Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread
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chrismunn
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you should capture and breed those worms marc. back in california i used to use those things for catching striped bass out on the bay. im sure they'd be just as good here in Texas. the ones we used have giant pincher like teeth that come out when you squeeze the head. pretty fierce!
every time i had seen those worms in my last tank i was never able to catch them! they would litterally just vanish as soon as the lights came on! it would happen in the blink of an eye. i bet if you made a trap that is a simple large cup with an inverted cone on one end, you could fill it with a few snails and wait till you see the worm enter the trap. obviously it could swim right out if it wanted to, but the time it takes the worm to vacate the trap may afford you the time pull out the trap and worm? just an idea. it sounds like your having fair luck though.
thats an intersting new skimmer. it does look like a modified can filter like someone mentioned before.
every time i had seen those worms in my last tank i was never able to catch them! they would litterally just vanish as soon as the lights came on! it would happen in the blink of an eye. i bet if you made a trap that is a simple large cup with an inverted cone on one end, you could fill it with a few snails and wait till you see the worm enter the trap. obviously it could swim right out if it wanted to, but the time it takes the worm to vacate the trap may afford you the time pull out the trap and worm? just an idea. it sounds like your having fair luck though.
thats an intersting new skimmer. it does look like a modified can filter like someone mentioned before.
Alaska_Phil
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Sounds like he just needs a couple striped bass in his tank. :eek1:
Phil
melev
Well-known member
They asked me if I was willing to give it a try. After a couple of emails, I just said yes.
If you put it on a stand, you can orient the elbow 90 degrees left or right to point the output to pour into a sump. That is the one part of this skimmer I'm not really happy about. That connection seems pretty weak, but everything else holds tightly. Maybe water will help give it a little grip.
No, but I'll find out the brand name and model for you.
kau_cinta_ku
New member
wow that kinda limits the point of an external skimmer then IMO.
I just mean the external skimmers are nice because you can place them almost anwhere and use a little PVC to route the return to your sump even if the skimmer can't be right next to the sump.
maybe you can add fittings on that skimmer also but just seems weird. plus it looks like there isn't much room between the return pipe and the pump, but that may be just from the pic.
melev
Well-known member
I'm going to see what I can rearrange in the prop section to fit this skimmer. I think I can move the corals to the back area, roll the light back as well, and then put it where the calcium reactor is. I want the skimmer's output to pour before the bubble trap.
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melev
Well-known member
Since I'm dosing vodka daily, I do watch my water closely to see if all is well. This evening I looked over at the tank and it was getting cloudy or slightly milky. Quickly I checked the Aqua Controller and the numbers looked normal. I checked my skimmer and it was operating normally. Then I saw it. One of the BTAs was spawning. Whew! I thought the tank was going through a bacterial bloom, something I'm trying to avoid. :eek2:
I got a few pictures so I'll see if any came out good enough to share.
I got a few pictures so I'll see if any came out good enough to share.
BigJay
New member
All of the fun stuff happens after I leave. :lol
The tank canopy job you did is absolutely amazing Marc, thank you. The holes cut are perfect, and the lights stay put even with the hood open. The light spread is much better now too, there aren't any dark spots in between the halides.
I really owe you one. I'll try to get pics later.
Mykel Obvious
New member
Hey Marc,
How much room is required to remove the collection cup on the C-Skim? Looks interesting, but I'm still leaning towards a MSX/Octo Extreme 200 as my upgrade unless you give this thing rave reviews
How much room is required to remove the collection cup on the C-Skim? Looks interesting, but I'm still leaning towards a MSX/Octo Extreme 200 as my upgrade unless you give this thing rave reviews
melev
Well-known member
When reading the booklet that came with it, I'm pretty sure it said to leave 2" of space to remove the cup. I'll try to get it installed later today to see what it can do.
Anthony - that's great to hear. Can't wait to see some pictures. Nothing blurry please. Oh, and by the way, this thread's for you.
Anthony - that's great to hear. Can't wait to see some pictures. Nothing blurry please.
Oh, and by the way, this thread's for you.
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BigJay
New member
Marc, about your nitrates. I wonder if some kits are reading the nitrates that are bound up by the blue life.
I'm also curious to see if a two-skimmer setup will reduce those numbers even further. This is an exciting hobby, good luck getting that Red Sea skimmer setup. Minus that g** output pipe, it looks really solid.
I could check your water with my kits as well to see what I get. Unfortunately I came up with the idea five minutes after I dumped the water out that you put that frag into. :lol:
I'm also curious to see if a two-skimmer setup will reduce those numbers even further. This is an exciting hobby, good luck getting that Red Sea skimmer setup. Minus that g** output pipe, it looks really solid.
I could check your water with my kits as well to see what I get. Unfortunately I came up with the idea five minutes after I dumped the water out that you put that frag into. :lol:
Alaska_Phil
New member
Marc, whats the best way you've found to nab those blasted killer worms? I just spotted one nearly a 1/4" diameter in my 20 gal.
Was in a hole I'd caught glimpses of something in before, but but never gotten a good look. It's right under the edge of my Montie.
Phil
Was in a hole I'd caught glimpses of something in before, but but never gotten a good look. It's right under the edge of my Montie.
Phil
melev
Well-known member
What I do is watch for it carefully with a flashlight shining into the tank, but not on the worm. I need to see. Turn off the flow if you need to, and use some forceps (large tweezers). You have to just go for it, getting them close to the worm, then steady and determined -- grab it fast before it retracts. If it does retract, it will be back out within a few minutes. They don't stay hidden too long, probably because they are hungry and want to finish that meal.
Alaska_Phil
New member
Yeah, this one is only venturing just barely out from under the edge of my Montie. Going to be a bugger to grab. I may try taking the rock out and putting it in a bowl to watch for him. Was peacefully watching one of my bigger peanut worms graze and suddenly this thing slid out, grabbed a chunk of Halimeda and tried to drag it back in. God the mandibles on those things look scary! Spotted a second, much smaller one too. I'll have to pick up some forceps tomorrow.
On the plus side my tank is absolutely swarming with isopods.
Phil
On the plus side my tank is absolutely swarming with isopods.
Phil
BigJay
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13129481#post13129481 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Brilliant, Anthony. Way to go. Today I was going to subject the latest worm to some medical treatments, but it was dead and stinking badly. I threw it outside, and bet the bird that eats that worm will drop dead in no time.
Next time I drop by I'll get another water sample. I'll be sure to get enough that Pete and I can test it independently. We'll figure out what your nitrates are yet.
Mine tested at 2.5PPM on one kit, and between 0 and 5PPM on another. So I'm pretty sure that my kits are accurate.
I'm sure the ants will beat the bird to it, they'll eat anything.
Jessy.
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13129481#post13129481 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
Brilliant, Anthony. Way to go. Today I was going to subject the latest worm to some medical treatments, but it was dead and stinking badly. I threw it outside, and bet the bird that eats that worm will drop dead in no time.
Does no one else have an issue with marc keeping this worm until it started to rot?
Why on this earth wouldn't you have taken it and flushed it immediately? Do you kill spiders and let them sit on the counter for hours just so you can observe the carcass? One word marc...sick...
Real sick. :lol:
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