Tank birthday, 47+ years

[That Crusso Kid]

I got everything back in the tank and everything looks good. The fish are hunting for food and so far I didn't lose anything.

This only took me 7 hours and I have more live rock left over than I started with. Like 3 five gallon buckets. :D

I have my big angel fish in a bucket and I almost lost him. I noticed the water looked very funky and it smelled. I could see sparks under the water. The heater broke.

Luckily it was only for a minute or so and being I am an electrician my fish don't care about electricity in their water. :rolleyes:

Happy it mostly went well and smoothly for you!

 

[Cthulukelele]

Thought you'd appreciate. Started a live white worm culture about a month ago with maybe 5 worms. Just been feeding bread and dry cat food. They've really taken off in the last week and there's now an essentially uncountable number of quarter inch babies plus dozens of new adults. Will probably have my first harvest for feeding soon!

 

[Paul B]

Cthulukelele Thats great. I knew you could do it. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

Happy it mostly went well and smoothly for you!

Crusso, "smoothly" is a relative word. I didn't see the tank yet this morning and I won't be able to do much because I have a thousand "paper" cuts on my hands from the tiny tube worms on the rocks. :confused:

Today, if he is still alive I will bring that Koran Angel to a LFS and hope he takes it.
I had my diatom filter running all night for the fine particles floating all over which looks like powder.

Unless of course my fish are so annoyed at me that they are doing cocaine. I hope not. :anguished-face:

I realized last night that there is nothing in the tank for my large, very old urchin to eat so I will get some clams and lettuce, his two favorite foods.

I also hope my 4 pipefish, 2 mandarins and 3 ruby reds find enough pods because the tank is really clean now. Much to clean but I had to do this to get all that sponge out and unfortunately, the algae and food sources went with it. I will throw a bunch of sinking pellets in there to feed the pods.

After I put the rocks and water back in I ran my Diatom filter 7 times to clean it up. I really don't know how people stay in this hobby without one. I could never survive.

I think I went through maybe 8 of them in the years I have been doing this.

 

[Cthulukelele]

Cthulukelele Thats great. I knew you could do it. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:


Crusso, "smoothly" is a relative word. I didn't see the tank yet this morning and I won't be able to do much because I have a thousand "paper" cuts on my hands from the tiny tube worms on the rocks. :confused:

Today, if he is still alive I will bring that Koran Angel to a LFS and hope he takes it.
I had my diatom filter running all night for the fine particles floating all over which looks like powder.

Unless of course my fish are so annoyed at me that they are doing cocaine. I hope not. :anguished-face:

I realized last night that there is nothing in the tank for my large, very old urchin to eat so I will get some clams and lettuce, his two favorite foods.

I also hope my 4 pipefish, 2 mandarins and 3 ruby reds find enough pods because the tank is really clean now. Much to clean but I had to do this to get all that sponge out and unfortunately, the algae and food sources went with it. I will throw a bunch of sinking pellets in there to feed the pods.

After I put the rocks and water back in I ran my Diatom filter 7 times to clean it up. I really don't know how people stay in this hobby without one. I could never survive.

I think I went through maybe 8 of them in the years I have been doing this.

Have you considered upping worm feedings in the interim while there are fewer pods around? Could help supplement the hunters for the time being

 

[Paul B]

I do but pipefish don't eat worms. :confused-face: The other fish do though

 

[Paul B]

It's getting there. Still quite a bit more work to do on it.

Tonight I made linguine and clams so my fish ate clams as did my urchin who doesn't know he is a vegan. :cool:

 

[gbroadbridge]

It's getting there. Still quite a bit more work to do on it.

Tonight I made linguine and clams so my fish ate clams as did my urchin who doesn't know he is a vegan. :cool:

Tank looking good!

I had some doubts about the huge task, but where there's a will there's a way :cool:

 

[fishybizzness]

It's getting there. Still quite a bit more work to do on it.

Tonight I made linguine and clams so my fish ate clams as did my urchin who doesn't know he is a vegan. :cool:

Even after all the bleaching and leaving your rock outside to freeze, your tank still looks better than most! Wish I were closer to have helped you, it would have been a great learning experience!

 

[That Crusso Kid]

It's getting there. Still quite a bit more work to do on it.

Tonight I made linguine and clams so my fish ate clams as did my urchin who doesn't know he is a vegan. :cool:

Great results, Paul! Hard work usually pays off.

 

[lubeck]

Impressive. Must have been a little nerve racking

 

[Paul B]

Impressive. Must have been a little nerve racking

At times yes. I broke a heater, a diatom filter and my Gyre powerhead. I ordered a new one which will get here today. A piece of rock got stuck in it and when I turned it on, the impeller broke in a lot of pieces. I will fix it for a spare.

I didn't bleach all my rocks because that sponge is photosynthetic so all the focks on the bottom were good. Now the tank needs some more rock (which I have) and some growth on the rocks.

I don't think the freezing killed the bacteria as it wasn't that cold.

I am not loving the ASW but it will have to stay there until I am sure the sponge isn't growing.

I am throwing a bunch of pellets in there to feed the pods. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

 

[Paul B]

The tank is doing well. I just had my arms in it for an hour gluing gorgonians and leathers and "fixing" the rock which is very precarious and I am sure it will fall soon :sick:

I added more rock and still have a lot left over that probably won't go in.
Unfortunately I found a dead fish in the vat where I had the rock after I removed it from the tank. It was a cool looking gobi who must have hidden in a rock as I removed it. I didn't even know I had him. :(

All in all one fish lost isn't all that bad considering all the work I did to this tank yesterday.

Soon, maybe today depending on the tide I will drive down to the beach to collect some algae covered rocks to temporarily add for the diversity and bacteria. I want to make sure algae grows and some new, fresh amphipods and copepods won't hurt and will give some food to my urchin and 7 or 8 pod eaters.
It's still a little murky from my hands being in there just now.

 

[anthonygf]

The tank is doing well. I just had my arms in it for an hour gluing gorgonians and leathers and "fixing" the rock which is very precarious and I am sure it will fall soon :sick:

I added more rock and still have a lot left over that probably won't go in.
Unfortunately I found a dead fish in the vat where I had the rock after I removed it from the tank. It was a cool looking gobi who must have hidden in a rock as I removed it. I didn't even know I had him. :(

All in all one fish lost isn't all that bad considering all the work I did to this tank yesterday.

Soon, maybe today depending on the tide I will drive down to the beach to collect some algae covered rocks to temporarily add for the diversity and bacteria. I want to make sure algae grows and some new, fresh amphipods and copepods won't hurt and will give some food to my urchin and 7 or 8 pod eaters.
It's still a little murky from my hands being in there just now.

Looks great!

 

[lubeck]

The tank is doing well. I just had my arms in it for an hour gluing gorgonians and leathers and "fixing" the rock which is very precarious and I am sure it will fall soon :sick:

I added more rock and still have a lot left over that probably won't go in.
Unfortunately I found a dead fish in the vat where I had the rock after I removed it from the tank. It was a cool looking gobi who must have hidden in a rock as I removed it. I didn't even know I had him. :(

All in all one fish lost isn't all that bad considering all the work I did to this tank yesterday.

Soon, maybe today depending on the tide I will drive down to the beach to collect some algae covered rocks to temporarily add for the diversity and bacteria. I want to make sure algae grows and some new, fresh amphipods and copepods won't hurt and will give some food to my urchin and 7 or 8 pod eaters.
It's still a little murky from my hands being in there just now.

Looks great. It seems much brighter? is that what you see?

 

[Paul B]

It seems brighter because of the ASW. I don't like it. The tank needs some more time to settle down and get that "whiteness" out of the water. In a couple of weeks it should look better. I really need to collect some algae covered rocks but it is 25 degrees right now so I will wait a little while. :eek:

 

[Paul B]

 

[anthonygf]

Looking good. I don't know if you mentioned it, what parameters does your tank usually run at? Just curious.

 

[Paul B]

I didn't test the parameters after I changed 100% of the water but I am sure whatever the parameters are in a box of "Instant Ocean" are, thats what they are.

Thats also why the tank doesn't look great. There are no nitrates, no phosphate, no nothing. :anguished-face:

I mention them someplace in this YouTube but it is an hour long. :astonished-face:

 

[anthonygf]

I didn't test the parameters after I changed 100% of the water but I am sure whatever the parameters are in a box of "Instant Ocean" are, thats what they are.

Thats also why the tank doesn't look great. There are no nitrates, no phosphate, no nothing. :anguished-face:

I mention them someplace in this YouTube but it is an hour long. :astonished-face:

Thank you.

 

[anthonygf]

I didn't test the parameters after I changed 100% of the water but I am sure whatever the parameters are in a box of "Instant Ocean" are, thats what they are.

Thats also why the tank doesn't look great. There are no nitrates, no phosphate, no nothing. :anguished-face:

I mention them someplace in this YouTube but it is an hour long. :astonished-face:

Very nice video. I only watched half so far and didn't see your parameters but will when I finish watching. I bought the Majano Wand for aiptasia along with every thing else but the aiptasia just spread and multiply. By accident I found that lots of micro-bubbles in the display controls the aiptasia also. I let the micro-bubbles from my skimmer enter the tank, I only run the skimmer when tank lights are off. I no longer need to use pastes or my laser anymore.

I agree on your statement about medicating new fish while in quarantine. I have never done this, I temp acclimate for up to an hour and net the fish out of the bag and place him in my DT. Never had any fish die.

About 6 years ago when my tank was 1 year old I had 2 Clowns, 2 four Stripe Damsels and a Flame Hawk and I seen this small Yellow Tang at Petco about the size of a half a dollar. The poor fish was on death's door, skin and bones, shredded fins. I was very upset and let the manager know this and he gave me the Tang for half their cost. I placed the Tang in my 47 gallon bowfront and he is fat and happy today almost 7 years later. He never got sick or spread any disease. Shortly after I had to upgrade to a 75 for my Tang. He is the king of the reef and all my fish are fat and happy for close to 7 years.