My 55 gallon reef project

[dcombs44]

I think you're right. I was just looking at some pics on Drs. Foster and Smith, and thought that it was much closer to a kenya tree than a finger leather. The other one that it looks similar to is the spaghetti finger. I guess I'll be able to tell a bit more when it fills out. Thanks!!

 

[JmLee]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8923235#post8923235 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 00nothing
dcombs that las frag that u thought might a finger leather looks like a kenya tree to me used to ahve a huge one that I would frag

yeah Kenya tree or a Colt coral.

 

[dcombs44]

Well the kenya tree frag is no more. It came free from the place I put it (even with a toothpick) and met its in a powerhead.

On a brighter side, my tomato clown has hosted in my anthelia.
I'll try to snap some pics, but I need to get some razor blades to clean up my glass as my mag floats aren't doing the trick with the calcerous algae.

 

[MyMonkey]

Nice 55.

 

[dcombs44]

Thank you. There's still some work to be done, but I think I can get it there!

EDIT: Another issue i may be having is my lighting. I'm not sure the Hamilton bulbs are going to work well on my ballasts. As I've posted, one of them has already burned out, and the other one seem to be changing spectrum already. I think if things begin to take a turn for the worse, I'll scrap the Hammies and try some XM 15k's. I think they are a more recommended bulb for my ballast anyway. Plus, they are supposed to have an excellent blue coloring.

 

[dcombs44]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8922927#post8922927 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by akbuuur
Thanks man i appreciate it and i must say this is one of the nicer 55's ive seen even though its in the begging stages.

For some reason, I just saw this post today. Just wanted to say thanks for the compliment, and good luck with your tank of course. I'll assume you meant beginning and not begging stages. Although, I guess there is some begging involved in this hobby

 

[dcombs44]

Picture updates. Things are going well.

 

[dcombs44]

I haven't had much time to post lately, so I figured I'd give a quick update on how things are going.

I'm seeing a bit of growth in the hammer, colt, and brain. The anthelia has already exploded. I'd like to start seeing the zoas spread in the next few weeks, but i'm not sure what the growth of this particular species is. The buttons seem to be thickening up, but not spreading sideways much. Some of my shrooms are also starting to spread. Because of my wedding in May, I've really haulted any purchases for a while other than needed supplements and food. I hope to eventually buy a setup to start growing phyto in the near future as well as cleanup some of my power cords with a better setup. I may be moving to a bigger apartment in the next few months as well, so then I could hopefully have room for a bigger top off resevoir and space to set up another smaller tank and a quarantine that I don't have to break down after use. I plan on buying one or two more fish in the next year or so, but I'm not sure how it will go due to the aggressive fish already residing in my tank. Oh, I also could use a bit more rock in my impossible to aquascape 55 gallon tank.

Anyway, that's the long and short of what's going on in my tank right now. I have been keeping up with water changes at least every 2 weeks (5-7 gallons). I would still like to get my salinity up a bit, but other than that, I'm just letting it maintain itself for the time being.

 

[dcombs44]

It's been a while. Work is busy, and I haven't had much time at all to devote to my tank. The glass severely needs cleaned, and I'm behind on my water changes. I still seem to be getting some growth. Some days look better than others. Hopefully around the end of April, I'll be able to whip it back into shape. I'm having some lighting issues. I don't know if the ballasts or the capacitors are crappy, but I've burnt out a bulb on one side, and now the other side seems to not want to totally fire up. I've tried both bulbs with the same effect. I think I'm going to replace the capacitors first, and then look into the ballasts. After that, I'll try XM bulbs next round instead of Hamiltons.

Thanks for listening.

 

[dcombs44]

Another update. The red planaria exploded in my tank. I finally resorted to the flatworm exit. I siphoned out these things forever, used the treatment, and I didn't see any for about two weeks. Now i'm starting to see them come back. I don't want to have to treat the tank again, but I'll just have to see how it goes. In a couple months, I hope to really get back in the swing of things with my tank and start getting into some more corals and a couple more fish. I'm missing the time that I used to get to spend on my hobby quite a bit. The tank is not doing too bad with my lack of attention, but it's not thriving. Wish me luck all.

 

[jnarowe]

I have wondered if there isn't a wrasse that eats planaria.

 

[melev]

Leopard Wrasses are known to do so.

 

[dcombs44]

I assume that they are jumpers like most other wrasses, so if I were to get one I would have to take the neccessary precautions?

 

[jnarowe]

GTK Marc. I have a reefer buddy that has a serious problem with them and it's been on-going for over a year...I know, I know...it's probably a water quality thing, but his tanks are pristine except for the planaria. I blame the sand bed! :lol:

 

[melev]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9613968#post9613968 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dcombs44
I assume that they are jumpers like most other wrasses, so if I were to get one I would have to take the neccessary precautions?

I'd have to defer to those that have owned them. I don't recall reading threads about them jumping, but that doesn't mean it isn't happening.

 

[jnarowe]

many wrasses take on a verticle orientation including the leopard from what I have seen, and I think there is some probability of them jumping, but also virtually any fish if provoked to do so. My golden rhomboid is always checking ouot the surface for an escape route, and my other two wrasses occassionally do the same. They are definitely interested in what is outside the tank!

 

[dcombs44]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9614657#post9614657 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
GTK Marc. I have a reefer buddy that has a serious problem with them and it's been on-going for over a year...I know, I know...it's probably a water quality thing, but his tanks are pristine except for the planaria. I blame the sand bed! :lol:

I just saw this message. I'm was hoping that there was some sarcasm in this, but are planaria truly related to water quality? I'd like to say that I pride myself on having fairly pristine and stable water params.

 

[jnarowe]

Well, from what I understand, and I could be wrong, that high nutrient water supports planaria and when a system is low nutrient, they cannot survive. That has been my belief anyway.

His tank always "looks" pristine with crystal clear water, but he has a ton of xenia, quite a bit of HA (IMO) and lots of red planaria. These are all organisms I associate with high nutrient water.

 

[Tbduval]

When referring to high nutrient water, what exactly do you mean? High in PO4? Just wondering because I have tons xenia & some SPS , so I was just wondering? Thanks!

 

[jnarowe]

well, high nutrient means to me high in Nitrate, Nitrite, and Phophate among other things. I have read more than a few time that if you achieve a low nutrient system, the xenia will die out. They are harvestable for nutrient export much like macro, and the theory is that xenia and SPS don't enjoy the same water conditions. Having wrote that, I will add that I have a lot of xenia...jumped from its island a couple weks ago, and my SPS really look good...so I still don'thave any personal proof.