Ogre's SW Tank v. 2.0

OgreMkV

OgreMkV

New member
OK, I've got everything resetup. I've got an AquaC Remora HOB skimmer and three powerheads. Total turnover is about 30x. I also bought a new dual actinic lamp for my light fixture.

I just got back from Houston with 3 boxes from Tampa Bay Saltwater. A box of sand and two boxes of live rock... 2 very large pieces and two smallish ones.

I must say that working in the tank is SOOOO much better with full arm length gloves. My arms started sweating instantly, but it was so much better than getting the glvoes full of tank water and then dumping that on the ground. The missus is happier about it too.

I'll throw some pics up when the tank clears and the sand is settled.

I smelled each rock and nothing was obviously dead or smelled bad.

Updates as they occur.
 
Woo-hoo Ogre...it sounds like you're already off to a good start! I'm so afraid of those sponges on the rocks going bad, I peel them off when I find them if they even look like they *might* turn. I'm convinced that's what almost did me in last time.

I think the biggest thing I learned from my first cycle is "when in doubt...trust your nose." If anything, ANYTHING smells bad or even just less than fresh, toss it.

I can't wait to see pictures of v2.0! :D
 
Got two very large cerith snails... each just over an inch long. Beautiful creatures. One started to climb the tank wall before realizing that there wasn't anything to eat on it yet.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13001169#post13001169 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by biomekanic
Great!

Keep us posted!

Also, we demand pics!

If you get a mantis, are you going to name him GEV or Fencer? :D
Click to expand...

I'm going to name him shish-ka-bob with butter sauce! Kidding, I'll try to find a home for him. My stocking list is pure peaceful and I'm not a fan of some tank inhabitants hunting other tank inhabitants.

I don't want to pay $20 for a pretty shrimp for a mantis to eat.
 
SW001-1.jpg


SW002-2.jpg


SW003-3.jpg
 
nice Cerith snail, very pretty! Hopefully your cycle will go much easier now that you are using the right sand for the package.
 
Ammonia at .25, slightly up from yesterday (like up .2). I'll have to sniff the rock when I get home from work today.

I've counted 6 of the large ceriths and 4 of the smaller nassarius snails. One of the latter was bright green. Very odd looking.

I can hear popping. I'm hoping a pistol hitched a ride. I have a trap if it's a mantis though.

The water has cleared and my skimmer is working very well. It's pulling a lot of water right now, but it's still getting some tea colored junk in the collection cup. I'll have to add water to the tank this evening, so I'll do a small water change.

Something I read elsewhere scared me, so I tested my RO water for ammonia and it was zero... whew.
 
AMmonia hit 1ppm today. I just finished a 15 gallon change (about 1/3). I pulled off some things that might have been dead. I stirred the hell out of the tank accidentally and attached my surface skimmer to the remora.

We'll see.
 
I've lost two or three of the snails in this first batch. I have found a LARGE crab.. not a gorilla or rock crab though. I hope he survives.

I also have a pistol shrimp. I'm pretty sure it's a pistol. When I pulled that rock for a sniff test, he started popping.

Ammonia down to .75ppm after the water change. The surface skimmer has really done a nice job. The tank is still cloudy, I stirred up a lot of crud.
 
Ogre, it's great to hear you off to a good start! I have no doubts you'll be successful this time!

I seemed to find that if ammonia was going to rise, it would do it in the afternoons for some reason, probably due to lights and such. If mine started to climb mid-afternoon, then I knew I had to change water in the evening. I have heard that doing water changes for anything less than 1.0ppm only prolongs your cycle and can do more harm than good to your critters.

I really like the bow-front tank! It should look great once you get going. I think one of the things that scared me the most with part 1 of my cycle was how much crud gets stirred up...it made me think my rock was dying. If you can, be ready to change filters or filter media regularly...it really helps clear the water up faster and I think it's helped keep my ammonia down better this time around. :)

Congrats!!!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13016096#post13016096 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by OgreMkV
I've lost two or three of the snails in this first batch. I have found a LARGE crab.. not a gorilla or rock crab though. I hope he survives.
Click to expand...

Me too!! Wonder what kind it is...hopefully you will have a better week next week and will be able to post some pics. If I have time tomorrow I will take pics of my tunicate farm and the Atlantic Cup coral so you can compare them to what you see on your rock. Hang in there, Ogre.
 
Divemonster: My tunicates lasted about 3 months before they finally disappeared. I figure it's the lack of food. Maybe a greenwater drip might have helped keep them alive. I was thinking live greenwater might help with the ammonia uptake too. Just a thought.
 
Ammonia is rising back up. I'll do another WC tonight. Nothing smells bad right now.

The skimmer seems to have calmed down and is producing really yucky stuff with low water content. It started out mostly water.

I'm home for the day. Pics when the lights come on.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13020145#post13020145 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by biomekanic
Divemonster: My tunicates lasted about 3 months before they finally disappeared. I figure it's the lack of food. Maybe a greenwater drip might have helped keep them alive. I was thinking live greenwater might help with the ammonia uptake too. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

Uncle Bio, were you thinking along these lines: <a href="http://phycopure.com/" target="_blank"><b>PhycoPure</b></a>

It's the filter feeder food my LFS carries. The guy in the store was telling me that he is stocking this instead of DTs. The PhycoPure is green and it is live, so i think it fits your "live greenwater" description.
 
OK, Ammonia has held steady for 24 hours at .75ppm. I've got a slight rise in NitrItes (.5ppm) and about 20 for nitrates.

I've got Kent Marine's Zooplex and Chromaplex for non-fish food stuffs. The zooplex is zooplankton at about 800 microns. Chromaplex is Phytoplankton in the 5-25 micron range.

One of these two ought to keep scallops, tunicates, etc. alive.
 
Uncle Bio, were you thinking along these lines: <a href="http://phycopure.com/" target="_blank"><b>PhycoPure</b></a>

It's the filter feeder food my LFS carries. The guy in the store was telling me that he is stocking this instead of DTs. The PhycoPure is green and it is live, so i think it fits your "live greenwater" description.
Click to expand...

Yep! Exactly! ( the nearest place to me that has it is about 100 miles away. :mad:

I really regret losing the tunicates I had, I had a small colony of blue ones that looked like blown glass. Hopefully Phyco pure can help you keep them alive.
 
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