Another log of a Newbie starting out with TBS rock!

[dhebert24]

dw, has your bakpak been collecting a lot of skimmate with the 1st package?

[dwculp]

Originally posted by dhebert24
dw, has your bakpak been collecting a lot of skimmate with the 1st package?

At first it was pulling a LOT of crap out, lately it has not, but I cleaned it today and it is back to pulling lots of stuff out. I am collecting a weeks worth of skimmate in flask and am going to take a picture of it and post it for all those people who ask "should I buy a skimmer".

[H2OLUVSME]

Originally posted by molloy
How do you feed by hand. I used chopsticks, but the food wanted to stick to the chopsticks. I need 12" tweezers. So far, I've just been feeding the rock Bioplankton

-Brendan

i use a syringe from Boater's World for $2.99 i put the food in a shot glass of aquarium water, then suck it up and blast it where i need it. i like the ones from BW, cause you can cut the hole however small or large you want it.

good luck!!

landon

[Scuba Oz]

Thanks for the update DW. Do you have any tanks at home or does the janitor have to kick you out every night

[dwculp]

Originally posted by Scuba Oz
Thanks for the update DW. Do you have any tanks at home or does the janitor have to kick you out every night

I have no tanks at home, I have little time for them at home, most of my time is spent at school. In addition to teaching science and keeping lots of fish tanks I started and sponsor/coach a robotics club in which I teach kids robotics and computer programming. We meet 5 days a week (different kids each day!!) and compete in a robotics competition called Botball. I am also the chess club sponsor/coach and run an interactive fiction club.

Yes, I have no life.


I left a message for TBS this morning telling them that delivery anytime next week is good. Hopefully it they can ship next week!

[Scuba Oz]

I would not call that "no life" What you do sounds like a blessing for those kids We should make you teacher of the year here on RC and in your school So I nominate you for teacher of the year!

[H2OLUVSME]

i second that nomination!! any teacher who dedicates the time and money to the kids you do deserves something in return.....evn its just some recognition

landon

[The_fishkeeper86]

I third that nonmation on a side not my tank is finally growing algea and I got the brown and green algea everywhere

[Scuba Oz]

Lets hear it for RC's TEACHER of the YEAR! Hip, Hip Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

[H2OLUVSME]

[dwculp]

Originally posted by Scuba Oz
Lets hear it for RC's TEACHER of the YEAR! Hip, Hip Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111

You guys give me too much credit!!

Water parameters on Day 26 (more of the same)

Ammonia: 0
pH: 8.2
Temp: 25C
SG: 1.026
Nitrite:0
Nitrate: 5
PO4: 0.1
CA: 450

Well, I have now officially given away my first coral frags!! On the bottom of the tank I spied some small sun/tube coral polyps growing on a shell. The colony is only about as big as the end of your little finger. There is a teacher here that keeps a reef tank at home and so I gave the small colony to him.

Everything else is going great, I called TBS yesterday and hopefully I will get delivery of the second half next week (I hope on Monday!).

[dwculp]

I just got a voice message from Mary at TBS, they do not currently have any rock in stock

[Scuba Oz]

Guess they need to get out there and do some more diving. Be a good time to send them a resume

[dwculp]

PODS!!! I HAVE BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF PODS!!!

Sorry for the excitement. I had been looking for pods for awhile now and could never find them. Just a minute ago a student was looking and says "Mr. Culp. there are millions of little bugs on your glass." I went over and sure enough, there really were millions of tiny little white flea-like bugs on the glass!! PODS!!!

[The_fishkeeper86]

wow, it took qite a while for you to get your pods mine came out second day on my"dead lfs rock"

[dwculp]

Originally posted by The_fishkeeper86
wow, it took qite a while for you to get your pods mine came out second day on my"dead lfs rock"

It could be that I just didnt notice them, I was mostly looking on the rocks and not on the glass. The student was actually watching a snail, conical in shape and about an inch long on the glass. I assumed the snail was munching on a light coat of algae on the glass. On closer inspection the snail had a mouth at the end of a tube or tentacle like extension and appeared to be eating the pods! It was hard to tell if he was eating pods or algae, my vote goes towards the pods though!

Now that I see them and know what to look for they are everywhere!

[dwculp]

I just got email from TBS saying they just got rock in today, first day in weeks. They must be really swamped. Hopefully I am not too far behind in line, but if I am, I can wait.

[dwculp]

Here are some pictures of the big decorator crab as he was digging though the sand right next to the glass:

[Scuba Oz]

hello mister crab. He is cool looking, hope I get one like that in my package

[The_fishkeeper86]

I have finnally decided what im goin to put in my tank
ok here we go
livestock:
2 false percs
1 blennie (bi-color or lawn mower)
1 flame angle



I am also thinking of getting leathers shrooms softies for coral not sure of specifics though btw teach what are you planning on getting in your tank

[dwculp]

Ammonia: 0
pH: 8.2
Temp: 25C
SG: 1.025
Nitrite:0
Nitrate: ~7
PO4: 0.1
CA: 450

More of the same today. Everything is doing great. I fed the cup corals and the brain today. Very cool to watch, those cup corals are growing!!!

Could I have coraline algae on the glass already? As I was looking at the glass today I had small spots of pink on the front of the glass!!

[H2OLUVSME]

if its pink its coraline i had coraline growing on my powerheads......it seemed within hours. i had it all over the glass within a month. with the rock you got im not suprised at all.

on a different notei got a 75 this week. ill be using the rock from my 29 and filling out with a TBS package.

landon

[The_fishkeeper86]

He he your lucky I only have brown and even now its getting replaced by hair algea however I have a few patches of purple on some of my lr

[H2OLUVSME]

how bout some good rock shots dwculp. we havent seen any of those for almost two weeks. if youve got coraline growing on the glass im sure youve got some new growth on the rock.

landon

[dwculp]

Originally posted by H2OLUVSME
how bout some good rock shots dwculp. we havent seen any of those for almost two weeks. if youve got coraline growing on the glass im sure youve got some new growth on the rock.

landon

Ok, but it will be a few days. We started our fall break today and I am heading to OK tomorrow to spend time with the family, we are having an early thanksgiving as one of my brothers is home from Korea for a bit and another is coming down with the wife and kids in tow. Sunday I will be at work preparing for a move of a 75 gallon FO system to the classroom. Then Monday we actually move the tank across Dallas to my classroom. I will try and get some shots Sunday or Monday. I was hoping to pickup the second portion of the rock Monday but it looks like TBS has been slammed by weather for the last few weeks, so I am not holding out any hope of getting the second shipment Monday. I will post pics of the second shipment as soon as it is in!