Joey's RSM 650 Tank Thread
- Thread starter Joeys Tank
- Start date
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the compliments, but my pic taking skills need serious work 
I am really enjoying the 650 (my first ever marine tank and has been very forgiving as I learn the hobby). So much easier to work with than a small 20 gal QT I am trying to set up.
I am really enjoying the 650 (my first ever marine tank and has been very forgiving as I learn the hobby). So much easier to work with than a small 20 gal QT I am trying to set up.
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
Feeding time in the tank!
Almost all of the fish in the tank crowd around (except for the two red stoplight cardinals who have yet to leave the shelter of the rocks and the lawnmower blenny).
Almost all of the fish in the tank crowd around (except for the two red stoplight cardinals who have yet to leave the shelter of the rocks and the lawnmower blenny).
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
Thanks a bunch, Seagars.
Secrect to clean water ..... Hmmm. Most of the time I look into the tank, it doesn't look "clean" to me
Weekly WCs of 10-15%, run a skimmer, scrape the glass once a week with WC, and blow off the rocks.
Side comment on blowing off the rocks. My tank has been running high nutrients for the first few months and then I started to carbon dose with NO3-PO4-x. First couple of weeks, nitrates dropped off but phosphates have always been high (exceeding 1.00 ppm). PO4 started to drop initially due to dosing but then started creeping back up over a couple of weeks (went from 0.60ppm to 0.80ppm). Only thing I could really come to conclusion was I was starting to pull PO4 out of the rock. I used to blow off the rocks once a week, but was amazed with the amount of material getting pushed into the water column. I switched to blowing the rocks off every day now before feeding. I still get a lot of material getting into the water column, but over the last couple of weeks my PO4 has started coming down again. I use black sponges on my power heads in the tank and rinse these out every other day while feeding and I am amazed at the amount of junk which washes out.
Phosphates since making this change to husbandry.
0.80 -> 0.69 -> 0.59 -> 0.48 ppm
I still have a bit to go to get it below 0.30 but it is definitely looking achievable now.
Additionally, I have noticed some nice coral growth over the last month as well as a cleaner surface to the sandbed.
Now, if I could just get my QT up and running
Secrect to clean water ..... Hmmm. Most of the time I look into the tank, it doesn't look "clean" to me
Weekly WCs of 10-15%, run a skimmer, scrape the glass once a week with WC, and blow off the rocks.
Side comment on blowing off the rocks. My tank has been running high nutrients for the first few months and then I started to carbon dose with NO3-PO4-x. First couple of weeks, nitrates dropped off but phosphates have always been high (exceeding 1.00 ppm). PO4 started to drop initially due to dosing but then started creeping back up over a couple of weeks (went from 0.60ppm to 0.80ppm). Only thing I could really come to conclusion was I was starting to pull PO4 out of the rock. I used to blow off the rocks once a week, but was amazed with the amount of material getting pushed into the water column. I switched to blowing the rocks off every day now before feeding. I still get a lot of material getting into the water column, but over the last couple of weeks my PO4 has started coming down again. I use black sponges on my power heads in the tank and rinse these out every other day while feeding and I am amazed at the amount of junk which washes out.
Phosphates since making this change to husbandry.
0.80 -> 0.69 -> 0.59 -> 0.48 ppm
I still have a bit to go to get it below 0.30 but it is definitely looking achievable now.
Additionally, I have noticed some nice coral growth over the last month as well as a cleaner surface to the sandbed.
Now, if I could just get my QT up and running
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
Tank at 6 months.
Tanks really looks great Joey ! The 650's as soooo big & pretty !
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
Thanks a bunch, Glenn and Ann.
The 650 is so big, it makes all of the coral look so small.
The 650 is so big, it makes all of the coral look so small.
Oxylebius
Well-Known Member
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
Today, I did some research and found out what sundial snails are. These guys are bad for an aquarium. They feed on zoanthid coral. Over the last couple of weeks, I noticed that my zoas weren't opening up. Then, I started seeing bare spots on the rock and watched over a few days the polyps disappear. I pulled two of these guys out of the tank and I am sure there are more.
Pics of a before/after shot of the zoas to come later.
Pics of a before/after shot of the zoas to come later.
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
Thanks a bunch, Epster!
Great pic & post Joey !
Here a great read for everyone with pics on the sundial snails & others pest
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...nthids-closed-care-pests-troubleshooting.html
Here a great read for everyone with pics on the sundial snails & others pest
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...nthids-closed-care-pests-troubleshooting.html
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
Thanks a bunch, Glenn.
I had just copied that link and was going to add it here It was a big help in putting me on the right path to ID the issue with the zoas.
Did another late night sweep of the tank and didn't see anymore. However, there is a lot of real estate for them to hide in with this tank so I am looking at a couple of weeks of watching. Hopefully, they didn't lay any eggs before I found them.
I had just copied that link and was going to add it here
It was a big help in putting me on the right path to ID the issue with the zoas.Did another late night sweep of the tank and didn't see anymore. However, there is a lot of real estate for them to hide in with this tank so I am looking at a couple of weeks of watching. Hopefully, they didn't lay any eggs before I found them.
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
Before and after pics of the zoa rocks. The two sundial snails did a lot of damage.
wow they did some real damage - think you got them all out now?
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
I haven't seen any in the last week, but there is a lot of space to hide in this tank.
aquachemist
Active Member
Those zoas looked nice too. Were the sundial snails from your live rock when you first got it 6 months ago you think?
Red Sea Max 250
Red Sea Max 250