crvz's hole in the wall

[crvz]

Here's a shot of the lavender tang I got today. Of the five new fish, this one is the least willing to pose, so forgive the noise in this picture.

And I'm enjoying this fish as well. While none of them are doing much in terms of enjoying that various dried algaes I'm putting in the tank, they're devouring anything else that gets added (with the exception of the blonde naso). The chevron is no exception.

 

[Taqpol]

Have you tried rubber banding the nori to a piece of rock rubble? I've found that once I train my tangs to eat nori off of a rock they devour it from a clip.

 

[crvz]

Have you tried rubber banding the nori to a piece of rock rubble? I've found that once I train my tangs to eat nori off of a rock they devour it from a clip.

Yep, that's all I've been doing with it so far. I've got green, red, and purple algaes placed in different areas around the tank to hopefully further entice the fish to eat it. The lavender and chevron will nip at it from time to time, but I've yet to see the naso do so.

 

[psteeleb]

Beautiful additions - and love that chevron

hope they all fair well and start eating like the pigs they can be

 

[crvz]

When I got this coral, I was afraid the hole was some kind of huge vermatid snail. Turns out, it's much more favorable (middle of the picture).

And the lone wuss of the display. This guy hides when the metal halides are on. Hopefully the friends in QT will entice him to make more of an appearance.

 

[veloboy]

Surprised to hear the purple is not more aggressive. Usually they are bullies! Thats a nice one though, nice lines!

Have you tried getting some sort of live seaweed and then mixing in dried nori with it? My buddy got his naso to finally start eating that way.....

 

[crvz]

I'm happy to report that the naso seems to be eating quite a bit better. Still not an aggressive eater, but I can see a good bulge in his gut and there's a noticeable dent in the nori when I walk in there. So hopefully it will continue to do a good job of eating.

 

[crvz]

The good news. All the fish are doing very well. The blonde is still a wuss, but he's eating flake and nori well, so we're in good shape there. It's been 18 days, so another 20 or so and I'll be ready to add them to the display.

Less happy news... getting some cyano (on the sand) and sand clumping in the display. I'm thinking some sand critters and a diamond goby can help, but what causes sand to clump? And what have folks have success with (other than a stick, which I'm using) to keep a shallow sand bed nicely stirred?

 

[Mr. Right]

My friend told me that sand clumps were caused by high calcium. Have you tested lately?

 

[psteeleb]

usually sand clumps for one of three reasons (or combination of)

1. supersaturation of calcium ions (see note)
2. low magnesium concentration making it easier for calcite to form
3. build up of bio films from the bacteria cultures - very common in new sand beds. adding some live sand will help minimize this

note - the way I understand it is the calcium ions in the water column are positive charged and most sand is negative charge making it a natural and easy place for calcium to precipitate too

 

[crvz]

So the calcium wasnt high, just right under 400ppm. I'm assume it's your third option, Pete. I'm hoping in time, with regular stirring (it's a shallow sand bed), I can get past the clumping. Hurray for new systems!

 

[crvz]

Been a little too quiet over here lately... lots of happenings outside the realm of the aquarium. Which may serve me well in the long run; the more I let this system mature without piddling the better off it will probably be. Life has been keeping us entertained; with a pregnant wife, two year old, serving at church, and most recently haggling for a new truck, the tank has taken quite a back seat. I'll pretend that there will be more time once it cools down and we're indoors more often, but here in Houston that won't be until late November.

I moved the chevron tang into the display. Purple pants didnt care for it, but they've since become chummy. I need more fish.

 

[miwoodar]

My purple is a total jerk. The tank looks good - looking forward to seeing it mature!

Grats on the bun in the oven.

 

[drummereef]

Congrats on the new baby (to be)!!

 

[erics3000]

Wow Great build ..Been away from RC too long.

 

[Padrino]

Congrats on the baby! My wife is pushing me to do the same

 

[Esardog]

Congratulations on the new one they sure change your life!!

How has your stand worked out for you -- I noticed your posting in the DIY section and I am starting a 300dd and wondering about your stand. Thanks, eddie

 

[Esardog]

Any Updates?

 

[ludiNano]

Hey CVRZ, what paint did you top coat your stand with?

I primed mine with Kilz complete (oil based) and was originally planing on top coating with a high gloss enamel like but I'm unsure at this point, I love how the oil based primer dried.

 

[crvz]

I am over-due on an update. So the fish have been doing alright, but I noticed some ich on the purple tang this week. I suspect it has to do with how I never caught the yellow canary tang. I'm trying to catch them all once again, but I'm having decent success with the trap.

Otherwise, I've not had much success with SPS still. I'm thinking it's the combo of the new sand and base rock, just taking a long time to seed. The tank looks ok, but it's not growing out well so far. And we're about 9 months in. I'm patient.

I've also had lobophora, which isnt new (I had it in the last tank), but I found an urchin that has been mowing through it lately. I think that will work out ok.

I just used a number of coats of water based primer on the stand. It has worked out fine, and the stand has been structurally perfect thus far.