ReefWaters' 220 Sun Room Reef

[ReefWaters]

I thought I had replied to this but it looks like it never took. Oh well. Cant remember what I said. :spin3:

I am performing some rutine maintenance today. Wiping things down, cleaning the glass, etc, etc, etc, etc.

The big project on the list today is breaking down and cleaning the skimmer. I am going to soak the pumps over night in a vinigar bath and reasemble everything tomorrow. My main skimmmer body has a lot of coraline algea growing on the inside though. It probably wont survive the night anyway but should I bother with cleaning it off the acrylic? I dont want to scratch the acrylic and it will take filling the entire sink to saok it. What do you guys think? Do you think perfectly smooth walls in the main body make much of a difference? Where the head begins to taper into the riser cup I keep that spotless by wiping it down every day or two.

 

[jnarowe]

Good question. It was tough keeping mine clean, and I did a couple things that greatly reduced the work. First, I installed a cleaning magnet in both the body and the neck. That way I could just run the magnet around the skimmer and keep it clean. I also used black static-cling material on the lighted side of the neck. This worked great.

I think it would be better to get a system in place, and then do a major cleaning, so that when it is clean, you'll be able to keep it that way much easier.

 

[WDLV]

I say soak and run the pumps in vinegar overnight. The skimmer body is a waste of time and vinegar. I would however give it a good rinse and examination to be sure there are no calcarious chunks or featherduster tubes. that stuff can ruin your pumps.

 

[ReefWaters]

Yeah, I am definitely not going to clean the main body on this go round. I did go ahead and do a light cleaning on all the plumbing and eyed it for shells, feather dusters, etc. The pumps get cleaned and soaked in vinegar every few months so they stay nice and clean. I put them in a clear container this go round and after a few hours they already looked like they were brand new even without scrubbing. I'll re-assemble the skimmer and get it back on line this afternoon after work.

On a completely separate note, has anyone played with the new EcoSmart driver from Vortech?

 

[ReefWaters]

WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
I CAUGHT SALLY!!!!!!!!

:beer: :celeb3: :spin1: :wavehand: :dance: :bounce1: :fun2: :hammer:


I noticed that she was munching on some algae about halfway up the one glass wall that I don't clean. When I walked in the room she hid under the frag rack in the corner. I have had her here before but lost her when she darted back into the rock work. I slowly started placing fish nets around the perimeter of the frag rack so she couldn't get to the rock work. Thank goodness I have kept every fish net I have ever purchased. I used 4 to surround the rack. Then I got some wooden skewers and started trying to stab her. That didn't work so I began to corral her into the nets. That worked perfectly and she darted deep into one of the nets. I yanked it out as fast I could move.

So she is alive.... Not sure what to do with her now. I am having hard time bringing myself to killing her.

Any thoughts? Would you kill her?

It wouldn't be a good idea to put her in my fuge would it?

Anyway, the good news is NOW I CAN BUY SOME FISH!!!!!!!!

 

[Bax]

Nice catch!

Put 'er in the fuge! She'll munch algea detritus and food chunks that manage thru to the fuge for a long time. True bio filtration!

I had "Boris", a 21/2" gorilla crab in my old fuge for years!

 

[jnarowe]

gratz!

 

[ReefWaters]

Well, I threw her in the fuge for now. I should be able to catch her fairly easily if I need to.

So lets talk about fish! :spin3:

My current fish list is very short.

1 x Coral Beauty - Centropyge Bispinosus
1 x Six Line Wrasse - Pseudocheilinus hexataenia
1 x Whitecheek Tang - Acanthurus nigricans
3 x Regal Demoiselle - Neopomacentrus cyanomos

I would like a few more tangs. Possibly a Clown Tang, Powder Blue Tang and an Orange Shoulder. Thoughts?

I have always wanted a Blueface Angel but I don't think I'm ready for this fish yet and I'd rather air on the side of caution.

I definately want to add a Centropyge Potteri (Potters Angel) AND a Centropyge loriculus (Flame Angel). I think this will be okay in this tank. Anyone agree or disagree?

I love clowns but I have never had the patience to properly care for an anemone.

I LOVE small schooling fish. I'm not interested in anthias. I would love a school of 25+ chromis but I'm afraid they would take over. Thoughts on this? What other small species school and are relatively inexpensive?

Foxface? Ive never been a fan of Foxface but I am intrigued by the potential grazing benefits.

Im realy just trying to keep it simple.

 

[Bax]

Clown Tangs are tough, but beautiful, The PBT and your White Cheek may not play well together. I m a huge fan of OSTs.

In a 220 you can definitely pull off muliple centropyge angels, IMO. But even in that sized tank you'll need to be creative when adding them. I float gallon sized clear jugs in the tank for about a week with new fish additions this size and it works pretty well.

I fought getting chromis at first, but they look great amongst the corals, so do the smaller damsels.

For a centerpiece angel, consider, majestic, regal or a blue line, they are overall "smaller" large angels.

Fox Face are the trash cans of the reef. I lucked out and mine actually loves to eat bubble algea! The long snout gets them places many tangs can't go!

 

[ReefWaters]

Bax, I feel like a have 100 questions for you! But I'll start with just a few. :spin3:

Can you explain the gallon jug concept to me a little better? Do you leave the new addition in the jug for an entire week? Feed it in there and everything? That seems small and stressful. Do you happen to have a picture of the jug you use?

As for the Fox Face. Is it just the Fox Face Lo that occasionally eats bubble algae or all Rabbitfish species? I like the One Spot better and of course the Magnificent or Yellow Blotch Rabbit even better. But I'm looking at this fish as a work horse and not as a show piece so I want to get the correct one. And bubble algae is a huge headache for me that I am constantly battling.

I think the Chromis will be a later addition. My corals are getting large but I still want a TON of coral for them to hide in. I have had them in the past and they definitely make a "home base" in specific spots of the coral head. I think they do much better with more coral as this is where they hide in the wild and not just in the rockwork.

 

[KashAlp]

Great tank and beautiful fish room. Im jealous (of the fish room).

looking for a amazing grazzer? Give the Yellow eye kole tang a try. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+43+345&pcatid=345

I've had a foxface for months and he does an "ok" job of cleaning up.
About 3 weeks ago i did a tank overhaul and sandbed replacement, and ended up with my new sandbed covered in blue-green algea. Picked up the kole tang 3 days ago and my sandbed is now completly white again! Almost immediatly he started munching on everything. IMO he does a better job of keeping things clean then my sandsifting star, goby,snails,hermits, and foxface all put together.
Not to mention the kole is a beautiful purple color also and very active. Great fish, easy to keep, highly recommended

best of luck, keep the pics coming

 

[ReefWaters]

I have considered the Kole tang as well. Aren't they closely related to the Chevron Tang though? Chevron's are extremely difficult to keep am I correct? Ive never heard that the Kole tang is difficult.

Now what about introducing all of these guys? Should I introduce all the tangs at the same time? What about introduction them with other fish? Does that matter?

What I'm thinking about is going ahead and placing an order in the next few weeks for:

1 x Kole Tang
1 x Fox Face (one spot probably)
1 x Orange Shoulder (if I can find one)
1 x Flame Angel

I would wait for the Potters Angel and any other more tricky fish like the Powder Blue and/or Clown Tang.

I'd also like to eventually add a pair of Mandarin Gobys but I am concerned about the damsels and Six Line wrasse harassing them to death.

 

[Bax]

Bax, I feel like a have 100 questions for you! But I'll start with just a few. :spin3:

Can you explain the gallon jug concept to me a little better? Do you leave the new addition in the jug for an entire week? Feed it in there and everything? That seems small and stressful. Do you happen to have a picture of the jug you use?

As for the Fox Face. Is it just the Fox Face Lo that occasionally eats bubble algae or all Rabbitfish species? I like the One Spot better and of course the Magnificent or Yellow Blotch Rabbit even better. But I'm looking at this fish as a work horse and not as a show piece so I want to get the correct one. And bubble algae is a huge headache for me that I am constantly battling.

I think the Chromis will be a later addition. My corals are getting large but I still want a TON of coral for them to hide in. I have had them in the past and they definitely make a "home base" in specific spots of the coral head. I think they do much better with more coral as this is where they hide in the wild and not just in the rockwork.

Sorry ... Had to work! :spin2:

This is the gist. This is just a tiny dottyback, but it'll work for small angels too. My LFS floats flame angels in 1/2pint jars like this for up to a week.

For small fish like this I just pick the jar up half way out of the water once or twice a day to "change water" for a larger fish, you can use asmall power head to turn water over 24/7.

I kept the dottyback in there for over a week. It gives everyone in the tank a chance to de-sensetize to the new fish. I've added several orchid dottybacks into an established OD with this method. Planed to use it for a flame and an argi. Both surfed out of QT ... even with covers! :furious:

As for the fox, I have a one spot. It did not touch bubble until the blue stripe rabbit shown in the second pic, showed him how. If you have no zoas and no clams, this BS rabbit is a absolute algal trash can. But he tasted everything that wasn't SPS so he had to go!

 

[KashAlp]

I have considered the Kole tang as well. Aren't they closely related to the Chevron Tang though? Chevron's are extremely difficult to keep am I correct? Ive never heard that the Kole tang is difficult.

Yes i believe the kole tang is related to the chevron tang. They are in the bristletooth tang family along with the tomini tang. Not sure how difficult the chevrons are to keep but i heard that the kole is moderately easy. I am finding that my kole is a very active eater but also very shy.

My LFS keeps one kole in each coral tank to clean up algea. They are they only fish in the tank with the coral and they have been in there for years succesfully.


In other news.. my LFS also jsut got in a nice size order of orange shoulder tangs. Considering picking one up after i do some reading on them. any tips?

 

[ReefWaters]

Bax, I still don't understand how you keep the jar afloat? I also think I'm going to stick with a simple One Spot Fox for now. I do plan on doing some more reading on all of these fish before purchasing them.

KashAlp, are the Orange Shoulders at your LFS juveniles or adults? I love that they start out yellow and then get their adult coloration later. I'll post here if I find some good reading on these guys. Please do the same.

 

[Bax]

ReefWaters

Because of flow I lash it to the canopy or cross brace with fishing line to keep it from tumbling.

I've seen reefers weigh containers like this and sink the to the bottom. Especially for larger fish some of the angel keepers use containers of a few gallons in size. It seems it will make feeding a little trickier and you need the floor space.

 

[KashAlp]

Bax, I still don't understand how you keep the jar afloat? I also think I'm going to stick with a simple One Spot Fox for now. I do plan on doing some more reading on all of these fish before purchasing them.

KashAlp, are the Orange Shoulders at your LFS juveniles or adults? I love that they start out yellow and then get their adult coloration later. I'll post here if I find some good reading on these guys. Please do the same.

They are juveniles, but they are more greyish then yellow. maybe a differant type of orange shoulder? i was suprised also because they are only maybe 3-4" long. being so small i expected them to be yellow also.

 

[ReefWaters]

I took some frags to my LFS this Saturday and was able to make a nice even trade for a Flame Angel and a Kole Tang.

I made the decision to go ahead and introduce them to the tank as I always do after acclimation by just throwing them to the wolves. This has always worked out fine for me because I have never had many fish in my tanks. Most of the time other fish don't even notice the new addition.

The Flame Angel took to the tank within an hour or two as if it had lived there for years. It is cruising around the tank like it owns the place. Not bothering anyone and no one bothering it. The Coral Beauty barely thinks twice when it sees it. Maybe a fin flash for a second but that's about it.

But my Whitecheek tang, who has never seen a new addition to the tank, is EXTREMELY UNHAPPY with he Kole tang. It chases the Kole around the tank every time it comes out of hiding and will even work its way into the Kole's hiding places to drive it out. The Whitecheek just cruises the tank in a figure 8 pattern checking every spot the Kole likes to hide. They are about the same size. The Kole seems very stressed and the Whitecheek doesn't seem to be letting up. I have been feeding a LOT more than usual trying to keep the Whitecheek happy. By the time I get home from work today the Kole will have been in the tank for approximately 52 hours. How long should I wait before pulling the Kole out and separating them completely? What signs should I look for that they will start to get along?

I feel like I should have floated the Kole as Bax suggested but I couldn't come up with a reasonable container to comfortably house a 5" long, highly active, fish for any amount of time. I will definitely come up with something before I introduce another tang though.

 

[octoboy]

How's it going Ross!

I say give it a bit more time with the tangs as long as there is no substantial physical damage. I introduced a blue-eyed tang into a 500 with an existing tomini, and the tomini kept the BE pinned in the rocks for about a week. There were a couple of tail stabs here and there, but nothing serious. After a while the tomini gave up and now they don't even notice each other.

 

[octoboy]

And your tank is looking fantastic! The frags you gave me are still going strong as well.