Weeds
- Thread starter Michael Hoaster
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Exactly. I plan to round it off where the two walls join, especially towards the top. This should give me plenty of room to hide a pump to feed the UV.
Again, thinking out loud here, the new wall starts with the skeleton of egg crate. First, I need to know the placement of the wave box and UV pump. I can frame around them, like a box. Then there's the vents in the flow-through wall. Raised slabs should allow good flow. And I'd like it to blend into the back wall well. Take care of the function first, then the aesthetics.
I'm still hoping to get a couple more test damsels. Allen's and Tuxedo. The Allen's, or Neon Damsel looks a little like the Blue Chromis, but should be sturdier. The Tuxedo looks like a Three Stripe or Four Stripe Damsel, but is less aggro.
Having three or four schools of Damsels would be pretty sweet! Plus Grammas! Can they coexist peacefully? I think if I do it right, it'll work. Order of introduction and the QT schedule will be critical. Assuming four schools of six fish would be twenty four damsels. I'm not sure how many of them I can accommodate in QT. It's forty gallons. I think ideally I'd QT one species at a time, making order of introduction into the display important.
Maybe four species is too greedy. Maybe I should try two or three. I don't want a stressed out war zone. I want a colorful, active and peaceful community, with natural, social interactions.
I'm still hoping to get a couple more test damsels. Allen's and Tuxedo. The Allen's, or Neon Damsel looks a little like the Blue Chromis, but should be sturdier. The Tuxedo looks like a Three Stripe or Four Stripe Damsel, but is less aggro.
Having three or four schools of Damsels would be pretty sweet! Plus Grammas! Can they coexist peacefully? I think if I do it right, it'll work. Order of introduction and the QT schedule will be critical. Assuming four schools of six fish would be twenty four damsels. I'm not sure how many of them I can accommodate in QT. It's forty gallons. I think ideally I'd QT one species at a time, making order of introduction into the display important.
Maybe four species is too greedy. Maybe I should try two or three. I don't want a stressed out war zone. I want a colorful, active and peaceful community, with natural, social interactions.
McPuff
New member
I'd recommend 2 or 3 Groups, but 4 may be stretching it. You also want to make sure the species you choose will stay small. Not sure how big the tuxedo get, but the 3 and 4 stripe can get a few inches. 6 of them would be a lot. The Talbotts stay small as do the yellow tail. This should be really cool. And you know there will always be action since damsels tend to be out in the open swimming around. Will also be nice and colorful!
Thanks Patrick. I'm leaning towards three too.
Hard to believe, but, yes, fish sociology is a real thing. And it's intensified in the confines of our aquariums. I'm fascinated with order of introduction, and its' effects on fish.
Hard to believe, but, yes, fish sociology is a real thing. And it's intensified in the confines of our aquariums. I'm fascinated with order of introduction, and its' effects on fish.
Good idea Kevin! I'll keep that in mind. I'm also considering two 'waves' of three of each species in QT and introduction into the display. But I'm leaning towards six of each species, one at a time. It seems like smaller groups of three may cause more aggression in the smaller confines of QT, than starting with all six. Not sure yet.
Right on McPuff. I've been checking max sizes. No monster damsels! I'm looking at the yellow tails too. Thanks for pointing them out. I'll probably only pick one of the three blue species I'm considering, since I know color can be an issue. It's fun stuff to consider! Much more fun than figuring out the system changes…
Another slow trickle of activity. I went under the house to give the floor jack couple of turns. Over time, the floor has sagged a bit under the weight of the aquarium. I'd like to get it back to level, especially considering the extra stress the wave oscillation will cause. I cut a piece of acrylic to block the front chamber overflow. Since I need it to be dry, I'm sealing it and the return off from the tank with silicone. I got the wave box in place, and started with the cord management. There's a ton of them, with the controller, the power supply, and the light sensor. I'm not a slick cord setup guy, but I'm going to have to raise my game a bit, just to make it all fit and function properly.
Seeing the wave box in the tank gave me a clearer picture of how far it protrudes from the wall. It's further than I thought, with the magnet mounts. This will necessitate a thicker fake wall, which is not good. Too much buoyancy. I may need to build the structure with egg crate, so that the foam is just a skin.
I was concerned that the wave box output is too close to the main pump return output. I read through a ton of posts in the Tunze forum. It sounds like the only 'bad' setup is for a pump to blow right against the wave box output, so I have hope that my arrangement will work. I'm still considering giving it an early test run. I think I should do it. Maybe seeing the tank with water in it will inspire me to hurry up!
Seeing the wave box in the tank gave me a clearer picture of how far it protrudes from the wall. It's further than I thought, with the magnet mounts. This will necessitate a thicker fake wall, which is not good. Too much buoyancy. I may need to build the structure with egg crate, so that the foam is just a skin.
I was concerned that the wave box output is too close to the main pump return output. I read through a ton of posts in the Tunze forum. It sounds like the only 'bad' setup is for a pump to blow right against the wave box output, so I have hope that my arrangement will work. I'm still considering giving it an early test run. I think I should do it. Maybe seeing the tank with water in it will inspire me to hurry up!
Woo! I just got a great idea, looking at another thread! I don't need a pump for my UV. I can just use my canister filter! Elegant! Yay!
It simplifies the plumbing AND the fake wall. No additional plumbing in a tight area. More flexibility with wave box placement.
It's good. Really good.
It simplifies the plumbing AND the fake wall. No additional plumbing in a tight area. More flexibility with wave box placement.
It's good. Really good.
Chasmodes
Well-known member
Excellent!!!!
Are you going to do the test run after you complete the wall modifications? Or are you going to add a fake test skin (like tin foil, or something like that attached to your egg crate frame)? I was thinking that if you're using FW for the test, maybe you can get that worked out before you go through the foaming process?
I'll probably do a test before I build the wall. I'm less concerned with its effect on the waves as I am with the pumps' arrangement.
Thanks Dawn! I saw it done in a photo from another thread here on RC. It's a great solution to my problem.
Since I'll be running CO2 and calcium media in the canister, for a pseudo-calcium reactor, it occurs to me that I'll need to plumb the UV BEFORE the canister, to avoid calcium buildup. That shouldn't be a problem. The only complication I can think of would be the need for longer tubing to accommodate the arrangement.
With the leaves turning in my neck of the woods, it's prime time for camping and mountain biking, so I haven't progressed much lately.
Since I'll be running CO2 and calcium media in the canister, for a pseudo-calcium reactor, it occurs to me that I'll need to plumb the UV BEFORE the canister, to avoid calcium buildup. That shouldn't be a problem. The only complication I can think of would be the need for longer tubing to accommodate the arrangement.
With the leaves turning in my neck of the woods, it's prime time for camping and mountain biking, so I haven't progressed much lately.
Two, new, test damsels! A Neon and a Tuxedo.
The neon arrived dull, but active. A few hours later, it was gorgeous! The tuxedo is big - maybe three inches. So far, he's been a gentle giant, but that may change. He's just that much bigger. The neon is close to the same length, but slimmer. I really prefer smaller fish. On the bright side, these will give me a window into their older, grumpier phases. They're both beautiful fish. The neon especially, with its shimmer! I'm hoping they'll turn out to be a sturdier replacement for Caribbean Blue Chromis. The tuxedos are my mellower replacement for Four Stripe Humbugs.
I'm really enjoying this damsel research. It's taking me in a direction I never expected, but I'm going with it. I had a damsel tank in my head for a while, but I hadn't planned it for this tank. Getting several different schools to coexist in my tank would be cool! We'll see how things go in QT.
Keeping only one of each doesn't give me a complete picture, but I'm most curious about how each species relates to the others. I should be able to determine their pecking order. This will inform my order of introduction. Mellowest fish first, one whole school at a time.
No camping plans this weekend, so maybe I'll get some system fixes done.
The neon arrived dull, but active. A few hours later, it was gorgeous! The tuxedo is big - maybe three inches. So far, he's been a gentle giant, but that may change. He's just that much bigger. The neon is close to the same length, but slimmer. I really prefer smaller fish. On the bright side, these will give me a window into their older, grumpier phases. They're both beautiful fish. The neon especially, with its shimmer! I'm hoping they'll turn out to be a sturdier replacement for Caribbean Blue Chromis. The tuxedos are my mellower replacement for Four Stripe Humbugs.
I'm really enjoying this damsel research. It's taking me in a direction I never expected, but I'm going with it. I had a damsel tank in my head for a while, but I hadn't planned it for this tank. Getting several different schools to coexist in my tank would be cool! We'll see how things go in QT.
Keeping only one of each doesn't give me a complete picture, but I'm most curious about how each species relates to the others. I should be able to determine their pecking order. This will inform my order of introduction. Mellowest fish first, one whole school at a time.
No camping plans this weekend, so maybe I'll get some system fixes done.
McPuff
New member
There certainly are a LOT of damsel species so you have many choices. I'm looking forward to seeing this. Damsels are generally very pretty fish with some striking patterns. If they weren't such little trouble-makers (e.g., 3-4 stripe, domino) I'd have quite a few of them. :0)
True that McPuff! There are a lot of damsels to choose from. The challenge is finding ones worth keeping!
The first step was to research them and seek out less belligerent species. That got me down to about four or five. Now I'm trying out single specimens in QT to see how they get along with each other. The final step will be to introduce schools of each species to my display, after QT of course. It's a big step! In my experience, schools of fish tend to more concerned with each other, than other species. I'm counting on this, to help keep the peace. I've found that the peaceful species tend to be planktivores, rather than herbivores, which farm patches of algae and can be very territorial. With lots of open water column, I'm hoping there is enough room in my tank to accommodate multiple schools. Also, there have to be enough places to hide for everybody.
I have no idea where this will take me, but I'm enjoying the research. Damsels tick two of my favorite boxes - cheap and sturdy. Great colors, small size and constant activity are also big plusses. Stay tuned…
The first step was to research them and seek out less belligerent species. That got me down to about four or five. Now I'm trying out single specimens in QT to see how they get along with each other. The final step will be to introduce schools of each species to my display, after QT of course. It's a big step! In my experience, schools of fish tend to more concerned with each other, than other species. I'm counting on this, to help keep the peace. I've found that the peaceful species tend to be planktivores, rather than herbivores, which farm patches of algae and can be very territorial. With lots of open water column, I'm hoping there is enough room in my tank to accommodate multiple schools. Also, there have to be enough places to hide for everybody.
I have no idea where this will take me, but I'm enjoying the research. Damsels tick two of my favorite boxes - cheap and sturdy. Great colors, small size and constant activity are also big plusses. Stay tuned…
vlangel
Premium Member
Wow, how exciting! I think I will enjoy learning from your research and experience with damsels. They won't be in my near future however as long as I have ponies.
Thanks Dawn! It's fun stuff, for sure. I look forward to learning from your experience too!
So far, all four of the damsels I've tried have been peaceful. It's kind of hard to believe! It gives me hope that I can make this multi-damsel school thing work. Besides getting them to coexist, they have to fit into the ecosystem of my aquarium. Since they're all planktivores, they will 'work' to process food input, clearing the water column, and kicking the food down the chain to eventually feed the plants.
Learning about the balance between plants and animals in their ecosystems really excites me! I really need to get the tank up and running again!
So far, all four of the damsels I've tried have been peaceful. It's kind of hard to believe! It gives me hope that I can make this multi-damsel school thing work. Besides getting them to coexist, they have to fit into the ecosystem of my aquarium. Since they're all planktivores, they will 'work' to process food input, clearing the water column, and kicking the food down the chain to eventually feed the plants.
Learning about the balance between plants and animals in their ecosystems really excites me! I really need to get the tank up and running again!
