Some Observations and Questions, Well Mostly Questions

[shadowbearwv]

Well it's been almost 2 weeks since the second package was stuck in and had a couple questions to make sure I'm on track.

First the Condi Anemone "shrivels up" every night, and then puffs back up during the day, is this normal? Guessing no.

My Hermit crab count seems to be going down by the day. I've seen some Gorrila Crabs going after them and a crab I can't Identify. Wish I could get a pic of him but he's still a little timid. He's dark purple with white spots on his claws and black sharp tips. Any guesses, I know he's bad but don't want to get rid of him he will be going into the sump on the 75 gallon tank when I get that setup.

Feeding I'm currently using PhytoPlan every 3 days and Frozen Mysis Shrimp every three days and table shrimp for the anemones and starfish every 5 days. Going to use this til I can get up to That Pet Place on the 31st. Divemonster has suggested other stuff so going to hopefully get that or other stuff from there.

Lastly, I'm getting the 75g tank after the 25th of Jan. and will be setting that up with Lighting, plumbing the sump and moving most of the 12g to the sump. Is it ok to just have the sump running with nothing but water in the main display until say March or April for the weather to warm up to start "The Package".
Also I plan to move the 20g inhabitants over to the 75 after I get the 2nd part of the package installed in the 75, probably only going with the 50g package to keep the critter count correct in the tank.

I'd like to get the 20g package over to the 75 before I start the new package but that would probably just be cruel to the inhabitants.

Sorry for the long post just making sure I'm doing everything right.

SB

 

[divemonster]

Hey Shadow Bear! You've asked good questions. I've read that it is just fine to have water only in your setup. This gives bacteria time to grow on surfaces of the plumbing and other places and I've heard that it makes the cycle go easier. Plus you have the advantage of fixing any problems or leaks before your reef goes in.

Hermit crabs are easy enough to replace. If you can get that cool "bad" crab to take a piece of raw shrimp it might help with the disappearing hermit crab problem. Try feeding it at night about 30 minutes after the lights go out. Most of those types of crabs seem to hunt at night.

As for putting the 20g package into the 75g tank...why do you think it would be cruel? What else can you do? Put the reef in a bucket? Will your sump also have a refugium area? If so, maybe you could put the sand in the refugium along with some of the rock and the remainder on the bare surface of the tank until you get the package in for the 75g. At least that way it would get the light it needs and the water flow.

Have you asked Richard what he thinks?

 

[noahm]

If you really were concerned about something delicate, you could probably take it out and put it in your 12g during the cycle of part 1 (round 2) and move it back as soon as it is over. Otherwise, seems like it would be no problem to just let the stuff in the sump help jumpstart the cycle of the DT.

Noah

 

[shadowbearwv]

I'm a little confused from the responses so let me see if I can better explain what I plan to do in regards to the new 75.

Once I get it I will placing it in my kitchen for better veiwing and have a spot picked out for it. Plumb in a home made Sump/refugium out of a 20g long tank, with baffles and the works.
I currently have a 12g aquapod that I'm trading for the 75g tank, stand, and 2 MH setups. In the 12g I have 11 pounds of LR, 10 pounds of sand, 1 Mithrax Crab, 1 filter feeding Cucumber and a captured Mantis. I plan to move all that to the sump once it is plumbed in to the 75g.

I plan to get a 50g "Package" for the 75g, a 55g Package would put me over the top for critter count.

Here is where I get worried.
A. I'd like to go ahead and move over the 20g package once I have the tank setup, that includes everything sand and all. Once the weather warms up March/April time frame order the 50g Package. I'm worried about the Ammonia spike from the first part of the Package and it's effects on the already going 20g package.

B. Just wait on moving the 20g package over to the 75g until I have atleast the first part of the Package stablized in the 75g.

I'm still trying to figure out lighting on the 75g since I'm getting the 2 MH lights. I was thinking of doing a 14k setup for the lamps and then adding LEDs a set of blue for dusk and dawn and white for moon.

Again sorry for the long post.

SB

 

[divemonster]

ah! I think I get it now

You actually have a volume of 95g if you are using the 75g AND the 20g as a sump, right? Well, do you want to have a refugium area in the sump? It sounds like it because you said you wanted to put the cool bad crab in the sump. Sooo....when I got my package I ordered a volume to take into account my sump/refugium. Instead of the 55g package for the tank, I ordered the 65g for the extra sand and rock for the refugium. Does that make sense?

Now about your condy anemone...mine does shrink down sometimes and then reinflates itself when the lights switch on. Condys can be sensitive to environmental changes whether it's temp or chemistry (changes in pH make them unhappy). Didn't you say that it was having a hard time finding a place it liked and that it was in competition with the scallop over that one spot?

14K for lights? WOW...the TBS rock may not appreciate all that light.

 

[shadowbearwv]

Hehe I think I messed up for the lights, I'm guessing the ballast will be 150-175 watt and I was looking at the color temp of 14000k. Those are ones that you don't really need actinic for, guess they are kind of in the middle of white and blue?

The refugium area of the sump I plan to use the LR and LS that I got locally for the 12g so that's get's me up to about 75 g total 20g first package, 50g second package and 12g from the LFS.

As far as stocking, there aren't many fish I have a fancy for, some different color clowns and a citron goby. I mainly want zoa's (think that's what they are called sometimes see'em as polyps) and maybe one of those blue clams.

SB

 

[shadowbearwv]

Oh and for the condi, he and the flower anemone are fighting over the same spot, I moved the scallop to another cave, he seems happy there.

I've been doing the Nanotank additive from Kents Part A and Part B. But I think I've figured it out with the Condi, it seems to happen when I add the fresh water to top off the tank. I really need to find a better way of doing that, beside dumping in freshwater into the tank.

Going with a drip on the 75 g into the sump.

SB