testing. Everything looks good, no fish lost.

 

[Mark Novack]

2 April. Test results after 110 gallon water change yesterday with the test kit brand.

Salinity 1.025 Hanna Refractometer
Ca ~420 Salifert
Mg ~1320 Colombo
KH 9-10 (added buffer, looking for 12-14) Sera
Nitrates ~20-40ppm Redsea

Nitrate test kit colors are not simple. Even professional painters that I know cannot decide in which direction the test color leans. However, imagine what they were yesterday.

I have 70 liters of RO ready for another sand vacuuming in two days and then I'll prepare another 110 gallon change for 3 days after the complete sand cleaning. This is normal and the only current solution for nitrate control.

I would like to discuss anaerobic nitrate filters. I'm a hard corps hobbiest and can build just about anything. An active low flow filter may be the trick but I'd would appreciate some expertise on the chemistry, volumes, media, filter feeding with carbon source, and redox monitoring to ensure correct anaerobic function without getting to Hydrogen Sulfide production. Where should I start?

Greetings to all,
Mark Novack

 

[Mark Novack]

3 April. Anemones and corals love the water change. The Stichodactyla has closed its mouth, thickened up and settled down onto the sand bed and surrounding rubble. A large Sarcophyton that was showing distress is opening wide and polyps are golden. I gave it a rinse and wash under the tap for a few minutes with a soft sponge for the head and toothbrush for its stem. Today it's open and glorious if a soft coral can merit such a description. That is how I "dip" my hardy soft coral. I get the faucet running at the proper temp and rinse and rub gently. Goodbye parasites and slime bacteria, hello protective mucus. I have always used this barbaric rinse on lobos, sarcos and sinularia without losing one specimen.

I know that softy aquariums are not today's big thing but my wife loves it because everything sways and dances in the current.

Mark

 

[Mark Novack]

 

[Mark Novack]

 

[Mark Novack]

 

[Mark Novack]

Note the rectangular form of the line center body on the Imperator. It is just starting to change to sub adult.

 

[Mark Novack]

7 April.
20 gallon water change yesterday to finish sand vacuuming. What I could not vacuum I turned by hand. Very little detritus collected on the sand surface afterwards and during the night the areas where it settled were a carpet of copopods cleaning it up.

I have 50 gallons of RO ready. Next step is a simple siphon and replace to clean the water column.

Again, mechanical filtration is the Theiling Rollermat. It pulls out 99% plus of particulate matter and the filter roll turns about twice per day leaving no detritus in the flow for more than 12 hours. I believe that this is very important in a tank stocked to this level. The filter roll can trap particles as small as protazoa.

 

[Mark Novack]

Theiling Rollermat auto advancing filter. 3 years trouble free. A filter roll last about 3 to 4 months on this dirty tank. A pristine reef should use a roll every 6 to 8 months. It changed the look of the water 30 minutes after installation and the sump needs a cleaning very rarely.

 

[Mark Novack]

7 April. Labrador eats about $50 in Hikari pellets and Ocean Nutrition algae. Leaves the packaging strewn about.

This dog has eaten sandwiches double wrapped in aluminum foil. I pick up neat little silver nuggets in the yard afterwards.



BAD DOG.

 

[Mark Novack]

8 April. Was going for the coralline algae background. While the coralline grew well, the green was too drab. I decided that unless the coralline was all light colors it would remain drab. For the last two hours I have been scraping and toppling my aqua scape. I siphoned out the worst using a filter sock to save the water. I'll now use some time to make an extension for a magnetic scraper. I'd like to keep it clean. Here is before and after. It's only been a few minutes so the water is filled with algae. The fish feasted on huge mats of green algae.

 

[andrewkw]

I just went through the thread and while I was very impressed with the first pictures your reef looks absolutely fantastic with a clean background. Beautiful big corals, interesting fish selection and nicely aquascaped.

 

[Jeight]

very very nice reef!!! following!

 

[Mark Novack]

Thank you Andrew. It really lights up without the darkness of light absorbing background algae. I have a 70liter Jewel quarantine tank that seems to do more harm than good. If I can drill a hole for a proper overflow I'd like to make a reverse photo period refuge to replace the bio function of a living glass background. Live glass?

And thanks again for the nice comments. I have done this at home for 7 years but I started working in a marine specialty store when I was 13. It is nice to share (I say I play aquarium to my wife) out here.

 

[saintsreturn]

Thank you for sharing! You have a beautiful setup!

 

[Mark Novack]

I am now using this as a log for tracking progress. When I started this thread I had just settled into an extended deep cleaning.

Having done the major scraping I'm trying to clean up the heavy pieces. I moved a rock that touches nothing and turned the sand by hand. Wow, dirty. The sand is mostly cleaned from the vacuum so I turned up the current and gave it all an aggressive turn over.

oops, I keep doing a double upload.

Anyway, here is the whole, fairly clean tank, after a major hurricane. Cloudy but not opaque. Now, the corals are going to town. I spite of me swimming around for the last few hours, they're happy little beasts. The fish are a bit upset. I have been bitten by the Humuhumunukunukuapau'a just about enough now. Rude little dude.

I'll take a photo in a few minutes. I've written enough good stuff about my auto filter so I'll take a photo 30 minutes after the last.

This deep aggressive cleaning will be followed by another 110 gallon water change as despite the removal of all of the particulate matter, the water column should be quite polluted. I should clarify that this is not a deep sand bed and is only a covering enough for the anemones and Hortulanus to bed down. The fish also dig into it and move it as they like.

 

[Mark Novack]

And here is the water now. The Tunze streams are blasting on full and the fish are stirring things up but it's clearing up fast. I have 140 liters of water ready but it's 1.023 and I want 1.025 so I'll get the Red Sea tomorrow and do a 140 and then as soon as I can prepare 420 liters I'll change that.

I do have a goal here. A long term nitrate control

experiment but I first must arrive at levels with which I can effectively monitor the time for nitrate increases with my current configuration which is purigen and biopellets.

 

[Mark Novack]

While digging in the sand I found a lost Crucifer. 6 are counted for, 1 is still hiding. It's the little red one on the right. It went slithering off yesterday.