Here We Go Again!

[Dentoid]

This is what I found on Google. Is this what you have in your bumblebee shell?

[DrHank]

Just so you know, most flake foods and frozen foods contain phosphates. It's easy to rinse the frozen with DI to remove it but not so flake. Just keep an eye on your levels. In a tank your size, the death of a snail shouldn't even make a bump in parameters. The death of a fish or invert probably would.

Come to think of it I have heard of higher levels of Ca and Mg in Tropic Marin salt. I use Reef Crystals but if you're happy with your salt and even more importantly if your critters are, then so be it.

[Melanie]

Originally Posted by Dentoid

This is what I found on Google. Is this what you have in your bumblebee shell?

ha ha ha ha haha ha ha. yes, but mine is scarier and has a candle inside.

Halloween Hermit

[Dentoid]

[Melanie]

Originally Posted by DrHank

Just so you know, most flake foods and frozen foods contain phosphates. It's easy to rinse the frozen with DI to remove it but not so flake. Just keep an eye on your levels. In a tank your size, the death of a snail shouldn't even make a bump in parameters. The death of a fish or invert probably would.

Come to think of it I have heard of higher levels of Ca and Mg in Tropic Marin salt. I use Reef Crystals but if you're happy with your salt and even more importantly if your critters are, then so be it.

I don't know if I'm happy with my salt. I haven't used it long enough to have much of an opinion. I did research on salts when I was filling my tank from scratch and it seemed that the majority consensus was Tropic Marin was the closest to real seawater/best to use. So far my only observations are that it dissolves much slower than instant ocean, it's more expensive than any other brand, and it's hard to find. I'll probably stick with it unless I have some problems. I don't want to switch now that the tank is up and running unless I have to.

[tbittner]

[DrHank]

Sounds like a good plan. Interesting crab. Don't know about the scary aspect.

[lcstorc]

I love my Tropic Marin Pro but I do tend to get high alk readings from it. I have not seen high calc yet but IME it minimizes the supplements I have to add to the tank. I almost never add a supplement. I pretty much just test and feed. I do a 20% water change on all of the tanks every other week but I do feed heavily. Primarily a wide variety of frozen food with flake or pellets every now and again. Oh and nori every day or other day to keep the tangs nice and fat.

[bluespotjawfish]

I'm still looking for the right salt for my tank, but I don't think it is TMP for the same reasons that Melanie identified.

[Melanie]

Since my last update to the chronicle, (over the last week) I have added a green starburst polyp, brown feather duster, purple feather duster, cauliflower colt frag, green/yellow button polyp, spaghetti finger leather coral, more mushrooms, and a small rock with some macroalgae/plant that I believe is Maiden's Hair. I found two small hitchhikers in those items - a very tiny pure white serpent sea star and a tiny scarlet reef hermit.

A couple of my guys have been banished to the QT and you can see by my sig I also call it the "prison". They will be added to the fuge when I get off my butt and re-caulk it.

Observations
It takes a few days for a coral to open up after I put them in the tank.
Feather dusters can relocate if you don't secure them well in the rocks.
I don't like frags because they are too tiny and look weird when I place them.
Snails and hermits like to eat corraline algae.
I can't get green slime or hair algae in my tank if I even try.
It's really hard to resist getting an anemone when I see the clowns all snuggled up in one in the LFS.

Clownie is doing great and it will be good when I finally put him in the display. Since he's so healthy and eating like a little piglet, I will probably place him next weekend. That will be over 2 weeks in QT.

This is the tank after I added the black background and the first shrooms.


A cute one of my firefish


The shrooms!

[Dentoid]

Looking great Melanie! I hear you about the frags, but remember they grow and one of the joys of having a reef tank, is watching the "stuff" grow. You'll get some bigger pieces and start to fill-in. Before you know it you'll have a full blown reef tank and you'll be fraggin' for others.

[DrHank]

Very true but remember, go slow. After you've added, give your system some time to acclimate. Scott is right. I have more fun finding new things and watching my reef grow.

[Melanie]

Originally Posted by DrHank

Very true but remember, go slow. After you've added, give your system some time to acclimate. Scott is right. I have more fun finding new things and watching my reef grow.

I'm pretty set for a little while. I thought adding a coral every few days was ok since they don't add much to the bioload? I really have very few in the tank

I am working on my tank and fuge today. Hubby said he'll help me with the caulking of the fuge since I screwed it up last time. I'll be testing the water and doing a 10 gal. h2o change.

I'm also done with the inverts. I think I have more than enough. Even though I only got the 30 - 50 gal. package and I have 72 gal. I think I have plenty. Oh, I forgot, I will entually add a few scarlet cleaner shimp and 2 more feather dusters but those are coming after I add my fish.

If I'm doing 10%+ water changes every week with a good reef salt, do you think I need to add supplements? I've been told I need to dose iodine weekly. I've also been told not to add any supplements if I do frequent water changes. So far I have not supplemented anything in this tank since the re-start.

Why is everyone so concerned about phosphates that they rinse their food? My levels test at 0 and I don't use any phosphate control and I have trouble trying to rinse the food so that is hit or miss. What happens if you have phospates? Algae? Anything else?

I never get algae. Not even when I ignored the tank over the last 5 years. Maybe a teeny tiny bit that easily wiped off the glass when I did water changes once a month. I even once tried to grow algae so my snails would have something to eat. I kept the blinds open and the flourescent strip lights on about 16 hours a day. I could barely get any algae to grow.

[DrHank]

Never say never. You have been lucky so far if you haven't had an algae bloom. Outbreaks can happen any time. Phosphates are nusiance algae fertilizer. Nothing I know of will feed nusiance algae faster that phosphates. Frozen foods typiaclly contain phosphates. A quick rinse in DI water and most are gone. That's why everyone does it.

Although adding corals usually doesn't add much as far as bio load is concerned, they do change the dynamics of the reef. Softies are a prime example. Many of the most popular ones exude toxic chemical compounds. This can create devastating effects within the reef which may even cause distress to not only other corals but inverts and fish. If I'm not mistaken Lynn had some problems with this issue not long ago. She may be able to speak even more on this subject.

Melanie, you have been doing everything right and your tank shows it. I'm very happy for you and look forward to seeing your tank grow. I sense that you can hardly wait to have it all. Been there and done that. The faster I went, the more mistakes I made. I'm now older and slower. I try to take my time and ask lost of questions. I still make mistakes. I just wanted to caution you against adding too much, too fast, too soon. Keep up the good work, your tank looks great!

[Melanie]

Originally Posted by DrHank

Never say never. You have been lucky so far if you haven't had an algae bloom. Outbreaks can happen any time. Phosphates are nusiance algae fertilizer. Nothing I know of will feed nusiance algae faster that phosphates. Frozen foods typiaclly contain phosphates. A quick rinse in DI water and most are gone. That's why everyone does it.

Although adding corals usually doesn't add much as far as bio load is concerned, they do change the dynamics of the reef. Softies are a prime example. Many of the most popular ones exude toxic chemical compounds. This can create devastating effects within the reef which may even cause distress to not only other corals but inverts and fish. If I'm not mistaken Lynn had some problems with this issue not long ago. She may be able to speak even more on this subject.

Melanie, you have been doing everything right and your tank shows it. I'm very happy for you and look forward to seeing your tank grow. I sense that you can hardly wait to have it all. Been there and done that. The faster I went, the more mistakes I made. I'm now older and slower. I try to take my time and ask lost of questions. I still make mistakes. I just wanted to caution you against adding too much, too fast, too soon. Keep up the good work, your tank looks great!

Thank you!! I go through little spurts of wanting it all right now. I think last week was a prime example. Now I'm good for awhile because I have some projects to occupy me besides buying living things for my tank. I'm setting up a "display" tank to cure some LR that I will probably give away. I don't really need any more LR in my display but I was given so much that I need a place to put it so it's not in buckets all over my lanai.