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- Thread starter Mad Mike
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Kacy McCure
Member
Hi mike..
Mad Mike
Active Member
Woodstock said::hallo: Mike. Good to have you here
Can you tell us about your aquarium and maybe post a few pics?
Hmm no pics that are recent. And I'm in the middle of redoing the rockwork so alot of it is torn out sitting in the refuge and the sump. I'm waiting for the GARF glue to show up so I can put the rocks back. I have some nice tonga branch all cured and ready to go in, I want to glue it along the back wall of the tank. The original rockwork was two layers and goes about half way up the tank. It's been about 3 years and I need a third level to finish it and get closer to the surface. But I need the glue!! It's going to be a process I figure adding a piece or 2 a week so I dont shock things. Even if it's "cured " I don't trust it.
Bare Bottom. I stated with sand, about 300 pounds of the stuff and it made for wonderful backfill for my yard
What a stink when I took that stuff out. And I swore my tank ws clean.180gal 3x150mh 10k 4x96 pc atinic, 55gal refuge plants snails stars mithrax crabs. The sump is prety simple rubber maid tub Sits over the refuge and drains down.
2) 1600 GPH box returns I didn' know about drilling. Tank is glass and to be honest dont know if I would drill it.
1/4 HP chiller
2x magdrive 9.5
PM Skimmer I dont recall which one.
Also had a Calc reactor but took it down because the tanks kept gasing out on me and causing algae blooms. No matter how hard I tried I could never get them regulated. I would get it to 7 bubbles per minute and wake up and it out be gassed out. So I do things the old fashioned way
daily tests and top offs. I enjoy the husbandry aspect of things. I have been keeping tanks since I'm a little kid. I did it with my dad when tanks were slate bottomed and the light hoods came attached with the tanks. Now I am passing it along to my son Who lives in the tank...
Sohal tang
Blue Tang
Six line wrasse 3 years and going strong.
2) False Ocellaris Clown Amphiprion ocellaris. Dumbest fish I have ever seen.
1) Clarkii Clown Amphiprion clarkii
2 banded coral shrimp
2 peppermint shrimp
God only knows how many redlegs, green mithrax, Astrea, turbos, and 4 stars and a bristle worm I can't get out who's kinda large. I can't tell how long he is but from what I have seen of him hes about a 1/4 of an inch wide so hes gotta be a big boy. I will get him one day! Meantime he doesn't seem to be bothering anything and pop's his head out to eat. So as long as he's eating food he can stay.
Yellow fiji leather 1 year
Green carpet anemone, 6 months
Red Shrooms, Not having luck with these. I think they need less light but when I move them to shaded areas they dont respond. Hoping the shade from the new rockwork helps them some. 1+ year
Green spotted shrooms. 2+ years
Lettus coral green finger type. 6 months
Orange Sun Coral Tubastrea aurea. My pride and joy!! I have done so well with this guy (he's settled on other pieces of adjoining rock) that I would like to try some other species from the same family. 2 years+
1)Bubble Plerogyra Coral also a very happy camper. 1 Year +
Large blue tridacna. 2 years
Orange Zoo's 3 years
Green buttons 3 years.
I have a ton of room but, the tank has really been a lot of work sadly I have lost a lot of corals in the learning process. And I'm afraid to keep adding stuff because things are such hit and miss. For example you get a coral that’s a high light requirement and he does well with low light. Get a highlight put him at the top it's dead. This was my first attempt at a SW tank after years of fresh water keeping and breeding. I made every mistake humanly possible and some impossible ones also :grr:
I'm still not 100% happy which is why I'm redoing the rockwork. The more I read and the more I see the more I want to change. What I am striving for is a reef slope effect, right now I feel like I have rocks in a tank. I have the depth for it but adjusting the lighting is another story. All the high light species I have ( the lettuce coral and the clam live closer to the top. Yet the anemone lives on the bottom and hasn't moved since the day I got him. What scares me and this is why I make changes so slowly is why an anemone that is " high light requirement " is doing so well on the bottom. Lighting has to be the single most confusing aspect of this whole thing. So while I want to improve the look of the tank, I also fear changing it for fear of upsetting the balance the animals have. So I make realllllllllllllllllllll slow changes.
I had a beautiful acro but, I also had some green algae on the back glass ( very annoying ) tested the water, water was fine. RO/DI water is used but still had algae. hmmmmmm I'll add rowaphos. I started to get tip recession and I couldn't save him. Sometimes you have to leave well enough alone. Who knows what the balance is. What amazes me is how delicate the balance is and how easily it's thrown off and how little we really know.
I know for a fact that anemone isn’t getting enough light yet he has adapted and thrived. Still I strive for perfection and want him to get what he needs so I am considering upping the lights to 3x250 HQI. But I know in my heart that will upset the balance, cause algae and God only knows what else. So what do you do? Overall my tank is good and healthy but it's not perfect. I want perfect!! I want that reef you see in the books, that beautiful fore reef.
What I am convinced of is the longer I do this the less I know. I'm a 3 year reef newb.
KimPossible
Well-Known Member
....LOL!
Welcome to RS Mad Mike!! :turntable
Sharkbait
Active Member
Mike I understand why now you are "mad","every mistake possible and even a few impossible ones." I would just add it up to hard learned experience. It sounds like you have sound info/technique, so just stick with it and you'll see.Welcome of course and remember it's like Bansaii gardening, if you screw up you can say you meant to do it and go on.That simple.Can't wait to see this Tonga.
Mad Mike
Active Member
Sharkbait said:
Yeah it's a madness of love really
I love the Bonsai anaolgy.The tonga idea came from a book I was reading, I don't recall which one but the guy was glueing small pieces of pvc to the back of the tank at odd angles then glueing softies to it for effect. It was pretty, so I figured why not expand on it some and do it with branch. Like most of us I'm anxious to get started but have learned enough restraint to wait till I get the right materials. The putties and the zap gel wont cut it for this. So I figured give the other stuff a try, if that fails I will try dental cement. I have bought odder things and people are always facinated when you buy stuff from their industry and apply it to some oddball application.
Thank you all for the warm welcome =)
Mad Mike said:
Very beautiful coral. I haven't tried this one because of the 'high maintenance' required for feeding it. What is the feeding process for yours?
Join the club
Something that is invaluable to me when trying to figure out why an animal/fish isn't doing well is to keep a log of all changes, supplements, water parameters, water changes, etc. I am as detailed as possible. This log has proven very worthwhile on several occassions. Try it~~ ummmm... me either... I will have a rock aquascaping party in the fall! :bouncebox
I would not be afraid of upgrading your lights. Just reduce the photoperiod down to 3 hrs per day the first week, 5 hrs per day the second week, etc.... They will acclimate fine
Excellent!!!!
True, true. Rowaphos and phosban are both known to change the the water's chemistry quickly so It is always best to only use 1/2 of the recommended amount then increase it in a few weeks. Both are very good products.
IMO, 3 x 250 watters would do much better for your corals/anemone than your 150's. Just reduce the photoperiod down to 3 hrs per day the first week, 5 hrs per day the second week, etc.... They will acclimate fine : I am thinking your tank is 30" deep? Maybe even 3 x 400 watters
"Easy does it"...... Take your time and don't be afraid to ask questions. This forum is filled with knowledgeable reefers~~