Hello, Geezer coming back to this forum. Paul B
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
looks like everything recovered from the sponge purge.
Paul B
Premium Member
Now that my tank almost instantly recovered from my massive sponge elimination and the Ugly stage it created that lasted about 5 months, the tank looks just like the Great Barrier Reef. Almost all the corals, even the ones that I thought were dead came to life and look fantastic.
The water surface which had been covered in dino slime causing me to net it out every day is completely clear of anything.
The tank is again crystal clear and the fish look like jewels like they are supposed to.
It took quite a while and I "almost" added some chemical to speed the process along but thankfully I resisted and the tank is still natural with only mud from the sea. I did replace about 90 gallons of ASW with NSW which I feel made the final difference as ASW is completely devoid of nutrients but I needed that to help eliminate the invasive sponge and I hope it stays eliminated.
You can see some of the nasty "slime" here as it covered everything and killed some of my old gorgonians. I couldn't clean them fast enough.
This was probably a month ago.
(That fish is one of my older ones. I don't remember when I got him but it was in my last house before I moved here about 5 years ago so he may be 10, 12 or much older. I have no idea)
Yesterday I had to go to my shoulder surgeon for the pre surgery nonsense and he is near my favorite LFS. (thats actually the reason I picked this surgeon)
Now I have no idea how many fish I have because lately I have been going there quite a few times and I always pick up something. Those smaller fish like bleenies and clown gobies you can put in almost as many as you like as they are so small.
You can plainly see some of that slime here that I thankfully eliminated.
The water surface which had been covered in dino slime causing me to net it out every day is completely clear of anything.
The tank is again crystal clear and the fish look like jewels like they are supposed to.
It took quite a while and I "almost" added some chemical to speed the process along but thankfully I resisted and the tank is still natural with only mud from the sea. I did replace about 90 gallons of ASW with NSW which I feel made the final difference as ASW is completely devoid of nutrients but I needed that to help eliminate the invasive sponge and I hope it stays eliminated.
You can see some of the nasty "slime" here as it covered everything and killed some of my old gorgonians. I couldn't clean them fast enough.
This was probably a month ago.
(That fish is one of my older ones. I don't remember when I got him but it was in my last house before I moved here about 5 years ago so he may be 10, 12 or much older. I have no idea)
Yesterday I had to go to my shoulder surgeon for the pre surgery nonsense and he is near my favorite LFS. (thats actually the reason I picked this surgeon)
Now I have no idea how many fish I have because lately I have been going there quite a few times and I always pick up something. Those smaller fish like bleenies and clown gobies you can put in almost as many as you like as they are so small.
You can plainly see some of that slime here that I thankfully eliminated.
.jpg)
Paul B
Premium Member
It's a shame when new hobbiests first start up a tank and see a little cyano, hair algae or diatoms they panic and come on these forums for advice and almost always are hit with a plethora of suggestions as to what chemicals or animals they should add to remedy something that is a natural, normal process that almost all tanks go through especially if the tank was started with ASW and dry rock.
My main suggestion is first of all to not start a tank using all dry, dead dry rock. You are spending a lot of money on the tank, filters, ASW, rock, skimmers, dosers, lights, chemicals, test kits and some unfortunately, divorce lawyers. (not me).
Get all the live rock you can.
No matter what you do at first, the most important thing we never think about is bacteria and it's the bacteria that run our tanks. They control the algae, cyano, diatoms and general health.
All of the tanks we set up using dry rock and asw will have all sorts of problems and it isn't our fault. Well, if we fill the tank with orange juice and cat litter it may be our fault but a tank, any tank takes time to grow enough of the correct bacteria to settle down and do what it is supposed to do.
If we add chemicals like "Red Slime Remover" Prizapro, copper, antibiotics, "or anything that is not sea water or food we short circuit the process and then are forced to get out of the hobby (after we pay those lawyers, not me) and get a job in Home Depot selling plungers and weed killer.
I have no experience using bottled bacteria so I can't speak of that. Maybe it's the best thing since "aglets". (Those little plastic things on the ends of shoelaces. ) I don't know as we didn't have that stuff when I started at the the same time we invented rocks. We added some dead stuff like a clam or shrimp (some of us added a small, cheap fish. Ok stop squinting up your eyes, we all did that. and many times those silly damsels lived for 10 years and those things can cause us to get out of the hobby)
If you add some dead thing to a tank that has rocks in it but no bacteria, in no time the water will get cloudy and stink a little. You may think your two year old poured your "Half and Half" or "Liquid Plumber" in the tank but she "probably" didn't. If the water gets like that, thats good. But stinky. Go out to dinner and invite yourself to a friends house for a few days. When you come back and the tank is clear, add some more dead stuff.
Then find a different friend to visit because that one won't be speaking to you especially if your dog ruined their carpet.
Anyway, now, after it clears you are ready to add a small fish. Not a Moorish Idol, Lipstick Tang or 3' Moray Eel, maybe a bleeny. You can also add a few crabs. You will have to feed these things and I would feed more than those small critters need because that fish doesn't hardly need food, but the bacteria which is the biggest consumer of things are growing and hungry. They get hungrier every day and we need them to grow and cover everything in the tank.
Those bacteria join gangs and there are many "gangs" of bacteria. Some are good for us and help us by converting, for free, waste products such as ammonia that fish excrete and convert to things we like such as "Sprite and Dr Pepper". But some of those bacteria are lazy and don't do anything we like. Some of them form Cyano which is not really bad but if you are older than about 65 and you saw the movie "The Blob" thats what it looks like and we don't like that.
Some other bacteria form other things like Hydrogen Sulfide, which is also natural and everywhere in the sea, but it will kill everything in our tanks even a Great White Shark which most of us don't want in our tank anyway.
Some bacteria cause disease but those bacteria, if you do this correctly will also not harm anything because our goal is to get our fish in such a state of health that they laugh at disease bacteria like mine do. Mine are laughing now and it is annoying.
Eventually, the bacteria we like will become dominant and help our tanks through the maturation process where the chemical reactions take place naturally without causing to much cyano, hair algae or diatoms, but some of that is normal as the bacteria are still discussing which gang to join and which ones are stronger.
This all may tank a year no matter what your test kit from Walmart that you got on sale for $15.99 tells you. You may think your tank is "cycled" because your ammonia tests zero and your nitrate is 160. It is not cycled and "cycling" to me is a silly criteria. Cycled by a test kit just means that you have enough of the correct bacteria to convert that small amount of ammonia or dead shrimp but it doesn't mean you can add a $400.00 SPS coral with 17- 5" tangs.
We also need to remember that we have viruses, funguses and parasites in there competing and viruses attack bacteria and parasites and bacteria also attack parasites so there is always a war going on and if we could see this, it would be awesome and I am surprised Steven Spielberg never made a movie showing this. 
See the Cyano under this beautiful Red Waspfish?
My main suggestion is first of all to not start a tank using all dry, dead dry rock. You are spending a lot of money on the tank, filters, ASW, rock, skimmers, dosers, lights, chemicals, test kits and some unfortunately, divorce lawyers. (not me).
Get all the live rock you can.
No matter what you do at first, the most important thing we never think about is bacteria and it's the bacteria that run our tanks. They control the algae, cyano, diatoms and general health.
All of the tanks we set up using dry rock and asw will have all sorts of problems and it isn't our fault. Well, if we fill the tank with orange juice and cat litter it may be our fault but a tank, any tank takes time to grow enough of the correct bacteria to settle down and do what it is supposed to do.
If we add chemicals like "Red Slime Remover" Prizapro, copper, antibiotics, "or anything that is not sea water or food we short circuit the process and then are forced to get out of the hobby (after we pay those lawyers, not me) and get a job in Home Depot selling plungers and weed killer.
I have no experience using bottled bacteria so I can't speak of that. Maybe it's the best thing since "aglets". (Those little plastic things on the ends of shoelaces. ) I don't know as we didn't have that stuff when I started at the the same time we invented rocks. We added some dead stuff like a clam or shrimp (some of us added a small, cheap fish. Ok stop squinting up your eyes, we all did that. and many times those silly damsels lived for 10 years and those things can cause us to get out of the hobby)
If you add some dead thing to a tank that has rocks in it but no bacteria, in no time the water will get cloudy and stink a little. You may think your two year old poured your "Half and Half" or "Liquid Plumber" in the tank but she "probably" didn't. If the water gets like that, thats good. But stinky. Go out to dinner and invite yourself to a friends house for a few days. When you come back and the tank is clear, add some more dead stuff.
Then find a different friend to visit because that one won't be speaking to you especially if your dog ruined their carpet.
Anyway, now, after it clears you are ready to add a small fish. Not a Moorish Idol, Lipstick Tang or 3' Moray Eel, maybe a bleeny. You can also add a few crabs. You will have to feed these things and I would feed more than those small critters need because that fish doesn't hardly need food, but the bacteria which is the biggest consumer of things are growing and hungry. They get hungrier every day and we need them to grow and cover everything in the tank.
Those bacteria join gangs and there are many "gangs" of bacteria. Some are good for us and help us by converting, for free, waste products such as ammonia that fish excrete and convert to things we like such as "Sprite and Dr Pepper". But some of those bacteria are lazy and don't do anything we like. Some of them form Cyano which is not really bad but if you are older than about 65 and you saw the movie "The Blob" thats what it looks like and we don't like that.
Some other bacteria form other things like Hydrogen Sulfide, which is also natural and everywhere in the sea, but it will kill everything in our tanks even a Great White Shark which most of us don't want in our tank anyway.
Some bacteria cause disease but those bacteria, if you do this correctly will also not harm anything because our goal is to get our fish in such a state of health that they laugh at disease bacteria like mine do. Mine are laughing now and it is annoying.
Eventually, the bacteria we like will become dominant and help our tanks through the maturation process where the chemical reactions take place naturally without causing to much cyano, hair algae or diatoms, but some of that is normal as the bacteria are still discussing which gang to join and which ones are stronger.
This all may tank a year no matter what your test kit from Walmart that you got on sale for $15.99 tells you. You may think your tank is "cycled" because your ammonia tests zero and your nitrate is 160. It is not cycled and "cycling" to me is a silly criteria. Cycled by a test kit just means that you have enough of the correct bacteria to convert that small amount of ammonia or dead shrimp but it doesn't mean you can add a $400.00 SPS coral with 17- 5" tangs.
We also need to remember that we have viruses, funguses and parasites in there competing and viruses attack bacteria and parasites and bacteria also attack parasites so there is always a war going on and if we could see this, it would be awesome and I am surprised Steven Spielberg never made a movie showing this.
See the Cyano under this beautiful Red Waspfish?
Last edited:
Paul B
Premium Member
I got my fish food prepared for my surgery next week as I won't be able to use my left arm for a while. I also do this when I go away so my tank sitter only has to dump one in the tank every day.
These are film containers. For anyone under 50, film was used in cameras before cell phones. It is like Scotch Tape but pictures stick to it.
(Make believe there are about 8 small plastic containers here because I am to lazy to reduce the picture so it fits on this forum)
These are film containers. For anyone under 50, film was used in cameras before cell phones. It is like Scotch Tape but pictures stick to it.
(Make believe there are about 8 small plastic containers here because I am to lazy to reduce the picture so it fits on this forum)
Paul B
Premium Member
I don't know whats going on with my tank but it's a good thing. My inhabitants have always been healthy but after I eliminated the invasive sponge and the subsequent dino's and algae that resulted from it and I changed out 80 gallons of ASW and put in NSW, (That I have used for years) everything is looking and acting like they are in the ocean.
Corals that I thought were dead and growing like crazy and taking over bare real estate. My fish always spawned but now it's like they found an aphrodisiac. My mandarins, Ruby Red Dragonettes, Fireclowns and some gobies and bleenies are all over each other like wet suits. My fish that are not paired are also all pregnant with obvious eggs.
I am happy but wish I knew what I did that was different. I am getting a shoulder replacement in a couple of days so I won't 'be collecting water or sticking my hand in there for a few months.
After I put everything back from the sponge situation, I left out about 10lbs of rock. I may put it in eventually, I don't know yet. I am sure in a couple of months the corals will again cover everything like it used to.
I think I have about 40 fish.
Even my 12 year old urchin is smiling.
Corals that I thought were dead and growing like crazy and taking over bare real estate. My fish always spawned but now it's like they found an aphrodisiac. My mandarins, Ruby Red Dragonettes, Fireclowns and some gobies and bleenies are all over each other like wet suits. My fish that are not paired are also all pregnant with obvious eggs.
I am happy but wish I knew what I did that was different. I am getting a shoulder replacement in a couple of days so I won't 'be collecting water or sticking my hand in there for a few months.
After I put everything back from the sponge situation, I left out about 10lbs of rock. I may put it in eventually, I don't know yet. I am sure in a couple of months the corals will again cover everything like it used to.
I think I have about 40 fish.
Even my 12 year old urchin is smiling.
It’s looking great Paul!
I honestly keep expecting you to find Charlton Heston.
I’m old enough to know what you’re referencing.
Paul B
Premium Member
This morning after my 6:00am beach walk
I did a little maintenance that needed to be done before my tomorrow morning surgery. Things I won't be able to do for a while.
I noticed my skimmer water level was to low and I found the ozonizer almost clogged. That happens about every two months and I need to take it apart to clean.
My skimmer top needed cleaning
as did my algae scrubber
I did a little maintenance that needed to be done before my tomorrow morning surgery. Things I won't be able to do for a while.
I noticed my skimmer water level was to low and I found the ozonizer almost clogged. That happens about every two months and I need to take it apart to clean.
My skimmer top needed cleaning
as did my algae scrubber
Good luck Paul! May Nurse Olga have mercy on your shoulder 
Vinny Kreyling
Premium Member
Get well soon Paul.
If you need something call me.
If you need something call me.
