OK! Enough chat...Starting a 1000g+ Reef
- Thread starter JohnL
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Already gave them their first garlic nori snack. I see Ich on several fish but it has subsided on the heps by about 50%, which means I am in the middle of a cycle. I'll make it through but I am totally bummed. Oh well, it's like chicken pox right?!?
jnarowe
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One of the GBTAs is doing the twister thing now so I think it is trying to find a new home.
Ich is still present. (duh) The striped Bristletooth is showing some as well.
I am feeding 3X/day with very garlic soaked food...small feedings at lights on, and mid-afternoon, and then their regular feeding at night. All fish are eagerly eating anything they can get their mouth on. I do not see any unhappy or sluggish fish.
The PBT seems to be managing it with the cleaner shrimp but I have yet to see other fish do the same with the occassional exception of yellow tangs and the foxface. The fairy Wrasse seems clean as well as the purple tang, chromis, and yellow eye kole. Can't really tell on the lawnmower but he does look slightly pale. I have seen an occassional tiff as well which is new.
Anyway, I am trying to stay positive and keep the water quality up. I noted today that calcium and alkalinity were low so i did a couple 1/4 doses at the beginning and end of day. Hopefully spreading it out a bit will lessen the stress on the fish!
Ich is still present. (duh) The striped Bristletooth is showing some as well.
I am feeding 3X/day with very garlic soaked food...small feedings at lights on, and mid-afternoon, and then their regular feeding at night. All fish are eagerly eating anything they can get their mouth on. I do not see any unhappy or sluggish fish.The PBT seems to be managing it with the cleaner shrimp but I have yet to see other fish do the same with the occassional exception of yellow tangs and the foxface. The fairy Wrasse seems clean as well as the purple tang, chromis, and yellow eye kole. Can't really tell on the lawnmower but he does look slightly pale. I have seen an occassional tiff as well which is new.
Anyway, I am trying to stay positive and keep the water quality up. I noted today that calcium and alkalinity were low so i did a couple 1/4 doses at the beginning and end of day. Hopefully spreading it out a bit will lessen the stress on the fish!
jnarowe
New member
So I was right! Got up this morning and found one of the GBTAs on the glass at the waterline. I am concerned that it will get fried by the lamp...anyone have a comment on that? Will it move away from the light if it is too strong? I know that when I put my arm in the tank, that lamp heats my arm up but quick!
jnarowe
New member
In case anyone is wondering what I do with all the "waste" water from my RO/DI system, here's a picture!
I have 2 RO/DI systems. One is upstairs and services the FW Planted tank as well as our drinking water and ice making. The other is in the tank room which services the reef.
Both feed into these tanks which have a timer to water our vegetable garden. This garden is about 10 feet in elevation below these tanks and the garden is watered through one of those soaker hoses. Since the water has a higher concentration of nitrate and phosphate, it acts as a fertilizer. Also please note that we are on a well so we do not have any municipal chemicals added!
I have 2 RO/DI systems. One is upstairs and services the FW Planted tank as well as our drinking water and ice making. The other is in the tank room which services the reef.
Both feed into these tanks which have a timer to water our vegetable garden. This garden is about 10 feet in elevation below these tanks and the garden is watered through one of those soaker hoses. Since the water has a higher concentration of nitrate and phosphate, it acts as a fertilizer. Also please note that we are on a well so we do not have any municipal chemicals added!
BrianPlankis
Premium Member
Very cool Jonathan! Have you noticed increase growth in your plants since giving them RO/DI waste?
Brian
Brian
jnarowe
New member
Well, even though we are on a well, I feel like I should use all the water rather than just letting it go down the drain. I am going to start working some skimmer mods today. I need to build an auto-shut-off for the collection cup as well as try out my new non-needle wheel prototype. I will start a new thread just for that if I get any results!
And it's hard to tell regarding growth here since I do not have a very advantageous place for a garden. I am in a bit of a valley with a lot of trees but I can easily grow various veggies including artichokes.
And it's hard to tell regarding growth here since I do not have a very advantageous place for a garden. I am in a bit of a valley with a lot of trees but I can easily grow various veggies including artichokes.
jnarowe
New member
So this morning I was doing my tank room check and admiring the crystal clear water my square skimmer is affording me, when I saw something....
No Martha, that's not coraline algae, that's moving! Yes I found these lovely flatworms:
Picture stolen from www.melevsreef.com
They look exaclty like this and on Marc's site they are decribed as "benign clear flatworm" but I wonder what that really means? If they overpopulate that would push them out of the benign catagory right? So I netted 4 of them (at least I think I did) and washed each one down the drain. I saw one more on the viewing pane glass but there was no way I was going to try that one in a bathrobe!
So, question of probability: If I find 5 of them easily, how many are there really? Should I do a treatment right away? I don't have any of their known predators but that solution is generally hit-and-miss anyway as you never really know what the predator will actually eat once it's in your tank.
No Martha, that's not coraline algae, that's moving! Yes I found these lovely flatworms:
They look exaclty like this and on Marc's site they are decribed as "benign clear flatworm" but I wonder what that really means? If they overpopulate that would push them out of the benign catagory right? So I netted 4 of them (at least I think I did) and washed each one down the drain. I saw one more on the viewing pane glass but there was no way I was going to try that one in a bathrobe!
So, question of probability: If I find 5 of them easily, how many are there really? Should I do a treatment right away? I don't have any of their known predators but that solution is generally hit-and-miss anyway as you never really know what the predator will actually eat once it's in your tank.
BrianPlankis
Premium Member
Jonathan,
I can't recall a time I've read about this type of flatworm becoming problematic in anyone's tank. Given the size of your tank 5 is not a concern. If you start seeing hundreds then you might want to think about removing them, but any treatment you try will probably kill a lot more of the "good guys" than the "bad guys". The general concensus on these guys is that they are either neutral or good guys, so I would vote to just let them be.
Brian
I can't recall a time I've read about this type of flatworm becoming problematic in anyone's tank. Given the size of your tank 5 is not a concern. If you start seeing hundreds then you might want to think about removing them, but any treatment you try will probably kill a lot more of the "good guys" than the "bad guys". The general concensus on these guys is that they are either neutral or good guys, so I would vote to just let them be.
Brian
jnarowe
New member
Thanks for the comments guys!
ScubaCarl I got mine at a place where beer is brewed. Beer ingredients come in these and usually you can find both closed and open w/lid. Some places would probably just give them to you. My local brew shop (that charges $1/ounce of cheese) charged me $15 each for the barrels. I still think that is a really good deal.
And...
[welcome]
ScubaCarl I got mine at a place where beer is brewed. Beer ingredients come in these and usually you can find both closed and open w/lid. Some places would probably just give them to you. My local brew shop (that charges $1/ounce of cheese) charged me $15 each for the barrels. I still think that is a really good deal.
And...
[welcome]
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