Doing it right... from the start (for a change) - Page 6

new2u · #**126** 04/08/2006, 04:54 PM

Wow man, looks great and your aquascape is making me reconsider my idea of two islands, any bigger shots of it? My 120 is cycling with my new LR and i stand to transfer everything soon, possibly next satruday.

mille239 · #**127** 04/10/2006, 06:47 AM

Thanks new2u! I am really happy with the aquascaping; I will be sure to post some better tank shots tonight. any pics to share of your up and comming 120 system? I'd love to see it.

new2u · #**128** 04/10/2006, 04:02 PM

I'll try and take some tonight, i'm nearly finished cycleing, but i cant seem to get rid of this obstinate little presence of ammonia, its been in the same place forever... Its going through its algea phase too, i'll go and take some.

rbrice020378 · #**129** 04/10/2006, 04:29 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mille239
[B]
On another note, I found a crab the other morning, that I have never seen before! (I have not gotten any new live rock in over 3 yrs, and this is the first I've seen him)!!!!

I posted in another thread looking for an ID, but can't find the link, so here is the pictures... he's about the size of a quarter, and has orange markings on his carapace, orange/brown claws, and hairy legs.

If you didn't get an answer to your crab question I think I have one.

I believe that you have a juvenile Shame Face Crab.

This can be a very nasty fella when it gets bigger. I had a FOWLR tank a few years back and my wife bought one. She thought he was soo cool. Only the shop she bought it from didn't tell us anything about it. I saw him when I got home and everything was fine. The next morning when I got up I noticed that a bunch of my rock had fallen and that my Yellow Headed Sleeper was gone. When I found the Crab he was wearing the Sleeper's head as a hat.

These things will kill fish, corals and knock down your rocks. They will be sure that they are the only thing in the tank and with them knocking down rocks you could always come home or wake up to a wet floor.

May be okay to keep in refuge for awhile but I would be ware.

mille239 · #**130** 04/12/2006, 08:53 AM

yikes. if that's the case, I'm glad I got that crab out of there!! thanks for the tip!

mille239 · #**131** 04/25/2006, 08:14 AM

Well it's comming up on 2 weeks with no updates, so I believe I am long overdue. (though you'll have to wait until tonight when I get home to post pictures)

I have the cabinetry almost completed, and it is looking really nice. Really compliments the room! I also got a few new frags including a nice looking superman monti (though small, will grow fast I hope), some fire-n-ice zoanthids, a few blue ricordias, and a green polyp monti which is spectacular, though I don't know the name of it.
All inhabitants are doing great, and with the lime-water reactor online with the auto-top off, my pH readings are a steady 8.16 in the AM and 8.28-8.35 when lights go out at midnight.

My softball sized wad of chaeto has almost completely filled the 30 gallon fuge now, in just over 3 weeks online. It is definately due for trimming.

Other readings:
Salinitiy = 1.026
Amonia = 0
Nitrites = 0
Nitrates= <5
Calcium = 390
Alkalinity = 9 dKh
(don't have a magnesium test yet)

Diatoms had come and gone in less than a week, and the zillion snail eggs have began to hatch (though I don't see any offspring, nor did I expect to)

The only last piece of equipment needed is the calcium reactor, but due to summer projects pending, will have to wait until fall.

I am soooo excited to really begin stocking this tank.. the next additions will be either a powder blue tang, or a school of blue-eyed anthias.

Anyone with a school of these anthias, I'd love to see a pic!

mille239 · #**132** 04/26/2006, 09:29 PM

Ok, finally some Pics!!!

First off the auto-top off I put together:

mille239 · #**133** 04/26/2006, 09:41 PM

Now for the facing of the tank enclosure!! (I still have the baseboard molding and the trim around the tank to install, but you get the idea)

A full tank shot:

Some coral and fish pictures (again, sorry for the bad photography):

My new green polyped monti:

My Blue Zoo's: (from old system)

More zoo's:

mille239 · #**134** 04/26/2006, 09:42 PM

My green and orange Monti cap. frags:

My new superman monti frag: (picture does NOT do it justice)

And lastly, my trusty ol' foxface:

Soooo what do you all think of the project so far??? (now I'm broke and can't afford to stock it... ha ha ha)

mille239 · #**135** 04/26/2006, 09:51 PM

Oh, and I have to throw in a before and after shot for comparison!!

Fish'InMN · #**136** 04/26/2006, 11:21 PM

So, when are you having that tank-finished party?

Looks great! All those doors are deceiving, you'd think there was tons of storage space back there. Instead, you find the whole nine yards of goodies.

Not that that is a bad thing, mind you.

Cheers,
Marty

gkarshens · #**137** 04/26/2006, 11:27 PM

Wow! What an improvement! The wood work looks great.

mille239 · #**138** 04/27/2006, 07:45 AM

Thanks guys! It does give the impression there is a lot of storage space behind those doors but believe you me, it is packed!

Also I forgot to mention cooling: I installed two 4" 80cfm fans (virtually silent) from radio shack in the upper vents that are on a timer to go on when the halide lights go on, and shut off approximately 1 hour after they do. The temp. of the tank has not moved, is a constant 79-80. I have an extra bathroom fan I may install in the celing within the enclosure which would vent even more air into the attic (or better yet out of the house with minimal duct work) but I am going to wait and see how the tempertures fare going into spring/summer. Note I do not have central A/C, but the house stays fairly cool, reaching the upper 70's on the hottest days. I do have a window A/C unit I can also set up in the window right next to the tank if necessity calls for it.

reverendmaynard · #**139** 04/27/2006, 08:03 AM

Great Job! Looks fantastic!

I'm surprised you got such a good shot of your foxface. Mine freaks out and hides when I get out the camera. Hell, he hides if I even look at him too closely!

mille239 · #**140** 04/27/2006, 12:32 PM

and the party is next month Fish'InMN: free cover to those who bring frags!!!

Fish'InMN · #**141** 04/27/2006, 01:14 PM

Rrrrroad trip!

grendl · #**142** 04/27/2006, 04:26 PM

Hey, I just had a question from way back on page 1.

I really like the aluminum box you have for your lights, but was wondering if having the VHOs running along side the MHs, & under the spider reflectors would interfere any with the reflectivity of the reflector. Or if they would suffer from the heat of the MHs, or if I am being overly cautious in my thinking.

mille239 · #**143** 04/28/2006, 11:23 AM

Thanks Travis!
The aluminum box I used for my lights was from an actual metal halide/flourescent combination I had from years back. The VHO actinics replaced standard output actinics, which were positioned pretty much in the same location, and the 250w halides replaced 175 watt fixtures. Originally the hood had no internal reflectors, other than the white finish, but I decided to retrofit the spider reflectors in it to enhance the reflectivity of the MH's. I am sure that having the VHO's running over the reflectors does reduce sa small amount of the reflectivity of the halides, but it is still superior to the stock hood having no additional reflectors at all. Hope this helps!

mille239 · #**144** 05/01/2006, 08:54 PM

Ok, I just got an inline dual TDS meter for my RO unit. I have readings of 8 after the membrane, and 6 after the deionizing chamber. I know zero is the ideal level, but is it time to change my filters, or am I ok for a while?

mille239 · #**145** 05/01/2006, 09:00 PM

WOO HOO!!! 500th post!! (Sorry, just an excuse to bump my thread)

mille239 · #**146** 05/11/2006, 09:43 AM

Have not updated in a while.. many other projects around the house taking precedence...

I will post some pictures of my new additions as soon as I charge my camera and take some shots, but I received an order from Liveaquaria including 2 Solomon Percula clowns, 6 Lyretail anthias: (5 females, one male), a Powder Blue Tang (Absolutely stunning, I was almost breathless when I opened the box) and a royal gramma (who unfortunately did not survive the shipping journey.

Fortunately Liveaquaria was extremely accomodating, and credited my account for the loss. Also one of the clowns is not looking too hot, kind of listing in the water and is being blown all over the place by the current. I hope he pulls through, but fortunately he is guarranteed for 14 days.

All the surviving new arrivals are eating well.

My existing 6 line wrasse has been a bit of a bully towards the anthias, prob. staking his territory. Hopefully he can work out his issues, otherwise I will pull him (if I can catch him) I think things will settle down though.

I snapped a couple pictures of my Cerith snails, spawning... they have been doing it frequently lately, with long trails of eggs on the glass... pretty common I know, but still neat in my book.

reverendmaynard · #**147** 05/11/2006, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mille239
Ok, I just got an inline dual TDS meter for my RO unit. I have readings of 8 after the membrane, and 6 after the deionizing chamber. I know zero is the ideal level, but is it time to change my filters, or am I ok for a while?

Sounds like it's time to change the DI filter. It should be able to take it down to 0, AFAIK.

reverendmaynard · #**148** 05/11/2006, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mille239
Have not updated in a while.. many other projects around the house taking precedence...

I will post some pictures of my new additions as soon as I charge my camera and take some shots, but I received an order from Liveaquaria including 2 Solomon Percula clowns, 6 Lyretail anthias: (5 females, one male), a Powder Blue Tang (Absolutely stunning, I was almost breathless when I opened the box) and a royal gramma (who unfortunately did not survive the shipping journey.

Fortunately Liveaquaria was extremely accomodating, and credited my account for the loss. Also one of the clowns is not looking too hot, kind of listing in the water and is being blown all over the place by the current. I hope he pulls through, but fortunately he is guarranteed for 14 days.

All the surviving new arrivals are eating well.

My existing 6 line wrasse has been a bit of a bully towards the anthias, prob. staking his territory. Hopefully he can work out his issues, otherwise I will pull him (if I can catch him) I think things will settle down though.

I snapped a couple pictures of my Cerith snails, spawning... they have been doing it frequently lately, with long trails of eggs on the glass... pretty common I know, but still neat in my book.

No QT? Tssk, tssk!

Yeah, any spawning is always neat. If you're lucky they'll even grow up!

mille239 · #**149** 05/11/2006, 11:21 AM

I know I know.. I am one of those non-QT types... I certainly understand the arguments for doing it, but I have always had great success with careful acclimation, and am of the thought that moving a newly acquired individual to a established tank with pristine conditions is the best thing for the health of a fish. In past tanks, I have even acquired fish with Ich from a friends tank that was crashing, and placed them in my FOWLR, to find the ich cleared up within days by itself. I believe a varied diet with vitamis is the best preventative cure.
I know many will shun me for this, but it works for me...

gkarshens · #**150** 05/11/2006, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mille239
I know I know.. I am one of those non-QT types... I certainly understand the arguments for doing it, but I have always had great success with careful acclimation, and am of the thought that moving a newly acquired individual to a established tank with pristine conditions is the best thing for the health of a fish. In past tanks, I have even acquired fish with Ich from a friends tank that was crashing, and placed them in my FOWLR, to find the ich cleared up within days by itself. I believe a varied diet with vitamis is the best preventative cure.
I know many will shun me for this, but it works for me...

I agree completely.