Neil's Red Sea Max C-250 Journey
- Thread starter neildradford
- Start date
I still get confused by this glueing business. Can I put the glue on the frag rock out of the water then plonk it in and stick it on? How much contact surface does it need? Most of my live rock isn't flat. Putty seems more permanent than glue, just as easy to break and move if needed?
Ooops, I've made a mistake then, I moved it up high last night. I was worried it wouldn't get enough light/flow. Should I move it back down to the bottom? Not sure I have any intermediate positions without gluing it. I'm trying to avoid hard fixed positions until I know where things will stay (feels like I'll never know for sure).
cheers guys
Came home from work to find my banded trochus snails have had babies. Spotted 10 or more, and that was only ones that were at the front pieces of live rock. Is this usual?
Did a full set of tests today:
SG:1.026
Temp:26
pH:8.3
No3:0.6
Po4:0.02
dKH:7.8
Ca:450
Mg:1480
Not much else to report today, cheers.
Did a full set of tests today:
SG:1.026
Temp:26
pH:8.3
No3:0.6
Po4:0.02
dKH:7.8
Ca:450
Mg:1480
Not much else to report today, cheers.
Oxylebius
Well-Known Member
I slowly acclimate all sps to the light levels in my tank, by slowly moving them off the sand bed. I tend to let the acros sit on the sand bed for 5-7 days then place them on a rock somewhere lower mid-level and leave it there for a week. Then move it higher mid-level for an additional week. Then where I want it. All the while watching it. If it looks like it is turning white or starting to bleach, I bring it back down a level.
I use glue to stick it to the rocks. Glue is easier to break off, so that I can move it around. And I keep the frag on the plug until I know where its final place is. Keeping it on the plug allows me to easily glue it to the rocks and pluck it off the rocks w/o harming the coral frag. I take all my sps off the plugs when I finally find a spot I want them, it's a preference thing.
For the glue, use the super glue 'gel'. The gel is thicker. I add the glue out of the tank and quickly dip the plug it in the tank to help the glue solidify on the outer layer, apply a little more, and dip again. After I get a nice round bubble of glue, I stick it to the rock and move it around a little to 'pop' the glue bubble a little so that it adheres better. Hold in place for a few seconds to let it take, and done.
I have a green slimer acro. It took a good month to find a place in my tank that it liked. It started to bleach out and so I chopped it in half and glue the tip in a place that it seems happy with now. The tiny coral is starting to finally grow a little. I found this coral to be a little temperamental in my tank.
I use glue to stick it to the rocks. Glue is easier to break off, so that I can move it around. And I keep the frag on the plug until I know where its final place is. Keeping it on the plug allows me to easily glue it to the rocks and pluck it off the rocks w/o harming the coral frag. I take all my sps off the plugs when I finally find a spot I want them, it's a preference thing.
For the glue, use the super glue 'gel'. The gel is thicker. I add the glue out of the tank and quickly dip the plug it in the tank to help the glue solidify on the outer layer, apply a little more, and dip again. After I get a nice round bubble of glue, I stick it to the rock and move it around a little to 'pop' the glue bubble a little so that it adheres better. Hold in place for a few seconds to let it take, and done.
I have a green slimer acro. It took a good month to find a place in my tank that it liked. It started to bleach out and so I chopped it in half and glue the tip in a place that it seems happy with now. The tiny coral is starting to finally grow a little. I found this coral to be a little temperamental in my tank.
Thanks for the detailed reply Oxy, that's a massive help.
I'll move the SPS corals back down to the sand bed tomorrow. I think I have the right gel, so I'll try your method and see how I get on.
Unfortunately none of the 12 corals I have bought so far are on plugs. They all came on lumps of live rock of various shapes and sizes. Luckily the two SPS I have just bought have flat(ish) bases.
Would you still remove the coral from the rock when you find its home spot if it was yours?
Cheers.
I'll move the SPS corals back down to the sand bed tomorrow. I think I have the right gel, so I'll try your method and see how I get on.
Unfortunately none of the 12 corals I have bought so far are on plugs. They all came on lumps of live rock of various shapes and sizes. Luckily the two SPS I have just bought have flat(ish) bases.
Would you still remove the coral from the rock when you find its home spot if it was yours?
Cheers.
Agree with previous Oxy comments. Moreover, if the SPS are already in a rock that is great. Looks natural.
To follow the aclimatation that Oxy suggested I will do with coral putty a small shaped base that you glue it to the rock and then you glue it at the different tank levels. Those putty are very easy to remove.
Well is just an idea.
But, with the putty what I really did was a small "base" when I wanted the SPS in a difficult place. For example, in the border of a rock cliff and the rock isn't flat at that place. I did a kind of small shelf with the putty rock side thicker. Pressed the thick side to the rock to take the shape of it. 5 minutes later is almost dry. Then with gel superglue I glued it to the rock. The shelve is now in place. To it I glued the SPS. Looks like almost hanging in the air again the rock. Later the SPS will start encrusting and in some months it will look like the SPS larvae have started his life at that place.
Just another idea.
Cheers
Daniel
To follow the aclimatation that Oxy suggested I will do with coral putty a small shaped base that you glue it to the rock and then you glue it at the different tank levels. Those putty are very easy to remove.
Well is just an idea.
But, with the putty what I really did was a small "base" when I wanted the SPS in a difficult place. For example, in the border of a rock cliff and the rock isn't flat at that place. I did a kind of small shelf with the putty rock side thicker. Pressed the thick side to the rock to take the shape of it. 5 minutes later is almost dry. Then with gel superglue I glued it to the rock. The shelve is now in place. To it I glued the SPS. Looks like almost hanging in the air again the rock. Later the SPS will start encrusting and in some months it will look like the SPS larvae have started his life at that place.
Just another idea.
Cheers
Daniel
Hi guys.
Could any of you help me identify some 'stuff' that is on my zoa rock? It was on the rock when I bought it and I don't think it has grown any since then. I would like to pull it off if it's safe to do so. It is rubbery to the touch.
Zoa Algae by Neil Radford, on Flickr
Also, I have just noticed that my plating montipora is fading. When I got it, I placed it on the sand bed for a week or so, then moved it up mid height for a week, then to the top.
Here was its placement at top (I just moved it down to half way again)
Montipora Position by Neil Radford, on Flickr
And here's how it looks
Montipora Bleaching by Neil Radford, on Flickr
Anything else I can do to help its colour?
Is it ok to pull the green rubber? (I will wear glasses and gloves and mask for safety)
For ref, my parameters are:
SG:1.026
Temp:26
pH:8.3
No3:0.75
Po4:0.04
dKh:9
Ca:460
Mg:1500
I dose Reef foundation A & B, NOPOX (diluted), Coral Colors, Reef energy A&B
My main lights are on for 10hrs, 11am-9pm, with blues either side (6am-11am, 9pm-Midnight). I have just reduced my blue lighting hours (not sure if this would help?)
Thanks guys.
Could any of you help me identify some 'stuff' that is on my zoa rock? It was on the rock when I bought it and I don't think it has grown any since then. I would like to pull it off if it's safe to do so. It is rubbery to the touch.
Zoa Algae by Neil Radford, on Flickr
Also, I have just noticed that my plating montipora is fading. When I got it, I placed it on the sand bed for a week or so, then moved it up mid height for a week, then to the top.
Here was its placement at top (I just moved it down to half way again)
Montipora Position by Neil Radford, on Flickr
And here's how it looks
Montipora Bleaching by Neil Radford, on Flickr
Anything else I can do to help its colour?
Is it ok to pull the green rubber? (I will wear glasses and gloves and mask for safety)
For ref, my parameters are:
SG:1.026
Temp:26
pH:8.3
No3:0.75
Po4:0.04
dKh:9
Ca:460
Mg:1500
I dose Reef foundation A & B, NOPOX (diluted), Coral Colors, Reef energy A&B
My main lights are on for 10hrs, 11am-9pm, with blues either side (6am-11am, 9pm-Midnight). I have just reduced my blue lighting hours (not sure if this would help?)
Thanks guys.
if it's soft, I would guess a sponge... see what others think
Can anyone tell me if it's safe for me to remove some of my sand?
I think I have it too deep and would also like to add a layer of something a bit coarser.
I'm getting a bit fed up with sand flying all over the place, it always seems to be in my water column (goby and powerheads causing it).
As I plan to add two MP40's next week I'd like to sort it out next week too. Will probably also do yet another rock shuffle. I'm just not satisfied with how I have it all in my tank right now.
Cheers guys.
I think I have it too deep and would also like to add a layer of something a bit coarser.
I'm getting a bit fed up with sand flying all over the place, it always seems to be in my water column (goby and powerheads causing it).
As I plan to add two MP40's next week I'd like to sort it out next week too. Will probably also do yet another rock shuffle. I'm just not satisfied with how I have it all in my tank right now.
Cheers guys.
He's an Orange Spotted Goby.
I guess that's that out the window then.
I guess that's that out the window then.
*Gulp* More money spent. Just made an order for £1100 ($1800)
Ordered:
2x Vortech MP40's
Reeflink gadget to go with it
Hanna Phosphorus Checker & extra reagents
Hanna Calcium Checker & extra reagents
Hanna Alk Checker & extra reagents
TMC V2 Powerflow 1000 pump (for mixing stuff in buckets)
1000ml of ZEO activated carbon
Filter Bags for said carbon
500ml Reef energy A
500ml Reef energy B
Coral Colors ABCD
22kg Coral Pro salt
Kent Pro Scraper 16-24"
They weren't lying when they said it's an expensive hobby!
Ordered:
2x Vortech MP40's
Reeflink gadget to go with it
Hanna Phosphorus Checker & extra reagents
Hanna Calcium Checker & extra reagents
Hanna Alk Checker & extra reagents
TMC V2 Powerflow 1000 pump (for mixing stuff in buckets)
1000ml of ZEO activated carbon
Filter Bags for said carbon
500ml Reef energy A
500ml Reef energy B
Coral Colors ABCD
22kg Coral Pro salt
Kent Pro Scraper 16-24"
They weren't lying when they said it's an expensive hobby!
I think I need some drastic help. I think I'm losing most if not all of my corals!
No idea what's going on but nothing (other than my zoas) are really opening up, I think I'm losing heads on my acans (grr this was expensive-to me), my red plating Montipora is now totally white, the bali green slimer is now a much paler green, the toadstools hardly ever fully open/expand. I think my torch may have lost a head or two too.
It all looks horrible, not a scratch on what it looked like 3 weeks ago.
No idea what to do. I haven't done anything different that I can think of.
The water is always a cloudy white colour, which I think is down to my Goby. His digging has got beyond a joke now, it's time for him to go unfortunately.
Part of me thinks I should give up, I can't even keep mushrooms healthy. I can see £800 of corals going in the bin.
I've been doing the usual weekly water changes. I've been dosing my usual stuff. Reef energy A & B, Reef foundation A & B, coral colors ABCD, NOPOX. I feed the corals every 4 days with reef roids. The fish are all fine.
I clean the black sponges once a week at water change. I scrape the glass daily (light dusting of algae).
One thing I can think of that may be detrimental to the corals is, I have been moving them around a lot lately, this is mostly because of the damn Goby making homes EVERYWHERE.
My parameters are:
SG:1.026
Temp:26
pH:8.2
No3:1.5
Po4:0.04
dKH:9.6 (I'm raising this slowly to 12.6 per the Red Sea rapid growth program)
Ca:460
Mg:1430
NH3:0
NO2:0
I did plan to rescape my entire tank next week and remove some sand (and look to catch the goby) before fitting my new Vortechs.
Im at a loss so any and all help/advice appreciated. I'd like to fix this before I do lose everything (Coral wise)
Thanks guys.
No idea what's going on but nothing (other than my zoas) are really opening up, I think I'm losing heads on my acans (grr this was expensive-to me), my red plating Montipora is now totally white, the bali green slimer is now a much paler green, the toadstools hardly ever fully open/expand. I think my torch may have lost a head or two too.
It all looks horrible, not a scratch on what it looked like 3 weeks ago.
No idea what to do. I haven't done anything different that I can think of.
The water is always a cloudy white colour, which I think is down to my Goby. His digging has got beyond a joke now, it's time for him to go unfortunately.
Part of me thinks I should give up, I can't even keep mushrooms healthy. I can see £800 of corals going in the bin.
I've been doing the usual weekly water changes. I've been dosing my usual stuff. Reef energy A & B, Reef foundation A & B, coral colors ABCD, NOPOX. I feed the corals every 4 days with reef roids. The fish are all fine.
I clean the black sponges once a week at water change. I scrape the glass daily (light dusting of algae).
One thing I can think of that may be detrimental to the corals is, I have been moving them around a lot lately, this is mostly because of the damn Goby making homes EVERYWHERE.
My parameters are:
SG:1.026
Temp:26
pH:8.2
No3:1.5
Po4:0.04
dKH:9.6 (I'm raising this slowly to 12.6 per the Red Sea rapid growth program)
Ca:460
Mg:1430
NH3:0
NO2:0
I did plan to rescape my entire tank next week and remove some sand (and look to catch the goby) before fitting my new Vortechs.
Im at a loss so any and all help/advice appreciated. I'd like to fix this before I do lose everything (Coral wise)
Thanks guys.
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
Let's see...
Tank has been set up for three months.
Are you still running your main lights at 10 hours with an additional 6 hours of blues (3 hrs either side)? Could be lighting.
I remember you having a bad run of GHA but the rocks looks pretty clean in recent photos. I can't remember at the moment how you cleaned it up. Was it natural? Did you pull rocks and scrub? Use chemicals?
One of the main reasons why we tank it slow in the tank (introduce a few corals and a fish every month) is to give the tank time to adjust to the new bio-load but the other part is that we need to let the tanks mature. We started up our tanks about at the same time. You have much larger pieces of coral than I do. I haven't started dosing anything yet. My advice (as limited in experience as it is) is to reduce lighting and go slow with tank parameters. Keep them steady for a while. Give the tank time to mature on its own. Also, see what other, way more experienced than I, people have to say.
Hang in there. You are on the path to having a beautiful tank and you have it within you to make it happen.
Tank has been set up for three months.
Are you still running your main lights at 10 hours with an additional 6 hours of blues (3 hrs either side)? Could be lighting.
I remember you having a bad run of GHA but the rocks looks pretty clean in recent photos. I can't remember at the moment how you cleaned it up. Was it natural? Did you pull rocks and scrub? Use chemicals?
One of the main reasons why we tank it slow in the tank (introduce a few corals and a fish every month) is to give the tank time to adjust to the new bio-load but the other part is that we need to let the tanks mature. We started up our tanks about at the same time. You have much larger pieces of coral than I do. I haven't started dosing anything yet. My advice (as limited in experience as it is) is to reduce lighting and go slow with tank parameters. Keep them steady for a while. Give the tank time to mature on its own. Also, see what other, way more experienced than I, people have to say.
Hang in there. You are on the path to having a beautiful tank and you have it within you to make it happen.
Hi Joey,
I do run my main lights for 10hrs, with blues either side of that. The blues run at 40% power.
My GHA cleaned up naturally, no chemicals.
I was under the impression that corals do not add to the bio load. The tank maturing part, I agree, is important.
I'm starting to feel a little led astray as I have been dosing, adding fish and corals and getting my parameters to a level recommended to me by someone from Red Sea. I haven't just purchased or dosed on a whim, I have been following instructions from someone who works for the company that made my tank, using all their dosing and testing products.
The thing that baffles me is, up until a week or two ago, all my corals and fish etc were doing great, even seeing new growth. Then something changed and it wasn't my parameters or my dosing regime. Something that has drastically changed is the extent of the Goby's digging and throwing sand. It's actually quite ridiculous, hence why I feel I can't keep him any longer (if I can catch the bugger).
Thanks
I do run my main lights for 10hrs, with blues either side of that. The blues run at 40% power.
My GHA cleaned up naturally, no chemicals.
I was under the impression that corals do not add to the bio load. The tank maturing part, I agree, is important.
I'm starting to feel a little led astray as I have been dosing, adding fish and corals and getting my parameters to a level recommended to me by someone from Red Sea. I haven't just purchased or dosed on a whim, I have been following instructions from someone who works for the company that made my tank, using all their dosing and testing products.
The thing that baffles me is, up until a week or two ago, all my corals and fish etc were doing great, even seeing new growth. Then something changed and it wasn't my parameters or my dosing regime. Something that has drastically changed is the extent of the Goby's digging and throwing sand. It's actually quite ridiculous, hence why I feel I can't keep him any longer (if I can catch the bugger).
Thanks
Just remembered something else that changed around the same time. My Banded Trochus snails have been plopping out babies like nobodys business. I have loads of babies now. Some are tiny, some a little bigger and some a little bigger still. I have more full size ones than I started with too (I bought 6, 2 died, I now have around 10 adult size ones plus the babies)
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
I spent a few minutes thinking about your cloudy water and I remembered something similar being discussed somewhere. I know, not very exact or helpful
However, I did sift through my favorite links and came across this one.
http://www.marineaquariumservice.com/cloudy-marine-aquarium-water/
It discusses 8 common causes to cloudy saltwater in an aquarium. Some thoughts that came to my mind are either bacteria bloom, sand storm (which you are attributing to the goby), or calcium precipitation. The bacterial bloom may be due to either 1) the tank is still trying to mature and set up with the amount of bio-load you have or 2) a resultant of organics (feeding practices). The calcium precip may be likely due to the dosing process. I feel that if you can narrow down the cause of cloudy water (aside from the goby) you may find what is affecting your coral.
I am cheering for you, Neil.
However, I did sift through my favorite links and came across this one.
http://www.marineaquariumservice.com/cloudy-marine-aquarium-water/
It discusses 8 common causes to cloudy saltwater in an aquarium. Some thoughts that came to my mind are either bacteria bloom, sand storm (which you are attributing to the goby), or calcium precipitation. The bacterial bloom may be due to either 1) the tank is still trying to mature and set up with the amount of bio-load you have or 2) a resultant of organics (feeding practices). The calcium precip may be likely due to the dosing process. I feel that if you can narrow down the cause of cloudy water (aside from the goby) you may find what is affecting your coral.
I am cheering for you, Neil.
Joeys Tank
Well-Known Member
This will definitely cause a clouding of the water (the increased amount of organics in the system). Have you noticed any changes in the performance of your skimmer?
Thanks for the link Joey, I happened to stumble onto that page when I was searching the term 'white cloudy reef tank water' a few days ago. I bookmarked it, quite useful.
Wouldnt a high level of organics show as Nitrates? Or is it something we don't measure?
Skimmer performance is about the same, always a bit wet and a bit smelly. My gate is at its lowest position, not keen on refitting the air valve.
I only dose what the system depletes, which is 1dKH alkalinity and 10ppm of calcium. NOPOX is a tiny amount, just 1ml which is heavily diluted anyway (1 part NOPOX, 9 part RO). Coral colors just replaces the trace elements and is dosed based on calcium depletion. Reef energy is effectively just coral food, of which I only dose 50% of the stated amount as I'm lightly stocked.
Im pretty certain it isn't related to my dosing. The parameters have been the most stable since I started. I test Ca and KH everyday and do full tests every 4 days including after water change. Generally speaking, I don't dose Ca or KH on water change day as the levels rise a touch anyway. That is another reason for aiming for around 12 dKH, as this is where the salt mix is.
Ive checked my tank for pests and all I have is what I've always had, namely brittle starfish, aiptasia (I zap these when they're a little bigger) and some harmless filter feeders. The only real pest I have is that Goby lol
Cheers.
Wouldnt a high level of organics show as Nitrates? Or is it something we don't measure?
Skimmer performance is about the same, always a bit wet and a bit smelly. My gate is at its lowest position, not keen on refitting the air valve.
I only dose what the system depletes, which is 1dKH alkalinity and 10ppm of calcium. NOPOX is a tiny amount, just 1ml which is heavily diluted anyway (1 part NOPOX, 9 part RO). Coral colors just replaces the trace elements and is dosed based on calcium depletion. Reef energy is effectively just coral food, of which I only dose 50% of the stated amount as I'm lightly stocked.
Im pretty certain it isn't related to my dosing. The parameters have been the most stable since I started. I test Ca and KH everyday and do full tests every 4 days including after water change. Generally speaking, I don't dose Ca or KH on water change day as the levels rise a touch anyway. That is another reason for aiming for around 12 dKH, as this is where the salt mix is.
Ive checked my tank for pests and all I have is what I've always had, namely brittle starfish, aiptasia (I zap these when they're a little bigger) and some harmless filter feeders. The only real pest I have is that Goby lol
Cheers.