new puddle pictures

[redreef85]

Tom, what I would really like to know is how did you convince your wife to let you set up three tanks?

 

[tmz]

redreef85. It's actually 8 tanks all together plus rfgia. She likes to see me happy. I just sneak them into the house and pretend they've been there all along.

tzh21y 40ppm nitrate wont harm fish. It would be fine for leathers and some lps and mushrooms too.
The risks of dosing organic carbon dosing are: a buildup of organics without agreesive skimming and gac. Overdosing can lead to a bacterial bloom particularly when NO3 is high. This can deplete oxygen. Rpaid drops in PO4 and NO3 may cause corals to react badly. Going very slow per the article cited above and amping up with a lot of patience is necessary to minimize the downsides.Folks have reported more trouble with sugar and carbohydrate pellets than vodka and/ or vinegar. The later are lower on the breakdown chain for bacteria so the strains and by products asociated with carbs and sugars are skipped. It all goes to acetate eventually which as is useful to corals.

 

[gary greguire]

Hey Tom the pic are great but no comparison to seeing it in person.....awesome job.

 

[tmz]

Thanks Gary, It was a nice visit. Enjoyed you and your wife's company. The gorgonian you gave me is thriving.

How are the frags doing?

 

[tzh21y]

Have you ever tried reef biofuel?

 

[tmz]

No. I try not to use use stuff when I can't find out what's in it
A "proprietary blend of organic carbon sources "doesn't do it for me particularly if that stuff contains polymers(carbohydrates) or monomers(sugars). The references in the write up to bacteria plankton ignore the surface dwelling bacteria which do most of the heavy lifting and the "non fammable alternative " stuff made me laugh. As if a typical dose of 1ml of vokda per 20 gallons is it somehow flammable? The write up on "technical data" makes me wonder if they know what they are doing.

All in all, I, personally , think the best current means for organic carbon dosing are vinegar and/or vodka( ethanol) and vinegar. They are further down the bacterial breakdown activity cascade and avoid some nasty effects on corals via sugars and carbohydrate breakdown.

 

[pascal32]

I set up the quarantine tank with sg to match or be lower than the bag water. After temp acclimation( floating the closed bag for 20 minutes), the bag is opened and the fishis immediately put in the qt.Basically I acclimate the tank to the fish rather than risking a long stay in bag water where ammonia toxicity can increase once the bag is opened particularly if fish have been confined to it overnight or longer as is usually the case with shipped fish. For fish acquired locally, I set the sg a couple of points lower than the store. For shipped fish I set the sg low around 1.017 in the qt since most shippers use low sg water for shipping and I can't rally know what the sg is without opening the bag. Drops in sg that don't go below their internal sg (1.008) don't stress the fish; rapid rises do.Some folks try to adjust the ph to match too ;I don't worry with it as long as my qt is in normal range 7.8 to 8.3 or so. The q tank is equipped with a sponge filter ,an airstone, a small hang on th back filter runing carbon , a heater and some pvc for resting places. In a three day time span ammonia buildup is rarely an issue but I use some ammo lock,ammonia detoxifier just in case.
I perform tank transfer 4x ,3 days a part for prophylacitc treatment of cryptocaryon irritans(ich). That is ; I move the fish every 3 days to a new tank for a total of 4 transfers. Along the way I gradually (.001 pr day) adjust sg upward as necessary to match the display tank water.I usually use 2 tanks(ten or 29 gallons depending on the size and number of fish) and dry them and associated equipment thoroughly before reuse. Ich will survive in wetness.
During this period, I observe the fish closely for signs of brooklynella, velvet( amyloodinium, flukes and any bacterial infection,etc. and initiate treatment when needed.

Thanks for asking.

Tom -

I'm setting up a QT like yours. couple questions -

- in addition to the HOB with carbon you mention a sponge filter. any reason for this compared to a powerhead? is the turnover from teh HOB not enough?

- do you treat every time/or on what basis with formalin-ms prior to or in-between tank transfers?

- any thoughts on running prazipro while in the 10G quarantines? I've read some folks swear by using this for QT. if using this should the carbon be removed?

sorry for the lame questions

 

[tmz]

I like the gentler flow from the bubble up sponge filter. It also gathers excess food in a place where fish can pick at it. Don't mind the extra evaporation from it or an airstone either since it makes adjusting sg upward easier by replacement with salt water. Smaller ,sometimes weaker specimens, are sometimes easily sucked in to the powerhead screen or worse.

No I don't always do a formalin bath. I did for a time without harm but now try to avoid the meds when I can. If I do treat a fish with a formalin bath based on observed need, it's 40 to 50 minutes in a bucket with a small power head. I use Formalin 3 by Kordon. It's diluted to 3% formaldehyde which makes overdosing less likely as measurements are larger and easier.

I don't run the prazi in the transfer tanks. Not sure about it's effects on ammonia or ammonia detoxifiers. Probably ok ;but I'm not cetain so don't use them together If it's needed for flukes or a fish known to be prone to internal parasitic infections , I'll extend qt in a cycled tank and use it there or relocate the fish to another tank for prazi treatment.

PS I did get to your pm. Sorry forthe delay.

 

[pascal32]

thanks Tom. I'll be running my QT like yours much appreciate the guidance!

 

[TomBONAIRE]

Your tanks are absolutely beautiful. I'd love to see them in person at your next "open house".

 

[tmz]

Pascal, you re welcome.

Tom, I do open houses when folks do a reef "crawl". Haven't had one of those in a while,though.