Well a lot has happened since my last post.
We lost the cleaner shrimp a week or so ago. Just one day wasnt' there any more. I ketp doing water changes and my parameters didn't get better. So checked with a local reef store and they suggested we stop feeding "so much" and we dropped to a once a week schedule. No more. My critters were so hungry the peppermits killed and ate a snail (orange one too). Rainbow (the cleaner) disasppeared and if I had ot wager I'd bet she rain afoul of the bristle star. Either that or a mold didn't go well and same result.
We bought a pair of clownfish a while ago and had one get behind the foam wall and die. In trying to get it out I stirred up the tank. Well the second one passed a few days later and I had to stir the tank up something awful to get it out. Ended up taking the tank apart and draining all the water. Put in another small bag of live sand and rearranged the rocks (dumped the elkhorn coral crud from SWF.com) and put everything back together. The good news was that a headcount showed that I had nearly everythign that had been put in the tank. Even if I hadn't seen them all in some time.
So anyway, we let the tank settle down some more but the parameters were still not great. Broke down and bought my skimmer and it is now in place. Pulling yellow/brown gunk out of the tank. Goting to test the water agin in a little bit.
Oh yea. We replaced the two clownfish and these are alive and swimming around after a week. So I'm thinking the first pair was ill to start with.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
End of the CUC
Ok so the tank is running well. Water parameters are not perfect but they are well within tolerance and they are flat - not cycling. So I decided to close the gap in my cleanup crew. So off to Smitty's to get the end of the crew. I walked out with 3 Mex Turbos, 4 Ninja Star snails, 3 Orange Chesnut snails. I also picked up three Peppermint Shrimp to round out my crew to four. Well lost a Ninja Star but all the rest acclimated and are wandering around the tank.
Well that wasn't everything I wanted so next day I went to Reef Fanatics and bought my last three critters. Walked out with a Fire Shrimp, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp and a brittle star the size of my hand. I have wanted one of these ever since I first saw one.
So my CUC is complete and in the tank. Here is a picture of my skunk cleaner shrimp.
Well that wasn't everything I wanted so next day I went to Reef Fanatics and bought my last three critters. Walked out with a Fire Shrimp, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp and a brittle star the size of my hand. I have wanted one of these ever since I first saw one.
So my CUC is complete and in the tank. Here is a picture of my skunk cleaner shrimp.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
A Reef!
I am convinced that my cycle is done. Now the battle is to get my Nitrates down to a much more acceptable level. For the last several tests the Nitrates have been testing as 50 (verified by the LFS). This is too high so the battle is on. I read at About.com for saltwater aquaria that a rapid water change program can rapidly lower Nitrates. Well I don't currently have the capability to mix a large volume of saltwater at once (or the funds to go buy it premixed) so I will do this over the course of a week.
The first water change (and maintenance day) was yesterday and based on testing my Nitrates are down by nearly half. Today's test read 20 (well literally somewhere between 20 and 50 but I am going low since its not as dark as it normally is). So this may actually work. My next water change should drop them to 10 then to 5 by midweek.
My Ammonia and Nitrate are also running steady on so I don't think I have enough of a bioload to kick the bacteria upward from where I have it. Even with feeding the tank. So the current plan is (presuming Nitrates follow plan) to get my shrimp, some scarlet and blue leg hermits and at least one more emerald crab in place with 5 Turbo snails to help with algae. That will bring my stock list to:
1 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Fire Shrimp
4 Peppermint Shrimp
2 Emerald Crabs
9 Hermit crabs (non specific)
2 Scarlet Hermits (for color)
2 Blue Leg Hermits (for color)
5 Nassarius snails
5 Astra Snails
5 Turbo Snails
Then I'll let this run for a couple of weeks to see how the parameters go. I'm anticipating that by the end of September I'll be ready to begin the slow introduction of fish into the tank.
Hopefully by early fall the tank stocking will be complete and I can sit back and just veg out even more than I do now watching my mini Reef (and plan for the bigger one to come).
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
My cycle is done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
Or so I'm figuring. Getting water check at LFS today to be sure, the parameters I'm seeing are what it actually is. My diatoms are gone and I have green stuff showing up. Only issue is a large Nitrate value. I'm going to work out the logistics to get that down over the course of a week by doing a 40% water change every 3 days for a week to get it gone.
If that works out, the the rest of the CUC goes in and in a couple weeks a Nemo. Then we are on track for life and activity in the tank.
WHY of why are the shrimp I want so bloody expensive :)
If that works out, the the rest of the CUC goes in and in a couple weeks a Nemo. Then we are on track for life and activity in the tank.
WHY of why are the shrimp I want so bloody expensive :)
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Sunday update
Its been awhile since I posted in here but its been sort of "calm" around the tank. Obviously its still alive and kicking - an how! Well for me its "and how" for others I'm sure this is routine and boring.
The largest news is the diatom bloom is here. There is brown stuff everywhere and its been increasing. I'm torn through. While its "normal" I read that it comes from high Nitrates (maybe they'll help lower em) and possibly dead spots in the water flow. I'm going to have to look into that.
I've taken to having some late nights as I sit up looking at the tank. I actually spent Thursday night sitting in the dark with a magnifying glass and flashlight peering into holes in the rock :) And it paid off. I found my "lost" baby brittle star. It's HUGE. It was so tiny before that you could hardly see it on the sand. Now it has found itself a nice little hole in one of my base rocks and its legs stick out into the flow. Each of those legs must be a bit over 1/4" apiece. So having found it we went out and got some shrimp pellets and I fed it Friday. Took my long feeding tongs (from the scorps) and put that shrimp pellet in the hole. It was neat watching the legs wrap up the pellet and pull food off of it.
So while finding my brittle star I also found a Nassarius snail "stuck" in the Mushroom rock. This has a frag plug jammed in such a way that the snail couldn't escape. So reading about diatoms referred me to the fact that these snails do well eating them in the sand bed. So Saturday I bought 5 of em and added them to the tank. I also freed the one from the Mushroom rock by pulling the frag plug out.
Once on the floor the snails buried themselves and I presume went to work eating the diatoms in the sand bed.
Going back to Friday night (when I fed my brittle star) I found THREE MORE. All about the same size and scatted in various holes. I have two in the same rock! While I haven't found anymore this is encouraging.
The rest of my critters are doing well. The Emerald Crab has the run of the tank. She is the fastest crab in the world I'm betting. I can see her on a rock to the right and then it seems likes minutes later she is all the way on the other side of the tank. The hermits are good hiders and I haven't seen them much in the last few days but every once in awhile I'll see one or more of them bumbling around.
I am convinced (well mostly) that I lost one of my Peppermits. Either that or they truly are playing games with my head on purpose. As the daylight lights go off the Peppermint comes out to play. And that is the ONLY way I can describe it is playtime. Now there is some contention on whether we are seeing the "same" shrimp day after day but we only see one at a time. It seems the favorite past time is surfing the currents. It starts on the left side and rides the current along the front of the tank to a rock - walks around and surfs around to the other side. Come back behind all the rockwork and repeat. Its like the tank is an amusment ride. Here is a quick video of it surfing. Last night this must have happened about 10-15 times before it got tired of it.
Lastly I am trying to arrange my rockwork to get currents/flow right and lighting for the Mushroom as well as plan where to put the elkhorn coral rock that is curing as I type. Hopefully this will be in the tank mid-week and I can just let it ride and sit back and wait for my parameters to stablilize.
The largest news is the diatom bloom is here. There is brown stuff everywhere and its been increasing. I'm torn through. While its "normal" I read that it comes from high Nitrates (maybe they'll help lower em) and possibly dead spots in the water flow. I'm going to have to look into that.
I've taken to having some late nights as I sit up looking at the tank. I actually spent Thursday night sitting in the dark with a magnifying glass and flashlight peering into holes in the rock :) And it paid off. I found my "lost" baby brittle star. It's HUGE. It was so tiny before that you could hardly see it on the sand. Now it has found itself a nice little hole in one of my base rocks and its legs stick out into the flow. Each of those legs must be a bit over 1/4" apiece. So having found it we went out and got some shrimp pellets and I fed it Friday. Took my long feeding tongs (from the scorps) and put that shrimp pellet in the hole. It was neat watching the legs wrap up the pellet and pull food off of it.
So while finding my brittle star I also found a Nassarius snail "stuck" in the Mushroom rock. This has a frag plug jammed in such a way that the snail couldn't escape. So reading about diatoms referred me to the fact that these snails do well eating them in the sand bed. So Saturday I bought 5 of em and added them to the tank. I also freed the one from the Mushroom rock by pulling the frag plug out.
Once on the floor the snails buried themselves and I presume went to work eating the diatoms in the sand bed.
Going back to Friday night (when I fed my brittle star) I found THREE MORE. All about the same size and scatted in various holes. I have two in the same rock! While I haven't found anymore this is encouraging.
The rest of my critters are doing well. The Emerald Crab has the run of the tank. She is the fastest crab in the world I'm betting. I can see her on a rock to the right and then it seems likes minutes later she is all the way on the other side of the tank. The hermits are good hiders and I haven't seen them much in the last few days but every once in awhile I'll see one or more of them bumbling around.
I am convinced (well mostly) that I lost one of my Peppermits. Either that or they truly are playing games with my head on purpose. As the daylight lights go off the Peppermint comes out to play. And that is the ONLY way I can describe it is playtime. Now there is some contention on whether we are seeing the "same" shrimp day after day but we only see one at a time. It seems the favorite past time is surfing the currents. It starts on the left side and rides the current along the front of the tank to a rock - walks around and surfs around to the other side. Come back behind all the rockwork and repeat. Its like the tank is an amusment ride. Here is a quick video of it surfing. Last night this must have happened about 10-15 times before it got tired of it.
Lastly I am trying to arrange my rockwork to get currents/flow right and lighting for the Mushroom as well as plan where to put the elkhorn coral rock that is curing as I type. Hopefully this will be in the tank mid-week and I can just let it ride and sit back and wait for my parameters to stablilize.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
So how come this tank is "working"
I've been trying to figure out why this tank seems to be violating every "rule" that has been put forward on starting new tanks. Have to get fresh water, live rock, start the cycle and watch it for 4-6 weeks watching for the values to go down and make the tank safe. The books and the online forums all reiterated the same thing. Over and over. Do not rush. Take your time, it takes time to make it work for the long run.
Well with all of that, it was my intent all along to go slow. Get this salt water, add LR from Smitty's and add even more LR from SWF and then start the cycle and let her rip per the pundits. However, once I figured out I had polyps in there and the live sand "hatched" critters I began to have second thoughts. Then I read a post in an online forum that essentially said if you have critters hatching from the LS and on the LR then you have sufficient bacteria to handle your bio load. It was at that point (coupled with two successive days readings of decreasing values for Ammonia and Nitrite) that I decided to work to keep the tank alive. I didn't want to lose what I had. So my intent was to cycle for life. I had read about this and it essentially said test constantly and when ammonia goes up - do a water change to help keep it in check and let the cycle run. Essentially manual intervention in the soup to keep it sustainable for whatever may be alive.
So that was my intent. And then I did the one bad impulse thing. I bought my inverts. It was impulsive and I was of a mind that if the corals were alive the inverts would do well to help keep the "feedings" under control. So here I was with a tank "full of life" and unable to do water changes. And yet, three days later the tank seems to be doing well. How?
I don't know about saltwater chemistry but I have a sense of hmmm, this makes sense. And to me this is the same thing as taking a tank down to move it across the room and then put it back together.
First: I used water change water. While the parameters were higher than fresh salt water; they were not off the scale.
Second: I used live rock with a well sustained bacterial load and life on it too boot. The rocks were never not moist and were only out of the water on the order of 2 hours tops.
Third: The bioload I added was very minimal. And is serving to keep the detritus under some level of control. Thus reducing the "rot" and "decomposition" that adds ammonia to the water.
So all in all I think I took a "mature" system and made a juvenile system. No way do I consider my tank nearly mature. Way too much work still waiting. But I do think I knocked off the largest part of the 4-6 week cycle period.
My updated plan is 20% water changes weekly for the next week (tomorrow and one more). By that time I should have the SWF live rock cured and in the tank and be looking to add a member or three to the CUC and see how it goes. After the third water change - depending on how the tank is functioning it may be time to go to biweekly changes and consider adding some more.
As Smitty told me - you can read and listen but when its all over "it's your tank that matters." So I'm learning as I go and trying very, VERY hard to be patient. Besides sometimes it pays to be ignorant. Then you don't know you can't do that.
Well with all of that, it was my intent all along to go slow. Get this salt water, add LR from Smitty's and add even more LR from SWF and then start the cycle and let her rip per the pundits. However, once I figured out I had polyps in there and the live sand "hatched" critters I began to have second thoughts. Then I read a post in an online forum that essentially said if you have critters hatching from the LS and on the LR then you have sufficient bacteria to handle your bio load. It was at that point (coupled with two successive days readings of decreasing values for Ammonia and Nitrite) that I decided to work to keep the tank alive. I didn't want to lose what I had. So my intent was to cycle for life. I had read about this and it essentially said test constantly and when ammonia goes up - do a water change to help keep it in check and let the cycle run. Essentially manual intervention in the soup to keep it sustainable for whatever may be alive.
So that was my intent. And then I did the one bad impulse thing. I bought my inverts. It was impulsive and I was of a mind that if the corals were alive the inverts would do well to help keep the "feedings" under control. So here I was with a tank "full of life" and unable to do water changes. And yet, three days later the tank seems to be doing well. How?
I don't know about saltwater chemistry but I have a sense of hmmm, this makes sense. And to me this is the same thing as taking a tank down to move it across the room and then put it back together.
First: I used water change water. While the parameters were higher than fresh salt water; they were not off the scale.
Second: I used live rock with a well sustained bacterial load and life on it too boot. The rocks were never not moist and were only out of the water on the order of 2 hours tops.
Third: The bioload I added was very minimal. And is serving to keep the detritus under some level of control. Thus reducing the "rot" and "decomposition" that adds ammonia to the water.
So all in all I think I took a "mature" system and made a juvenile system. No way do I consider my tank nearly mature. Way too much work still waiting. But I do think I knocked off the largest part of the 4-6 week cycle period.
My updated plan is 20% water changes weekly for the next week (tomorrow and one more). By that time I should have the SWF live rock cured and in the tank and be looking to add a member or three to the CUC and see how it goes. After the third water change - depending on how the tank is functioning it may be time to go to biweekly changes and consider adding some more.
As Smitty told me - you can read and listen but when its all over "it's your tank that matters." So I'm learning as I go and trying very, VERY hard to be patient. Besides sometimes it pays to be ignorant. Then you don't know you can't do that.
More fun and a Mushroom
So its been one stumble after another the last couple days. I really need to do a water change. First error was in my math. Ended up with a bin of water that was too low in salinity. Fixed that by adding more salt.
Got the bin cooking was going to come home and change it and through a miscommunication my water change water now had my live rock curing in it. Ok Plan B. Luckily I had 10 gallons of RO water at the house so I started another bin cooking for water change. Checked the last bin of Smitty's water (which the LR was SUPPOSED to be in) and the parameters were too bad. No water change option there. So hopefully tomorrow I'll get my first water change in and eliminate some of the Nitrates from my tank.
So on the other hand there is good news. I have another coral :) Last night while moving a rock around to fit the power heads while working on the flow I felt a squishy under my fingers. So I took my finger off that spot and arranged the rock where I wanted it. By that time the substrate was pretty stirred up so I couldn't see much. Didn't see much as it settled and by bedtime I could see this dark blob of something.
So this morning when I turned on the actincs there was this green glow over on the rock. Looking closer I saw what appeared to be a mushroom. Turning on the bright lights confirmed it. I have a small (nickle/dime sized) mushroom coral plopped up there on the rock. So now I have three varieties of coral: Brown polyps, zoas and a mushroom. Not bad for "hitchhikers" on my LR purchase.
So the small critters seem to be hiding. Haven't seen my mini bristle stars since the other day. I'm hoping they are just in the rocks. I have an orange and white stripped snail that showed up again today on the glass. Gliding back and forth having a grand time. A bunch of feather dusters and some worm like thing. I saw it stretching from the top of a rock hole down to the lower edge and then "snapping" back. Pretty cool.
I got my second order of LR today. 45-50 pounds or "Prime Caribbean" rock. Well I'm not impressed. I was hoping for lots of life and it sure seems pretty barren. Got two very large pieces of what appear to be ancient plate coral and nearly no squishy masses or anything else. I'm going to have to break the larger pieces into smaller ones to get it into the tank. Maybe I can find something inside the coral.
In the meantime here are a couple of links to some live action shots from my tank. Hope you enjoy this.
Really poor focus of the little worm thing stretching out for food.
A tour of my major polyp rock. This is currently the center point of the tank.
A video of my mushroom glowing
My Emmy, OK my emerald crab
My Peppermint sneaking around in the dark
Got the bin cooking was going to come home and change it and through a miscommunication my water change water now had my live rock curing in it. Ok Plan B. Luckily I had 10 gallons of RO water at the house so I started another bin cooking for water change. Checked the last bin of Smitty's water (which the LR was SUPPOSED to be in) and the parameters were too bad. No water change option there. So hopefully tomorrow I'll get my first water change in and eliminate some of the Nitrates from my tank.
So on the other hand there is good news. I have another coral :) Last night while moving a rock around to fit the power heads while working on the flow I felt a squishy under my fingers. So I took my finger off that spot and arranged the rock where I wanted it. By that time the substrate was pretty stirred up so I couldn't see much. Didn't see much as it settled and by bedtime I could see this dark blob of something.
So this morning when I turned on the actincs there was this green glow over on the rock. Looking closer I saw what appeared to be a mushroom. Turning on the bright lights confirmed it. I have a small (nickle/dime sized) mushroom coral plopped up there on the rock. So now I have three varieties of coral: Brown polyps, zoas and a mushroom. Not bad for "hitchhikers" on my LR purchase.
So the small critters seem to be hiding. Haven't seen my mini bristle stars since the other day. I'm hoping they are just in the rocks. I have an orange and white stripped snail that showed up again today on the glass. Gliding back and forth having a grand time. A bunch of feather dusters and some worm like thing. I saw it stretching from the top of a rock hole down to the lower edge and then "snapping" back. Pretty cool.
I got my second order of LR today. 45-50 pounds or "Prime Caribbean" rock. Well I'm not impressed. I was hoping for lots of life and it sure seems pretty barren. Got two very large pieces of what appear to be ancient plate coral and nearly no squishy masses or anything else. I'm going to have to break the larger pieces into smaller ones to get it into the tank. Maybe I can find something inside the coral.
In the meantime here are a couple of links to some live action shots from my tank. Hope you enjoy this.
Really poor focus of the little worm thing stretching out for food.
A tour of my major polyp rock. This is currently the center point of the tank.
A video of my mushroom glowing
My Emmy, OK my emerald crab
My Peppermint sneaking around in the dark
Monday, August 17, 2009
I broke the rules
So with my water parameters falling and the tank having critters and coral seemingly doing well (albeit for 2 days) AND in reading a post by someone responding to a new user with critters from live sand - I decided to consider the cycle as a "very minimal cycle" and the current bacteria load from the rocks and sand capable of handling what is there - with a water change.
So I decided to go to the next step. I bought some inhabitants for the tank. Bought an emerald crab, peppermint shrimp and some small hermits. 2 hours of drip acclimation and about 15 minutes of temperature acclimation and turned em loose. Shrimp skeedaddled and hid out. Crab found a hole in one of my base rocks and climbed into it and the hermits sort of wandered around in varying levels of escape mode.
Couple hours later still no shrimp but the emerald was exploring.
Couple hours more and I found the shrimp by peering under and behind a rock :), the emerald was crawling ALL over one of the live rocks eating algae bits and no sign of the hermits.
By bed time the shrimp were surfing the water currents exploring the crab was still eating and the hermits were wandering and my mini brittle star had come back out to play. I was pretty happy.
This morning we saw the shrimp flitting around - amazing how they know which holes to dive into and disappear into the "guts" of the rocks. Saw a hermit crawling around on the live rock and one on the sand. No sign of my emerald crab. Guess he found a nook to sleep in.
This tank is so cool
So I decided to go to the next step. I bought some inhabitants for the tank. Bought an emerald crab, peppermint shrimp and some small hermits. 2 hours of drip acclimation and about 15 minutes of temperature acclimation and turned em loose. Shrimp skeedaddled and hid out. Crab found a hole in one of my base rocks and climbed into it and the hermits sort of wandered around in varying levels of escape mode.
Couple hours later still no shrimp but the emerald was exploring.
Couple hours more and I found the shrimp by peering under and behind a rock :), the emerald was crawling ALL over one of the live rocks eating algae bits and no sign of the hermits.
By bed time the shrimp were surfing the water currents exploring the crab was still eating and the hermits were wandering and my mini brittle star had come back out to play. I was pretty happy.
This morning we saw the shrimp flitting around - amazing how they know which holes to dive into and disappear into the "guts" of the rocks. Saw a hermit crawling around on the live rock and one on the sand. No sign of my emerald crab. Guess he found a nook to sleep in.
This tank is so cool
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Every day another happy surprise
So this morning I woke up to see what was in the tank. Much to my surprise I found this:
A baby brittle star. Now (presuming he survives the cycling) I won't have to buy one :)
Also noted what appears to be an empty snail shell that wasn't there last night and a tube sticking straight up out of a rock cave. perhaps a Feather Duster? The live sand I put into the tank is starting to bear fruit. Now I really have to start feeding the tank to keep the critters happy.
Today is an appropriate light for the tank with T5's for the coral. Oh, I found the Macro on the camera. This is a couple of my Zoa colonies:
A baby brittle star. Now (presuming he survives the cycling) I won't have to buy one :)
Also noted what appears to be an empty snail shell that wasn't there last night and a tube sticking straight up out of a rock cave. perhaps a Feather Duster? The live sand I put into the tank is starting to bear fruit. Now I really have to start feeding the tank to keep the critters happy.
Today is an appropriate light for the tank with T5's for the coral. Oh, I found the Macro on the camera. This is a couple of my Zoa colonies:
Saturday, August 15, 2009
24 hours and all is good
It's been 24 hours and all is doing well in the tank. Partial water test today shows that Ammonia and Nitrites are dropping while Nitrates are holding steady. Need to get a water change done but want to use "fresh" water as opposed to the "old" stuff. Even mixed with the new I don't think its clean enough to make a huge difference.
Got a few extras for the tank today. Also got an order that I placed last week for a dual power head and spare heater. The new power head really pushes the water around. Rated at 1300+ GPM I can believe it. Boils the water surface to ensure gas exchange.
Ignored the pull go get a couple hermit crabs and a shrimp or two. Need to wait till I get the shipment of rock from saltwaterfish.com. Once that gets into the tank and the water parameters go back to normal I'll consider the inverts. In the meantime I'll have to be satisfied with my newest pet :)
This morning I discovered that I have an amphipod in the tank. He was crawling around on the rock where the major zoa colones are. As of this evening he was still there. I thought I saw a second, smaller one earlier this evening. These are the guys we want growing in there.
This is a full tank shot of the Reef as it sits this eening
And one from the right looking through the tank
And one from the left side
Now to settle down for the boring part.
Got a few extras for the tank today. Also got an order that I placed last week for a dual power head and spare heater. The new power head really pushes the water around. Rated at 1300+ GPM I can believe it. Boils the water surface to ensure gas exchange.
Ignored the pull go get a couple hermit crabs and a shrimp or two. Need to wait till I get the shipment of rock from saltwaterfish.com. Once that gets into the tank and the water parameters go back to normal I'll consider the inverts. In the meantime I'll have to be satisfied with my newest pet :)
This morning I discovered that I have an amphipod in the tank. He was crawling around on the rock where the major zoa colones are. As of this evening he was still there. I thought I saw a second, smaller one earlier this evening. These are the guys we want growing in there.
This is a full tank shot of the Reef as it sits this eening
And one from the right looking through the tank
And one from the left side
Now to settle down for the boring part.
Friday, August 14, 2009
It's Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today is the birth of my reef tank.
I went to Smitty's today and ended up with what I estimate as about 60 gallons of water in an approximate 60/40 mix of old water change and new mix water. Also picked up 30 pounds of live rock - including one that has a pretty good colony of what appear to be Zoanthid soft corals (running theory). A piece of his old filter media to seed my filter and another power head. Also picked up a 4 stage RO/DI unit so I can do my own water changes. Return home and I was ready to get the tank up.
Came up and shlepped the water to the tank and filled it, added the live rocks and voila it actually looks like a real saltwater tank. Went out and got 10 pounds of Live Sand from Petco and now its time to sit back and let it cycle.
Did my first water testing tonight and got the following results.
Salinity 1.023
Temperature 82.5
pH 8.0
Alkalinity Normal
Ammonia 0.5
Nitrites 0.2
Nitrates 50
Since this is my first time I presume I have a general learning curve. Either way this tells me the tank is cycling. Have to see where it is tomorrow evening.
I went to Smitty's today and ended up with what I estimate as about 60 gallons of water in an approximate 60/40 mix of old water change and new mix water. Also picked up 30 pounds of live rock - including one that has a pretty good colony of what appear to be Zoanthid soft corals (running theory). A piece of his old filter media to seed my filter and another power head. Also picked up a 4 stage RO/DI unit so I can do my own water changes. Return home and I was ready to get the tank up.
Came up and shlepped the water to the tank and filled it, added the live rocks and voila it actually looks like a real saltwater tank. Went out and got 10 pounds of Live Sand from Petco and now its time to sit back and let it cycle.
Did my first water testing tonight and got the following results.
Salinity 1.023
Temperature 82.5
pH 8.0
Alkalinity Normal
Ammonia 0.5
Nitrites 0.2
Nitrates 50
Since this is my first time I presume I have a general learning curve. Either way this tells me the tank is cycling. Have to see where it is tomorrow evening.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Water is coming
Just spoke to the place I am getting my water/LR from. This Friday I will finally get water into my tank. Going to get about 50 gallons of water (35 gal mature and 25 gallons new) for use in my tank. That coupled with live rock transported in the water should get my tank up and running fairly quickly. At least from the perspective of having water in it and the cycle starting.
I can't wait - it seems an ETERNITY since I started to plan for this. And as I've been told - patience is the key.
Tonight I bought a 2nd heater off the bay - going to use this for water change water. That way if it hoses up it won't affect the tank directly. Also ordered a dual head power head that puts out supposedly over 3k GPH. We'll see.
I'm actually getting excited.
I can't wait - it seems an ETERNITY since I started to plan for this. And as I've been told - patience is the key.
Tonight I bought a 2nd heater off the bay - going to use this for water change water. That way if it hoses up it won't affect the tank directly. Also ordered a dual head power head that puts out supposedly over 3k GPH. We'll see.
I'm actually getting excited.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Beware the oceans - I
Ok. So in my quest to establish a saltwater tank I decided I wanted a reef. I did my research and made my decisions. But in the process I discovered a LOT of things that I had never known about ocean inhabitants. Ok well maybe not a LOT but some good stuff. And I'm sure there will be more.
This first one is the Mantis Shrimp. There has been special after special about the fastest strike from a predator or a variety of things. Well watch this linkand discover that the Mantis shrimp can officially claim title to the fastest feeding strike of any animal - over 45 mph in water. That is FAST! As for the impact, the speaker in the video has measured a Mantis Shrimp smash at well over 200 pounds of force. For a little guy he is fast and packs a wallop.
So what is a Mantis Shrimp. Well first its not really a shrimp. Its a sematopod. There are two forms of them - spearers and smashers. They were called Mantis because they look like a praying Mantis. They are highly intelligent and have amazing eyesight and are typically considered a pest in a reef tank since they are so good at what they do. They will decimate a crab and snail population and potentially any other inhabitants they think they can kill. There are videos on you tube showing them attacking nearly everything including fish.
I hope this is interesting to you because it more surely was to me. Do I want one, yea but not soon. Want to concentrate on my reef first but it would be interesting to have one of the fastest food striking animals on earth living in the house.
This first one is the Mantis Shrimp. There has been special after special about the fastest strike from a predator or a variety of things. Well watch this linkand discover that the Mantis shrimp can officially claim title to the fastest feeding strike of any animal - over 45 mph in water. That is FAST! As for the impact, the speaker in the video has measured a Mantis Shrimp smash at well over 200 pounds of force. For a little guy he is fast and packs a wallop.
So what is a Mantis Shrimp. Well first its not really a shrimp. Its a sematopod. There are two forms of them - spearers and smashers. They were called Mantis because they look like a praying Mantis. They are highly intelligent and have amazing eyesight and are typically considered a pest in a reef tank since they are so good at what they do. They will decimate a crab and snail population and potentially any other inhabitants they think they can kill. There are videos on you tube showing them attacking nearly everything including fish.
I hope this is interesting to you because it more surely was to me. Do I want one, yea but not soon. Want to concentrate on my reef first but it would be interesting to have one of the fastest food striking animals on earth living in the house.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Beware the deep - Predators
This post is mainly for myself. Here is a page I found while wandering the internet describing a variety of predators that may end up in a reef. It is a pretty good quick source and leads to another page that I'm thinking of putting together at some point.
Friday, August 7, 2009
I learn something every day!
This is about diatoms. Pretty interesting reading if you are establishing a tank
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
OK repeat after me P A T I E N C E
OK so after reading up maybe the "quick water change" won't help speed up the cycle process. While the LR and water may help still have to let the process work and its probably worth it to put in the shrimp and let the cycle go forth. And see what happens. Maybe it will shorten by a bit but still need to do it right.
So sort of back to square one but definitely still on track.
So the question is what do I do once it cycles. The first thing in is a clean up crew. Gotta get the inverts into the tank and let them get settled.
So far looks like this will be the first life in the tank (not counting bacteria):
Hermit crabs - while some people don't like them a lot of the writing seems to say they are cool. For me I just think they are neat little critters. There are two kinds that I intend to get: the Blueleg and the Scarlet.
Bristle Star - I love the thought of this guy in my tank. You tube has some videos of these critters and I just think they are fascinating.
Emerald Crab - little green algae eaters. I keep seeing these at hte local stores and I love em. Need to get some algae growing initially but they will be cool.
Snails. There are a lot of types but these seem to be popular: Turbo and Nassarius
When I get closer and get them we'll get pictures up.
So sort of back to square one but definitely still on track.
So the question is what do I do once it cycles. The first thing in is a clean up crew. Gotta get the inverts into the tank and let them get settled.
So far looks like this will be the first life in the tank (not counting bacteria):
Hermit crabs - while some people don't like them a lot of the writing seems to say they are cool. For me I just think they are neat little critters. There are two kinds that I intend to get: the Blueleg and the Scarlet.
Bristle Star - I love the thought of this guy in my tank. You tube has some videos of these critters and I just think they are fascinating.
Emerald Crab - little green algae eaters. I keep seeing these at hte local stores and I love em. Need to get some algae growing initially but they will be cool.
Snails. There are a lot of types but these seem to be popular: Turbo and Nassarius
When I get closer and get them we'll get pictures up.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Woo hooooooooo - Now for the water and live rock
After curing overnight I put my foam back wall into the tank. Of course I had typical Don issues - cut off too much from the bottom and had to do some trimming. But rocks wedged against the wall are holding it in place and the trimming isn't noticeable.
So I put the rest of the base rock in place. Put the sand back in place and the next stage (after I get back home) is to put the water in and about 40 pounds of live rock.
Then I will have a real "life" salt water tank up and running. A couple of tweaks and some water testing and hopefully (due to the manner I"m getting water and rock) within a week I an put in the cleanup crew.
Here are some photographs of the tank today.
Full tank shot
Right side
Left side
So I put the rest of the base rock in place. Put the sand back in place and the next stage (after I get back home) is to put the water in and about 40 pounds of live rock.
Then I will have a real "life" salt water tank up and running. A couple of tweaks and some water testing and hopefully (due to the manner I"m getting water and rock) within a week I an put in the cleanup crew.
Here are some photographs of the tank today.
Full tank shot
Right side
Left side
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Foam Walls part 2
OK so I'm not sure how this will actually end up but I'm happy with it so far. I wanted a 3 dimensional wall and believe me that is what I got.
I went to the local "dealer" (actually a private dealer - more like a near end point entrepreneur) and I was enthused. Good deals and he is willing to deal. So we ended up chatting as you can expect and I walked into a free 50 gallons of water (from his water change - already cycled) and his live rock is to die for. Not great colonies but he has some rock that is already purpled up and has polyps on it. What I consider to be reasonable prices. Further talking got me a great deal on a light fixture and I found out he sells the powerhead I want for nearly $20 less. Needless to say he will get more of my business.
So I got a couple pounds (if that) of rock rubble and some dead coral skeletons and came home to build my foam wall. It took me four cans of pond foam but I have a definately 3D version of a back wall. From my quick calculations there are some places on this wall that are going to fill in 7 inches of the 11 inch wide space. Going to be interesting when I have to readjust my rock to fit the wall.
Here are some pictures. They are not much to see given the blackness but if you check them out you can see some of the PVC tunnesl and caves and the coral skeletons and rock embedded in the foam.
I went to the local "dealer" (actually a private dealer - more like a near end point entrepreneur) and I was enthused. Good deals and he is willing to deal. So we ended up chatting as you can expect and I walked into a free 50 gallons of water (from his water change - already cycled) and his live rock is to die for. Not great colonies but he has some rock that is already purpled up and has polyps on it. What I consider to be reasonable prices. Further talking got me a great deal on a light fixture and I found out he sells the powerhead I want for nearly $20 less. Needless to say he will get more of my business.
So I got a couple pounds (if that) of rock rubble and some dead coral skeletons and came home to build my foam wall. It took me four cans of pond foam but I have a definately 3D version of a back wall. From my quick calculations there are some places on this wall that are going to fill in 7 inches of the 11 inch wide space. Going to be interesting when I have to readjust my rock to fit the wall.
Here are some pictures. They are not much to see given the blackness but if you check them out you can see some of the PVC tunnesl and caves and the coral skeletons and rock embedded in the foam.
Foam walls
Well the next task on my list is to create my foam wall background. This is an interesting idea that I subscribed to while reading on how to set up a tank. What you end up with is a 3 dimensional background that helps to expand the available space for bacteria (the good stuff) to collect and increases the filtration.
The concept is pretty simple. Take some "egg crate" material the size of your back wall and apply some expanding closed cell foam to it. Embed in some rocks and when it cures - viola. Most of the write ups I have read talk to coating the structure in epoxy for UV protection but I'm not going to do that for two main reasons. 1) I am using pond foam which is intended for use outdoors and has UV protection in it and 2) I don't intend on having this tank long enough for the wall to break down under UV light. So I'm not going to put the epoxy on the wall.
I have the egg crate material and the pond foam. Today I am going out to buy about 15 pounds of rock rubble from a guy who sells out of his back yard. Locally he is spoken well of for his corals and live rock so this is sort of a trail run to see what he has and his operation in general.
I am also going to use some PVC pieces to create tunnels in the wall to provide more hiding holes for the "critters" I hope to get.
The intent of the entire operation will be to provide a more realistic look to the tank than looking in and seeing a pile of rocks rising from the seabed with nothing around them. Not too many reefs that I've seen personally or in pictures look this way.
Here is a picture that I copied from a thread showing how the 3D effect can truly add realism to the tank.
The concept is pretty simple. Take some "egg crate" material the size of your back wall and apply some expanding closed cell foam to it. Embed in some rocks and when it cures - viola. Most of the write ups I have read talk to coating the structure in epoxy for UV protection but I'm not going to do that for two main reasons. 1) I am using pond foam which is intended for use outdoors and has UV protection in it and 2) I don't intend on having this tank long enough for the wall to break down under UV light. So I'm not going to put the epoxy on the wall.
I have the egg crate material and the pond foam. Today I am going out to buy about 15 pounds of rock rubble from a guy who sells out of his back yard. Locally he is spoken well of for his corals and live rock so this is sort of a trail run to see what he has and his operation in general.
I am also going to use some PVC pieces to create tunnels in the wall to provide more hiding holes for the "critters" I hope to get.
The intent of the entire operation will be to provide a more realistic look to the tank than looking in and seeing a pile of rocks rising from the seabed with nothing around them. Not too many reefs that I've seen personally or in pictures look this way.
Here is a picture that I copied from a thread showing how the 3D effect can truly add realism to the tank.
Friday, July 31, 2009
One step forward and two back ...
OK OK so maybe I haven't learned patience quite so well.
After doing the preliminary work last night I found a card that had been included in the sand box (hehehe now that's funny). And of course it said (in part) "rinse the sand." Wonderful. OK well then I found a second post that talks about the support under teh rocks. I had read somewhere to put PVC there so I cut up some PVC pipe to make "rings." Well that wasn't what they meant. I re-read the post they talked about building a "table" under the rock using PVC "pieces." The post had some responses and the end result is that the plastic egg crate works just as well.
So tomorrow or Sunday I will re-attack the problem and get the sand rinsed (maybe) and the egg create in place and get the rock back in. Then its off to DC for another week of enforced waiting pattern.
In the meantime I purchased a Koralia 2 power head for the reef flow and have it tucked into the corner where it will probably sit. Not pictures but some tomorrow perhaps.
After doing the preliminary work last night I found a card that had been included in the sand box (hehehe now that's funny). And of course it said (in part) "rinse the sand." Wonderful. OK well then I found a second post that talks about the support under teh rocks. I had read somewhere to put PVC there so I cut up some PVC pipe to make "rings." Well that wasn't what they meant. I re-read the post they talked about building a "table" under the rock using PVC "pieces." The post had some responses and the end result is that the plastic egg crate works just as well.
So tomorrow or Sunday I will re-attack the problem and get the sand rinsed (maybe) and the egg create in place and get the rock back in. Then its off to DC for another week of enforced waiting pattern.
In the meantime I purchased a Koralia 2 power head for the reef flow and have it tucked into the corner where it will probably sit. Not pictures but some tomorrow perhaps.
The building begins
Due to circumstances beyond my control, what seemed an eternity passed before some funds worked free and I could begin working on my Reef. So first thing that has to happen is to get some rock and sand.
During my forced delay (refer to previous posts regarding having to have PATIENCE in this hobby) I visited the several Reef stores in the local area. Drooling and checking out the livestock and wares. While in one I happened to ask about base rock. Base rock is dead rock that is used to balance out the volume of rock in a tank. It is used (in my case anyway) for budgetary purposes. Being dead it doesn't cost as much as live rock and thus reduces the cash outlay for rock.
So anyway I asked where he suggested I could find some base rock. His suggestion was Marco Rocks. Marco Rocks is a company in south Florida. If you click the link you can see what they offer. Well I was ready to begin the build so I ordered the 40lb of rock and 40lb of Bahamian sand special. The same day I ordered the shipment was on the way from Big Pine Key.
And as typically happens. I had to go on a business trip before the rock arrived. So I had to wait till I got home to see what I had actually purchased. Now I don't know anything about rock but from what I had read it needed lots of nooks and crannies and such for the beneficial bacteria to come. Boy was I happy!!! Nooks and crannies galore. And holes - some of them all the way through the rock. Just wonderful!!
So after laying the rocks out to figure out a good fit. I cut some PVC from a tube to act as supports for the rocks to keep them off the glass bottom of the tank. Laid the rocks into the tank and then my impatience took over. Ok inexperience. I put the sand into the tank without rinsing it :( But I figure it will all come out in the end.
Here are some shots of what it looks like at the moment. Next comes the water and about a bit more than 40 lbs of "Live Rock" to be added.
During my forced delay (refer to previous posts regarding having to have PATIENCE in this hobby) I visited the several Reef stores in the local area. Drooling and checking out the livestock and wares. While in one I happened to ask about base rock. Base rock is dead rock that is used to balance out the volume of rock in a tank. It is used (in my case anyway) for budgetary purposes. Being dead it doesn't cost as much as live rock and thus reduces the cash outlay for rock.
So anyway I asked where he suggested I could find some base rock. His suggestion was Marco Rocks. Marco Rocks is a company in south Florida. If you click the link you can see what they offer. Well I was ready to begin the build so I ordered the 40lb of rock and 40lb of Bahamian sand special. The same day I ordered the shipment was on the way from Big Pine Key.And as typically happens. I had to go on a business trip before the rock arrived. So I had to wait till I got home to see what I had actually purchased. Now I don't know anything about rock but from what I had read it needed lots of nooks and crannies and such for the beneficial bacteria to come. Boy was I happy!!! Nooks and crannies galore. And holes - some of them all the way through the rock. Just wonderful!!
So after laying the rocks out to figure out a good fit. I cut some PVC from a tube to act as supports for the rocks to keep them off the glass bottom of the tank. Laid the rocks into the tank and then my impatience took over. Ok inexperience. I put the sand into the tank without rinsing it :( But I figure it will all come out in the end.
Here are some shots of what it looks like at the moment. Next comes the water and about a bit more than 40 lbs of "Live Rock" to be added.
My new Aquarium
I had been a freshwater fish enthusiast since I was in the eighth grade - say about 14 or so. I lived in Broward County Florida and in the next apartment complex over was a man who worked as the "middleman" for a pet importer. He had all sorts of exotic animals in his apartment. And a "fish farm." He gave me a small aquarium filled with live bearing fish and a huge Plecostomus. Nearly from that time forward I wasn't very far from a fish tank.
This continued until I moved back to Florida in 2004. At that time I had a 40 gallon tank and immediately set it up and put in some nice fish. Including a fresh water butterfly fish. Within a week they were all dead. Seems the water (well) here bit the big one. So I sort of lost interest and ended up selling the tank and everything I had.
So about two months ago we replaced our water softener and got "perfect water" (at least if you believe the hype). So I started to think about fish again. And one day in Petco I got lost watching the saltwater fish. Now like most people I had heard what a pain they were to set up and maintain but hey, what the heck, let me take a lok and see what I could find out. Well for me that is tantamount to a decision.
The first thing I learned was that I had to have something that isn't high in my repertoire - patience. So after deciding that this was a done deal I rushed out and got a 55 gallon tank and sat on it.
The plan at the time was to build a stand but after debating it and doing a more than honest assessment of my carpentry skills we ended up buying a metal stand for a 55 gallon tank. This is what they looked like set up.
This continued until I moved back to Florida in 2004. At that time I had a 40 gallon tank and immediately set it up and put in some nice fish. Including a fresh water butterfly fish. Within a week they were all dead. Seems the water (well) here bit the big one. So I sort of lost interest and ended up selling the tank and everything I had.
So about two months ago we replaced our water softener and got "perfect water" (at least if you believe the hype). So I started to think about fish again. And one day in Petco I got lost watching the saltwater fish. Now like most people I had heard what a pain they were to set up and maintain but hey, what the heck, let me take a lok and see what I could find out. Well for me that is tantamount to a decision.
The first thing I learned was that I had to have something that isn't high in my repertoire - patience. So after deciding that this was a done deal I rushed out and got a 55 gallon tank and sat on it.
The plan at the time was to build a stand but after debating it and doing a more than honest assessment of my carpentry skills we ended up buying a metal stand for a 55 gallon tank. This is what they looked like set up.
Welcome to the Reef
Hello. This is my Reef Aquarium Diary. My intent is to post those things that I discover as I examine and re-create this fascinating biosphere in my home. Welcome. Come in and sit. Hopefully it will be worthwhile.
The purpose of this blog isn't to preach the gospel of "how to...", so to some extent I'll presume you know how a saltwater tank and Reef work. If you don't this is a link that may help fill in some blanks. I don't typically use About.com but it is a good starting place. As is Google - remember the geek mantra - Google is your FRIEND. You can find ALMOST ANYTHING if you google it and all around it.
The purpose of this blog isn't to preach the gospel of "how to...", so to some extent I'll presume you know how a saltwater tank and Reef work. If you don't this is a link that may help fill in some blanks. I don't typically use About.com but it is a good starting place. As is Google - remember the geek mantra - Google is your FRIEND. You can find ALMOST ANYTHING if you google it and all around it.
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