Fishroom Reality Check

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Sure. I honestly just want some brackets for things like Ecotech controllers and power bricks. Between all of those, it’ll be close to $300. Why not just buy a printer and do it myself? Seems like a no brainer

Exactly- even with optimizing it, an eco tech bracket is going to cost $2 in material... it won’t be long before you’ve recouped the cost of the machine in ‘real life cost’ of the brackets etc that you would have paid originally
 
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I need to move my LTA from QT to DT- been 16 days isolated from the other corals in its own 10g with a bowl of sand, but I just can’t decide how to do it.

Going to be in the morning (of whatever day I get the balls to do it) since I want a full light period for it to find a spot.

But I’m worried about flow. It didn’t dig into the sand like I expected, instead it pretty much just sat on the top and waved its red base around occasionally. The flow from an aqua clear 20 hob seemed to be too much for it. If it doesn’t attach, its going to end up blown around with the gyres and return flow. I can turn them down to 15-20% and increase once it’s settled, I guess, but if it finds a spot it likes then I increase the flow, it’s liable to move.

I’m going to put the mesh covers in the gyres, I’m certain about that. I don’t want a repeat of its first few hours in the QT when it got sucked into the ph.

So- dig out a spot in the sand so it feels glass then hope it stays? Or put it somewhere with good light and hope it sticks around.

I know I’m going to need to watch for it moving regardless and it’ll settle where it wants to, but do I just put it down somewhere or select a spot and try to make it comfortable?

Anyone have any insight into how they transitioned their LTA?
 
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And my favia and favites look like ****. I haven’t been keeping up with my top off and salinity - basement is far warmer and dryer than I anticipated so evap is more than I thought- and I’ve yet to test calcium or dose 2 part. I have been doing twice weekly 15-20% WC though. Figured that would keep up with demand but I’m probably wrong.

My lighting isnt dialed in either I don’t think. Hammers and GSP seem fine, Duncan seems good, but the two mentioned above look rough. They are all on the bottom of the tank, with 165w viparspectra about 6” above, with a 50/20 blue/white. Couple emerald crabs in there for GHA control, which they are doing great with.

I forget the light schedule- will update when lights come in and I get time down there.

Cheers
 
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5ab40386ce265a880582254e4bfe2f68.jpg
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Pics from 05/31

Light above LTA is par38 full spectrum 24w. Figured it would work fine for the 16 days.
 
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Hey mate. Post a question about your nem in the clownfish and anemone forum if you’re not sure what’s going. They were super helpful over there when I needed advice!

Thanks man- I posted in the invert section yesterday and got some great LTA specific info. Very helpful!
 
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Ok, finally got the time to do this!!

I left the anemones light off this morning, so she’d be a bit more compact when moving.

With return pump and gyres switched off, idropped a 3” pvc union right where I wanted her to go and siphoned out a nice bare patch inside. Then I went downstairs and got the LTA in a small Tupperware container, lifted her out of that and into the DT (avoiding as much water xfer as possible, put her into the glass in the pvc union, gently lifted the union out and watched the sand gently settle around her. Success!!

Then she wiggled to the top of the sand, inverted and balled up. So I scooped out a bare patch as before, placed her down and practically covered her with sand.

Let her sit for 15 minutes then added return flow and gyres at 20% each

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Before I’d even put the lid on, the clowns were investigating but have backed off for now. I fed everyone to make them happy again- Michael j Foxface went COMPLETELY BLACK- and I’ll start dialing up the flow every hour by 10% until I hit my regular levels
 

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Ok, finally got the time to do this!!

I left the anemones light off this morning, so she’d be a bit more compact when moving.

With return pump and gyres switched off, idropped a 3” pvc union right where I wanted her to go and siphoned out a nice bare patch inside. Then I went downstairs and got the LTA in a small Tupperware container, lifted her out of that and into the DT (avoiding as much water xfer as possible, put her into the glass in the pvc union, gently lifted the union out and watched the sand gently settle around her. Success!!

Then she wiggled to the top of the sand, inverted and balled up. So I scooped out a bare patch as before, placed her down and practically covered her with sand.

Let her sit for 15 minutes then added return flow and gyres at 20% each

2309bed58dced6277246c886bc5770b9.jpg


Before I’d even put the lid on, the clowns were investigating but have backed off for now. I fed everyone to make them happy again- Michael j Foxface went COMPLETELY BLACK- and I’ll start dialing up the flow every hour by 10% until I hit my regular levels
That is super cool. Fingers are crossed !
 
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Well, after a little jaunt around the tank, an encounter with a gyre xf250 at 20% (protective mesh added on Monday, thankfully) and a rapid water rush courtesy of the 850gpm return flow, Nemma has hunkered down in the exact same spot I placed her in a few hours ago.

Other than a few pinched tentacles, she’s looking great.
 
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Our cabinet guy totally screwed us (after paying the deposit to ensure it be done on time) just in time for our daughters 3rd birthday party, so we had to get creative with some extra panels from the kitchen cabinets and some drapes...

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So, boring non-reef update-

I just spent the past 6 weeks doing a reno on 1/3rd of our backyard in prefer to actually enjoy it this summer, and to get it ready for our girls 3 rd birthday party. I had to put a bunch of basement, reef and fishroom plans on hold in the interim, so I’m looking forward to getting back to those soon.

I’m not sure you can really prepare for 24x 3 year old and their parents invading your space, but I tried my best. And please know I thought about my word choice very carefully, and invade was the most apropos word I could think of. ‘Blitz’ and ‘overrun’ were also in contention.

So I basically turned this-

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Into this -

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Via this-

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Mostly during >85oF heat and 90%humidity, by hand, other than a chainsaw that broke in 3 days and a pair of hand secateurs.

I removed 12 privit trees, 2 dead maple trees that were > 4” diameter and 2.5” of clay gravel topsoil across the area. Almost 2 tons worth. Then I edged the turf laid pavers on sand base and dropped 90 bags of mulch, built out the house and sandpit, dropped 1000lbs of sand (3 trips to Home Depot in a crv) hung swings, planted herbs, installed irrigation in the flower bed.


Then we threw in a bunch of this for the party-
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Fun was had, but I’m looking forward to not being in the yard for a couple weeks. Just have to fix the damage 25 farm animals does to a yard first.Glad I didn’t spring for Milorganite and microgreen on the back, ammiright, @Dubs83?
 
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I’ll be getting some fishroom time over the next couple weeks to finish up a few things.

Some changes to the sump- I need some polishing pads to get my water from kinda cloudy to crystal. I’m thinking of adding a filter cup tray and doing polishing pads.

Fishroom APEX electrical integration. Right now, I’m not really using the apex to control anything other than my ATO refill from RODI tank and a couple ancillary lights and air bubblers for the phyto and pod farm. I need to do something about that.

Phyto and pod cultures are going well, the format seems to work, so I’m going to pretty it up and do V2.

Spend more time dialing in my coral and invert QTs. While I have seen my golf ball sized ultra green hammer add a head, my favia is in decline. Which sucks because it is a nice pale blue and red war favia that has 10-12 eyes. But now it’s curling up at the edges and getting some exposed skeleton.


Need to Finish my 3D print corner too. And I had thought about putting a rolling mitre saw, table saw and router table under the stairs, but I’d need to limit it to 30” wide since it is a load bearing wall. Which sucks. So I’m going to set it against a wall instead and use the understairs area for something else.

You know what is comfortable in a small 6 foot high, 4 foot deep, 32” wide nook? A microbiologist and his scope. I’m turning it into a fully functioning vibration isolated, light sealed microscopy room. Total NERD.

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But today, I’m chilling out, watching my anemone Nemma finally settle somewhere she likes

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and checking out these guys
 
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