OK! Enough chat...Starting a 1000g+ Reef

[jnarowe]

Thanks ukbice!!

Well, how smart can a PBT be??? :lol:

I just checked and one of the shrimp finally found his way into the trap. I think that is good news because when the lights come on the fish will see some action inside and may spend more time trying to get in.

My skimmer is back to over-skimming and filling my bucket every night. I can't figure out how to get it to stop either. Whenever I check it, it is skimming properly so I have no idea what is going on...

 

[NexDog]

I feel your pain on the skimmer. I had mine dialled in beautiful and then it suddenly started skimming alot wetter than I like (5 gallons a day). Hate fiddling with it.

 

[jnarowe]

Well it is just strange that mine is fluctuating now when the salinity has been very steady.

Saw the striped bristletooth in the trap today so another good sign!

 

[Enderrea]

Just wondering, maybe with the way the weather has been the last few days could that have some thing to do with it the Berimetric presure have any thing to do with it? your fish room is really well ventilated. just a crazy thought.

 

[jnarowe]

That is a good point since back-pressure can collapse the head, so maybe less atmospheric pressure could cause it to flow wetter?

Hey, post (or PM) a pic of your FW tank. I have a 70g Tall FW planted community tank too. Got a local reefer coming by in a while to get some plants to re-start up a planted tetra tank. And my damn long scissors broke!!

 

[jnarowe]

OK...been waiting to post a pic of this thing. I discovered it in my sump on a ledge and initially thought it was a rock. When I picked it up I noticed it had a slight grab on the side of the sump and a leathery feel. It appears to have a very small foot and, well, an opening. Until I find an ID, I am officially naming this a JAT, and any of you guys that figure that out are truly sick bastards.

 

[mrcrab]

Jonathan's Aquarium Turd?

 

[jnarowe]

:lol: no but good guess!

 

[melev]

Just Another Troublemaker?

 

[jnarowe]

NOT! But you guys are coming up with good ones. Let's just say that if I took a picture of it from straight on, RC would censor the pic. :lol:

One local reefer suggested that it might be a cowry, but I just can't figure that out. It doesn't appear to have any hard shell. I wonder if it is a baby mollusk of some kind, that hasn't developed a shell yet?

 

[Enderrea]

Hey i will try to get you a few pic's of the tank, been worken 70+ hours and going to school, so i have been able to do water changes and feed them, but the glass needs a little help.
Have a Happy Fourth Of July! i will be up Painting the inside of my parents house this week end again

 

[jnarowe]

Drop by. I am just 3 minutes off the 3.

 

[bskiba]

OK so I am finally here. Brad from the PSAS. the one that gave Mario the gift certificate. LOL I didn't do any work today because I have been reading through both sections of this thread for like 6 hours. Your skimmer is a little bigger than mikes. his is 6.5 feet tall but only 12inch tube. people dont understand how good those airstone driven skimmers can skim. Remember how Tom told me he had no interset in Building me a square skimmer. LOL I still think it is the cheapest way to go. a tube for one that big would be insanely exspensive. They say it is 20% less effective but you gain 20% more area or so.


We are headed back out there in august and I hope you are going to offer for people to stop by again. maybe this time I can actually catch the right boat over.

 

[jnarowe]

bskiba: Welcome to the thread!

Brad, come over anytime. Whenever you get out to Mario's shop, shoot me an email or PM. I am picking up a pair of Golden Rhomboidalis Wrasse, Diamond-tail Fairy Wrasse ( Cirrhilabrus rhomboidalis) from Mario tomorrow!! How sweet is that??

My skimer costs so much less than buying a comparable commercial one it's a shame more people don't build their own. And it consumes about 1/10th the electricity too.

Your tripod site is freaky with all the pop-ups...not stroke friendly but I particularly like the shot of your "Rubbermaid" sump and what's that pink stuff all over the back of the tank??? I think I have seen that somewhere before! :lol:

BTW, the JAT moved about 18" last night for no apparent reason. I can't figure out if it needs light or not...and the only fish that WON'T go in my trap is the one I am trying to catch.

 

[jnarowe]

RTN!

RTN!

Well guys here it is. This coral looked great this morning and when I went to feed before lights out, 50% had RTN from what I can tell. Based on what I have heard and read, I took it out immediately and fragged the tops. I put the frags in a bowl of sand in the QT. I am so bummed because this was a prize coral.

All parameters are in good range and I have no idea what prompted this. It has been in the system siince the PSAS BBQ. The only thing I have noticed occassionally is some strands of what look like sweeper tentacles stuc to things in the tank. Maybe there is some kind of warfare going on?

 

[jnarowe]

I have a couple of theories on the RTN:

1. I took a bunch of pictures of that coral and a few times I used a flash. WIth their sensitivity to light, maybe this shocked it?

2. When I put in the fish trap, it re-directed the flow that would be hitting that coral directly, so perhaps the change in flow did it?

The photograpgy session coincides more with the RTN timing wise...

Edit: Oh yeah, and I also ripped out a bunch of grape caulerpa and while doing so I noticed that it released something into the water! Anyone know of an animal that eats grape caulerpa???

 

[bskiba]

there are so many things that can cause RTn. that is why SPS is soo tough. Mario called me while he was looking at his list. I just couldn't see my mystery getting along with two friends.

I would soak the coral in lugols or somthing with power incase you have any pests in there. probably is chemical though. make sure it is getting good flow that is somewhat indirect because it is a branching corals that is not as tightly branched. I dont see flash having a real effect on the coral though.

 

[jnarowe]

Yeah, I think the flash idea is probably a very long shot. I am more inclined to think my ripping out the grape caulerpa may have done it, or blocking the flow too much with the trap. The frags are in the QT so I will see what happens!

 

[BrianPlankis]

Jonathan,

I've had a few things RTN in my tank as well. No idea why, although my Magnesium was really low (1070ppm) when mine did it. I also found that having a powerhead too close to the coral can cause it to recede. But RTN is one of those great mysteries in our tanks. Sorry to hear about your cool coral

Brian

 

[jnarowe]

So far the frags appear to be OK. They are in the QT with my new Golden Rhomboid wrasse ( Cirrhilabrus rhomboidalis) pair...

Thought of something you might use: I placed a piece of 2' x 12" x 1/2" acrylic loose in my tank and within 2 days both nerites and ceriths had laid egg masses on it. I think that would be a great way to extract eggs and rear them in a 10g tank with no skimmer. As soon as I get done with guests, NY trip, fuge lighting upgrade, DC8 mod, and skimmer mod I think I will set up a snail rearing tank and try that out. What do you think of that?