Fishroom Reality Check

[Victoria M]

Even running it for a day improves water color. Just be sure it is not tumbling and only use it sparingly.

 

[Victoria M]

Man, reading your thread reminded me of something I wanted to do with my tank, and thread ;Bucktooth and now I can not remember?

 

[User]

Man, reading your thread reminded me of something I wanted to do with my tank, and thread ;Bucktooth and now I can not remember?

Cut a big butt hole in your wall?

 

[Victoria M]

Cut a big *** hole in your wall?

Maybe?

 

[User]

Maybe?

Pod farm?

 

[User]

Quick update. @Dubs83 @Victoria M

NO CHRYSOPHYTES IN THE TANK. Although I’m still scrubbing and siphoning, it seems to have receeded completely. Only time will tell ignorant it stays away

Now- full sump clean out, refill, remove and replace 35 from DT then calling it a day.

 

[Victoria M]

Oh my gosh! I have fingers crossed for you! Take a picture!

 

[Dubs83]

Quick update. @Dubs83 @Victoria M

NO CHRYSOPHYTES IN THE TANK. Although I’m still scrubbing and siphoning, it seems to have receeded completely. Only time will tell ignorant it stays away

Now- full sump clean out, refill, remove and replace 35 from DT then calling it a day.

Nicely done! Keep us posted.

Also, BRS ROX is a quality carbon and I wouldn’t hesitate running it. Even with a PT that had a history of HLLE. In my limited experience, poor quality carbon will def increase your risk and so long as you don’t tumble the media, you’ll be okay.

 

[Victoria M]

Nicely done! Keep us posted.

Also, BRS ROX is a quality carbon and I wouldn’t hesitate running it. Even with a PT that had a history of HLLE. In my limited experience, poor quality carbon will def increase your risk and so long as you don’t tumble the media, you’ll be okay.

That is what I said.

 

[User]

That is what I said.

THATS WHAT SHE SAID!!!!

 

[User]

So, some pics from today...

Nasty Chrysophytes water... that’s the water level in my sump when I turn the system off. A little high for my liking. The first three baffles were designed for the skimmer, so since I’ve moved that up to the settling tank, I’m thinking of dropping them down 3-4 inches. Would be a full cut out, trim, reinstall kinda like what @Dubs83 just did

All clean. Shop vac made quick work of the last few inches in each chamber

Refilling...

Once settling chamber is full, it overflows into the old skimmer chamber (will be the new mechanical filtration zone...working on that next week)

BRS dual reactors that I converted to two singles, run of a 400gph eBay pump on a mini manifold.

Filter floss in one, and 2 cups ROX 0.8 carbon in the other (Hi @Victoria M )

I’ve been acclimating the invert QT to tank levels over the past few days. Tiger pistol Dude has grown almost 1/2 inch in the seven weeks he’s been in QT. He molted the other day, then proceeded to eat his molt (;Vomit) in about 4 hours. So there’s a very good chance that he molted several times over the past couple months, but I’ve missed it (vacation, yard work, home Reno etc). I let him ride the tube down to the sand, away from AnnaBeths cave where Randall lives, then the craziest thing happened.

He escaped the tube by burrowing out super fast, and bee-lined to Annabeths cave and disappeared into the rock work. Like, just bolted straight for her. There’s got to be some sort of chemical signaling going on there.

Then I heard the loudest series of 8-10 snaps, then a flurry of sand out the back. I caught the briefest glimpse of white and red, so I’m pretty sure that was Randall bolting to somewhere new. I had hoped to avoid a confrontation, but the fact the tiger pistol just went straight to that same cave was not anticipated. I’m really hoping the little dude is ok.

That reminds me- I haven’t seen Toby all day. I’m hoping he’s in his cave just readjusting, but he was pretty brave before the blackout and was out and about quite a bit. I’m hoping to catch a glimpse later this evening.

So, next steps- nutrient check and adjust tonight, then keep an eye on things to make sure I catch any regrowth of the Chrysophytes. I do have a couple loose patches of cyano, which I partially knocked off. I might take the brush to them tomorrow if the girls take naps. Otherwise, it’ll be tomorrow night.

As long as the algae doesn’t start to come back by mid week, I’m going to order ARC coralline algae, and start placing my corals.

Also next week, I’ll be taking my fuge manifold offline in preference of an independent pump, which means replacing a 3 foot section of the return plumbing immediately after the pump, and working in an idea for some mechanical filtration that’ll take advantage of the siphon from the settling chamber to the sump first chamber.

Overall, very pleased at this point- just hope it has gotten me over this hump and this tank will start getting better

 

[Victoria M]

Great update, Neil. I am gonna have to reread it when I feel better. So much going on there.

 

[Dubs83]

Hell of an update, Neil! Keep it up. Can I see how you’re QTing these pistol prawns? Do you give them a place to burrow?

 

[User]

Invert QT is a 10 g with a 2 inch layer of sand plus a big chunk of live rock. There are 3 tiger conchs and an emerald crab i there. Typical hob, heater, air. I have a par38 daylight bulb hanging over it for light- for the nems. Not that I have any in QT right now. Spillover from that lights the hospital tank

But I didn’t want him getting into the rock so he was in a floating acclimation box with 2 3/4” pvc fittings and a cup of sand. The fittings are like an instant burrow, then he would pile sand up in front of the pvc to make the entranceways. if I felt he needed something to do, I’d spread it back out.

I’ll grab a pic once my girl goes to bed, in a bit

 

[User]

I wish my phone didn’t take wahed to purple pics...

My water has never been so clear! I can literally read a science manuscript title sitting on my wife’s desk through the tank. It’s crazy. Wife is very impressed.

Now- I’m not saying it’s the carbon, more likely the stress of the past week. But PT has a bunch of white spots and dashes in his lateral line- the beginnings of HLLE! I’m going to add selcon to food and add nori ad libitum. Hopefully the nutrient boost will stave it off

I’m hoping to get Craig back upstairs today. Acclimation box is all ready- just need the hour or so to do it.

 

[Dubs83]

I wish my phone didn’t take wahed to purple pics...

My water has never been so clear! I can literally read a science manuscript title sitting on my wife’s desk through the tank. It’s crazy. Wife is very impressed.

Now- I’m not saying it’s the carbon, more likely the stress of the past week. But PT has a bunch of white spots and dashes in his lateral line- the beginnings of HLLE! I’m going to add selcon to food and add nori ad libitum. Hopefully the nutrient boost will stave it off

I’m hoping to get Craig back upstairs today. Acclimation box is all ready- just need the hour or so to do it.

I’m sure you did, but you rinsed the carbon before placing it in the tank right?

 

[Dubs83]

Maybe consider running your carbon reactor through that polishing filter to capture any possible dust?

 

[User]

Maybe consider running your carbon reactor through that polishing filter to capture any possible dust?

Yeah, I washed it until it was clear. Barely anything comes off that Rox0.8

I’m sure it’s just lack of nutrients from lower rate feeding (how can they feed properly in them dark) and stress from the blackout. Couple days it’ll clear right up

 

[Dubs83]

Yeah, I washed it until it was clear. Barely anything comes off that Rox0.8

I’m sure it’s just lack of nutrients from lower rate feeding (how can they feed properly in them dark) and stress from the blackout. Couple days it’ll clear right up

Keep us posted man.

 

[User]

So, yesterday I didn’t get a chance to get Craig back into the DT. My three year old C is at that stage where naps are hit or miss. Yesterday, it was 20 minutes of messing around, culminating in what I can only describe as an attempt at a reproduction Dali painting in crayon on her walls, at which point I folded.

Today was different. Pancake breakfast, then out like a light at 11. By 11.20, Craig was in an acclimation box in the DT. I so enjoy keeping my systems parameters matched- makes things like this so easy. Just catch and dump.

I left him there for a couple hours just to get the other fish used to him again, but no-one other than CJ (his ‘sister’ according to C... if that’s the case, then all I can say is ‘Roll Tide!’) cared. He seems to be handling things pretty well considering.

Other news: noticed a small patch of GHA embedded in the rock.

Decided on the format for my phytoFarm lights. I have space for 4x 1 gallon containers (thank you Costco bulk cheese balls!) or 8x 2 liter bottles. Each gallon ‘bay’ is going to get 1600 lumens of 6500k white light goodness, individually switched, arranged to provide a level of self-shadowing to increase photosynthetic efficiency (marginal, probably, but it’s something I used to do in previous work setups). Semi- custom, but high efficiency- only 2.2 amps total for all 4 arrays. I could have gone totally off the shelf but I’d lose the ability to switch them depending on how many I was running, so I’m keeping the premade ones for my electronics/soldering bench (so much for free returns on amazon prime, lol). So, wiring lights and painting assembly is slated for the next two weeks.

I also wanted to switch out my return manifold to the fuge and cryptic, and make the return a straight shot. Just not liking how I needed to mess with the BA drains when I took the fuge off line. Still having to tweak the valves now, almost 3 weeks later. I’ll supply water to the fuges via a 1000gph eBay special sitting in the return chamber.

Corals are coming up this week, now that the rocks are as clean as they are. So that’s exciting.


What else... tiger conchs x3 graduate QT on October second, then I’m going to fill that qt with a new order from reefclwaners, a trio of feather duster worms and a tube anemone. Maybe a rose BTA in a second QT if I see a nice one locally.

I’m also going to pull the LTA from the DT and try to get her color back. She just isn’t doing well in the tank. I’m considering selling or even donating it to someone else.

Cheers