180 build from scratch!

[michika]

I really hope the first one keeps it colour that is for sure. I'm going to be doing some re-arranging this morning, there are a couple of pieces that aren't thriving where they are, just kind of sitting there.

Revive is pretty nice in that my hands aren't dyed orange-brown this morning. It also hasn't randomly dribbled out of its container this morning!

At the store I was at yesterday two of my wishlist tangs were in, but they are fresh arrivals. There is a juvi. orange shoulder tang, and powderblue. The blue is accepting prepared foods already and actively grazing on the live rock. I'm really on the fence about what to do here. Both are small fish, 1.5" for the orange shoulder, and about 2.75" for the Powder blue. My options are to pick them up when they come out of QT, or not at all. Powderblues do not come in here in town at all, and I haven't seen an orange shoulder since I moved back over a year ago.

 

[michika]

I just wanted to share this thread, gone solar. Its an awesome idea and I wish for our big tank something like would be possible.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1457056

 

[jnarowe]

just remember that orange shoulders get pretty large. the are detrivores, but can release some very large turds into your powerheads.

 

[michika]

Yummy! Knowing my luck any new fish I get will learn that the appropriate dumping place is right over and on my gigas clam. All the tangs crap right on that clam all the time, poor thing.

 

[melev]

Clams are filter feeders. Your clam may be happy as a.... well, you know the saying.

 

[michika]

Still, its ugly to see a clam completely covered in fish crap.

Alright so 9 hours after dosing just a few tablespoons of baking soda to raise my super low dKH I am now seeing the usual crazy polyp extension I am used to seeing when my tank is healthy. I'm sure that getting a few other things adjusted will result in more polyp extension, but for now I can actually see the change that just a little bit of baking soda has made.

This is one of the new colonies, it was the one previously pictured as being dipped.

 

[michika]

All my frags from Wicked Frags are doing well.

The lovely little colony that I bought which we all called the "bush coral"

 

[jnarowe]

nice shots!

 

[michika]

Thank you. I want to try and get in a few FTSs before we move, just so I have some documentation as to how it looks. I want to be able to go back and say, "wow this colony has really grown!"

 

[maroun.c]

Very nice shots Catherine.
Could you please share how many clams in total do you have in the tank? Also any specific things for positioning them in the tank doyuo keep putting them higher and higher till they start to close or do you just keep them at specific locations? any info on flow or lighting forplacing them will behighly appreciated.
Last question.
Did yuo ever have a small (1 inch) clam in yuor tank and have success with it? I know Ishould be feeding phytoplanction but does it make a difference if it's dead phytoplancton Vs DT Phytoplancton

 

[michika]

Thank you!

Off the top of my head I think I have 10 clams, maybe 11. Either way I don't have enough yet! 1x gigas, 1x derasa, 6x crocea, 2x squamosa. Of those the three pictured above, all came to me under 1". I am pretty sure there was 1 more that I have that was under 1" but I can't picture it in my head right now. The clam that is pictured second to last was a clam I bought under 1".

I try to position croceas on the rock because they are rock diggers. You can see the blue crocea on the right is quite buried. This is the first crocea that I've had which has actually bored down into the rock like they do in the wild. Sometimes though my clams are just too big to be on the rock, and they fall, or eventually migrate down to the sand.

For small clams I tend not to feed them actively, but I do feed them passively. I used to try and feed them phyto when they are that small, but I found it never really made a big difference in survival rates either way. When they are small though, I know they rely on filter feeding more, since their mantles aren't big enough to capture enough light to convert to food.

Now what I do is I include phyto in my homemade frozen food, along with a few other foods for filter feeders. I also very lazily dose Zeovits Amino Acids, and Sponge power to the tank, but I don't know if they have any impact or not.

I picked up Giant Clams in the Sea and the Aquarium by James Fatherree awhile ago, and found it was a good clam primer, and have since started to derive some of my info from the book. Othertimes I really just go with my gut feeling and watch how my clams behave when it comes to placement, food, etc.

If I buy a smaller clam, I try to place it relatively high in the tank on something that is moveable. I watch it, and if after the second or third day the mantle isn't quite out as was at the store, I will start to pull it out once every 3 days and give it a little phyto bath with Kent Phyto. Live is better, but its hard to come by here, so I use what I have. Then after about a month of these baths, I spread them out further and watch the clam for a reaction. Sometimes you have to continue feeding them, and sometimes you can just gradually taper it off.

Oie...that was long winded...sorry.

 

[michika]

I was bored on Monday night and decided that I should upgrade my ghetto refugium. Originally I'd hacked the top of a pop bottle off and drilled various holes for some slow flow. Well it worked and a short time later the bottle was so full of cheato, that it was deforming the bottle slightly. There was also no more room to grow.

My solution? Upgrade! The tank is now sporting, for just another 19 days, a ghetto fabulous modified milk jug! Things seem better, the cheato has relaxed a bit, and lost some of the pop bottle shape it was holding.

I also forgot to take an after shot of the final product. My bad, I will post one later.

 

[jnarowe]

That rocks!

 

[michika]

I am quite pleased with it. At least something is using that AquaConnect bulb for good in this tank. I am thinking of moving a few of my clams under it after we move the tank.

 

[michika]

Where do I go to find out generator ratings? First purchase for the big tank, and our current tank, is a generator. I am so clueless I don't know how to go about figuring out which one to buy. Kevin says he will wire it in so that it automatically takes over in a power outtage. I am clueless as to if this has any bearing on the purchase.

I have also decided that laziness has prevailed and I won't start another thread for the big tank. I'll just keep using this one.

 

[melev]

If you are getting a whole house generator, usually one that operates off natural gas or propane, it will have a significant wattage rating. I'd talk to the folks at Home Depot or Lowes just to get the sales pitch, so you have a starting point.

I have a gasoline powered generator that can handle 5000w, 6250 peak. When I fill the tank, which holds about 6 gallons of gas, it will run about 12 hours it seems. When on, I can run my reef, tv, computer, fridge, some lights, etc...

 

[michika]

By whole house I'm going for the tank, fridge, and freezer...so I guess I need to make a trip and hear some pitches! Why not gas? There are lots of gas gas, not natural gas, generators available up here.

So I am now actively recruiting for tank movers. I hurt my foot at practice yesterday so I can't lift anything or flex my toes. Originally Kevin, me, and one or two other people were going to move the system, but now its looking like we'll need two more people. I am so glad that we won't be moving for a long while after this.

You know your a true reefer when your excited its Friday just because you can go home and relax in front of your fish tank!

 

[jnarowe]

gas is good in a pinch and maybe all you can get until you assess your new home, but for the long haul an LPG is probably the best. You get a system that starts itself monthly to ensure proper running and it comes on automatically when the power goes out. Being hardwired is much safer and you can run for long periods without refueling. Regular gas/diesel can go bad as well if store for a long time.

 

[michika]

Well we think we have an appropriate place outsite to put the generator, but like you said, we really have to wait until we move to fully assess our options. I know we will be starting with a new electrical panel ASAP, and so if we could wire in the generator at the same time, it would be nice.

I asked about the Orange Shoulder and the Powder Blue that i put on hold last week. I am waiting for an answer. If they are both eating, and showing no signes of illness, I will head to the store myself tonight to pick them up. I happened to check this morning and the cost of a powder blue in town is 50% less then it is via mail order.

 

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13384252#post13384252 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by michika
I happened to check this morning and the cost of a powder blue in town is 50% less then it is via mail order.

wow - how is that? did they buy a bunch at one time, or is mail order just very expensive in Canada?