drummereef's 180g in-wall build
- Thread starter drummereef
- Start date
Inthenameofweez
New member
I just read all 79 pages and I have to say thank you.
I'm subscribing so that I can watch this thing grow.
AWESOME!!!!!
I'm subscribing so that I can watch this thing grow.
AWESOME!!!!!
drummereef
Team RC
The hobby is much different now right WhoDey...? Haha, we've all been there done that.
And thank you for subscribing Inthenameofweez!
drummereef
Team RC
UPDATE:
Hey guys... I'm updating to let you know I lost my Lyretail Anthias today. Bummer... He hadn't been doing well for the past month or so and hadn't eaten for weeks. I tried everything to stimulate feeding but to no avail. I really think there was some kind of toxin in the algae blooms that got to him. His gills were inflamed and feeding was affected similar to what the Yellow Tang went through, but manged to pull out of. Unfortunately for the Anthias he didn't pull through. RIP little guy, you will be missed.
Hey guys... I'm updating to let you know I lost my Lyretail Anthias today. Bummer... He hadn't been doing well for the past month or so and hadn't eaten for weeks. I tried everything to stimulate feeding but to no avail. I really think there was some kind of toxin in the algae blooms that got to him. His gills were inflamed and feeding was affected similar to what the Yellow Tang went through, but manged to pull out of. Unfortunately for the Anthias he didn't pull through. RIP little guy, you will be missed.
psteeleb
Team RC
sorry to hear that Brett
Sorry you lost your Anthias. I always loved the lyretail anthias. You think you will try adding more Anthias later on once the algae is under control?
canyousee
New member
It's hard when the animals in your care die, at least you know you did all you could and gave it a good home. Thanks for the info on the ATO I do not enjoy vacations like I used to before my reef was set up. It scares me being gone so long, leaving someone who really barley understands the system in control. Mike
Fish4Me2
New member
Hi Brett - first off, you've created an amazing build. As I've worked through preparing for my new tank, I've been very appreciative of the ideas I've copied from this tread, so thank you!
In that spirit, based on the length/severity of the algae issues you've had, would you do anything different with your rock/preparing your rock, if you were to start over?
In that spirit, based on the length/severity of the algae issues you've had, would you do anything different with your rock/preparing your rock, if you were to start over?
drummereef
Team RC
Thanks Pete.
Thanks zmckenzie. I think I might try it again but add 2 or 3 females with the male. They are such beautiful fish to watch. One of my favorites.
Thanks canyousee. I'm sure your vacation will go without incident, knowing that you are implementing one of the best ATOs made. I think you will really like it.
Thanks for the kind words Fish4Me2.
The only thing I would have done differently would be to have dosed bacteria from the beginning. I waited a few months before I started and looking back in retrospect I would have dosed from the beginning. I really think it would have kept a large portion of the algae problems to a minimum. Likely there would have been some, just like any new tank, but I think the severity of the blooms would have been limited. 
Taqpol
New member
I was going to ask if you were going to add more females. I ended up losing five out of my six carberryi anthias and I attribute it to not adding enough fish right off the bat (I added one group of three followed by another group of three weeks later). After reading about it it seems that some anthias don't adjust to eating in a tank setting unless they have enough friends with them to make themselves feel comfortable in a school.
Also, if I add any anthias in the future I will definitely add lyretails, as they seem to be the most hardy.
drummereef
Team RC
Even though my Lyretail was a hardy eater I still think there might have been some territorial behavior that wasn't totally normal since I didn't pair him with any females. Even Bob Fenner talks about the longevity of these fish and how they are effected when housed singly. Next go around, if I decide to go that route, I'll definitely add some females and see if there's a difference in overall health.
henrystyle
Member
Whats your ammonia level looking like?
I'm blaming those bio pellets for all your algae issues and possibly even for your fish loss. I think those pellets work better on mature systems.
I'm blaming those bio pellets for all your algae issues and possibly even for your fish loss. I think those pellets work better on mature systems.
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henrystyle
Member
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drummereef
Team RC
I appreciate your insight Henry, but I just don't think I can definitively say the algae and loss of fish is directly related to the use of the EcoBAK pellets. I haven't seen any conclusive information that would back that theory. I know you saw a correlation in your system, I'm just not quite convinced on a whole this is the same situation since my other fish/inverts seem to be thriving at this point.
Ammonia levels have remained undetectable using my API test kit. However, we know there is a link to excess cyano growth and bio pellets. It is known some strains of cyano are highly toxic to fish when consumed or simply through respiration. I don't know, however, if the algae that was in the tank was this "toxic" strain of cyano or not without sending it to a lab to be viewed under a microscope. I do know that the Yellow Tang got sick prior to using the bio pellets and has made a full recovery since the initial attack which was a couple months ago - during which the bio pellets were used. Unfortunately the Anthias did not. Perhaps he was just a more delicate fish... I dunno.
I do know, at this point, the algae on the rocks has all but gone away. There's a little "fuzz" hanging around but almost non-existent. There is some brown algae left in the sand bed and overflows but it seems to be getting weaker. I'm still doing weekly 10% water changes along with weekly MB7 dosing, which I believe is helping overall.
reeftanknewbie
New member
Brett,
I saw this and thought of you and your amazing setup. Would love to hear your thoughts.
http://genesisreefsystems.com/products.php?cat=9
I saw this and thought of you and your amazing setup. Would love to hear your thoughts.
http://genesisreefsystems.com/products.php?cat=9
erics3000
Active member
I agree if your having weird stuff I would just let the tank run naturally for a few weeks. Maybe here and there a little diversity with bacteria however you want.
Sucks with the anhtias. I have had 1 from my 2nd batch for about 2 years or so. I heard you can feed them like 6-8 times a day at first, if you can get them to eat. I am done traveling for a little while and I am about ready to try another copper band. My last one get stuck on a rock but I finally had him eating a little flake. Tough fish....................
drummereef
Team RC
Thanks reeftank. I haven't heard of that particular product but have researched different methods of continuous water changes. There's many ways to implement dosing pumps and the like to set up one of these systems. It only costs $$$ you know...
The tank is definitely improving week to week. I just can't definitively say that the bio pellets caused any of this. I do think the leaching of phosphate and the lack of bacteria populations from the beginning were a ticking time bomb. But hindsight is 20/20 in this case. I'm going to continue on as planned as everything is looking good. Some of these more delicate fish can be a challenge for sure.
drummereef
Team RC
UPDATE:
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!! :beer:
We've come quite a long way since the last update but here's a couple pics of the rocks to show you the progress. I'll try and get a good FTS by the end of this week too.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!! :beer:
We've come quite a long way since the last update but here's a couple pics of the rocks to show you the progress. I'll try and get a good FTS by the end of this week too.
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cromedogg33
Member
Brett,
Just ordered 150# of marcorock. Would you have soaked them and rinsed them if you had to do it over again or just dose bacteria from the start?
Just ordered 150# of marcorock. Would you have soaked them and rinsed them if you had to do it over again or just dose bacteria from the start?
drummereef
Team RC
Hey Crome, I did rinse mine in RO/DI before aquascaping. But if I were to do it over I would rinse then dose bacteria (heavily) from the beginning. There's a recommended dose for new tanks on the bottle of MB7 which I would advise going by. I don't know what soaking would do as the phosphates will slowly leach over time. I do think if there's a good population of bacteria from the beginning it will help break down that process before it turns to algae/cyano.
