SkiCat's Dream Build: [Saving The] Planet 180 - The Making Of An Epic Aquacultured Mixed Reef

[SkiCatTX]

Great picture of Grover with the new phone. He's quite upset with me for the new digs...

The other three aren't happy either, but they are getting along quite nicely. I just can't believe how well they do now, after a few days of fighting with themselves in the mirror. They just move around in a ball swimming around each other all day...

I had intended to put them 2 each in two tanks, but they do so well, it saves me lots of effort if they can just be in one tank...

 

[GoVols]

Ski,
Your new iPhone camera sure picks up all the details!!

Looks great on this side... ;Woot ;Woot

Would like to see some shots taken under your G5's, mount on orange filter or no filter

 

[RobB'z Reef]

I'm going to have to check out that top lid dealy-bob...I had a jumper recently.

 

[SkiCatTX]

Ski,
Your new iPhone camera sure picks up all the details!!

Looks great on this side... ;Woot ;Woot

Would like to see some shots taken under your G5's, mount on orange filter or no filter

Yes, I will try to take some soon. Busy right now, and with everything in QT and Fallow might not be so exciting yet...

 

[SkiCatTX]

I have some sad news to report. Unfortunately, Grover didn't make it after the transfer to QT. It isn't obvious what happened, it could have been the stress of capture, or bullying by the others overnight, but I found him in the morning under the PVC. There was some fin damage, so I'm kind of hoping that's what it was, and it wasn't from disease or some other problem that will affect the others. I never saw any fighting, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen when I wasn't looking.

I did a 90% water change in QT and cleaned the filter floss. It's been a day and everyone else seems fine so far...fingers crossed.

 

[GoVols]

Unfortunately, Grover didn't make it after the transfer to QT.

Ski,
Sorry about losing Grover... ;Sorry

 

[SkiCatTX]

Second round of snails arrived the other day safely. These were pre-QTd for 76 days and looked very clean.

They are now in the invert QT tank for observation for a week or so, then I'll move them in the Display/Fallow tank.

 

[JoshH]

I have some sad news to report. Unfortunately, Grover didn't make it after the transfer to QT. It isn't obvious what happened, it could have been the stress of capture, or bullying by the others overnight, but I found him in the morning under the PVC. There was some fin damage, so I'm kind of hoping that's what it was, and it wasn't from disease or some other problem that will affect the others. I never saw any fighting, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen when I wasn't looking.

I did a 90% water change in QT and cleaned the filter floss. It's been a day and everyone else seems fine so far...fingers crossed.

Sorry about your loss man, it always sucks losing them especially when you don't really know what it was that caused it. Fingers crossed it was stress and nothing else

 

[RobB'z Reef]

Second round of snails arrived the other day safely. These were pre-QTd for 76 days and looked very clean.

They are now in the invert QT tank for observation for a week or so, then I'll move them in the Display/Fallow tank.

Where did you order those from? I'm getting my first CUC next week. For better or for worse I ordered from reef cleaners

 

[SkiCatTX]

Where did you order those from? I'm getting my first CUC next week. For better or for worse I ordered from reef cleaners

https://quarantinedfish.us/

Good guy. He does fish and inverts, he hardly even marks things up over retail. He will occasionally have surplus already QT'd and ready to go as well.

I'm discussing getting some tank raised fish through him...saves me the time and effort of QT. We'll see how that goes.

 

[SkiCatTX]

Sorry about losing Grover... ;Sorry

Sorry about your loss man, it always sucks losing them especially when you don't really know what it was that caused it. Fingers crossed it was stress and nothing else

Thanks guys, it sucks...not sure if I'll replace him...we'll see what's next after this fallow period.

 

[Gablami]

If you’re going fallow, you didn’t need to buy preQT’d inverts. You could have dumped them into the tank. Not sure how much money you would have saved though...

Now’s a good time to buy coral, shrimp, crabs, whatever!

 

[SkiCatTX]

If you’re going fallow, you didn’t need to buy preQT’d inverts. You could have dumped them into the tank. Not sure how much money you would have saved though...

Now’s a good time to buy coral, shrimp, crabs, whatever!

Even so, I still would have to restart the clock and add two weeks. But, at less than $2 each, clean of pests, shipped, it's a pretty good deal. I also wanted to order something from them anyway to see how it goes, I figured this was a good option.

Other times I've ordered recently harvested inverts they were covered in limpets, vermitids, worms, etc. and the last batch from Pacific East had aiptasia on them. It was such a pain and took forever scraping and cleaning each one...

And I'm with you on the corals, I considered it, but the rock is so covered with algae right now I'm lucky if the coral I have survives until I get it under control. I don't need to risk more in there...tempting though...

 

[SkiCatTX]

The Kalk Stirrer is hooked up. I decided to create a separate RODI In for it because I don't like the idea of it just dosing as needed for evaporation. Instead, I tee'd off the ATO in and added a separate solenoid and a ball valve.

It's the blue RODI line with the solenoid mounted just under the shelf with the dosers, then it continues around to the ball valve on the front.

When the solenoid turns on, the water flows into the bottom, then overflows a pipe at the top, and runs down into the sump. I currently have it dumping into the front fuge section.

I currently have the Apex turning it on for a few seconds every minute. I'll tune it with both the amount of time it's on and the flow when it's on.

 

[SkiCatTX]

Also, @Gablami got me thinking, I have a lot of points from Algae Barn from the pods and whatnot, so I went ahead and used that to order a couple more urchins, some shrimp, and a few more snails, all captive bred. I'll put them in the invert QT for a bit.

The shrimp should be fine as soon as they molt, and the urchins in theory should be OK...

 

[GoVols]

Like the selenoid option over evaporation with your kalk.

Randy used to roll that way.

 

[SkiCatTX]

Like the selenoid option over evaporation with your kalk.

Randy used to roll that way.

It's working so far. I upped the Trident to every 3 hours for a bit so I can tune it in. I'm a little concerned about the ball valve drifting over time...but I'm hopeful that if anything, it closes up, rather than opening significantly and dumping too much in. Either way, I can monitor the pH for out of range if it goes up too much.

 

[Takaki1980]

Aaannd, now that all the fish are in the tank, there is a bit of grandstanding to determine who is going to be in charge! I had to pull out the magic anti-fish-fighting tiles!

One of these on each end of the tank, secured with a magnet, and within seconds they were all completely distracted by their own reflections to notice each other.

Eventually, even the lawnmower blenny got in on the action. They all four spent the entire day swimming back and forth to the two mirrors to show off for those imaginary fish.

What are the benefits of placing a mirror? Are you saying that the fish will be distracted by their own appearance and thus prevent actual fights between them from happening?

 

[powers2001]

@SkiCatTX I like your use of all the different colors of airline tubing for your dosing lines. I’m going to do that too. Getting the airline directly from Cobalt, they have all the colors and I can get them at the same time. Do you you use zip ties to secure them? Your zip ties for that must be really small. Link for small zip ties?

 

[Gablami]

What are the benefits of placing a mirror? Are you saying that the fish will be distracted by their own appearance and thus prevent actual fights between them from happening?

It works!