The start and progress of my 72 bowfront reef tank! - Page 5

ghstrider · #**101** 07/23/2007, 09:09 PM

melev, thanks for the kind words.... Ive got a few questions. First, I noticed little critters running around my rock (they look like white little maggots) and have no idea what they are. Ive also seen some worms white and grey ones i think (skinny). Are theres guys good or bad?? Should i be concerned? And should i have "scrubbed the rock down" before setting them in my tank?? All i did was put the sand then put the rock followed by water. Did I do it right?

I also found some brown polyps (look like little brown sunflowers) and 2 nice red and purple mushroom hitchhickers on some rock and i may have a few aiptasias (very small) on one single rock that i may have to get rid of soon.

I bought a small brown polyp rock ($10) and its doing well (opens up during the day).

My water params are ammonia 0 nitrite 0 (or close to it) and nitrate under 20 and cal 360 sg 1.024-25, temp 74-76

VT, the 2nd section is my soon to be fuge... And in regards to the fast flow question, Use a pump that will get you 300-400 gph (after you calculate head loss) but if you are going with an external pump (which i did) dont make the same mistake of going with a pump that runs internal/external. I had a mag 7 pump which would give me just under 400 gph flow through my sump but once i turned on the pump it leaked just like the guys from my local club warned me it would one day do. I am returning that pump and just put in a little giant inline (external) pump (model 2mdqx-sc) and it is a little tank and very well made! I am happy now. Remember that the overflow on your tank has a max 600-700gph an hour and it will overflow at the same rate your pump reintroduces the water (in my case its about 300-400 gph). Pm me anytime.

*Disclaimer: i am no pro...im a noobie also but ive listened, and learned but unfortunately ive also not listened and learned the hard way.

FleeVT · #**102** 07/23/2007, 09:27 PM

Thanks for the response. I'll be following along, as I'm about 1 month behind you. Next up...painting, and possibly contacting Manny. I'm not in love with the sump that came with my tank and don't want to have to revisit this once the system is running. BTW, great tank and thread!

thesaent14 · #**103** 07/23/2007, 09:32 PM

( once i turned on the pump it leaked just like the guys from my local club warned me it would one day do)

wow i guest i have to say this one one more time

i told you so lol JK

ghstrider · #**104** 07/23/2007, 09:51 PM

VT, Thesaent's sump is awesome and it flows beautifully. It was the only thing besides my display tank that hasnt given me any problems... Manny does good work.

melev · #**105** 07/23/2007, 09:53 PM

You can check my ID page to see if you can find the matching critters from your tank in those pictures. Turn off your pop-up stopper so you can click on them for larger versions with some textual factoids.

I don't scrub rock when I put it in, but I do try to find clean rock that isn't covered with algae or pest corals I'd rather not deal with later.

Your temperature is a little low. I run mine 79-80F pretty much year round.

ghstrider · #**106** 07/30/2007, 12:29 AM

My params were still all at 0 w/ my salinity about 1.024. I did a 20% water change today and will recheck all my params tomorrow to ensure we are still on track. The tank looks beautiful and unfortunately I cant post any pics because I dont have my camera right now but I should have it back in the next few days. I did add a small baseball sized candy cane coral (looks awesome) and got a single ricordia polyp for $4!!! (I am trying to get it to stick to the rock now ( it has a rubberband around it and the rock to keep it from coming loose but its not on tight... I also placed it in the return section of my sump till tomorrow to keep it from my strong Koralias). I also put in a nice mound of cheato donated by Thesaent14 (thanks Manny) and bought a Fuge light from Lowes for 20 bucks that I know works well and puts out 120watts and only uses 25w or so....
So far so good (knock on wood)

Pics to come soon and I think you guys are gonna like'em!

ghstrider · #**107** 07/30/2007, 11:41 PM

heres a few pics...

my single ricordea becoming 2...

tank shot left side

full tank w/ actinics...

sump...

up close of my baseball sized candy cane

ghstrider · #**108** 08/01/2007, 06:03 PM

My new son in his hangout spot!!!

Some mushrooms that have gotten bigger in 2 weeks of introduction...

more coming....

ghstrider · #**109** 08/01/2007, 06:04 PM

A Candy Cane coral...

Some brown polyp type coral...id please!

Left side shots

Right side shot

Single Ricordea and a Mexican keeping her clean...

One of my Cardinals

Full tank shot

Tank parameters:
ammonia:0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:0
Ph:8.4
phos:0
Ca:375-400
alk:4
temp:76-79 steady(mainly 77-78.5)
salinity:1.025

Thanks again for viewing... Any Comments, observations, etc???

Eddy

melev · #**110** 08/01/2007, 06:07 PM

Very nice pictures. Clean and sharp.

That looks like Palythoa - maybe even Protopalythoa because the polyps emanate from a mat.

ghstrider · #**111** 08/01/2007, 06:14 PM

I just edited my post and added my params that i just tested w/ API and Salifert Ca/Alk. You are everywhere Marc and thanks for the late night advice.... I did the garlic and he hasnt chowed down yet... should i try later at night? I tried about a half hour after the actinics and that may have been too early as he wasnt fully mobile yet...but who is just after waking up

melev · #**112** 08/01/2007, 06:18 PM

I tend to feed near the end of the lighting period, but prior to actinics only. Don't worry, he's getting used to his new home.

I'm subscribed to your thread. If you add something new, I'll see it.

poppin_fresh · #**113** 08/01/2007, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev
I'm subscribed to your thread. If you add something new, I'll see it.

WOW! You've hit the big time now...melev has subscribed to your thread!

Joking aside, the tank is looking good. You might be getting to a point were you need to relax a little for a couple weeks. You have introduced a fair amount in a little time. Keep in mind that this is coming from the guy who waited over a year to add his first coral.

ghstrider · #**114** 08/01/2007, 09:01 PM

Right now im not adding even a frag.... My priorty now is getting my hippo to eat and once he starts chowing I am not doing a thing for about a month or so.

I tried some frozen formula2/frozen brine mix w/ garlic and nada (my cardinals were in heaven tho). Tomorrow i was thinking of trying the frozen mysis and or live brine just to get him going.... running out of ideas but im sure im overreacting and he'll eat when he's ready. oh well

melev · #**115** 08/01/2007, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by poppin_fresh
WOW! You've hit the big time now...melev has subscribed to your thread!

I've been subscribed for some time now. I just figured I better explain why I seem to appear everywhere as accused.

0 Agios · #**116** 08/04/2007, 10:59 AM

I like it, nice fish tank awesome rock. Now you need some more fish

ghstrider · #**117** 08/04/2007, 11:35 AM

Thanks O agios.... I had to take the hippo back because he wasnt eating and i thought he may die if left here. I exchanged him for a small brown tang (like a yellow tang not a powder) and a cleaner shrimp. I picked up another hippo (smaller) at a different LFS where I saw him eating well (The ones they had at the place i took my 1st one back would not eat so i did not get another one there). Time will tell how they do but so far so good. The small hippo is eating pellets already and the brown tang is grazing so today i will feed them normal food (frozen mysys, formula2, garlic,vitachem) and see how they do.

ghstrider · #**118** 08/04/2007, 07:25 PM

Here are some pics of my new inhabitants (they seem to be hitting it off) and they (especially the hippo) are a pair of pigs...

Sand sifter...

My skunk cleaner shrimp...

heres a video link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbINQ_E2pjA

yoboyjdizz · #**119** 08/04/2007, 09:06 PM

Great pictures and setup! You done wonders with your 72! I Gave up on mine few years back if was just so difficult to work with.

JDRACO · #**120** 08/04/2007, 09:09 PM

Nice video of your new family.. this video is rated G for all audience..

melev · #**121** 08/05/2007, 01:47 AM

The brown tang is a Sailfin tang, in the Scopas family (I believe).

That kind of starfish isn't a good choice for a reef tank, as it will eat all the life out of your standbed. SSS will devour every pod and critter it can find, and once the sandbed is dead, nuisance algae will rear its ugly head. I'd recommend removing it and getting something else like Nassaruis snails or a cucumber.

0 Agios · #**122** 08/05/2007, 05:42 AM

Hey ghstrider that hippo looks awesome man !! You finally got the system rocking !!!, I still cant get over the rock man it looks AWSOME !!!. I was thinking of getting a Sailfin tang myself. Good work

nice video but you moved the cam too much, forget the cameraman job for now

0 Agios · #**123** 08/05/2007, 05:44 AM

If I was you i would still put some kind of a refugium outside the house behind the wall

but that's me always experimenting and creating new ways for my fellow reefers.

0 Agios · #**124** 08/05/2007, 06:02 AM

I will be comming by your neck of the wood next weekend ghstrider, ready to rock and roll !!

LionfishFinatic · #**125** 08/05/2007, 10:33 AM

That brown tang doesn't look like a sailfin(maybe it's the blurry pics). just looks like a regular Scopas tang to me. Here are some pics

Sailfin-

Scopas-