Reefer 350 build
- Thread starter neiltus
- Start date
neiltus
New member
Yesterday went to LFS store and picked up some Sally's Krill. Felt like I needed to feed the Pistol Shrimp-did not want to have missing snails. So I thawed one Krill and set it outside his hole...about an hour after lights out he was chowing down...actually got to see this...pretty cool.
The snails are doing a number on the hair algae. The two fighting conch cruised around the tank for a couple days before going sub-surface...I assume their either napping or eating something down there...at the base of the rock work.
I found out the discrepancy between the Salfert and api tests for NO3. Seems the Salifert also picks up NO3 that is bound to NH2...it's called anime nitrate...it still counts as nitrate but does not show up on the api test for chemistry reasons beyond my ability to comprehend. Anyway, with Salifert showing NO3 approaching 50ppm, I did a large water change of 50% as well as changing socks, cleaning filter media, etc. This got my NO3 down to about 30ppm and will test again tonight to see how quickly it has rebounded. I feel like this rock and the die off will be processed into NO3 pretty quickly, so I started carbon dosing...using NOPOX, just started with 3ml/day and will gradually work up. I don't want to get into the chasing the NO3 with 100% changes every week or so...so in the meantime, that is that. I would like to aim for a NO3 below 10PPM and a PO4 around .1-.2
In the process of setting up a QT tank...first purchases will be a goby to hopefully pair with the pistol shrimp and maybe a wrasse or firefish.
The snails are doing a number on the hair algae. The two fighting conch cruised around the tank for a couple days before going sub-surface...I assume their either napping or eating something down there...at the base of the rock work.
I found out the discrepancy between the Salfert and api tests for NO3. Seems the Salifert also picks up NO3 that is bound to NH2...it's called anime nitrate...it still counts as nitrate but does not show up on the api test for chemistry reasons beyond my ability to comprehend. Anyway, with Salifert showing NO3 approaching 50ppm, I did a large water change of 50% as well as changing socks, cleaning filter media, etc. This got my NO3 down to about 30ppm and will test again tonight to see how quickly it has rebounded. I feel like this rock and the die off will be processed into NO3 pretty quickly, so I started carbon dosing...using NOPOX, just started with 3ml/day and will gradually work up. I don't want to get into the chasing the NO3 with 100% changes every week or so...so in the meantime, that is that. I would like to aim for a NO3 below 10PPM and a PO4 around .1-.2
In the process of setting up a QT tank...first purchases will be a goby to hopefully pair with the pistol shrimp and maybe a wrasse or firefish.
neiltus
New member
Well, with the NO3 well above 50ppm, I decided it was time to hit it with dilution. Did two 32.5g water changes one day after next. That managed to get the NO3 down under 10ppm with a salfert kit and PO4 to .19. Also manually removed a little green fuzz. I will do another change of around 30g tomorrow or monday to get it down around 5ppm.
I also tried some HW reef salt...man this stuff mixes and clears in about 5 minutes...this will be my new go to salt as it clears a lot quicker vs the bucket of Topic Marine reef that I used. It does have good calcium and mag levels 460 and 1420 as tested, the alkalinity went fast, a day after the water changes I was in the mid 7s...no biggie, fixed easy.
Added a cleaner shrimp attention ho. Kids think it's funny to stick their hand in and be attacked by the shrimp.
Continuing with the 4ml Nopox.
Got everything set up for the QT tank. Plan to order some livestock next week after I am back in town, going to do formalin dip and TTM with 2 doses of prazi on 2nd and 4th stage followed by 6 weeks in the QT for observation and treatment. Fish 1 will be a Yellow Goby (Cryptocentrus cincture) for hopeful pairing with the pistol shrimp that came with the rock (unless someone can offer another suggestion), fish 2 will either be a Exquisite Filefish (Nemateleotris exquisite)/ Helfrichi (Nemateleotris helfrichi) or possibly a Wrasse Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus solorensis)/Orange-Back Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus aurantidorsalis)/Yellow-Flanked Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus lyukyuensis).
I also tried some HW reef salt...man this stuff mixes and clears in about 5 minutes...this will be my new go to salt as it clears a lot quicker vs the bucket of Topic Marine reef that I used. It does have good calcium and mag levels 460 and 1420 as tested, the alkalinity went fast, a day after the water changes I was in the mid 7s...no biggie, fixed easy.
Added a cleaner shrimp attention ho. Kids think it's funny to stick their hand in and be attacked by the shrimp.
Continuing with the 4ml Nopox.
Got everything set up for the QT tank. Plan to order some livestock next week after I am back in town, going to do formalin dip and TTM with 2 doses of prazi on 2nd and 4th stage followed by 6 weeks in the QT for observation and treatment. Fish 1 will be a Yellow Goby (Cryptocentrus cincture) for hopeful pairing with the pistol shrimp that came with the rock (unless someone can offer another suggestion), fish 2 will either be a Exquisite Filefish (Nemateleotris exquisite)/ Helfrichi (Nemateleotris helfrichi) or possibly a Wrasse Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus solorensis)/Orange-Back Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus aurantidorsalis)/Yellow-Flanked Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus lyukyuensis).
neiltus
New member
Picked up a couple frags, did a bath in coral RX for 5 min followed by a bath in Bayer Insect for almost 20minutes. They both looked like crap after the bath, but perked up pretty good after an hour in the tank...
The chalice is pretty much covering the entire plug...sooooo, since I am new to this...do I just throw it on a rock and let it go to town or place on substrate, or mount on a larger plug?
The chalice is pretty much covering the entire plug...sooooo, since I am new to this...do I just throw it on a rock and let it go to town or place on substrate, or mount on a larger plug?
Ron Reefman
Active member
If you have a rock you want it to grow out onto, just get it in place and let it grow. If you don't have a rock in the tank you want it to grow onto, find a new one, mount it and put it in the tank. At least that's what I do most of the time.
neiltus
New member
10 days have passed, the chalice has actually either grown or just relaxed around the edge. It's on the sand bed and started to open towards the sandbed.
I have noticed an emerald crab hiding out near the zoa frag, it does not appear he is injuring them in any way. They are still open and I might have one or two new small ones on the frag, or maybe just little ones that are not opening? I placed the frag on rock rubble and hope I can get them to spread onto the rubble.
Parameters are decent:
Ca 440
Kh 8.5
Mg 1380
NO3 is between 10 and 25, closer to 10 according to Salifert
PO3 is under .3, just a whine, but the hanna checker has a LOT of slop in it...my unit either shuts off through the test or reagent is still in the pack or spilt on the side of the bottle. So I will just assume with all tests that it's around this number.
I am doing about 15 gallons of H2O change a week. I assume that the system total is about 80g with the rock. I am still dosing NoPox at now 9ml/day. Have not really seen an affect to the NO3/PO4 yet, but I worked up to the 9ml dose. The skimmer is running wet and pulling out some stuff. I don't feed much, just an occasional Krill to the pistol shrimp that is waiting for his goby buddy. I wonder if I need to feed something to the peppermint or cleaner shrimp??? Both fighting conchs have reappeared after going sub for a couple weeks.
I did let better judgement go out the door and purchased a wall hammer yesterday at the LFS. I know a lot of people have issues with the wall type...this one seemed pretty heathy and I watched it at the LFS for the better part of 10 days since I bought the other corals. It does have a small area where it was displaced from the remainder of the coral...it's visible in the photo. Brought it home yesterday and gave it 5 min in Coral RX and 16 in Bayer...it looked like it was very unhappy...moved a couple places last night looking for some lower flow and lower lighting....anyways...we will see.
Other than that, I am planning on some stuff from battle corals in the next couple weeks...hopefully the NO3/PO4 will start to come down with the carbon and WC before then. Looking at red/purple stuff.
I have noticed an emerald crab hiding out near the zoa frag, it does not appear he is injuring them in any way. They are still open and I might have one or two new small ones on the frag, or maybe just little ones that are not opening? I placed the frag on rock rubble and hope I can get them to spread onto the rubble.
Parameters are decent:
Ca 440
Kh 8.5
Mg 1380
NO3 is between 10 and 25, closer to 10 according to Salifert
PO3 is under .3, just a whine, but the hanna checker has a LOT of slop in it...my unit either shuts off through the test or reagent is still in the pack or spilt on the side of the bottle. So I will just assume with all tests that it's around this number.
I am doing about 15 gallons of H2O change a week. I assume that the system total is about 80g with the rock. I am still dosing NoPox at now 9ml/day. Have not really seen an affect to the NO3/PO4 yet, but I worked up to the 9ml dose. The skimmer is running wet and pulling out some stuff. I don't feed much, just an occasional Krill to the pistol shrimp that is waiting for his goby buddy. I wonder if I need to feed something to the peppermint or cleaner shrimp??? Both fighting conchs have reappeared after going sub for a couple weeks.
I did let better judgement go out the door and purchased a wall hammer yesterday at the LFS. I know a lot of people have issues with the wall type...this one seemed pretty heathy and I watched it at the LFS for the better part of 10 days since I bought the other corals. It does have a small area where it was displaced from the remainder of the coral...it's visible in the photo. Brought it home yesterday and gave it 5 min in Coral RX and 16 in Bayer...it looked like it was very unhappy...moved a couple places last night looking for some lower flow and lower lighting....anyways...we will see.
Other than that, I am planning on some stuff from battle corals in the next couple weeks...hopefully the NO3/PO4 will start to come down with the carbon and WC before then. Looking at red/purple stuff.
Ron Reefman
Active member
Neil, have you considered putting a small amount of nori in a clip and putting it in the tank? I hang a clip for my tang, who loves it. But if I hang it near the rocks, the cleaner shrimp will climb up and is even willing to swim some to get to the nori. I hang my clip with a piece of fishing line and an all plastic clip or a suction cup at the other end. The clip lets me have more options on there I hang the nori in the tank. The suction cup allows me to just stick it on the outside glass wit the nori clip against the inside of the glass.
scubadan206
Member
Off to a good start.
Good luck.
Daniel.
Good luck.
Daniel.
electronaught
New member
Looks like things are coming along nicely.
I'm enjoying watching the progress as I review all the plans I put together for my tank build and prepare to get started in earnest!
:spin1:
I'm enjoying watching the progress as I review all the plans I put together for my tank build and prepare to get started in earnest!
:spin1:
neiltus
New member
Well, it's been a whopping 20 days since an update.
I discontinued NOPOX (started to get some of that bacterial slime) bc my NO3 went to well below 3ppm and my PO4 was still high- around .44 via hanna, there are two small patches of GHA, that I harvest at water changes. Went about 10 days off NOPOx and started some GFO in a reactor (.5 cup). Been doing that for a couple days while closely monitoring KH and Ca.
Kids want a fish, so I picked up a yellow goby and a small Potter's that has been up at the LFS for 3 weeks (and eating well). Currently there in formalin, and are going into TTM for 12 days or so before going into an observation tank till I am bored (maybe 4-6 weeks).
All inverts are doing well, snails keep knocking over my zoas. The pistol shrimp eats well. Just need to get that PO4 in check. I assume it is from the Pukani leeching, guess that is what you get with live rock...oh well, the GFO should kill it with some continued water changes.
I discontinued NOPOX (started to get some of that bacterial slime) bc my NO3 went to well below 3ppm and my PO4 was still high- around .44 via hanna, there are two small patches of GHA, that I harvest at water changes. Went about 10 days off NOPOx and started some GFO in a reactor (.5 cup). Been doing that for a couple days while closely monitoring KH and Ca.
Kids want a fish, so I picked up a yellow goby and a small Potter's that has been up at the LFS for 3 weeks (and eating well). Currently there in formalin, and are going into TTM for 12 days or so before going into an observation tank till I am bored (maybe 4-6 weeks).
All inverts are doing well, snails keep knocking over my zoas. The pistol shrimp eats well. Just need to get that PO4 in check. I assume it is from the Pukani leeching, guess that is what you get with live rock...oh well, the GFO should kill it with some continued water changes.
vikinglord13
New member
All looks well, I like your aquascape.
Are you planning on getting a goby in hopes that it pairs with the pistol shrimp?
Are you planning on getting a goby in hopes that it pairs with the pistol shrimp?
neiltus
New member
Yes, or maybe he might become lunch for the pistol shrimp.
I have actually been thinking of adding a few different smaller gobies to the tank. I will probably put a second or third yellow prawn in there and possibly a clown goby or two.
I am going for several small peaceful fish vs a few large fish.
Decided on no tangs. Tank is borderline in size, and stressed tangs are a headache.
Copied from another thread re:fighting PO4 http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2604446, update on TTM fish:
In other news-My Potter's angel and Yellow Prawn Goby are finishing up their last 2 days of TTM (today is day 12, going to add two more days w 2nd dose of Prazi), I have done 6 transfers after the initial formalin dip, I did Prazi a week ago for 24 hours, they are in their 6th tank, with prazi, for the next 48 hours and will go into observation for 4-6 weeks after this last TTM stage. Both are eating well (was worried about the potters) and are showing no sights of stress. Prazi dose was 2ml to 7.5gallons of water.
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Ron Reefman
Active member
Good luck with the Potter's dwarf angel. I had one for about 2 months... they are such a nice looking fish.
vikinglord13
New member
Man I am just really enjoying your aquascape. Did you use rods or putty to design it or is it all settled down by gravity?
Have you thought about getting some smaller tangs, perhaps a kole tang? Your tank is big enough for one of those.
Have you thought about getting some smaller tangs, perhaps a kole tang? Your tank is big enough for one of those.
reddtiger88
New member
Nice tank! I like the rock. Following.
