Merfin's Cadlights 39G Sig Tank

[merfin70]

Hey all. I'm just beginning Week #2 with my Cadlights 39g Signature series tank. Interesting adventure so far, I'm having a blast as I've always loved wildlife of all kinds. This is my first salt tank and my first tank in probably 10 years. The Cad seems awsome so far though not without its challenges (minimal directions, bad screws for the cabinet doors) but in all really small problems for a great setup. I got it from Ken at Oceanreeflections who was really great to me. Highly recommended. My live rock came on Thursday from Premium Aquatics. Its fantastic looking, as everyone on this site said it would be !! Thanks for the recommendations. Cycle seems to be underway (Amonia 0.25) so for the moment, I'm left looking for hitchikers.

 

So far, some good ones and some bad ones. One bristle worm jumped into the sump and is hanging out there, small mussel, some strange clear polyp/anem looking colony that comes out of little white volcanos for lack of a better description, couple of shy featherdusters. Think I have some brown glove polyps in two or three groups, unfortunately, they are upside down and in a cave based on how I organized the live rock.

 

And, again unfortunately, I've spotted probably 5-10 aptasia I believe !! They are really, really small though so I can't see how I could get the Joes Juice/Kalk injections to be workable as they are like 2-3mm long at best. Of course, they are also in the worst spots to get to with my live rock config (upside down in a cave and on the very bottom rock in the back corner). Not sure if I should let them grow to make it an easier kill or go with a peppermint shrimp as my first addition when the cycle ends. Advice is appreciated.

 

I had some spare time today so I tried the boiling water routine around them as I can't get it "in" them. I think I just gave them a nice bath as they look better that ever!! Certainly no worse for wear after a turkey baster full of boiling water pointed at them.

 

No big mods so far but as a question, any Cad owners try a retrofit of Stevies RSM Media Rack in Chamber 1? Looks like it would be a fit to me.

 

Edited July 20, 2008 by merfin70

[scottyreef]

i built something simlair in my cad 22it like steve's but mine is much wider for my purgien, chemi pure, sea gel and cheato. there is ample space in the back. do you have the the drop in protein skimmer and fan on you 39?

[merfin70]

Yep, I've got the fan over Chamber 4 and the Drop In Skimmer in Chamber 2. I've got a 3" bed of arag-alive Fiji Pink in the fuge/Chamber 3 and on top of that (when the cycle is done) I'm going to put some Cheato. It came with a UV that fits under the Skimmer but I'm hesitant to use it. Why plug in something else if I don't need it, especially something that could blind me if I'm foolish enough to look at it (which I probably would as I'm always looking back there to see what's doing). I haven't read that many people use UVs on their nanos and so I was thinking of holding off on it for now. Any thoughts?

 

Chamber 1 is empty save for my heater however I could move that to Chamber 4 if I went with Stevies Media Rack. What do you have in your 22 Media Rack and in what order. Folks have recommended Purigen and ChemiPure Elite. Beyond that, not sure if I should use floss/sponge or go without. I've read much about it being a Nitrate warehouse.

[scottyreef]

i would hold off on the uv i am not sure the effect on the reef it might be good it might be bad so its up to you the order of stuff in my media rack is cheato on the top purgien, chemi pure, sea gel carbon, in the first chamber with a fan other the top and a 12 led light bar for the cheato my skimmer is in the second chamber with my cycled frag disc's plugs and coral mounts and chiller syphon, the thrid chamber is the heater chiller return and pump

Edited June 16, 2008 by scottyreef

[Lalani]

Nice 'scaping.

[Rehype]

+1. love the caves

[merfin70]

Couple of questions on my tank's happenings from the week for the more experienced reefers . I just passed week one of my cycle.

 

Saturday reading from my Red Sea Marine Test Kit (is this one any good?)

Amon: 1.0

Nitrites: 0.2

Nitrates: 2.5

PH: 8.0

Alk: 1.7

 

Yesterday's readings:

Amon: 0.25

Nitrites: 0.10

Nitrates: 5.0

PH: 8.2

 

1) Exactly what constitues the 'spike' so I know what I'm looking for here?

 

2) I have a lovely 5 o'clock shadow height growth of green and red/maroon fuzzy algae creeping quickly over my live rock. Couple of longer, thicker green strands that look like grass but not too many of those. I've cut my lights down to 5 hours a day from 8 hours (I have some coral hitchikers I was trying to preserve) but the algae still steadily creeping forward. Is this normal and should I just trust that my clean up crew will take care of this once its in the tank? I'm afraid of what this will look like 2-3 weeks from now (assuming my cycle is done around then).

 

3) I have 4-5 separate clusters (20+ polyps) of what I think are baby, baby Anthelia (they receed as soon as the lights go out). I didn't have these on my stocking plan (they are the bland plain brown ones) and I have read that they can spread quickly and overrun a tank. Should I remove them (if so how) or can they be controlled so they stay in on one spot?

 

4) Live sand is clean. Should I be looking for an algae/diatom bloom on the sand as a signal that my cycle is complete?

 

Thanks again to everyone for all of the help to us beginners. It makes this sooooo much easier.

[Lalani]

1) Exactly what constitues the 'spike' so I know what I'm looking for here?

- When cycling, the ammonia then the nitrite will spike, or rise... usually quickly appearing. From your tests, it looks like the ammonia and nitrite have spiked and are decreasing, while the nitrate is spiking.

 

2) I have a lovely 5 o'clock shadow height growth of green and red/maroon fuzzy algae creeping quickly over my live rock. Couple of longer, thicker green strands that look like grass but not too many of those. I've cut my lights down to 5 hours a day from 8 hours (I have some coral hitchikers I was trying to preserve) but the algae still steadily creeping forward. Is this normal and should I just trust that my clean up crew will take care of this once its in the tank? I'm afraid of what this will look like 2-3 weeks from now (assuming my cycle is done around then).

- Perfectly normal. During the cycle, the tank will go through algae outbreaks and they usually go away after a month or so. Your CUC and water changes will eventually get rid of the nuisance algae.

 

3) I have 4-5 separate clusters (20+ polyps) of what I think are baby, baby Anthelia (they receed as soon as the lights go out). I didn't have these on my stocking plan (they are the bland plain brown ones) and I have read that they can spread quickly and overrun a tank. Should I remove them (if so how) or can they be controlled so they stay in on one spot?

- Dunno, sorry!

 

4) Live sand is clean. Should I be looking for an algae/diatom bloom on the sand as a signal that my cycle is complete?

- Don't depend on physical signs to tell you the progress of the cycle. Only water testing can tell the story.

 

HTH

[merfin70]

Its week 3 and I'm hoping that I didn't add my CUC too late though everyone tells me that the algae outbreak will go away eventually. My green and red hair algae had advanced quite a bit so I added:

 

6 Black Turbos (though they don't have the shell of what I normally see as a turbo. LFS claimed they don't get big and pushy like the Mexican Turbos but eat just like them. To me they look a lot like the Margaritas)

6 Margarita

6 Larger Ceriths

1 Orange Turbo

2 Peppermint Shrimp (Aptasia here and there that they haven't touched of course)

5 Nassarius

 

All were very good workers initially but they seem to have slowed in the last couple of days. I think they are full as there is lots of sleeping going on in between eating. Also, no one seems to be taking a liking to the red algae which is disappointing. I'll wait a bit more and see if they start picking up some ground.

 

Params:

 

Temp 78.8

Salin 1.025

PH 7.8 (down from 8.2)

Cal 430 (down from 475)

Alk 1.6 (down a bit also)

Amon 0

Nitrites 0.1

Nitrates 12.5

 

I also added a slightly modified Steve T RSM media rack in Chamber 1which now holds ChemiPure Elite and Purigen. Water clarity is so much improved and the rack from Steve is a great addition. While it has a little wiggle room in the Cad 39g sig its a good solid fit overall and is way way better than anything I could have DIY'ed. Thanks Steve the rack is fantastic !!!

 

[Urchinhead]

Nice tank and good looking rock work! That algae will fade over time. One option if it really bothers you is to run your tank dark for 3+ days. W/O light the algae dies off.

 

As to the polyps just pull the rock and scrape them off.

[StevieT]

Glad the rack worked! Good luck

[merfin70]

Thanks Urchinhead and I'm sorry to hear about your six line making the leap. I've got no fish yet but its something I'm worried about. One of my Nassarius made the plunge yesterday but I was home and heard him/her hit the carpet. I don't have a chiller on my sig and if I run the setup with the cover on, the temp goes to the mid to high 80's in a couple of hours. Without the cover (but with my central air and the Cad fan), I hover right at a near perfect 79. I've been researching which fish are not prone to jumping but haven't found much advice so if you have any recommendations, please pass them along. Any thoughts on Firefish and Clowns?

 

As for my algae, I've turned the lights off for the most part and now only run them once I'm home from work (2-3 hours max at night). I find I need some enjoyment from seeing the tank so its a good middle ground. If I don't see some progress soon, I'll turn them off completely to give my CUC a fighting chance.

[Urchinhead]

Cheers mate.

 

Firefish are known jumpers clowns are not. That said any and all fish will jump under the right circumstances.

 

I happen to love clowns myself. They are very hardy fish (they are damsels) if you get tank bred ones and can be interactive. As you see from my tank thread you can teach them to feed from your hand if you are so inclined. I think the number of 3"ish fish for the AIO CAD would be about 5-6 btw. Also they do not need anemone's to be happy so don't go down that road unless you are prepared for the hassles that go with nem's.

 

Personally I like fish that I can see swimming around and who interact with me as opposed to sit and stare at me all goggle eyed like I am about to beat them or something. :> I took a bender with Helfich's Firefish but came to realize that while they look very pretty they are really not all that much fun as they just sit there. That said the fish that come to mind are the clown's, hawkfish, blue not blue green chromis (be careful with these as they are also damsels and should be kept either in a group of 3 or singularly and put in together at the same time), and...

 

Once your tank is past the six month mark, you are maintaining good water conditions, and if you are able to feed at least twice a day or setup something where pod's and other zooplankton are available you might consider a Bartlett's Anthias. They are very nice colored light purple/pink and yellow and a mid water column fish that encourage other fish to swim where you can see them as well. They are the hardiest of the Anthias and despite popular opinion you can keep one in your sized tank if the flow is high enough.

 

You have good lighting and rockwork for pretty much all corals including SPS so keep that in mind when you are stocking your tank.

 

As to the algae... Time. It just takes time. I have been fighting a diatom bloom for over 3 months now that was driving me nuts. Every afternoon I would come home to a tank with the sand bed covered in it save for where my stag horn crabs would eat it (think about some staghorns btw they are pretty cool as hermits go and don't eat others for their shell) as well as the glass. As of yesterday (knock on wood) I came home to a clean sand bed and relatively clean glass. This after 4 weeks of 20% per week water changes using confirmed good water that went into the tank within hours of me getting it and sourced from my own RODI unit. I say 4 weeks because I didn't find the source of the problem until four weeks ago. Turns out that my source water was being contaminated by leeching from my storage bottles.

 

Links to fish I mention:

Anthias:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...amp;pcatid=1128

 

Hawkfish:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...&pcatid=193

 

Clownfish (if you want two get them at the same time)

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...&pcatid=755

 

Starki Damsel (not as aggressive as most damsels and looks like a cherub angel without the coral eating problem:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...amp;pcatid=1511

 

Blue Chromis (not as aggressive as the blue greens and they school):

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...tid=113&N=0

 

Limbaughi Chromis: (alternate to the blue chromis)

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...id=1720&N=0

 

Staghorn crab (It says difficult but if you get a medium to large sized one they are easier to take care of. They need Ca though):

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...id=1146&N=0

Edited June 25, 2008 by Urchinhead

[merfin70]

Sorry it doesn't look like much progress yet but you all said take it slow so .......

 

I did break down and get a couple of fish additions. The first two in the tank were the "standard" false perc and a Melanurus Wrasse (aka tail spot). Can't help with a pic of the wrasse as I've not seen him since his introduction on Saturday. I've heard this is somewhat normal so I've not gone on a search and rescue mission yet. There are a couple of sand mounds in the tank and since he's a sand sleeper, I'm hoping one of them is him.

 

Since the Wrasse wasn't being very good company, I did add a B&W false perc as well. Think I got a bargain on him as he cost me $20. Probably not a great idea to add three fish to the tank over a 4 day period but I'm feeding very lightly and watching my parms.

 

The standard clown seems to have a bit of ADD and has done nothing but surf in the Hydor Flow currents. The B&W was calm when first introduced but is now playing follow the leader with the other clown. He's much smaller so perhaps it was peer pressure to join in.

 

[Reef507]

I like your rock work Merfin. I don't think your algae is that bad for the age of your tank. I think you have less than my tank. I really like the orange turbos as they seem to do a good job at eating the algae. Maybe add a few more snails and make sure your make up water is 0 TDS. Are you getting a good amount of dark skimmate?

 

I just started using my skimmer and it is really pulling out alot. I am hoping it will help get rid of the last of my algae. I have been doing 15% weekly water changes also.

 

I have a black occellaris and a sixline wrasse so far. If your tank is cycled I would add a few hardy fast growing corals. They will help compete with the algae for nutrients. If you haven't already add some chaeto that will help also.

 

Looking forward to seeing your tank develope.

[merfin70]

Hi Reef507 - I'll get some pics up this afternoon once the light clicks on. I love my Orange Turbos. They are certainly the work horses of the group. Not sure I'd say the skimmate is dark, more like tea colored but it smells nasty so I figure it has to be doing something right. Having no reference points, I'm not sure its "optimized". I have it boosted about 2" up with my water level about 1/2" below the separator between the fuge and the skimmer.

 

The algae seems to be at a standstill, though I have some new fuzzy mounds that look pretty gross. Its getting very light colored/clear so I'm hoping that means its being starved and dying. Of course the snails skip over the algae that really bugs me so I'm hoping that time will get rid of it eventually. The original fuge light didn't seem to be doing much and was beginning to rust so I swapped it for a 13watt CF that I have stuck on to the back of the tank. Cheato has doubled at least over the week I've had the new fuge light installed so there's a win for me.

 

I have added a couple of corals (frogspawn, duncan, zoas, a micro and an acan). All seem to be doing well. My micro decided to make breakfast of a cool sea slug I had as a hitchhiker so I'm a little bummed this morning. I liked the little guy a lot!

 

Pics with the new Phoenix this afternoon or tomorrow.

[merfin70]

Pics with new lighting:

 

Phoenix 150mh 14k

T5 Geismann Actinic +

T5 Geismann Aquablue +

 

 

Micro polyp on the far right is black because its finishing his breakfast of Fred the hitchhiking sea slug

[Reef507]

Pics with new lighting:

 

Phoenix 150mh 14k

T5 Geismann Actinic +

T5 Geismann Aquablue +

 

 

Micro polyp on the far right is black because its finishing his breakfast of Fred the hitchhiking sea slug

 

I am really liking the new lights! That is the color I am looking for.

 

Your aquascape looks really good. I am lousy at arranging rockwork, and I am not happy with mine. I think I might have to do a little rearranging.

 

I love the micro. Its color really pops. I feel your pain with the loss of the sea slug. I am not having very good luck with fish lately. First my plate coral eats my YCG, and then today I notice my sixline is missing in action. I searched all over and I don't see him anywhere in the tank or outside. I suspect he may have wandered into my RBTA as that is the only coral in that tank that could have eaten him. I will know for sure tomorrow when I move some of my rocks around.

 

Your tank is looking real good Merfin.

[merfin70]

I just passed month #2 with the tank and so I though I would post some update pics. I've made a bunch of tweaks to the CAD (no more Hydor Flo, added 2 Koralia 1s, new Fuge Light). I've also added some corals and a few fish though I'm holding back a bit as I'm still in the tank frequently with my toothbrush trying to get rid of my nasty algae. My CUC seems to be on strike so all the work is left to me.

 

[Reef507]

I just passed month #2 with the tank and so I though I would post some update pics. I've made a bunch of tweaks to the CAD (no more Hydor Flo, added 2 Koralia 1s, new Fuge Light). I've also added some corals and a few fish though I'm holding back a bit as I'm still in the tank frequently with my toothbrush trying to get rid of my nasty algae. My CUC seems to be on strike so all the work is left to me.

 

 

 

I really love your rockwork!! I think you have a great selection of corals. I want to get rid of the hydor floalso. It always seems to stick in the down position blowing sand everywhere. How hard was it to switch out?

 

You might want to try adding some GFO. I got some from here, http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Carbon-and-P...8_89/index.html

 

I just put it in a filter bag with my carbon and it does a great job of keeping phosphates low. This will help you get the upper hand on the algae.

 

Cheers.

[WindCloudWRX]

It's me bro. I appreciate the help. Just tagging.

[merfin70]

Its been a bit since I updated my thread with anything so I snapped a few pics today to keep track of growth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Weetabix7]

Pretty tank, you have some nice pieces in there.

[merfin70]

Thanks Weetabix, nice of you to stop by my thread. Cross your fingers for me, I've decided to try some of the more challenging SPS. I just added an Ice Fire Echinata, the Aquadelight and a really nice Purple Monster. I've also been experimenting with Vitamin C dosing for the last 6 weeks with some pretty nice results. I had a couple of zoa colonies that were not looking too hot that have since perked back up again.

 

Now I'm working on getting my dose amount more fine tuned as I think I went TOO Low Nutrient. My cheato is near death and some of my SPS have turned a bit pale. On the positive side, my hitchiking caulerpa is on the retreat because of the V-C dosing.

 

Part of the fun in this hobby for me is experimenting.

[Weetabix7]

When you were talking about fine-tuning the dosing, were you referring to the Vit. C dosing or the Vodka Dosing?

So many things to keep track of!

What kind of Vit. C dosing were you doing, and what kind of Vit C have you been using?

Are you still dosing 20 ml per day of 2 part?

 

Pics of new stuffs plz?