Into the fray and now 8 weeks in

ChrisChow · 10-12-2007, 05:13 PM

Hi I'm new to reef forums. I'm familiar with other forums but somewhat new to FOWLER systems. My friend gave me his 65 gallon all-glass tank, euro-reef skimmer pump, 10gallon sump and lights. My other friend gave me his sw fish (lumare wrasse, watchman goby, trigger, box puffer and cinnamon clown) rocks and whatever I could fit in a Toyota 4-Runner.

The move was time consuming as I was reading that water is a very important part of keeping the fish alive and happy. So I took the water fish and as much of the non-live rock as possible. There was a short stint of diatom problems but that was solved by NOT using tap water to top off the tank. I've since added a Stealth heater (more stable temperatures it's around 78 to 79 degrees) and a 35 gallon sump/fuge. I'm slowly introducing live rock to the aquarium (I've added only one 4 lb rock so far and have begun (two days ago) to add live sand to the fuge. I intend to build up a 4" layer of sand.

I'm battling what I think is cyanobacteria by reducing the amount of light to my aquarium but I'm not entirely positive of what it is. Basically it covers any portion of the tank that's exposed to light and it's purple (not red) and hairy and it won't simply wash off the ornamental rock when flushed under a faucet. Reducing the light cycle from 9 hours to 6 seems to be helping. The purple hairy stuff does NOT grow in places that are shaded from exposure to the tank lights. I've been monitoring ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, pH and salinity. My system has been up for only 2 months now. I have experienced a small nitrate spike but never saw any spikes in ammonia or nitrites.

Oh ya, I graduated with a BS degree in Molecular Cell Biology from UC Berkeley so I'm not a complete noob when it comes to biological cycles but I am a complete NOOB at SW aquaria and I'm amazed at some of the reef and FOWLER setups that people have. My plan is to slowly introduce more live rock, some cleaner organisms, sand and macro algae to my 65 gallon setup. I know it may be backwards but I was given 24 hours to grab the fish and I haven't setup a quarantine tank. Then maybe some coral and anenomes. Geez this hobby is addicting

Comments and suggestions to the purple hairy stuff? And I was going to get semi cured live rock in 4 to 10lb intervals and aqua scape them into the tank over a 6 month period. Or should I get 50lbs of live rock, cure it in a separate tank and drop them in all at once?

My choice of vendors are :

Live Rock - Tampa Bay Saltwater Aquacultured Live Rock

http://www.reefscavengers.com/

Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation Home Page

RO/DI Systems

boozeman · 10-12-2007, 05:15 PM

Melanie · 10-12-2007, 06:14 PM

Welcome to Reef Sanctuary. Sounds like you are off to a pretty good start. I will let the more advanced reefers give you their advice on your LR questions. We'd love to see photos of your set up.

blue_eyes53813 · 10-12-2007, 08:36 PM

Hello

vdituri · 10-12-2007, 08:42 PM

Way to hit the ground running man!
And nice friends to give you all that.
Is there a waiting list to get friends like that? lol

If the fish are already in the 65 I think you're on the right track.
As far as liverock, if you order from Tampa Bay it comes packed in water so there is little to almost no cycle. It will come with some hitchhikers though. Both good and bad. Keep that in mind.

DrHank · 10-12-2007, 08:47 PM

It's difficult to say without pictures what the purple stuff is. Building up your live rock is a good idea. I would suggest that you not place any except fully cured rock in your system. Since You have a degree in Biology you should easily understand the cycle of ammonia to free nitrogen. It is of course bacteria driven with the final conversion to nitrogen gas normally ocurring deep within the rock or deep sand bed by anaerobic bacteria.

Your immediate concern will be in attempting to maintain the best possible water conditions. As long as there is no ammonia or nitrite your fish should be fine. Invertebrates and corals do not do well with nitrates present. A small amount, say less than 5ppm is tolerable. The anemone is going to be your biggest concern. They generally only do well in a tank which has been running in a stable condition for at least 6 months to a year. Honestly, I would recommend that you find it a home in an established system otherwise there is a good chance that you may loose him.

Get your skimmer running to reduce disolved organic compounds. Do frequent (weekly at least) 10% - 15% water changes. Try to use DI water. If you intend to do well and enjoy this hobby on a long term basis it's really imperative. Feed sparingly to keep phosphates and nitrates at hopefully undetectable levels. A single daily feeding is usually sufficient for most fishes. Due to the aggressive nature of the triggerfish, you may want to make sure that he is well fed otherwise he may reek havoc with smaller tank mates.

I've gone into a lot more detail than I normally do but with your understanding of Biology, I'm sure that you can appreciate the importance of proper water chemistry. Good luck and again, welcome to RS.

ChrisChow · 10-12-2007, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melanie

Welcome to Reef Sanctuary. Sounds like you are off to a pretty good start. I will let the more advanced reefers give you their advice on your LR questions. We'd love to see photos of your set up.

It's very spartan !!! Hopefully that will change over the next 6 months...

DrHank · 10-12-2007, 10:59 PM

Very nice. I'd plan on 150 gallons within 18 months. The clown trigger and regal tang get big.

ChrisChow · 10-12-2007, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vdituri

Way to hit the ground running man!
And nice friends to give you all that.
Is there a waiting list to get friends like that? lol

LoL

I think part of the deal was the LATE notice. Spent an entire Sunday with the wife and 2 year old draining the tank, capturing the fish and hauling it 45 miles back to my house.

Quote:

If the fish are already in the 65 I think you're on the right track.
As far as liverock, if you order from Tampa Bay it comes packed in water so there is little to almost no cycle. It will come with some hitchhikers though. Both good and bad. Keep that in mind.

Ya I read about the good and bad hitchhikers. I may miss a few even if I quarantine the rock for a short stint.

goldenmean · 10-12-2007, 11:07 PM

Howdy Hooooo!
Welcome to RS!

I just set up a 55g tank with TBS LR.
you can check out that tank's chronical with lots of pics of the LR
by clicking on the link in my signature below

ChrisChow · 10-12-2007, 11:14 PM

Thank you sir! I understand all that you are saying.
I'm getting my source of water from a friend who works in a college research laboratory...she's now supplying me with "lab grade" water.
I just tested the water about 10 minutes ago and it's 0 ammonia, 0 nitrate and 0 nitrites.

As far as the cured rock, I will take the time to quarantine the rock, monitor the nitrapalooza and drop 'em in.

I feed them sparingly once a day. They are ALWAYS seem to be hungry it's hard to resist. Also my trigger is one of the most passive fish in my tank. My friend that gave me the fis says its very unusual and it was his prize possession. The most aggressive is the black damsel. The wrasse was being a bit difficult with the tang so I put him in the fuge for a few weeks and now he's the passive one.

I'm surprised that frequent water changes is a must. I will have to be more diligent with that one.

As you can see from the pictures, I have a looooong way to go. Thanks for the welcome (EVERYONE) and I hope to have a tank looking as good as all of yours

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrHank

It's difficult to say without pictures what the purple stuff is. Building up your live rock is a good idea. I would suggest that you not place any except fully cured rock in your system. Since You have a degree in Biology you should easily understand the cycle of ammonia to free nitrogen. It is of course bacteria driven with the final conversion to nitrogen gas normally ocurring deep within the rock or deep sand bed by anaerobic bacteria.

Your immediate concern will be in attempting to maintain the best possible water conditions. As long as there is no ammonia or nitrite your fish should be fine. Invertebrates and corals do not do well with nitrates present. A small amount, say less than 5ppm is tolerable. The anemone is going to be your biggest concern. They generally only do well in a tank which has been running in a stable condition for at least 6 months to a year. Honestly, I would recommend that you find it a home in an established system otherwise there is a good chance that you may loose him.

Get your skimmer running to reduce disolved organic compounds. Do frequent (weekly at least) 10% - 15% water changes. Try to use DI water. If you intend to do well and enjoy this hobby on a long term basis it's really imperative. Feed sparingly to keep phosphates and nitrates at hopefully undetectable levels. A single daily feeding is usually sufficient for most fishes. Due to the aggressive nature of the triggerfish, you may want to make sure that he is well fed otherwise he may reek havoc with smaller tank mates.

I've gone into a lot more detail than I normally do but with your understanding of Biology, I'm sure that you can appreciate the importance of proper water chemistry. Good luck and again, welcome to RS.

ChrisChow · 10-12-2007, 11:30 PM

And by the way, I have NOT aqua scaped my tank yet...obviously

I just looked at GoldenMean's chronicles and I'm amazed by the number and variety of hitchhikers! That's extremely exciting to see. I'm also going to have to use a tripod the next time I take some pictures, some of the contributors take stunning photos. Uh oh, here comes my baby daughter for request for milk....

ChrisChow · 10-12-2007, 11:59 PM

And by the way, I have NOT aqua scaped my tank yet...obviously

I just looked at GoldenMean's chronicles and I'm amazed by the number and variety of hitchhikers! That's extremely exciting to see. I'm also going to have to use a tripod the next time I take some pictures, some of the contributors take stunning photos. Uh oh, here comes my baby daughter for request for milk....

PEMfish · 10-13-2007, 01:32 AM

Gaveyou all that!? Can I borrow your friends? LOL! JK.

ChrisChow · 10-13-2007, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PEMfish

Gaveyou all that!? Can I borrow your friends? LOL! JK.

LOL.

I have not aqua scaped my tank yet...obviously

I just looked at GoldenMean's chronicles and I'm amazed by the number and variety of hitchhikers! That's extremely exciting to see. I'm also going to have to use a tripod the next time I take some pictures, some of the contributors take stunning photos.

10-12-2007, 05:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
ChrisChow Tunicate Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 18 View Gallery Karma Komment	Into the fray and now 8 weeks in Hi I'm new to reef forums. I'm familiar with other forums but somewhat new to FOWLER systems. My friend gave me his 65 gallon all-glass tank, euro-reef skimmer pump, 10gallon sump and lights. My other friend gave me his sw fish (lumare wrasse, watchman goby, trigger, box puffer and cinnamon clown) rocks and whatever I could fit in a Toyota 4-Runner. The move was time consuming as I was reading that water is a very important part of keeping the fish alive and happy. So I took the water fish and as much of the non-live rock as possible. There was a short stint of diatom problems but that was solved by NOT using tap water to top off the tank. I've since added a Stealth heater (more stable temperatures it's around 78 to 79 degrees) and a 35 gallon sump/fuge. I'm slowly introducing live rock to the aquarium (I've added only one 4 lb rock so far and have begun (two days ago) to add live sand to the fuge. I intend to build up a 4" layer of sand. I'm battling what I think is cyanobacteria by reducing the amount of light to my aquarium but I'm not entirely positive of what it is. Basically it covers any portion of the tank that's exposed to light and it's purple (not red) and hairy and it won't simply wash off the ornamental rock when flushed under a faucet. Reducing the light cycle from 9 hours to 6 seems to be helping. The purple hairy stuff does NOT grow in places that are shaded from exposure to the tank lights. I've been monitoring ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, pH and salinity. My system has been up for only 2 months now. I have experienced a small nitrate spike but never saw any spikes in ammonia or nitrites. Oh ya, I graduated with a BS degree in Molecular Cell Biology from UC Berkeley so I'm not a complete noob when it comes to biological cycles but I am a complete NOOB at SW aquaria and I'm amazed at some of the reef and FOWLER setups that people have. My plan is to slowly introduce more live rock, some cleaner organisms, sand and macro algae to my 65 gallon setup. I know it may be backwards but I was given 24 hours to grab the fish and I haven't setup a quarantine tank. Then maybe some coral and anenomes. Geez this hobby is addicting Comments and suggestions to the purple hairy stuff? And I was going to get semi cured live rock in 4 to 10lb intervals and aqua scape them into the tank over a 6 month period. Or should I get 50lbs of live rock, cure it in a separate tank and drop them in all at once? My choice of vendors are : Live Rock - Tampa Bay Saltwater Aquacultured Live Rock http://www.reefscavengers.com/ Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation Home Page RO/DI Systems

10-12-2007, 05:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
boozeman The CodFather ~ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: new york Posts: 8,802 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Into the fray and now 8 weeks in __________________ ...and when I'm old and wise little things mean little to me like autumn winds they'll blow right through me and someday, in the mist of time when they ask you if you knew me remember that you were a friend of mine

10-12-2007, 06:14 PM	#3 (permalink)
Melanie Golden Moray Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 2,120 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Into the fray and now 8 weeks in Welcome to Reef Sanctuary. Sounds like you are off to a pretty good start. I will let the more advanced reefers give you their advice on your LR questions. We'd love to see photos of your set up. __________________ My Reef Journey Latest Recap My Videos My Flickr Photos Pres. of Dork Club I love ScubaDrew and North East Coral! Read why HERE...

10-12-2007, 08:36 PM	#4 (permalink)
blue_eyes53813 Hey!Its not my fault Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Lancaster, Wisconsin Posts: 8,029 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Into the fray and now 8 weeks in Hello __________________ 265 Gallon Reef built into basement wall. Lighting = 6x250 watts MH, 2x96 watt PC ,and 2x140 watt VHO for a total watt of 1,972 watts . New addition on 4-14-07 of 100 gallon sump and 100 gallon refugium. I think I have lost my mind. Gotta love this hobby Vicki Life is like a pathway of untrodden snow. Be careful how you step in it for every mark will show Definition of FRIENDSHIP: All lives touch other lives to create something new and alive My tank chronicles. http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...wall-reef.html

10-12-2007, 08:42 PM	#5 (permalink)
vdituri Excellent Guesser :D Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Sacramento California Posts: 6,244 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Into the fray and now 8 weeks in Way to hit the ground running man! And nice friends to give you all that. Is there a waiting list to get friends like that? lol If the fish are already in the 65 I think you're on the right track. As far as liverock, if you order from Tampa Bay it comes packed in water so there is little to almost no cycle. It will come with some hitchhikers though. Both good and bad. Keep that in mind. __________________ Victor ----- People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

10-12-2007, 08:47 PM	#6 (permalink)
DrHank Golden Moray Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Crestview, FL Posts: 2,758 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Into the fray and now 8 weeks in It's difficult to say without pictures what the purple stuff is. Building up your live rock is a good idea. I would suggest that you not place any except fully cured rock in your system. Since You have a degree in Biology you should easily understand the cycle of ammonia to free nitrogen. It is of course bacteria driven with the final conversion to nitrogen gas normally ocurring deep within the rock or deep sand bed by anaerobic bacteria. Your immediate concern will be in attempting to maintain the best possible water conditions. As long as there is no ammonia or nitrite your fish should be fine. Invertebrates and corals do not do well with nitrates present. A small amount, say less than 5ppm is tolerable. The anemone is going to be your biggest concern. They generally only do well in a tank which has been running in a stable condition for at least 6 months to a year. Honestly, I would recommend that you find it a home in an established system otherwise there is a good chance that you may loose him. Get your skimmer running to reduce disolved organic compounds. Do frequent (weekly at least) 10% - 15% water changes. Try to use DI water. If you intend to do well and enjoy this hobby on a long term basis it's really imperative. Feed sparingly to keep phosphates and nitrates at hopefully undetectable levels. A single daily feeding is usually sufficient for most fishes. Due to the aggressive nature of the triggerfish, you may want to make sure that he is well fed otherwise he may reek havoc with smaller tank mates. I've gone into a lot more detail than I normally do but with your understanding of Biology, I'm sure that you can appreciate the importance of proper water chemistry. Good luck and again, welcome to RS. __________________ Doc Dr Hank's 210 Build: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...nks-tanks.html

10-12-2007, 10:59 PM	#8 (permalink)
DrHank Golden Moray Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Crestview, FL Posts: 2,758 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Into the fray and now 8 weeks in Very nice. I'd plan on 150 gallons within 18 months. The clown trigger and regal tang get big. __________________ Doc Dr Hank's 210 Build: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...nks-tanks.html

10-12-2007, 11:30 PM	#12 (permalink)
ChrisChow Tunicate Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 18 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Into the fray and now 8 weeks in And by the way, I have NOT aqua scaped my tank yet...obviously I just looked at GoldenMean's chronicles and I'm amazed by the number and variety of hitchhikers! That's extremely exciting to see. I'm also going to have to use a tripod the next time I take some pictures, some of the contributors take stunning photos. Uh oh, here comes my baby daughter for request for milk....

10-12-2007, 11:59 PM	#13 (permalink)
ChrisChow Tunicate Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 18 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Into the fray and now 8 weeks in And by the way, I have NOT aqua scaped my tank yet...obviously I just looked at GoldenMean's chronicles and I'm amazed by the number and variety of hitchhikers! That's extremely exciting to see. I'm also going to have to use a tripod the next time I take some pictures, some of the contributors take stunning photos. Uh oh, here comes my baby daughter for request for milk....

10-13-2007, 01:32 AM	#14 (permalink)
PEMfish Manta Ray Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Kane Co. Il. Posts: 3,119 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Into the fray and now 8 weeks in Gaveyou all that!? Can I borrow your friends? LOL! JK. __________________ Paul `EM My new75g reef chronicle; http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...chronicle.html My new planted; http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...-planted.html# I'll make the whole damn world jealous if given the money to do so. Don't make mistakes and learn from them, read and learn how to avoid mistakes. a)Fix the damn problem b)live with it -But absolutely no b*tching Thank you for the plants Eric

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