OK! Enough chat...Starting a 1000g+ Reef - Page 34

jnarowe · #**826** 12/30/2007, 04:47 PM

Thanks for the invite!

It can't be all natural rock and be formed like that. It looks like DIY cement based rock to me, but I could be wrong.

erics3000 · #**827** 12/30/2007, 05:01 PM

That was one cool link..

You should send me that sheet of coarline so I can cut it up and put pieces on my rock to see if it speeds things up. I would pay shipping.

jnarowe · #**828** 12/30/2007, 05:06 PM

I have tons of it. Well, not tons, but certainly pounds!

chris wright · #**829** 12/30/2007, 06:53 PM

I'm going to start preparing the foods as you've pointed out. I've been using the pellets in the morning, but I've been getting out of this habbit since the last time we discussed this.

It's interesting what you say about the mussels and clam's though. I may just add a little, something to think about. I suppose then it would be a good idea to soak krill, brine and mysis shrimp in the future then to. I use the Hikari brand, which claims to be vitamin enriched, but i've never tested for po4, something I will do.

Hopeful Reefer · #**830** 12/30/2007, 07:34 PM

I believe it is a cement based rock...I meant to say that I think he uses natural crushed live rock but I'm not sure...don't think he uses the foam method though...

jnarowe · #**831** 12/30/2007, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by chris wright
I'm going to start preparing the foods as you've pointed out. I've been using the pellets in the morning, but I've been getting out of this habbit since the last time we discussed this.

It's interesting what you say about the mussels and clam's though. I may just add a little, something to think about. I suppose then it would be a good idea to soak krill, brine and mysis shrimp in the future then to. I use the Hikari brand, which claims to be vitamin enriched, but i've never tested for po4, something I will do.

Well, take a good look at a mussel and figure out how much of it is muscle, and how much of it is turd. Seems simple to me.

The way I look at it, is anything that is frozen in brine needs to be soaked and rinsed. IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) foods probably don't, so any aquarium trade foods would but perhaps the IQF frozen seafod we get at the grocery store doesn't need it.

chris wright · #**832** 12/30/2007, 08:13 PM

Well my fish don't seem to mind the turds, but ill stop using it

I know plenty of people who eat them as well. Takes all the fun out of telling them to eat sh*t doesn't it

I think i'll get in the habbit of washing everything to just keep in good practice.

jnarowe · #**833** 12/30/2007, 08:56 PM

Try testing like I suggested to Gabriel. It's really interesting to find out what we are really putting in our systems. When I see people complaining about nuisance algae, I cannot even begin to cover all the things they would have to check. I am trying to get club members to get in the habit of testing EVERYTHING.

chris wright · #**834** 12/30/2007, 09:08 PM

Change of subject,

How are your clams doing? have they shown any improvement?

jnarowe · #**835** 12/30/2007, 09:37 PM

a little bit but I still haven't determined the cause. It may be related to higher pH, although I haven't doen any research on their pH requirements. I had set my system to allow it to get up to 8.50 when I was battling the dinos. I re-set it to 8.30 yesterday so we'll see if that helps. I need to do a water change too, as I have been lax about that these last few weeks.

jnarowe · #**836** 12/30/2007, 11:17 PM

I started a new thread to discuss building a hybrid tank:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1282409

Also, while I was harvesting coraline for Eric, I was checking out one of my teardrop clams and noticed something by it's foot. What I found is more evidence of a LARGE red crab living in my system. It was the remains of a red claw with black pinchers. I also found a back plate (I think it's called a carapace) that measures about 1.5" across. I am not sure if this is a molt, or the remains of the crab, but it does indeed possibly point to a cause for my cleaner shrimp getting jacked. And this means that it has been in my system for nearly 2 years.

erics3000 · #**837** 12/30/2007, 11:48 PM

I hate crabs. I am trying to keep my system free of them.

Thanks J

jnarowe · #**838** 12/30/2007, 11:58 PM

I thought I did too. I had no idea there was one in there.

mrcrab · #**839** 12/30/2007, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by erics3000
I hate crabs. I am trying to keep my system free of them.

Thanks J

Agreed. Opportunists at best.

erics3000 · #**840** 12/31/2007, 12:09 AM

A few years back on fo setup I had a bunch of snails and crabs. My crabs kept eating my snails and pi$$#D me off. That was whne I was adding Salt Water as top off water .hehehe Thanks for RC and everyone here.

Your situation sucks with your tank damaged. At least you get to redo everything now with all your knowledge. You can do the aquascap you were talking about in the past and all that good stuff. Just keep the pics coming. I am one of the pic junkies..

jnarowe · #**841** 12/31/2007, 12:13 AM

I'll be cleaning the viewing pane in about a week or so.

mrcrab · #**842** 12/31/2007, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jnarowe
I'll be cleaning the viewing pane in about a week or so.

I'll believe it when I see it!

Elliott · #**843** 12/31/2007, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jnarowe
I thought I did too. I had no idea there was one in there.

what does your clean up crew consist of?

melev · #**844** 12/31/2007, 02:29 AM

Why don't you build a plywood tank with a glass viewing panel?

sherm71tank · #**845** 12/31/2007, 03:03 AM

And then you can build an in ground tank with robot camera viewing panels!

Elliott · #**846** 12/31/2007, 10:15 AM

why don't you rinse, strain and dry your homemade food, grind it up and put it in your auto feeder?

jnarowe · #**847** 12/31/2007, 11:06 AM

Elliott: Clean up crew currently consists of cleaner shrimp, DIBS Turbo sp., stomatella sp., culumbellid sp., and turd eating bristletooth tangs. And I don't like the idea of feeding dried food. When I feed there is a wide range of food piece sizes as well. I am not sure that would lend itself well to drying it. Somehow dried food doesn't seem "natural" to me.

Marc: I have contemplated that several times because I can get the materials inexpensively, but I dont trust my wood working skills to get that done correctly. Oh, and I HATE working with fiberglass.

melev · #**848** 12/31/2007, 02:58 PM

The guy in New York that has been posting in your thread (Kent E) buit a 1000g tank with plywood, birch (?) and resin. He just filled it with water, and you could read his thread to see and learn all the details. No fiberglass was used.

jnarowe · #**849** 12/31/2007, 03:03 PM

Yeah I saw it. I would not do it with just resin. I can't remember if he used any filler in the resin, but IME resin alone will not cut it. Again, I don't have enough experience to evaluate it as an expert. I have resin coated marine grade pylwood in my tank room, and some of it has not held up well enough to hold water..

mrcrab · #**850** 12/31/2007, 03:10 PM

I'd also be concerned with just resin as it's the fiberglass that gives it the structural strength.