!!!25G Mixed Reef!!! - Page 3

Flint&Eric · #51 12/07/2005, 08:08 PM

Looking good, let us know when you get pics of the sump running.

Naperville Reef · #52 12/21/2005, 04:32 PM

don't worry about the cost of cheato. plenty of people in this area will give it to you for free, including myself. with the right light it will grow very quickly.

TheCoralReef731 · #53 12/24/2005, 12:13 AM

Thanks. I should have the sump up after x-mas. I am getting a pump from rickyB.

cmondo · #54 01/04/2006, 01:38 AM

Hey coralreef nice rock setup, all of them. Just one thought, your water level looked really low in the pic you took of the halide. Do you top off a lot and do you check the salinity. Sorry if you are already doing all of this.

TheCoralReef731 · #55 01/05/2006, 02:49 PM

My salinity is okay. I just had some suction problems with the pump setup. The pump didn't work as I planned, so I am now getting a Mag 7. Hopefully this will work better.

cmondo · #56 01/05/2006, 02:57 PM

Thats good, just checking. Any updated pics to show?

TheCoralReef731 · #57 01/05/2006, 03:50 PM

Yep...Here ya go:

I went to the LFS today and got MY FIRST CORAL. It has a few types of corals in it, but the main thing is zoos, two types. Here are a few pics, but they aren't very good. I need some type of underwater case or something. Any ideas?

Got a picture of the inside of my MH (guess I was a little bored)

I also cleaned up a little while making a mess of the PVC parts, and I put this rack on my cabinet door.

Also, here is the plumbing job with the bad pump. It overheated too much, so now I took it out, and am getting a Mag7.

Brock Fluharty · #58 01/05/2006, 04:46 PM

Never look directly into a MH light!!! It could cause you to go blind!!!

I also hope that the goldifhs you spoke of is not in that half empty fish bowl. Goldfish generally require 20 gallons of water each. Goldfish bowls are usually 1 gallon, and yours is proably half a gallon.

Brock

BTW, from that last pic, it looks like your getting some cyano on the back glass...

TheCoralReef731 · #59 01/05/2006, 07:01 PM

Well, Geez. A goldfish is a goldfish, nothing special. It is in the taller bowl. At first I was thinking of putting a plant in there, because I heard that they benefit from the roots of the plants, but now I have a different idea (it is hillarious, will post pics later). The half filled bowl is the betta, which is actually my brothers, but I am the only one keeping it alive. Since that picture, I have switched the bowls though, to create more color contrast.

By the way, please excuse the algae throughout my tank. I am getting a scraper from a group buy that I organized, which will quickely get rid of it on the glass. However, I do have a problem with the algae on the sand. It is dark green, and coats it very thick. Also, I have started to notice bubbles forming where there is hair algae or the algae on the sand. Any way to get rid of hair algae besides time? I have heard of starfish and tangs, but I dont think they would suit my tank.

TheCoralReef731 · #60 01/06/2006, 12:31 PM

Well, guess what else I got...

RBTA!!!

Dag sold it to me. He's a really nice guy, with a great setup. It hasn't moved much, but did wedge into a rock crevice, so hopefully it is happy with it's spot.

TheCoralReef731 · #61 01/07/2006, 01:36 AM

I need a skimmer, any suggestions?

Jimsmowen · #62 01/07/2006, 02:31 AM

Is your clown in your rbta??

TheCoralReef731 · #63 01/07/2006, 11:54 AM

no

TheCoralReef731 · #64 01/07/2006, 02:05 PM

Just upgraded my heater. Now I have a Neptune 200Watt. Yes, I know that it is a no-name brand, but it had a two year warranty (I have broken 3 heaters in the past year, whoops). This one is fully submersible. Once I get the pump, it will go in the sump.

TheCoralReef731 · #65 01/07/2006, 03:27 PM

Update: just ordered the Mag7 from www.marinedepot.com, it should arive within a week.

TheCoralReef731 · #66 01/12/2006, 09:26 PM

Update on the RBTA:
I found out a lot of information after I freaked out, thinking that my RBTA was going to die. Turns out, that when any anemone is transfered between aquariums, they may shrink to the size of a golfball and return to normal a few hours later. This is the anemone's method of adjusting to the new environment.

My RBTA did this three times, about every other day. I am going to feed it one krill shrimp once a day, in hopes that it will split. The clowns are not hosting the RBTA, and most likely will never host it unless I put a predator in the tank (which isn't gonna happen

).

I have also had problems with my RBTA moving around too much. At first it moved deep into the rocks (which I later found out is normal). I moved the rocks so I could see it. Then it crawled upside down in a crack on rock bridge spanning the two towers. After this and the shrinkings, I decided to read more into RBTA's and found out that I did not have the right flow. So I flipped the bridge over, aimed the powerhead near the RBTA and waited. It moved about 5 inches to the right, and has stayed there since.

TheCoralReef731 · #67 01/13/2006, 11:47 PM

Another Update on the RBTA:
It is splitting! Pics will be up tommorrow. It looks like it is splitting completely in half. Very cool!

Also, I got my Mag7, but it seems to make noise. What have other people done to silence their submersible pumps?

cmondo · #68 01/14/2006, 03:21 AM

That is good to hear that you have finally decided (after research) that it is doing well. And now to find it is splitting, that must be a big couple of days. lol. Can't wait to see the pics.

TheCoralReef731 · #69 01/14/2006, 11:38 AM

The Split may be hard to see, but it is on the right side of the anemone. Looks kind of like the top of a heart, with two circles meeting. The other side is not splitting, but may start.

These are pictures of the sump and Mag 7 installed. The Mag7 if off though, I am still trying to get it to work less noisy. The water level is little high because of the back-siphon to the sump.

This is my battery backup/surge protected plug for the stand. Works very well, and even recharges by itself.

Some tools that I got for christmas. I keep them under my tank cuz that is all I use them for

.

Here is my assorted food. Krill, shrimp pellets, and flake food. The krill is fed to the anemone, the shrimp pellets sink (for the shrimp), and the flake food w/ some krill is for the clowns.

TheCoralReef731 · #70 01/17/2006, 09:32 PM

Here are some pics of the new corals. Acropora and Birdsnest and a GSP frag. I got them for free from mimosa, thanks again. I also got the sump running, but the overflow is noisy. I used a durso style overflow, but the noise of water running through the pipes is loud.

I also got a very nice moonlight for only $5. Has three LED's and turns on when the lights go off. Just a LED nightlight from HD.

TheCoralReef731 · #71 01/17/2006, 10:22 PM

That last pic is of my magnetic scraper from www.reefgadgets.com . Works really well.

TheCoralReef731 · #72 01/21/2006, 12:13 AM

I found something in my zoo patch. It looks like a sponge type thing. It's color is light brown, and it looks like it is soft. When the zoos are open, you can't see it, but at night it is visible. Is there anything that I can do to keep this alive?

10" Red Devil · #73 01/21/2006, 01:32 AM

Looks good man. I feel sorry for you though. Your going to get very frustrated with that Grape Caulerpa very soon. It is very invasive and will take over the tank. You will basically have to end up nuking the rock!!

gfk · #74 01/21/2006, 02:43 AM

doesnt that scraper rust? plastic scrapers just arent doin it for me like metal ones do... guess i could just buy a supply of razor blades

TheCoralReef731 · #75 01/21/2006, 10:50 PM

I don't know. I kinda like the look of the grape caulerpa. I know that it is going to get annoying, but I figure that I could just rip it out every few weeks. I have a friend that would like the algae, so I could just give it to him. He only has flourescent, but I figure that if I give him a ton of this stuff, some of it may survive.

Yes, the scraper rusts like crazy. I used a metal blade to clean the tank the first time, and then next day I found it all rusty. I would only use them once. I have heard of getting 100's of these, but I am not sure on the cost. Right now, I have ran out of metal blades, and I am using a plastic one that honestly doesn't do anything.

Oh, and I have a question: Do blue legged hermit crabs molt, or not? I saw one of mine kinda dead, but I am not sure if that's just it's exoskeleton.