Millticket's 40B build

I got diatom action
Shot of the left side corner of the main display
001.jpg

Refugium
002.jpg


Interesting readings in tonight's testing:
SG 1.025
AMM .50
Nitrite .25 (Zero on 1/30 test)
Nitrate 10 (5 on 1/30 test)

Should i stop sprinkling in flakes at this point and give the system time to catch up or keep going?
 
Diatoms are having fun! Seeing a burst of copepod life in the refugium.

Readings for today:
Temp 79.2
SG 1.025
Amm .50
Nitrite Zero
Nitrate ~7.5 (its b/w the 5.0/10.0 colors)

I'm going to test again on Sunday. Hopefully if all goes well I can place a small order for some snails. Sunday will mark the 2 weeks since the start. I'm impressed with the overall progress, I think adding the live rock rubble really helped.

I've been debating whether or not to remount my radion in the middle of the tank, but I think I will leave it as is. Planning on doing sps/lps on the side of the radion and softies/zoas on the other side as they don't require as much light.
 
Copepods are breeding like crazy, I'm starting to see them in the main tank now :)
My single strand of cheato that hitchhiked on my live rock rubble has probably tripled in length. I'm noticing other forms of algae spring up as well. One almost looks to be the beginning of a feather calerpa but its too early to tell. The other looks like halimeda.

Exciting readings for today!
Temp 79
SG 1.025
Amm ZERO!
Nitrate ZERO!
Nitrate ZERO!

I am going to order a small cleanup crew and see how that goes. As for fish, I'm going to wait another 2 weeks to be safe. My wife has a royal gramma picked out as our first inhabitant. I'll post pics of the CUC tuesday as that's when they should arrive :)
 
Went to LFS today to pick up supplies for a QT. Got an aquaclear 20 filter, 50W heater, cheap thermometer and ammonia alert. I have a spare 10 gallon lying around so i figured why not put it to good use? I decided to wait on my snail shipment til next tuesday (valentine's day lol) since i will be ordering my first fish as well for the QT (royal gramma). Looks like my diatoms have over exerted themselves, but there's still a fair amount. The Halimeda in the refugium is up to 2 buds.

Temp. 78.6
SG 1.025
Amm .13 (just a tiny shade about Zero)
Nitrite Zero
Nitrate Zero
 
Tank is doing good, all readings are where they should be. I received a shipment from reefcleaners last friday and they did a wonderful job. Got some nerites, nass, ceriths and 4 hitchhiker hermits that are fun to look at. I also picked up a ball of chaeto and 5 mangroves from them. The chaeto had several large amphipods in it and my copepods enjoyed their new playground. I now have an insane amount of copepods on the main tank glass.

I went an bought a royal gramma yesterday from LFS. He ate live brine there and looked really healthy and active. I got him home and situated in the QT and he glued himself to the back corner. He hasn't really moved much or explored the tank. I have 4 pvc elbows in there for him. I tried feeding him today but no luck, i also noticed what I am pretty sure is ick :( I pulled the carbon out of the AC20 and threw in some stress coat and api super ick cure. I really hope this works.
 
Sweet!I have a good feeling about this tank...It's going to be the Mona Lisa Of Tanks!Congrats on a Great Start to a Super Tank!Its better than regular tanks, because it's got super in front of it!
 
You are very kind :) I just hope it turns out to be a good one. I'm kinda of worried about my gramma, hopefully he will pull through.

Sidenote, i dropped about 6 or 7 ceriths in the refugium to battle some cyano down there. They've done a real good job on the main tank, rocks are looking clean.
 
Royal Gramma is now dead :( Everything in the QT tank was fine, Temp 79, SG 1.025 Ph 8.2 Amm 0. I'm just wondering if the simplicity of the QT has anything to do with it. The fish really has no place to go and relax (yes I have PVC in there). I will dismantle the QT tank and start over with new water i guess since i dosed it with ick cure. Perhaps I just picked out a bad fish is all, but still feeling frustrated.
 
Yesterday I got the QT cleaned up. I did a 50% wc and put in a new carbon insert. I dropped 3 ac20 sponges in the sump for future use. I will wait a month or so before I use them to make sure they are seeded well. I like them in my sump, they seem to take care of the microbubbles caused by the skimmer and overflow. I took the filter socks off the overflow as they were looking filthy. I am not planning on using them on a regular basis, but mainly as needed. I think the ac20 sponges will do the trick in the meantime.

Water params are looking good. Snails Are keeping the tank super clean, almost too clean lol. I think I will supplement them with some seaweed sheets. I've noticed I have a "moving" sandbed. It is absolutely buzzing with copepods. I'm pleased to see them doing so well. On that note, I think I am going to wait another month or so to add a fish as well as 6 months before the first coral. Hopefully this extended duration will pay dividends in the future. It will probably make this thread boring lol but patience is a good thing :)
 
I got my new tribal blenny from premium aquatics today! I decided to forgo the QT and put him in the main tank since he's the first fishy. I know i should of used my QT, but what can I say >.< He looks happy, I had the lights off for most of the day. i just turned them on for a bit to put in some brine shrimp i had soaking in garlic. He's eating really good. he's already taken the top perch in the tank. All parameters are good. i trimmed back some of my chaeto yesterday. It has doubled already since i got it. The mangroves are doing well, they are starting to sprout roots.

On a side note, I have got to figure out have to take pictures with my 3 year old cannon. I guess that something I can research on the forums. Here is a crummy FTS.

<a href="http://s1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/?action=view&current=006.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/006.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
 
Thank you,

I got my CUC from reef cleaners. I selected their 20l crew since i didn't want to add a huge crew at once. As you may tell from the picture, they hooked me up big time with the dwarf ceriths. I really don't think i need any more for the time being. I would highly recommend them for you CUC needs. As for the photo period. My radion begins ramping up at 11 am with the highest intensity hitting at 6 pm. then its a ramp down until night mode at 9 pm. During night mode, the blues come on every other hour or so to give the illusion of moonlight. It has worked really well so far.
 
Herbert, the tribal blenny, is doing really well. He's eating like a pig. I'm so glad to have a fish in there. I'm on the look out for either a clown goby or royal gramma. I entertained the thought of buying from my LFS, but they have tanks full of ich right now. Saw a beautiful unicorn tang infested with the stuff, so sad. The sales associate tried to talk me into buying some frags before i added anymore fish, but I told her I was holding true to waiting 6 months to a year before doing so. She scoffed at me :hmm5:. I'm sure I could go ahead and add some zoas, but why rush??

Anyways, I downloaded the new configuration software on the radion and I am impressed with the revamped gui. I've dropped my artificial mode and gone back to natural. I think the colors look better on natural.

I have some better pics of herbert and the fuge growth.

Herbert poking out
<a href="http://s1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/?action=view&current=004.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/004.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Herbert lounging on his favorite perch
<a href="http://s1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/?action=view&current=010.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/010.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Fuge as of 2/1/2012
<a href="http://s1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/?action=view&current=002-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/002-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Fuge as of 3/7/2012
<a href="http://s1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/?action=view&current=008.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/008.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
 
11 days since last water test although i could of swore i did one last week.... Anyways, everything is normal. My SG is now 1.026. After reading numerous posts about proper refractometer calibration, I decided to use my solution that came with the refractometer instead of using the manufacturer's recommendation of using ro/di water to calibrate it. The result was that my SG was actually 1.026 instead of 1.025. Not a big deal I guess, however I'm glad to know that I have a more accurate reading of my tank.

I decided to test my parameters in the QT tank and everything was fine with exception to nitrites (.25ppm). I have no idea why nitrites are at that level?!? Since my royal gramma died in there on 2/12/2012, I have done (3) 5-gallon water changes (1 using pre mixed saltwater, 2 using DT water). Anyone out there have any thoughts on that? QT tank is a 10g, AC 20 running carbon and sponge, 95 gph powerhead, & 100 w heater.

Herbert is still eating like a pig, he's even accepting flake food from my fingers :) Really awesome fish! I've always been a fan of blennies, they just have so much character.

That pretty much it for now. I am going to search the stores again tomorrow for any luck of finding a healthy royal gramma or clown goby.
 
I put in my first order @ Blue Zoo for a royal gramma and a mutilcolored zoa colony. They should arrive on tuesday. I've heard really good things about them. Also, i ordered my Tunze Osmolator and Coral Rx (for dipping the zoas) and that should arrive on tuesday as well. Super Tuesday! After much research I decided to spend the extra money for the osmolator instead of the JBJ, mainly due to the outstanding reviews of the osmolator itself and outstanding reviews of tunze's customer service.
Can't wait :)
 
Sinclair81 said:
Updates?
Click to expand...

Wow, I didn't think anyone was paying much attention to the thread so i kinda held off on posting stuff. But hey, a request is a request :)

The tank overall is doing really well. My isopods are breeding and happy. More exciting, my nerite snails have been busy making little babies as well, which is awesome to see. You'll notice in my pics I've added a couple more corals. My GSP is doing really well and starting to expand on its island i made for it. My orange zoas are expanding. My blue/orange skirt zoas i thought i was going to lose, but they are making a comeback :) I have a very tiny sinularia colony that is trying to grow (front center of fts). My first zoa colony (right side of the tank) has had its ups and downs. My tribal blenny decided to declare war on it. Needless to say the tribal blenny is in my QT unitl i find him a home. My royal gramma is doing really well, she/he? always greets me when i get close to the tank. Also, seeing good growth in my mangrooves and purple and green coraline is starting to cover the rocks.

Recent equipment upgrades include my tunze ato, which is absolutely wonderful. I've saved up about half for another radion fixture for the other side of the tank. I'm going to order some more zoa frags in the mean time, probably early next week. Oh and you will notice i've made a slight change to my aquascape. I like this look a lot better.

Here's some pics:
gsp/gramma
<a href="http://s1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/?action=view&current=019.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/019.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
hermit checking out the sandbed
<a href="http://s1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/?action=view&current=022.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/022.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
fts 4/28/2012
<a href="http://s1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/?action=view&current=0082.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii583/jlmillc/0082.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
 
Update on the tank since its now over 6 months old. It's still lit by one radion. I'm trying to save up for another, but I like buying corals too much :) Actually I'm debating on if I need to buy one or not as it seems to cover most of the tank. The FTS shows just how much it covers with the lights ramping down for the day. Another item on my list is a new camera as my old cannon doesn't do my reef justice. Things have been going good. I lost my 2 peppermint shrimp mysteriously (I'm looking at my RBTA as the culprit). I've only had the RBTA for about 3 weeks but I think it might be trying to split already. I have a clown in QT (2 weeks to go). Everything else is multiplying. My frogspawn has split, my duncans are sprouting new heads, my gsp is a big afro now, zoas are so-so (I've moved them around alot, so that's probably why they haven't taken off). The only exception is my torch which I've moved lower. It was getting way too much flow/light and was starting to bleach. My first sps, monti digi, has been doing really well. All micro-fauna have been reproducing as well. I have a large population of many types of pods, snails, dusters, brittle stars and sponges.


Equipment wise, I've added the TUNZE ATO (started using kalk with this) and my APEX lite, which is pretty sweet.

In a couple weeks I'm going to make another coral order. I'm wanting a candy cane, hammer, open brain, and another "easy" sps coral, perhaps a birdsnest or stylo. I'm really wanting a clam, maybe a derasa, but i'm still unsure.


Pics to follow, Cheers!
 
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