Susan's RSM 250

[Susan Edwards]

Started my coral QT tank yesterday. We had to go to Sacramento (1.5 miles away) to have one of our dogs put down and hit 2 new fish stores, both recommended by my dau (who is also my vet) and hit the jackpot. Best prices and best selection yet. Tons of 10-15 dollar frags. Hubby was pretty sad so I let him pick out the majority or made sure he thought what I picked was cool. Spent just over 200 bucks and got 15 corals. This time around, a bunch of zoas. One place had some of the fish I want to get next month on sale. I resisted. Hex QT tank won't be ready until oct 14th. They had a nice ruby red dragonet and green mandarins and some clowns on sale. Dang.... The one store is doing a lot of web business. Great place, great corals. Got all but 4 from yourreef.com They even have their own app
can't wait until these babies can go into my tank!
I added:
4 zoas (I think: scrambled eggs, watermelon, radioactive dragon eyes, blue alien though the blue isn't showing right now)
1 paly
1 flower pot
1 galexea
1 hammer head
1 favia
1 Acan Echinata ?? I think
1 bird's nest. It wasn't showing polyps so I didn't know it was a birds nest. I just liked the structure. I have one already but hey, they are neat.
1 Goniastrea ??
1 Leptastrea ??
1 not sure A favia?
Still confirming id's on the ??'s
Pics not that good. Lighting on 10 gal is too blue for my phone

this first one I'm not sure. It is orangy. Favia maybe?

Paly

radioactive dragon eye zoa I think from website

Blue Alien zoa

flower pot

birds nest

Leptastrea??

chalice

favia

Goniastrea????

Acan Echinata ???

galexea

scambled eggs

watermelon zoas

small hammerhead

 

[Susan Edwards]

Coral QT going though cycle. Using stability each day, and prime. Added more bacteria as nitrites are high and doing water changes, using half tank water which has nitrates that will hopefully deal with some of the nitrites. Not sure if I need another powerhead in there. Also not sure if the light is good enough.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0PF72P/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Main Tank still has high nitrates. Guess I need to look into dosing. Nopox never did anything. Nor has biodigest.

2 week countdown for return of fish to tank! Longest 76 days in my life...

My goal for that 76 days was to get rid of algae which the fluconazle took care of except for 2 spots well under the rocks. And get nitrates down to at least a consistant 5-10. Hasn't happened...

Saw almost 20 new baby trochus snails last night on glass. About the size of the head of a quilter pin. All white, no shell color, but can see their tiny feelers. My tank is overrun with snails! When the coral qt tank gets algae I'll add some there. As the coral qt tank will never have fish, it should be all right as long as the snails don't go back into main tank or not before time is up.

Fish qt tank has algae, maybe cyano. When fallow period is over, a few snails will go in there for the next batch of fish to be qt'd. If I need to medicate, fish will be removed to a small 3-5 gal hospital tank so I can keep the fish qt as an observation tank.

one question I ask of the universe.... I wanted A fish tank, A reef tank. How did I end up juggling 4 tanks (MT, display refugium, coral qt/frag tank, fish qt) Someone answer that....

 

[Susan Edwards]

I'm getting excited. One week, next weekend, fallow period comes to an end for both the mt and display refugium. The surviving 6 fish currently in the 20 gal hex can go back to their tanks. 2 damsels to the display refugium, sand sifter to refugium--I now have corals on sand and he'll bury them!. Scooter blenny and 2 chromis back to main tank. Super excited. Will be making sure both tanks are ready for fish. Was going to clean out the sump but might want to wait and not screw up with my bacteria population as I'll be add 3 fish.

WEekend after, I will add 2-4 fish to the qt tank. I plan to remove the sand as it did have copper used (sand sifter) and replace with new live sand. I'll keep the water, replace the pvc tower with fake plants, and maybe a ceramic decoration, maybe a pc of pvc but not a hospital tank. Oh, some rock as well. I'll save the bulk of the water as the tank is cycled. I plan on getting a mandarin, so on Sunday, I'm scooping some sand from the mt to put in a plastic storage container, add some of the rubble on the floor of the tank and let it sit and collect pods to put in the 20 gal hex. Might even put a pc of shelf rock covering most of it so the pods can't be eaten in one go. And clean glass. I'll add a couple cuc of snails and maybe hermits that will stay in the qt tank permenantly. I figure the tank will be in constant use until I hit my fish limit. Then I can decide whether to take it down or turn it into a nano tank.

I'm not going to start with medication in qt but observation. If a fish needs medicating, I'll make use of a small 3-5 gal hospital tank. If I have to have qt tanks in living room, they need to look decent and I want a nice peaceful, stress free environment for the fish, not a cold sterile prison.

Thinking of adding my dream mandarin fish (main tank is crawling with the pods.) I can probably trap more to add to the qt as the main tank should be pest free. And then maybe buy another pair of clowns as my rbta is doing well. Maybe clowns will make it shift it's position to more up on the rock instead of on the side, facing the back. It eats every day, goes under the rock for a bit then back out. It seems happy and larger.

Not sure if I'll add a 4th fish or not. If so, either a goby or blenny. I love the ruby red dragonets but that might be too many pod eaters in my tank. I had six fish total in the 20 gal hex. I'm ordering a larger hob, one with an actual media chamber instead of "cartridge" slots, plus I have a small canister filter.

Got all the names of my new corals figured out. A couple might not make the qt process. Ordered another power head.
By my 10th month anniversary, I'll have fish again!

 

[Susan Edwards]

updated pic of tank. A few changes this week but will wait for next week for a new pic

 

[Susan Edwards]

Took some pics so I can add a pic a day for a week for one of the contests . figured out it is faster to share to my dropbox acct and then transfer to computer!

So here is my duncan, one of my pride and joys. Started with 7 heads, and an 8th just starting when I bought it. It was an 80 coral that I really gasped at but wanted. It has more than doubled the heads. There are heads under the tentacles, and all along the back. I think I've counted 20 so far. Pretty much all corals are doing well, even with higher nitrates. Need to figure out if I need to do something about that or see how things go. Nopox did not lower them at all. Here is the duncan. There are 7 heads across, one below with a bunch of babies all hidden I should try doing videos

Oh, went by another new fish store in San Jose Ca. Neptune. They had a ton of tanks. Eyed a bunch. Saw one set up with just rock and a bed of a different substrate. Not sure what it was but not sand, not rock. Like broken coral branches. Looked neat. I was a bit surprised that the rocks were against the sides. Guess you just wouldn't be able to clean the glass on each side. But it was a beautiful tank. Should have taken a pic. The other thing I liked, there were several display tanks of corals--lots--and they were in groups like sps, lps, anemones, etc. REally showcased them. And The frags were in nice, smaller tanks as well and organized by price and by color and type which really brought your focus in. Not as many fish but there were fish in with the different corals and frag tanks. I was impressed.

 

[Susan Edwards]

Update: First, I had a good laugh yesterday when one of the amphipods snatched a shrimp pellet from my symphyilla. Couldn't believe t hat they'd do that!

Today wiped down and cleaned the entire outside of the cabinet and inside the cupboards as well. Might finish and do the inside of the lid when I open to feed the rbta. Tomorrow, I do a water change. Will remove most water from sump to get debris out. Salt mixed. Doesn't need to sit overnight but out of time and steam for tonight.

Have algae starting back on the inside glass. Leaving it for now for the snails.

Notice coraline algae now growing on glass. Don't want it there, and this now adds another chore to deal with, but am glad to see it as it means tank is maturing. Pic for the day is my acro, which despite the high no3, is thriving

 

[Susan Edwards]

Just saw proof that my torch has split. Looks like 3, if not 4. Hard to tell from other side, but I can see 3 for sure. Count down until fish back in tanks on Saturday. Water change today, cleaned skimmer, sucked out water from one chamber in sump. I'll do another water change on Friday, wait a couple weeks and suck water out of right hand side of sump. Need to order more biospira so the bacteria can handle the 3 fish returning.
.

 

[Susan Edwards]

Another jazzy, yeah! Day! My orange mushroom has a baby. Not sure how or when. I've been watching the area behind the Orange mushroom as I suspect maybe my pistol shrimp is behind there, under the rocks. If it is still alive. I've seen it once since I put it in, but I see its molted shell. So I check today and see a tiny mushroom. No idea where it came from or when. Must have been under the mother mushroom. So jazed about that.

So as far as corals, I am seeing so much growth and progress. Now to get fish back in and keep them alive....

Goal for Thur and Friday this week is to get the 2 tanks ready to welcome home the fish.

Main Tank: Do another small water change on Friday even though I did one on Tuesday and test waters. Will also add half a bottle of biospira. Get netting out to cover front part or make an egg crate cover. Lid will have to rest on the egg crate a bit. I keep the front portion of lid open to all the fan to blow on water as I don't have a cooler.

Display Refugium.: Make egg crate cover. Damsels never jumped out but the gold head sleeper goby is going into this tank. He'll jump, add half bottle of bio spira, test water, small water change, and change media in canister filter. Oh, see if I can find someone to plumb these two tanks together! Text handyman who never got back to me. Added a better wave maker and changed positions of one of the other. Couldn't believe all the ick that got stirred up. Picked up a powerhead that can be used as a power head or for circulation. Have a second one that I might add or just keep for emergencies. Two should be enough for a 37 tall--one in back, down low, one in front, up high.

today also glued all the lose macro algae to the rocks. Getting that tank ready! Both tanks well seeded with pods. Tons!

 

[Susan Edwards]

So what shall I post today. Finally glued the sun coral down. He got knocked over so hopefully it's secure now. Got an egg crate cover made for the display refugium. I'll need a cover when I put the sand sifting goby into that tank. The damsels never worried me but I'd hate for that big guy to go air sailing. As it does block a bit of light, I'll eventually get the brs kit after I plumb two tanks together and try to figure out how to do it around what fittings I need. Maybe do 2 covers, one for each half of tank for ease of getting into tank. For that reason, I don't want to put my pipes through holes cut into it but somehow fit the screen around my equipment (inlet and outlet for canister filter. I don't think I need to worry too much about lighting as I only have 2 xenia and some colts for corals in the tank, and then the dragon's breath macro algae.

Bunch of stuff from amazon arriving tomorrow. thank goodness for amazon prime!! Will be checking the salinity of all tanks to the qt tank. I believe if it is all the same, and the temp is the same, I won't have to drip acclimate. Just scoop and dump. Included pics of refugium with macro algae glued, and my suns before they did a nose dive to sand bed. Some already back out.

 

[Susan Edwards]

I'm dancing and bopping around. Tomorrow, fish go back home. I can't wait. Still sad that many of my favorites aren't returning but I'm grateful not all were wiped out. Tank will look empty still with just 2 chromis and one scooter blenny. The blenny will be in heaven with the pod population. The chromis will be happy to be away from the damsels, I'm sure. For the next 2.5 months, they have a huge tank to themselves. Goby will also have the display refugium, a huge space compared to the 20 gal hex. In some ways I'll miss him in the main tank but we'll both be happier with him not being able to cover my corals with sand. The rock changes I did after tearing it apart to get fish out left me with lots of sand bed for corals. He can sift to his little hearts content in the other tank. The damsels will just be pretty flashes of color in his tank.

I'll tear down the hex and clean it (saving over half the water to put back in) and putting in new sand and decorations so it's ready for a new batch of fish including a mandarin. I have some bowls of sand and rocks collecting pods to add to the hex qt. so excited!
The two tanks as they stand now. Fallow for only a few more hours.

 

[Susan Edwards]

Whoop! Whoop! fish are all back home. Sand sifter doing his thing in the refugium. Go buddy, no corals to bury!!! Damsels coming out. They look really good under the new lights I put over the tank.

Chromis are hiding in a cavern. I figure it might tank them a bit to get comfortable again.

Scooter Blenny seems happy as he is pecking at the sand. He's in pop heaven I imagine. Bet he'll be a fat pig in days.... Hope he leaves some to breed for the mandarin in 12 weeks!. Seriously, there are way more than one or even 2 or 3 could demolish

Went to Ikea to get a low table for the 10 gal qt as the table its on isn't strong enough. Picked up a nice tall medicine cabinet in a glossy gray to use for all my devices and electrical. It will fit on the wall between the two tanks. I'll be glad to hid all the strips and cords. Plus, no worry about water splashing onto them. A very good fishy day all around.

 

[Susan Edwards]

ugh, my cat posted before I was done! Bad Molly!

 

[Susan Edwards]

Yesterday was my 10 month old birthday! Can't believe the time is flying by. To celebrate I hooked up my 4 pump doser. Still nervous about automating but I'm getting lazy with the dosing when life gets busy. Need to figure out that cabinet spacing. Too hard to get my totes out where the dosing jars are. Need to put stuff back there I don't need often. Got the cute jars at walmart. They also sell the lids separately. Later, I can use bigger canning jars with those lids. They fit the tubing perfectly.

Fish are all doing nicely. Chromis are coming out now, and blenny very happy and pecking away at pods. He zips away if I try to use the turkey baster to feed him. Sad. He used to come to the highest rock for his food but all the catching him, moving him from tank to tank for QT and treatment have made him fear me... Oh well, he's still alive and still a favorite fish.

Also reset up the hex 20 gal QT. It was pretty yucky inside with brown algae and red slime on the glass and pvc pipe tower. I saved half the water, removed sand and replaced with some live sand. Kept the 2 rocks that have been in there jand added some other decorations. Replaced the power filter--it only took cartridges which means it's nearly impossible to add purigen or a significant amt of carbon. Ordered a aquaclear 70 rated for 40-70 gal. Has a nice large media section for actual bags of media. Have carbon, sponge and purigen right now. Will add sponge from my sump in a day or two and get another sponge going in my sump. Also cleaned out the canister filter--small for up to 30 gal I think. It has the ceramic media and sponges and filter floss.

Debating whether to add a power head/circulation pump down lower for more flow to keep from having those same algae/cyano issues which I think were from low flow. it's a tall hex so the surface movement doesn't really ready bottom. I did point the spray bar down.

So I'm set for next batch of fish. Just have to decide what I want and where to get them. From lfs or try an internet order. Not sure.

 

[Susan Edwards]

QT tank ready for a couple fish on Saturday. Going to redo the coral qt. It's a nightmare right now. Egg crate is covered with dino's and i can't be below the 2 levels to clean. Rubble rock under and doesn't get good flow. so adding live sand, more rock, and corals go on sand or rock on their plugs. If some need more light, I'll get some magnets and do narrow frag holders out of egg crate along sides. It is just nasty and I'm losing some corals. LFS I'm heading to on Sat for fish will take some of the colt frags which will help that poor tank.

 

[Katrina71]

You go girl! I'm loving your coral. Never seen a sun coral here. I want one.

 

[Susan Edwards]

Just picked up 3 more fish additions and a blue toadstool leather. Added 2 mandarins, a male and female and a barber shop goby. Goby ate yesterday. Haven't seen it today. It's very tiny. Mandarins not doing any moving around or eating. I wanted to just observe and feed for a few days but I think I'm going to start CP treatment tomorrow. I wasn't able to see them eat, don't have a high regard for the lfs, but for 9 bucks ea. I consider it a rescue so I'm hoping I can get them thru qt. I bought a jar of pods and more arriving this week. I did seed the qt with some sand with pods from DT. I haave nutra mar ova and oyster eggs and some other small foods. I used a straw to guide food to each of them. Can't tell if female ate as she's a bit hidden. Male did not. Will add pics as I can, right now can't really get a good pic of them.

 

[Susan Edwards]

OMG, doing qt will be the death of me yet....
I'm repeating this part of the post from another thread I put it on.

I decided to take out the ceramic tower decoration. When I set up the qt with it, I figured it'd be good for middle swimmers or shy fish or clowns. But it's not so good for bottom dwellers like the 3 I just put in qt. I needed to be able to see the two mandarins and one was hiding in or on it (has some plastic greenery). Took it out, checked for the tiny goby, couldn't find him anywhere. Watched the mandy's and they were moving around some so decided to just watch and give them another day as I'd like to do a wc before medicating the tank. A couple hours later, I still didn't see the goby so I went back to the ceramic piece I had set on the inside of a styraform lid to catch water drips. I had done this a couple times. There was a plastic bag beneath the decoration. I picked it up and searched it. Again. I look down, and there in a puddle of water on the plastic is the goby... Scooped up the plastic and him and put him in tank. Glad I tried once more to look for him. Saw him zip toward me and thought, crap he's jumped out of the tank. SEarched, had my heart attack, and then I saw him on the sand bed. Fed him and he ate... Sheesh. Just went to ck again. He found himself a burrow beneath one fake plant mounted on a fake rock. At least I know where the little bugger is. Need a drink and all I got are wine coolers (hate beer)...

He's now out on the open sand. There are a few pcs of rubble rock, 2 fake plants on ceramic stands and another small ceramic decoration he can go into or under. It's small enough I can see anyone inside it. So for this round of QT, Having more of the bottom open is better and not having the tower with lots of swim holes.

Mandarins are still not doing a lot. The goby is eating. a lot though. I'll try to feed them later. I turned the tank lights off and left room lights on. I did add some pods with the filter off a couple of times. And some nutra Mar ova and oyster eggs. Goby eats anything.

 

[spiraling]

the mandarins should eat ova as well. How are they doing tonight?

 

[Susan Edwards]

still not really eating. I'll thaw some fresh ova and try again. I'm using 2 straws put together and a turkey baster to send it down to them. I'm a nervous wreck...

 

[spiraling]

still not really eating. I'll thaw some fresh ova and try again. I'm using 2 straws put together and a turkey baster to send it down to them. I'm a nervous wreck...

good luck. I would be a basket case if they didn't eat!