My 65 Gallon Mixed Reef

[biggles]

Hey mate. Its good that the STN has stopped. With no more bright white patches/spots it sure means the STN has ceased. Fingers crossed for you that things go well from this point on.

Your observation regarding the great number of herbivores on the reefs is spot on. All these companies have products that basically strip the water of all goodies in the tank...the crap still stays in the tank. Hence why there are so many pale SPS threads or threads about SPS issues. I think feeding the tank well and having a good clean up crew is a very good idea.

Due to having a small tank I cannot have the variety of herbivores as I would like, but for my next tank this is going to change.

That is the most beautiful Porcelain crab I have ever seen mate! The fact its still living and has even molted means he is getting plenty of food.

Hi mate, yep i definitely find things a lot easier to manage in my systems when i have crazy numbers of turbo snails munching away at all the algae my heavy feeding produces.

:lol: roller coaster is an understatement!!!...I just need to settle at some point . I'm convinced about the need to feed, just need to step up the filtration to manage it. Still getting algae on the glass within a day or two.

Those anthias look pretty tough. I've had a lot of luck with pseudanthias marcia, looks almost identical except for the red spots that I've seen on pics online. I've had the best success with those, with the others I've failed miserably.....

Now that Sahin pointed it out, that is by far the best looking porcelain crab I've ever seen

I'm getting heavy algae dusting every 24 hours at the moment, i think i've disrupted a few things ripping the sand out. I was also wondering if the low salinity was helping keep the algae down a bit and now the water is more like it should be perhaps the algae is liking it as much as the corals...... no idea but it's possible i guess.
The anthias are still alive fingers crossed. That is the best looking crab all of us will never see i think. :spin2:

GL with recovering.
I dont think that in tank with flow blowing 3mm sand around would be any spot for BTA to be happy.

Very good point mate, the anemone idea has been shelved. :beer:

Bigglemuda Triangle - Classic, might be the word of 2014.

Marty

Weird stuff goes on in reef tanks Marty............ at least it does in mine :spin3:


So i threw the 400W back on today, nothing much has changed since the last update. I did finally see nitrates at 0.5 on the Salifert kit yesterday which might be due to me feeding the new fish 4-5 times a day lol. Still have lots of slimy green algae and daily glass cleaning required so the water is still polluted with fertilizers.

The clownfish likes to point out algae spots on the glass i missed cleaning........ he's not happy.......

 

[sahin]

That is the best looking crab all of us will never see i think. :spin2:

Get Kevin the Koala to carry out a stakeout mission...I'm sure being an Acropora dipping flatworm killing machine that he is, he can manage to snap a shot of the Mysterious Red Crab that lurks within the depths of your tank...

In other news...whatever happened with that Polyp-Booster product? Are you still using it or is it only worth the old Kangaroos kicking it about and having a bit of fun?

 

[biggles]

Get Kevin the Koala to carry out a stakeout mission...I'm sure being an Acropora dipping flatworm killing machine that he is, he can manage to snap a shot of the Mysterious Red Crab that lurks within the depths of your tank...

In other news...whatever happened with that Polyp-Booster product? Are you still using it or is it only worth the old Kangaroos kicking it about and having a bit of fun?

Lol Kevin would sort out the crabs no problems Sahin...... might have to con him into taking a dip in the display......:thumbsup:

I stopped using that booster stuff when everything went to hell so i'll have to wait until things are going along well again before attempting to gauge if the stuff is useful and or even required.

Check out the funky green algae all through the sump at the moment, as long as i provide better conditions for it there than in the display it's no problem but the pollution driving it needs stripping from the water.

 

[biggles]

I guess i should let you all know why Kevin isn't currently available for dipping duties. I saw the end of a wildlife documentary the other day and i mistook a sugar glider flying from tree to tree for a koala. I told Kevin about the flying 'koala' and whilst reluctant he was willing to 'have a crack at it' as we say in Aus. :thumbsup:

Pre flight training

" Hmmm, seems easy enough biggles "

Take off

" Check it out crowface, yeeeeeehah! "

The vet hospital

" Damn you biggles...... "

I convinced Kevin that a wind gust was responsible for his lack of aerodynamic stability so we're still good mates :beer:

 

[sahin]

Lol Kevin would sort out the crabs no problems Sahin...... might have to con him into taking a dip in the display......:thumbsup:

I stopped using that booster stuff when everything went to hell so i'll have to wait until things are going along well again before attempting to gauge if the stuff is useful and or even required.

Check out the funky green algae all through the sump at the moment, as long as i provide better conditions for it there than in the display it's no problem but the pollution driving it needs stripping from the water.

Is that green algae Cyanobacteria? Trust you to get the GREEN variety...most of us get the Red version. I think the Green Acros have a part to play in this Biggles...:lol:

How long did you spend/waste looking for "Kevin" photos on google search? :lol:

 

[martinphillip03]

Thanks for a good laugh. :lolspin: :lolspin: :lolspin:

Marty

I guess i should let you all know why Kevin isn't currently available for dipping duties. I saw the end of a wildlife documentary the other day and i mistook a sugar glider flying from tree to tree for a koala. I told Kevin about the flying 'koala' and whilst reluctant he was willing to 'have a crack at it' as we say in Aus. :thumbsup:

Pre flight training

" Hmmm, seems easy enough biggles "

Take off

" Check it out crowface, yeeeeeehah! "

The vet hospital

" Damn you biggles...... "

I convinced Kevin that a wind gust was responsible for his lack of aerodynamic stability so we're still good mates :beer:

 

[biggles]

I didn't even know there was green cyano Sahin lol - either way it's a sign of way too much filth in the water so i might give the sump the same treatment the display is getting and clean it all out.
Alk draw is at 80ml now so i'm taking that as a good sign even though it's nothing significant.

 

[biggles]

I came home from work today to find several acros with fresh dead white patches and unlike the last few weeks it put a smile on my face. The acros had dead spots from other acros stinging them in preparation for encrusting, a few things are beginning to wake up again at last.

The Xmas tree has been blowing all over the bottom, tipping over and running into other acros overnight. Since i want to let it keep growing i decided to mount it on a magnet at a 45 degree angle so i can shove it wherever i want without it moving or blowing over in the surging flow. It didn't go as planned (what's new) and the acrylic tree came away from the disc and then i super glued the whole thing to a towel........ in the end i managed to get it back in the water after about 10 minutes of much cursing which i find assists me through some of the traumatic acro operations i often find myself embroiled in.........

You can see the acros are all touching or close to it now where they've been encrusting so in the next few nights i expect some polyp assassination to occur as the grumpy little frags sort each other out. The top frag is an indication of how bad the colors are atm, dull, colorless and browny pooey looking.

The halide was off when i did the tree work but i took a quick snap of it before the T5's went off for the night on the glass so you could see what i was talking about.

I see nutrients and the ability of corals to tolerate polluted water is being hotly debated once again. Corals can and do adapt over time to varying water and lighting conditions. Anyone who has experience caring for corals under many varying conditions will see this. I have tank sat for friends who were overseas for 6-8 weeks and even though i considered their tanks to be filthy in comparison to mine the corals had color and were growing.
Here is the thing though, all of my 'dirty' SPS keepers had big trouble adding fresh collected wild acros to their systems whereas i have never had a problem. You cannot seriously expect good results throwing an acro in polluted water when it is used to pristine ocean water. If you don't kill it you will most definitely be in for a long wait until looking at it makes you smile.

For me it really is this simple. The corals are used to living in ocean water under the sun. Give them water that closely resembles what they have evolved to live in including as much water borne nutrition as you can manage along with lighting that encourages the colors you want to see - not necessarily what they looked like in the wild and you will increase your chances of success in achieving the results you wish to see.
If you choose another route and have success then good for you but for those new to the hobby or struggling with ordinary displays i would urge you to do your best to replicate natural water conditions in order to maximise your chances of succeeding. :thumbsup:

I saw that red crab in the back rocks last night with a torch and it's only half as pretty as the molt was - 'we' no longer care if it comes out or not......

 

[Bello]

I see nutrients and the ability of corals to tolerate polluted water is being hotly debated once again. Corals can and do adapt over time to varying water and lighting conditions. Anyone who has experience caring for corals under many varying conditions will see this. I have tank sat for friends who were overseas for 6-8 weeks and even though i considered their tanks to be filthy in comparison to mine the corals had color and were growing.
Here is the thing though, all of my 'dirty' SPS keepers had big trouble adding fresh collected wild acros to their systems whereas i have never had a problem. You cannot seriously expect good results throwing an acro in polluted water when it is used to pristine ocean water. If you don't kill it you will most definitely be in for a long wait until looking at it makes you smile.

For me it really is this simple. The corals are used to living in ocean water under the sun. Give them water that closely resembles what they have evolved to live in including as much water borne nutrition as you can manage along with lighting that encourages the colors you want to see - not necessarily what they looked like in the wild and you will increase your chances of success in achieving the results you wish to see.
If you choose another route and have success then good for you but for those new to the hobby or struggling with ordinary displays i would urge you to do your best to replicate natural water conditions in order to maximise your chances of succeeding. :thumbsup:

Admittedly, I've been reading the same threads, and I completely agree with your assessment :thumbsup:. While yes, I have a lot to learn and experience, the above makes sense to me :thumbsup:

Glad to hear that things are recovering now, biggles ....BTW, I'm still busy waterboarding all the corals for the damned AEFW's . On week 3 now, and things look like....poo

 

[sahin]

For a second or two I thought something bad was happening in your reef tank when I read "fresh dead white patches"...But its good to hear all is getting better. :thumbsup:

As for the Mysterious Red Crab, I get the feeling we wont be seeing a photo of it ever... Now did Kevin eat it? :facepalm:

 

[biggles]

Admittedly, I've been reading the same threads, and I completely agree with your assessment :thumbsup:. While yes, I have a lot to learn and experience, the above makes sense to me :thumbsup:

Glad to hear that things are recovering now, biggles ....BTW, I'm still busy waterboarding all the corals for the damned AEFW's . On week 3 now, and things look like....poo

Hey buddy, none of us have forgotten the crappy situation you're going through Bello, i bet the acros are extremely miffed - you're dunking them in poisonous water routinely after all lol. As long as you don't kill them the damage can be undone mate, you've already had a small taste of the colors you will see it's just a major bummer that the AEFW reared their heads right when things were turning for the better. You might want to back off food if the acros aren't metabolising at their normal rate, i'm only feeding the fish and alternating a pinch of reef roids and cyclop-eeze each night. Night time PE is about 50% of the extension i was seeing a month ago, how is the PE on your stuff at night during the dipping process Bello.

I enjoy reading those threads too, i would never have thought acros could tolerate such a toxic environment as those in Thales tank. Rather than wonder what would happen to one of my acros if placed in that water i think a much more interesting thing to see is what would happen to one of Thales acros placed in my water. I'm not interested in color changes, of course they would occur - not necessarily for the better i might add. Considering the reports of negative reactions by acros to sudden drops in phosphate i'd expect them to RTN just as i'd expect mine to do in his water.

Since i'm rambling now i want to point out that the term ULNS is used routinely in entirely the wrong context. If you think the only 'nutrients' that matter are nitrates and phosphates and you keep them low by starving the tank of foods then yes you have an ULNS. If you keep the exact same levels of pollutants but do so whilst also feeding 4-5 feeds to the fish/corals/reef a day then you don't have an ULNS - you have an Ultra Low Phoshate & Nitrate System. The positive trend of heavy feeding with strong control over the levels of pollutants created as a bi-product is not at all ULN. When i first started i fed the fish just enough to keep them alive, nuked everything with too much light and stripped atoms from the water - that was ULN reefing and it didn't work at all lol. We all try to run water that is rich in nutrients as much of the time as possible so they're actually nutrient rich Berlin systems - NRBS.................. and before anyone suggests otherwise it was a total coincidence that the last two letters were BS......:reading:

And that;s all i have to say about that..........


Thanks Sahin, i've been keeping an eye out for action so i hope to see lots more over the next few weeks. I'm going to try taking a flash shot next time he's out, he came out last night after the cyclop-eeze went in and was fanning his feeding feelers madly lol. He's all motly cream and red speckled rather than all red like the molt. Kevin is still at the vets recovering, apparently he broke into the medicine cabinet at night and thought he'd struck gold with a white M&M stash.......... whilst koalas give the appearance of wise old sage bear things, in reality they are quite dim witted. I have literally seen the body of a koala run over by the side of the road not 500 yds from a pedestrian crossing............ i think that says something.........:spin3:

Btw, i know how much it must be driving you crazy with everyone demanding pics on your journal but rest assured none of us will mention your lack of pics on this journal - i have your pictureless non FTS back mate :beer:

 

[sahin]

Since i'm rambling now i want to point out that the term ULNS is used routinely in entirely the wrong context. If you think the only 'nutrients' that matter are nitrates and phosphates and you keep them low by starving the tank of foods then yes you have an ULNS. If you keep the exact same levels of pollutants but do so whilst also feeding 4-5 feeds to the fish/corals/reef a day then you don't have an ULNS - you have an Ultra Low Phoshate & Nitrate System. The positive trend of heavy feeding with strong control over the levels of pollutants created as a bi-product is not at all ULN. When i first started i fed the fish just enough to keep them alive, nuked everything with too much light and stripped atoms from the water - that was ULN reefing and it didn't work at all lol. We all try to run water that is rich in nutrients as much of the time as possible so they're actually nutrient rich Berlin systems - NRBS.................. and before anyone suggests otherwise it was a total coincidence that the last two letters were BS......:reading:

And that;s all i have to say about that..........

Spot on mate. Thats pretty much how I am running my system now. I'll admit I was one of those reefkeepers who got caught up in the whole ULNS ideology...Actual reefs do have very low NO3 and PO4, but they are rich in particulate matter and various forms of zooplankton that nourish the corals. Our tanks are just the opposite! I suppose this is why when we run very low NO3 and PO4 and feed fishes lightly, the SPS corals starve and pale out.

Thanks Sahin, i've been keeping an eye out for action so i hope to see lots more over the next few weeks. I'm going to try taking a flash shot next time he's out, he came out last night after the cyclop-eeze went in and was fanning his feeding feelers madly lol. He's all motly cream and red speckled rather than all red like the molt. Kevin is still at the vets recovering, apparently he broke into the medicine cabinet at night and thought he'd struck gold with a white M&M stash.......... whilst koalas give the appearance of wise old sage bear things, in reality they are quite dim witted. I have literally seen the body of a koala run over by the side of the road not 500 yds from a pedestrian crossing............ i think that says something.........:spin3:

Well they say clever foxes...but in the roads down these parts the only roadkill I see is 95% foxes. Some pigeons as well. Never seen cats or dogs.

But I hope Kevin recovers quickly. :lol:

Btw, i know how much it must be driving you crazy with everyone demanding pics on your journal but rest assured none of us will mention your lack of pics on this journal - i have your pictureless non FTS back mate :beer:

Thanks for covering my (non FTS thread) back mate. :lol: :wave:

 

[Bello]

Hey buddy, none of us have forgotten the crappy situation you're going through Bello, i bet the acros are extremely miffed - you're dunking them in poisonous water routinely after all lol. As long as you don't kill them the damage can be undone mate, you've already had a small taste of the colors you will see it's just a major bummer that the AEFW reared their heads right when things were turning for the better. You might want to back off food if the acros aren't metabolising at their normal rate, i'm only feeding the fish and alternating a pinch of reef roids and cyclop-eeze each night. Night time PE is about 50% of the extension i was seeing a month ago, how is the PE on your stuff at night during the dipping process Bello.

Since i'm rambling now i want to point out that the term ULNS is used routinely in entirely the wrong context. If you think the only 'nutrients' that matter are nitrates and phosphates and you keep them low by starving the tank of foods then yes you have an ULNS. If you keep the exact same levels of pollutants but do so whilst also feeding 4-5 feeds to the fish/corals/reef a day then you don't have an ULNS - you have an Ultra Low Phoshate & Nitrate System. The positive trend of heavy feeding with strong control over the levels of pollutants created as a bi-product is not at all ULN. When i first started i fed the fish just enough to keep them alive, nuked everything with too much light and stripped atoms from the water - that was ULN reefing and it didn't work at all lol. We all try to run water that is rich in nutrients as much of the time as possible so they're actually nutrient rich Berlin systems - NRBS.................. and before anyone suggests otherwise it was a total coincidence that the last two letters were BS......:reading:

And that;s all i have to say about that..........

This pretty much sums up what I've learned in the last year and a half, thanks to you and RC. When I did start the tank with Zeo and fewer fish, I got very pale, and in a couple cases, sickly corals. NO3 and PO4 were super low. Coupled with intense lighting....not too good. Seeing much healthier results now

The dipping process is causing the acros to brown out a bit. Not sure I understand why? Maybe using the same dip, containing dead pods from earlier corals dipped, releases nutrients? Dunno :reading:

So what's bugging me??? I think I've gotten a better understanding of the systems and the processes over the last few months, and I can't do a damn thing about it :lol:, until I knock down the AEFW. My fingers are bloody itching to mess around with the tank, roller coaster-style

 

[Dashylock]

Biggles - just got back from a work trip, haven't had a chance to read the updated posts yet but hope all is well and your SPS are recovering!

Cheers!

 

[biggles]

Hey ho guys, awoke this morning to find the tunze pump in the sump had come loose from the bracket and had a good time all night blowing sand and crap everywhere...... The display is slime soup as all the acros are currently having a tantrum over my latest debacle.

Being the cunning stunt i am i decided to make a coffee and tackle a few jobs at once so the plan was to catch the clowns, run them and any sump flubber quickly to the LFS and then catch the anthias and throw them in the display since they were already traumatised. Once the fish were out i would clean out the rock and remove the sand, returning the rock to my new unlit soon to be stuffed full of LR and all manner of creepy crawly breeding water filtering 'things'.

Caught the clowns and gave them to the LFS 15mins away. Caught 2 anthias and the third jumped into the return section so i killed the pumps and tried netting the little bugger, no chance with the stuff in there. Removed both Eheim pumps and roughly cleaned them for the first time since i started the tank :worried: Chased the anthia until he jumped into the skimmer section...............

[insert every expletive known to man here and then double it]

Removed the skimmer and skimmer stand and finally managed to net the little $^@#%$. Put everything back in and next thing water is coming down the emergency pipe - obviously the return works better after cleaning so i adjust the overflow valve. The first 100 micron cloth i used blocked in 60 mins so i'm onto the second now and will turkey baste and use cloths for the next day or so to catch all the crap i've disturbed by ripping the sump apart chasing that fish.

That was how i relaxed this hot Sunday morning....... reefing would be boring if all you did was sit back and admire your display - the roller coaster ride continues Bello

 

[sahin]

Oh man...you are definitely having a crazy time with your tank!
:worried:

:uzi:

:deadhorse:

:headwally:

:hmm4:

:eek2:

:angryfire:

Cunning stunt: knowing you, I knew exactly what you mean to write that and had to laugh at your ingenuity. :lol:

Your thread has become quite dramatic lately. I think someone has a voodoo tank doll thingy made...:worried:

Just take the time to double check everything tomorrow (or today...since its 2pm where you are) and then treat yourself to a beer. :beer:

Hope your tank gets better mate. Stupid pump. Stupid fish! This hobby really tests our patience...

Keep us updated.

 

[martinphillip03]

My vote is on Bello.

Marty

Oh man...you are definitely having a crazy time with your tank!

Your thread has become quite dramatic lately. I think someone has a voodoo tank doll thingy made...:worried:

 

[Elvis_B]

Nice tank like you're sps how they growing!!

 

[SonnyArba]

Hi Biggles :bdaysmile:

Just to say hello and to give you a few encouraging words.
Not so good period for your tank and I'm sending you some good karma :bdaysmile:

We've learnt so much from your thread and wish your tank a fast recovery.

We want to learn even more, so keep on with your incredible work :beer:

Greetings from Croatia from me & my reefers :wave:

 

[sahin]

I think its Kevin the Koala taking revenge on Biggles's tank because of the flying lessons Biggles made him take.

However, I also send you lots of good Karma to counter the Kevins voodoo magic antics.

Has stuff cleared up now? Are the SPS looking ok?