JapanReef - 450 gallon In-Wall system

Well, have 10 days to test the VSV before I go so if something goes wrong it should do before then. :)

I'll make sure my wife knows to give the pumps the once over every day. I also have red ribbons tied around the return pump so if power goes out she knows which pump is the most important for the generator.
 
What is the exact dose of VSV you are using? I've been dosing straight vodka for the past 15 months, and I'm kinda wanting to try VSV for the heck of it. :eek:
 
Marc, was just about to post in your thread about your vodka dosing. Wanted to ask you how much you were at and if you had levelled it out or were still increasing. I've heard of people dosing as much as 60ml a day in 300g tanks which worries me. Anyhow, I'm increasing a bit quicker now. Started to increase by 1ml a week instead of 0.5ml. Started teh VSV at the weekend and I just kept the same overall dosage. I was dosing just 7ml vodka up till Saturday. I change it on Sunday so started dosing 8ml VSV on Sunday. I had an empty Vodka bottle so I just followed the Glassbox formula - 200ml vodka, 50ml vinegar and a 1.5tbsp of sugar. Actually I used around 250ml vodka, 40ml vinegar and just 1 tablespoon of sugar so it's a bit weaker than the standard Glassbox formula. If all goes well I'll make a new batch at the standard formula when I get back from Oz.
 
Thanks, that's what I was looking for. I met the owner of that website at MACNA this year, and we talked about the various ways used.

Myself, I topped out at 15ml per day, dropped it for a couple of months to 10ml, but am back at 15ml and can't seem to knock it down like before. It seems to hover between 3 and 5ppm, or maybe 10ppm. Very tough to read the API card since the shades of orange are about the same. I'd like to try VSV to see if it will kick it down completely.

Or buy the new Deltec vodka reactor, where the vodka stays in the reactor and doesn't add it to the tank. That's sounds really appealing to me.
 
melev said:
Thanks, that's what I was looking for. I met the owner of that website at MACNA this year, and we talked about the various ways used.

Myself, I topped out at 15ml per day, dropped it for a couple of months to 10ml, but am back at 15ml and can't seem to knock it down like before. It seems to hover between 3 and 5ppm, or maybe 10ppm. Very tough to read the API card since the shades of orange are about the same. I'd like to try VSV to see if it will kick it down completely.

Or buy the new Deltec vodka reactor, where the vodka stays in the reactor and doesn't add it to the tank. That's sounds really appealing to me.
Click to expand...

Now I NEED! a vodka reactor!!!

... But what does that have to do with the tank?:bigeyes:
 
Interesting indeed - but sounds pretty unnecessary.

I've been dosing the VSV straight into the tank in a high flow area. I think I'll just start adding it to the sump though so it has a chance to mix in before it gets to the tank.

I'm going to see if I can locate some mini beaker type things with lids so I can measure out the VSV and my daugter can just use one per day - rather than having to measure it out.
 
i think it is so great that you are getting your daughter involved in your tank. My dad wouldn't let us have anything to do with the maintence but we did get to pic out all the fish! He's the reason I love my fish. He's also very jellous that I got to do saltwater before him! Your tank is amazing by the way and your thread is a rollercoster ride! I loved learning from your ups and downs. Thank you for taking the time to creat and update this thread!
 
Aye, has been a rolloercoaster ride for sure. I'm on an up cycle now which is due to a general feeling of renewed energy and motivation after a period of lethargy. After a lot of frustration I finally thought about the tank objectively - what worked, what didn't, what I wanted out of it. I had to update my mindset if that makes sense. I was still in the same mindset as when I was planning the tank and if things don't go according to plan you get frustrated. So now I have the tank where I want it knowing I may never have that awesome SPS dominated reef that I originally wanted and I'm fine with that. I like the rockwork, love my fish, appreciate the coral I can keep.

I almost did get that calcium reactor during this current makeover, had all the parts selected but decided against it. I'm enjoying not spending hundreds/thousands per month on the tank. As I get older I'm more focused on saving than spending. Kids are getting older, will need more money etc. I'm taking the whole family back to the UK next year for a month and the tank will be looked after by a friend or maybe father-in-law. Anything could happen and I don't want to spend large on coral only to have it all die when I'm away. Also it's another piece of equipment to look after. I'd love to hear how people have tanks looked after when away for long periods like that.

My 9 year old son is more into the tank than my daughter but she's 10 and a bit more responsible. Maybe I'll give the feeding job to one and the VSV dosing job to the other. :)

The 2 Emps, BlueJaw Trigger and Bird Wrasse will probably being going in teh DT on Saturday. Salinity currently at 1.021 and DT at 1.025. Will take QT to 1.023 tomorrow and then they can just go in without any acclimatisation (as I'm removing avbout 15g per day and replacing with DT water). Be interesting to see how some of the more boisterous fish react to the new larger Emperor. The smaller Emperor can't wait to get out the 50g QT I'm sure as he gets divebombed all the time from the larger Emperor. Hopefully there will be some acceptance as the smaller one grows. It isn't phased by the hassle at all. These fish are hard as nails. :p
 
Oh yea, bird wrasse isn't 100%. Still hides most of the day curled up behind rocks. It has a bubble in each eye. Not the cloudy, distended eye like in popeye but a very clear air bubble. I've been thinking about popping it with a needle but not sure if that's a good idea. Would be easy to do.

I could keep him in QT and treat more with Melafix but I think he would have a better chance in the main system where water quality is probably better. Thoughts?
 
NexDog said:
Oh yea, bird wrasse isn't 100%. Still hides most of the day curled up behind rocks. It has a bubble in each eye. Not the cloudy, distended eye like in popeye but a very clear air bubble. I've been thinking about popping it with a needle but not sure if that's a good idea. Would be easy to do.

I could keep him in QT and treat more with Melafix but I think he would have a better chance in the main system where water quality is probably better. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I'd probably hold him in QT and treat for a week or so. But, I agree the sooner in the DT the better .... as long as his issue is not contageous!
 
NexDog said:
Aye, has been a rolloercoaster ride for sure. I'm on an up cycle now which is due to a general feeling of renewed energy and motivation after a period of lethargy. After a lot of frustration I finally thought about the tank objectively - what worked, what didn't, what I wanted out of it. I had to update my mindset if that makes sense. I was still in the same mindset as when I was planning the tank and if things don't go according to plan you get frustrated. So now I have the tank where I want it knowing I may never have that awesome SPS dominated reef that I originally wanted and I'm fine with that. I like the rockwork, love my fish, appreciate the coral I can keep.

I almost did get that calcium reactor during this current makeover, had all the parts selected but decided against it. I'm enjoying not spending hundreds/thousands per month on the tank. As I get older I'm more focused on saving than spending. Kids are getting older, will need more money etc. I'm taking the whole family back to the UK next year for a month and the tank will be looked after by a friend or maybe father-in-law. Anything could happen and I don't want to spend large on coral only to have it all die when I'm away. Also it's another piece of equipment to look after. I'd love to hear how people have tanks looked after when away for long periods like that.

My 9 year old son is more into the tank than my daughter but she's 10 and a bit more responsible. Maybe I'll give the feeding job to one and the VSV dosing job to the other. :)

The 2 Emps, BlueJaw Trigger and Bird Wrasse will probably being going in teh DT on Saturday. Salinity currently at 1.021 and DT at 1.025. Will take QT to 1.023 tomorrow and then they can just go in without any acclimatisation (as I'm removing avbout 15g per day and replacing with DT water). Be interesting to see how some of the more boisterous fish react to the new larger Emperor. The smaller Emperor can't wait to get out the 50g QT I'm sure as he gets divebombed all the time from the larger Emperor. Hopefully there will be some acceptance as the smaller one grows. It isn't phased by the hassle at all. These fish are hard as nails. :p
Click to expand...


Man I know how you feel when you get burnt out or it just doesn't go the way you planned. I'm really glad you were able to decide to keep the tank. I have learned a lot from your thread and I think your corals and fish look great!
 
So the QT fish go in the DT tomorrow. I did something a bit crazy today and will document it here. If it goes wrong then at least it will be a warning to others.

So the Bird Wrasse has had bubbles in the eyes for 4 weeks now. The bubble in the right eye has all but gone. The bubble over the left eye however, was massive. I had a good look and the actual eye is fine. It's just an outer layer of skin covering it that is swollen. It was totally clear which led me to believe it was gas or air. I figured I could pop it and release the pressure without damage to the eye.

So I caught teh fish and held it gently in a bucket of QT water. My wife sterilised a needle and gently pierced the bubble. It was definitely fluid and not air that seeped out. So it now has some loose skin hanging from the eye. I released it back into teh QT and have dosed Melafix. I'll put the 2 Emps and Trigger in the DT after the Halides go out and maybe an hour before lights out tomorrow but I'll keep the Bird Wrasse in QT until Monday. Hoping it will make it! As I'm off to Oz on Wednesday I can't leave it in QT while I'm gone so I'm hoping to speed its recovery up a bit. Kill or cure maybe.
 
:(

Never seen such an aggressive reaction from the tank. The BlueLine Angel is going mental and the tangs smell blood and trying to get a piece. The larger Emperor finally got behind some rocks and has the sense to stay there. The smaller Emperor hasn't had teh sense to hide yet. It's pretty painful to see. I just fed the tank to try and distract the angry fish which worked a bit. The BlueJaw Trigger had the sense to disappear. The larger Emperor was pretty banged up. Discoloured from stress and collisions. Even the BlueLine looks beaten up and no fish fought back.

I turned the lights off early which has given the new arrivals a break for now. Damn. :(
 
Something to consider, is that I always release after lights out. The new fish just looks for a place to sleep. WHen they wake up, fish seem to be a bit groggy for a while, and less aggressive.
 
Yea, probably a good idea. This morning there is some improvement. The BlueLine is no longer relentless in its chasing. There is still some but more of a divebomb and evade thing going on. So looks like they'll work it out. The larger Emp looks a lot better but is still a bit blotchy. The BL is going to regret this behaviour in about 6 months when the emp is fully grown.

I saw the BlueJaw Trig momentarily. The Niger Trig was very interested but the BlueJaw didn't hang about. Just introduced itself and ran away quickly.

Introducing a Regal Angel pair into this tank will not be easy. The Emperor is so tough it can withstand the bullying but Regal Angels will have a hard time. I'm going to have to construct some kind of mini-tank that I can hang on the side so existing habitants can get used to new fish before releasing. Something like Ed did with his new Flameback:

64ae0a47.jpg


Not sure how I can make that, wish I could just buy one. I could always do a wood frame and netting I suppose.

So I'll do the swarm of Grammas next month and prepare something I can use for the Angels.
 
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