Author Topic: Dave's epic start (Read 8849 times)

Heinbaughb · « **Reply #25 on:** April 27, 2021, 10:23:06 »

I would agree with AquaSD, looks like candy canes to me as well. Tank looks good!

dbowman · « **Reply #26 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:24:01 »

since last
i found out that my QT should be at least 10 ft from my display system so the QT will have to be empties and moved.
i added a power head and 24" Current IC light to my fuge.
IMG_1415.jpeg IMG_1416.jpeg

got some more livestock

IMG_1407.jpeg IMG_1375.jpeg IMG_1373 2.jpeg 61124431336__4A1A3F6A-E0F8-4CFF-B3D4-CF3D4E1A8C4B.jpeg IMG_1385.jpeg IMG_1377.jpeg IMG_1378.jpeg

got calibration fluid and found my refract was reading higher than actual and raised the salinity. thank you all who helped me. Started dosing with ESV two part and Mg concentrate.
now i am current

Jun 23, 2020

in the last month i have gotten red Cyano, diatoms, dinos, and hair algae. My zoas became covered in green and stopped opening. i have gotten Salifert test kits for NO3 and PO4, I treated the zoa frag with H2O2 which reversed the issue and they are now opening. my nitrates and phosphates are under 2. I am cycling the skimmer to allow the bacteria to flourish.
I am increasing the feeding levels. One of my colt corals is thriving one is limping along. I lowered the blue level on my main LED. oh yeah, i have a 48" Current IC and have added the Marineland 36" LED that came with the 75 kit. i manually turn it on and off with the Current.11 hours on, 1 hour ramp, 12 hours off

IMG_1549.jpeg

have the skimmer off because of low nutrients and cyano is in full retreat. this poor rock was half covered and now just a little is left. watching...

dbowman · « **Reply #27 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:29:25 »

more pics

dbowman · « **Reply #28 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:33:52 »

this morning i went rock turning. Saturday i had put a banded serpent star into my DT. Sunday i moved rocks between my DT, my smaller bow front DT and a rectangular tank that was supposed to be a bare tank for quarantine. uh oh... two questions where was the starfish? was it pinned beneath a rock? good news it was in a gap between two piled rocks in the DT. Plus i rearranged some of the rocks/coral and i like it!!!
top pic the way it was, middle pic right side essentially the same, 445 degree gap between the two rocks is where the starfish was found. bottom is where the rocks were changed, imported bowfront rock with colt coral and hair algae for the blenny widened hole in small rock for the zoa frag to sit in IMG_1624.jpeg IMG_1633.jpeg IMG_1634.jpeg

dbowman · « **Reply #29 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:34:44 »

dbowman · « **Reply #30 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:37:21 »

Jy 31 two mushrooms added I looked up the gestation for mollies it is 60 days. i lost my male some time back but have been getting fry since then. i have 4 in the sump and one that may be the last in the DT it hangs out in my DIY feeding station(barrel from a Jif jar)

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dbowman · « **Reply #31 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:38:17 »

dbowman · « **Reply #32 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:39:03 »

I currently have (in order of addition):
2 female Mollies (lost one)
1 springeri damsel
1 clownfish
1 lawnmower blenny who just swam over to the tank wall to munch on algae

1 Pink Rings of Death zoa
2 colt corals (lost 2 cuttings)
1 RBTA
1 toadstool
1GSP
2 mushrooms 1purple, 1 blue
1 ? favia maybe

Emerald crabs
snails (lost some, see below)
scarlet and blue leg hermit crabs
copepods
4 brittle stars
1 skunk Shrimp
1 Banded Serpent starfish

Hitchhikers:
cucumbers
bristle worms
spaghetti worms
pineapple sponges
amphipods
tunicate
and some other stuff yet to be discovered

BIG FUN!!!

dbowman · « **Reply #33 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:40:24 »

looking at my return spray bar. all of the holes face the same way. I did this to push scum toward the overflow. but as you see there is a lot of turbulence at the pump setting i have now. It acts as a gyre which is good but i was just realizing that i might be missing some functionality by just having drilled holes this way. i am considering putting some holes along the backside and angled at 45 degrees. I'm thinking that f currently i have 14 holes facing left at slightly above the horizontal i could drill 4 facing right slightly above the horizontal with 4 aimed at the bottom corner of the tank to the right. these holes could be placed in groups or spaced along the entire bar. IMG_1492 2.jpeg

dbowman · « **Reply #34 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:44:02 »

Aug 17, 2020
diversity is beneficial in my tank. My photographic skill is limited to being able to document changes not to artistically celebrate them. (i can tell what is there even though it looks way better in person).
colt coral with bristle worm
paly

feel free to correct me or expand on my id's IMG_1706.jpeg IMG_1704.jpeg IMG_1703.jpeg IMG_1702.jpeg IMG_1701.jpeg IMG_1700.jpeg IMG_1699.jpeg IMG_1698.jpeg IMG_1668 2.jpeg

dbowman · « **Reply #35 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:46:04 »

GSP
my first successful super glue attempt

dbowman · « **Reply #36 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:47:22 »

closed paly
pillar

dbowman · « **Reply #37 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:49:03 »

staghorn
montipora

dbowman · « **Reply #38 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:51:02 »

blue mushroom

dbowman · « **Reply #39 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:52:25 »

Aug 23
my zoa has not been opening. when i look at the parameters the major change that i have seen since it was growing has been the ALK; the reading in May of 8.9 had risen to 12.5 by July 12. I have made WC's that have brought it to 10.9. I can turn off the return, remove 15 gallons from the sump, refill from my mix tank, and restart the return pump. This allows me to actually replace 15 gallons of old water in my @100 gallon system. i have done this Thursday 12.1 to 11.2 and Saturday getting me to 10.9. if i do it again every other day I should get the KH to 9 where i will try to hold it. the salt premix is 8.6 so adding it to achieve 9 might not work. We will see. I premix 30 gallons so two WC can be done every time i mix. i can make the 30 gallons of RODI on the day i refill the SW drum.

dbowman · « **Reply #40 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:56:06 »

Dec 30
prompted to update the thread before the end of the year. ok i will lol
a lot has happened since august i haven't added a lot to the population
i bought a couple of gyres to replace my current wave pumps that started acting up
i have a 4k and a 2K running off the ice cap wifi controller
i tried to peroxide treat the zoa to get it to reopen. it helped i thought but then subsided. i trashed it before it nuked the tank by dying. probably over reacted but there ya go.
flat worms ate the stag coral before i could dip it they don't seem to be interested in the pillar or any of the other corals enough to kill them.
My anemone is moving around and i am growing a lot of coralline

dbowman · « **Reply #41 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:57:10 »

dbowman · « **Reply #42 on:** April 27, 2021, 17:58:39 »

Feb 20, 2021
switching out from glass top IMG_2325.jpeg

going to try eggcrate before mesh, candid camera is how i roll. I did not think to clean up salt spots from light fixtures or stand before taking the shot. I did scrape coraline though.

dbowman · « **Reply #43 on:** April 27, 2021, 18:00:18 »

Feb 27
thanks to my reefing chums i decided i needed more poopers no appropriate black mollies avail so ...

dbowman · « **Reply #44 on:** April 27, 2021, 18:03:02 »

March 3, 2021
I installed my auto feeder in the eggcrate replacing my jif jar cutoff manual pellet keeper (front right corner)
A. until now i had no place to put it on the front or side with the glass tops,
B. the jif plastic was covered with coralline and the fish had stopped going inside for the pellets.
C. i hadn't realized this until i added the Chromis and the only one interested in the pellets before they sunk was the shrimp, and the amphipods and snails.

dbowman · « **Reply #45 on:** April 27, 2021, 18:03:45 »

dbowman · « **Reply #46 on:** April 27, 2021, 18:05:29 »

in the last couple of days i have noticed what I believe are ball anemones in the DT
1/4"
edit 3/5/21
today i noticed that all of the tentacles have been retracted and there is a body like anemones have, so I am more confident of the ID

dbowman · « **Reply #47 on:** April 27, 2021, 18:07:29 »

moving forward with my top configuration, I am trying egg crate. the next step was to replace the right-hand glass with a two piece. this allows access for glass cleaning, siphoning and using a grabber to feed chunks to the RBTA. IMG_2342.jpeg IMG_2343.jpeg IMG_2344.jpeg

dbowman · « **Reply #48 on:** April 27, 2021, 18:17:41 »

April 20, 2021
here I am , again.
I have added another current USA LED to replace the marineland LED. It is an older Orbit Marine v1 with a remote. i just matched the timer to the sunrise/sunset schedule on the other LED.
i finished the egg crate top by cutting the other side so that I can access the full length and clean the glass front without moving the lights
i updated my return line. i added a piece of 11/4" pipe to move the spraybar to the right end of the tank. I may adjust the orientation of the bar to aim above the horizontal to add more surface turbulence. right now it is just below horizontal.

dbowman · « **Reply #49 on:** April 27, 2021, 18:18:38 »

i am monitoring a serpent star that i bought with some short arms to see if they are regenerating. fingers crossed.