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Innovative Marine Aquariums

Grahm's 29 gallon reef


gjones

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Finally got my stuff set up, mostly. I just got my live rock today at premium aquatics, hand picked it myself, along with some rubble, and live sand. My 29gal is modded to have an internal fuge, but i couldn't find any ABS plastic, or good accrlylic dealers in my ares, so i used plexi X) it's clear and looks like crap cuz i don't want to see my fuge X), so i'm thinking of siliconing a backround to the plexi inside the tank, would this work? I'm currently curing my LR in an old 20H I had sitting around.

 

Here are some picks.

 

Curing tank shots.

 

Aug1001.jpg

 

Good coraline growth.

 

Aug1004.jpg

 

Aug1008.jpg

 

Some crazy orange coraline that looks great, but shows upo best under actinics only it's the only color besides blue in the tank, but pic is really bad, and doesn't do it justice. In person, it's 500% better.

 

Aug1009.jpg

 

Hitch Hiker Corals, can anyone ID please?

 

Looks like an encrusting coral of some kind, or maybe a brain?

 

Aug1007.jpg

 

Next, some kind of LPS, maybe an acan? :*( I would be happy, but it looks close to dead, and i'm prety sure it won't live through the cycle.

 

Aug1010.jpg

 

Once cycle is done, my stock list consists of...

 

yase hase and pistol shrimp

a small wrasse

Hectors Goby

2 Spot Belnnie

Zoos

Shrooms

Softies

a few LPS

 

Params

SG 1.025

PH 8.1

Amonia 2ppm

Ntrite 0ppm

Nitrate 0ppm

Phosphate .5ppm

Calcium 400ppm

Temp 81 deg. F

 

Happy reefin, i'll post updates as things progress.

 

(had to edit my stocking list)

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Not sure about the green stuff, but the last pic does look pretty much dead.

 

How long did it take you to get to PA from Norwood? I love PA rock and would like to pick some up if I can ever visit a friend in Cinci again. Was hoping to bring some home in water-filled buckets to prevent as much die-off as possible.

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Well, since Indy changed their speed limits to 70 (meaning traffic speed between 80, and 85) in most places, i got there in about 1hr and 45 minutes, spent a half hour there, picked some fenominal rock, saw a kool foxface (swimming in the Marshal Island curing tank) And it was at a great price. 24 lbs tonga/kalini, 7 lbs marshal, a 2lb pice of fiji, 3lbs rubble, 5lbs live sand, and a 40lb bag of araginite for $195.09 before tax, the 40 lb bag of sand was 24.95, so the rest was for the live things. Jay was awesome, I recomend them to anyone looking for quality rock.

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WTG graham...I woulda guessed a brain, but, Tigahboy knows his stuff. That's not a bad drive to get to PA. Being a grad of Cincinnati, I know the drive is nice cruising. Great LR with great color. What is PA's setup there? Is it a big store?

 

Anyway, hard to tell, but, make sure there is room to get your nand in the right side of the tank for maintenance. SH

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It's a fairly small place, shuda taken a pic. If u see it, u'll think it's not the reght place. They're open by appointment only during the week until saturdays when they're open from 12 to 3 to the public. It's literally a storage "wharehouse" for lack of a better term, consisting of 3 rooms. One, i guess is the owners office, the next the custome service/ ordering info room, and last is the rest. There's no displays, no empty space. Shelves stacked to the celeing that run the length of the place (at the other end are a few more customer service dudes on computers). There is a small fish system to hold small fish, then a large divided tank (several hundred gallons) w/ frags, clams, and larger fish. There is an identical, but maybe lnnger tank opposite it holding the same stuff, plus snails/hermits. There is a vat of turbo snails Plumbed in on the end. The LR curing tanks consist of 3 pools, literally, pools. they look like reinforced several thousand gallon kiddie pools with large (probably MH) lights above them, and several HUGE pumps in them, it's very turbulant. They all also have overflows to a common sump, somewhere, and there's a MASSIVE skimmer on the system also. Smells like the beach in there, reminds me of diving.

 

O, and don't worry bout the rock, it'll only be in that tank for about a week longer before i move it to the real tank.

 

Tigahboy, thanks for the ID, it's all over my rock, pobably 5 more spots that size.

 

New Hitchhikers

1/2 a pistol shrimp

a dead hermit in a shell

Saw a bristle worm today, and a peanut worm poking out of the LR

 

Params

SG- 1.025

PH-8.0 (added some buffer to try and raise it up some)

Amonia- 8ppm+

Nitrite- 5ppm

Nitrate- 0.5ppm

Phosphate- 1ppm

Calcium- 380ppm

Temp- 83 deg F

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Gettin' there...looks like when you hit 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite that you will need several water changes to get those nitrates down...whew....140 is high. You'll need frequent 25% water changes to get that level down to nontoxic. Better get busy making SW...LOLOL. I wouldn't add any livestock until it comes down. JMO. SH

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I'm gonna keep it in that curing tank for 5 more days, then transfer time, 100% water change ito the 29gal in my room, and probably a mini re-cycle, another water change, and more waiting. I'll post more pics when i complete the transfer

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Ok, update now before I begin with my params understand that In have done no water change yet, and my previous test form 2 days ago are posted avove in my last post

Params

PH-8.3

AMM-0

NITRITE-0

NITRATE- 15PPM

PHOSPHATE-0.5PPM

CALC-370PPM

SG-1.024

TEMP-82F

 

My nitrates droped dramatically! In 2 days, w/o a water change, how can this be? I think it is the abundance of diatoms, hair algea, green normal algea, and (i don't think this one is a large contributor to my nitrate drop, but) a tiny pice of macro.

 

Macro

Aug1905.jpg

 

Algea on powerhead

Aug1906.jpg

 

Algea on everything

Aug1902.jpg

 

Aug1901.jpg

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No..it's the nitrifying bacteria that are converting nitrite to nitrate. When the nitrite hits zero....you're ready to go after you get the nitrates down. WTG...I hope that macro isn't caulerpa..it can spread all over the rocks. Keep an eye on it. SH

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I didn't think there was any bacteria that ate nitrate, It dropped on it'sd own' w/o a water change from 140ppm to 15ppm in 2days. I also suspected that macro 2 be calupra, and will rempve ti after work 2morow.

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Tank update

Mover all my LR to the finished tank in my room.

Here are some pics

 

FTS

Aug2102.jpg

 

Left Side

Aug2105.jpg

 

Right Side

Aug2106.jpg

 

New Macro, ID?

Aug2103.jpg

 

Tank specs

29gallon tank

1,100gph

165 watts PC

9 watt PC Fuge Light

Prizm Skimmer:-*

150 watt EBO Jaggar Heater

 

Updated Params

PH-8.0

SG-1.025

TEMP-80

AMM-.05

NITRITE-0

NITRATE-0

CALC-340PPM

ALKALINITY-6 (300PPM)

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Not sure what the new macro is. RE: nitrates....some parts of LR may have anaerobic areas in it and you CAN have some denitrifying bacteria there, i.e., bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrogen gas. SH

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Another dilemma, I have Bubble algea! What eats this besides emerald crabs??? I don't really feel like tearing my tank apart to findit after it eats my future zoos.

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Emeralds ate mine...I have two (added a second when I thought the first died). I will attest to the fact that if you burst them, they DO spread. Don't laugh, but, you know what I found in my house that removes them well? A small spoon used to hold tea leaves. The spoon is deep with 'sharp' egdes. I slip the spoon edge under the bubble, pull/scrape and it pulls the bubble off the rock without bursting it. You can find your own method. I tried pulling them off gently, like the books describe, and I'm a 2 outta 3 buster. With the spoon I'm 3 for 3 non buster. SH

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I picked up an emrald crab for my bubble algea, and a turbo tonight for cheap at my LFS, I can't wait til monday 2 order my crew from LA. The Algea has gone nuts.

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