becon776
New member
So I am just thinking out loud here....might get long winded.
I have come to the realization that i have got a SERIOUS amount of work to do. My tank is ugh... And that is the effect of having it as a bachelor decoration to all the uninitiated who's jaws drop when they see a cleaner shrimp dart out for food or are amazed at how the xenia actually pulses and "those are all animals like jellyfish stuck to the bottom". They all think it is the coolest thing ever. But that's not what I see... and would be embarrassed to have anyone with a trained eye see the tank.
Status: all fish healthy, LPS healthy (ttorch
, SPS hanging on - poor growth, poor color.
I have SLACKED with water changes... not only because it's easy to be rationalized by the uninitiated but also because my canopy is a PITA to take off and put back on... but A month ago I kind of figured out a way to get it off and on by myself.
problems: vermetids, algae, detritus, out of control xenia and GSP.
plan: this is going to be day after day labor intensive. day after day i need to feed so I know where those damn spider webs are, superglue their holes for a bit, try to pry some of the GSP off the rocks or xenia then toothbrush the rock.
side note: the vermetids are more of a nuisance than the net tells us they are, their spiderwebs come out and the reel PART of them back in leaving the webs draped all over the rocks then I scrape the glass and feedings and general stuff in the water column. Over a year leaving the rocks coated with an algaeish detritus that wont blow off with a baster. UGLY and can't grow calcareous bc the rocks are coated.
anyway after toothbrush the rock water change.
Repeat day after day until there is no noticable xenia or GSP or detrital layer left on the rock. For the final step somewhere in here I will siphon out the small layer of sand that has got to be full of crap and replace with two bags of live sand (hate BB)
FInally i have a new sump, up until now I have had NO mechanical filtration in my little sump that was smaller than a ten gallon, I am happy to have a real sump again. I have to get a REAL skimmer. I am thinking that I am gonna go for the octopus 160. up until now I had a little CPR with the maxi jet. Works but woefully inadequate.
I like my stack, and all my stuff is used to it and or attached to it.. but I have also had more stable stacks.. so I know that with all this messing around at any minute I may have a collapse and be at square one.
theres the vent.. lol.
I have come to the realization that i have got a SERIOUS amount of work to do. My tank is ugh... And that is the effect of having it as a bachelor decoration to all the uninitiated who's jaws drop when they see a cleaner shrimp dart out for food or are amazed at how the xenia actually pulses and "those are all animals like jellyfish stuck to the bottom". They all think it is the coolest thing ever. But that's not what I see... and would be embarrassed to have anyone with a trained eye see the tank.
Status: all fish healthy, LPS healthy (ttorch
, SPS hanging on - poor growth, poor color.I have SLACKED with water changes... not only because it's easy to be rationalized by the uninitiated but also because my canopy is a PITA to take off and put back on... but A month ago I kind of figured out a way to get it off and on by myself.
problems: vermetids, algae, detritus, out of control xenia and GSP.
plan: this is going to be day after day labor intensive. day after day i need to feed so I know where those damn spider webs are, superglue their holes for a bit, try to pry some of the GSP off the rocks or xenia then toothbrush the rock.
side note: the vermetids are more of a nuisance than the net tells us they are, their spiderwebs come out and the reel PART of them back in leaving the webs draped all over the rocks then I scrape the glass and feedings and general stuff in the water column. Over a year leaving the rocks coated with an algaeish detritus that wont blow off with a baster. UGLY and can't grow calcareous bc the rocks are coated.
anyway after toothbrush the rock water change.
Repeat day after day until there is no noticable xenia or GSP or detrital layer left on the rock. For the final step somewhere in here I will siphon out the small layer of sand that has got to be full of crap and replace with two bags of live sand (hate BB)
FInally i have a new sump, up until now I have had NO mechanical filtration in my little sump that was smaller than a ten gallon, I am happy to have a real sump again. I have to get a REAL skimmer. I am thinking that I am gonna go for the octopus 160. up until now I had a little CPR with the maxi jet. Works but woefully inadequate.
I like my stack, and all my stuff is used to it and or attached to it.. but I have also had more stable stacks.. so I know that with all this messing around at any minute I may have a collapse and be at square one.
theres the vent.. lol.
