Roo's Rad Reef - RSM C-130 Build

R

Rooprect

Member
Hey Gang: So I'm starting to get some diatoms and would like to get some CUC advice. After the diatoms take off I figure it's safe to add some snails. With a new 130 what kind of numbers should I be considering. The packages on reef cleaners . Com seem ridiculously large and intended for a well aged tank in need of a scrub.
Any input would be great! Thanks!
Roop
 
Adrienne

Adrienne

Well-Known Member
Loving this thread :)
I have the 250 and I do get a small amount of drip down the back of it but most of the drips land on the clip on rear fans! I never considered quieter fans, my skimmer makes the most noise.

I have my tank about 5 1/2 inches from the wall to let the heat from the chiller out the rear opening without the wall getting damp.
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
on cuc , might start off with 10 snails, I like... Asterea, Trochus, Cerith, Nerites, Margarita, Nassarius and Mexican Turbos

if you don't have any algae other than diatoms, you will have more as you run your light 8+ a day .... add a fish or two and start feeding them
 
R

Rooprect

Member
Adrienne:
Thanks for the kind words! That drip issue was just a rookie freaking out about next to nothing. With my new super quiet rear fans running 24/7 I have no condensate build up so that issue is gone. But thanks!
And I found a happy medium for tank/wall clearance. (It sure as heck isn't moving now that's full!) ;)
NR4F: Ten sounds like a happy medium to me as well. Many thanks for some species suggestions.
With regards to a fish: I've been a patient newbie monitoring my tank parameters for 2 weeks. I wasn't going to bore everyone with my numbers because I'm just waiting it out and not in any rush....I don't have my log in front of me now but I can tell you the tank is pretty much spotless still. (Very beginning of 'toms) I'm using Red Sea's starter kit and I'm on like day 10.
Don't think I'm ready for livestock any time soon. Ammonia still fluctuates and nitrites are low but not zero. Nitrates are crazy high. Changed out 10% yesterday. And I completely understand that I may be in for a long cycle using dry rock. (I am getting some skimmate however)
I'll post the numbers tomorrow.
Many thanks for the input!!!
Roop!
 
R

Rooprect

Member
Wow. Diatoms grow fast! 5 days ago I had a speck. Today the whole tank is covered. I have some snails coming today to take advantage of the feast. My first live animals to be added. Very excited.
Roop
 
R

Rooprect

Member
Hello fellow reefers. There has been lots of stuff going on in Roo's Rad Reef Tank.
About 20 days ago I ordered 10 dwarf ceriths, and 3 nerites to take care of the mega diatom bloom that had started.
This was after about 20 days of beginning to establish my tank.
Reefcleaners.com sent me more like 20-30 ceriths, 5 nerites, and accidentally included a nassarius vibex, and 5 hermits. I decided to keep the hermits and they are very entertaining. (however the largest did take a nerite shell to live in before I could add extra empty hermit shells....the circle of life I guess)
All these guys did a great job cleaning up the sand bed, walls, and rock.
About 45 days after establishing the tank my water parameters began to come into check. Ammonia was holding steady at zero and nitrites finally went to zero. My nitrates had been off the chart since the beginning and they too went to zero or close to zero depending on the day.
My skimmer has been chugging along as well. (however once a week or so it freaks out and overskims)

After a week with good water readings I went to the LFS to get a coral banded shrimp. I didn't like the one they had in stock but didn't leave empty handed. I ended up with 2 false percs and a little colorful zoanthid frag. Drove home in a blizzard, acclimated everyone and got them in the tank. After 4 days everyone seems happy. The clowns appear healthy and eat well.
The zoanthid opened immediately after getting in the tank so I assume he's happy with the water quality as well.
Very exciting times!
My only issue is with the nassarius vibex. (which I didn't order, it just came with the other crew members) Since this is a brand new set-up with little crud in the substrate (and I feed only pellets to the fish) I assume he is starving to death. He's not as active as he used to be and doesn’t look as healthy.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.
Sincerely,
Roop
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
The nassarius are nocturnal, but can learn to come out during feeding times. Mine come out whenever they smell food hit the water. During these times you can add a little extra food for it. Target feed it by giving it a pellet each day until the tank gets established. Alternatively, you can get a algae clip that sinks and add food to that and leave it out overnight for it (the crabs and other critters might also go after it as well). I know that most items you find online on these snails says they are carnivorous, but mine eat nori algae also.
 
R

Rooprect

Member
Hi all.
Some of you may have seen my post in the hitchhiker ID forum about my crazy group of thin striped hermits. They are growing like CRAZY and can only imagine they will be a nightmare as they get bigger. The biggest is beginning to get restless, I believe because he can only eat so much algae and is getting hungry. My two LFS don't want them and I have no where to put them so I'm at a loss. Feel terrible about the possibility of getting rid of them (as in killing them).....but I would like to get some reef friendly hermits that stay small. Not going to take any action yet because I have other issues.
My false percs have been super happy, and my little zoa is getting bigger and appears to be happy as well. Been taking it slow and this is still all I have in the tank. (plus snails)

Current issue is with green algae. I understand that some of this stuff is inevitable, but my case is getting pretty bad. 24 hours after a glass cleaning it begins covering over again. My phosphates are almost zero, and my nitrates are also almost zero. Nitrites are zero, ammonia is zero. PH is 8.2 and KH is 8.
Seems pretty good from what I've read. Here is my deep dark secret: I use tap water run through an aquasana permanently installed under cabinet system. It's three canisters that make great drinking water. However....it certainly doesn't bring my total dissolved solids anywhere near zero. It's obviously not designed to.
I guess this is where I wait to hear a handful of you tell me I'm crazy not to use RO/DI and if I ever hope to get nuisance algae under control I need to ditch the filtered tap and get a home RO/DI unit.
I just need a little push from the community before I make this investment and add another item to my small condo that I can't fit. :)
Hope you all had a great holiday season!
Sincerely,
ROOP!
 
Joeys Tank

Joeys Tank

Well-Known Member
Hmmm, odd that you are having issues with algae when you have almost zero nutrients in the tank for it (nitrates and phosphates). Since these chemicals are very low in your tank, I would venture to guess that they are feeding off of whatever is leaching out of the rock. This is one of the driving factors behind ugly tank syndrome with new tanks/rock. If the rock is the source, feel better knowing that eventually it will run its course.

Another odd thing I see is that you mention your hermits eating algae and getting hungry yet you say you are having algae issues.
 
R

Rooprect

Member
Thanks Joey.
I'm sure the green film type algae would be worse without my hermits and snails. Not to mention the hermits can't scale the tank walls and feed on that algae.
I read somewhere (ill try to find it again) that phosphates are tough to gage in the tank because the algae USES the phosphates so fast that low readings can be misleading.
 
E

Excelsior856

New Member
I had a 55g tank years ago that I started with declorinated tap water and battled massive amounts of algae for the life of the system... On my new 130 I bought a BRS RO/DI unit and even 31 days in the results aren't even comparable... I would fully recommend the investment.

In fairness, my original tank had a very under-sized CUC also but I still think the water played a big part in all of the cyno and GHA I was constantly battling
 
R

Rooprect

Member
Thanks Excel.
Well...the deed is done. Got a package in the mail yesterday.....4 stage 75 GPD RO/DI. Spent the evening making water...(slowly, being on the 10th floor I only have about 40PSI) and doing a monster water change.
Was always worried about my water quality even though the basic parameters I was testing for were always SAT.
Next step is a permanent install under the kitchen sink after I get some more fittings to complete the job.
TDI into the DI filter is 3-5 and zero coming out. Hopefully my algae collection REALLY hates this and starts dying off. :)
For those of you in the DC area, I visited King of Corals in Frederick MD this weekend. What a cool store. They set it up with the floor covered with shallow waist high tanks PACKED with corals. There is no light in there besides the hanging LEDs so the store has a super cool feel.
They are lacking on the inverts and snails but the coral selection is nuts.

Sincerely,
Roop
Hope you are well.
 
R

Rooprect

Member
A decent amount of research leads to inconclusive evidence on the following question:
Does the Tunze DOC Comline 9004 fit in the back of a Red Sea Max C130?
Sincerely,
Roop
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
Rooprect said:
Hi all.
Some of you may have seen my post in the hitchhiker ID forum about my crazy group of thin striped hermits. They are growing like CRAZY and can only imagine they will be a nightmare as they get bigger. The biggest is beginning to get restless, I believe because he can only eat so much algae and is getting hungry. My two LFS don't want them and I have no where to put them so I'm at a loss. Feel terrible about the possibility of getting rid of them (as in killing them).....but I would like to get some reef friendly hermits that stay small.
Click to expand...

Here are a couple of options:

You can set up a little dedicated tank just for them, somewhere in the range of 5-10gallon tank. You can feed them like you would your fish and other critters. Maybe add a few little corals that they wouldn't bother. If you keep it fish free you will have less maintenance that would need to be done to the system making it easier to keep.

Or you can decide setting up a sump or refugium to your main tank and add the hermits to that.
 
R

Rooprect

Member
Hello gang. Thanks to all for providing input on my various questions.
I figured I would show off my gross green algae and look for some input.
Tank 3 months old. It took about a month to cycle.
I change out about 10-12% weekly.
Started running RO/DI three weeks ago. At which point I did two larger water changes (15%) a few days apart. Now I'm back to weekly.
I figured the change to RODI would help my green algae but it's getting worse.
Interesting too that my CORALINE faded out after switching to RODI.
THANKS guys!

Roop

2 false percs
Bunch of snails
PH is 8.3
KH - 8
Ammonia- 0
NO2- 0
NO3- 0
PO4- 0

Any advice?



 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Add a hardy amount of snails - Asterea, Trochus, Cerith, Nerites, Margarita, Mexican Turbos & Nassariu

one per gallon...

this algae look like new tank progression to me :) it will pass, keep up the weekly wc 10-15%
 
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