120 Reef Office Build (75 upgrade) - Page 8

Bax · #**176** 01/13/2007, 04:20 PM

So I was setting my new MH bulbs in place. They wouldn't fire. So I shuut off the power gave another turn and the one fired. Fooled with the second one, it would begin to light but wouldn't fire. Finally the second one fires but the first one won't. I twisted the first but, DOAH!, forgot to shut off the power! Blew out my Intermatic timer, at least, maybe more. Fractured the mogul socket on the first lamp too! Arrrrg!!!! I'll have no more time to mess with it until Moday or Tuesday night, so the tank will be on T-5 only until then, nothing more I can do right now.

... been thinking about upgrading to 250's hmmmmmmm?

Bax · #**177** 01/15/2007, 05:15 PM

I got back in from a day of drilling and sampling to find the Sea Hare, out in the open, and grazing hair algae, more like a cow than a rabbit! It was moving right along the sand bed, leaving onl;y caroline algae on the glass in its path ... this is me smiling

Bax · #**178** 01/17/2007, 07:16 AM

This Sea Hare is simply the most amazing algae grazing critter I have ever seen!

I'll post some pics as soon as I can up load them, the before and after comparison of HA is dramatic to say the least ... this is me, still smiling

Dudester · #**179** 01/17/2007, 12:38 PM

This is me, smiling with you.

This is me, distraught that my 30g tank is too small for a sea hare.

Bax · #**180** 01/17/2007, 06:17 PM

Man! I am telling you this critter is an algae vacuum! It's truely a marvel to watch.... my tank is starting to look like ... my tank!

Bax · #**181** 01/18/2007, 08:58 AM

Here is the KING of Hair Algae hard at work!

Holmez221b · #**182** 01/18/2007, 09:24 AM

I had a sea hare for a few days, I read somewhere that if they die in the tank they can poision the everything?? I paniced and put him in a friends tank.. Is there any truth to this???

Bax · #**183** 01/18/2007, 09:38 AM

Yes, they can emit a toxic "ink" if alarmed, and if the die, the remains may emit this toxin. They are also physically big and gooey. So just the decomposing body could be an issue in all but larger systems.

In my case, it was worth the risk.

Bax · #**184** 01/18/2007, 01:54 PM

Scroll back a page and you'll see this end view dripping in hair algae ... not any more only some patches remain!

JagerEinheit · #**185** 01/18/2007, 04:00 PM

congrats on the hare, just watch it around your tunze and vortechs. hares have a way of getting sucked in and then pureed.

Bax · #**186** 01/18/2007, 05:43 PM

JagerEinheit

Thanks, It is really great to see my tank returning to "normal". I have snails on the rockwork and glass again! They could fight thier way through the thick HA anymore!

I had some letuce nudibrachs previously and they took a beating from the big PHs that's for sure. The VorTech just spun its bearing and is in a vinigar bath for maintenance. I plan to do the same to the Tunzes. Maybe clean, they won't be such a draw to the King of Algae.

Here's an FTS from Tuesday. If you look back, this really shows a marked improvement and today, Thursday, it looks even better.

... So about the "STN", I dipped in Interceptor, Lugol's, Betadine no real improvement.

I recently got some TMPCC, hard to find in the LFS and on line ... anyway dipped the "STNing" coral in it and there they were, Flat Worms!!!!!!!!! YIEKS!!!!!!

Soaked it and everything near well, we'll see how it goes.

I have a frag pack arriving tomorrow too. Too late to stop it either. They will get the same dipps and go into the prop section for a while at least.

Fingers crossed ... hard to type ... keep ya posted.

sandshifter532 · #**187** 01/18/2007, 06:02 PM

wow thats one of the nicest looking tanks I have ever seen.

Bax · #**188** 01/18/2007, 06:09 PM

sandshifter532

Thanks! That's a very fuzzy picture now that I see it posted.

I gotta get better at taking pics!

If I can find the time, and next week looks good, I have to get a CO2 tank and get my Ca reactor going, that should kick up my growth quite a bit. Using two part right now but manually dosing so it can be spotty.

sandshifter532 · #**189** 01/18/2007, 06:57 PM

yeah so do I, I just started takin pics lol

Dudester · #**190** 01/18/2007, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bax
I recently got some TMPCC, hard to find in the LFS and on line ... anyway dipped the "STNing" coral in it and there they were, Flat Worms!!!!!!!!! YIEKS!!!!!!

I feel your pain! Get yourself some FlukeTabs or Levamisole STAT, and put your new frags in a quarantine tank AFTER you first dip them in TMPCC. If you need specific help with treating your flatworms (AEFW, I presume) I'd be happy to help you. Good luck!

BTW, tank's looking great, it's a shame you'll have to treat your acros at this juncture.

Bax · #**191** 01/19/2007, 09:19 AM

"it's a shame you'll have to treat your acros at this juncture."

Mike, so you think I'll have to treat the whole tank? Can this be addressed by weekly dips and isolation? It's going to take me at least to mid week to set up a proper holding system in any event.

Arrrg! ... and I had hoped this move/upgrade would be so smooth and easy.

Since August I have battled hair algae out the wazoo, ick, red bugs, and now flat worms.

.... why am I so hooked on this "relaxing" hobby?????

Bax · #**192** 01/20/2007, 08:12 AM

I re-dipped the gemmi that I belive brought in the flat worms and its nearest neighbor, just in case, in TMPCC.

No worms. I inspected both the pieces very carefully and found no eggs. Of course I had done this before and found no worms or eggs ... so .... ?

When I originally dipped this coral in TMPCC, it was the last one I dipped. I did not see any worms fall off of any other corals inthe tank. The only acros the were not dipped were the prostrata which are encrusted to the rockwork on a seperate rock mound.

The fish in my QT can begin transfering over to the diplay by the end of next week. I think I am going to wait until they are out and then set up my 26 as a coral holding tank for all incoming corals. It's the only reliable heat controlled space I have at this time as my shop is only heated to keep from freezing.

Dudester · #**193** 01/20/2007, 05:53 PM

You can treat individual corals if you wish. This is the method that melev has thus far used successfully. Others have tried this but eventually they switched to treating all of their acros due to continued spread of those pests. You are wise to treat your corals via a separate holding tank, since there are plenty of documented failures with in-tank treatments. Your best bet is to put all of your susceptible corals into a holding tank to prevent unhatched eggs from spreading in your display. From there, treat the corals weekly for 10 weeks (in a separate treatment vessel) prior to putting them back into your display. Alternatively, you could continue to try to remove the affected corals and dip them on an "as needed" basis. The first method is more certain to eradicate the problem, although this is more costly and potentially more time consuming. I so hate AEFW!

BTW, did you use magnification when you inspected your gemmi for eggs? The eggs are tiny, and they're usually located near the base of the coral, and deep within the structure at branch sites. They're clever little bastages.

Bax · #**194** 01/20/2007, 06:41 PM

I wore my reading specs (mid forties) and used a hand held magnifying glass. I looked all over the corals, couldn't a single egg.

I'll look again.

Thanks Mike

Dudester · #**195** 01/20/2007, 09:25 PM

Happy to help. I'll be away for a while, and when I return and catch up on your thread I will hopefully read good news.

Bax · #**196** 01/23/2007, 10:20 AM

All of the dipped corals seem to respond well. Many were dipped as a precaution. But, my gemmis in particular had issues. I did an Interceptor (one hour) dip followed by TMPCC (15 min). My original gemmi is bouncing back, all the surrounding corals that were done as a caution are bouncing back. The newer "STNing" gemmi is not doing so well.

I may have to dip it again in TMPCC and separate it ASAP!

On the fun side, I received an awesome frag pack from a RCer, with a nice starter frag of Superman Monti .. it's shaweet!

And, ... the King of Algae still reigns supreme!!!!

Bax · #**197** 01/23/2007, 07:17 PM

Finally orfered a 10 pound CO2 tank so I can set up my Ca Rx ... very excited about that.

I also ordered a new impeller for my Sedra 9000 as I want to do a mesh mod to the skimmer.

herefishyfishy2 · #**198** 01/23/2007, 08:02 PM

Sea Hares are without a doubt the BEST HA eater there is. They can consume massive amounts of it. They are large, but very gentle on corals as the one I had would move over GSP....they would not even close up. Ours was nick named Shrek as they do have a resemblence. Once the HA is gone though, they need a ton of nori to stay alive. Ours was eating an 8 1/2 x 11" sheet of it per day until we loaned him to another person to graze. Tank is looking real nice....keep it up!

Bax · #**199** 01/24/2007, 06:55 AM

Thanks!

Yes, they really do chow down! It took about a week for this one to acclimate and begin moving around the tank. I think, by the end of this week I'll be moving him to my fuge for a week and then into a QT for seaweed sheets until I can find a new home.

And they do have Shrek "ears" or, what ever those appendages are.

Bax · #**200** 01/27/2007, 08:08 AM

Transferred my QT over yesterday. The yellow tang who was the wimpiest, most neurotic fish I'd every seen in QT thinks he owns this reef. So my coral beauty will cause this one no grief.

The Orchid dotty back was hiding in a piece if LR, so I put the whole piece in the acclimation bucket and ended up just putting the whole thing into the display, saw him poke his head out once or twice but that's all I've seen of him so far.

And the Heinochus butterfly that looked so great all through QT is huddle in a corner looking totally freaked out. Hopefully he'll settle in too.

My coral dipping seemed to do the trick and all corals are doing well with the exception of the newer gemmi. I think in it's weak state the dipping was too much and it continues to fade uniformly, not one branch from the bottom up as it did with the AEFWs. I may never buy another coral from a LFS again. I think it's frags only from established reefers, that's it. I'll grow my own thank you.

So here a quick shot of a stag a I got with the troubled gemmi, it seems to be doing very well and has grown over 1/2" and is branching.

My Co2 bottle should be in Monday and I hope to get the reactor going next week.