New to the Nano reef

[kingfisher62]

Well, It's good to hear from everyone again.

Sorry about your fish and that your not feeling well ,Tom.
Stay strong, my friend!

[slukach]

Bummer about the fish, Tom. And sorry to hear you're not feeling the best. Concentrate on the health, my friend.

[Ocean In A Box]

nice red mush's...i'm continuing to follow along on this thread...great stuff. it's so long, i don't even know who started or how i found it...but you all seem to be nice so i'm taggin' along.

my tank project in-process...if anyone in this thread knows much about the following i'd appreciate any comments in my thread or pls PM me...thanks in advance!

- how to hook up this sump (one w/ pics in my thread)
- acrylic repair of sump (bottom damage area of sump in my thread)
- glass drilling (oceanic 33g cube)

[smketyr]

Thanks guys! It was in the bio cube. I shut down the frag tank and moved all to the ten which bleached every frag. Lucky there were only a few.

I have the bio cube by the window and we opened the window on a warm day and forgot to close them overnight which caused the heater to go full on. Where I sit at home I can see the tank thermometer and was watching TV and looked at the tank and saw it was 86 degrees and quickly shut off the heater. The damaged was done on the fish. What stinks is I moved the percula clowns in there too. I have had that pair for three years and they were laying eggs (fish food) every third day. The cudgeon goby was coming out a lot too. Never saw him for since I got him only at dinner time.

My tumor has grown since the last radiation treatment. I was getting weakness in the limbs and phantom pains in the belly. Terrible pain in the back, it was big enough to fracture the vertabrae below it. So it is back to radiation everyother morning at 5 am. I am doing without the drugs for pain, so it wears me out fast. If this treatment does not work I will have the surgery which is 30-70 that I will not be paralyzed.

King, I am thinking about a brain again. I am getting awesome growth in the tank. I have started cutting the mat on the zoas and they have babies within a few days.

How about a full tank shot from all to see the growth?

Tom

[Illuminati]

So how is everybody and your tanks?

I see that King has an awesome tank going, the aquascaping makes me jealous.

I got 3 SPS frags yesterday (2 Digi's and an unknown), I am getting an ORA Blue Mille today and will probably get some pink birdsnest in the near future.

What does this mean? Time to upgrade.

Not sure what I want to do. I know I want MH lights and an SPS dominated reef but don't know how I'm going to do this.

Just some idea's:

The new Nanocube with the 150W HQI built into the hood - No doubt the airstone powered protein skimmer is going to suck.

24 gallon aquapod with the 150W Sunpod - The size makes it hard to aquascape.

33L tank lighted by a nice T5 fixture - Downside is it's a 4' long tank and would take up room.

32 gallon Finnex tank with 150W MH - Price on this bad boy is higher than some of the others.


I think if the new nanocubes get good reviews once they are setup I'll go with that.


So many decisions........

[smketyr]

Colin,

You have plenty of room! Go with at least a 210 gallon

So you are going to go the SPS route. Why the change? Any pics of the tank?

Mine is doing ok, still fishless I think I have a predator crab in the tank. Possibly from the carribean live rock. I can't believe that all the fish died a day or two apart from a freak of the heater. I have notice hermit crab parts when cleaning the tank. I did set a trap but got the shrimp. Which also, makes me think there is a predator, becuase they all stay on top, one on the hydor flo and another on the mag float.


Later
Tom

[kingfisher62]

Hey Tom and Colin ,good to hear from ya! Hope you are feeling well Tom.
Sorry about your fish . I would have thought the corals would have been the ones to go from that heater inccident and not the fish. i guess corals are tougher than i thought .

Nothing new in the biocube but I did get this for my 55g.
Looks pretty good except for something nipping ad his caudal fin ,they obviously have enough sense to stay away from his venomouse spines!

[Illuminati]

Hey King,

That Foxface is a beauty. My Assesor gets his back fins nipped evey once in a while, feed him well and they will grow back quick.
I feed something called Ocean Nutrition VHP (Very High Protien), good frozen food, I think it speeds up the process.


Tom,

Have you tried dipping the rock in high salinity water, isn't that how they get mantis shrimps and gorilla crabs out of the rock? I dunno, hope you catch the bugger
Good to hear from you to



Hope the new 28 gallon HQI nanocubes are nice because I just ordered one. 2 more weeks until they land

I have 5 SPS right now (well 3 if you omit the 2 dead ones, an ORA blue milli arrived bleached and a freebie from a local bleached on me).
The 3 I have kept alive though look pretty freaking good, an orange digi, a tan digi and a "unknown" freebie. I'll try to get some pics tomorrow.

[kingfisher62]

Tom, are you sure the crab parts were not just a molt?My peppemint has been hanging out near the top also, Ifigured he was just waiting for flake food.

Thanks Colin, I was not too concerned about the fin nipping .I know from past experience that they grow back pretty fast. Hopefully the culprit will start taking it easy on him now that he has been around for a while.

[Illuminati]

Here's a bad picture of my SPS



Bleached Blue Milli bottom right (****ed about that)

Top Left Corner - Tan Digi - Doing good

Below that is the Orange Digi, under my crap lights it's a nice orange color, this thing will pop under Halides.

and to the right of the orange Digi is the Unknown SPS, haven't tried to get a closeup yet of it.

[smketyr]

I am not sure about the predator crab, but all signs are pointing to it. Possible it is the coral banded shrimp, but he hangs out at the top too. I considering getting a blue damsel for the tank to test the theory.

Colin, mille need t5 or MH lights and mega flow to survive. I would stick with montis and maybe a green slimer until you do the new tank. Your rod onyx is looking great! I sure miss mine.

How do you guys keep your tanks cool? The last few days my tank has gotten as high as 85. I am going to put a fan over the filter section to see if that helps.

Tom

[gwrulzmylife]

or a cheap webcam from walmart and a red light. hook it up, goto bed. check next day

[kingfisher62]

Could very well be your coral banded shrimp . Mine killed my firefish attacked my watchman 5 minutes after putting them in the tank.
He is now in my 55g.

[Ocean In A Box]

colin -
my vote is you go with an oceanic 33g cube (like me).
actually, it is a nicely size tank and you can do whatever lighting / plumbing you want to...

My 2 cents

[Illuminati]

Not a bad idea Matt. My friend who got me hooked on the hobby has a 30 gallon Oceanic Cube with the Viper 150W HQI over it.
They are nice. If JBJ pushes back the date on the new cube I might rethink things.

How's your tank coming along, I'll have to go and checkout your thread to see the progress.


I got a better picture of my 3 SPS corals:



2 Digitata's on the left and an unknown SPS on the right, trying to get an ID for it.

[Ocean In A Box]

colin -
my progress is slow (but sure) ... i really hope to have h20 in it by july... my thread is up to date as of a few wks ago

[kingfisher62]

Ocean In A Box, got any recent pics of your tank?

[Ocean In A Box]

kingfisher62 -
recent pics...just what's in my thread...click red house

[slukach]

Gents,

Hope everyone is doing well. Sorry I haven't been around lately, but I have been super busy. I come bearing a question. I am having problems with red slime (poss. cyanobacteria). It only forms on the sand in front of the tank and a little on the rock above the sand. It also forms on my chaeto, which is wrapped around my flow nozzle back into the aquarium, and it makes me think that it is coming from the back chambers. What can I do to stop it? I have used chemi-clean and it helped a little, but other than that I just deal with it. If I let it go for a while, it is a problem.

As always, any info is appreciated. Thanks.

[Illuminati]

I had a bout with cyano. Mine cleared up quite well with Phosban but other phosphate absorbing media will work as well like Rowa-phos, etc...

With Phosban just put a little in the mesh media bag it comes with and drop it in the back chamber so it gets good flow through it and it will help.
Siphon off and do manual removal for as much of it as you can, that in addition to phosban will clear it up.

[kingfisher62]

Mine comes and goes also . I usually see more after feeding the tank Phytoplankton! Cut back on the the hours of daylight.

[WarEagleNR88]

Its interesting to find these issues all over. I read a few articles the other day about battling cyanobacteria as I am also working on a remedy in my own 20G long reef against BGA. They are worth a read if you would like to learn more. Below some notable excerpts.

1) Plantbrain's response to his own Cyanobacteria Issue in the Marine Plants & Macroalgae Forum

It appears aeration was the key to getting his BGA to go away in one of his macroalgae tanks. His tank had too much CO2 and when combined with aerating the water--replacing the CO2 with O2--the problem fixed itself. Mind you without the aid of chemicals which leads to the next article...

2) The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: Blue Green Algae/Cyanobacteria, Identification, Causes & Control by Bob Fenner

There are a few appropriate responses to these situations [against BGA], and one that is often employed that you should (and will) be advised against.

At the beginning of the article he speaks on the usual--what is it, where does it come from, what does it look like. At the end of the article is the place to pay attention, how to control and get rid of it. He describes the typical ways of getting rid of it as nutrient control, DOC removal, physical removal, reducing feeding amounts, lighting, filtration, aeration, and circulation. What he does recommend against is the use of chemicals...

Antibiotic Control Cautionary Remarks
There are numerous products promoted as chemical controls of BGA, some erythromycin antibiotic based, others of copper, sugars, even pepper sauce… All should be avoided on two counts: Though they (the antibiotic based ones) may apparently work, the materials that make up the BGA frequently poison the system within minutes to days of their "dissolving". And, adding insult to injury, unless you change the circumstances/conditions in your system, the Cyanobacteria very often "reassemble" in a short while if chemically treated.

3) Red Slime Algae and Cyanobacteria in General by Albert J. Thiel
Again you will see another reoccurring theme--what is it, where does it come from, what does it look like--in this 5 page article. You'll find he goes into fairly specific details on some things. One particular thing that I'll part with is he explanation on high DOC, high dKH levels and an over saturation of CO2.

What is important to note is two-fold at least:

1) carbon dioxide is required, and it can come from two sources: decay of organic material and bicarbonates in the water
2) energy from light is required. This light has to be of the right spectrum (Kelvin degrees), as outlined in Part 1 of this article on blue-green algae.

The carbon dioxide can come from the breakdown of organic material but can also come from bicarbonate ions. Note, therefore, that a high dissolved organic load, combined with a high dKH, is practically certain to lead to the appearance of blue-greens.

Note also that higher or greater amounts of photosynthesis, with at the same time the presence of a great deal of organic material in the water, will produce more CO2 on one hand and increase growth on the other. Higher amounts of light combined with more CO2 provide more energy and since the carbon dioxide is present, blue-greens will start to grow.

The ideal combination for blue-greens to grow is: high DOC (dissolved organic carbon = dissolved organic protein = dissolved organic matter and the decay of that organic matter), high dKH levels and over saturation of CO2. The latter can occur if and when the carbon dioxide is not degassed properly from the water through the overflow leading to the sump, or when the water enters the sump by falling down in it in small streams.

If no sump is present at all the likelihood of carbon dioxide being high increases. Add to that lighting to the type of wavelengths indicated in Part 1 and you are just about sure to get blue-green algae to grow in your aquarium. Add a high dKH and you really have an ideal environment for Blue-Greens to appear and proliferate and be hard to eradicate.

HTH!

[smketyr]

Steve, Cyano is tough to battle. When all the above fails try marcyn tablet I believe at half dose. Works within 24 hours. I don't advocate this but, as a last ditch effort it works quite well with no ill effects.

I got tired of battling cyano for 3 months and I am anal about my tanks I gave up and used it. No more cyano!


How is everyone doing? Colin how is the SPS expierence?

Me had minor back surgery today, getting better! Will be returning to shcool so I can change jobs that will help with the back.

No new fish, running coral and shrimp only, pulled a gorilla crab out of the tank, ate the fish! Blended him with some rod food and fed him back to the tank!

Thinking of going with a couple of the smaller damsels for now.


Tom

[Illuminati]

Originally posted by smketyr

No new fish, running coral and shrimp only, pulled a gorilla crab out of the tank, ate the fish! Blended him with some rod food and fed him back to the tank!

I can hear Peta now.........



Still waiting for the new tank, the 3 SPS I have are o.k.

[smketyr]

That is nature recycling itself. I should have shot a video and sold it to animal planet. The predator becomes the prey!


Hey Colin how is the Camary?