Red Sea Max Owners Club

[Rue]

I dunno Reefmack...I think lots of people buy the most expensive just so they can say they have the 'best'...

...but you're right, it was likely a typo...

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Reefmack -- Yeah I am not thrilled about getting new ones from him either. He is a new business, its a new store, with new tanks running. I am "hoping" things will get under control by next week. Looking at the poor little guy he was starting turning white all over, not spots, but just generally white instead of orange and looked like he was struggling to breath, heart breaking...

So we'll see how next week goes, I would actually prefer to get them from him the moment they come in actually. Not even going into his system, I will handle the acclimation myself.

I am also getting another 10 rics this Saturday from that Idaho Aquaculters special I was talking about. I should around 25 rics in the tank after that.. weeeee

[Reefmack]

Y-DesygnGuy - sorry about the clowns. I'm not sure what I'd do on the next attempt. The 10 additional rics sound great - you''ll have to post a picture of them. Are you putting them all in one "garden" or spreading them out?

[Hodge]

I went ahead and cut a hole in the skimmer lid to fit the Tunze in it's recommended position.
After a quick "measure twice cut once" I went ahead and cut a hole with a jig saw.


The skimmer does work better at the proper level, making a consistent thick foam.

[Titans]

Wow that looks like one clean cut! Great job! Now that makes me want to get the tunze since I can still keep a somewhat stock lid look.

[Rue]

Nice cut! I wouldn't have the nerve...

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Reefmack -- No all the rics are going in the same location to create a shroom island so to speak. I will start to sprinkle in some types of Yuma's as well. But I think I will have 24 rics, 5 yuma's on the rock after Saturday.

Hodge -- That looks very crafty!

[Stuart60611]

Hi all. It has been a while since I last posted. I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday. All is well in the tank other than my green banded goby appears to have become lunch. He was just too small, and I observed several fish trying to chow him down and then he vanished. I will have to just chock it up as another learning experience -- the lesson being not to add to such a small fish to a semi aggressive tank.

Anyway, I was thinking on purchasing this, and since I am unfamiliar with this species, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on whether the max's stock lights would be enough to support it.

[stephensturman]

y-desygnguy! he has ick at his store bad!!!! i thick mine might have it! what do i do guys? he scratches is face on things every now and then but i dont see any dots!

[MAXreefer]

Originally posted by stephensturman
y-desygnguy! he has ick at his store bad!!!! i thick mine might have it! what do i do guys? he scratches is face on things every now and then but i dont see any dots!

If your fish scratches himself from time to time it is not always a sign of ick. It could be another kind of parasite.
I had an outbreak of ick a couple months ago in my bigger tank. Lost almost all my fish in a couple days. There is no 100% safe reef medication so the only thing you can do in that case is to put the fish in a QT tank and threat him there with medication which might safe him if it is not to late.
If it is ick or another parasite in the beginning stage a Cleaner Shrimp does wonders. The fish will literally offer himself to the shrimp which will scratch the parasites off and clean him.
Below is a picture from one of my tangs with ick.

Really hope it is not ick and you can safe your fish.

Michael
MAXreefer

[reefsr4me]

I purhased a flame angel and didn't QT it, found out within 5 days it had ick, I ended up using Kent Garlic. Just put some tank water and a cube of brine shrimp with three drops of garlic, one or two times a day until thawed, and then gave it to the fish. Never lost the flame, but it took 4 weeks until every white spot was gone. They say the garlig makes the fish not taste like fish, and that is what the ick is after is the fish smell

[stephensturman]

ok thanks guys we will see what goes on for the next couple days! this is the first time i have seen his scratch his face but it was only a couple times!

[Reefmack]

Hodge - great job on the hood! If I tried that with my jig saw I can only guess what a mess I'd make of it.

>>>>>>>>>>

Stuart - I found this micromussa info. at the Vividaquariums site:

"Micromussa corals require moderate water currents and lighting provided by metal halides to maintain their color. It is important that proper calcium and alkalinity levels are maintained. Use of Kalkwasser Mix or a calcium reactor will be of great benefit.
Place the Micromussa amakusensis on an exposed rock along the top half of the aquarium where currents will be able to supply it with necessary nutrients and trace elements."

>>>>>>>>>>

Y-DesygnGuy, Stephensturman - did you both get fish from the same lfs? Hopefully Stephen's is OK. As MAXreefer said the scratching isn't always ich, and it might be a different parasite. Cleaner shrimp might help with either, if the fish allows it. That poor lfs sounds like they have a major problem. I've also heard the garlic can help.

[JB23]

Reefmack;
Much thanks for your earlier response re: posting pics. I'll certaintly try again! My RSM, now at 7 weeks & all is well, & all original! Skimmer doing a Great job, with minimal microbubbles!
Much thanks for all your efforts on providing so much advice & assistance to all that post on this thread.
Hope You & Your Family Have a Great "08.
Jerry

[martinphillip03]

Ok. Lighting question. How much lighting does this tank need to keep Sps and clams. The tanks does have 110 watts of light. Rue had a bubble tip anenomia split in her tank. If you were to replace the ballast and over drive the bulbs. How many watts of light would you get. How do Halides vrs t5 lighting match up. IE. Say you would put another T5 bulb in. You would have 165 watts of light. How would that match up yo a 175 watt light bulb.

Marty


"Micromussa corals require moderate water currents and lighting provided by metal halides to maintain their color. I

[Iostream]

Agreeing with the other comments on the garlic. When I had a larger tank, I would soak food with garlic regularly to prevent ick. As a result never ever saw it, even with my tangs. While kents is pretty easy, for longer term prevention I used fresh organic garlic cloves. Just peel rinse, and cut a clove in half and drop it in a cup with your frozen food and some tank water for 5 minutes or so. A half or less will add enough essence to the food to get the desired effect, and is large enough you can just pull it out and discard before you feed.
I have noticed recently that some prepared foods include garlic, I think it was on the ingredient list for Prime Reef #2.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Originally posted by stephensturman
y-desygnguy! he has ick at his store bad!!!! i thick mine might have it! what do i do guys? he scratches is face on things every now and then but i dont see any dots!

Call him tomorrow morning and tell him what is going on. He knows and will give you a store credit for future use. I read our local boards I know most people are ****ed off at the guy. I gave him a chance because he is the only place in town ive seen with that type of clown. Other wise I would not drive 100 miles round trip and get fish that were sick. I have and will only buy fish from Aquatouch or All About the Reef. Aquatouch is closer, but a little more $$$. All about the reef is close to you though you should check them out sometime if you haven't already. As well as go to the next frag meeting/auction

I thought my watchman goby had ick, he scratched his face and then his lip looked like their was a chunk missing. But after noticing that big crab I had in my tank I think the goby met the crab at the wrong time and got nipped. His mouth and face has since cleared up nicely with no harm done.

I will be getting a small tank to keep handy for something like this. So far my other two fish seem perfectly ok, lets hope it stays that way!

I have also read almost that entire 120 page thread on the light I bought. If I can handle the way it looks, I will purchase a new ballast and a new phoenix 14k bulb for it and see how it goes. It would be a lot of light for this little tank and I would be able to keep all kinds of nifty stuff! It says 380 watts total, so divide that by the actual 29 gallons of working water space and thats like 13 watts a gallon. I just have to get past seeing the water and open top!!!

[donna53w]

Hey Everyone! I'm blown away by all the new info, mods, fish, corals, purchases & sadly, some losses, that have occurred in such a short time frame! (4 days) I've had some serious reading to do here, to catch up with y'all.
So now the skimmer body is being cut down by 1/4" ... , I'm just sitting back & waiting for the 'final HOORAH' when one of you is going to post a mod to the skimmer that is so simple, that even I can do it!

I'm not sure who posted about placing a tube down the neck of the skimmer .... did I just dream this??? But, I think I could handle that one! What?!!! ... just a 1" PVC pipe, ... as you can tell, I have no idea what I'm talking about. But did anyone try this mod???

Y-DesygnGuy: I'm sorry about your new clowns, too. They were lovely & so unique. Be sure to monitor your other fish closely, if these ones had ick.
I think most of us take any loss in our tank to heart.

mbdave: Keep up the hard work! You'll come up with a skimmer we'll all stand in line for.

Reefmack: glad your book arrived ... 'can't wait for mine to be delivered.
BTW, thanks so much for the books everyone recommended ... I'm keeping a list & will order more when I get some extra coin.



I'm just so happy to 'see' you all again, & welcome to the newcomers, too. This is just the greatest place to be!

Donna

[NaCl+H2O Fish]

Y-DesygnGuy -

I always feel like we are caretakers of the marine life we select for our tanks! So like you I was always disturbed and depressed with a loss!
What did I do wrong, neglect or overlook!
It's obvious your tank parameters were perfect and your other tank inhabitants were just fine!
When I saw your post about those two beautiful naked clowns having difficulty... I felt for your distress!

Years ago, around 1978, I had a mostly successful 55gal. FO all glass tank with the current 'state-of-the-art' technology for filtration and lighting at that time! YO! What ignorance!
I coveted a Pinnatus Batfish that was extremely expensive at that time ($ 50.00). I had to wait for one to become available. Several weeks later I was so thrilled a 3" tall bat was available. After carefully acclimating him, I watched him all evening as he explored his new home. The next morning I was devastated to see my percula's host anenome pulling him in for a meal!

Happy that the LFS took care of you! Hard to know what vendor you can trust for healthy livestock! I spotted some naked clowns on a web site somewhere but I'm not sure you would want to risk the stress of overnight shipping them? Maybe your LFS would accept a 50% deposit on a pair and allow you to pick them up in a couple weeks... just to make sure they are healthy and OK?

Reefmack- Are the special buys you find on EBAY 'BUY it NOW' or do you bid?

Regards,
Kent

PS. I am temporarily being delayed setting up my RSM with a client who needed my services. Today I evaluated and began basic obedience training of a BEAUTIFUL 6 month old Brittany Spaniel named Cali. She is a HIGH ENERGY DOG, but super intelligent and trainable. A challenge for certain but I expect a wonderful and rewarding outcome!

[Reefmack]

martinphillip03 - I sure can't answer most your questions on T5 vs MH, etc. Without modding the hood you'd never get an extra bulb in - no room for it, and if did cut it up, you'd probably compromise the shock safety of the hood. Plus, the RSM bulbs are (unfortunately) a physical size unique to the RSM - they aren't the same size as typical T5 bulbs. I don't think you have an RSM - correct? Otherwise you'd know a lot of this already.

NaCl+H2O Fish - most of the tank related Ebay items that I've purchased are "Buy it now", but I do bid on occasion, especially for non-tank items - camera items, fossils, things for the wife, etc.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Wow!

So... Monday afternoon I wanted to take a small zoa rock I have in my 14 gallon and get a small frag from it to place in the RSM. Well I got the rock cutters out and snipped a piece of the rock. Well that basically detached the zoa colony so I went ahead and basically pulled and removed it from the rock. It peeled away from the rock and I got the entire colony off it, bummer I wanted some to stay in the 14 gallon.

Well I only touched it with my thumb, pointer and middle finger. I grab it and start to place it into the RSM. I use my left hand to place it in, didn't like the way I had a hold of it, switched to my right hand and got it into location.

WELL!!!
Later that night (Monday) my elbows started to itch and I was noticing small bumps in the areas that were itching. Christmas and yesterday I wanted to peel my skin off my elbows!! They itched so bad and were driving me crazy! Today isn't so bad no more new bumps just the ones that have been driving me crazy the past few days. But not nearly as bad itch wise as the past few days!

So... The only thing I can think of is the zoa colony released toxins and when I put them into the tank the water obviously got on my arms. I have bamboo floors in my house so I use a towel for everything and have one on me or next to me at all times when I open the lid to the tank(s). So I guess I didn't get all the water off me when I placed the zoa's in the tank. Everywhere the water was left I itch!!

So lesson here... Wear gloves, wipe your hands, arms, everything off completely, WASH WITH SOAP and WATER after doing FRAGS!! I have had reef tanks off and on for about 15 years now and I have never had an experience like this! Thank god it was only a rash and nothing more dangerous!!!

But wear your gloves people!!

[Reefmack]

Y-DesygnGuy - I've been stung a few times by my Frogspawn, but haven't had anything identifiable happen to me handling zoas, shrooms, leathers, Xenia. But zoas are known to cause problems too, and some of us are more sensitive, plus our bodies can become sensitized to these things after repeated exposures. I know sometimes my arm will become itchy after having it in the tank, but I always assumed (maybe incorrectly) it was from the saltwater itself. I always wash & rinse well before & after putting my hand or arm in, and after being stung a few times I now at least wear a disposable latex glove (with a rubberband around my wrist to keep the water out of the glove). By any chance could you have brushed against a frogspawn, hammer, torch or other type of Euphyllia?

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...light=Reefmack

That's a link to a post I placed a few months ago on getting stung myself.

[Y-DesygnGuy]

I don't think I touched anything honestly. I have small frags in the tank and the one head of frog spawn is out of the way. But that link you posted the picture of that persons arm, that is how my elbows look now, spotted, red and itching like crazy! It's just my elbows, both, which leaves me to believe its because the water dripped and ran down my arm and I wiped away everything but the end of my elbows, which im paying for now!!

Live and learn! I wont be fraging and putting my arms in the tank without gloves now! I haven't put my hands in the tank since Monday and I need to, just don't want to at the moment!

Benadrill makes me loopy and weird so I try not to take it. Years and years ago I would of loved to of been loopy, not so much now!

[Reefmack]

Y-DesygnGuy - you're probably right on the cause being not washing your elbows, but you may have been sensitized after all the exposures you've had. Someone in that thread did mention a rash after working with zoas, so that's probably it. I can't do much with the arm length gloves I have - too dang bulky and the hand section too thick to work with corals & frags - I do use these for any work with moving rock though. Good luck the next time you have to "arm dive" in your reef!

[Y-DesygnGuy]

Thanks Reefmack, im all nervous about putting my arms in their right now. I want this to go away before I put my hands/arms into the tank. I need to do a water change though and clean the glass some. It might have to wait a few more days though, im not chancing anything! In the mean time I am wearing long sleeves to stop me from scratching

And I have read so much on that light fixture I got. I am ready for it to come in now, I could use a new project to do. Anything other than work projects and im happy right now. NO MORE WORK THIS YEAR! I keep telling myself that, trying very hard to not turn that d@mn work machine on. hehe!