Author Topic: Vicki's 40b (Read 26299 times)

Westeri · « **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.

vickiwilson · « **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!

vickiwilson · « **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.

vickiwilson · « **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.

Steve · « **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.

vickiwilson · « **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.

Steve · « **Reply #56 on:** April 16, 2014, 22:12:21 »

High light change can for sure cause this, faster than anything else in my experience.

vickiwilson · « **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.

vickiwilson · « **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.

vickiwilson · « **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.

Wall_Tank · « **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.

vickiwilson · « **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!

Wall_Tank · « **Reply #62 on:** April 21, 2014, 10:53:02 »

Quote from: vickiwilson on April 21, 2014, 10:08:04

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.

vickiwilson · « **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.

Wall_Tank · « **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.

vickiwilson · « **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.

delta1190 · « **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

?

vickiwilson · « **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.

bbtm64 · « **Reply #68 on:** June 08, 2014, 18:56:43 »

Love the monti, Vicki. Tank looks awesome.

delta1190 · « **Reply #69 on:** June 08, 2014, 18:58:54 »

Good luck

lazylivin · « **Reply #70 on:** June 09, 2014, 12:08:23 »

Looking good, glad to see everything is coming around.

vickiwilson · « **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.

lazylivin · « **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

vickiwilson · « **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.

lazylivin · « **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?

2024 Ohio Reef Frag Swap

Author Topic: Vicki's 40b (Read 26299 times)