Nice fish. Just wondering if any corals are going in soon? I had a bit of an algae outbreak and i bought a sea hair and it went away fast, that was almost 2 months ago and he is still doing well. I may end up trading him or getting store credit just so i do not have to keep feeding him. They do work wonders an algae though, something to think about. They also may do better in a bigger tank like yours.
Building Big Bertha: 800G
- Thread starter bbrantley
- Start date
Howdy folks,
I'm back from my wedding jaunt this weekend. The fish seem to be doing well! I only had a short time today to observe them when it was light, but I think that Tabitha is still challenging the fish... but in general they seem to be "spread out" in the tank more, yet still coming together to swim around from time to time. Interestingly, I am not able to get any of them to eat nori off the clip... I don't know if they just haven't found it yet, or if I need to wean them back onto it. I will do some Selcon-soaking and see if that kicks it up a notch.
Alas, my calendar says I will be home only 5 out of the first 25 days of September... so the updates are going to be spaced out based on my limited free time. I will take some snapshots tomorrow and see if I can get all seven tangs in one frame.
See ya!
Ben
I'm back from my wedding jaunt this weekend. The fish seem to be doing well! I only had a short time today to observe them when it was light, but I think that Tabitha is still challenging the fish... but in general they seem to be "spread out" in the tank more, yet still coming together to swim around from time to time. Interestingly, I am not able to get any of them to eat nori off the clip... I don't know if they just haven't found it yet, or if I need to wean them back onto it. I will do some Selcon-soaking and see if that kicks it up a notch.
Alas, my calendar says I will be home only 5 out of the first 25 days of September... so the updates are going to be spaced out based on my limited free time. I will take some snapshots tomorrow and see if I can get all seven tangs in one frame.
See ya!
Ben
jnarowe
New member
often fish will go crazy for nori if you rubberband it onto a small rock. That usually gets them going, as well as a little garlc soak.
Then you could switch to this:
This is shredded nori that I soak and then slowly feed into my tank. The fish suck it up like sphaghetti and you don't end up with pieces floating around, getting into your overflow, or wedged under a rock. It really does help keep the non-fish processed PO4 down.
Then you could switch to this:
This is shredded nori that I soak and then slowly feed into my tank. The fish suck it up like sphaghetti and you don't end up with pieces floating around, getting into your overflow, or wedged under a rock. It really does help keep the non-fish processed PO4 down.
normanfine
New member
very cool looking setup
Time to resurrect the old Bertha thread, even though I have a rather embarrassingly boring update.
I've been on the road almost all of September, so I've been doubly glad that everything continues to seem very stable and predictable in the tank. No leaks, explosions, burned out pumps, or sketchy looking parameters captured in the AQ's history logs. I think I'm getting lucky.
The other thing that's going very predictably is the on-going growth of the lovely hair algae. I am not in a position to make big water changes yet, and I don't have a phosphate reactor to try taking that out, but I'm hoping I can do all of those within a couple weeks. Perhaps they will help chew down this algae. Interestingly, the tangs don't seem to really put much of a dent in it. I see them poking at the rocks all day long, but it never really seems like it gets mowed down. I'll probably add a lawnmower blenny soon (I like that fish anyway) and maybe it's time to think about some clean-up crew. Anybody have any thoughts on those? Crabs or no crabs?
When I was back for a half-day a few weeks ago, one of the yellow tangs was showing some seriously nipped/ripped up fins. Fortunately, everything seems to have settled down now... no constantly battling, and for the most part everyone seems to hang out together. Let's All Be Friends. They're really quite pretty in there even just by themselves. It's fun to watch 'em.
I did a bunch of algae purging and scraping this afternoon, so the tank is all silted up, but I'll be able to get some "group shots" tomorrow now that they hang together well. I'll be working hard-core on the tank in the next few weeks, so buckle in and get ready for some more RC thread-reading fun.
Ben
I've been on the road almost all of September, so I've been doubly glad that everything continues to seem very stable and predictable in the tank. No leaks, explosions, burned out pumps, or sketchy looking parameters captured in the AQ's history logs. I think I'm getting lucky.
The other thing that's going very predictably is the on-going growth of the lovely hair algae. I am not in a position to make big water changes yet, and I don't have a phosphate reactor to try taking that out, but I'm hoping I can do all of those within a couple weeks. Perhaps they will help chew down this algae. Interestingly, the tangs don't seem to really put much of a dent in it. I see them poking at the rocks all day long, but it never really seems like it gets mowed down. I'll probably add a lawnmower blenny soon (I like that fish anyway) and maybe it's time to think about some clean-up crew. Anybody have any thoughts on those? Crabs or no crabs?
When I was back for a half-day a few weeks ago, one of the yellow tangs was showing some seriously nipped/ripped up fins. Fortunately, everything seems to have settled down now... no constantly battling, and for the most part everyone seems to hang out together. Let's All Be Friends. They're really quite pretty in there even just by themselves. It's fun to watch 'em.
I did a bunch of algae purging and scraping this afternoon, so the tank is all silted up, but I'll be able to get some "group shots" tomorrow now that they hang together well. I'll be working hard-core on the tank in the next few weeks, so buckle in and get ready for some more RC thread-reading fun.
Ben
"Umm fish?"
Premium Member
I'm not a fan of hermit crabs any more (they eat lots of things like snail eggs). That's a mighty big tank. Have you thought about trying to get a pair (or more) of lawnmower blennies?
So... what kind of snails should I get, and how many, do you think? I just want something to do a little sand-moving in the long run. (I'll kick the hair algae eventually just through better water chemistry.)
Also, can anyone recommend a specific fluidized bed reactor? I need to order several and I'd like a set that places emphasis on ease of cleaning/replacing the media within. They seem like such straightforward things, but Deltec is the only one I've found so far that's not designed for small tanks.
Ben
Also, can anyone recommend a specific fluidized bed reactor? I need to order several and I'd like a set that places emphasis on ease of cleaning/replacing the media within. They seem like such straightforward things, but Deltec is the only one I've found so far that's not designed for small tanks.
Ben
jnarowe
New member
You can check out Project DIBS for lots of info. on captive reef appropriate inverts. I am sure that store sells "re-fresh" packs too. What a load.
I can't recommend any particular reactor as I make my own. They are so easy to make, and based on what I have seen of your build, I have no doubt you could make your own, and it would be better than anything you can buy commercially.
I can't recommend any particular reactor as I make my own. They are so easy to make, and based on what I have seen of your build, I have no doubt you could make your own, and it would be better than anything you can buy commercially.
Thanks Jonathan. I tried going to the DIBS forum, but it's a bit overwhelming. I skimmed a few of the forums, but I can't find the one for dummies that just need basic guidance.
I also tried the search, but the NoSpam captcha is too smart for me... I tried it about five times, and it always told me I had it wrong. Hmm.Ben
Me No Nemo
Premium Member
Do keep an eye on those white spots as those could be flukes. They often line up on the edges of fins like that. A freshwater dip will have them lifting off and falling to the bottom of the dip container if the spots progress or don't disappear soon. They look like tiny white potato chips, are fairly common on tangs and angels and are often thought to be lymph or ich. Gorgeous tank and fish! Good luck to you!
