Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank)
- Thread starter nineball
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nineball
Active member
Enough fanfare... let's see some pics, "warts & all"We're anxious to see how you modified the Mars Bars from their former "stock Walmart" configuration.
I may have missed it, but was there a master plan for the use of these fish room tanks, or are they just utilitarian?
Mr Wilson I will grant your request for pics but the Mars Bar chapter will have to wait..........
I grabbed a random rock from the tank to try out my new macro lens in poor light. I obviously need more practice but these shots of the same rock suggest that I have managed to keep it alive without too much damage after eight days. I am very surprised that some of the sponges have survived.
Peter
nineball
Active member
nineball
Active member
KumiClaws, we can't do anything about the envy but have you considered Miracle Mud instead of quicksand?????? Thanks for the praise and welcome to our salty community.
Peter
nineball
Active member
sbanks, thank you and welcome to our group. My hope is that the middle and end of this journey keep getting better. Hang in......it will be a long ride but worth it. Thanks for the feedback on the basement.
Peter
VtheMaestro
New member
awesome build. There must be no greater joy than working hard to support your family and being able to afford to reach the pinnacle of your hobby.
nineball
Active member
VtheMaestro Thank you. I have been sitting here trying to think of moderating your statement but I can't really come up with any alternatives. You are right!!!!!!
Welcome to our community,
Peter
I've had lr cooking in a dark barrel for months and once exposed to light zoas started popping up. Some of the life on these rocks are indestructible.
Antonais1391
New member
some good looking rock :] if ya have any left over could ya send it my way? cant wait to see the system going. you know how much longer? also what are you doing for lighting? what kinda corals are your favorites?
PauChi
New member
Peter
The liverocks are so clean and healthy ... :inlove: !! Awesome :beer: ... Peter!!!
Paul
nineball
Active member
Live Rock --- Water change
Live Rock --- Water change
I think I am ready for a complete water change for the live rock. I have two 400 Gal bins that has the 2200 lbs of live rock in temp storage. temp is currently 66 F in one and 70f in the other. saline is 1.025. new salt water is 70F and I am hoping to get 1.0245 salt. I will be doing a 100% complete water change to both vats. I will be inspecting each piece by hand and shaking the rock to see what falls off. I have got rubber gloves. The rock has been in the same water for ten days and still does not smell. The colour is great (I think). I have a soft brush but I'm not sure if I should use it. I will have a skimmer on each vat, 5 air hoses blowing bubbles in each vat and heaters.
Problems that I have due to inexperience on my part are..........
I won't know a pest or parasite on sight...............
Should I dip in fresh water or concentrated salt water(1.03) if at all........
or should I wait?
How much light does the rock require for the next two weeks?
I would ask that if there is advice on what I should do that you indicate if its speculation or actual experience you are offering..........I am relying on the advice in this thread for guidence so I want folks to understand that its important to get it right.................
I have to go back and get Mr Wilsons live rock list if I can find it......
Peter
Live Rock --- Water change
I think I am ready for a complete water change for the live rock. I have two 400 Gal bins that has the 2200 lbs of live rock in temp storage. temp is currently 66 F in one and 70f in the other. saline is 1.025. new salt water is 70F and I am hoping to get 1.0245 salt. I will be doing a 100% complete water change to both vats. I will be inspecting each piece by hand and shaking the rock to see what falls off. I have got rubber gloves. The rock has been in the same water for ten days and still does not smell. The colour is great (I think). I have a soft brush but I'm not sure if I should use it. I will have a skimmer on each vat, 5 air hoses blowing bubbles in each vat and heaters.
Problems that I have due to inexperience on my part are..........
I won't know a pest or parasite on sight...............
Should I dip in fresh water or concentrated salt water(1.03) if at all........
or should I wait?
How much light does the rock require for the next two weeks?
I would ask that if there is advice on what I should do that you indicate if its speculation or actual experience you are offering..........I am relying on the advice in this thread for guidence so I want folks to understand that its important to get it right.................
I have to go back and get Mr Wilsons live rock list if I can find it......
Peter
Padrino
New member
Peter,
That live rock looks great!
Personally i have always cycled my live rock in teh dark for a few weeks, I had some extra time so i left some of it in the dark for probably 3 or 4 weeks. Always Maintaining Salinity and temp with Good Flow. This will keep the good bacteria alive and will prevent bad algae from starting. I have also read it helps cut down the cycle time but i haven't built enough systems to prove that out.
HTH
Rob
Btw where did you get the miracle mud? Is there a local supplier that carries it? I don't recall ever seeing in any of the LFS
That live rock looks great!
Personally i have always cycled my live rock in teh dark for a few weeks, I had some extra time so i left some of it in the dark for probably 3 or 4 weeks. Always Maintaining Salinity and temp with Good Flow. This will keep the good bacteria alive and will prevent bad algae from starting. I have also read it helps cut down the cycle time but i haven't built enough systems to prove that out.
HTH
Rob
Btw where did you get the miracle mud? Is there a local supplier that carries it? I don't recall ever seeing in any of the LFS
nineball
Active member
Thanks Rob, I got the Miracle mud from my fish guy Mike of Aqua Sculpture (aquariumservicestoronto). I believe he special ordered it for me. I'll ask him about the source.
Peter
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
Here's the Reader's Digest version of rock curing...
TOOLS
Rubber gloves
Tweezers
Narrow screw driver
A coupe of schooners
PROCEDURE
Remove each rock one by one and shake them in a tub of water. This will remove the loose detritus. Treat all crabs as parasites, as very very few are friendly (commensal/symbiotic). Most of the worms you will encounter are harmless, but there will be no shortage of worms in the long run, so go ahead and remove any loose ones that may be injured. If they are healthy, they will be deep in the rock.
Throw any snails you see into a bucket of saltwater and use your new macro lens to get some free identification on here. Watch for mantis shrimp (google it). They are easy to identify once you know what you are looking for. Yes, kill them.
I would use the established saltwater the rock is in now for the rinsing process. Freshwater rinsing is more for corals that may have parasitic hitchhikers. Live rock is less likely to carry bad guys than live corals are. In the case of live corals, freshwater dips and a bath in an oxidizer such as Lugols iodine or potassium permanganate. The water at the bottom of your vats will be turbid/dirty, so make sure you set aside cleaner rinsing water as you work through the vats.
Any sponges, sea squirts, or other invertebrates that have made it this far are hardy and should be left alone. Only new rock should have the sponges and algae removed from it. It is a good idea to reverse the stacking order of the rock as you put it in a new container, so the rock that was at the bottom is now at the top.
Siphon or shopvac the junk off of the bottom of the vats. Remember to elevate the rock on milk crates to provide a buffer zone for crabs, worms and other questionable hitchhikers.
After the rock has been acclimated for two weeks and you have not experienced a significant die-off, you can proceed to introduce a 6 hour photoperiod with somewhat diffused light. If your lighting is greater than 250 watt MHL, then suspend it two feet above the rock. Otherwise, a 250 watt MHL a foot above the water surface should be fine with a 6 hour photoperiod (day). Slowly move the photoperiod up to 8 hours per day over the next two weeks. Watch for diatom algae (brown slime). It will come and go in about two weeks, then you will get green slime algae (cyanobacteria). This too will pass in another month, give or take.
Stare monitoring calcium, magnesium, and carbonate hardness levels. Maintaining these at optimum levels will foster the growth of coraline algae.
It's also a good idea to start sorting rock sizes and shapes so you can have a better handle on your building blocks when you commence with the aquascaping. You don't want to get down to the bottom of the last vat and find those show size rocks you ordered.
* The above information is based on my experience; however, my belief that you will follow these guidelines is based solely on speculation
Reefski's
Active member
your live rock temp should be closer to 80 degrees. lots of critters will/have die/d off from the low temp, and the rock will take a lot longer to cure. look up Q10 effect. the rate of chemical reactions doubles with every ten degrees C increase.
see the temperature info at http://www.ronshimek.com/salinity_temperature.html
Crl
see the temperature info at http://www.ronshimek.com/salinity_temperature.html
Crl
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
I agree. This is why I see no value in using a chiller on a tropical reef tank.
Here's the Reader's Digest version of rock curing...
TOOLS
Rubber gloves
Tweezers
Narrow screw driver
A coupe of schooners
PROCEDURE
Remove each rock one by one and shake them in a tub of water. This will remove the loose detritus. Treat all crabs as parasites, as very very few are friendly (commensal/symbiotic). Most of the worms you will encounter are harmless, but there will be no shortage of worms in the long run, so go ahead and remove any loose ones that may be injured. If they are healthy, they will be deep in the rock.
Throw any snails you see into a bucket of saltwater and use your new macro lens to get some free identification on here. Watch for mantis shrimp (google it). They are easy to identify once you know what you are looking for. Yes, kill them.
I would use the established saltwater the rock is in now for the rinsing process. Freshwater rinsing is more for corals that may have parasitic hitchhikers. Live rock is less likely to carry bad guys than live corals are. In the case of live corals, freshwater dips and a bath in an oxidizer such as Lugols iodine or potassium permanganate. The water at the bottom of your vats will be turbid/dirty, so make sure you set aside cleaner rinsing water as you work through the vats.
Any sponges, sea squirts, or other invertebrates that have made it this far are hardy and should be left alone. Only new rock should have the sponges and algae removed from it. It is a good idea to reverse the stacking order of the rock as you put it in a new container, so the rock that was at the bottom is now at the top.
Siphon or shopvac the junk off of the bottom of the vats. Remember to elevate the rock on milk crates to provide a buffer zone for crabs, worms and other questionable hitchhikers.
After the rock has been acclimated for two weeks and you have not experienced a significant die-off, you can proceed to introduce a 6 hour photoperiod with somewhat diffused light. If your lighting is greater than 250 watt MHL, then suspend it two feet above the rock. Otherwise, a 250 watt MHL a foot above the water surface should be fine with a 6 hour photoperiod (day). Slowly move the photoperiod up to 8 hours per day over the next two weeks. Watch for diatom algae (brown slime). It will come and go in about two weeks, then you will get green slime algae (cyanobacteria). This too will pass in another month, give or take.
Stare monitoring calcium, magnesium, and carbonate hardness levels. Maintaining these at optimum levels will foster the growth of coraline algae.
It's also a good idea to start sorting rock sizes and shapes so you can have a better handle on your building blocks when you commence with the aquascaping. You don't want to get down to the bottom of the last vat and find those show size rocks you ordered.
* The above information is based on my experience; however, my belief that you will follow these guidelines is based solely on speculation
Perfectly said.
All I'll add is don't be too stand off ish when handling it.
Plunge it up and down, and give a good twist in the water. You'll be amazed how much comes out. Especially from the rock at the bottom.
Spear/lever ALL crabs. Show no mercy.
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