Here We Go Again! - Page 7

Melanie · 07-10-2007, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dentoid

Did you see the Friends episode where Pheobe wrote the song "Smelly Cat", you can write a song Smelly Rock! Come on Melanie, snap out of it! You are in the learning curve and doing a heck of a job. It will get easier and more enjoyable. I promise!

I was too nervous yesterday about my nitrates and MIA firefish to respond. ha ha ha. I'm going to come up with a song.

Check out my QT. I'm adding my power head and my fake coral (for hiding). Looks like it's running great so far. It'll be a good place to move my guys when I get my live rock! Dentoid, it's all I think about!

PS I picked up the book on water chemistry in the marine tank by the author you guys recommended.

lcstorc · 07-10-2007, 05:22 PM

What a cute little empty tank. Won't be empty for long.

Melanie · 07-11-2007, 04:52 AM

Long Range Planning:
(This is kind of a to-do list for myself but I also appreciate it if you know of good deals and can point me in the right direction.)

I just about have my husband convinced I MUST have $500+ worth of live rock or I will die. I keep showing him reef tank photos and saying ours will look like this if only I could just get my live rock. (Don't worry, I'll tell him later that I will need a new light and corals to actually duplicate this. he he he)

Here is the light I want:

T5 48" 216 watts

I haven't found a better price than $199 but I keep searching e-bay, craigslist, and a few reef club sites for a used one. I'd love to get one for about $100. If you guys happen to see one let me know!

I'd also like to upgrade my skimmer to one I don't have to adjust multiple times a day to keep it running. I'm looking at the ones you all have suggested. I will probably get used and I'm hoping to spend less than $150 if possible.

Some other misc. equipment I want to add in the next year (most likely buy new), UV sterilizer, 2 powerheads, auto feeder, aqua gloves, (hopefully buy used) 2 power stips with timers, 3 more thermometers, battery backup, wave maker, battery operated vaccuum.

Once I get the light, skimmer, and live rock, I will need some help with a refugium. But I'm guessing I'm about 6 mos. to a year away from that. I have a super handy husband with every tool known to man (he's a contractor) so I will either buy used or see if there is a good DIY that he can make me. He'll love a new project. Or if I can find a way to get the protein skimmer and pump out of my sump (is that possible?) I can make the sump my refugium.

I am not buying any more livestock until I get at least the live rock on this list. You guys have me really wanting a reef tank! Thanks alot Dentoid, Lynn, Dave, and Dr. Hank!

~Melanie (the girl who cures base rock)

lcstorc · 07-11-2007, 05:53 AM

I love the long range planning. Particularly when hubby only gets pieces of info at a time. Best way to go IMO.
You really have two types of skimmer to choose from. You can go with a HOB skimmer or an in-sump skimmer. For the HOB I would say get an Aqua C Remora Pro for your size tank but then you need to find a place for it to hang. I found this to be a bit of a challenge when I got mine for my 20g tank. It can HOB of the sump though so that may be what you want to do. While I love my Aqua C already (only had it 2 days) personally I love my ASM in sump skimmer a lot more. Easier to adjust and easier to hide in the sump. For your size tank you could go with a G1x or a G2 and either should work well for you. Keep checking E-bay and the for sale forums and jump on it if you can find one used. Even new though they are just a bit over the price you wanted to spend.
As to the sump and/or fuge this is one of the easiest DIY projects in the hobby. Have hubby check out Melevsreef.com. There are a lot of plans there for various combos. Also check out our DIY area as well. He should be able to make one for you pretty easily. Looking under your stand you have lots of room for him to build one for you particularly if you get rid of the bio-balls. To get the pump out of the sump (LOL) you just need to have a pump that does not need to be sumbersed. This actually helps in a couple of ways since it reduces the heat as well as gives you added space in the sump. I wish I knew more about pumps to recommend one but I will ask hubby what we use when he gets home. I know we have 3. One for the return. One for the chiller and then our spare which stays in the mixing container. We had our return pump die on us once so he insists we have a spare available at all times so he can just hook it up and then worry about fixing the other. (Hey I found the box. They are PondMaster mag drive pumps. I have no idea how good or bad they are since he did all of the plumbing stuff but we have only had one problem in the 2 years and it just needed a small part replaced and works fine again.)
Also I would skip the auto feeder since you will need someone to do topoffs etc if you go out of town anyway. Also the battery operated vacuum shouldn't be needed. If you have sand for your substrate it will suck a lot of it up while trying to get the debris. Just stir things up a bit and pull it out when you do your water changes. This should save a couple of bucks anyway.
Regardless, great news that you are winning the battle for LR. Just wait till you get it and it stinks to high heaven. He will get another suprise.

Just tell him patience and soon the smell will be gone. It is only a temporary thing from the die-off on the rock.
Hope fire-fish is still doing ok. He is probably getting lost in all that room he has. He will have some friends soon enough so never fear. Actually one of our members has a school of I think 7 fire fish and they are pretty cool like that in a group. Much less timid. Something to think about perhaps. You have lots of time to think now.
Meanwhile watch and wait. Things will be getting better and better and you will soon begin to love the reef. I know it will be gorgeous.

goldenmean · 07-11-2007, 06:44 AM

Quote:

PS, I'm getting pretty close to buying all my liverock. My birthday is August 6 and I am going to maybe buy it for myself as a present. I keep looking at the tampabayliverock and I think it is a great price for a great product.

Melanie - I have been enjoying your thread and because of Dentoid's discussion of TBS LR and a little more research I have decided that I want TBS for my new start-up 55g. My Birthday is Aug 8 so that too will be my Birthday present. It also helps that I got $950 woth of lights and extra bulbs from a local reefer(found here on RS!) getting out of the hobby for $200.

DrHank · 07-11-2007, 08:07 AM

Melanie, I may have the fixture that you are looking for in a month or so. I have a Finnex 4 - 54w T5 fixture that is just barely more than a year old. Right now I'm using it in conjunction with a pair of MHs on my 210 gallon but will be going all MH with VHO over the next month or two. I haven't started thinking about an asking price yet.

Melanie · 07-11-2007, 11:15 AM

Lynn, Great tips! Thank you!!

Dr. Hank, That's pretty cool about the lights. Let me know.

Goldenmean, I know what you mean. I'm on the TBS website DAILY even though it never changes. I guess I'm just dreaming of my liverock plan.

I have to share a fish tank horror story

with you all. Back in the day when I bought my tank I didn't know the first thing about it and I didn't research it very well. I hired this couple to come clean it once a month and change the water. I will describe the process. Please sit down while reading. Very scary.

Couple shows up. (Dude & Chick) Dude walks up to the tank (which is full of fish) and without bothering to rinse his hands sticks his arm in up to the pit and starts rubbing filter floss around the glass. I ask "Is it ok to put my hands in there?" Dude says "Yep." Chick starts sucking the water out with one of the siphons you have to move up and down to get started. Chick pulls out my green coral skeletons and dumps them into a vat of something. Pulls them out sparkling white and plops them in the tank. Me - "What is that stuff? It's awesome! I normally have to let them sit outside in the sun forever to get rid of the green!" Chick "Gunk Off. You can buy it at home depot in the cleaning supplies section." Me - "Wow, and it's safe to put right back in the tank?" Chick - "Yep." Dude pumps 20 gallons of pre-mixed water back into the tank. Dude takes out his testing kit. (Nice! They are testing my water!) Dude proceeds to take the trates, trites, etc then dumps the used test tubes into my tank. Me - "Won't that hurt the fish?" Dude - "Nope." Dude pulls out ph buffer and dumps about a cup on the floor of my tank. Then grabs my bag of sea salt mix and dumps about two cups on the sand bad as well. I'm watching carefully so I know the correct way to clean my tank. They finish up and the water looks all greenish from the sediment stirred up. I ask how long until it will be clear again. Chick goes to the truck and brings back some sort of pool clarifier (yes, as in swimming pool) and pours a little in. Chick says it will be clear again in about 30 min. Sure enough it was. $75 and I got to learn how to take care of my tank as well!

OMG. To think I had them coming monthly for about a year. I don't know how anything survived.

cheeks69 · 07-11-2007, 11:27 AM

Melanie I believe the Indo-Pacific rock is a much better option for ya, not only is it much more porous than the aquacultured rock which will provide a much larger surface area for bacteria, it'll also be much cheaper since you won't need as much, about 100 lbs. would be more than enough for your sized tank. Just my 2 pennies

lcstorc · 07-11-2007, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melanie

Lynn, Great tips! Thank you!!

Dr. Hank, That's pretty cool about the lights. Let me know.

Goldenmean, I know what you mean. I'm on the TBS website DAILY even though it never changes. I guess I'm just dreaming of my liverock plan.

I have to share a fish tank horror story

with you all. Back in the day when I bought my tank I didn't know the first thing about it and I didn't research it very well. I hired this couple to come clean it once a month and change the water. I will describe the process. Please sit down while reading. Very scary.

Couple shows up. (Dude & Chick) Dude walks up to the tank (which is full of fish) and without bothering to rinse his hands sticks his arm in up to the pit and starts rubbing filter floss around the glass. I ask "Is it ok to put my hands in there?" Dude says "Yep." Chick starts sucking the water out with one of the siphons you have to move up and down to get started. Chick pulls out my green coral skeletons and dumps them into a vat of something. Pulls them out sparkling white and plops them in the tank. Me - "What is that stuff? It's awesome! I normally have to let them sit outside in the sun forever to get rid of the green!" Chick "Gunk Off. You can buy it at home depot in the cleaning supplies section." Me - "Wow, and it's safe to put right back in the tank?" Chick - "Yep." Dude pumps 20 gallons of pre-mixed water back into the tank. Dude takes out his testing kit. (Nice! They are testing my water!) Dude proceeds to take the trates, trites, etc then dumps the used test tubes into my tank. Me - "Won't that hurt the fish?" Dude - "Nope." Dude pulls out ph buffer and dumps about a cup on the floor of my tank. Then grabs my bag of sea salt mix and dumps about two cups on the sand bad as well. I'm watching carefully so I know the correct way to clean my tank. They finish up and the water looks all greenish from the sediment stirred up. I ask how long until it will be clear again. Chick goes to the truck and brings back some sort of pool clarifier (yes, as in swimming pool) and pours a little in. Chick says it will be clear again in about 30 min. Sure enough it was. $75 and I got to learn how to take care of my tank as well!

OMG. To think I had them coming monthly for about a year. I don't know how anything survived.

This is just plain scary. How on earth did your fish live? Must have been nuclear fish or something. And these were of course "professionals" that you has hired.

Melanie · 07-12-2007, 04:34 AM

I saw Hermes, my scarlet hermit, attacking my huge Mexican Turbo yesterday. I moved Hermes away and set Turbo on top of a rock but I think I'm too late. He's still laying there this morning and he used to move all around the tank. Will have to pull him out to see if he's still alive. If he's dead, I'll set it outside until he is dried up and clean out the shell for Hermes.

I have had many suggestions that crabs PLUS snails don't make for a good set up. You guys are absolutely right. But I like both and both do a great function in the aquarium. Keeping the darn algae away! I think I will stick with both with the understanding that the crabs will sometimes kill the snails. Hopefully the snails (when I buy them) will reproduce enough that they will keep up.

I love Hermes and he is my favorite tank inhabitant. He stays. Snail killer or not.

lcstorc · 07-12-2007, 06:20 AM

Also he may well have been just cleaning up. It is entirely possible that the snail died and then hermes decided to snack. Scarlets have the best reputation as far as crabs go so I would give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. I even bought a couple of scarlets the other day for my tanks. First crabs I have added in almost 2 years.

bluespotjawfish · 07-12-2007, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Indo-Pacific rock is a much better option for ya,

I would also recommend something else for your rock. IME, the TB rock has too many bad hitchhikers! I am still trying to capture all the gorilla crabs that came with it. I have already tossed a few mantis and few dozen crabs, and keep finding more. (I personally like crabs, except these.) I checked it over, and over, and over, they are great hiders! If you had a problem with your scarlet crab, you haven't seen nothing yet! Also, you will still have to cure it because you will have die off. Mine took more than a month! The guy told me I could put mine right in the tank (knowing I had fish/corals in there) since my tank was so big it wouldn't cause any problems. So I put one large rock in the sump, big mistake! It was a few months dealing with nitrates from that! I'm just glad that I put the rock in my sump and fuge and not the main tank. Six months later, I have moved the rock to my 50 gallon tank, and wouldn't you know I found a half dozen crabs still in it,and now see some still made it into the 50! Grrrr! Some of TB rock is purdy, but some of the package is plain base rock too! Scott and several others like theirs just fine, so this is just my opinion.

Melanie · 07-12-2007, 04:03 PM

Bluespot...Thank you for the feedback. I'm glad to hear both sides of TBS. I was fully aware of the bad hitchhiker prob but didn't realize that some of the stuff they send is base rock with little life. I imagined gazillions of corals and snails and starfish and sponges on every square inch.

I am still planning but I think I may do something this weekend. I found a website oceanproaquatics.com with cheap live rock but I went back today and everything was GONE! Maybe it was a scam site? $1.99/lb. fiji live rock seemed too good to be true.

DrHank · 07-12-2007, 04:07 PM

Melanie, one thing that you should know about Mexican Turbos. They are from temperate and not tropical regions. Most will die over time in a reef aquarium. I agree with Lynn, your crab was just doing his job (taking care of the disposition of the remains). Trocus snails are a better choice in a reef.

Melanie · 07-12-2007, 07:38 PM

All remaining tank inhabitants were moved over to QT along with my 7 lbs. of live rock, a power head, filter, and 3 air stones. No substrate. 1 gallon of new water and 9 gallons of tank water. Boy are they irked. They all look terrified.

I am currently emptying my tank of water and I'm going to get all new sand and live rock this weekend. No more bioballs! Since I have my QT, I can leave my little guys in there until the tank cycles. It'll be like starting over from scratch.

Boy the water was filthy. I thought I was doing good with 20 gal. water changes ever week. It is full of detrius and I can't believe I didn't notice it! It looked so clear and clean. I think it was the bioballs and no power heads and maybe most of all, a BAD PROTEIN SKIMMER. Yes, I know Lynn, you told me so.

This also gives me a several weeks (or more) to make some upgrades. Lights! Skimmer! UV! Refugium!

Stay tuned! Reef tank, here I come!

PS, Turbo is DEAD. Red Fromia starfish was no where to be found. Green mythrax gone. But the good news is I found the serpent star. He has made a home inside a piece of live rock. Thank god I saw him and didn't have the rock out of the water for long.

07-10-2007, 05:22 PM	#92 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 16,449 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Here We Go Again! What a cute little empty tank. Won't be empty for long. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g Jawfish enjoyment ASM answer girl. Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

07-11-2007, 04:52 AM	#93 (permalink)
Melanie Golden Moray Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 2,120 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Here We Go Again! Long Range Planning: (This is kind of a to-do list for myself but I also appreciate it if you know of good deals and can point me in the right direction.) I just about have my husband convinced I MUST have $500+ worth of live rock or I will die. I keep showing him reef tank photos and saying ours will look like this if only I could just get my live rock. (Don't worry, I'll tell him later that I will need a new light and corals to actually duplicate this. he he he) Here is the light I want: T5 48" 216 watts I haven't found a better price than $199 but I keep searching e-bay, craigslist, and a few reef club sites for a used one. I'd love to get one for about $100. If you guys happen to see one let me know! I'd also like to upgrade my skimmer to one I don't have to adjust multiple times a day to keep it running. I'm looking at the ones you all have suggested. I will probably get used and I'm hoping to spend less than $150 if possible. Some other misc. equipment I want to add in the next year (most likely buy new), UV sterilizer, 2 powerheads, auto feeder, aqua gloves, (hopefully buy used) 2 power stips with timers, 3 more thermometers, battery backup, wave maker, battery operated vaccuum. Once I get the light, skimmer, and live rock, I will need some help with a refugium. But I'm guessing I'm about 6 mos. to a year away from that. I have a super handy husband with every tool known to man (he's a contractor) so I will either buy used or see if there is a good DIY that he can make me. He'll love a new project. Or if I can find a way to get the protein skimmer and pump out of my sump (is that possible?) I can make the sump my refugium. I am not buying any more livestock until I get at least the live rock on this list. You guys have me really wanting a reef tank! Thanks alot Dentoid, Lynn, Dave, and Dr. Hank! ~Melanie (the girl who cures base rock) __________________ My Reef Journey Latest Recap My Videos My Flickr Photos Pres. of Dork Club I love ScubaDrew and North East Coral! Read why HERE...

07-11-2007, 05:53 AM	#94 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 16,449 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Here We Go Again! I love the long range planning. Particularly when hubby only gets pieces of info at a time. Best way to go IMO. You really have two types of skimmer to choose from. You can go with a HOB skimmer or an in-sump skimmer. For the HOB I would say get an Aqua C Remora Pro for your size tank but then you need to find a place for it to hang. I found this to be a bit of a challenge when I got mine for my 20g tank. It can HOB of the sump though so that may be what you want to do. While I love my Aqua C already (only had it 2 days) personally I love my ASM in sump skimmer a lot more. Easier to adjust and easier to hide in the sump. For your size tank you could go with a G1x or a G2 and either should work well for you. Keep checking E-bay and the for sale forums and jump on it if you can find one used. Even new though they are just a bit over the price you wanted to spend. As to the sump and/or fuge this is one of the easiest DIY projects in the hobby. Have hubby check out Melevsreef.com. There are a lot of plans there for various combos. Also check out our DIY area as well. He should be able to make one for you pretty easily. Looking under your stand you have lots of room for him to build one for you particularly if you get rid of the bio-balls. To get the pump out of the sump (LOL) you just need to have a pump that does not need to be sumbersed. This actually helps in a couple of ways since it reduces the heat as well as gives you added space in the sump. I wish I knew more about pumps to recommend one but I will ask hubby what we use when he gets home. I know we have 3. One for the return. One for the chiller and then our spare which stays in the mixing container. We had our return pump die on us once so he insists we have a spare available at all times so he can just hook it up and then worry about fixing the other. (Hey I found the box. They are PondMaster mag drive pumps. I have no idea how good or bad they are since he did all of the plumbing stuff but we have only had one problem in the 2 years and it just needed a small part replaced and works fine again.) Also I would skip the auto feeder since you will need someone to do topoffs etc if you go out of town anyway. Also the battery operated vacuum shouldn't be needed. If you have sand for your substrate it will suck a lot of it up while trying to get the debris. Just stir things up a bit and pull it out when you do your water changes. This should save a couple of bucks anyway. Regardless, great news that you are winning the battle for LR. Just wait till you get it and it stinks to high heaven. He will get another suprise. Just tell him patience and soon the smell will be gone. It is only a temporary thing from the die-off on the rock. Hope fire-fish is still doing ok. He is probably getting lost in all that room he has. He will have some friends soon enough so never fear. Actually one of our members has a school of I think 7 fire fish and they are pretty cool like that in a group. Much less timid. Something to think about perhaps. You have lots of time to think now. Meanwhile watch and wait. Things will be getting better and better and you will soon begin to love the reef. I know it will be gorgeous. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g Jawfish enjoyment ASM answer girl. Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

07-11-2007, 08:07 AM	#96 (permalink)
DrHank Golden Moray Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Crestview, FL Posts: 2,249 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Here We Go Again! Melanie, I may have the fixture that you are looking for in a month or so. I have a Finnex 4 - 54w T5 fixture that is just barely more than a year old. Right now I'm using it in conjunction with a pair of MHs on my 210 gallon but will be going all MH with VHO over the next month or two. I haven't started thinking about an asking price yet. __________________ Jim Dr Hank's 210 Build: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...nks-tanks.html Dr Hank's 155 Bowfront:http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...-bowfront.html

07-11-2007, 11:15 AM	#97 (permalink)
Melanie Golden Moray Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 2,120 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Here We Go Again! Lynn, Great tips! Thank you!! Dr. Hank, That's pretty cool about the lights. Let me know. Goldenmean, I know what you mean. I'm on the TBS website DAILY even though it never changes. I guess I'm just dreaming of my liverock plan. I have to share a fish tank horror story with you all. Back in the day when I bought my tank I didn't know the first thing about it and I didn't research it very well. I hired this couple to come clean it once a month and change the water. I will describe the process. Please sit down while reading. Very scary. Couple shows up. (Dude & Chick) Dude walks up to the tank (which is full of fish) and without bothering to rinse his hands sticks his arm in up to the pit and starts rubbing filter floss around the glass. I ask "Is it ok to put my hands in there?" Dude says "Yep." Chick starts sucking the water out with one of the siphons you have to move up and down to get started. Chick pulls out my green coral skeletons and dumps them into a vat of something. Pulls them out sparkling white and plops them in the tank. Me - "What is that stuff? It's awesome! I normally have to let them sit outside in the sun forever to get rid of the green!" Chick "Gunk Off. You can buy it at home depot in the cleaning supplies section." Me - "Wow, and it's safe to put right back in the tank?" Chick - "Yep." Dude pumps 20 gallons of pre-mixed water back into the tank. Dude takes out his testing kit. (Nice! They are testing my water!) Dude proceeds to take the trates, trites, etc then dumps the used test tubes into my tank. Me - "Won't that hurt the fish?" Dude - "Nope." Dude pulls out ph buffer and dumps about a cup on the floor of my tank. Then grabs my bag of sea salt mix and dumps about two cups on the sand bad as well. I'm watching carefully so I know the correct way to clean my tank. They finish up and the water looks all greenish from the sediment stirred up. I ask how long until it will be clear again. Chick goes to the truck and brings back some sort of pool clarifier (yes, as in swimming pool) and pours a little in. Chick says it will be clear again in about 30 min. Sure enough it was. $75 and I got to learn how to take care of my tank as well! OMG. To think I had them coming monthly for about a year. I don't know how anything survived. __________________ My Reef Journey Latest Recap My Videos My Flickr Photos Pres. of Dork Club I love ScubaDrew and North East Coral! Read why HERE...

07-11-2007, 11:27 AM	#98 (permalink)
cheeks69 Wannabe Guru Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Northeast Posts: 6,533 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Here We Go Again! Melanie I believe the Indo-Pacific rock is a much better option for ya, not only is it much more porous than the aquacultured rock which will provide a much larger surface area for bacteria, it'll also be much cheaper since you won't need as much, about 100 lbs. would be more than enough for your sized tank. Just my 2 pennies __________________ Robert My Cube “A spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe—a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble.” Albert Einstein Last edited by cheeks69 : 07-11-2007 at 03:31 PM.

07-12-2007, 04:34 AM	#100 (permalink)
Melanie Golden Moray Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 2,120 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Here We Go Again! I saw Hermes, my scarlet hermit, attacking my huge Mexican Turbo yesterday. I moved Hermes away and set Turbo on top of a rock but I think I'm too late. He's still laying there this morning and he used to move all around the tank. Will have to pull him out to see if he's still alive. If he's dead, I'll set it outside until he is dried up and clean out the shell for Hermes. I have had many suggestions that crabs PLUS snails don't make for a good set up. You guys are absolutely right. But I like both and both do a great function in the aquarium. Keeping the darn algae away! I think I will stick with both with the understanding that the crabs will sometimes kill the snails. Hopefully the snails (when I buy them) will reproduce enough that they will keep up. I love Hermes and he is my favorite tank inhabitant. He stays. Snail killer or not. __________________ My Reef Journey Latest Recap My Videos My Flickr Photos Pres. of Dork Club I love ScubaDrew and North East Coral! Read why HERE...

07-12-2007, 06:20 AM	#101 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 16,449 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Here We Go Again! Also he may well have been just cleaning up. It is entirely possible that the snail died and then hermes decided to snack. Scarlets have the best reputation as far as crabs go so I would give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. I even bought a couple of scarlets the other day for my tanks. First crabs I have added in almost 2 years. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g Jawfish enjoyment ASM answer girl. Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

07-12-2007, 04:03 PM	#103 (permalink)
Melanie Golden Moray Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 2,120 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Here We Go Again! Bluespot...Thank you for the feedback. I'm glad to hear both sides of TBS. I was fully aware of the bad hitchhiker prob but didn't realize that some of the stuff they send is base rock with little life. I imagined gazillions of corals and snails and starfish and sponges on every square inch. I am still planning but I think I may do something this weekend. I found a website oceanproaquatics.com with cheap live rock but I went back today and everything was GONE! Maybe it was a scam site? $1.99/lb. fiji live rock seemed too good to be true. __________________ My Reef Journey Latest Recap My Videos My Flickr Photos Pres. of Dork Club I love ScubaDrew and North East Coral! Read why HERE...

07-12-2007, 04:07 PM	#104 (permalink)
DrHank Golden Moray Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Crestview, FL Posts: 2,249 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Here We Go Again! Melanie, one thing that you should know about Mexican Turbos. They are from temperate and not tropical regions. Most will die over time in a reef aquarium. I agree with Lynn, your crab was just doing his job (taking care of the disposition of the remains). Trocus snails are a better choice in a reef. __________________ Jim Dr Hank's 210 Build: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...nks-tanks.html Dr Hank's 155 Bowfront:http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...-bowfront.html

07-12-2007, 07:38 PM	#105 (permalink)
Melanie Golden Moray Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 2,120 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Here We Go Again! All remaining tank inhabitants were moved over to QT along with my 7 lbs. of live rock, a power head, filter, and 3 air stones. No substrate. 1 gallon of new water and 9 gallons of tank water. Boy are they irked. They all look terrified. I am currently emptying my tank of water and I'm going to get all new sand and live rock this weekend. No more bioballs! Since I have my QT, I can leave my little guys in there until the tank cycles. It'll be like starting over from scratch. Boy the water was filthy. I thought I was doing good with 20 gal. water changes ever week. It is full of detrius and I can't believe I didn't notice it! It looked so clear and clean. I think it was the bioballs and no power heads and maybe most of all, a BAD PROTEIN SKIMMER. Yes, I know Lynn, you told me so. This also gives me a several weeks (or more) to make some upgrades. Lights! Skimmer! UV! Refugium! Stay tuned! Reef tank, here I come! PS, Turbo is DEAD. Red Fromia starfish was no where to be found. Green mythrax gone. But the good news is I found the serpent star. He has made a home inside a piece of live rock. Thank god I saw him and didn't have the rock out of the water for long. __________________ My Reef Journey Latest Recap My Videos My Flickr Photos Pres. of Dork Club I love ScubaDrew and North East Coral! Read why HERE...

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