CruiZe's 40b peninsula - Survived the move- mostly

[Elizabeth94]

Turbos have the potential to be some BIG bulldozers. My lfs has one thats is easily the size of almost two golf balls. its nuts!

[cruiZe]

 

 

 

This thing has grown a lot! I feed it every day- have some pellets that are too big for the fish or other corals I accidentally bought - 'nem loves em. Also frozen mysis... I'll get some more meaty food chunks for it soon now that I know it's appetite.

[cruiZe]

Real test kits!!

 

My API test was saying 300 Calcium and fresh mixed RSCP was 340 haha so ... now I'm legit. I haven't been this excited to test my water since I first started my tank! I have no idea why I held back so long on getting Salifert tests - yeah $100 sucks (for all 5) I've spent that much on 1 coral so... also I'm happy to say they are easy to use - just read and carefully do the steps.

 

 

Ca 420 DKH 7.3 Mg 1350 NO3 0 << no doubt. PO4 .03 <<< super close to zero - I compared another tube of tank water and saw it was a tiny bit blue.

 

I started last week with E.S.V. B-Ionic 2 part- going really slow- just 10 ml a day - dosing by hand. I got a quart of Mg too - but looks like the tank is good on that for now

[ajmckay]

Awesome update! I just got an RBTA for my 40B as well, at the Lansing swap.

 

Awesome tongue coral and Amazing frogspawn!!! I like the whole setup overall.

 

Have fun testing the water

[cruiZe]

Awesome update! I just got an RBTA for my 40B as well, at the Lansing swap.

 

Awesome tongue coral and Amazing frogspawn!!! I like the whole setup overall.

 

Have fun testing the water

 

for real? I demand an update on your tank thread! I got 2 Lepto frags (Learned they don't like too much light - dummy me) an Acan frag and a nice size Welso at the swap. Fighting to save my Acan colony I've had for over a month (if you haven't seen that thread) - got that at fish doctors ypsi.

[cruiZe]

 

Maxima from pacific east aquaculture ... Had it over a month, definitely getting bigger and looking great. Been dosing B-Ionic 2 part at 5ml per day - Alk was 8.7 last week and today 8.7 again

 

 

RBTA got bleached ... I believe a crazy heater caused it - tank was up to 84 degrees when it's used to 78-79. reduced lights, got temp under control and have been feeding. Trying to get it to color back up . Clowns won't host it. I've fed them right next to it and they have even bumped into it but nothing more so far

[cruiZe]

Apex Jr arrived yesterday from BRS Group Buy ! I was really impressed how I was able to set it up and online in about 3 minutes. Using an AV200 Powerline Converter to get interwebz into the basement, which also worked within seconds.

 

 

Did some preliminary programming for my BRS dosing pumps this morning, should be running 30 seconds every hour from midnight to 5am, ALK at the top of the hour and Cal 30 min after.

 

[cruiZe]

FTS 8/15/16 ... it's really hard to photograph a peninsula tank (all the junk behind it) so I hung a piece of christmas wrapping paper on the other side !

 

- Yes my gigantic frogspawn is in pieces. It fell over and crumbled. It's still big, but no longer one 11" coral.

 

 

I have been making an effort to feed more heavily after the realization that I killed my beloved clam. As a result my sand had a large area of GHA. I siphoned it out, poured in some peroxide and let the sand sit in tank water / peroxide for a day. Rinsed the hell out of it with warm tap water, then 3 more times with new salt water.

 

 

Shiny new sand!

 

 

The RBTA is coloring back up slowly - Still not looking great, but it does have a darker spot which I see as progress. I'd think it actually looked really cool except for knowing it's bleached.

 

 

Sea monster growing as well. 8-9" overall I'd say

 

[cruiZe]

Welso looking particularly puffy and delicious. I really like this coral. I have never seen a feeding response from it, ie tentacles .. is that weird?

 

[Orangutran]

Hey, I've always wanted a peninsula tank! Unfortunately, my house doesn't allow for one. Your tank looking good! Newb question: what you dose? Like, what do you put in the doser? pre-mix stuff?

[cruiZe]

Hey, I've always wanted a peninsula tank! Unfortunately, my house doesn't allow for one. Your tank looking good! Newb question: what you dose? Like, what do you put in the doser? pre-mix stuff?

 

thanks! Yeah, I'm hooked on the peninsula idea, it really cuts into a room but I like having so much area to look at.

 

I use B-Ionic 2 part. I got 2 gallon jugs and think it will last a year probably. I adjust the dose periodically with my APEX controller after testing but think I use maybe 4ml of each a day. (so not much!)

[Orangutran]

 

thanks! Yeah, I'm hooked on the peninsula idea, it really cuts into a room but I like having so much area to look at.

 

I use B-Ionic 2 part. I got 2 gallon jugs and think it will last a year probably. I adjust the dose periodically with my APEX controller after testing but think I use maybe 4ml of each a day. (so not much!)

 

I may have to look into b-ionic cus it seems like that help address my situation. Although, I would have to manual dose daily...

[cruiZe]

Moving from Ann Arbor area Michigan to Bluffton (near Hilton Head) South Carolina!!!

 

Took moving truck with most of our stuff down to SC already, basically just the fish tank is left - Planning on leaving next Wed Nov 16th.

 

Getting supplies together - 1,000 watt power inverter, 2 aqualifters for bubbles, styrofoam coolers, lots of buckets, extra sheet of egg crate.

 

I'm thinking fish in one cooler with heater, chaeto to hide and egg crate to separate the coral banded, big starfish from the others?

 

Any moving tips please let me know. I did read Steve T's moving thread 3x

rock without corals should be fine in buckets of SW with no heat or air correct? I'm sure the temp will drop - It'll be in the 40's in Michigan and 60's or 70's in SC but i'll keep the heat pumping in the car. It's a hatch back.

[jbb]

Aqualifter for bubbles ?

 

Wouldn't a standard air pump be a better choice? I would think the diaphragm would burn up running dry for that long .

[cruiZe]

Aqualifter for bubbles ?

 

Wouldn't a standard air pump be a better choice? I would think the diaphragm would burn up running dry for that long .

not sure. I have 2 of them already that's why... I've hooked it to the skimmer as an air pump before it was ok.

[ajmckay]

Hey bud - got your text I bet your excited to be in S.C. right before it gets cold here! I'd like to see the tank before you take it down but wondering if I'll be able to make it there... Hmmm...

 

Regarding the moving - how many buckets can you divide the tank into? I like your idea of air pump and heaters. Maybe use battery powered air pumps to save the power for heaters? I'm wondering if it would be best to just stick the air tube in there or if it would be better to have an airstone on the end... I can't think of any downside to the stone, but big bubbles would move more water and there might be less of a chance that a bunch of tiny bubbles stick to the corals and irritate them.

 

I would try to give that frogspawn it's own bucket or at least only put a few things in there. I'm trying to figure out in my mind a way you could essentially trap it in 1 position and prevent it from tipping over or touching the walls of the bucket. I like the idea I've seen on small frags where the head is protected in a quarter dispenser bubble with holes drilled into it for shipping but this is too big.

 

I really like home depot 5g buckets for travelling - easy to keep things from spilling by using the lids that seal. I've used styro coolers and you can't seal them well enough. Fill the buckets pretty full which should minimize sloshing, keep the temp more stable, and just have a hole or 2 in the top (one for air hose in, one for exhaust so you don't pressurize the bucket). I'd say if possible pick up a few of those tetra submersible heaters that have no thermostat, they're like 10w or something at Meijer or Wal-Mart. You could probably run several of those on the inverter.

 

What else? Hmm... What if you cut egg crate "circles" the same size as the buckets (so they fit pretty tight)? Then use some 1/2" PVC and cut slots in them. Slide the egg crate into slots and you could conceivably have a multi-tier frag transport bucket... would save some space and you could essentially put all corals in 1 bucket except for maybe the frogspawn. You would just have to chip them off the rocks and stick on frag plugs. One idea for the frogspawn would be to stand it up on a layer of egg crate (may need to cut a bigger hole) and then using a few pieces of fishing line attached to the branches tie them down to the egg crate, similar to how a young tree would be supported upright .

 

Ummm... Other than that cram all the LR you can into each bucket - probably don't need to heat those. So 1 bucket for the fish & some inverts. 1 bucket for corals & some inverts. 1 or 2 buckets for LR... Think it would work? Have lots of SW pre-mixed and ready to go at the new place!

[cruiZe]

Thanks for the tips AJ. Maybe there's an evening or weekend you could swing by before the 16th.

 

right now I have 3 Styrofoam coolers and 3-4 buckets with lids. Over the weekend I sucked most the the sand out of the sump/ fuge area (it was horribly gross) and rinsed and returned a few cups of clean sand so the wrasse and pistol shrimp will have something to hide in during transport. I'll have a 5 gallon full of sand probably- I can clean it or throw it away later.

 

I went to fish doctors in Ypsi and said my goodbyes - that was emotional - traded in 45 heads of frogspawn (less than 1/2 of what I have) for a Symphyllia and some dry goods. 7 years ago I bought the frogspawn there as 4 heads!

 

They gave me a ton of plastic bags, and a good idea- all of the corals in a bucket (on egg crate racks) could cause chemical warfare and slime everywhere. I'm going to bag as many corals as I can, then float them in a cooler or bucket with water and a heater. 14 hours bagged individually with correct temp isn't too bad? I mean that's quicker than shipping them overnight.

 

Frogspawn might still need its own bucket, some pieces are way too big to bag.

 

Cooler with heat and bubbles for fish, I'm going to separate the coral banded and brittle starfish from the fish b/c I don't trust them.

 

LR with no corals in SW buckets only - no heat - should be at least 70 in the car.

 

 

TL;DR - 3 catagories

WATER

WATER HEAT

WATER HEAT AIR

[cruiZe]

1. I have too many rocks.

 

2. Moving rocks w/o corals to the sump so it'll be easier to transfer to buckets and not hunting for fish / crabs hiding. Also gave them a good scrub and peroxide rinse-

 

 

The female clownfish is a b*&$%!! She bit me HARD - once across the tank, 30+" from where she usually hands out- egg crate prison intimidated her and kept me safe

 

 

This is why I moved the rocks- this poor Emerald was on EVERY ROCK I PULLED OUT!! dude spent a few minutes total in the air

 

[cruiZe]

Blood drawn from Clown b*&$% attack.

 

 

Tongue bagged up!!

 

 

 

Well... I made it, about 94% of the reef did too which is good. What a stressful couple days. Night before I broke the reef down into coolers / buckets... took an hour to catch Yellow Coris Wrasse - Had everything plugged in - in the house so it was an easier transition into the car. It was 34 degrees in Michigan when I left. Defiantly needed that 1,000w inverter!

 

When I arrived I reversed the process and learned the huge starfish exploded. Literally looked like he swallowed a grenade. His body / legs were in 10-15 pieces. Anemone in the same cooler looked HORRIBLE - Coral Banded Shrimp was in shock. Did emergency 98% water change. 4 days later RBTA is looking much better- It's getting bigger, still much smaller than it was before I left. Some how Coral Banded Shrimp is alive and seems fine, this is very surprising to me.

 

 

TL;DR death list

 

8" Brittle Starfish = exploded in cooler

Big Turbo Snail = died next day (was with above)

Monti = dead - removed because flesh was melting off

Orange Leptoseris = 100% white, presumed dead, waiting

 

 

 

Ammonia present once tank setup!! Ran out and dosed some prime asap- after a couple days it's getting better. Polyp extension is getting better daily.

 

 

Left - Friday (first day tank setup again) .... Right - Monday

[cruiZe]

It appears that ALL OF MY PODS are dead. Have not seen one, which is too bad b/c I had a lot of diversity. Between the peroxide dips of rock and most of the rock being unheated for the journey - that explains the ammonia spike- good news is my rock looks very clean now!

 

 

Just now - Tuesday night - good to see. Last dose of Prime was yesterday.

 

[ajmckay]

Glad the move was as much of a success as it was! Sucks you lost a few items but in the grand scheme it seems inevitable. The starfish thing is really odd - no clue what would cause something like that...

 

The ammonia is somewhat surprising. I'm wondering what's causing that assuming you used new water and sand (or at least rinsed the sand)... I used peroxide on my rocks a few weeks ago but didn't get any ammonia readings because of it...

[cruiZe]

I don't really know exactly where the ammonia came from either. I thought it was from the unheated rock, but tested water from one bucket of rock and that wasn't it. The tissue coming off the monti was really gross and it smelled bad, so that's some, and the turbo snail also.

 

Pods still don't seem to exist, I'm sure that contributed as well. Fish seem happy and polyp extension was great yesterday.

[cruiZe]

I love this fish. Below is a link to a short video of him. So funny how just his eyes move.

 

 

http://vid242.photobucket.com/albums/ff231/elcamino383/40%20breeder%20pics/FD7D574D-4E86-4E23-B3AD-D923D90F18AA.mp4

[cruiZe]

 

found this buddy in a cluster of local May River, SC oysters we got. Appears to be a Porcelain Crab. Not sure how well he will adjust to 78 degree water, but the fact that he survived 2 days in a 37 degree cooler with no water says he's pretty resilient. Had him in a cup of tank water for 20 hours till I figured out what it was. It's in the sump with LR now.

 

Thats egg crate under - so he's almost 1" overall