A lengthy power-out a couple of years ago and, though I got things through it alive, a rough spot for the tank was followed with the start of house remodel, which rendered both basement sump and upstairs tank inaccessible: I could top off and feed, and that was the total available access for 2 years.
Well, we are getting there, and after all that's gone on, I'm down to a few fishes and no corals. But I have tank access again, mostly.
This is a 105 gallon bowfront, a yard deep, yard wide, yard back, and I couldn't even access the scraper to change the worthless plastic blade for the metal version, so you could hardly see into it: cyano, algae, you name it.
At one point it had, after being cycled for years, developed a massive algae growth thanks to a spirulina spill (feeder malfunction)---and that had to be dealt with. Fluconazole and a good skimmer were my weapons, and it got it, where NoPox and a good skimmer failed. The rock became bare except for coralline.
I could test enough to try to moderate the chemistry through the access I did have, but water changes went by the board. I managed one, in 2 years.
This last week, with quite a bit of remodel to go, I managed to get access to the top. I found, under the canopy, massive salt creep, and a strange orange semitransparent and gel-like sheet covering the bottom of the top glass,which was also blocking the light. I got that off. Corrected the salinity from 1.019 to 1.024 because of the salt creep and the last 4 months of utter non-access. Got the blade on the scraper changed. We have had, since the Fluconazole, an explosion of limpets, actually a welcome thing. The occupants are happy with the changes. And I am (once the basement sanding is done) going to start on a program of massive water changes, starting with a 30 gallon, then 2 days on a 20 gallon, then another 2 days and another 20, then take up regular changes, operating from the basement sump.
I am going to follow this by a massive gravel cleanup: rather than stir it up and insult my brave surviving fishes, I'm going to install a large crew of sand cleaners with a refreshment of snails and hermits---
Sump is a 30 gallon, with coral rubble and one of those ceramic blocks. I'm going to refurb the bristle worm population, as well, and will do water changes from the sump, using my pump siphon to draw off water with the system shut down, then pump in new water, etc.
I would incidentally say that anyone who has a 36" deep tank and a 30" arm reach could benefit greatly from the Tunze Care Magnet:keeps me sane. And now that it has its metal blade (glass tank) we are doing well.
So---the tank is coming back to life. Chemistry and creepy-crawlies first.
I'm still debating whether to go back to stony corals or softies or a combo of the two. I use a Gen 3 Radion. The 36" depth is a lighting issue for stony.
Comments are welcome.
Well, we are getting there, and after all that's gone on, I'm down to a few fishes and no corals. But I have tank access again, mostly.
This is a 105 gallon bowfront, a yard deep, yard wide, yard back, and I couldn't even access the scraper to change the worthless plastic blade for the metal version, so you could hardly see into it: cyano, algae, you name it.
At one point it had, after being cycled for years, developed a massive algae growth thanks to a spirulina spill (feeder malfunction)---and that had to be dealt with. Fluconazole and a good skimmer were my weapons, and it got it, where NoPox and a good skimmer failed. The rock became bare except for coralline.
I could test enough to try to moderate the chemistry through the access I did have, but water changes went by the board. I managed one, in 2 years.
This last week, with quite a bit of remodel to go, I managed to get access to the top. I found, under the canopy, massive salt creep, and a strange orange semitransparent and gel-like sheet covering the bottom of the top glass,which was also blocking the light. I got that off. Corrected the salinity from 1.019 to 1.024 because of the salt creep and the last 4 months of utter non-access. Got the blade on the scraper changed. We have had, since the Fluconazole, an explosion of limpets, actually a welcome thing. The occupants are happy with the changes. And I am (once the basement sanding is done) going to start on a program of massive water changes, starting with a 30 gallon, then 2 days on a 20 gallon, then another 2 days and another 20, then take up regular changes, operating from the basement sump.
I am going to follow this by a massive gravel cleanup: rather than stir it up and insult my brave surviving fishes, I'm going to install a large crew of sand cleaners with a refreshment of snails and hermits---
Sump is a 30 gallon, with coral rubble and one of those ceramic blocks. I'm going to refurb the bristle worm population, as well, and will do water changes from the sump, using my pump siphon to draw off water with the system shut down, then pump in new water, etc.
I would incidentally say that anyone who has a 36" deep tank and a 30" arm reach could benefit greatly from the Tunze Care Magnet:keeps me sane. And now that it has its metal blade (glass tank) we are doing well.
So---the tank is coming back to life. Chemistry and creepy-crawlies first.
I'm still debating whether to go back to stony corals or softies or a combo of the two. I use a Gen 3 Radion. The 36" depth is a lighting issue for stony.
Comments are welcome.
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