Red Sea Max Owners Club

[Rue]

Nice pics you guys! I'm so jealous!

Speaking of mysterious deaths...both my baby clowns died

No idea why...and the Blue Shrimp I bought at the same time is doing fine...even has moulted...

My macro is also overtaking my tank...lol...I'm now doing a weekly harvest...amazing at how much grows in such a short period of time...

Today was traumatic for my tank...as I was harvesting I managed to knock my Duncans into my Frogspawn...lost my Yuma and my Striped Mushroom behind the rockwork...and dumped my GSP on its 'head'...I also scared the BTA (who knew it could shrink so small???)...

Letting the tank recover for the rest of the night...will do my WC tomorrow!

[mbdave]

Hey guys,
Been diligently working on getting my 40 breeder going. I should be adding water sometime tomorrow (exciting) to bad the budget will die until next month, but the tank will be going and the sand in it.
I tell ya guys if your having problems with pump cavitation and want to lower the amount of micro bubbles go with dropping the pumps, and changing to a "pump" maxi jet 1200 its much easier.

[Titans]

mbdave - Can you give me an exact shopping list of parts i'll need to get from home depot? What size tubing, type of splitter and size...I don't know too much about plumbing parts and DIY materials so exact names and sizes would be great...that way I can just go in and ask someone to locate it all for me.

[Reefmack]

Titans - I think the Ricordia goo is a waste product & maybe also expelled when they're disturbed. I haven't read anything that Ricordia are toxic, but I would practice caution anyway.

abyall - since there are so many color variations of palys & zoas, people seem to make up names to suit them. "Pretty Palys" is all I can think of, but I'm not known for being very creative. The brain looks good - Trachyphilia species? I have a Trachyphillia geoffroyi that looks very much the same as yours. Fish are difficult for me to photograph - Laurent seems to have some magic in getting nice fish pictures!

Rue - I'm so sorry to hear about the clowns Sometimes there's just no visible reason for the fish deaths. It sounds like you had a day like I had not long ago - corals all getting knocked loose. I have quite a few red and green mushrooms, and a Ricordia, living happily on the back side of my rocks. They got knocked loose ages ago and are even multiplying back there. I keep meaning to try to relocate them when I have the hood off, but always forget. I hope tomorrow is a better day for you!

mbdave - I had a white out tonight caused by a plugged up filter pad - a new type that I just put in today. If you get a parts list to Titans, I think I'll write it down too. I can't remember - did you split the flow from the MJ1200 to both powerhead locations? I wish I had bookmarked the page your mod was on.

[Reefmack]

DmitriyY - I meant to ask you - on the previous page - what is that you have on the back of the tank? Did you hang some type of fuge back there, with chaeto in it? Is that a small pump to the left of the chaeto? Interesting.

[MAXreefer]

Originally posted by Titans
I was checking to see how big the foot was on my ricordias and they started going nutts and spewing colorful gew everywhere!!! Do they have toxins like zoas?

Titans,
Did some research on this issue and this is what I found so far:

Ricordeas are not poisonous or toxic for your aquarium and don't represent any danger for your fish in addition. However, caution is necessary concerning the handling of Ricordeas. If you press on the polyp too strongly, it could reject secretions. In case that you get those into your eye, immediate medical advice is more than appropriate!

Michael
MAXreefer

[Titans]

Maxreefer - Thanks that is good to know. Since I added a hammer and zoas I always wear gloves when entering the water or handling things just incase. I hope I didn't do any damage to the ric =/

[DmitriyY]

Originally posted by Reefmack
DmitriyY - I meant to ask you - on the previous page - what is that you have on the back of the tank? Did you hang some type of fuge back there, with chaeto in it? Is that a small pump to the left of the chaeto? Interesting.

I was in wall mart doing my grocery shopping and I saw that soap holder, there two sizes big one and small I bought both, the bid one is OK when you have original hood, but ones I removed the hood it looks bulky, so I replaced with the small one it is better and takes less space in the tank, also I put small pump on it RIO 50 just to move water in side, it works so far, before I just had that chaeto in the mash bag in back compartment, also I replaced my skimmer with Tunze 9002 ( no MB at all ) , but some times I think my pumps shoot some MB in the tank, I can live with that it is not comparable with old skimmer MB mess.

[Fishy Something]

A word of warning to all - never get complacent... I should have know better than to take someone else's word & not rinse a new water drum thouroughly, but such is life...

I was given a couple of water drums (from a reliable source) & told they were clean - had only ever had laboratory grade alcohol in them, but a couple of hours after I added water, the tank water clouded up & under closer inspection - the drum had actually had a mild cleaning solution in it.

Now when I say mild, we are talking about a 0.025% solution, but it was still enough to necessitate a near full water change.

Fortunately the tank was just at the end of its cycle & no live stock, beyond CUC & a couple of hitchikers were in there yet & it appears that all I have lost is one little mushroom that survived a cycle, but not a "wash"...

A noob mistake from someone who should know better

[bookpile]

Reefmack, thanks for the thoughts, I changed out everything the way I had planned and so far so good with the carbon and bio media out and everything in the chamber on the left.

I also got a soap holder from target after it was mentioned a few days back. I thought that it might be back too far from the lights but it seems to be growing quite well.

[mbdave]

Hey guys heres the scoop on the pump mod with just the mj1200. Sorry for the sub par pics but I'm just not a very good photographer.

These are the tools needed, a dremel with cutting and sanding wheels, a 1/2" nylon barbed tee, 2 nylon 1/2" barbed elbows, 7/16" ID clear tubing, "I like it to fit tight" you could go with 1/2" if you please, Tie straps and a tie strap tool, "you could do it without the tool.

Start by sanding off the barbs on one side of the elbows, don't sand them all the way smooth just enough to where the elbow will fit throught the pump holes in the tank.

Next cut the tee on all three sides to where only two barbs are left on every side.

Cut a peice of tubing around 2 1/2" and slide it on one of the straight sides of the tee. This will be the side that goes to the mj1200 pump.

Cut a 5 1/2" tube and a 7 1/2" tube slide the 5 1/2" on the Straight part of the tee and the 7 1/2" on the middle side part of the tee. Slide the elbows on the ends of the tubes. Put tie straps on all connections make sure the elbows are pointing in the right direction you don't want the tubing to twist when it is installed. Slide the pump on the short side and lower it into the pump chamber. Slide the elbows through the hole you will be able to push "not twist" the directional outputs that came stock over the elbows. If they don't fit sand alittle more off if they fit but are to loose get another elbow and sand off less. You will have less flow from one of the tubes which IMO is not a big deal.
If this is too much let me know I have an extra from making this thread and will gladly sell it for the few dollars I have in it and shipping in fact if anyone wants one I will make it for cost it only takes me about 20 minutes whiole watching the tube

[Reefmack]

mbdave - awesome DIY photos! I'll buy the extra if no one beats me to it! I thinkI already have an MJ1200 that I'm no longer using.

[mbdave]

You got it reefmack I will add it up. it will be under 10 bucks I'm sure PM me your address. Anyone else I have enough stuff to make another let me know.

[Reefmack]

Hi mbdave & thanks. I PM'd my information.

[mbdave]

NP Reefmack. Hey Maxreefer your mailbox is full tried to answer your message, but hey never a problem post any of my mods on the RSM site.
Chow

[Reefmack]

I see a few new things on the RSM site - info. on new owners' tanks, etc. But, we can't talk about that anymore on RC

On another note, since putting Purigen & Phosguard in my system, my substrate has really cleaned up & gotten white again. I was still getting some dingy diatom on it, and I don't know if it's coincidence or something to do with adjusting one of my powerheads towards the front, but the aragonite looks almost new now. Now if only I could get rid of the small patches of algae!

[Laggy]

Originally posted by Reefmack
I see a few new things on the RSM site - info. on new owners' tanks, etc. But, we can't talk about that anymore on RC

On another note, since putting Purigen & Phosguard in my system, my substrate has really cleaned up & gotten white again. I was still getting some dingy diatom on it, and I don't know if it's coincidence or something to do with adjusting one of my powerheads towards the front, but the aragonite looks almost new now. Now if only I could get rid of the small patches of algae!

Thats what I have changed over to since about a month ago. It seems to be cleaning up the system better then I thought it would. I still have the stock skimmer that doesn't skim very much of everything so the purigen and phosguard combo are working great.

That maxi jet mod is cheap to do and something I will probably be doing very soon. thanks for posting it

[Titans]

mbdave - ygpm

[donna53w]

Originally posted by Fishy Something
A word of warning to all - never get complacent... I should have know better than to take someone else's word & not rinse a new water drum thouroughly, but such is life...
Fortunately the tank was just at the end of its cycle & no live stock, beyond CUC & a couple of hitchikers were in there yet & it appears that all I have lost is one little mushroom that survived a cycle, but not a "wash"...

A noob mistake from someone who should know better

Thanks for sharing this with us. We do get complacent at times, & those times usually bite us in the butt!
It's a set back for you Fishy Something, but at least there wasn't much damage. Is your CUC still OK? How long will you let the new water mature again, until adding more livestock? Good luck.
Donna

[Fishy Something]

I'll keep it another week or so I think & do another major water change in that time - then it will depend on when the stock I want comes in as CB horses & pipes are not the staple of most LFS - so I think it will be at least another 2 - 3 weeks before any fish hit the water.

Haven't thought too much about coral just yet, but might give that another couple of weeks as well, unless something that is too good to refuse comes along...

CUC all appears to have survived, somewhat to my surprise. A small cuke (H.atra) was my biggest concern, but is fine 48 hours post thus far.

Nothing good happens quickly in this hobby...


James

[Reefmack]

I have a really nice 5 gallon jug that's been sitting under my desk here at work for weeks. I'd really like to use it to store water in, but it had some type of polymer in it, and I've fought off the temptation of thinking I could rinse it all out. After Fishy Something's incident I think I'll put it back out for disposal. I know for a fact that liquid polymers can coat a fish's gills and kill them. No sense taking a chance.

[mbdave]

Hey guys I use a rubbermaid trash can for water storage and mixing they are pretty cheap and easy. Also
Titans and RM My travek was canceled so the mods will be out late this week probably.

[Reefmack]

mbdave - OK on the travel changes. No rush needed for me - after 7 months of microbubbles to a greater or lesser degree I'm used to them. It would be nice though to see none in the tank, plus not have to worry about a whiteout if something causes the water level to drop in back.

[Rue]

Yeah...the fussyness of the microbubbles is an irritation...not a huge one...but still...

BTW...I can't remember...but I'm tired of unscrewing the powerheads to change the carbon...and I want to use the carbon...is there another place to put it where it will actually do any good?

[donna53w]

Reefmack, very wise decision to toss that container out.

Only Food Grade plastic containers are acceptable in this hobby, as salt water will leach harmful elements out of lesser quality containers.

We all have to be very careful and pay attention to what we are using. Ro/di water has even more ability of drawing out components used in the manufacturing of products. There is a proven scientific theory for this.

A good place to check and possibly get free containers is at a bakery/grocery store. Sometimes frosting for cakes comes in large plastic pails, and I imagine other food products are stored in these containers as well. Ie: deli salads, ice cream, flour, etc. Check it out. Use water only for cleaning any pails, ... no soaps, etc. 'Google' food safe/grade containers for the codes used in your country. You'll be doing yourself a huge favour in the long run.

Hope this helps everyone avoid any problems with water contamination ... even before it hits the tank.

Donna