ZeeSparrow
New member
Ok thanks. I also found someone who said theirs ate cichlids pellets... I've got plenty of those I can try too. Smorgasbord incoming!
oldbones 56g custom reef attempt!
- Thread starter oldbones
- Start date
ZeeSparrow
New member
Yeah that's what I have. How long before you saw yours eat?
So, this afternoon, I trucked up to the LFS to pick up a new AI Prime he had ordered in for me. Of course, I couldn't manage to get out of the shop without spending a few bucks on coral, but we'll save that story for after I can get some pics!
When I got home, I paired up the second light (not as easy as I had thought; http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2511897) and it looks great. Much more even lighting of the reef and sandbed, but still with some decent shadowy areas for the lower light species. Here's a shot with the blues at 1%, and everything else off.
When I got home, I paired up the second light (not as easy as I had thought; http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2511897) and it looks great. Much more even lighting of the reef and sandbed, but still with some decent shadowy areas for the lower light species. Here's a shot with the blues at 1%, and everything else off.
So, today my second RW-4 for this tank showed up, so I plunked it in the tank and hooked them both up to the aftermarket JBWave controller. I've got it running through a cycle of each wave pattern, it switches every minute. Honestly, there is so much flexibility in programming with the JBWave, it's pretty fun trying different things and seeing how much difference it can make in flow throughout the tank.
I also broke down and transferred over a couple SPS frags that were overcrowding my 29. They look much better against the clean black background in the new tank!
Here's a couple iPhone shots taken 15 minutes after moving them over...
Unknown Milli, can anyone ID?
Also need an ID on this Chalice, looks way better under Actinic!
Of course, everyone needs a Bali Green Slimer!
And, last, a FTS. Now there's a few things in there to look at, so I can just watch it for a while!
I also broke down and transferred over a couple SPS frags that were overcrowding my 29. They look much better against the clean black background in the new tank!
Here's a couple iPhone shots taken 15 minutes after moving them over...
Unknown Milli, can anyone ID?
Also need an ID on this Chalice, looks way better under Actinic!
Of course, everyone needs a Bali Green Slimer!
And, last, a FTS. Now there's a few things in there to look at, so I can just watch it for a while!
Well, I sure wish I knew what was up in this tank, but it's not completely happy.
I went away for 5 days, and another local reefer dropped in pre-measured food for me while I was gone. Tested everything after I got back, and all parameters were still good, ALK had dropped from 8.2 to 7.3, but over 6 days isn't an issue, correct?
Anyway, while I was gone, the birdsnest died. The Milli and Slimer both browned out, and are now showing no PE. Green digi looks poor. Zoos and fish still look great, but a mushroom has been shrinking slowly since added two weeks ago.
I don't get it, something is definitely wrong, but I can't find it.
I went away for 5 days, and another local reefer dropped in pre-measured food for me while I was gone. Tested everything after I got back, and all parameters were still good, ALK had dropped from 8.2 to 7.3, but over 6 days isn't an issue, correct?
Anyway, while I was gone, the birdsnest died. The Milli and Slimer both browned out, and are now showing no PE. Green digi looks poor. Zoos and fish still look great, but a mushroom has been shrinking slowly since added two weeks ago.
I don't get it, something is definitely wrong, but I can't find it.
so there is this magic fairy dust called "maturing tank of stability blessing". red sea will have a test for it next year to test the ppm of this dust you have. judging by the state of your dry rock, you have none.
CStrickland
New member
Those can be pretty bright lights, maybe the coral needed a bit more of an acclimation to them?
That's certainly a thought, except these corals were acclimated for a week or more in my 29g with the same light overhead. Also, the Primes over the 56g are topped out at 40% with a fairly hefty acclimation programmed in.
Also, if it were an issue of too much light, wouldn't I expect to see them bleach out? Instead, mostly they turn dark brown.
I did another 20% water change today, I think I'll keep doing that every couple days for a while and see if that helps. I'm new to the hobby, but to me, it looks like there's something in my water that the Corals don't like. That being said, I ran some poly filter for a week and it just turned a light tan color which doesn't point to any specific contaminant.
Getting a touch frustrated, but I guess that's the game, eh?
Also, if it were an issue of too much light, wouldn't I expect to see them bleach out? Instead, mostly they turn dark brown.
I did another 20% water change today, I think I'll keep doing that every couple days for a while and see if that helps. I'm new to the hobby, but to me, it looks like there's something in my water that the Corals don't like. That being said, I ran some poly filter for a week and it just turned a light tan color which doesn't point to any specific contaminant.
Getting a touch frustrated, but I guess that's the game, eh?
ZeeSparrow
New member
No expert here but browning out from what I've read suggests not enough light.
I've read that too, but not sure that's the root problem in this case. They spent time first in my 29g, under an identical light but at a lower setting, and held their color pretty well until I moved them to the 56...
I'm hoping now that all the experts here are correct, and it's more of a 'tank maturity' issue. I'll wait a few more weeks, maybe import some more seed rock from my other tank (which is currently going gangbusters) and watch for signs of more biodiversity.
I did give in today and move my Yellow Assesor out of QT. The Jawfish was starting to look lonely! (Ok, not really. He's easily amused by the Nassarius snails and hermits.)
I'm hoping now that all the experts here are correct, and it's more of a 'tank maturity' issue. I'll wait a few more weeks, maybe import some more seed rock from my other tank (which is currently going gangbusters) and watch for signs of more biodiversity.
I did give in today and move my Yellow Assesor out of QT. The Jawfish was starting to look lonely! (Ok, not really. He's easily amused by the Nassarius snails and hermits.)
Well folks, this is me being absolutely bummed.
Fed the tank(s) this morning, and immediately knew something was wrong when my Blue Spot Jawfish didn't come racing out for some food. A quick check of his favorite spots, and I don't see him. I checked the overflow and sump hoping like heck he'd made it in there, but nope. With dread, I looked behind the tank and found him on the carpet.
All reading on this fish warns you will need a tight fitting lid. If you look through this thread, you'll see that I built just that, it fit very well. That is, until I put water in the tank...
One thing I neglected to discuss with the builder on the tank design, was the height of the water in the display. Being new, I guess I didn't even realize that was a variable I needed to consider. Once I filled the tank and had the return pump running, the water level settled less than 3/4 from the rim. The builder recommended I drill a couple holes in the overflow, below the teeth but above the level of the return nozzle, to allow more flow into the box and lower the tank level. I did this, but by the time I had two 1/2 holes drilled, I felt I had been lucky not to crack the overflow box and was scared to drill any more. I called it good and started the tank.
Once I had it running in place in my living room and after I added the Jawfish, I started using the lid. It was soon clear that I didn't have enough room between the lid and the water level, because it would be completely soaked in water. My compromise was to flip the lid over so the mounting tabs rested on the rim and the frame of the lid was above the tabs, so just above the rim of the tank instead of just below and inside the rim.
This means that I have to manually align the lid when I set it on. I guess when I put it on last night after feeding, I didn't get it lined up perfectly, and it created just enough of a gap for him to find his way out. A word of warning to anyone considering a Blue Spot Jawfish, or any other jumpers, this gap was VERY small, if I showed it to you you would have a hard time believing a fish could jump out through it.
So, there went what had certainly become the favorite fish for both my wife and I. I dread telling her about it when she gets home today.
Not every day in this hobby is a good one.
Last picture of my little buddy, two days ago.
Fed the tank(s) this morning, and immediately knew something was wrong when my Blue Spot Jawfish didn't come racing out for some food. A quick check of his favorite spots, and I don't see him. I checked the overflow and sump hoping like heck he'd made it in there, but nope. With dread, I looked behind the tank and found him on the carpet.
All reading on this fish warns you will need a tight fitting lid. If you look through this thread, you'll see that I built just that, it fit very well. That is, until I put water in the tank...
One thing I neglected to discuss with the builder on the tank design, was the height of the water in the display. Being new, I guess I didn't even realize that was a variable I needed to consider. Once I filled the tank and had the return pump running, the water level settled less than 3/4 from the rim. The builder recommended I drill a couple holes in the overflow, below the teeth but above the level of the return nozzle, to allow more flow into the box and lower the tank level. I did this, but by the time I had two 1/2 holes drilled, I felt I had been lucky not to crack the overflow box and was scared to drill any more. I called it good and started the tank.
Once I had it running in place in my living room and after I added the Jawfish, I started using the lid. It was soon clear that I didn't have enough room between the lid and the water level, because it would be completely soaked in water. My compromise was to flip the lid over so the mounting tabs rested on the rim and the frame of the lid was above the tabs, so just above the rim of the tank instead of just below and inside the rim.
This means that I have to manually align the lid when I set it on. I guess when I put it on last night after feeding, I didn't get it lined up perfectly, and it created just enough of a gap for him to find his way out. A word of warning to anyone considering a Blue Spot Jawfish, or any other jumpers, this gap was VERY small, if I showed it to you you would have a hard time believing a fish could jump out through it.
So, there went what had certainly become the favorite fish for both my wife and I. I dread telling her about it when she gets home today.
Not every day in this hobby is a good one.
Last picture of my little buddy, two days ago.
ZeeSparrow
New member
Oh man I'm sorry.
JMorris271
New member
Oh gosh, I am so sorry about that happened to you.
Is there a suggested distance from the bottom of the tank rim to set the level so this won't happen to others?
Is there a suggested distance from the bottom of the tank rim to set the level so this won't happen to others?
Thank you for the kind words. Still bummed, but planning corrections so it won't happen again, because I definitely hope to bring in another Jawfish, they are just too cool.
On a positive note, I think (guardedly) maybe we're starting to turn a corner with regard to corals in this tank... Maybe I'll have some better pictures for you in a little bit!
On a positive note, I think (guardedly) maybe we're starting to turn a corner with regard to corals in this tank... Maybe I'll have some better pictures for you in a little bit!
thestreetzking
New member
damn sorry to hear about the fish loss. At least you know what did it, and can fix it. Looking forward to see where this tank goes!
Regarding the lid, the next step is to modify the my overflow weir to lower the water level in the tank by 1/2" - 1". This will allow me to flip the lid back over and drop it inside the rim, thus making a very tight fit again. I'm not really looking forward to doing it, because I don't feel real great about putting a bunch of acrylic shavings into the system. Plus, I am a hobbyist, not a tank builder, that's why I paid a professional to build the tank in the first place! Not to say they made a mistake, but I wish I would have known to talk to them about this variable before the tank was put together. Newb mistake.
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