29g Peninsula tank getting pack into it

[badxgillen]

The Green Star Polyps just tend to get rather dominant once they begin their spread. It becomes very difficult to remove them from the larger rocks once they have matted there and they can often irritate any corals they touch. It was a recommendation I suppose, they can grow rampant left unchecked, hence the island or peninsula. Some people would disagree but I feel that in an SPS tank the star polyps should be left off the main rock work or there may be repercussion further down the road.

[Burningbaal]

ok, it's been a while, the lights are on a timer, JBJ ATO running the aqualifter routinely.  I just upgraded my topup water from a 1g carboy to a ~9g acrylic tank, so I don't have to fill it as often.  I've been dropping in a little (really old) marine hipro I have laying around that the yellow goby seems to enjoy well enough.  I haven't done a water change, nor tested chemistry in months (6? 8?  not sure).  but the hermits and fish seemed happy and with minimal feeding (a crumb or two 2-3 times per week) of one fish, I figured I was ok.  I have had no luck getting snails to survive though... plenty of green algae (film on the glass and some GHA and more calciferous stuff on the rock), but no snail has made it past 2-3 weeks, I've tried 8 or 10 in 3 different batches.

 

Anyways, I prepped about 9 gallons of water (Kent salt) this weekend, tested No3, PO4, Ca, and KH on both the tank water and the new water before I started the change, both had high hardness (8, 10 respectively) and Ca right about 500 in the tank, about 540 in the new water, both were non-detect for PO4 and NO3 (no surprise with the low feeding, though I wouldn't have been surprised if the snails added to the ammonia cycle).  Mg wasn't tested since the Ca and KH was high. 

 

Anyways, I'm rethinking my tank.  I'm thinking I'll target LPS.  who knows...frogspawn, acan, sun, elegance, brain, we'll see.  maybe someday I'll throw in a birdsnest to get a little sps look, but probably not and only if everything's going perfectly.

 

so my current thoughts for fish, one of each since the tank isn't really big enough to house multiples of these which tend to be aggressive to their own.

 

yellow watchman - already in tank (been in there for ~6 months already)

firefish (normal, not purple/helfrichi)

royal gramma

green clown goby

neon blue goby

court jester goby

 

any thoughts?  I'm shooting for as much color as I can muster without overloading the tank (especially considering the LPS I want to keep).

 

for what it's worth, I think I remember putting around 50 pounds of rock in there (remember a 29g tank), and when I did the ~9g W.C., it looked like around half the height of water, so I'm guessing it was around 60-70% of the volume.  weird how much of the 29g the rock/sand takes up!

[Burningbaal]

Ok, so I had a die off as I tried to get this going. I got a little frogspawn on sale at the LFS and then everything died and I lost my inspiration. In my dissapointment, I just turned pumps/heaters off as the evaporation made them dry...shameful, I know.

But I got re-inspired a bit, and I've been spending a lot more time in the room the tank is in. I drained the little water that was left (about 4gal, it was about 1.075!) and refilled it, tossed in a little salt to get it around 1.025 and turned everything back on. I'll give it a couple days and do something like an 80% water change to hopefully remove whatever nasties had accumulated.

I plan to build a wooden or plastic hood for it (a good friend is store manager of a TAP plastics up here ) and mount the lights. that should make jumpers a non-issue, and make feeding/water changes easier since the lights won't be sitting on the egg crate anymore. I'm now thinking I'll go for an easier route with basically just a FOWLR. I may throw in some easy leather or mushroom corals or something, but that's not my plan anymore. with the two little kids and a house to keep on with maintenance and a full time job, etc...I just can't be as dedicated as the stony corals need.

After the next big W.C., I'll probably buy something to bring in some good microbes and make sure it's cycled right. maybe a damsel or something.

Longer term, I'm thinking either cardinals and firefish or damsels and wrasses. not sure yet.

 

Tank's got lots of water movement, an ATO, tons of rock, and what hopefully will be an algae scrubber. I might add a backpack skimmer if I get enough bioload (to cut down on the frequence of the WCs).

any thoughts?

Also: Anyone up here (Seattle ish) that I can buy/trade a little bit of rock/rubble from to bring in some good bacteria? or a bit of sand? or an annoying damsel you want to get rid of

[Burningbaal]

Update:
Earlier this week I added 20 lbs of aragalive sand and this morning I did a 10g water change. Considering it's a 29 with 50lbs of rock and now about 2.5" of fine sand, I think that's shoot a 50% WC.
And this evening I added a yellowtail damsel. Hardy little bugger was chilling in a shady spot 10 minutes after I netted out of acclimation, I'm about to go check again. I also bought a small live rock to help get things rolling soccer it was probably only the sand otherwise.

However, I think my ancient Kent marine salt might be bad, I'm getting a decent amount of precipitation in the bucket, even at 1.025. also, according to my older test kits the alk is between 9-10 but the Ca is off the charts, like 800 or so... I will test Mg tonight and possibly dose some Mg...any other thoughts?

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[Burningbaal]

And now the little guy is roaming all over like it owns the place. All good so far, time will tell.
However, I used the entire mL of my old salifert Mg kit and it was still pink. I'm asking my chemist wife to retest (with my kits) tonight, but if she finds a similar result I think I'll dump in 15-20 mL of my brightwell Mg additive. It says 10mL per 20gal per day max, but I'm counting on that damsel being more hardy than the instructions are assuming.

Maybe it's time for new salt, maybe I'll just do a series of big changes with this old salt quickly to kinda use it up (with a cheap damsel) and also to clean out whatever built up in the junk tank all this time.

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[Burningbaal]

Well jeeze... He's super dead already, that was fast. I added a bunch of Mg done it's not like I was going to hurt the fish, then my wife tested it and pointed out I read the chart wrong and my mg is actually super high.
So crazy high mg and Ca, but alk is mid-low (9ish).
No idea what is going on. Maybe I'll just burn through a few 50% water changes and see what happens

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[Burningbaal]

Ha! Stray voltage! I got the multimeter I'm a ground, and as soon as the red and touched the water I had

 

50VAC! Fifty! Poor little bigger didn't stand a chance. Trouble is I'm not sure what it's coming from, so far it looks like multiple variables.

 

Edit:

Ok. Look like my little hydor pico 70 return pump is putting out 32 v, so that's clear enough. But with it unplugged and out of the water, anything else I turn on gets me 12-20v...very confused

 

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[Burningbaal]

Such a roller coaster. Current situation is watching AC current with a meter. It occasionally spikes above 100mA (0.1A), but mostly around 15mA, sick wouldn't bother me. But smart money says one of those 100mA spikes is what killed it. Could be a heater, not sure yet.
Once I figure it out, I'll probably try another fish.

In other news...since that damsel was an ammonia source and the only livestock I decided to leave it overnight and... Now I can't find it. So... Lots of ammonia I guess. With the rock I bought, I'm sure I'll be cycled, so I might pick up a nicer fish, maybe a clarkii or a couple cardinals. But not until I'm more confident I've fixed the electrical problem.

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[Burningbaal]

Ok, managed to check it and find about 110 mA, killed the hydor pico 70gph "return"pump and it dropped to about 12mA, banlck on and up to 90mA. Off and back to 10mA.
So I just bought the 100gph cousin (needs to fit the hole in wall, and a little faster return sounds nice). Also bought a new test set since mine are expired and a bag of salt because my (expired) test kits are showing Ca and Mg both way off the charts (like 900 and 2500) in freshly mixed from my old stuff.

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Edited August 15, 2019 by Burningbaal
typo

[Burningbaal]

Ok, I got 4 new test kits for the fundamentals and tested the tank. Also, I got some kind of algae started...I've never been good at distinguishing dino/diatoms/etc...doesn't really look like GHA, though. Figure it's a part of the new cycle, but I'm curious if anyone knows.

 

Also, I got my test results, pictures are about right to my eye Indy the room lights

I have no idea what to think with the pH, but I'm pretty sure it's above 8

Ammonia looks white, not yellow, but I'm thinking it's '0'

Nitrite appears to be clearly '0'

Nitrate is low.. color looks right to eye... Maybe 5?

 

In other news, the damsel made a showing... I'm guessing about 50% of the body mass was disintegrated, so the near-zero nitrogen things and the spike of algae tells me things are cycled and safe, as long as the electricity is under control

 

Edit:

There's a little green up top, exclusively on the highest point right under the light. The fact that it's only in the brightest point makes me think it isn't just algae...it doesn't come up off the rock at all. I've never had green coraline, but I suppose it could be?

 

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[Burningbaal]

Looking at reefcleaners, what I've got kinda looks like the calothrix except there's no trapped air bubbles, but maybe because it's all so little.
In any case, I figure I'll pick up a handful of snails and crabs along with my first swimmer and just chalk it up to normal new tank stuff.

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[Burningbaal]

Well, the LFS didn't have any chromis, and I couldn't try my first tank with a pair of clowns (all were paired).
So I came home with this guy. While acclimating, I glued some window screen to the egg create and found this guy sleeping this morning.

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[Burningbaal]

Been a while since I updated this thread. I bought a trio of pj cardinals a couple days after the wrasse because he was alive bit hiding, thought he could use some assurance there was nothing to be afraid of. Slow drip for them and they didn't make it to lights out, then two days later the wrasse was MIA, later found dead.
Long story short, I found my refractometer was way off, my tank was probably in the high 1.03x range, maybe even 1.040. [emoji33]

I did an almost 100% water change, am now at 1.025, and can't home today with a trio of nass snails and a chromis. The only close LFS I just really don't like. Tanks are too encrusted with Coraline and film algae to even see what's in half of them, aptasia, Xenia, and yellow polyps rule most of the tanks and I saw a clown on the sand that's probably been dead for 2 days given the rotting state. I think he just won't hire employees, so he can't get any maintenance done.
Anyways, a Petco nearby actually does pretty well, frags and everything, so that's where my new inhabitants and new refractometer came from today.

Barrier reef sounds awesome, but it's a tad far for a quick trip... Nothing else around appears salty, but please tell me if I'm wrong!


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[SuncrestReef]

1 hour ago, Burningbaal said:

Barrier reef sounds awesome, but it's a tad far for a quick trip... Nothing else around appears salty, but please tell me if I'm wrong!
 

Have you looked at our Member Map recently?  Last week I added about 10 stores to the map, with a couple in Seattle and several in Bellevue if that helps.  Look for the red pins on the map.

[Burningbaal]

18 minutes ago, SuncrestReef said:

Have you looked at our Member Map recently?  Last week I added about 10 stores to the map, with a couple in Seattle and several in Bellevue if that helps.  Look for the red pins on the map.

Looks like there's a couple there I didn't know about (a lot of them are builders, a couple more are just corals), but all are not particularly close. If I avoid traffic, it may only be 20-30 minutes to a few, but with traffic...could be 80 minutes...oye.

Maybe we'll get something more on the north side before too long.  I just can't keep myself going to the close one, so I'll probably make the nearest petco my go-to unless I am up for the drive.  For what it's worth, it seems there's not just natural variation between Petcos, the guy said there are different types of stores authorized, apparently the one in Marysville has even more. This one had several nemes, a couple (very small) tangs, a sally lightfoot crab, lots of clowns, cardinals, some dartfish, a beautiful dottyback, several LPS and SPS, mostly small frags on a rack. I liked it, I was impressed

 

Anyways, I did my water tests, bear in mind it's basically 100% new water last week and no inhabitants until tonight, just rock and sand. zero all across the nitrogen cycle (I did see NO3 before the big change), zero PO4, 480 Ca, 1335 Mg, 8.2 dKH, 8.1 pH

If the Calcium doesn't come down, I may do something about it, but it's been a crazy few weeks and it was obscene when the salinity was sky-high...so I'll just let it go for a little bit.

[Burningbaal]

Finally looks ok! Chromis is swimming all over and all 3 nass snails accounted for about 18 hours after they went in!

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[Burningbaal]

still accounting for all 4 new inhabitants as of this evening. I'm planning to go to a new LFS this weekend to find a new fish or three.

Hawkfish? flasher/fairy wrasse? cardinal? royal gramma? 

no algae yet, so I won't be getting a lawnmower blenny nor trochus yet.

that algae is gone since I did the giant water change to bring the salinity down. When it comes back, I'll pick up some trochus snails. If they can't handle it, then it'll be a blenny

[Burningbaal]

That chromis is doing great and the nassarius snails are still getting around.
I went to Denny's pet world in Kirkland (Totem Lake) today and was much more impressed that the store in late City.
Brought home a bangaii, firefish, and a trochus. Other than the firefish hiding a lot, all seems well

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[Trailermann]

The planning and set up phases of the hobby are possibly the best.  During this time, your mind is in high gear and no critter has died, no disease problems, and not one equipment failure.  Enjoy.

I have had great luck for several years with the Jabao PP4 on my 30 gallon Nano tank. 

[Burningbaal]

The planning and set up phases of the hobby are possibly the best.  During this time, your mind is in high gear and no critter has died, no disease problems, and not one equipment failure.  Enjoy.
I have had great luck for several years with the Jabao PP4 on my 30 gallon Nano tank. 

Did you think you were commenting on a different tank thread? This tank had been a disaster to set up... I've probably had $200 of dead animals in this darn nano, maybe more. This thread started yesterday ago and the tank is barely starting now...

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[Trailermann]

7 hours ago, Burningbaal said:

Did you think you were commenting on a different tank thread? This tank had been a disaster to set up... I've probably had $200 of dead animals in this darn nano, maybe more. This thread started yesterday ago and the tank is barely starting now...

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I absolutely misunderstood.  Bummer that this has been so difficult.

[Burningbaal]

all three fish still alive tonight, firefish is hiding. all four snails (three nass, one trochus) are moving around. Looking more closely, I probably shoul dhave got more than one trochus...I hadn't noticed any algae before, so I figured I'd get the one 'just because', figuring there'd be something he could eat (since I had barely-detectable No3 and PO4). By the time I got him acclimated, I realized there was a thin film of something on the highest rocks. It's doing a good job cleaning up that top rock (where I put it) but I might need a couple more.

I'll probably add a longnose hawkfish and a couple more trochus, and presumably some redlegs at some point. I'm hoping to find  a green-polyp toadstool frag at some point as the first coral, or maybe a colorful gorgonian. Ive been dosing MB7 and live rock enhance, plus the weird history of the quasi-dry rock and a new bag of arag-alive, I think I'm in good shape.

tests today are 1.026, 0.075 PO4, 1335Mg, 430 Ca, 7.7dKH, and I still need to no NO3. as of yesterday there was no ammonia nor nitrite and the ammonia badge reads zero (more sensitive than my API kit, in theory)

 

 

[youcallmenny]

Phosphates seem pretty high.  Those tests are really fussy though.  I would suggest you do a nitrate test soon to make sure it's not too high as well.  

[Burningbaal]

Phosphates seem pretty high.  Those tests are really fussy though.  I would suggest you do a nitrate test soon to make sure it's not too high as well.  

You're right if it wasn't a typo on my part...PO4 was 0.075.

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[Burningbaal]

Now we're coming along!

Went to@barrierreeftc today for the first time. I was hoping for a cleaner goby or royal Gramma, but had in the back of my mind that a green-polyp leather or neon green cabbage would be perfect first corals for the tank. Didn't find the fish (also didn't ask, I might have just not found them), but found BOTH corals there! I gave my 4yo daughter her choice between the two and she wanted the toadstool, so we bright it home with five more trochus snails.

First picture is after a 3hr acclimation (taking no chances), 15 minute float for temperature, stop-aiptasia blasting (I saw one) and a valonia bubble removal, followed by 15 minutes in revive and an accidental scrape on a rock...oops! Go figure it's unhappy.

 

Also, no blame to the store, it's impossible to keep everything at bay in a retail environment. That's why I inspect carefully while acclimating and have things like stop-aiptasia on hand.

 

Next picture you can see a few sparkles as it thinks about extending polyps.

Then I did a 20% water change and it closed right back up.

Wah-wah.

 

But then, just now... The last picture...yay! Can't wait to see it tomorrow!

 

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