drummereef's 180g in-wall build

[drummereef]

Awesome Brett. Glad to see you back (again!). I hope you had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Looks like you may need a multi prong approach.

1). Get the berghia nudibranch. Good choice on the file fish. Hope he eats for you.

2). There's a couple YouTube videos on training peppermints to eat Aiptsia.

3). Lasers!

4). Try and suck out the ones on the sand bed. That way you should suck all their spores along with them.

5). Boiling hot water in a syringe. This should hopefully kill their spores too?

6). Thick skin. Hang in there buddy.. We're all cheer'n for ya!

Shaggss!! Good to hear from you and thank you for the tips! Much appreciated.

Peppermints work for me. I even have 1 left I put frag plugs in front of him from my frag tank every now and then just to keep them in check if I see one. He eats it up in minuets

We all go through this type of stuff. Hang in there. U will get it back on track.

Roger
.

Thanks for the tips Roger. I added 3 Peppermint shrimp months ago but they unfortunately did nothing for the Aip issue. I am considering a Copperband as well, but we shall see...

I'm seeing som beautiful corals there! I thought I remember there being rock in your tank though...

The original Marco Rock was removed, cleaned, and sold due to extensive PO4 leaching. Once I get the Aip issue under control I'll consider replacing with new rock.

Brett, I just wanted to say that it's good to see you back on the forum and still in the game, buddy!

My build thread is still active and if you have the time, check it out.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=23365925#post23365925
I've been completely redoing my fish room (and replaced my tank!) and I went back and re-read your entire thread and used it for inspiration and tips.
Extremely helpful! This thread has always been an inspiration and I hope you continue to post, good or bad.
It was sad to see the thread go dormant for so long.

Best of luck in your rebuild and I hope 2015 brings much success! :bounce3:

Thank you Dennis!! I'm still subscribed to your thread and have been watching some of the activity. Sounds like a major overhaul! I will be posting here (hopefully) more frequently. Good to hear from you!

Really glad to see the update Brett, as others have noted, everyone goes through periods of issues. It's just like the build portion- time, patience and effort. Hope that little guy has a big appetite, looks like he will be well fed!

Thanks iced. And thanks for sticking through the ups and downs in this thread!

Glad to see you are back!

Thank you Mathias. Glad to be back.

 

[iced98lx]

Brett, do I remember properly that you have GEO Calcium Reactor? if so, how has it been stability wise? requiring a lot of adjustments?

 

[drummereef]

Brett, do I remember properly that you have GEO Calcium Reactor? if so, how has it been stability wise? requiring a lot of adjustments?

Yes, I have a GEO CR618. You see it in the sump picture - it's the reactor on the far right in the sump. I recently topped off with new media and did a full cleaning of the pump etc... I really don't do a lot of tweaking with it, it's fairly solid as far as running goes. I've learned to watch for certain things to tell me something might be off. The two big ones are lack of flow from the effluent side of the reactor and a fluctuating pH reading on my Apex. The only thing I run into is my manifold getting something caught in the valve that feeds the reactor. I just take a nylon brush and unclog it and the reactor returns to it's glorious self. Fluctuating pH is an issue with the CO2 cylinder OR more likely restricted flow into or out of the reactor. You'll see the pH continue to go down if you have flow issues (restriction) through the reactor. Again, usually not a problem unless the manifold gets clogged up. The reactor itself is almost never the issue.

GEO recommends running the reactor off a separate feed pump which would eliminate any issues with flow into the reactor, like a random snail clogging a manifold valve etc... I just choose to run it off the manifold because I have the option to do so. Other than regular maintenance like cleaning the unit during every media change and going to the gas supply to get a replacement cylinder every 6 months or so, the thing runs like a champ.

 

[iced98lx]

Yes, I have a GEO CR618. You see it in the sump picture - it's the reactor on the far right in the sump. I recently topped off with new media and did a full cleaning of the pump etc... I really don't do a lot of tweaking with it, it's fairly solid as far as running goes. I've learned to watch for certain things to tell me something might be off. The two big ones are lack of flow from the effluent side of the reactor and a fluctuating pH reading on my Apex. The only thing I run into is my manifold getting something caught in the valve that feeds the reactor. I just take a nylon brush and unclog it and the reactor returns to it's glorious self. Fluctuating pH is an issue with the CO2 cylinder OR more likely restricted flow into or out of the reactor. You'll see the pH continue to go down if you have flow issues (restriction) through the reactor. Again, usually not a problem unless the manifold gets clogged up. The reactor itself is almost never the issue.

GEO recommends running the reactor off a separate feed pump which would eliminate any issues with flow into the reactor, like a random snail clogging a manifold valve etc... I just choose to run it off the manifold because I have the option to do so. Other than regular maintenance like cleaning the unit during every media change and going to the gas supply to get a replacement cylinder every 6 months or so, the thing runs like a champ.

Thanks, that exact model is on my short list, so I am glad to hear that it's pretty set-and-forget if you do the required upkeep and are willing to check a few items now and then.

 

[tegee]

Brett....FWIW, and I am sure you are going to get TONS of advice here on the forum, but I have had tremendous results on two separate tanks using Aiptsia Eating File fish. they do work and you just have to be patient while they seek the Aiptsia over food. Some take to it quicker than others, but is DOES work from my personal experience. And FAR this expensive than your other options.

HTH and good luck............

 

[drummereef]

Thanks, that exact model is on my short list, so I am glad to hear that it's pretty set-and-forget if you do the required upkeep and are willing to check a few items now and then.

Awesome! There's really nothing that can go too much wrong with the reactor itself. The complaints you hear from people can usually be traced back to the method of feeding the reactor. As long as you have a properly sized feed pump or a controllable manifold then you'll be fine. The reactor has to have internal pressure or it will bubble inside as it finds outside air to balance itself. So you need to feed enough flow into the reactor to create that small amount of pressure. Also, get the Carbon Doser regulator from Aquarium Plants. http://www.aquariumplants.com/CarbonDoser_Electronic_Co2_Regulator_p/co2.htm A little pricey but it's easy to dial in and is rock solid. Can't speak for other regulators, this is the only one I've used... But it's good.

Brett....FWIW, and I am sure you are going to get TONS of advice here on the forum, but I have had tremendous results on two separate tanks using Aiptsia Eating File fish. they do work and you just have to be patient while they seek the Aiptsia over food. Some take to it quicker than others, but is DOES work from my personal experience. And FAR this expensive than your other options.

HTH and good luck............

Excellent! That's what I have, a Matted Filefish. When I first put him in the tank he at TWO Aips immediately! Since then it's been hard to tell what he's been up to - definitely picks at the sand but I think he's looking for Pods. I'm in it for the long haul so I will wait it out and see what he does. My plan is to at some point completely replace the substrate anyway. But I want to know I have some backup since there's Aips on some of the the corals too. I don't want to replace the substrate, put new rock in, and end up in the same predicament that I'm in now since it's virtually impossible to get rid of ALL of them. Good to hear from you tegee!

 

[silentscream]

Thanks for the tips Roger. I added 3 Peppermint shrimp months ago but they unfortunately did nothing for the Aip issue. I am considering a Copperband as well, but we shall see...

Brett,

I'd suggest adding more peppermint shrimp. I had plague proportion aiptasia on a previous system too (55gal tank), and was not getting any results based on adding 2-3 aiptasia at a time. What really helped was when I added 7 shrimp at once.

The idea was that not all peppermint shrimp are drawn to aiptasia, but just a small percentage. If you add enough shrimp that maybe 1-2 are real aiptasia enthusiast, they can kind of elicit a feeding response with the other shrimp. This is what I read over extensive reading online and what I witnissed in my tank. They cleaned up the problem in 1-2 weeks.

My suggestion is 10-12 peppermints for a tank of your size.

 

[Nizz]

Brett,



I'd suggest adding more peppermint shrimp. I had plague proportion aiptasia on a previous system too (55gal tank), and was not getting any results based on adding 2-3 aiptasia at a time. What really helped was when I added 7 shrimp at once.



The idea was that not all peppermint shrimp are drawn to aiptasia, but just a small percentage. If you add enough shrimp that maybe 1-2 are real aiptasia enthusiast, they can kind of elicit a feeding response with the other shrimp. This is what I read over extensive reading online and what I witnissed in my tank. They cleaned up the problem in 1-2 weeks.



My suggestion is 10-12 peppermints for a tank of your size.

I can agree to this. I added 5 shrimps to my tank and nearly all my aptasia is gone. Going to add more to help with the rest.

 

[iced98lx]

thanks for the tip, that particular company you linked to is about an hour from my house

 

[Saltydrip]

Added 2 to my 75 early on and haven't seen any aptasia since

 

[drummereef]

Very interesting guys, thanks for the heads up. What's everyone's thoughts about a Copperband?

 

[Saltydrip]

They are a beautiful fish. It's my understanding that they stress easy and aren't expected to live a long life in the home aquarium. With your open tank it might not be a good candidate. I've never had one so I'm not speaking from experience, just what I've seen here on the forum.

 

[Mr D smack]

Just from my experience is go with peppermints. My 120 had some seriously stupid apps. After adding a total of 6 peppermints I now know of 1 that eats them. It is bold to the point of seeing it eat them with the light on. When I get the phone next to the tank to get a pic/ video of it eating them it then gets camera shy

 

[tegee]

I went with peppermint shrimp too at one point, however they got sucked down my overflows and ended up in the sump/filter sock.

Any tips on keeping them in the display tank and not the overflows/sump?

 

[Nizz]

Use a screen for you overflows or put egg crate/screen on top to prevent them from getting in

 

[igot2gats]

Very interesting guys, thanks for the heads up. What's everyone's thoughts about a Copperband?

Never had one, but the hardest part is to get them to eat, from what I've researched.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but, glad to have you back...and that you're not giving up!

 

[prop-frags]

Brett, it's great to see you back!

 

[BIGD0G]

Hey Brett. The latest pics of the dump room show your sump still looks nice and clean. I am curious how often you clean it and the equipment in it?

Thanks.

 

[Saltydrip]

Make any ground with your tank?

 

[Nanook]

Very impressive, Brett:thumbsup: Nothing to be ashamed about and it is great seeing you post with updates! One of our best build threads in Reef Central History.