Martin's RSM C-130

[melvis]

I hope so mate, and that's what the LFS said. In fact I placed an order for my CUC yesterday on the basis that the readings for nitrite and ammonia remain at 0 for the rest of the week. I'm guessing I need to be doing a water change beforehand though?

I've ordered;
1 x Blood Red Fire Shrimp
2 x Sexy Shrimp (under protest lol)
3 x Bumblebee Snails
3 x Nassarius Snails
4 x Trochus Snails

Still unsure on the crab front, especially as I've still got one (possibly two) hiding in the LR. Had another clean up tonight and other than not being sure on the aquascaping yet, it's starting to look pretty good - if I say so myself!

 

[Joeys Tank]

Definitely do a WC, preferably once you finish scraping the glass with the hopes of pulling alot of the organic matter out.

I was on the fence about crabs when I ordered my CUC and now .... don't like them

 

[melvis]

Cheers mate. What size WC should I be doing, 10-15% or more?

Was having a nose around earlier this morning and noticed a few delights (hopefully);

Something blue...

Green and periscope in shape, noticed a couple of these...

And finally, the elusive crab...perched on the bottom of the LR;

Started to move some of the LR to grab him whilst thinking he might do a runner and I grabbed a net and hoped...didn't need either in the end, poor little fella was already dead. As soon as I moved him, he pretty much disintegrated. He's out now so that's all that matters I guess.

Looking forward to getting my CUC on the weekend. Parameters have remained pretty stable over last few days, although I haven't tested today.

 

[Mike Johnson]

I suspect you found the crab's shed. Now your crab is a little bigger. I'll let others identify your critters - they're all real common and I'm at work.

 

[melvis]

durr, didn't think of that lol.

Back to putting a prawn in a glass then and hoping I catch him that way. Cheers Mike, yours and everyone else's knowledge is most welcome.

 

[Mike Johnson]

If it's a swimming crab like the other one a glass won't work. It'll swim right out. They make a plastic mouse trap box that has a trigger. Get one of those and put bait in the back of it.

 

[melvis]

Just as I was about to press 'buy now' on a pest trap, the missus ('Crab Catcher Extraordinaire' now lol) spots the now bigger crab hiding under a bit of LR. Out came the net in an attempt to catch him. Unfortunately he disappeared so after dismantling the aquascaping into a bucket, we finally lured him out.

He looks a lot darker in this pot than in the tank as his arm was a pinky white colour with a dark claw.

More aquascaping done as a result but we're both chuffed with it now and the planned trip to the LFS tomorrow can go ahead. Will be doing a water change first, although still a bit unsure on how much.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Can your crab catcher extraordinaire be hired? Good job!

 

[melvis]

Lol Mike, but she doesn't come cheap I'm afraid...the "hmmmm" I got when I said I owe you was enough to frighten me and my wallet for a good few weeks! :tears:

The trip to the LFS today was fantastic...

Slight change of plan on the snails as they couldnt get everything I originally ordered, but all is good.

2 Ceriths, 4 Bumblebees and 4 Turbos accompanied by a Blood Red Fire Shrimp and two Sexy Shrimps that the missus wanted.

Acclimated slowly via the drip method and all appears to be well. Ceriths have buried themselves already and the turbos are getting to work. Shrimps are a bit static but alive.

 

[melvis]

Hi all

All of a sudden this morning I noticed a load (and I mean a load) of small white wiggly things over the glass and floating all round the tank...not the best picture I'm afraid;

Reading some posts on here, I'm 99% convinced they're copepods. This is a good sign right?

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

pods are great

http://www.melevsreef.com/critters/copepod

 

[melvis]

Decided to switch the media today for the CPE and Purigen I recently picked up. Followed all the instructions (slowly) and replaced the media rack only to hear the missus shout "omg, it looks like it's snowing in there".

Frustratingly, it looks like the media bag the LFS sold me wasn't as fine as they led me to believe and this has caused Purigen to be sprayed around my lovely tank like Father (expletive) Christmas is coming into town. To say I'm angry right now is a massive under statement, I'm furious and if it wasn't for the LFS being shut, I'd be having some stern words about now. What this has confirmed is I should have gone with Seachem's The Bag and that in future, I should trust my gut feeling a bit more.

I'm worried that this is going to cause me further issues, as it's all over my LR and tank like a settling snow globe. My Blood Red Fire Shrimp who's been a bit nervy was out like a shot, gobbling up everything. Is this stuff going to harm my inverts and CUC?

Any ideas how to clear this up?

As always, any advice gratefully received.
Cheers

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Sorry to hear, the good news is I would not think it will hurt anything... with wc you should be able to syphon it out overtime it comes also in a pre-sealed 100 ml fine bag, only cost a bit more pre-sealed - hope this helps

http://www.swelluk.com/aquarium/fil...filter-media-1608/seachem-purigen-251203.html

 

[Oxylebius]

Agree, vacuum the sand bed regularly to get it out, also blow off the rocks with a large pipette or turkey baster to get it out of the rocks and then vacuum the sand bed.

Here is the direct link to the manufactures website and msds for it.
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Purigen.html
http://www.seachem.com/support/MSDS/Purigen.doc.pdf

They have a contact support line, I'd reach out and ask about the shrimp ingesting it. There may not be anything you can do, but it would perhaps let you know if you are to expect it to die or not. Based on the msds sheet, they do recommend not touching it with skin as it can be absorbed through the skin and is a slight irritate of skin or eyes. I'm sure if a child ingested it, they would have their stomach pumped out or something similar. For a shrimp

 

[melvis]

Thanks guys. Think I'll pop to LFS today and pick up Seachem's The Bag, seeing as I've got a load more of the Purigen left. Will also be grabbing a new turkey baster as the hint I gave last night about using the one in the kitchen was somewhat frowned upon lol.

Oxy, thanks so much for the info mate. I'm pretty confident that all will be ok, but I'll check things out just to be totally safe. Blood Red seems ok tbh and less shy, but that's probably just coincidence. Will be doing a WC on Sunday before hopefully adding a pair of Ocellaris, so will attempt to remove as much lose Purigen as possible.

On a related note, should I be running some form of filter floss above the Purigen in the media rack? I've got (other than Purigen) loads of bits floating around the tank and it looks bloody awful and certainly not as clear as some others I've seen on here.

Cheers

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

You could run a square of the fine white/blue filter - just be sure to take it to the sink a couple times a week & rinse it out under tap water, then shake dry & replace

 

[melvis]

Thanks Glenn, popped to LFS yesterday and got some anyway. Seems to have had some effect, although a long way to go before it's crystal clear.

Does seem to be some weird stuff that keeps appearing near a particular spot on the LR. At first I thought it was a strand of hair (God knows why) but when fishing out, it just disappeared / broke up...only to reappear. Will try and get a photo as it looks like it's coming from something on the LR.

All parameters are looking good, nitrate only at 2. Alkalinity seems to be a bit low at 4dkh so LFS advised Reef Builder to help boost this backup. I know to take it easy with this as to not throw everything else out.

On a positive note;

- the Blood Red and two Sexy Shrimps appear to be well, given their gut fulls of Purigen lol. Seen the Blood Red out and about a lot more and he really is a gorgeous specimen, well chuffed with him.

- the skimmer seems to be skimming, although it still fills with water but doesn't poor out all over the place.

- the Tunze ATO works a treat after set up yesterday too. Well chuffed with this and will see how it performs over the next two days whilst I'm away.

Getting close to the first two fish....

 

[Joeys Tank]

Excited to see it coming along. Can't wait to see pics of the fish in the tank.

 

[brwoody]

Hi Martin,

Nice thread, I've found it very useful so far as I am looking to purchase the C-130 in the next few weeks! I'm completely new to the marine world so I've got a lot of learning to do and have a few questions already....

Cheers,
Benn

 

[melvis]

Cheers Benn, glad to hear my first foray into saltwater is helping you on your journey. If I were to offer any advice, then it's exactly what others gave me....patience, patience and more patience! I've taken my time since it cycled and am now almost ready for first couple of fish. Keep us posted on your next steps as would love to follow your journey too.

After a short trip away, acute tonsillitis and the pleasure of getting engaged to my wonderful missus...I'm now back and ready for fish!

Thought I'd do some readings before, just to check where I'm at. Would appreciate an expert eye on these please chaps?

SG - 35ppt
Ammonia - 0-0.2 (but more towards 0)
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Phosphate - 0
Alkalinity - 4dkh (gotta start the reef builder tonight)
PH - 8.0 - 8.02
Copper - 0
Iodine - 0.03
Calcium - 375 lower reading and 495 higher, need to check this again
Magnesium - 1050, need to check this again