Rebecca's Simple Garden Reef [Archive] - Page 4

mch1984

03-30-2019, 12:32 AM

Thin layer of silicone used to adhere HDPE board to bottom of tank - my husband laid out lines of silicone with the caulk gun and I schmerred it out with the help of a latex glove. After getting the panel situated in the tank (let me tell you that having your head in a tank full of silicone fumes is not pleasant), I topped it with eggcrate to try to disperse the weight of everything we set on top. This is the first time I've used those hand weights in years. lol
I have a tendency to overdo things, but hope this will help have even, secure adherence of the panel to the tank.
After this cures for a week or so, we'll go around the edge with silicone for good measure.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190329/8f8d23b1353e3e34bdb3bda81ae1836b.jpg

Was it not pleasant or was it like wooooo that’s awesome....[emoji848]

showmebutterfly

03-30-2019, 12:40 AM

Was it not pleasant or was it like wooooo that’s awesome....[emoji848]It was like OMG my eyes, nose and throat are burning and I can't breath. Very far from awesome. lol

Boundava

03-31-2019, 12:08 AM

Yeah, nothing like the super concentrated smell of vinegar punching you in the face. :slap: Its not fun, I had lots of experience when I built the background for the 75 with that smell, and I would not like to be forced to have my head in a tank full of those fumes.

showmebutterfly

04-01-2019, 03:43 PM

Exactly! I am dreading going around the edges since I know that I'll have to lean into the tank, even using the caulk gun. I need to have much longer arms! I'd like to think I'll be able to get it done quickly, but I know I'm too nitpicky to rush it. lol It will get done, and I will survive, but I will %&*$# about it the entire time. :seeingstars:

Yeah, nothing like the super concentrated smell of vinegar punching you in the face. :slap: Its not fun, I had lots of experience when I built the background for the 75 with that smell, and I would not like to be forced to have my head in a tank full of those fumes.

showmebutterfly

04-01-2019, 10:11 PM

I just discovered that none of my AquaClear HOB filters (70, 50, 30) will fit over the rim of my 65g tank. WTH?
My husband has a drimmel tool, so we could theoretically trim around the tank's rim to make the filters fit, but that is so aggravating.

AC70 pictured. It likes about 1/8" or so to clear.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190401/1d3268c7245fdf614427e1ed508cd7a8.jpg

mch1984

04-01-2019, 10:18 PM

Some tanks just do this kind of stuff to you, one thing after another. My frag tank has been problem after problem. However, once you get it all then it will be even better.

Riyadh

04-02-2019, 11:02 AM

Why not take some of the edge away on the filter? That bit thats resting on the tank

Slaphppy7

04-02-2019, 12:26 PM

^^ That's what I would try

showmebutterfly

04-02-2019, 02:14 PM

You can't see it in that pic, but on the other side of the filter is where the return goes from the filter into the tank. I'll have to take a better look at the filter construction to see if cutting away any of that would work or mess up the filter.
For a long time I've been thinking about buying an AquaClear 110 filter, so I will probably get one of those to see if it will fit on the tank without having to do any cutting.

Some tanks just do this kind of stuff to you, one thing after another. My frag tank has been problem after problem. However, once you get it all then it will be even better.

showmebutterfly

04-02-2019, 05:28 PM

I just found this info online: The Aquaclear 20-70 all have a 1" lip, while the AQ110 has a 1 1/2" lip.
If that's accurate, then I shouldn't have a problem with the 110. thumbs2:

mch1984

04-02-2019, 05:30 PM

I just found this info online: The Aquaclear 20-70 all have a 1" lip, while the AQ110 has a 1 1/2" lip.
If that's accurate, then I shouldn't have a problem with the 110. thumbs2:

Fits better and a bigger refugium, very nice. That is what you were doing with it right? Or did I get that wrong?

showmebutterfly

04-02-2019, 05:40 PM

I hadn't thought about making it into a refugium, but that's not out of the realm of possiblity. I was planning on using it for media and activated carbon - since I have 3 trays of media (including Matrix) in the leaky Marineland cannister. I'll have to see what will fit on the back of the tank besides the AC110 and the ginormous Eshopps protein skimmer. lol I may be able to put either the AC70 or AC50 beside the skimmer, with some modifications to either the filter or the tank's rim. The bar across the middle is going to be a pain to work around, but I know it's there to keep the glass from blowing out under the water pressure, so I won't be trying to modify it at all.
I need to see if having a filter next to a skimmer would create any kind of problems or extra bubbles or anything weird. I thought I had read something about not putting a powerhead next to the skimmer, or aimed at it, or something. My brain may still be fried by the silicone fumes. Although, to be honest, I'm always kind of :scratchheadblue:

Fits better and a bigger refugium, very nice. That is what you were doing with it right? Or did I get that wrong?

mch1984

04-02-2019, 05:44 PM

I hadn't thought about making it into a refugium, but that's not out of the realm of possiblity. I was planning on using it for media and activated carbon - since I have 3 trays of media (including Matrix) in the leaky Marineland cannister. I'll have to see what will fit on the back of the tank besides the AC110 and the ginormous Eshopps protein skimmer. lol I may be able to put either the AC70 or AC50 beside the skimmer, with some modifications to either the filter or the tank's rim. The bar across the middle is going to be a pain to work around, but I know it's there to keep the glass from blowing out under the water pressure, so I won't be trying to modify it at all.
I need to see if having a filter next to a skimmer would create any kind of problems or extra bubbles or anything weird. I thought I had read something about not putting a powerhead next to the skimmer, or aimed at it, or something. My brain may still be fried by the silicone fumes. Although, to be honest, I'm always kind of :scratchheadblue:

check this video out, he used a AC70 and mad a fuge out of it using the parts that came with the filter for a chaeto guard and everything.

https://youtu.be/HrVc4XyurXw

showmebutterfly

04-02-2019, 05:47 PM

showmebutterfly

04-02-2019, 05:50 PM

I actually did that with my AC70, sort of. I never got the lighting quite right and ended up having my chaeto turn to slime. (blush) Inappropriate Reefer is my kind of people - a little bit crazy. lol

check this video out, he used a AC70 and mad a fuge out of it using the parts that came with the filter for a chaeto guard and everything.

mch1984

04-02-2019, 05:55 PM

mch1984 Do you think it would be best to try to have the protein skimmer + AC110 refugium + HOB filter for media, activated carbon, phosguard, whatever?
I definitely feel like I need some kind of filter. I wanted to use the canister because it wouldn't eat up much of the available space for equipment on the back, but now I'm feeling like I need to scrap that idea. I have lots of cycled media in the canister and I'd like to always keep some on hand and ready to go in case I need to throw together a QT. I'll probably be putting the AC70 and AC50 on the back of the 40B to keep the media cycled. I'm just trying to figure out what to do with the 65 build.

I think a fuge is a great nutrient export and I have had great luck with mine. You will have to buy a light but those can be pretty cheap on a small fuge and bought from amazon. I think you have a few options, and all have their pluses. If you are scrapping the canister filter all together, this is the route I would go.

Use the ac110 for media has planned and some kind of floss to help polish the water. Then add a reactor for the chaeto. You can place it under the stand, or do a hang on reactor and have it pump to the tank. Under the tank will help hide the bright red light shinning into the house. There are some good videos out there on how to do a chaeto reactor, and they are suppose to be just as effective. Plus the light for those are cheap off amazon, it can be one of the strip lights.

showmebutterfly

04-02-2019, 06:01 PM

Thank you for the info - I'll look into the chaeto reactors! I've been looking at the carbon and phosphate reactors, but can't talk myself into pulling the trigger on either or both of those yet. I've been trying to keep things pretty simple and not overload myself with info. Baby steps.

I think a fuge is a great nutrient export and I have had great luck with mine. You will have to buy a light but those can be pretty cheap on a small fuge and bought from amazon. I think you have a few options, and all have their pluses. If you are scrapping the canister filter all together, this is the route I would go.

Use the ac110 for media has planned and some kind of floss to help polish the water. Then add a reactor for the chaeto. You can place it under the stand, or do a hang on reactor and have it pump to the tank. Under the tank will help hide the bright red light shinning into the house. There are some good videos out there on how to do a chaeto reactor, and they are suppose to be just as effective. Plus the light for those are cheap off amazon, it can be one of the strip lights.

mch1984

04-03-2019, 12:58 PM

I was trying to find a picture of it but can't seem to. Most of them have the light strip wrapped directly around the reactor, some have had issues with heat. The best one I saw was a guy that got a large piece of PVC and wrapped the lights on the inside of that. then just slid the reactor down into the PVC. I think it would help with heat issues with the lights not being directly on the actual reactor.

showmebutterfly

04-03-2019, 01:20 PM

I watched a few DIY YouTube videos yesterday. The reactors looked pretty cool. One guy did say that thee maintenance was kind of a PITA. I think he was going to go back to having a refugium. I can't remember which channel that was though. YouTube is a great source for information. I've used it a lot for comparing protein skimmers and other items.

I was trying to find a picture of it but can't seem to. Most of them have the light strip wrapped directly around the reactor, some have had issues with heat. The best one I saw was a guy that got a large piece of PVC and wrapped the lights on the inside of that. then just slid the reactor down into the PVC. I think it would help with heat issues with the lights not being directly on the actual reactor.

showmebutterfly

04-13-2019, 01:17 PM

We have an empty cooler and are on our way to Tulsa to check out my first (and their first) reef expo. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190413/a473e46246c6b9237ff44d316c349250.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190413/9a4c9b7880a816c7cca093090a644a35.jpg

Slaphppy7

04-13-2019, 09:14 PM

Sweet!....you guys gave fun

showmebutterfly

04-14-2019, 03:17 PM

Thank you, Matt!
We got there when the doors opened and the place got crowded really quickly. I have anxiety and a bit of claustrophobia, so we ended up leaving after about 30 minutes. I think I got to look at everything, but not as well as I would have liked. I'm glad I got to go, but I'm pretty sure that the big expos like MACNA and Aquashella won't be on my bucket list now. lol
I did not buy any corals, but I did the 3 things I was hoping to get to do:
1. Met Marc Levenson from Melev's Reef
2. Bought some Benereef coral food
3. Got my first aquarium related shirt - pic of front and back shoulder
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190414/f26df573cb3fa2c22b2659490781b4e9.jpg

Slaphppy7

04-14-2019, 03:22 PM

I like that shirt!

showmebutterfly

04-14-2019, 09:30 PM

We stopped at 2 reef stores in Tulsa today - Advanced Aquatics (which is usually closed on Sundays, but opened today for the reef expo crowd) and Ultimate Reefs and Aquariums. We enjoyed both stores, but the second store would probably be the one that would break me if we lived closer. I've now got a $1299.00 Red Sea Reefer setup on my wish list. However, as nice as they are, I will pass on the radion lights at $650 each. My husband got to get more familiar with some of the equipment and prices of things associated with higher end reef keeping. I think he's pretty relieved that I'm a low-tech gal. lol
I would have liked to have stopped at more reef stores, but I may have already made us late getting home for Game of Thrones. Oopsie.

mch1984

04-15-2019, 04:22 AM

The Red Sea Tank’s are super nice that’s for sure. I still think I would take piecing one together though. I’ll give you a secret on the aquashella if you ever go. Get the VIP weekend passes. They are an extra $25 but you get a free aquashella shirt to go with it. With VIP you get to enter an hour early each day. There are a lot less people and it’s a lot easier to shop like that. Plus they did a YouTube breakfast meet and great and about half the early crowd was there so the pathways were clear. I like the T-shirt’s too.

showmebutterfly

04-15-2019, 11:51 AM

mch1984 Thank you for the tip! That extra $25 sounds well worth it.
I'm going to be doing research on the Red Sea Reefer to make sure I really want one. I wouldn't be saving up for one until after my car is paid off and by that time I may decide to keep what I have. If my 65 is up and running well, it will take a lot to get me to swap everything out again.
We're planning / hoping to tear down the 40B on May 8th and get the 65g set up. I'm not looking forward to the process.

showmebutterfly

04-15-2019, 03:08 PM

In other news, we're meeting with our contractor this week and hoping to nail down the final estimate, start date and project timeline. I've been teasing about making sure there's a spot in the new master bath for an aquarium. Over the weekend my husband saw some of the blue damsel fish and really liked them. They're mean little $&*%$, so there will be none in my main tank, but I told him that I suppose if I had a small tank in the bathroom, I could put one in there. So, maybe a damsel / coral QT in my future? He hasn't said no yet. lol

Boundava

04-15-2019, 05:41 PM

Lol, that would be neat. Looking them up to refresh my memory and had to laugh when they came up as blue devil fish. I wan't aware of the color variety on them and I love this variety!

https://www.liveaquaria.com/category/28/

Not too pricey either-my favorites are the yelllowtail, four stripe, three spot, golden and ocellate. Though they are all beauties. :smileyflower:

showmebutterfly

04-16-2019, 04:21 PM

I decided to go with a glass lid for the 65g build. We're making some mods to the skimmer so it will work with the lid. My husband cut down the plastic screw that holds the skimmer on the tank so that it no longer sticks out past the intake and output tubes. I'll be cutting down that piece of eggcrate and either using a glue gun or duct tape to hold it in place. It's acting as a spacer to allow the tubes to sit closer to the rim, which gives the space needed for the lid to fit. I will need to attach a spacer to the bottom of the skimmer so it will be level-ish. I also need to work on trimming the plastic piece that came with the lid, to close the gaps as much as possible. (There's actually 2 lids, since there's a brace in the middle of the tank, but the singular use of lid seemed less confusing).
I don't smell vinegar anymore when I stick my head in the tank, so I'm hoping that means the silicone I schmeared on the bottom of the HDPE panel has cured. We'll be putting silicone around the edges of the panel soon so it will have plenty of time to cure before the tank swap of 2019.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190416/d577d04406337cb2c1a1e83541bddffe.jpg

Riyadh

04-16-2019, 04:57 PM

If you dont want to drill the glass to acomodate the pipe, then get a piece of acrylic/perspex. Easy to cut as well, and various colours.

showmebutterfly

04-16-2019, 05:02 PM

If you dont want to drill the glass to acomodate the pipe, then get a piece of acrylic/perspex. Easy to cut as well, and various colours.Thank you. We shouldn't need to drill the glass. If it had come to that, I would have returned the glass lids and used something else. I looked at acrylic for making custom lids, but decided to be lazy and go with store bought glass lids. :-)

showmebutterfly

04-25-2019, 11:28 PM

Less than 2 weeks until it's tank transfer time. We still need to silicone around the edges of the HDPE panel, but I've got another dang upper respiratory infection and can't handle breathing those fumes.
I'm trying to plan ahead and figure out what I'll need to make the transition as smooth as possible. Today I bought a 32 gallon Brute trash can and a trash can dolly for mixing and moving saltwater.

Slaphppy7

04-26-2019, 01:09 AM

Thanks for the update, but sorry to hear of the health issues...get well soon :ssmile:

showmebutterfly

04-26-2019, 01:20 AM

Thanks for the update, but sorry to hear of the health issues...get well soon :ssmile:Thank you, Matt.

showmebutterfly

05-02-2019, 11:58 PM

I think it's time for another thread name change. Slaphppy7 could you update the title to 'Rebecca's Simple Garden Reef'?
We plan to move everything over from the 40B to the 65 gallon tank on Wednesday and I'll be making a few other changes in the process.
Here's a list of the equipment I'll be starting out with:
65 gallon aquarium
Pine stand and canopy
Glass lids
Aqueon quietflow 75 HOB filter
Eshopps PSK-100H protein skimmer
Hydor Koralia Evolution 600 GPH circulation pump
Two Aqueon 100W heaters
Digital thermometer
Two T8 lights with Marine-glo 20W and Power-glo 20W bulbs
Fosmon dual light timer
40-50 lbs. live rock
Misc.: filter biomedia, activated carbon, phosphate remover filter pad
To help keep things simple, the new set-up will be bare bottom (at least to start) and I will be implementing the Berlin method for filtration: live rock, protein skimmer and partial water changes. I'll only add kalkwasser or two-part dosing to the mix, if and when they're needed.
I'll add a few more fish, corals (softies and LPS) and CUC once the new setup has a chance to settle for a while.

Slaphppy7

05-03-2019, 01:42 PM

Thread title changed, per request :22:

showmebutterfly

05-03-2019, 01:44 PM

Thank you, Matt!

Thread title changed, per request :22:

Slaphppy7

05-03-2019, 03:02 PM

Anytime, don't mention it...

Boundava

05-08-2019, 03:21 AM

showmebutterfly

05-08-2019, 03:24 AM

How exciting! Good luck to you as tomorrow is the big day! Hope its not too crazy for me at work tomorrow so I can check in to read about the progress. thumbs2:Thank you, Natalie! I'm hoping it will go fairly smoothly and that it won't take all day.

BluewaterBoof

05-08-2019, 02:15 PM

showmebutterfly

05-08-2019, 06:32 PM

Well look at who the reefer madness took a hold of!

Glad to see everything is going so well and that you're in the middle of a fairly sweet upgrade. Just make sure you're using the correct type of silicone and not that GE Type II stuff that I had used and killed a couple corals with. :hmm3grin2orange:Thank you!
Believe me, I checked, double checked and triple checked the silicone! I even re-checked the tube again this morning before we started moving anything. I definitely remember all the problems you had. I hope your tank is doing well!

showmebutterfly

05-08-2019, 06:43 PM

Start to almost finished - 4 1/2 hours.
If I hadn't cracked the center brace when I was putting the rocks back in, I'd be done. But now we have to figure out how to fix that, because the lids need that support and I can't use my lights without the lids.
The contractor is here now to go over our estimate and contract for our home project. After he leaves, I'm hoping we can get to work on the brace and I can be done.
I'm tired, y'all.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190508/9dc5712aaad10eb153749a10a2a933c9.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190508/5f17c3cbbec7253376a18e5b9fd3f804.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190508/c72bb42e62a97f1ca6b32f52b0a9ec6a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190508/369cb42b25a54f7de60cf793bf5b45cd.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190508/f5186022a61f677e62102bf430691529.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190508/5d4e68c3ec12acb188fac3057be3eee9.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190508/4fb579559dca8d9d610490e8e066ee78.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190508/3e0a28f705f19f38661c729fd7f0241b.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190508/8c3b8b63d4e88e64ce9cca7d0ea098eb.jpg

BluewaterBoof

05-08-2019, 06:58 PM

I hope your tank is doing well!

Well, we had planned on a move at the beginning of the year and I had sold off almost all my aquarium stuff in anticipation of the move. Life threw us another curve ball and we haven't moved...yet. We still want to move in a few months, so I haven't really made an attempt to rebuild my aquarium stuff. I'll update a couple of my threads for the remaining tanks/animals for those interested. It's been quite a while since I've really contributed here on the forum so it's not going to be like a big return of the Boofmiester as Spardas likes to call me haha I might have something worthy of attention towards the fall after we have moved but for now my setups are running on bare minimum with very little stock.

Glad to see you guys are enjoying the saltwater stuff. It feels like just yesterday that we were trying to push you into doing something other that a FOWLR tank and now here you are with all kinds of goodies and a new setup in the works :)

BluewaterBoof

05-08-2019, 07:20 PM

Very cool!

No bueno about the center brace. I hope you can fix that. I had my own issues with a failed brace a couple years back and ended up getting rid of that tank because I couldn't repair it sufficiently.

showmebutterfly

05-09-2019, 01:12 AM

showmebutterfly

05-09-2019, 01:15 AM

Well, we had planned on a move at the beginning of the year and I had sold off almost all my aquarium stuff in anticipation of the move. Life threw us another curve ball and we haven't moved...yet. We still want to move in a few months, so I haven't really made an attempt to rebuild my aquarium stuff. I'll update a couple of my threads for the remaining tanks/animals for those interested. It's been quite a while since I've really contributed here on the forum so it's not going to be like a big return of the Boofmiester as Spardas likes to call me haha I might have something worthy of attention towards the fall after we have moved but for now my setups are running on bare minimum with very little stock.

Glad to see you guys are enjoying the saltwater stuff. It feels like just yesterday that we were trying to push you into doing something other that a FOWLR tank and now here you are with all kinds of goodies and a new setup in the works :)Bummer about the move delay. Hopefully everything will fall into place soon and you can get settled.

mch1984

05-09-2019, 01:18 AM

We got it fixed! I'm a happy reefer.

I’m curious to how you did it, for future reference

showmebutterfly

05-09-2019, 01:18 AM

Brace update: It ain't pretty, but it holds up the glass lids. That's good enough for me and it was an inexpensive fix. My husband wanted to cut the pvc pipe in half lengthwise to make it lower profile, but I told him not to bother. He also wanted to cut the bolts off flush with the nuts, again I told him not to bother. That's something we can do later if they become a distraction.
First FTS of the 65g, up and running. It will be a while before I have the aquascape situated, but I think the fish and corals have been disturbed enough for a while. I'm hoping the micro bubbles from the skimmer will calm down after it's broken in. The bubbles from the HOB filter waterfall isn't bothering me too much.
My husband and I think I'll probably end up adding sand, but I do like being able to move the rock around on the HDPE without hearing that scraping on glass sound.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190509/38b089d28a163fee54253b522ec77ecb.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190509/51817edc45a03c919944d606b21913b3.jpg

showmebutterfly

05-09-2019, 01:21 AM

I’m curious to how you did it, for future referenceRedneck hillbilly ingenuity? lol
PVC pipe, plastic screws, nuts and washers. Clamps, drill and Tupperware.
My husband did all the work. I held the light.

mch1984

05-09-2019, 01:52 AM

Nothing wrong with any of that, tank is looking good. Glad it went well.

showmebutterfly

05-09-2019, 02:02 AM

Nothing wrong with any of that, tank is looking good. Glad it went well.Thank you. I'm just so glad it's done. lol

showmebutterfly

05-16-2019, 12:10 AM

Today is one week in their new tank and the corals seem happy. I'll be doing a big water change this weekend and working on the rockscape. Hopefully I won't upset them too much when I do all that. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190516/637bd070e268a0f8f9de227869a303f3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190516/b77512fc68b43afad6470e11b445bf53.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190516/87e40c59dad6dec69751e0ba634a2c42.jpg

mch1984

05-17-2019, 01:34 PM

Tank is looking great.

showmebutterfly

05-17-2019, 01:37 PM

Tank is looking great.Thank you, Matt!

showmebutterfly

05-19-2019, 12:27 AM

The view from my chair tonight.
*Please pardon the glare from our open curtains. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190519/2621ba5b3388cd5b4ef12f87df5fc2e9.jpg

showmebutterfly

05-22-2019, 11:11 PM

I broke down and bought some back-up for our back-up. We have a whole house generator, but it's going to be offline here and there during our house project when they have to work on the electric. The Marina is strictly battery powered. The AquaTop can be plugged in and kicks over to battery power when the electric goes off. One less worry off my list.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190522/8b7479e01a84636d51935552d6de1164.jpg

BluewaterBoof

05-23-2019, 09:00 PM

What sort of stuff do you feed your corals? It's been a very long time since I've followed your (or anyone else's) journal so I've been a bit out of touch.

showmebutterfly

05-23-2019, 09:21 PM

I've been giving the whole tank a concoction of frozen food (mysis shrimp, baby brine shrimp, blood worms and a cube that has krill and other meaty stuff), Bene-Reef coral food and a few drops of Vita-chem all mixed together in a slurry. I feed a little almost every night, but try to skip feeding at least once a week. It's hard when they're all giving me the sad hungry eyes. lol
How are you and your tank(s) doing?

What sort of stuff do you feed your corals? It's been a very long time since I've followed your (or anyone else's) journal so I've been a bit out of touch.

BluewaterBoof

05-24-2019, 03:17 PM

Nice! Sounds like a really well-rounded meal similar to what I use. I really like the Benepets reef food because it is so clean. All my phosphates plummeted once I switch from Reef Roids to that stuff. Are you blending/grinding up the krill, or are you chopping it into chunks? I used to chop mine up so I could feed decent chunks to my nems but I never cared for all the eyeballs on my cutting board hahaha

Mine are doing ok. I haven't really been doing much with them. My big freshwater is going to get a massive rescape to freshen it up and turn it into something less plant-y and more suitable for my oscar, but I haven't even started looking into hardscape pieces. We have several other projects going on right now and through the summer so I'm not sure when I'll actually get around to messing with the tank. The reef tank is still puttering along. I had sold off everything except for my clown, blenny, porcelains, and an emerald, and I have a couple euphyllia and zoas left. What's cool is that there was a tiny little bit of leptastrea left on one of my rocks that grew like crazy. It was a sliver of flesh about the size of a grain of rice after I pulled off the main frag months ago. It is now encrusted over a relatively large area, several inches in diameter.

What's very interesting to note is that there is not really much of any type of filtration in the tank. There is a small sponge filter on one end to help keep the water clear of particulates, but other than that, there are just two small wavemakers to agitate and circulate. No sump, no overflow, no skimmer or chaeto, no ATO, no dosing. It gets daily top-offs and water changes about once every two weeks. It has been running this way for months with no issues. I have to make the disclaimer that there aren't really any sensitive SPS or anything left in the tank aside from a very small patch (maybe the size of a dime) of montipora that was left on a rock. It has not been thriving but also not dying. I'm sure it would bounce back if I started adding all that equipment back to the tank, but that won't happen any time soon, at least until after we move sometime this year.

But enough about my stuff, this is your journal! I'm glad you got into the reef stuff. Such amazing and diverse life. Really cool stuff. Doesn't really feel like it was that long ago that you were starting this project off as a FOWLR :)

showmebutterfly

05-24-2019, 03:27 PM

You can talk about your stuff on my journal anytime. lol It's neat to hear that your tank is doing so well without all the bells and whistles. I've read many times that you can have a thriving saltwater tank just using live rock as filtration. It looks like you're proving that right.

I would like to be the sort of reef keeper that makes their own frozen reef food, but I know that's not likely to happen. I can't even get the gumption to meal prep for myself. lol I have 4 kinds of frozen cubes that I thaw and mix with the Vita-chem and Bene-reef. One of them has the krill in it, already all chopped up, thankfully.

Nice! Sounds like a really well-rounded meal similar to what I use. I really like the Benepets reef food because it is so clean. All my phosphates plummeted once I switch from Reef Roids to that stuff. Are you blending/grinding up the krill, or are you chopping it into chunks? I used to chop mine up so I could feed decent chunks to my nems but I never cared for all the eyeballs on my cutting board hahaha

Mine are doing ok. I haven't really been doing much with them. My big freshwater is going to get a massive rescape to freshen it up and turn it into something less plant-y and more suitable for my oscar, but I haven't even started looking into hardscape pieces. We have several other projects going on right now and through the summer so I'm not sure when I'll actually get around to messing with the tank. The reef tank is still puttering along. I had sold off everything except for my clown, blenny, porcelains, and an emerald, and I have a couple euphyllia and zoas left. What's cool is that there was a tiny little bit of leptastrea left on one of my rocks that grew like crazy. It was a sliver of flesh about the size of a grain of rice after I pulled off the main frag months ago. It is now encrusted over a relatively large area, several inches in diameter.

What's very interesting to note is that there is not really much of any type of filtration in the tank. There is a small sponge filter on one end to help keep the water clear of particulates, but other than that, there are just two small wavemakers to agitate and circulate. No sump, no overflow, no skimmer or chaeto, no ATO, no dosing. It gets daily top-offs and water changes about once every two weeks. It has been running this way for months with no issues. I have to make the disclaimer that there aren't really any sensitive SPS or anything left in the tank aside from a very small patch (maybe the size of a dime) of montipora that was left on a rock. It has not been thriving but also not dying. I'm sure it would bounce back if I started adding all that equipment back to the tank, but that won't happen any time soon, at least until after we move sometime this year.

But enough about my stuff, this is your journal! I'm glad you got into the reef stuff. Such amazing and diverse life. Really cool stuff. Doesn't really feel like it was that long ago that you were starting this project off as a FOWLR :)

BluewaterBoof

05-24-2019, 03:57 PM

We have one of those Magic Bullet blenders. I toss my frozen mysis, krill, benepets powder, and Selcon liquid vitamins all into it with saltwater and blend it all up until it is a nice creamy consistency. Then I pour it into one of these and then freeze overnight:

57519

Next day I pop them out and keep them frozen in a Ziplock freezer bag. When it's feeding time I just take one out, put it into a shot glass with some tank water and let it all melt and then use a feeder to squirt the yums into the tank :) Well, I cut the cubes down even further now that most of the corals and all the nems are gone from the tank. A bag/batch will last me quite a while.

BluewaterBoof

05-24-2019, 07:39 PM

showmebutterfly

05-25-2019, 02:00 AM

Dang it.....now I want to get some more nems again... I may get a mini maxi carpet nem or possibly a handful of flowers again. Hmmmmm.You get some a nem. I'll get the fancy ice tray. I've got a bullet blender. Thanks for the mix and freeze tip!

showmebutterfly

05-26-2019, 07:12 PM

I worked on my aquascape for more than a few hours between yesterday and today. It is as done as it's going to get. This is one part of the hobby that I do not particularly enjoy and the water may be extra salty from my sweat and tears. I'm hoping I won't need to stick my hands in the tank again for a good long while. I'm pretty sure the fish and corals are on board with that too.
I used JB Water Weld for the first time and did a crappy underwater epoxy job, but the rock placement is blenny approved and that makes me happy.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190526/3e4be026077f44c2f8e44ee11f2eafcb.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190526/a4f128fd1cf2f62cee7bac7aa679dae1.jpg

RiversGirl

05-26-2019, 11:07 PM

Your rock arrangement looks good to me!

showmebutterfly

05-26-2019, 11:12 PM

Your rock arrangement looks good to me!Thank you. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I'm real happy that it's done. lol

showmebutterfly

06-03-2019, 01:45 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9g431qmAVk

Slaphppy7

06-03-2019, 01:59 PM

Looks great!

BluewaterBoof

06-03-2019, 04:19 PM

You've created yourself a beautiful little world of magic there, Rebecca! All that work has paid off!

showmebutterfly

06-03-2019, 04:51 PM

Thank you! Slaphppy7 and BluewaterBoof

showmebutterfly

06-12-2019, 12:54 AM

I think my skimmer has finally broken in - it's making stinky gunk tea. :-)
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190612/e33c3ec91232cd3f21e5f2432cdecde6.jpg

Slaphppy7

06-12-2019, 01:30 AM

it's making stinky gunk tea. :-)

If that's a "good" thing, then congrats....:14:

Just kidding, shows how much I know about SW fishkeeping

showmebutterfly

06-12-2019, 01:35 AM

If that's a "good" thing, then congrats....:14:

Just kidding, shows how much I know about SW fishkeepingIt is a good thing. It was bubbling over like crazy for almost a month. Now it's simmered down so much I keep going over to make sure it's still on. lol
Bonus - it's not putting out micro bubbles anymore either.

showmebutterfly

06-12-2019, 05:08 PM

It looks like I may be setting up a QT in our basement bedroom. The construction company keeps pushing back the start date on our addition / remodel project and I'm already impatient to add new stuff to the 65 now that it's set up and running well. I talked with my husband about it last night and he's not opposed to the idea. We went over all the possible safe locations - with it being a small house and the scope of the work we're having done, options were limited. He offered to let me set it up in his office, which was very sweet, but we already have so much stuff stored in there that I hated to displace even more of his work space. So, bedroom it is. We'll only need to move a clothes hamper to make room for a tank and I will probably set up the 10 gallon to keep things simple. He doesn't want a permanent tank in the bedroom, but he's ok with the idea of a temporary one to help distract me from my irritation with the construction process. It's basically self-preservation on his part. lol
In other news (well, actually the reason why I'm probably setting up a QT) I hope to be attending my first ever reef club meeting on the 22nd. It's almost 3 hours away, but it's the closest club to me. The only thing giving me pause is that I'll be driving home after dark and wouldn't get home until close to midnight. My old eyes aren't great with nighttime driving these days. What's giving me gumption to go is that I can make a day of it and hit all their reef shops before the meeting. I'm hoping I can get someone to ride with me, but I'm still working on that.

BluewaterBoof

06-12-2019, 05:18 PM

Yay on the skimmer! Pretty soon you'll be cleaning out wonderful (sarcasm) skimmate all the time haha If you adjust the wetness you should be able to get that nice "Fish Butter" skimmate :hmm3grin2orange:

The reef club meeting should be fun to attend. I don't get along with the new "leader" of our local reef group so I have been avoiding the meets lately. We are having another Coral Con this Saturday, which I plan on checking out. Wife offered to by me some coral for my bday so I couldn't really come up with a reason not to go haha

showmebutterfly

06-12-2019, 05:30 PM

BluewaterBoof

06-12-2019, 06:01 PM

If that's a "good" thing, then congrats....:14:

Just kidding, shows how much I know about SW fishkeeping

One of these days, bud, you'll need to take that dive into the SW world! I don't know a single person that starts a SW tank and then regrets it. Time and time again their biggest regret was waiting so long to try it! :)

That stinky tea is the gunk that normally packs into your filter floss/media in freshwater filters. A skimmer uses foam instead of floss to trap the organics and particulates. The foam builds up and slowly rises up the throat of the skimmer where it eventually spills over into a collection cup. The nice thing about a skimmer is that the collection cup ensures that the removed waste stays out of the water system. With freshwater filters, all that gunk stays in the water flow until the media is swapped out. Freshwater, unfortunately, does not have the same adhesive qualities of saltwater and does not foam well or collect dissolved organics. This is why you don't really see anyone using protein skimmers in freshwater applications. If they worked in freshwater I believe they would replace conventional skimmers almost entirely due to how effective they are for waste management and ease of cleaning. Imagine if your "filter" maintenance was as simple and dumping one of these down the toilet every once in a while?

57545

BluewaterBoof

06-12-2019, 06:23 PM

Oh yeah. I can't wait to clean out the really stinky goo. :ghostface: Since I don't have much of a bio-load right now, I'm hoping to not have much of that fish butter anytime soon.
I'm an introvert around new people, so I'm nervous about jumping into a group where everyone already knows everyone else. I am part of their FB group and most of them seem pretty nice. As long as I can get over myself and not let my hang-ups keep me from participating, I think I'll enjoy the meeting. If nothing else, I'll enjoy going to the reef stores and getting to look around at my leisure. thumbs2:

Your skimmate is pretty wet. You have a lot of room to adjust it down for a drier skimmate that would require less frequent cleaning, if you desire. I've seen lots of folks argue back and forth whether dry is better than wet and vice versa but at the end of the day it really just depends on how often you want to be dumping out the collection cup.

I feel ya on the social scene. I'm the same way. Once I meet a person or group I am fine and get along with everyone, but everything leading up to actually meeting the new person/people tends to fill me with a certain degree of anxiety.

From my experience, the meets are very pleasant as you are with others who share the same level of interest in the hobby as you do, and it's fun to finally meet the people you communicate with on social media.

If it weren't for this Hilter guy who recently took over our local club, I would attend more of our meets. I just don't like the way he is running things. He is an elitist who wants everyone to fall in, rank and file. He even has threatened to kick people from the club that he feels aren't participating enough and was ticked off the other day and created a big drama on FB because we have hundreds of members but he is only getting like 8 views on his Youtube vids. He also tries preventing members from disagreeing with him on anything. It's his way or the highway.

Edit: In my previous post I said skimmers would "replace conventional skimmers almost entirely." I meant to say skimmer would replace conventional filters. Sorry, I had waited too long and it won't let me edit that previous post anymore.

showmebutterfly

06-13-2019, 05:32 PM

I'm working on dialing it in now. For the longest time it was bubbling so much it was just filling and overflowing. I had the overflow tube running back into the tank while it was getting broken in. I cleaned the cup out on Friday before we went away for the weekend. When we came back the cup looked like the pic I posted. It wasn't overflowing anymore and all the microbubbles were gone. At first I panicked, thinking it had broken. lol I cleaned out the cup Tuesday evening and it has collected a small amount of pretty dark skimmate since then. Because it's a HOB I will be keeping the overflow tubing running back into the tank, so my goal will be the dryer skimmate. I don't want to miss a day of cleaning and then have all the yuck going back into the tank. I check it every morning before I leave for work - still bubbling, not full, not leaking - good, I can go to work now. lol
I hate that you're having to deal with a jerk in your group. It sounds like the other members aren't too thrilled with him either if they're not supporting his channel. There is one guy in our group that got on my nerves on FB when he felt the need to keep mansplaining stuff to me. I'm hoping he won't be at the meeting. lol

Your skimmate is pretty wet. You have a lot of room to adjust it down for a drier skimmate that would require less frequent cleaning, if you desire. I've seen lots of folks argue back and forth whether dry is better than wet and vice versa but at the end of the day it really just depends on how often you want to be dumping out the collection cup.

If it weren't for this Hilter guy who recently took over our local club, I would attend more of our meets. I just don't like the way he is running things. He is an elitist who wants everyone to fall in, rank and file. He even has threatened to kick people from the club that he feels aren't participating enough and was ticked off the other day and created a big drama on FB because we have hundreds of members but he is only getting like 8 views on his Youtube vids. He also tries preventing members from disagreeing with him on anything. It's his way or the highway.

BluewaterBoof

06-13-2019, 07:53 PM

Keep me updated on the HOB skimmer. I missed that part about it being an external unit. I was torn between an HOB skimmer and an HOB refugium. I ended up going with the refugium mainly because of price and it "hides" better. So far so good and the chaeto is exploding in growth, but I'm still interested in how your skimmer unit works now that it is broken in.

Do you mind posting a link/info for the unit you are using? Thanks!

showmebutterfly

06-13-2019, 07:59 PM

I am currently using an Eshopps that I bought used: https://www.amazon.com/Eshopps-Hang-Protein-Skimmer-PSK-100H/dp/B00244DHRI/ref=sr_1_4?crid=23U18OGSJZ4OK&keywords=eshopps+protein+skimmer&qid=1560455726&s=gateway&sprefix=eshopps+%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-4
I like it, but it does have a small leak where the venture pump connects. I had to use silicone to seal the leak. It's not the best solution, but good enough for now. We ordered replacement parts, they sent two and they both leaked. So... silicone to the rescue.

I have this AquaMaxx on my Amazon wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078NJXBGJ/?coliid=I2OJXNGS7UHL3C&colid=WA1JWGVORYUD&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Keep me updated on the HOB skimmer. I missed that part about it being an external unit. I was torn between an HOB skimmer and an HOB refugium. I ended up going with the refugium mainly because of price and it "hides" better. So far so good and the chaeto is exploding in growth, but I'm still interested in how your skimmer unit works now that it is broken in.

Do you mind posting a link/info for the unit you are using? Thanks!

BluewaterBoof

06-13-2019, 09:28 PM

Yikes! Yeah, my HOB refugium was waaaaaaaaay cheaper haha That AquaMaxx looks sexy but for that priced I'd set up a dedicated sump haha

showmebutterfly

06-13-2019, 10:26 PM

Yikes! Yeah, my HOB refugium was waaaaaaaaay cheaper haha That AquaMaxx looks sexy but for that priced I'd set up a dedicated sump hahaIf I ever make the leap to a sump it will probably be a 10 gallon sump for my 20 high tank. Those are the 2 tanks I already have, plus I have a metal stand that would work for that setup. I'm in no rush to try my hand at drilling a tank or putting together plumbing though, so that project will stay on the shelf for a good while.
I'm happy with my 65 setup. It's simple and is working well. I bought an Aqueon Quietflow 75 HOB filter to replace the AquaClear 70 filter. The Aqueon is self-priming and I feel that's a good feature to have with the upcoming electrical work we're having done. The only upgrades I'm planning are T5 lighting, the AquaMaxx skimmer and either an Icecap 3K gyre or the Maxspect 330 gyre. Lighting first, then gyre, then skimmer. More fish and corals too, but those are a given. lol

BluewaterBoof

06-14-2019, 10:17 PM

Yeah I really want to get a proper gyre pump but man I've been having a hard time swallowing the price tag.

I do not waste money on AquaClears anymore. I've purchased multiple units because it was the popular choice here among some of the more vocal members for a long time but every unit I had gave me problems. Stackable/custom media is a huge plus but doesn't mean diddly squat when the impellers seize up. We don't get very many sustained power outages in my neck of the woods, but we do have frequent rapid on/offs that occur from time to time. I got tired of coming home to my AquaClears seized up and having to reach in with tweezers to nudge the impellers back into action.

So far I am liking my current HOB refugium. It's essentially just a large clear box that holds a little less than a gallon of water that hangs on the back of your tank, with a 10" Finnex FugeRay light sitting on top. An external pump is placed in the tank and pushes the water up into the box, where it eventually overflows back into the tank. It has removable baffle inserts for those who like to divide it up into sections like a sump, but for me I just took out all the baffles and have a huge mass of chaeto growing in there. I almost went with a substrate like crushed coral or even that Magic Mud stuff, but in the end opted for bare bottom for easier vacuuming.

I obviously haven't been on the forum much for the last 9 months or so, but I'm surprised you and the hubs never jumped on the sump train. I remember Matt and I were making some vids and pressuring you pretty good for a while haha Sumps don't absolutely require drilling, just FYI. Eshopps and some others have really good HOB overflows. The HOBs are nice because 1) you don't have to worry about busting your tank and 2) you can throw one on at any time (can't really drill a tank when it is already set up and filled with water and livestock haha).

showmebutterfly

06-15-2019, 10:43 PM

BluewaterBoof As much as I appreciated you guys taking the time to make the sump videos, I'm just not ready to pull that trigger. Maybe one of these days. Maybe not. lol We'll see.
Meanwhile... I'm hoping to collect several colorations of candy cane corals, so when I saw this one at Petco, it ended up coming home with me. That lead to me quickly throwing together the 10g QT. So that's up and running now. Horrible pic, but hopefully I can get a better one soon.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190615/78c69f6e87fa0c04288e07d311a3134d.jpg

showmebutterfly

06-16-2019, 04:38 PM

My new coral is looking puffy and happier today. I did a water change on the DT this morning and grabbed some rocks out of it to help cycle the QT and to give any fish I may add some hiding places.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190616/4333abf69904d3caf6d13692a7b4b7ec.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190616/5b90fd4bb50c9a517b01c1148ba0e5a1.jpg

showmebutterfly

06-23-2019, 11:36 PM

Just a quick FTS. My skimmer is putting out micro bubbles again and running crazy. I dosed Stress Guard a few days ago when I noticed a bruised looking spot on the tail of my neon goby. The goby is fine now and the skimmer will calm back down eventually.
I sold my old 40 breeder and was a little sad to see it go, but used the money to order an Odyssea dual T5 light. I'll try the bulbs it comes with for a while, but will ultimately be ordering ATI bulbs.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190623/d4b32ee27428c58ad00699b7d14362ed.jpg

showmebutterfly

06-26-2019, 10:37 PM

RiversGirl

06-26-2019, 11:01 PM

Congrats on your new light! I hope your eyes have recovered from the accidental spot lighting you gave yourself. Oops.

showmebutterfly

06-27-2019, 02:23 AM

Congrats on your new light! I hope your eyes have recovered from the accidental spot lighting you gave yourself. Oops.Thank you. I was seeing spots for a while, but all better now. You'd think I'd know not to do something like that, but apparently not. lol

BluewaterBoof

06-27-2019, 03:15 PM

The new light fixture arrived today. Wowzers. I accidentally shined it right in my eyeballs. Dual T5 high output bulbs pack quite a punch. I'm hoping the corals will appreciate having brighter lights.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190626/7fd58e9e407f6aeb0fff03d456b95e43.jpg

AWESOME! I can tell you that your corals will definitely appreciate the HO. I've already seen a difference in my corals since switching from a "good enough" light to one that has some actual power and good spectrum. What bulbs are you running in it?

I still blind myself on occasion haha

showmebutterfly

06-27-2019, 03:29 PM

It came with a 10,000W bulb and an actinic light, so that's what I'm using for now. I'm looking at the ATI bulbs and will order some of those eventually. I'm also still running one of the T8 lights with a Marine-glo bulb. I may take it off someday and put a LED moonlight strip back there, if I don't add a 2nd dual T5 light fixture. I'm trying to not make too many changes at once.
I'm curious to see how my mushrooms look this evening - if they're laying down or still stretching toward the light. I hope they'll be laying down. That's the goal. thumbs2:

AWESOME! I can tell you that your corals will definitely appreciate the HO. I've already seen a difference in my corals since switching from a "good enough" light to one that has some actual power and good spectrum. What bulbs are you running in it?

I still blind myself on occasion haha

RiversGirl

06-27-2019, 04:04 PM

Then I will add in a good thought that your mushrooms will be laying down for you! ;)

showmebutterfly

06-27-2019, 04:05 PM

Thank you! :22:

Then I will add in a good thought that your mushrooms will be laying down for you! ;)

BluewaterBoof

06-27-2019, 04:44 PM

Does your new fixture allow you to run the bulbs independently, or does it just have one switch that turns on both bulbs at the same time?

My new light allows me to put the blue channel on one timer and my whites on another, so I've been playing around and experimenting with running the two channels for different amounts of time ie the blues will come on first and a couple hours later the rest will then come on and blast the tank with a full spectrum and then shut back off again and just have the blues running by themselves for a couple hours in the evening before lights-out. It's not a nice as those fancy rigs that ramp up and down in a smooth progression throughout the day, but I figure having just the blues on at first is better than just blasting the corals right away. :shrug:

showmebutterfly

06-28-2019, 05:58 PM

The bulbs don't run independently and I haven't found the switch yet. I'm sure there's one somewhere. The lights came on when I plugged it in and I have it plugged into a timer, so it turns on and off on the same schedule as the light it replaced. If I get a moonlight LED I plan to put it on a timer where it comes on for an hour or so before the regular lights and turns off an hour or so after they turn off. For now the corals just get blasted right away, but it's been that way ever since I ventured into saltwater. (blush)

Does your new fixture allow you to run the bulbs independently, or does it just have one switch that turns on both bulbs at the same time?

My new light allows me to put the blue channel on one timer and my whites on another, so I've been playing around and experimenting with running the two channels for different amounts of time ie the blues will come on first and a couple hours later the rest will then come on and blast the tank with a full spectrum and then shut back off again and just have the blues running by themselves for a couple hours in the evening before lights-out. It's not a nice as those fancy rigs that ramp up and down in a smooth progression throughout the day, but I figure having just the blues on at first is better than just blasting the corals right away. :shrug:

BluewaterBoof

06-29-2019, 02:10 PM

I’m not sure how necessary it is to ramp up and down. It’s kind of one of those things that I believe is just a sales pitch from LED light companies that charge $200+ extra for a ramping option but I honestly can’t reallt say one way or the other. People have been keeping corals for a long time before LEDs started getting used in the hobby. Is ramping better? Probably. Is it necessary? Nope.

mac

06-29-2019, 09:04 PM

As far as I can tell the ramping option is just trying to mimic the natural light cycle.

Is it benifical can't tell.
My zet lights do not ramp up or down, but runs set pattern. So far the corals are happy and spreading, even with not the best water.

When I mean not the best nsw is 1kh out, so they are slower but still growing.

showmebutterfly

06-30-2019, 08:19 PM

I think having the ramping up and down option would be nice, but not nice enough to pay that much extra money. My fish and corals seem happy and the corals are growing, slowly but surely. I noticed today while doing my water change that my hammer and the biggest frogspawn each had a new head. So even with my well water and cheap lights, my little low-tech reef is chugging along.
The purple and green trumpet coral got moved from the QT to the DT this morning and I brought home 3 little fishies for the QT this afternoon. They're getting their Safety Stop two part treatment at the moment. These were on my short list and I hope they will survive, grow and thrive. As long as they all make it, I will probably only add one more fish to the tank and call it fully stocked.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190630/95380d4545f4d43d6b9999598bae7561.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190630/23983e38efe2b7cf826bd6e032497162.jpg

BluewaterBoof

07-01-2019, 05:45 PM

Yay to the new fishies! Always fun getting new critters to see how they take to their new environment.

Congrats on the new euphyllia heads. Are they splits/divisions from existing heads, or are they those tiny little new ones that sprout from the "stalks"?

showmebutterfly

07-01-2019, 08:16 PM

Thank you! The new heads are splits from existing heads. I haven't seen any tiny ones around the base yet. I'm happy that the LPS growing and thriving. It makes me feel like I'm doing ok with this reef adventure. thumbs2:
I noticed last night that the new trumpet coral has a dang vermetid snail tube poking thru one of the heads. I can't believe I never noticed that while it was in quarantine or when I had it in the coral dip! Luckily, I didn't glue down the frag, so it should be fairly easy to lift it out to put a drop of super glue gel to seal the tube.

Yay to the new fishies! Always fun getting new critters to see how they take to their new environment.

Congrats on the new euphyllia heads. Are they splits/divisions from existing heads, or are they those tiny little new ones that sprout from the "stalks"?

BluewaterBoof

07-01-2019, 08:32 PM

I noticed last night that the new trumpet coral has a dang vermetid snail tube poking thru one of the heads.

57587

I had one of those ride in on my purple-tip frogspawn frag. Three months later they were all over my tank. Like more than I could count. Their empty tubes are still spattered around my rockwork but they are relics of harder times; no longer do I see any new ones pop up or see the mucus lines that they cast out for food. The only thing that killed them off was starving the tank. I stopped all broadcast feedings and only fed my fish directly for a few weeks. This was easy for me because I had just sold off most of my corals so I wasn't constantly wanting to feed the tank.

One of the frags that I bought from Coral Con last month had some vermetid tubes on it. I took some needle-nosed pliers and crushed the tubes and their bases prior to soaking in my coral dip. I watched with malicious glee as their mangled bodies dropped off the frags as I soaked and squirted them with the dip solution.

showmebutterfly

07-01-2019, 08:46 PM

I've had several vermetids in my tank. I think the first one came in on the back of a turbo snail. Now I have a turbo with a blob of dried glue on its back. lol Whenever I see a web, I try to track down the source and super glue the tube shut. I haven't seen any new webs in a long time, until last night. Since I'd had my hands in the tank quite a bit with the water change yesterday, I'll be dealing with the new pest this evening.
That's good to know about being able to starve them out though. I try to feed lightly and skip a day every now and then. My bristleworm population has dwindled as a result. I'm ok with that. I used to see them everywhere and now I very rarely see even one.

57587

I had one of those ride in on my purple-tip frogspawn frag. Three months later they were all over my tank. Like more than I could count. Their empty tubes are still spattered around my rockwork but they are relics of harder times; no longer do I see any new ones pop up or see the mucus lines that they cast out for food. The only thing that killed them off was starving the tank. I stopped all broadcast feedings and only fed my fish directly for a few weeks. This was easy for me because I had just sold off most of my corals so I wasn't constantly wanting to feed the tank.

One of the frags that I bought from Coral Con last month had some vermetid tubes on it. I took some needle-nosed pliers and crushed the tubes and their bases prior to soaking in my coral dip. I watched with malicious glee as their mangled bodies dropped off the frags as I soaked and squirted them with the dip solution.

BluewaterBoof

07-01-2019, 09:46 PM

Yeah I had a bunch of bristleworms for a while. They were pretty brave and would crawl out of the rockwork during feeding time, even with the lights on. I didn't really care much because they left everything else alone. Now that you brought them up, I just realized that I haven't seen a bristleworm in the tank for around a week or so, which is fairly odd considering how easy they were to see in the past. The only new fish in the tank are the gobies, which were added about two and a half weeks ago. I wonder if the gobies are to blame for the disappearance of the bristleworms? A quick Google search indicates that yes, some gobies will most certainly eat bristlworms. Hmmmm...very interesting.

RiversGirl

07-02-2019, 02:27 AM

Congrats on your new fish!

showmebutterfly

07-02-2019, 03:52 PM

Thank you, Rivers! Unfortunately, I think they may have marine velvet. I've ordered some copper to treat them with, but it won't be here until Friday. One of them has been out and about and is eating well, one hides but will come out to eat and one is hiding and I haven't seen him eating. I really hope they can hang in there and will get well with the treatment, once it arrives.

Congrats on your new fish!

RiversGirl

07-02-2019, 06:34 PM

Best wishes that you've caught it early and they respond well to your treatment.

showmebutterfly

07-02-2019, 07:07 PM

Thank you!

Best wishes that you've caught it early and they respond well to your treatment.

showmebutterfly

07-03-2019, 02:41 PM

I woke up this morning to a dead fish in the QT. Of the remaining two, one is out and about and eating like a champ, the other is very timid and hasn't been eating. I didn't see any spots on them last night, which leads me to believe they have ich instead of marine velvet. I hope that's the case, as ich is less deadly and has more treatment options.

BluewaterBoof

07-03-2019, 09:46 PM

Oh no! That's not good at all :( I'm so sorry to hear that happened!

RiversGirl

07-03-2019, 09:50 PM

I'm sorry for your loss.

Slaphppy7

07-04-2019, 12:38 AM

I'm sorry for the bad news, as well

showmebutterfly

07-04-2019, 01:00 AM

Thank you, BluewaterBoof RiversGirl Slaphppy7
When I got home this evening, another one had passed. The last one was out and about and scarfed down his dinner.

Slaphppy7

07-04-2019, 02:52 PM

Well, maybe they were just weak stock?....sorry again :scry:

showmebutterfly

07-05-2019, 11:40 AM

Well, maybe they were just weak stock?....sorry again :scry:Thanks, Matt. I hope the last little one makes it.

RiversGirl

07-05-2019, 01:02 PM

Oh no! I'm sorry that you lost another one.
I too share in your hope that the third one is healthy.

At least you have the peace of mind that you are not infecting your tank with anything.

showmebutterfly

07-06-2019, 03:36 AM

Oh no! I'm sorry that you lost another one.
I too share in your hope that the third one is healthy.

At least you have the peace of mind that you are not infecting your tank with anything.Thank you. I am very glad I have a QT set up, it does help a lot with peace of mind and keeping disease out of the DT.
I don't recall having seen any updates on your tank(s) in a while. How are your critters doing?

showmebutterfly

07-08-2019, 04:56 PM

I had noticed last week that the temp in my tank kept creeping higher and higher. At first I blamed the new light fixture, since the legs didn't fit quite right I had it sitting directly on the glass. I found a work around to get the lights sitting properly, but the temp stayed high. It climbed to 83.8 and that had me really worried. I was floating frozen bottles to try to keep it down, without much luck. The protein skimmer was going nuts too, so much that the bubbles were rattling the cup lid. I unplugged the skimmer just to stop that noise. The next day I noticed that the tank temp was considerably lower. On Thursday I plugged the skimmer back in, taking note of the temp. An hour later the temp had rose almost a whole degree. I reached around to feel the skimmer motor and it felt very hot. Needless to say, the skimmer was unplugged again. Yesterday it came off the tank entirely. I added a second Aqueon Quiteflow 75 HOB filter in its place. Now I have lots of surface movement and extra space to run filter floss and carbon, as needed, during the remodel. I may add another protein skimmer down the road. I may not. I'll see how the tank does with just the 2 large HOB filters before deciding if any other changes need to be made. I did note that with the circulation pumps off and just the filters going, in addition to all the good flow at the top of the tank, my LPS all seemed to have plenty of movement where they sit in the lower part of the tank. I will be moving one of the circulation pumps lower and position it to blow along the back wall behind the rocks to help clear out any dead spots back there. I'm not sure where I'll put the second pump. I may just leave it where it sits now.
Other than the one week of pulling wet dark skimmate, the protein skimmer hadn't been working properly, so I'm not sad to see it go. My understanding is that having a protein skimmer allows you to go longer between water changes. Since I'll be doing them at least twice per month anyway, I don't feel like I'll be losing out on too many of the benefits by not having the skimmer. I will definitely benefit from not having it overheat my tank. And I get to enjoy the rippling water movement on both sides of my tank with the dual HOB filter. It helps that I'm easily amused.

BluewaterBoof

07-08-2019, 06:00 PM

Man that stinks about the skimmer. That's odd that it was so hot to the touch. I don't think I've ever had a pump run hot before. May want to give the manufacturer a call and see if it is normal for it to do that. If it is defective they may just send you a replacement pump even if the unit is out of warranty (I think you said you bought it used...?).

Edit:
If you find yourself struggling to keep the phosphates down in the tank and don't want to add any more hardware, try throwing a pouch of GFO into one of your HOBs. It won't be as effective as it would be in a dedicated GFO reactor, but it will still help in sucking up the phosphates on a day-to-day basis in between your water changes.

showmebutterfly

07-08-2019, 08:49 PM

Thank you, Andre. Yes, I bought it used. I think the motor is probably just old and wore out. Like me. lol
I am having a bit of a phosphate issue and a red bubble algae outbreak. I had some of this on hand: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MNKP1U/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I cut a 5" x 6" piece and it fit perfectly in one of the filter slots. I'm currently running the filter pad and a bag of Matrix in one filter and the phosphate reducing pad and ceramic media in the other one. If the pad doesn't help with the phosphates, I'll look into getting some GFO. Thank you for the tip!

Man that stinks about the skimmer. That's odd that it was so hot to the touch. I don't think I've ever had a pump run hot before. May want to give the manufacturer a call and see if it is normal for it to do that. If it is defective they may just send you a replacement pump even if the unit is out of warranty (I think you said you bought it used...?).

Edit:
If you find yourself struggling to keep the phosphates down in the tank and don't want to add any more hardware, try throwing a pouch of GFO into one of your HOBs. It won't be as effective as it would be in a dedicated GFO reactor, but it will still help in sucking up the phosphates on a day-to-day basis in between your water changes.

BluewaterBoof

07-08-2019, 09:33 PM

Interesting stuff! Let me know how well it works for you as I'm always on the lookout for other stuff to try out.

My phosphates skyrocketed to 1ppm about a week and a half ago, and my cheato in my refugium exploded with growth. I think that one of my newer gobies, which I initially thought jumped ship and was eaten by one of our pups, got trapped/buried under some rockwork and died. That's really the only thing I could think of that could cause such a sharp rise in phosphates. I usually keep my levels so low that the test kit won't give any readings, so I was a bit blown away when I saw that 1ppm reading come out of nowhere haha

showmebutterfly

07-10-2019, 12:00 AM

When you use aquarium placement / ease of viewing for determining where and which way to situate your clawfoot tub, your contractor may think you're nuts. If you're me, you don't care, because... priorities! A place for my QT has officially been worked into the new master bathroom plans. #score

BluewaterBoof

07-10-2019, 05:38 PM

That's actually quite amazing haha

showmebutterfly

07-10-2019, 08:21 PM

We're working on a give and take system. There's a lot of sighing involved. lol

That's actually quite amazing haha

showmebutterfly

07-15-2019, 02:13 AM

FTS with bubble action.
The 65g tank setup was a month old this past Monday and the uglies are in full force: diatoms on the sand, red bubble algae on the rocks and a little green hair algae on the large powerhead. I'm dosing ChemiClean this week to see if it has any effect on the red bubble algae.
I lost my bicolor blenny. One night I noticed he wasn't eating. The next night he still didn't eat, his front end was pale and he seemed to be panting. The next evening, he was dead. I'm wondering if he got zinged by a coral, but don't know which one would have had enough of a sting to take down a fat, healthy fish. I miss watching the little guy zipping around the tank.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190715/24470ba0cf02f01bd9f3bc2e3bf097bc.jpg

Slaphppy7

07-15-2019, 12:28 PM

Sorry for the loss, Rebecca

BluewaterBoof

07-15-2019, 01:20 PM

Aw man.....I’m sorry :(

showmebutterfly

07-15-2019, 05:30 PM

Aw man.....I’m sorry :(

Sorry for the loss, Rebecca

Thank you, Matt and Andre. I don't know if I'll get another bicolor blenny since that's the second one I've lost. On the bright side, I'm starting to see some green coralline algae on the glass and more pink coralline on the rocks. It's good to see those sure signs that the tank is maturing and moving in the right direction, even with the uglies and the loss.

showmebutterfly

07-23-2019, 04:07 PM

It's probably a pretty good indication that your bubble algae has gotten out of control when your female clownfish starts using it as a host. She's been wallowing in a patch of it for days. At first I thought she was sick or dying, but research suggests she's nesting. In the dang bubble algae. Seriously? There are 2 nice fluffy frogspawns and a nice fluffy hammer coral. Me and my weirdo fish. I've ordered some Vibrant. It's supposed to help clear up bubble algae. We'll see. I'm not brave enough yet to try my hand at keeping an anemone, not to mention that the tank probably isn't mature enough to maintain one yet anyway.

Boundava

07-23-2019, 04:21 PM

WOW I had to look up bubble algae-it is weird. Looks like blown glass...so odd. Doesn't seem like its nice stuff-though it looks prettier than most freshwater algae. Lol with your silly clownfish using it as a host.

BluewaterBoof

07-24-2019, 01:29 PM

I know some people who lost their euphyllia when their clowns thought they would make good hosts, so maybe that’s a blessing that yours is leaving the corals alone haha

I’ve heard mixed reviews about Vibrant. The biggest concern with that stuff is that you need to make sure you have very strong oxygenation going on while using it. I’ve heard a a good amount of folks losing stock when they use it and the blame is usually on it using up the available oxygen.

I forget, are you using RODI water for your saltwater mix or tap water? Tap water is notorious for contributing elevated levels of nutrients for algae in saltwater setups, so that may be contributing to your algae problem.

showmebutterfly

07-24-2019, 02:46 PM

I've got the red bubble algae. I think maybe the green is more typical. Or at least that's what I seem to see plaguing other tanks the most. Either way, they both look like blown glass. Which is kind of cool. If it would keep to one area, it could stay, but it wants to be everywhere.

WOW I had to look up bubble algae-it is weird. Looks like blown glass...so odd. Doesn't seem like its nice stuff-though it looks prettier than most freshwater algae. Lol with your silly clownfish using it as a host.

showmebutterfly

07-24-2019, 03:13 PM

I'd heard that too and I sure don't want them loving my euphyllia to death.

I had to keep an air stone running with the ChemiClean. I didn't know I'd need it with the Vibrant, but that's good to know. Thank you for that info!

I am using well water for my water changes and top off. Our TDS levels aren't too bad, but it is probably contributing to the bubble algae growth. Once construction is done, I want to install an RODI unit in the new laundry room. Things are moving along, but because we live in an old, wonky house, the framing of the addition is taking longer than expected. :scry:

I know some people who lost their euphyllia when their clowns thought they would make good hosts, so maybe that’s a blessing that yours is leaving the corals alone haha

I’ve heard mixed reviews about Vibrant. The biggest concern with that stuff is that you need to make sure you have very strong oxygenation going on while using it. I’ve heard a a good amount of folks losing stock when they use it and the blame is usually on it using up the available oxygen.

I forget, are you using RODI water for your saltwater mix or tap water? Tap water is notorious for contributing elevated levels of nutrients for algae in saltwater setups, so that may be contributing to your algae problem.

RiversGirl

07-24-2019, 10:09 PM

I'm sorry for the loss of your blenny.

Your master bathroom sounds like a dream-build! You do you and don't even let others distract you with their silly, non-fish-keeper comments. hahaha

showmebutterfly

07-25-2019, 02:52 PM

Thank you, RG. It will be a dream when it's finished. :ssmile: Some days it borders on nightmare - one where everything is moving in slow motion, except for you and you just want everything else around you to catch up. Their work schedule is unpredictable. Sometimes they show up early and work until dark and sometimes they don't show up at all. Sometimes you can tell they got a lot done and sometimes you wonder what the heck they were doing all day. I keep telling myself that, while this project will take much longer than simply moving to a different house, it's better than having to pack up everything in the house and move it all to a new location. That would really be a nightmare!
I'm lucky that my husband is laid back, patient and used to my level of crazy. He keeps me grounded and knows I need to have other distractions to help keep me sane through this, so my planning a tank (or 2) in the new master bath is a small price to pay. :goldfish: :fish: He's got my back on the bathroom aquarium situation. And I agree... non-fish-keeper types can shut their pie-hole.

I'm sorry for the loss of your blenny.

Your master bathroom sounds like a dream-build! You do you and don't even let others distract you with their silly, non-fish-keeper comments. hahaha

BluewaterBoof

07-25-2019, 05:47 PM

Took some contractors SEVEN MONTHS to add a single room to my brother-in-law's home. They started in January and finally finished the last of the wiring about a week ago. Blew my mind. Nothing fancy, just a modest room about 12x13-ish in size. If it was me I would have lost my cool months ago. When I was in my late teens I did a short stint in the construction world. I saw first-hand how quickly even small crews could build houses or renovate entire floors in office buildings. We're talking a matter of weeks to a few months, max, depending on the size of the project. It's amazing how fast a crew moves when they know they will lose out on contracts if they take too long.

Nowadays I work in the mortgage industry and we do a fair share of loans for new construction homes. Average build times from laying foundation to a complete home is right around 2-3 months, and those builders are usually spread thin as they are building multiple homes in that subdivision at the same time. Someone taking 6 months just to add a room is criminal, in my opinion.

showmebutterfly

07-25-2019, 07:39 PM

That is ridiculous! The only house I ever had built only took 3-4 months to build, from breaking ground to moving in, but that was when I lived in a small town. This whole process is taking WAY longer than I ever thought it would - from finding a contractor, to getting the estimate, to breaking ground and everything ongoing. I'm hoping our project will be done by fall, but I'll be surprised if it actually is finished by then.

Took some contractors SEVEN MONTHS to add a single room to my brother-in-law's home. They started in January and finally finished the last of the wiring about a week ago. Blew my mind. Nothing fancy, just a modest room about 12x13-ish in size. If it was me I would have lost my cool months ago. When I was in my late teens I did a short stint in the construction world. I saw first-hand how quickly even small crews could build houses or renovate entire floors in office buildings. We're talking a matter of weeks to a few months, max, depending on the size of the project. It's amazing how fast a crew moves when they know they will lose out on contracts if they take too long.

Nowadays I work in the mortgage industry and we do a fair share of loans for new construction homes. Average build times from laying foundation to a complete home is right around 2-3 months, and those builders are usually spread thin as they are building multiple homes in that subdivision at the same time. Someone taking 6 months just to add a room is criminal, in my opinion.

showmebutterfly

07-29-2019, 03:17 PM

I've marked my calendar and am excited for this event next year.

57632

RiversGirl

07-29-2019, 04:10 PM

There's nothing like a fun road trip for you to look forward to!

BluewaterBoof

07-29-2019, 05:32 PM

That should be pretty sweet!

showmebutterfly

08-03-2019, 07:36 PM

We're visiting my mom this weekend in Hot Springs, AR and we'll have 4 corals from this LFS coming home with us. They'll be hanging out in a cooler until tomorrow, but I'm excited about getting them into the QT.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190803/8ab7727751267115a25024e0a9e47a90.jpg

RiversGirl

08-04-2019, 03:45 AM

Congrats on your new corals!

showmebutterfly

08-04-2019, 11:57 AM

Congrats on your new corals!Thanks! I'm hoping they'll be happy and open enough for me to take pics Monday evening.

RiversGirl

08-04-2019, 04:59 PM

I'll keep up a good thought that they will be!

By the way, I'm curious if you bring home water from your visits to Hot Springs.
I've only been through twice now, but I would love to go back. The best (!) tasting water I have ever had the good fortune to sip. (I'm odd, I know. My kids frequently remind me.) I filled my travel mug with the water and really enjoyed every last drop of that hot water.

showmebutterfly

08-05-2019, 03:51 PM

I've never actually tasted the water from the Hot Springs, but now I'll have to try it the next time we're downtown. We don't generally go to the downtown area much because of the crowds. We did go on Saturday to get cupcakes from Fat Bottomed Girls. :19: And nothing wrong with being odd! We're all mad here. lol

I'll keep up a good thought that they will be!

By the way, I'm curious if you bring home water from your visits to Hot Springs.
I've only been through twice now, but I would love to go back. The best (!) tasting water I have ever had the good fortune to sip. (I'm odd, I know. My kids frequently remind me.) I filled my travel mug with the water and really enjoyed every last drop of that hot water.

BluewaterBoof

08-05-2019, 09:25 PM

showmebutterfly

08-05-2019, 10:26 PM

Oooooo la la! What did you pick up?We got 3 zoas and a duncan. The zoas seem happy, but haven't colored up yet, or maybe it's the lighting. The duncan is still pretty upset.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190805/36c22785c06513fcc124989e4ae7eb0f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190805/4943df174af1bc9546fe4a57e19e9d64.jpg

showmebutterfly

08-06-2019, 03:38 PM

Good news:
I moved the Talbot damsel (the sole survivor of the 3 I'd purchased) from the QT to the DT. He seems to be doing well and has found a favorite hidey hole to go into at night. In the QT, both heads of the new duncan coral had feelers out last night, so maybe it's done being grumpy. From what I can tell, all the zoa heads are open and they seem happy.

Bad news:
When we got home Sunday evening, we found our female clownfish dead, stuck to the intake. I was hoping her acting weirder than usual for the past week or so was just part of the mating preparation, but I guess there was actually something wrong, even though she looked healthy and was eating well. I haven't seen my little feather duster out at all since we got home. I kept watching last night to see if it would come out to filter feed, but it never did. It usually doesn't hide very much, so I'm worried I've lost it too. I have a mushroom that's retracted. I don't know if it's because the female clown kept laying on it and did some damage, if it's getting stung my one of the other mushrooms, or if it's being bothered by something else in the tank. All I can do with it is wait and watch. All the other mushrooms around it are doing well.

BluewaterBoof

08-06-2019, 04:11 PM

Good to hear the good news. Not so good about the bad news, obviously :(

After my own issue with chemicals in my tank (when I accidentally used inappropriate silicone for my original sump build) I had similar problems as you are having. My firefish started behaving odd, skittish and never really coming out like it used to and then coming home to it dead, certain corals closed up and never fully opening... That you lost a fairly hardy fish, feather duster is always hiding now and one of your mushrooms is also hiding...all of those happening together seems to suggest that something is wrong with the tank. Could be toxins being released from corals, cleaning/air freshener chemicals entering the tank somehow, a crashed cycle and resulting spike in ammonia or nitrates, faulty heater either not regulating temperature or even delivering an electric shot to the tank... Speaking from my own experience when things started to go weird like that, I strongly suggest NOT to take the wait and watch approach. I say that because I waited it out thinking some of my animals were just unhappy and I ended up losing more than I would have had I acted more quickly.

I would check all your equipment and perform some large water changes. I know it's not fun to do large water changes with saltwater because you need to mix it all up ahead of time, but if there are toxins/chemicals in the tank that are making your animals sick you need to do big changes in order to reduce pollutants by any meaningful level.

RiversGirl

08-06-2019, 04:41 PM

I'm sorry for your loss.

Boundava

08-06-2019, 04:53 PM

Oh my, I am also sorry to read about your loss, and problems. Hoe you are able to find out whats going on. Sounds like Andre has a good suggestion with doing a large WC, or multiple WC to see if there is a pollutant affecting the tank.

Slaphppy7

08-07-2019, 01:37 AM

Sorry to hear this, Rebecca

showmebutterfly

08-07-2019, 04:30 PM

Thank you everyone. The mushroom coral that had been drawn up was more open last night. All the other corals and fish looked good. Two of the heads on my green candy cane coral are in the process of splitting. That coral is usually my 'canary in the coalmine', so I keep a close eye on it. I did notice that the tank temperature was reading slightly over 82. I added some ice bottles last night and unplugged both the heaters this morning as an added precaution.
We have to take out the dishwasher, a couple base cabinets and cut off part of the countertop tonight. I'm hoping that won't take too long so that I can get some water mixed up for a WC. Construction is almost to the point where they're ready to cut a hole through the wall for our doorway to the addition. I'm both looking forward to and dreading that part. Once the opening is cut, I'll have more worries about the fish and corals with dust and whatnot getting stirred up as the construction moves into the main living area. We've also got to move my clawfoot tub out of the basement bathroom, since it's going in the new master bath. I am seriously considering setting up the 20g tank and moving my fish and corals into it for the duration of the remodel. The basement will stay cooler, even with workers coming in and out of the house. If we can keep that area as a worker free safe zone, I could worry less. But since there's a toilet in there and they will be doing electrical and plumbing work in the basement, I don't know that there are any safe zones in the house.
I'm sorry for rambling y'all. Too much life going on here with family members having procedures, crazy time at work for my husband (gearing up for move-in weekend at the university), house construction picking up, slowing down, picking up. Bleh.

Boundava

08-07-2019, 07:14 PM

No issues with rambling, you have some good concerns and need to vent them. Sounds like you have a good plan, just keep the tanks covered with a towel and painters plastic while they are working-you can remove the plastic when they leave. The drywall dust goes everywhere and is very hard to get cleaned up afterwards.

I am excited for your remodel, you have a lot going on. :c3:

RiversGirl

08-07-2019, 08:47 PM

Agree ^
Please don't fret about rambling in your journal -- That's yours to use as you see fit! Seems to me that you are using your journal most appropriately. Thinking over your tank concerns, mentally going through ideas that would solve issues for your tank. It is nice too, that you are sharing your thoughts and ideas with others, who can then learn from your experiences for their own tanks.

When I'm really stressed, I tend to chat to myself 'just follow the plan, just follow the plan' and when I come out the other side of things, I generally think 'That wasn't so bad'

I wish you well during this stressful time, offer you a friendly reminder too: don't forget to take care of you. Do something nice for you. I like to say it "Gift your future self" and it can be something little that you do that really proves helpful for you tomorrow.

showmebutterfly

08-08-2019, 08:15 PM

Thank you, ladies. :thankyoublue:
I'm hoping the interior work will go quickly. I'm sure there will be a few setbacks, but it will be worth it when it's all done. I think a friend and I will be going to Kansas City soon - Cheesecake Factory, IKEA and Trader Joe's. I told my husband to get ready to hand over his wallet. Momma needs some retail therapy. lol

No issues with rambling, you have some good concerns and need to vent them. Sounds like you have a good plan, just keep the tanks covered with a towel and painters plastic while they are working-you can remove the plastic when they leave. The drywall dust goes everywhere and is very hard to get cleaned up afterwards.

I am excited for your remodel, you have a lot going on. :c3:

Agree ^
Please don't fret about rambling in your journal -- That's yours to use as you see fit! Seems to me that you are using your journal most appropriately. Thinking over your tank concerns, mentally going through ideas that would solve issues for your tank. It is nice too, that you are sharing your thoughts and ideas with others, who can then learn from your experiences for their own tanks.

When I'm really stressed, I tend to chat to myself 'just follow the plan, just follow the plan' and when I come out the other side of things, I generally think 'That wasn't so bad'

I wish you well during this stressful time, offer you a friendly reminder too: don't forget to take care of you. Do something nice for you. I like to say it "Gift your future self" and it can be something little that you do that really proves helpful for you tomorrow.

Boundava

08-09-2019, 01:40 PM

T I think a friend and I will be going to Kansas City soon - Cheesecake Factory, IKEA and Trader Joe's. I told my husband to get ready to hand over his wallet. Momma needs some retail therapy. lol

:lmao: That sounds like a perfect way to gift yourself! Just don't get lost in IKEA ( I always do-there is just so much to see!) I am lucky there are Trader Joe's all around here, I have two I can shop at depending on how I go home Fridays. I have never been in a Cheescake Factory...though we have a few around.

showmebutterfly

08-09-2019, 05:40 PM

I'm ok with getting lost in IKEA. lol We'll go there after lunch so we can walk off our cheesecake. The food is average at The Cheesecake Factory, but the cheesecakes are worth the visit. Their slices are huge, so you could definitely share with a friend (or sibling) if you wanted. The Trader Joe's in Kansas City is the closest one to me, but worth the 3 hour drive to stock up on some of their frozen items that I can't get anywhere else.

:lmao: That sounds like a perfect way to gift yourself! Just don't get lost in IKEA ( I always do-there is just so much to see!) I am lucky there are Trader Joe's all around here, I have two I can shop at depending on how I go home Fridays. I have never been in a Cheescake Factory...though we have a few around.

Kirstin_orion113

08-10-2019, 01:47 AM

Will this work for a 20 gal long just using a hose into a bucket?

showmebutterfly

08-11-2019, 11:52 AM

Will this work for a 20 gal long just using a hose into a bucket?I am unsure what you're referring to working. Water change or something else?

showmebutterfly

08-11-2019, 12:04 PM

Fun times. Friday they removed 3 windows and cut the doorway to the addition. The air conditioner ran all day like crazy and froze up sometime yesterday. We've got it shut off for now. My tank temp at 6:30 this morning was 83.7. I've gotten the temp down to 82.9. I can be on ice bottle patrol today, but can't take off work this week. Hopefully, the AC will be up and running again by tomorrow.

Slaphppy7

08-11-2019, 01:57 PM

Uh-oh....can't they board up the openings temporarily?

showmebutterfly

08-11-2019, 03:01 PM

Uh-oh....can't they board up the openings temporarily?The windows were boarded up before they left for the day and a temporary door installed. The AC just got overworked in the meantime. Hopefully after a bit of rest the AC will work again.

Slaphppy7

08-11-2019, 04:04 PM

I see...there's no way we could make it down here w/out AC this time of year...last few days temps have reached around 100F, and humidity in the 60's

showmebutterfly

08-11-2019, 05:10 PM

I see...there's no way we could make it down here w/out AC this time of year...last few days temps have reached around 100F, and humidity in the 60'sIt's been pretty close to that here too. Just miserable. I'm so ready for cooler weather.
Our AC is working again. It just needed to thaw out. We'll baby it along and keep it turned up a bit to keep it from having to run continuously while the house is getting buttoned up properly. But I will definitely have more frozen water bottles on hand, just in case.

Kirstin_orion113

08-11-2019, 08:00 PM

Will this work for a 20 gal long just using a hose into a bucket?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GJCE2X4/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A2EXFKIKXHAYVX&psc=1

Kirstin_orion113

08-11-2019, 08:06 PM

I am unsure what you're referring to working. Water change or something else?

Whoops I fixed it!

showmebutterfly

08-12-2019, 02:52 PM

I'm not sure. I don't have an RODI unit yet. Slaphppy7 you have a unit, correct? What do you think?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GJCE2X4/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A2EXFKIKXHAYVX&psc=1

BluewaterBoof

08-12-2019, 03:38 PM

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GJCE2X4/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A2EXFKIKXHAYVX&psc=1

Yes, that is sufficient for a 20long tank. I have one of similar GPH rating (different brand, though) and it has served me well for the last two years. Usually takes around 75-80mins to fill up an orange 5gal Home Depot bucket up to the 4gal mark. In my 20long reef with sand and rockwork a 4gal water change usually worked out to be around a 40% water change. Your mileage may vary depending on what % you want to change in your particular setup and what size buckets you have.

showmebutterfly

08-12-2019, 05:52 PM

Kirstin_orion113

08-12-2019, 08:56 PM

I'm not sure. I don't have an RODI unit yet. Slaphppy7 you have a unit, correct? What do you think?

You can have a saltwater tank without an RO/DI filter system?

Kirstin_orion113

08-12-2019, 09:01 PM

Yes, that is sufficient for a 20long tank. I have one of similar GPH rating (different brand, though) and it has served me well for the last two years. Usually takes around 75-80mins to fill up an orange 5gal Home Depot bucket up to the 4gal mark. In my 20long reef with sand and rockwork a 4gal water change usually worked out to be around a 40% water change. Your mileage may vary depending on what % you want to change in your particular setup and what size buckets you have.

Awesome and wow 1 hour to fill a 5 gal bucket? That takes a lot longer than I expected! Do you age your water also or is that not necessary for sw? And it will be a 20 long with sand and live rock (already established from lfs) got a deal on it for $3.99 a lb. I haven’t even started the tank yet however I am making sure I will have everything I need to get it started. And I will also be using a 5 gal bucket.

showmebutterfly

08-12-2019, 11:46 PM

I posted a reply earlier, but don't know where it went. But, yes, you can have a SW tank without an RO/DI filter system. It's not recommended and may contribute to algae issues, but it can be done. I've been using our well water for almost 4 years. I am currently battling red bubble algae and green hair algae. Part of that is new tank issues, since I just set this current tank up a few months ago, part of it is probably from my well water and some of it might be caused by my lighting.

You can have a saltwater tank without an RO/DI filter system?

BluewaterBoof

08-13-2019, 02:54 PM

Awesome and wow 1 hour to fill a 5 gal bucket? That takes a lot longer than I expected! Do you age your water also or is that not necessary for sw?

Closer to an hour and a half, and that's even faster than the gallon-per-day rating (only 50) listed on my RODI unit. If you spend more and get a 100+ GPD rated system it will make the water faster. It all depends on what your budget is.

I age my water but I'm not really consistent with it. Sometimes I just let it churn in the bucket with a pump and heater until it is up to temperature, other times I will let it churn for a day or two but that's more out of sheer laziness than anything else. I have never noticed a difference between letting the water age or not. I just make sure the salt is completely mixed and the temp matches the display tank and I'm good to go.

showmebutterfly

08-13-2019, 03:32 PM

I usually mix up my saltwater a few hours before I'm going to use it. Sometimes, if I'm more organized than usual, I'll mix it up the day before. I always test the salinity in both the tank and the bucket(s) of new saltwater to make sure they match before doing a water change.

showmebutterfly

08-13-2019, 03:55 PM

Having just upgraded from the 40 breeder to the 65 gallon, I have already been giving serious thought to downsizing. I like all the open swimming space of the larger tank, but I hate being up to my armpit in water whenever I need to do something with the rocks or coral and, for whatever reason, I'm finding the size of the tank intimidating. I don't know if it's the height alone or something else. The 65 gallon is a lot more scratched up than I realized too. Mostly that doesn't bother me, except for when light hits it in a way that makes all the scratches more noticeable, but they are another strike against it.
I love the look of 75 gallon tanks and always thought I'd aspire to have one of those, but now I'm not so sure. I would likely find that size overwhelming too, even though they are a more manageable height.
I'll muddle along with this tank for a while, but I am thinking about other options. I don't think I want to go back to a 40 breeder. I'm researching cubes, all in one tanks, Red Sea Reefer set ups, etc. My mind keeps veering toward 29 gallons, but I'm not sure if I want to go that small. There's a 37 gallon tank for sale locally, same footprint as 29, but taller. I like the gallon size, but know I won't like the height. Maybe it's because I'm vertically challenged? Maybe my arms are too short. Maybe I'm just too picky. Maybe I'm too demanding. Maybe I'm never satisfied. Maybe we all need a little purple rain?
I've got time to think and plan and change my mind a thousand times. I may grow to love the 65 gallon tank, scratches and all, but I don't see it as being my grow old with me tank.
Anyway. That's today's ramble. (blush)

showmebutterfly

01-07-2020, 08:46 PM

I'm back again. Our home addition passed final inspection on 2nd attempt New Year's eve. We are mostly through with contractors, but have quite a long to-do list for ourselves. One of them, for me, is tearing down the 65g reef and downsizing to a 29g. I bought a used stand back in the fall. It's since been reinforced and painted black. This is before painting.

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Over Thanksgiving weekend we went out of town and came home to a cold tank. I had 2 heaters. One had broken and the other apparently couldn't keep up. I've since lost most of my corals and quite a few fish. The 65 was already being horribly neglected during the time our kitchen and laundry room were being remodeled, then I had stomach surgery November 11th and broke my ankle December 1st. On December 15th, I managed to do some much needed tank maintenance and a large water change. This is after 2 days of pulling out green hair algae and cleaning the best I could while hobbling around.

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After finding out Petco was having a $1 per gallon sale and that we'd passed final inspection, I bought a celebratory 29 gallon tank for our new master bathroom. Over the weekend I got the tank set up in its new home and DIY'd a whateveryouwanttocallit for hanging my T5 light fixture above the tank. Leak testing has commenced.

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Boundava

01-07-2020, 10:11 PM

Sorry to hear that you hurt yourself but I'm glad surgery went well. Lots of stuff done your house huh, glad the inspection passed and you can move on with finishing up the house. Thank you so much for the update don't be a stranger.

showmebutterfly

01-07-2020, 10:19 PM

Thank you, Natalie. I'm hoping things are finally settling down. I'm trying to get caught up on your basement build thread and hope you are doing well.

Sorry to hear that you hurt yourself but I'm glad surgery went well. Lots of stuff done your house huh, glad the inspection passed and you can move on with finishing up the house. Thank you so much for the update don't be a stranger.

Slaphppy7

01-08-2020, 02:21 PM

Welcome back, stranger...sorry to hear of the health issues, but sounds like things are coming back together again

showmebutterfly

01-08-2020, 05:01 PM

Thank you, Matt. The last half of 2019 was rough. We were glad to see it end and are hoping for a quieter, healthier and less stressful 2020! I hope you and your family are doing well too.

Welcome back, stranger...sorry to hear of the health issues, but sounds like things are coming back together again

Boundava

01-08-2020, 07:03 PM

Thank you, Natalie. I'm hoping things are finally settling down. I'm trying to get caught up on your basement build thread and hope you are doing well.

We (Sis and I) decided to break down a rack or two and set up less tanks. We are somewhat in limbo, 50% possibility we may be moving in a year or two for a few reasons, but depends on what and when we can get together to see if my Dad can commit to something other than "he can't keep living like this"...:doh: He seems to want to move in to a home together, then he pulls Florida out of the air again...to say its frustrating is not even close to accurate. In case you forgot he decided to not move in with us two year(ish) ago but get a home in the area with his mom (our grandma)who was somewhat self sufficient. A couple months ago she got pneumonia and was in the hospital for a week-ish and went home and has not been able to sleep thru the night or take care of herself. This means Dad hasn't been able to sleep thru the night or in his bed since she got home. Also has was working PT as a consultant to make some extra $$ with his SS, but he cannot leave grandma home. There is a service that comes in twice a week for 6 hours which allows him to go shopping but otherwise he can't leave the house.

Its a rock/hard place situation...we are trying to figure what's best but he has always been hard to commit to anything and has gotten worse with the constant stress and lack of sleep.

showmebutterfly

01-08-2020, 08:04 PM

I know how very stressful it can be when you feel like a lot / most of the decision making process is out of your hands. Hopefully y'all won't need to move, but even if you do end up moving, don't put your life on hold now for what might or might not happen down the road. I know it's cliché, but nobody knows what tomorrow holds.
I'm sad to hear that your grandmother's health is failing. How is she taking losing her independence? It's good that your dad is getting some respite care, even if it's just a few hours a week. My husband was his mother's caregiver for many years and I helped out where I could when we were dating, so I know how difficult and stressful that can be. She is in a nursing home now and getting the care we could no longer proved once she lost her mobility. I don't know if your family has had that conversation yet, but it might be something to start thinking about.

We (Sis and I) decided to break down a rack or two and set up less tanks. We are somewhat in limbo, 50% possibility we may be moving in a year or two for a few reasons, but depends on what and when we can get together to see if my Dad can commit to something other than "he can't keep living like this"...:doh: He seems to want to move in to a home together, then he pulls Florida out of the air again...to say its frustrating is not even close to accurate. In case you forgot he decided to not move in with us two year(ish) ago but get a home in the area with his mom (our grandma)who was somewhat self sufficient. A couple months ago she got pneumonia and was in the hospital for a week-ish and went home and has not been able to sleep thru the night or take care of herself. This means Dad hasn't been able to sleep thru the night or in his bed since she got home. Also has was working PT as a consultant to make some extra $$ with his SS, but he cannot leave grandma home. There is a service that comes in twice a week for 6 hours which allows him to go shopping but otherwise he can't leave the house.

Its a rock/hard place situation...we are trying to figure what's best but he has always been hard to commit to anything and has gotten worse with the constant stress and lack of sleep.

Boundava

01-08-2020, 10:52 PM

Grandma speaks 0 English, has severe dementia and has only bare minimum social security. No one has been able to help us find a way to get her in a nursing home. We are waiting on Medicare but she may not live too much longer as she is starting to deteriorate physically too.

showmebutterfly

01-09-2020, 02:34 PM

That really is a rock / hard place situation! Not to be all up in your business, but has she tried applying for state Medicaid? Sometimes that is easier to obtain and will cover nursing home expense. It might be worth looking into, although the language barrier between her and nursing home staff would be another concern and I have no idea how that would be addressed. My heart goes out to you and your family. For what it's worth, I'm sending you all a big virtual hug.

Grandma speaks 0 English, has severe dementia and has only bare minimum social security. No one has been able to help us find a way to get her in a nursing home. We are waiting on Medicare but she may not live too much longer as she is starting to deteriorate physically too.

showmebutterfly

01-09-2020, 02:55 PM

I got my dual T5 fixture rigged up and like how the new setup is coming together. Operation tank transfer may get started this weekend.

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Boundava

01-09-2020, 04:07 PM

Oooo it looks great! thumbs2:

Sis and I may be slipping to the salty side...her Fish Planet manager friend gave her a sump w/skimmer/overflow setup a couple months ago and with the 37 cube I got we have some ideas for a nano reef tank with some corals and a couple small inhabitants. Working on the funding for the light and inhabitants, the two corals we were looking at (hammer and zoa, maybe a pulsating in the sump if we want to pay for another light) would be about $200, not to mention the fish/shrimp and the one light- also $200.

BTW, that's what Dad is working on, the state medicaid. There was a snafuu with my Grandma's SS# so they had to re-issue her one so that my dad could apply for her. Not sure the logistics since she has been getting SS benefits for +/-30 years but that is my Grandfather's benefits so :shrug:.

:smack: Enough hijacking, so sorry (blush)

showmebutterfly

01-09-2020, 04:56 PM

Come on over to the salty side. The water is fine over here. :wink: As with anything, you can find budget friendly ways or more costly ways to get started. I'm all about budget friendly.

This is the light I'm using. It came with bulbs and was less than $50 for a 36" fixture. It's nothing fancy, but gives my corals the light they need and T5 bulbs have been a reefing staple for many years.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016X3B1B4/ref=twister_B01L2JK57A?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Also... no problem with the hijacking! :-)

Oooo it looks great! thumbs2:

Sis and I may be slipping to the salty side...her Fish Planet manager friend gave her a sump w/skimmer/overflow setup a couple months ago and with the 37 cube I got we have some ideas for a nano reef tank with some corals and a couple small inhabitants. Working on the funding for the light and inhabitants, the two corals we were looking at (hammer and zoa, maybe a pulsating in the sump if we want to pay for another light) would be about $200, not to mention the fish/shrimp and the one light- also $200.

BTW, that's what Dad is working on, the state medicaid. There was a snafuu with my Grandma's SS# so they had to re-issue her one so that my dad could apply for her. Not sure the logistics since she has been getting SS benefits for +/-30 years but that is my Grandfather's benefits so :shrug:.

:smack: Enough hijacking, so sorry (blush)

showmebutterfly

01-09-2020, 05:56 PM

My husband just called to ask where I keep my aquarium tongs for the saltwater tank. When I asked why, he said he was trying to cover the new aquarium with a towel to keep out sheetrock dust and accidentally knocked the eggcrate on top into the water. He didn't want to just stick his hand in the tank to get it out. What he didn't realize is that it's just tap water in the tank and it's got to be cleaned out anyway before saltwater is added. But bless his heart for being concerned and considerate! It makes me feel good to know that he is listening and paying some attention when I ramble on about tank stuff.

Boundava

01-10-2020, 12:40 PM

That is very sweet of him!

showmebutterfly

01-16-2020, 03:36 PM

The Inkbird heater controller is helping keep the new tank's temperature steady and some of the LPS are starting to make a comeback. I am so happy to see some life emerging from the coral skeletons!
I plan on getting another rock or two moved over this weekend from the 65. Transferring the live rock will be slow going since I don't want to rush moving my fish from the 65. The clownfish can be a bit of a jerk, so I'd like to get any new fish established in the 29 before moving him/her over.

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showmebutterfly

01-29-2020, 07:08 PM

We've been working on the house, mostly moving my craft room from the attic to the basement and getting that situated, so not much has been going on with the new setup. All the corals are continuing to look healthier and I'm starting to see diatoms on the sand and some algae growth here and there. Last night I added an emerald crab, a blue-legged hermit crab and 3 astrea snails to begin building my CUC. Tonight I'm hoping to get another live rock out of the 65g and get most of the green hair algae cleaned off so it can be added to the new 29g. It's definitely slow going. Maybe even slower than I planned, but that's ok too. I've been looking at auto top offs and plan on adding one soon. This is the first tank I've had without a glass lid and the daily evaporation is considerable.

In other fishy news, I may get to go to the new St. Louis aquarium at the end of February, the Dallas Aquarium in mid-March and the Tornado Alley Reef Expo in early April. I'm excited and hope it all works out for me to go to each of them.

Boundava

01-30-2020, 06:08 PM

showmebutterfly

02-04-2020, 03:44 PM

Glad the corals are doing well. Slow is good, no need to rush. Good news on the house too, are all of the other renovations done or are you doing something in the attic too?

That's neat about the fishy road trips. Its always fun to look forward to future trips, especially when it involves fish.

Thank you, Nat. We have 2 attic bedrooms and they'll be set up for guests, in hopes that the kids and grandkid(s) will visit more often. The larger of the 2 bedrooms got a bit wrecked since they had to take out the windows and put in a different one to accommodate the pitch of the addition's roof. We had planned to paint the walls and rip out the old, beat down shag carpet in that room anyway, but now there's a little more work to do. Most of the stuff on my to-do lists involves painting, paint touch-ups, making curtains and decorative touches. Most of the stuff on my husband's to-do list involves power tools and heavy lifting. lol With him working weekends and us not having a lot of time to work on things together, it's slow going, but we'll get there.
AND...speaking of grandkids - our sweet grandson is 3 years old today! We're hoping they can come for a visit this spring, so we can take Ben back to 'Dollar City' in Branson before his baby brother arrives in May. :binkybaby:

showmebutterfly

02-04-2020, 04:05 PM

Ignore the mess everywhere - living in progress.

Living room - cats waiting for morning treats from my husband

57828

New kitchen (former dining room) - still a work in progress

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New laundry room (former kitchen)

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New master bedroom addition - pic taken shortly after we'd moved in furniture

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New master bathroom addition

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New basement craft room (former master bedroom)

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Slaphppy7

02-04-2020, 04:18 PM

It all came out great, nice job you two.

showmebutterfly

02-04-2020, 04:25 PM

Thank you, Matt. It was a very long 8 months and it seems a little surreal to have our house back to ourselves. Soon all the tools, paint and boxes will be put away and we can relax.. or start another project. lol

It all came out great, nice job you two.

Boundava

02-04-2020, 04:38 PM

I agree, looks wonderful! Give those furry kids a scratch under their chin from me, lol. They have to be happy it all done too.

showmebutterfly

02-04-2020, 04:56 PM

Thank you. They are so glad all the noise and strangers are gone! Our black cat, Betty, would run and hide and stay hidden until about an hour after everyone had left for the day. She was the most traumatized. Bonnie, the gray and white one, went and hid at first, but she's old and only has 3 legs - her need for comfort overcame her fear, so she eventually got where she would stay on one of her cushions and try to ignore everyone. Buster, the orange tabby, got over his initial fear and was his usual into everything self - inspecting / supervising, stealing pencils and just generally being a cute nuisance. Pepper, our maltese, stayed in her crate or glued to our sides. Everyone is much more chill these days, including myself and my husband.

I agree, looks wonderful! Give those furry kids a scratch under their chin from me, lol. They have to be happy it all done too.

showmebutterfly

02-10-2020, 04:42 PM

Some pics from Saturday.

Before moving stuff around:

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After adding rock and moving stuff around:

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Sunday we spent the day driving to, attending and driving home from our grandson's third birthday party. :driving: :birthday: :driving:

I'll be off work on Wednesday and hope to spend the afternoon aquascaping the new tank and cleaning up the old one.

Boundava

02-10-2020, 08:20 PM

Looks really good, love the hole in the center. Can't wait to see the results after Wednesday! Enjoy your day off if we don't hear from you until then.

showmebutterfly

02-10-2020, 09:50 PM

Thank you!

Looks really good, love the hole in the center. Can't wait to see the results after Wednesday! Enjoy your day off if we don't hear from you until then.

showmebutterfly

02-13-2020, 02:29 PM

The aquascape in the new downsized reef tank is coming along. I'm not happy with the right side yet, but will leave it be for now.

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My little zoas are doing better. The frogspawn has recovered and is all fat and happy.

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These have made a full recovery as well, green frogspawn and purple hammer corals.

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Kirstin_orion113

02-13-2020, 02:56 PM

It will look better on the right side with some coral growth! Give it some time! Looking good!

showmebutterfly

02-13-2020, 04:08 PM

Thank you! I want to try to make an arch in that area, but may just leave it alone. We'll see if it starts bugging me or not. It's definitely more challenging to move rocks around when there are already corals attached. On the bright side, it's also easier when you don't have a clownfish trying to bite you. lol

It will look better on the right side with some coral growth! Give it some time! Looking good!

showmebutterfly

02-14-2020, 04:57 PM

Last night my husband used his dremel to cut off a section of the tank's trim so I could fit the new skimmer over the rim. I had to raise the water level for it to work properly, but it's running like a champ.
Our clownfish and cardinalfish are hanging out in the 10 gallon holding tank with the extra rocks from the 65g. In sorting through all the shells from the bottom of that tank I discovered that one red-legged hermit crab and one nassarius snail had survived the GHA apocalypse. They got moved to the new tank and were happily checking out their new digs last night.
The equipment on the 29g, so far: Aqueon Quietflow 55/75 HOB filter, Eheim Jager 100W heater, Ink Bird temperature controller, Hydor Koralia Nano 565 circulation pump, Bubble Magus QQ1 protein skimmer, 36" Odyssea dual T5 light fixture with one actinic bulb (whatever brand that came with the fixture) and one ATI AquaBlue Special bulb. I think that's everything for now.