twisted's 60 gal bowfront

twisted · Jul 21, 2009

this is my first salty adventure! the tank is a 60 gal bowfront reeftank. inside is
hippo tang
yellow tang
maroon clown
percula
lawnmower blenny
blue damsel
worm goby
serpent star
rose bubble tip
leather corals
bubble tip
polyps
xenia
zoas
mushrooms
lighting is actinic t-5s (soon to be upgraded to MH/t-5/ with moon lighting

so thats what is goin on at the moment.

twisted · Jul 22, 2009

does the tank look that bad? no comments?

roshi719 · Jul 22, 2009

Tank looks healthy. How long has it been setup?

twisted · Jul 22, 2009

roshi719 said:
Tank looks healthy. How long has it been setup?

thanks for stopping! its been going a couple months...it's been stable with 0's across the board for over a month now

JR's Reef · Jul 22, 2009

Tank looking good. Looks like your off to a great start.

killingseed2000 · Jul 22, 2009

its a very good start, looks like some nice corals that will grow out and make the tank look even more beautiful in time. keep us posted.

twisted · Jul 22, 2009

thanks for stopping everyone!.......i do have a question. someone gave me a piece with some zoas and a sponge on it that has been in his tank for a while and done well...he said it wasnt opening up like it use to and figured he'd give me a crack at it...i've had it for about a week and yesterday saw a small patch of a redish clear slime on the bottom...thats the only place i see it in the tank...is this stuff bad? could this be why it was not thriving? the piece is the one in the top left corner...the slime is concentrated around the hole

roshi719 · Jul 22, 2009

Could be some type of an infection, but hard to tell from that pic.

twisted · Jul 22, 2009

roshi719 said:
Could be some type of an infection, but hard to tell from that pic.

its a red almost mucous and clear... i wish i could get a better pic...i'll have to do some googeling

roshi719 · Jul 22, 2009

It could also be red cyanobacteria

twisted · Jul 22, 2009

roshi719 said:
It could also be red cyanobacteria

from what i've found, i believe you're right...the thing is from what i understand, it comes from high nutes...i have 0 phos,trites,trates,ammonia...calcuim is 480, ph is 8.2, alk is 140.. but why is it alive in mine? since it is just a small amount can i use a toothbrush and brush it off into a cup of tank water?

roshi719 · Jul 22, 2009

You would be better off siphoning it out so it will not be spread elsewhere. What phosphate test are you using? Most are inaccurate and will show zero even when there is a small amount. Hanna photometers are the only ones I trust on phosphate. Also sometimes nutrients test at zero when algae is growing because the algae uses them up as fast as they can make it into the water. HTH

twisted · Jul 22, 2009

roshi719 said:
You would be better off siphoning it out so it will not be spread elsewhere. What phosphate test are you using? Most are inaccurate and will show zero even when there is a small amount. Hanna photometers are the only ones I trust on phosphate. Also sometimes nutrients test at zero when algae is growing because the algae uses them up as fast as they can make it into the water. HTH

looks like i'll be buying a photometer......i just got done doing a water change so im gonna take that piece out and syphon the stuff off in my drained water and so i make sure not to bump any bit of it to the tank..thanks so much for the help!

twisted · Jul 23, 2009

well, i removed all the cyano...that stuff does come off easy...i've been looking at all the reefer clubs in the states but dont see one for jersey. does anyone have any direction or info on one that might be in the south jersey area?

ahayes13 · Jul 23, 2009

looks like you are off to a great beginning. first off i love the bowfront tanks, very nice ! and everything in you tank looks really nice, and i like your aquascaping too. cant wait to see the tank mature and fill out for you...

twisted · Jul 23, 2009

ahayes13 said:
looks like you are off to a great beginning. first off i love the bowfront tanks, very nice ! and everything in you tank looks really nice, and i like your aquascaping too. cant wait to see the tank mature and fill out for you...

you and me both!...lol...i cant wait either...if its anything like the pic in my noggin, ill be very pleased...so far its right on track...althoug, i see a large tank upgrade within 2 year...i think id be able to build a heck of a system with all the info here on the site and i do plumbing/rock work, and water chemistry for a living so the next tank is gonna be a blast to make!im picking up a light package in a few hours...then my lighting will be clean and proper...

twisted · Jul 24, 2009

just wanted to share some pics...the lights i got last night have made a big difference in the zoas, they are starting to show some nice colorsand i think they will be good as new soon...they were in bad shape when i got them. they had been mostly closed for a while before they went in. not sure why they werent doing well. the tank they came from is freakin beautiful and vibrant and healthy. but they seem to like it more and more each day in mine..they were some of his favorite pieces...can't wait to see them when they feel at home!