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

[jnarowe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7987586#post7987586 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hop
Hopefully everything works itself out!

Yeah I hope so! I asked my supplier the origin of the naso and he said it was a Red Sea Naso but that a lot of what they got last week was from Sri Lanka.

Doesn't really help much anyway because I doubt the wholesaler even really knows where the fish came from.

I moved the elegance up off the sand bed and into the rockwork and although about 25% is still gone, it seems to have stopped receding for the moment. The fox coral appears to have recovered from its shipping ordeal and is at least stable. I am a bit concerned about the electric blue hermits as I have seen them paying a lot of attention to polyps...I can't tell if they are snacking or just checking things out.

The longnose has adjusted to its new home and I find it perched in a cup coral fairly often. The mysteri also looks good and is using the extensive rockwork maze to stay protected while investigating the tank.

I wonder how they catch those damn things?? If my LFS can't get a neon blue goby out of a fish tank, how do harvesters get one out of a reef??

 

[melev]

Why did you acclimate the fish for 8 hours? Did you add an airstone to the bucket to keep oxygen levels up? Nasos, especially 8" long, would need more oxygen than a Longnosed Hawkfish.

Just curious. I'm not implying anything.

 

[jnarowe]

Primarily the 8 hour acclimation was to put them in after lights out. I did not add an airstone as have read that messes with pH. I did regularly put in fresh SW from an aerated sump though and I feel that O2 was not a problem. The naso acted strange right from the start.

 

[jnarowe]

Primarily the 8 hour acclimation was to put them in after lights out. I did not add an airstone as have read that messes with pH. I did regularly put in fresh SW from an aerated sump though and I feel that O2 was not a problem. The naso acted strange right from the start.

 

[melev]

An airstone keeps the pH up and the CO2 down, and this helps more than it hurts. If you dropped an airstone in a bagged fish (such as one that was shipped overnight), the ammonia level would spike - which would be detrimental to the fish.

However, you stated they were in a bucket of water, and acclimated for a very long time. In that situation, and airstone would be a necessary addition imho.

Sorry it didn't make it, but as you suggested, it was in trouble right from the start.

 

[jnarowe]

OK. I'll use air stones the next time.

 

[jnarowe]

Well a quick update I guess...

The elegance looks the same. Not receding. The naso is still dead. I tried for about an hour but I cannot fish him out though as the other animals have dragged it under the rocks into an area I cannot get to without entirely dismantling the front end. That could potentially cause more harm than good. I will do extra water changes and try to monitor water quality closely. I am concerned that those animals that are eating the naso might suffer some ill effects from cyanide injestion.

All else looks good except the red flat worms I discovered in my fuge. They came in on a rock from another reefer and although I inspected it carefully I should have QT'd it too. I pulled it out and put it in a second QT tank and siphoned off the bugs. They seem to be soley on that rock and I hope that's true!

I am contemplating breaking down my 70g Tall FW Planted tank and moving it to the tank room to use as a QT as well.

The good news of the day is that I have made some progress on the reactor and it looks like it may be finished in about 2 - 3 days. I still need to put in the baffles, tap the lid, cement the recirc outlets, and plumb it all together. I also received the add-on unit for the ACIII Pro so I can have another pH probe monitor the reactor and control the CO2.

 

[melev]

That's neat. I didn't realize there was an option to have more than one pH probe on the AC III.

And this line made me ROFL.

The naso is still dead.

 

[jnarowe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7991771#post7991771 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
That's neat. I didn't realize there was an option to have more than one pH probe on the AC III.

I couldn't believe for that price that the ACIII Pro could only monitor one tank in the first place. That took me by surprise.

And this line made me ROFL.

Yeah well, I guess if it came back to life I would have much more serious things to worry about! :lol:

 

[Hop]

 

[jnarowe]

Couple good things to report...The anemone that ate the naso got really freakin' plump today and then started to split. I noticed a white line across the middle and then watched as the line got wider and I could see the tissue splitting apart.

I then got my wife to help with the naso extrication. She had a walkie-talkie and gave me some direction so I could get to the naso. The anemone actually tried to defend its catch, but I assume realized that I was much bigger than it. It blanketed the naso and tried to hold it fast, but I got a good grip and ripped it away. All the while the female maroon was striking the grabbers.

The anemone has now withdrawn under the rocks and I assume is pretty PO'd. The naso was really chewed up. I would say about 50% of it was eaten. At least i don't have to worry about that pollution. I tested the water and all is still good so maybe I will skate through this with no damage escallation.

 

[Hop]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7993771#post7993771 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
I then got my wife to help with the naso extrication. She had a walkie-talkie and gave me some direction so I could get to the naso.

You know you have a big tank when you need a spouse equipped with a radio to get to your decaying fish:lol:

 

[Enderrea]

So i got the weld on today .... weldon #3 not what i order.. and a week late ................... not happy

 

[jnarowe]

yeah, but the radios work! And I need it occassionally.

Enderrea: Did you order from Interstate in Kent? I have never had any kind of bad experience with them. You can call in and talk to the owner/GM any time. I did just today to get a quote on perforated plastic.

Well, I have to go downstairs and turn down my Vortechs!!

 

[melev]

That is too funny. I think you should have let the anemone keep his prize, especially since it was so busy defending its trophy/meal.

Enderrea - #3 works, but it glues faster. Instead of 60 seconds, you have 15. You'll have to work more quickly, but I'm sure you can pull it off.

 

[jnarowe]

I don't know about using #3 when you are first learning. #4 is tough enough and I would recommend using #16 & #40 when just starting out! I just did a lamination and used #16 to make it easier since I had to bond a large area.

Yeah the anemone put up a fight. When I pulled out that half eaten fish my wife just about passed out. It was nasty looking.

 

[melev]

#3 was what I used with my very first sump. It worked fine, and I used that sump for 1.5 years.

 

[Enderrea]

looks at shacky hands........... i still want tot alk about the price with them ......... i might just keep it if i bonds well

 

[jnarowe]

So here is an example of how fat the killer anemone has gotten:

Tangs must be very filling!

 

[NexDog]

Mmmmmmmmm, taaaangs.