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Author Topic: Vicki's 40b  (Read 26182 times)

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Offline vickiwilson

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Vicki's 40b
« on: December 24, 2013, 19:34:12 »
So I've been sitting on this new build for about 3months, it took ages to get it started and keep the momentum going. 

I bought a 40b awhile back for the incredibly reasonable price of $33 due to a pricing error at petsmart and I've been building a stand for it ever since.







I have doors to finish off and then I'll be varnishing it, I can't wait for it to be done!

I'm planning on a 20g sump and have all the plumbing materials I need.  I'm also making a custom overflow and am going to be using herbie design.  Ive got to try and find some place that can drill my tank, I have the drill bit but am far too much of a chicken to do it myself. 

Stocking plans include moving the majority of corals from the 20g I have in to the new tank, I will be getting new rock and dipping the hell out of all my corals to get rid of the flatworms that have plagued my life for almost 2 years.  I'll also be moving my 3 fish over  and plan to add a watchman goby and possibly a wrasse.

Offline Mussin

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #1 on: December 24, 2013, 19:56:44 »
Impressive stand! Looks very nice.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #2 on: December 24, 2013, 19:59:57 »
Thank you.  I had considered glass doors so i could make a display sump and might still do that at a later date but the wood doors i have now will do; i'm sick of waiting for it to be finished, i want to get my tank wet!

Offline Twizted1

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #3 on: December 24, 2013, 20:45:10 »
Looks good.

Offline Bucknutz

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #4 on: December 24, 2013, 21:03:30 »
Looking very nice...will be following along.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #5 on: December 24, 2013, 22:45:12 »
Thanks.  I have to give credit to my dad for helping me with the stand build, he's an extra set of hands and did all the power saw work (he's afraid i'll cut off a hand if i use the bigger power tools).

Offline itsalifestyle

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #6 on: December 25, 2013, 01:08:21 »
Looks great

Offline Phoenix7506

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #7 on: December 28, 2013, 04:05:59 »
Looking good!

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #8 on: December 29, 2013, 16:33:03 »
Thanks,  I should get the stand painted this week and moved into my house next weekend, then just plumbing to do and I can get it wet finally.   

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2014, 15:18:46 »
Stand was stained and I hated how it came it so I remanded it and varnished it instead. The wood grain has retained some of the stain but in a way that makes it look really cool as opposed to looking like a demented tiger which it's slit,y how it looked last week.

After staining and sanding



2 coats of varnish



I've made my overflow box, I might need to trim a bit off before I silicone it together.  Then drill the holes in the tank and finally install the overflow box. 

Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #10 on: January 10, 2014, 16:36:49 »
like the way it looks always enjoyed wood grain keep on reefing vic

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #11 on: January 16, 2014, 17:42:53 »
Plumbing Is almost done.  I still need a few connector barbs which will be order and should arrive next week.  I'm planning an few leak test at work early next week and finishing off the doors will happen then too. 




Offline Twizted1

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #12 on: January 16, 2014, 18:56:42 »
Just be very very careful when moving the tank with that pipe sticking down. That puts a lot of stress on that panel. And just a little pressure will break the tank. Just speaking from experience. 

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #13 on: January 16, 2014, 19:09:11 »
I thought about that, the only bits of plumbing that will be in when moving the tank are the bulkheads and the elbows inside the overflow box, everything else will come out for transportation.  That's also why the pipes are sitting on the tank until the leak test.  Ill probably end up putting bubble wrap or something inside the overflow to keep everything secure when moving it; luckily it will only be in the car for about a 3 minute drive.  I plan on getting some brackets to secure the pipes to the stand so they don't move around at all esp. when I have to adjust the age valve.

Offline Wall_Tank

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #14 on: January 16, 2014, 19:24:45 »
On thin tanks, I cut a large piece of acrylic to double up on the thickness that the bulkhead goes through.   Not sure how much it helps, but it makes me feel better.

Offline Bucknutz

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #15 on: January 16, 2014, 19:30:09 »
On thin tanks, I cut a large piece of acrylic to double up on the thickness that the bulkhead goes through.   Not sure how much it helps, but it makes me feel better.

Not a bad idea and could have saved one of my triple 30's that cracked right at the bulkhead.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #16 on: January 16, 2014, 19:42:09 »
On thin tanks, I cut a large piece of acrylic to double up on the thickness that the bulkhead goes through.   Not sure how much it helps, but it makes me feel better.

That's a really great idea, my dads been helping me with it and he said this morning he was sure he was going to find the glass cracked between the bulkheads when he came to work.  I bet using a spare bit of plastic would at least put his mind at rest. 

Thanks for the suggestion!

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #17 on: January 24, 2014, 20:20:15 »
It's finally wet!   :be happy:

Okay, so it's only a fw leak test but still the is water running through pipes and nothing leaks and everything works just like it should.  I am very happy.



I have to wait until next week, probably next weekend at this rate for my dad to come back from vacation so we can move the stand and tank to my house.

I've come up with stocking plans while I have been waiting.  I'm moving the 3 fish I have and plan on getting a school of 5 pj cardinals. 

Offline Bucknutz

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #18 on: January 24, 2014, 20:30:25 »
I've come up with stocking plans while I have been waiting.  I'm moving the 3 fish I have and plan on getting a school of 5 pj cardinals.

Congrats! Cardinals would be cool, and it's very likely they will successfully reproduce in your tank.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #19 on: January 24, 2014, 20:38:22 »
Thanks!  I thought they'd add a nice touch of movement and it'd be interesting to watch them interact.  My clowns tend to stay close to the rocks or tank sides and while the damsel is active he's alone and is skittish.  It would be very cool if they bred, I doubt I'd raise any fry but it would be great to see.

Offline Bucknutz

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #20 on: January 24, 2014, 20:44:41 »
Thanks!  I thought they'd add a nice touch of movement and it'd be interesting to watch them interact.  My clowns tend to stay close to the rocks or tank sides and while the damsel is active he's alone and is skittish.  It would be very cool if they bred, I doubt I'd raise any fry but it would be great to see.

The male cardinal would raise them in his mouth until they're big enough to be released.

google image.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #21 on: January 24, 2014, 20:54:54 »
I had no idea they were mouth brooders, very cool!  Now I definitely have to get some and then hope they have little ones. 

Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #22 on: January 25, 2014, 08:10:01 »
Looks very good nice setup you will be happy and proud good job reef on

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #23 on: January 29, 2014, 11:41:17 »
Tank will be wet with saltwater this weekend!  I've been working on the new scape.  I still need to pick up some new live rock to seed the tank and I still have a big gap at one side I'm not sure what to do with yet.  However, what I have so far I like. It's got what I'm looking for, space for fish swimming, room for coral growth, its off the tank walls so I can get in and clean.  It's also got lots of nice hiding spots for Bingley who likes to sleep in a cave. 





So far around 15lbs of very porous reefcleaners base rock.

Offline chromiumlux

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #24 on: January 29, 2014, 20:12:20 »
Very nice! Tagging along.
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Offline lazylivin

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #25 on: January 30, 2014, 00:36:11 »
It looks great, nice job.

Offline Twizted1

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #26 on: January 30, 2014, 08:51:02 »
Love this build. Can't wait to see it wet.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #27 on: January 30, 2014, 09:35:50 »
Thanks everyone.  I can't wait either! 

New supply of salt should come today and new nano mag!  I usually don't store RODI water, I just make it as I need it but I've been making up and storing water all week.  Who knew it would take this long to make 60 gallons of water?!

(Edited for crazy iPad autocorrect)
« Last Edit: January 30, 2014, 21:39:17 by vickiwilson »

Offline itsalifestyle

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #28 on: January 30, 2014, 17:15:45 »
looks great

Offline cbenner

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #29 on: January 30, 2014, 17:37:30 »
Looking good!

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #30 on: January 30, 2014, 21:40:50 »
Thanks!

I cleared a great spot for the system in my living room today, bookshelves are heavy and I am tiny so moving it took longer than I thought, but its done.  Going to try and convince my dad that the stand needs to move tomorrow :)

Offline vickiwilson

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Moving day!
« Reply #31 on: February 01, 2014, 21:00:20 »
Moving day finally came.  It took me and my dad about 40 minutes and 2 trips to load the stand, tank and all that goes along with it into his van and drive it to my house then unload it all.   



I can't quite believe its finally here!  It's like Christmas without the huge meal and with a sore back from lugging a huge stand.



My plan was to get some cerameco rock bit that looks like it has fallen through so now I have a nice open space.  I could leave it like it is, more swimming space for the fish, maybe a spot for a clam down the line.  I do plan on putting live rock there to seed the tank through the cycle and then either leave it or move it to the sump.  I need a nice open space for the green devils hand I have to grow, it's getting slightly huge so I'd like to give it some room.  I really want to see how big this thing can get!


Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #32 on: February 01, 2014, 21:10:47 »
looking very good not long now till i can have some of those zoas it will be Christmas for me when i get them never seen any like them WANT SOME OF THEM  !!

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #33 on: February 01, 2014, 21:14:01 »
Thanks! 

I've been doing planning and such with regards to the corals and I was planning on snipping a few of them off and seeing if i could make zoa frags (never done it before).  I need to get some stainless steel sharp scissors and I'll let you know when and if I succeed. 

Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #34 on: February 01, 2014, 22:20:13 »
You cold just sell me the colony for a good price or was you going to take some to the frag swap in March

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #35 on: February 01, 2014, 22:27:21 »
I wasn't going to take any to the swap but the colony is attached to 2 large rocks and is a bit infested with Majano.  When I frag I'm going to take only polyps tht re nowhere near Majano so no one gets that menace from my tank. 

Offline Twizted1

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #36 on: February 01, 2014, 22:33:41 »
That's going to be such a nice set up. I'm drooling. Waiting to see it wet.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #37 on: February 01, 2014, 22:39:24 »
It is wet, been wet for about 3 hours; right now it's cloudy from the salt mixing. I'm super paranoid that the plumbing is all going to fall apart during the night, even though its stuck together.  I bet I'm up at least every hour checking on it. 

Offline Twizted1

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #38 on: February 01, 2014, 23:08:52 »
It is wet, been wet for about 3 hours; right now it's cloudy from the salt mixing. I'm super paranoid that the plumbing is all going to fall apart during the night, even though its stuck together.  I bet I'm up at least every hour checking on it.

I was the same way with every tank I've set up. But that's not a bad thing. After a couple of days, it will pass.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #39 on: February 02, 2014, 08:16:20 »
Paranoia was a good thing.  The pipe from one of the bulkheads has a drip, luckily I put a cup under to catch the water, I guess I'll have to seal it with something today. 

My tank is a microbubble haven, but its quite as a mouse. 

Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #40 on: February 02, 2014, 10:17:59 »
do you have filter socks on your drain line from the tank ? and y do you have the micro bubbles is the water falling causing this /like dropping a distance to cause bubbles from the fall ?

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #41 on: February 02, 2014, 11:54:22 »
I don't have a filter sock on yet, I will once I make a holder for it. Microbubbles might be because its a new tank, it's probably because I have nothing in the sumps stopping it happening yet; the plan is to put a fuge inside the sump so the flat surfaces of the box will help stop the microbubbles. 

The heater I was going to use has crapped out so I've ordered a new one, I guess it won't start cycling until Thursday.  Boo!

Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #42 on: February 02, 2014, 13:23:01 »
cool i did not know reef on

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #43 on: February 20, 2014, 17:26:44 »
Almost there...





Sand and rocks have a diatom bloom happening, coralline is growing in purple on the overflow and green on the rocks.  There's not even a light over this tank, it must be getting enough light from the 20g sitting next to it. 

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #44 on: March 15, 2014, 19:02:34 »
Cuc and the two clowns are in the 40b, it took ages to catch both the clowns and I couldn't catch the damsel, he's swimming around the 20g looking lost and forlorn. 





I should be starting to move the corals over next weekend.

Offline Twizted1

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #45 on: March 15, 2014, 19:07:02 »
Very nice.

Offline Bucknutz

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #46 on: March 15, 2014, 20:52:01 »
looking great Vicki.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #47 on: March 15, 2014, 21:01:38 »
Thanks guys!  It's coming together slowly but nicely. 

Offline matt78goins

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #48 on: March 15, 2014, 21:19:53 »
Tank is looking great.  I especially like the rock work.  Very nice.

Offline chromiumlux

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #49 on: March 15, 2014, 23:32:31 »
Lookin good!
Chromiumlux

Offline Westeri

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #50 on: March 17, 2014, 14:56:07 »
Looks nice, and that isn't slow progress (in my opinion), probably just feels that way to you.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #51 on: March 17, 2014, 16:59:21 »
Thanks!

I started it in october, it feels like forever!  I know only a month with water in doesn't feel slow but its still not ll transferred.  Soon though, soon!

Offline vickiwilson

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I LOVE FRAG SWAPS!
« Reply #52 on: March 29, 2014, 16:30:10 »
I really do love frag swaps, even though the weather was  atrocious i still had a great time. 

Just going to post some photos of my purchases so i can track their progress.  Everything is in qt, i have learned that lesson and will not make those mistakes again!

Forest fire:



Bird of paradise:  in the middle of the pic



and my first clam  :-*  A little squamosa that i bought from Akron corals.  I know my tank is probably not mature enough but by the time this sits in qt and then is moved i think it should be fine. 



Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #53 on: April 16, 2014, 21:18:56 »
The tank had an episode of RTN today and i can't figure out what the issue is.  I tested everything yesterday and all was fine (couldn't test ca as the test kit ran out half way through the test so i'll have to order a new one); i rechecked alk and sg today as my 2 main suspects, even re-calibrated the refractometer and both are normal.  I can't figure it out.  Can too much light cause RTN? 

I lost my aspera frag, a small piece of mille and possibly my pokerstar monti. The pokerstar didn't look great but wasn't down to the bone yet so i moved it back into QT.

I did a 10g water change and will mix more water for another in a few days.  I'm a bit frustrated and annoyed.  My 20g might have been a cesspit but at least things didn't just up and die.

Offline Steve

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #54 on: April 16, 2014, 21:31:49 »
ALk High, alk low. Mag high mag low. Change in light change in flow, looked at them the wrong way. Acros can be very moody and sometimes seem to RTN for no apparent reason. This I know, that they don't like change and some are more temperamental than others. Hope all works out for you. As your hardier SPS start to mature and get established then look at adding some more.

And yes, too much light can definitely cause RTN and bleaching.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #55 on: April 16, 2014, 22:05:09 »
I checked the ALK and it was fine, i didn't check the mag but i will.  It's either too high light which means tomorrow i will put eggcrate over the tank and reduce the light to see how that helps, or a change in flow.  The flow is very low right now but i have another powerhead on the way, yesterday i moved the one powerhead to the other end of the tank to see if that would help with the flow for the sps so that's probably what caused it.  i'd forgotten i'd done that :(  boo, silly sps bleaching and being moody.

I've got a few more of my sps (a huge monticap and a few others) in qt for flatworms right now and i'm glad they weren't in the tank today. 

Offline Steve

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #56 on: April 16, 2014, 22:12:21 »
High light change can for sure cause this, faster than anything else in my experience.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #57 on: April 17, 2014, 06:48:55 »
Yeah, i think that and a flow combo caused this.  Overnight the pokerstar croaked, I'll pull it from the tank when I feed.  Everything else looks okay for now, I've cut some eggcrate and popped it on the top of the tank. 

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #58 on: April 17, 2014, 20:27:04 »
Goodbye forest fire digi, I barely knew you :*(

I checked the parameters today and there's been a slight ammonia spike, possibly from the dead corals but it might also have caused the RTN, doubt it though since I checked yesterday and nothing.  I'm mixing water to do another 15 g change tomorrow. 

Everything else looks okay for now, fish are still alive luckily. 

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #59 on: April 18, 2014, 18:10:30 »
I think i have discovered the route of the problems.  I've been moving things around and getting new items to try to figure out what has been going on (and of course testing testing testing!)  Well i bought a few new thermometers to change out the old ones since one of them has lost the sucker and just floats around.  The old thermometer was reading 80 degrees, the new one showed 75/76... no wonder everything is pissed and dying, the tank is cold!  I've got the heater turned up and a few bags of warm water floating to bring the temp up, that plus the wc should fix things. 

It also looks like i might lose the bird of paradise i bought at the swap but at this point if anything survives i'll be happy.

The clam i bought was moved into the 20 g yesterday as it was looking peaky.  I suspected pinched mantle but speaking to the clam expert on nanoreef and showing him photos he didn't think that was the issue, he said it might be starving for nutrients so i moved it to the 20 hoping the cesspit water might help.  It's still looking bad but the inside flesh has puffed up and the mantle is peaking out so i have a tiny hope for recovery.  Of course now it's in with flatworms, majano and all sorts so that'll be fun when i come to move it back.

Offline Wall_Tank

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #60 on: April 18, 2014, 23:27:32 »
A sudden temp change could have done it, but I don't see 5 degrees doing that.   Just try to keep things stable.....and get the ammonia issue resolved.

We've all been there, good luck.   

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #61 on: April 21, 2014, 10:08:04 »
How very frustrating this hobby is.  I've removed all corals from the 40b; some went back in the 20 and will go through qt again at a later date, others i moved into the 3 g, i set up a nice 2 tiered system out of eggcrate so i could fit more in there.  The pink birdsnest is now the only one showing signs of stress and is stn-ing.  I've chopped branches but i'm not sure that will do much good.  All in all i've lost the forest fire digi, the whole mille colony, the pokerstar monti and several small frags of birdsnest and the mille.  So really in the grand scheme of things that's not all that bad.

I did a 15 g wc yesterday and will monitor the water over the next week and do another large change on wednesday.  I am optimistic i can get this under control although still have no idea what went wrong which is what is frustrating me.  Luckily the fish don't seem to be bothered one way or the other about the tank issues, they both look fine.

When i was messing with things and changing things out i noticed the heater in the 40b would switch on and then turn straight off or not turn on at all no matter where i set it.  So i contacted amazon and they went above and beyond.  Their returns policy states that new items can be returned within 30 days of purchase but i bought this in February; well the guy i emailed with is allowing me to return it for a refund and also upgraded shipping on a new one to next day free of charge.  This is why i continue to shop with them, their customer service is great!  New heater should be here today (fingers crossed!)  but until them i've managed to work it so all tanks are up to temp using a variety of smaller heaters i have lying around.

Soon i will have a nice looking tank again!  SOON!

Offline Wall_Tank

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #62 on: April 21, 2014, 10:53:02 »
but until them i've managed to work it so all tanks are up to temp using a variety of smaller heaters i have lying around.

I know that it creates a mess of wires, but this is a good strategy to follow.   That way 1 defective heater cannot too too much damage to the tank.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #63 on: April 21, 2014, 11:02:03 »
Yes, the wires are everywhere but mostly contained in the cabinet.  When the new heater arrives i can remove 2 of the heaters and put one back in the 20 where it belongs.  I bought an underrated heater anyway to stop over heating should it stick on and will be using a spare smaller one as a back up.  I'd like to get a controller when i have more spare cash so i won't have to worry too much and the controller can maintain temp.

Offline Wall_Tank

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #64 on: April 21, 2014, 12:00:06 »
A controller will just help with alerting you to the problem.....   You still have to plan on heaters failing with a controller.

Sounds like you have them sized ok.

If 1 heater sticks on, the tank will not cook.
If 1 heater fails off, the tank will not get too cool.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #65 on: June 08, 2014, 15:16:16 »
Things are back on track and have been holding steady for a while.  I've been gradually moving corals over and salvaging what I could from the ones that we affected by the earlier issues.  Some were a complete loss which was sad but life goes on.  Due to an incredibly generous donation my tank now has some lovely and interesting pieces that I hope will grow and make an beautiful scape for my fish.

The fish are still in the 20 and will stay there until all the corals have been moved over.  They don't mind, Lizzy and Bingley hated being apart and such a fishy reunion would be hard to split up again. 

Anyway, I only have 1 quite bad photo of the progress so far, it's looking a bit more filed out but I still only have 1 light over it so all the corals are squished into one place for now.  That will be fixed when the 20 & qt tank are torn down. 


Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #66 on: June 08, 2014, 18:34:50 »
Looks like you have a lots of corals ,the tank is looking good .Did you pass your exams ????

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #67 on: June 08, 2014, 18:53:54 »
Thanks.

Last one is tomorrow, I won't find out if I passed for a while.  But once they're over I can get the tank in shape and finally take a break.

Offline bbtm64

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #68 on: June 08, 2014, 18:56:43 »
Love the monti, Vicki. Tank looks awesome.
Brent McCloskey

Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #69 on: June 08, 2014, 18:58:54 »
Good luck

Offline lazylivin

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #70 on: June 09, 2014, 12:08:23 »
Looking good, glad to see everything is coming around.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #71 on: July 01, 2014, 21:14:26 »
More issues, corals have been pissed for a few days, I did a large WC tonight but before that I tested and with the exception of slightly high ca (which I haven't been dosing) and mag ( which I don't dose at all) the parameters are within range.  I will test again tomorrow morning and see if its maybe the new bag of salt I opened, which incidentally came in a box of 4 bags, the reef crystals 200g box. 

Ugh, maybe this tank just doesnt like corals and might end up a fowlr.  Nothing has died yet but it's early days once again within the tank of death. 

Oh and there's no fish even in this tank yet.  I feed the tank once every few days with a few pellets of food.  Maybe I should have moved the fish over by now. 

Offline lazylivin

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #72 on: July 01, 2014, 23:01:07 »
Have you been dosing alk? If no that may be the issue. Reef crystals is alk of 10dkh - 11dkh; depending on salinity you mix. If you aren't dosing it may have been to low and water change could have raised it quickly

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #73 on: July 02, 2014, 06:48:01 »
I've been dosing it and keeping it level around 9, I'm going to test everything again today but I honestly don't know what's going on.  I never had issues with my 20g, I thought bigger tanks were supposed to be easier, stupid bigger tank.

Offline lazylivin

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #74 on: July 02, 2014, 12:13:20 »
Okay not that then. What about your rock, can you bring all of it from your 20g and put in sump of 40g? Essentially giving you the maturity of the 20 and water volume of 40?

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #75 on: July 02, 2014, 14:02:17 »
The rock in the 20 is infested with flatworms an has majanos running rampant.  I started out with all new rock to cure these issues.  I got a few new pieces of live rock when i started up the tank, maybe i should go get a few more bits and put them in the sump. 

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #76 on: July 02, 2014, 14:04:57 »
I was thinking it could be the glue i used to seal the plumbing, maybe it's leaching something into the tank that i can't test for?  everything as new, sand, rock, equipment..  it can't be the plastic i used for the overflow or the silicone because i used exactly the same type on the 20 with no issues.

I'm going to mix some salt tonight, only half a gallon from the new bag i opened and run tests on it, this only started up again since i opened that new bag; although the other 2 tanks look fine using the same salt.

Offline lazylivin

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #77 on: July 02, 2014, 16:03:27 »
Okay I can understand that. I had similar issues when starting with dry rock on my current system. Dry rock seems to take forever to be stable enough for hard corals.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #78 on: July 02, 2014, 17:03:00 »
I've moved the sps that looks bad but looks like it will recover out and back into the 3 g, and strangely the acan's and my little pink finger leather don't seem fussed about whatever's happening at all so I moved the large green devils hand into the 40.  It'll be pissed but its come back from much worse and is super hardy.  I still have 1 more colony to move and then I'll just keep an eye on it for a while.  If its not affecting water quality (ammonia/nitrate) which right now it isn't I think I'll go ahead and move my fish when I get a spare few hours.  They might help stabilize things with their magic poop. 

So far nothing has died, just looks annoyed so I'm hoping everything will come back in a week or so. 

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #79 on: July 03, 2014, 19:23:33 »
Okay, nitrate is a little high, it's under 20ppm but I'd rather it was lower than 10 but everything else is good.  I'm not going to try to worry too much about the tank, I'll do another WC add some prime and wait until things pick up. 

Offline Jon in SW Ohio

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #80 on: July 07, 2014, 01:07:09 »
The next time you purchase salt try ESV B-Ionic Seawater System and a digital scale. If you are even a little OCD about water parameters being the exact same every time you make a batch of water, you will love this salt. I've never had happy corals with Reef Crystals unless I was fanatical about dosing and constantly "fixing" my water and even then was never impressed. After a few years using ESV I refuse to use anything else and have never had an unhappy coral with it.

It's not the cheapest salt out there, but makes such a huge difference in my experience that I can't recommend it enough.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #81 on: July 07, 2014, 07:01:20 »
Thnks for the recommendation, I'll check it out next time I need salt.

It's funny, I've never had an issue with corals until I started this new tank, now. Have issues with almost everything.  Luckily my big devils hand doesn't seem bother by this issue at all.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #82 on: July 08, 2014, 13:01:19 »
In an effort to keep moving this tank forward i've bought 2 pj cardinals which are in QT right now. I've had some die off but i've been testing the whole time and honestly parameters look good, so its either an unknown contaminate that is the issue or something i'm not testing for like trace elements.

I've decided for now to just see how things go, keep an eye on parameters and take out anything that dies off completely.  I'm going to wait until after i've added the cardinals before i move my other 3 over since they're more aggressive.  I'm also thinking of adding more leathers to the tank and making leather corals the main focus, they're hardy and the two i have haven't been bothered in the slightest by this recent issue.  Acans also haven't even twitched and look great.

No photos until things start to pick up and look better, hopefully the monticap will regain it's colour (which does look like it's happening) and i can move it back from the 3 g, the hammer looks like it needs more tlc, it's withdrawn but still has colour so i'm hopeful it will recover and then it'll be moved back over.

Teething issues of having a new tank i guess. 

Offline Kenn

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #83 on: July 08, 2014, 14:41:56 »
Good luck to you. It sounds like you are doing everything you could possibly do.
Currently doing a 75g build | http://ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=16275.0| tanks of the past : 26g Bowfront LPS and Fish| http://www.ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=4858.0 || 37g a little of everything | http://www.ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=7751.0

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Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #84 on: July 08, 2014, 14:55:46 »
Thanks!  It's baffling.  This is the second round of strange coral die off/coral irritation in as many months, i guess it's just the tank settling in so there's not really a lot for me to do other than monitor it and let it settle.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #85 on: July 09, 2014, 10:37:49 »
Some before and after photos of the tank and some corals

Most recent fts before the issue, nice healthy corals all growning.



Side shot showing the hammer, 20 + heads i think



Red monti cap during the issue (it looked worse but i didn't have the heart to photograph it)



and this morning looking like it's recovering and getting colour back, i did have to break off the edges which had completely bleached



and now for the kicker... the large hammer

during it's worst, spewing it's guts i think



and today in the 3g qt. It's hard to see but it's withdrawn but no longer spewing.  I think i can see flesh still, like i said it's hard to tell, but until it is just a bare skeleton it gets to stay.



It looks like the 2 large duncan heads might be done for but the 3 baby heads it has grown since it's been with me are putting out tentacles so i think that will make it.

I don't have a fts from today as the lights weren't on before i left for work.


Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #86 on: July 11, 2014, 08:40:06 »
Since it's been a bit doom and gloom around this thread lately i thought maybe some photos of my happy corals would brighten it up a bit.



(ignore the half dead twig in the background)


Looking much better :D


Fluffy and happy!  The devils hand it almost finished shedding and will fluff up in a few days i think.


The war coral is still stuck in the 20g, i'll have to chip it off the big rock when i tear that tank down.

Offline bbtm64

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #87 on: July 11, 2014, 17:50:28 »
Looking good!
Brent McCloskey

Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #88 on: July 11, 2014, 20:38:41 »
i don't see the zoas i loved did they go bye bye ????

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #89 on: July 11, 2014, 20:43:33 »
They're still in the 20 on the rock.  That tank will be up for while yet with all the issues the 40 has had, my fish still live in there.

Offline Delerium

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #90 on: July 28, 2014, 22:28:52 »
Wow that's beautiful! I'm impressed <3

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #91 on: July 28, 2014, 22:36:14 »
Thanks!  It'll look better once things settle down and stop freaking out on me :). Oh and once it has fish in too. 

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #92 on: September 05, 2014, 22:04:45 »
The 20G is gone.  I tore it down tonight and moved my 3 fish int the 40G.  The 2 pj cardinals have been in there about a month and are doing great.  So far everyone is getting along fine, no aggression; but I'll have to keep an eye on Lizzy and Bingley once they get settled.

I managed to save a large chunk of my war coral and its in the 3G with the green poci and the red Monti cap.  They'll stay In There while they're being de-wormed. 

The bicolor hammer sadly didn't make it, about 5 of the 30 heads showed signs of coming back but it just didn't pull through.  Maybe in the new year once I'm ready to start adding new corals to the tank I'll be on the hunt for a new one.  I loved that coral too :(

The tank on the while is aging ups and downs.  The fish are fine and the water chemistry is fine but the corals that are left just don't seem happy.  I'm hoping now that i've moved another bulb over the tank that things will pick up but who knows.  This could end up a fish only tank if I can't figure out the problem.  Oddly the zoas I have seem to be doing fine, making new heads and everything, just everything else is annoyed. 

When the lights come on tomorrow I'll take some photos of the whole fishy gang in their new home. 

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #93 on: September 10, 2014, 18:36:37 »
Finally getting back on track! 


Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #94 on: September 10, 2014, 18:54:50 »
Looks great Vicki keep up the good work !

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #95 on: September 27, 2014, 21:18:42 »


Sad day in my house, I went out for maybe half an hour and when I got back I found Lizzy on the floor by the tank.  The tank has a glass lifted but there's a gap that runs along the back and I guess she was flipping around at the surface of the water like she did and flipped too much.  I feel bad that I wasn't here to pick her back up and pop her back in the tank, if only I hadn't gone out. 


Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #96 on: September 27, 2014, 21:41:08 »
you will find Lizzy 2 someday even it wont be Lizzy but it will be good to :) :) :)

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #97 on: September 27, 2014, 21:43:50 »
Nope, she was irreplaceable.  Bingley will miss her too.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #98 on: November 10, 2014, 10:34:55 »
I'm fed up with this tank, i was almost ready to throw in the towel and tear down the whole thing yesterday.  It's going through another round of mysterious bleaching and death.  I checked everything known to reefing and man yesterday and everything is stable and normal and i was at a loss.  However, looking at how this tank has been since set up i have noticed it goes through periodic cycles of being fine and then death.  I think the sump tub might be leaching toxins into the water, it's the only real explanation i can come up with.  So i've got new water cooking ta home, i'm taking a half day (i hope) from work and going to find a replacement sump tank.  It should be an easy switch out of the tub and the new tank once the sump is empty.

If a new sump doesn't alleviate the problem i'm done. 

My 20 g rigged piece of junk, pest infested tank of horror was more successful than this thing!  I knew without a doubt that whatever i put in that tank would live, this 40 g is a tank of death, not only has it killed over 80% of my coral population i also lost a beloved fish.

I still have sps sitting in a 3 g and they're thriving and doing much better without any filtration and with hardly any flow.  I can't put them in the 40g, i just know that if i do they'll die.  If the issue is not resolved with a tank change then i will have some sps to sell, i'm getting sick of my kitchen bench being taken up with the small tank, i'd like to use my coffee maker at some point in the future and it is currently blocked by a tank that was meant to be temporary.

Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #99 on: November 10, 2014, 12:15:27 »
Vicki somebody told me that the purigen and chemipure in the sump if it's left in there too long release toxins I don't know how long yours is been in there but I would pull them out first and check on that and see what happens just my thoughts

Offline lazylivin

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #100 on: November 10, 2014, 12:46:27 »
Sorry to hear about the issues. This is a frustrating Hobby at times

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #101 on: November 10, 2014, 13:41:34 »
I don't use purigen or chemipure, I have a small bag of activated carbon that I change out once a month.

Thanks, it is a very frustrating hobby. 

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #102 on: November 11, 2014, 10:02:17 »
Yay new sump tank :)

It was a bit tricky trying to get the sump tub empty and out but I managed and this tank will be filled tonight with 15 fresh gallons of water.  The water I took out of the tub was a weird colour, like a greeny tinge to it.  Already the leather has opened up a little bit so hopefully things are on the up.

On a sadder note by little fw betta fish looks like he's succumbing to old age.  I have a small 10 g I use as a sort of rescue tank, when its empty I look for bettas in stores that will most likely be overlooked and die.  I've and this guy over a year, he had no tail when I got him no was grey in colour.  He soon grew a tail and Is a lovely blue with orange pattern.  He's had a good run considering he would probably have died in a small cup a year ago.  He probably will last a few more days, a week tops, of course I'm on vacation at the end of this week so I'll leave instructions for my dad in case he dies while I'm gone.

Offline TroyReeF

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #103 on: November 11, 2014, 10:28:54 »
Very Kewl!! I hope it works out.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #104 on: November 11, 2014, 10:54:20 »
Thanks!  Me too, i'm at a loss as to what the problem is if this doesn't fix the coral death. 

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #105 on: November 26, 2014, 10:58:49 »
It's been about 2 weeks since the switch over from plastic sump to glass sump and while I'm not noticing any huge difference I am hopeful.  The tank survived my week in LA under the watchful eye of my dad.  He kept me update with texts and sent a very enthusiastic message & photo when he saw the hermit I thought was dead wandering around, he's a fan of the hermit crabs.  The lovely challice was completely gone by the time I got back but once it strted to go I figured there would be no saving it.

Some of the corals are opening up, the zoas in one colony have opened and the others are still closed but not melted so they sold open soon.  One of the 3 acan colonies is gone completely, the other 2 are showing skeleton but they also have flesh left in the center so maybe just maybe they'll have a slow recovery.  The devils hand is shedding but is now green as opposed to yellow/dull pink so I think it's getting some life back in it. 

I'm going to keep doing regular wcs and watch for recovery, I know it'll be slow. 

I'll be taking advantage of some of the awesome Black Friday deals on a few sites too I think no getting new filters for the RODI systems no maybe some new test kits. 

This is the tank as of today.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #106 on: December 01, 2014, 18:43:18 »
I bought all new test kits in the Black Friday sales to rule out old/ off results.

They arrived today and of course as soon as I got home I tested everything.  My old alk test was slightly off.

The results for the 40b:
Alk.   7.7.
Ca.    415
Mg.    1320
Phosphate.    0

The alk is a bit low, I'll increase what I dose.  The ca could possibly go up slightly?  I have no idea if the mg is good or not to be honest, but no way to change it if its not.


I also have the 3 g tank holding several sps corals that I'm too afraid to move to the 40 b.

3 g results

Alk.    5.4.    Ridiculously low, but really with little side effects, corals are slightly less colorful than they were but re not bleaching or dying.  I will increase my dosing of this.
Ca.  380.  Again a bit low and I will increase this. 
Mg.   1420.   Is this high?  Not sure if its having any effect but its odd that this tank has higher mg than the 40b, what affects this?  What uses this? 
Phosphate.   0.

To be fair this 3 g holds a huge piece of monticap, a largish green poci a war coral and several small frags so its probably gobbling up the chemicals.

It bugs me that his 3 g plastic piece of crap tank with an equally crap hob filter can keep sps alive yet the 40 b can't even keep acan's alive.  I will find the cause of this if I have to tear the whole thing apart piece by piece and kill everything in the process!  No killing but you know what I mean, I hate the not knowing. 

On a positive note, the acan's that have some flesh left seem to be hanging in there, they respond to light and what little flesh this there is puffed up during the day and withdraws wheat he lights go out.  If I can keep another semi crash at bay they might recover. 

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #107 on: December 01, 2014, 19:22:45 »
Thanks to cyber Monday I just bought a skimmer, I've never had one before and never even considered one.  I went for a reef octopus.  I'm a little nervous about installing it once it arrives but I should be okay, I also got new filters for the RODI system.  And now I'm broke. 

Offline chevydoc

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #108 on: December 01, 2014, 19:40:40 »
I just got a reef octopus as well. Its for a new build but i think ill like it. Everything ive looked into says they are great skimmers.

Offline Wall_Tank

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #109 on: December 01, 2014, 20:34:16 »
1250 is a good Mg target.   But 1420 should not be a problem

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #110 on: December 01, 2014, 21:29:19 »
I have no idea how to get it down so I guess it'll have to stay where it is, it doesn't appear to be having any negative effects.

Offline Wall_Tank

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #111 on: December 01, 2014, 21:57:53 »
Some salts have elevated Magnesium..  That is more than likely the source, its not to worry about at that level.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #112 on: December 04, 2014, 17:46:32 »
Yeah I figured that was the case, I use reef crystals and it has pretty high ca too so I try to keep mine in level with the salt mix so I do t get massive fluctuation when I do a WC.

My new skimmer arrived today!  Very excited.  I mentioned it to my dad at work and he said he'd pay for it so he could give it to me for Christmas and save my parents from shopping.  I sort of like this plan, although I'm going to try and convince them that it needs to go into the sump purely for testing purposes no then not take it out :D

I have 2 sets of zoas opening now and the Duncan is open and regrouping its tentacles which had sort of melted away.  It pooped so I think that's a good thing.  I also put t small frag of monticap in to test the wates slightly and it's been in a week so far and hasn't bleached or changed. 

Offline Steve

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #113 on: December 04, 2014, 19:40:11 »


I mentioned it to my dad at work and he said he'd pay for it so he could give it to me for Christmas and save my parents from shopping. 



I am looking for a Reef Dad, maybe he could adopt me!

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #114 on: December 04, 2014, 19:47:07 »
I am looking for a Reef Dad, maybe he could adopt me!

Haahaa.  You can't have him, he's mine! 

Oh, and we agreed that the skimmer would do more good sitting in the tank than sitting In their house so I'm installing it tonight! Score! 

He's also good at tank sitting and cat sitting.  He even seems interested with how the coral recovery is coming.  I almost had him convind we needed a tank at work and while he was on board with a big tank we agreed the chemicals we work with probably wouldn't be so good for the fish/ corals.  Maybe one day. 

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #115 on: December 07, 2014, 09:19:32 »
Recovery pics.  The leather is looking better than it has in months, the Duncan is open and growing new tentacles.  Yay! 








Yes, bubble algae but I've started removal of it, it's shocking how fast that stuff comes back.  The red champ is almost completely gone, just a tiny bit left in one corner.  I think I need to up my cuc in the next few weeks. 

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #116 on: December 23, 2014, 12:35:53 »
Almost 3 weeks with the new skimmer and it's finally breaking in, the gunk it's pulling out of the tank is crazy, I have to empty & rinse the cup everyday.   It definitely looks like it's making a difference,the water looks cleaner, the corps look healthier and there's even some coralline growing on the glass & power heads. 

http://s156.photobucket.com/user/vickiwilson91/media/imagejpg3_zps50523c2d.jpg.html][/URL]

http://s156.photobucket.com/user/vickiwilson91/media/imagejpg1_zpsab3de2b9.jpg.html][/URL]

http://s156.photobucket.com/user/vickiwilson91/media/imagejpg2_zpsde03dbb4.jpg.html][/URL]

I'm still working on the bubble algae but I need a slightly bigger tube, the one I'm using keeps getting blocked. 

In the 3 gallon I found a tiny bit of pokerstar Monti in the bottom of the tank, I thought it was all gone so I've moved it up In to the light and it will hopefully colour back up.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #117 on: January 30, 2015, 18:05:11 »
Finally moved all the corals into the tank. 



The red Monticap needs to colour up a bit and I want to get one of those magnetic rocks to attach it to the side or back of the tank.  I'm glad it's looking okay and it'll be interesting to see how it grows In this tank.




Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #118 on: January 31, 2015, 15:51:21 »
where are those zoas i loved so much ?? do you still have them ?

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #119 on: February 01, 2015, 18:52:01 »
Sadly no, I had pulled a few and they were healing when ll the tank disaster happened.  They sadly didn't make it.

Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #120 on: February 01, 2015, 19:58:44 »
 :'(

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #121 on: June 20, 2015, 17:40:37 »
Tanks is going strong.  Corks are doing great and growing.  My clownfish has finally turned into a female so at some point in the summer I'll be trying to find a small male.  I might also stock a few more fish, probably a couple more pj cardinals so there's more movement in the tank.  I spent a few hours this morning cleaning the tank and equipment.




Offline delta1190

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #122 on: June 20, 2015, 19:52:01 »
looks great keep up the good work

Offline Wall_Tank

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #123 on: June 21, 2015, 08:27:58 »
Glad things have settled down.  Tank looks good.

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #124 on: June 21, 2015, 12:37:19 »
Thanks, it's been a struggle to keep going with it but I'm glad I did.  I'm going to get one of those magnetic rock shelves and glue the monticap to it so it's not just sitting out there on the rock, then I can start attaching corals to the rock structure.  I'm sick of stuff sitting on the sand.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #125 on: September 10, 2015, 17:32:16 »
Yay!


Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #126 on: January 07, 2016, 14:40:47 »
Tank is ticking over.

I recently installed an Apex Jr and got it wireless a few days ago.  So far i like it, it's odd but it is reassuring to me that i can log on when i'm at work and check the temp of the tank is okay.  I'll be installing dosers in the near future and maybe an ATO. 

I had bought a reef keeper in November but was sent a bad unit, it went insane about 4 days after i hooked it up; after a few emails back and forth with BRS i sent it back and they credited my account.  I decided to go with the Apex instead; i liked the idea of being able to see and adjust my tank from anywhere and with the RK model i bought i couldn't do that. 

I'm away for a few weeks in the next month or so and then after that i'll be taking more of an active role with the tank.  Getting a few more fish, finally getting more coral and putting a bit more life into it.  It's had long enough to settle i think, almost a year of just sitting and not being messed with other than WCs.  I need a new clown and maybe a few more PJ cardinals.  Maybe a goby or two too, add more movement to it.

Photos later.

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #127 on: January 07, 2016, 19:36:41 »
Photos!  sorry they're so big.















« Last Edit: January 07, 2016, 19:49:57 by vickiwilson »

Offline vickiwilson

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #128 on: June 05, 2017, 17:59:10 »
It's been well over a year since I updated this thread.  I still have this tank but the last year with it has been a struggle.  My Picasso clown ended up on the carpet even with a plastic tank cover over the whole tank.  I got 2 new clowns which are doing great, I also got a watchman goby at the same time, he did great for a while but I suspect he might have been old when he was sent to me as he was quite large.  One day he disappeared and I haven't seen him since.

I have 1 pj Cardinal left out of 2, the one I have now is a murderer, he killed his buddy and ended up with a broken jaw in the process.  His jaw is still funky but he manages to eat so I'm leaving him alone. 

The tank suffered a massive bryopsis/ hair algae outbreak which killed off some corals.  I dosed with some meds and now am only dealing with the very stubborn hair algae. 

The tank is now in the process of a bubble algae outbreak; I'm doing manual removal and seem to be gaining the upper hand!  The pocillopora I thought had died to bryopsis made a reappearance about a month ago and is popping up in several places.

This tank now only contains corals that couldn't be killed off, even by nuclear war :D. It is the zombie apocalypse survivor tank.  Nothing can kill my massive Devils hand, and it keeps popping off babies so once I've got the rocks. Little better looking I'm going to attach the 6 or so smaller ones and just let them take over.  I still have the pink finger leather, a tonne of blue mushrooms and several kinds of palys.  All I can say is once a leather is comfy, good luck killing it off :)

Pics to come when I get oin a computer not n ipad. 

Offline Grymtooth

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #129 on: June 06, 2017, 03:38:18 »
An emerald crab or two could help you with the bubble algae. I don't think I would have the patience to hand clean myself.

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Offline Alexandra

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #130 on: December 05, 2017, 00:32:16 »
An emerald crab or two could help you with the bubble algae. I don't think I would have the patience to hand clean myself.

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Your tank is simikar in size to mine. I'm going to follow your thread. Hope you post again soon!

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #131 on: December 10, 2017, 10:15:51 »
Yay!



I love your setup, Vicki. You can tell you've put a lot of work into this. I really like the general pink/purple color theme. Amazing tank!

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Re: Vicki's 40b
« Reply #132 on: January 19, 2018, 12:36:43 »
Great stuff, is this still up and running?  Any updates?

 

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