rdck99's 16g Nuvo Reef (Now w/NanoBox Duo + 1st SPS!)

[rdck99]

Not sure if they would survive. I haven't even had any luck with adult ceriths (Though I think my hermits have had great success with them!)

 

I'm sorry I totally forgot and didn't really elaborate on Tropical World Pets. For fish I would buy them no problem. Their coral tanks look cleaner than they ever have ATM but they have always had a dinoflagellate problem that has caused me to shy away from their coral. Also don't buy peppermints there because I had a bad run in with one that ate a torch. He never bothered my frogspawn or any other coral but he devoured my torch right after I introduced it. I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it. Fish and inverts there are ok otherwise IMO. I usually stop by there a lot since they are so close if nothing else to buy phytoplankton or check out their fresh water stuff for my girlfriend's tank.

 

Seascape has some great stuff. I worry a bit about how fast they move inventory though.. but I'm sure they would hold stuff for ya. If I see something I must have there I buy it. Saltwater Island is kind of small so I don't really go there much. Not a lot of stuff to look at. I haven't checked out the Corner Reef though I'll have to go sometime.

 

My favorite place to buy fish was always Marine Solutions. Haven't been there in a looong time though and its way up in St. Charles. They told me they wouldn't sell me the new stock until they had been there a few days. That kind of care meant something to me and their fish looked nice.

 

I would leave the lights on. Any algae that grows lowers nitrates and snails like that crap too.

I have also heard good things about Marine Solutions and having them prolong a sale for the good of the fish/owner would mean a lot in my book too. Corner Reef was also small, but I liked the two guys that worked there and I appreciated the free snails. I'll eventually go back there and buy something.

[rdck99]

• IM Desktop Skimmer: Added it yesterday evening. Steve at IM has been great and he's been walking me through the steps. Once I get the skimmer broken in (hopefully in a week or two), I'll make one large post on the whole process/experience...stay tuned!

Snails/CUC: All four snails are still doing great and the rest of my CUC comes tomorrow from ReefCleaners. In total, I bought (per John's suggestion) 3 assorted hermits, 1 emerald (bubble algae is creeping back up in small spots), 10 dwarf ceriths, 3 Florida ceriths, 3 nerite snails, 3 nassarius vibex snails. It was nearly $20 for the expedited shipping that was required for the crabs - only $7 worth of critters. Hindsight, I probably should have bought just the snails from John, and gotten the crabs locally, but oh well.

LR/Aquascape: I ended up taking out another small piece of LR. The now island on the right had a smaller rock bridging it to the middle piece, but it was a boring rock and I wasn't really in love with the mini cave it created. To me, it looked too unnatural. Plus, it gives more room next to the MP10 current, which I anticipate the clowns will enjoy!

Fish: I ordered a Wheeler Goby and Candy Pistol Shrimp from Seascape (LFS) this evening. They should arrive in a week and I'm going to have them quarantine for me for 1-2 weeks before adding to my tank.

Media: I added both media baskets (one from InTank and one IM stock) to the tank two nights ago. The InTank is on the left chamber (figured my MP10 blows in that direction, so it'd be the more active chamber), while the stock basket is in the right chamber. In the InTank basket's top shelf I have the floss, the Purigen is in the middle, and the Chemi-Pure Elite Mini is in the bottom (I rinsed the Purigen and Chemi-Pure with tap water for about 30 seconds).

• One comment on the Purigen: I was told that the Purigen bag (100 ml) would be too big to fit into the basket (this is correct), so I would have to buy Seachem's "The Bag", so I could cut the 100 ml bag open and dump half the contents into "The Bag", which would then fit fine. This is all true, however, I was specifically told by Steve at InTank that I couldn't cut the original Purigen bag open, dump half the contents, and then retie that original bag, but I now think that to be false. I was told the original bag couldn't be retied, but "The Bag" is the same thing - an empty bag that you use a zip tie to close. Had I cut the top of the Purigen bag open, I could have dumped half the contents and zip tied it shut, same as "The Bag". Not a big deal, but if buying these items and basket (as many Nuvo folks do), I do not believe that "The Bag" is a necessary accessory.

Parameter Oddities and My First Water Change: I did my first water change (3 gallons) two nights ago. Ammonia was still 0 and nitrates were between 10 and 20 ppm before the change. The water siphoned out just fine (I opted not to blow anything off) but trying to dump 3 gallons of new saltwater into my tank was tough. Next time, I'll use my mixing pump to pump the water into the tank. After the water change, I noticed a few small black objects in the bottom of my now empty fresh saltwater bucket (almost looked like mouse turds) and some brown residue on the bottom and where the water line was. Scared, I tested the water in my tank and it was now reading ammonia of between .25 and .5 ppm (this was the first time my tank ever tested positive for ammonia). Strangely, the black objects ended up being bits of plastic, but no clue what the brown residue was...any ideas? The water was mixed a couple weeks ago, the bucket had been sealed with a lid, and I had it getting mixed and heated again a day before the water change. The salinity was right at 1.026 and I use the DDH20cean salt mix.

TDS and RO/DI Water from LFS: This one really has me bummed out. I bought a TDS meter from Bulk Reef Supply and tested it out on a few things - tap water read 120+, RO from grocery store read 2, Brita filtered tap water read 70, and the water in my ATO reservoir read 20. I was bummed about this, but thought my suspicions were just confirmed, as I've been using a cheap plastic bath room waste bucket that I bought new at Wal Mart for my reservoir (it fit perfectly in my space) and feared it may be leeching TDS into my water. This evening I went to the LFS to buy 10 gallons of RO/DI and they assured me that their RO/DI unit has a built-in TDS meter and it was reading 0. However, when I got home, I took out my TDS meter and the RO/DI I just bought was reading 20 ppm! Very bummed, not because I just bought 10 gallons of water I'm too scared to use, but because this same water is what I mixed my salt water with when I did the water change. Between the water change and my ATO, I've put in 6+ gallons of water that apparently measured TDS at 20+ ppm. My test readings from around the house all seemed normal, so I think I trust my device, but I can't believe the LFS is selling such crappy water...what do you think? Should I be worried about the water I've already placed in the tank? I plan on taking my meter to a different LFS tomorrow and testing their water and hoping I find a new source for my water. My ATO reservoir now has some of the RO water from the grocery store that read at 2 ppm, until I can find a trustworthy source. Any other thoughts or opinions on this?

[Super CatPig]

Stevie usally gives great advice I wonder if there is a reason for what he said that we are not getting? Because to me - I'm thinking like you a (bag's a bag). I've only used purigen once, I bought the jar of it.. and I put the contents in a $0.99 3 X 8 inch bag I got from PetSmart down the road. I bought expensive bags before and I just do not like them.

 

As far as water goes .. sorry I can't really help there I still don't have a TDS meter. Well.. Kind of.. I have one that is part of my RODI unit that reads at 0 so I don't know how high is too high and cause for concern. It's good that you are finding this stuff out though to find the best source. Before I got the RODI unit in a pinch I used to use distilled water. It'll be a bit more expensive but not much for the amount i needed. Make sure your mixing bucket is clean before trying another LFS. The brown residue is probably from the salt mix or stuff that has precipitated out of it. not sure about the plastic maybe your powerhead or part of your heater broke off?

[rdck99]

• Aiptasia Hitchhiker: A few hours after adding the CUC, I noticed what looks to be aiptasia on a dead snail shell. I decided to grab the shell with some tongs and get it out of the tank, not realizing that I'd be lifting it right through the MP10 and stock pump currents. I examined the shell once I got it out, but I didn't see anything. Maybe it retreated into the shell, but otherwise, it could be anywhere in the tank. Any ID confirmation or suggestions at this point? Should I not worry until I see more of them cropping up?

• 8/30/13 Aiptasia Update: I posted a picture of what I thought was aiptasia way back when (post #54 on page #3). It was extremely tiny and appeared to be attached to a shell. Not really thinking, I used tongs to pickup and remove the shell, taking it right through the current of the MP10. I was certain the aiptasia (or whatever it was) remained in the tank, and today I spotted a very similar looking creature, only bigger. This is aiptasia...right? I turned off the pumps, and using a ziploc bag to protect my hand, went in to grab him but I couldn't get a hold of him. He's under an overhang and he's able to shrink or hide somewhere every time I get nearby. Given his position, I don't think I could baste him directly with boiling water either. I was thinking about adding a shrimp (Fire) anyway, as my tank will be fishless for another 2 months, so perhaps I get a peppermint? They're kind of ugly and not my first choice, but is this what you all would do? Or is one tiny aiptasia nothing to be concerned about?

• 9/1/13 Aiptasia Update: I rigged up the below using airline tubing and pipe cleaners. This allowed me to get the "U" shape I need to reach the aiptasia under the arch/cave. I heated lemon juice in the microwave and pumped it into the syringe. I got the end of the tubing about 1/2" from the aiptasia and blasted him. He quickly receded, but it's been almost 24 hours and I haven't seen him return...fingers crossed.

• 9/10/13 Aiptasia Update: The aiptasia reappeared in the same location it was originally in. I'm thinking it's time for a peppermint, but I'm going to debate the options a bit.
• 9/11/13 Aiptasia Update: A tiny gel anenome that just descended into its stalk or crevice is very tough to identify on a wet rock recently removed from water, but I torched the area it was on. I heard a couple crackles, like maybe I was hitting it, but only time will tell...
• 10/8/13 Aiptasia Update: The aiptasia I previously toasted has not reappeared, so I think he's gone, but I've seen 2-3 other spring up on the other side of the tank (very tiny specimens). They're on the top rock in my tank and I think I'll be able to torch them as well during my next water change. I worry however that it's too late and even if I can see many, my tank is infested.
• TDS: The more I think about, perhaps once upon a time, I had some saltwater in my RO/DI bucket and my meter is reading the salt remnants. For now, I'm not going to worry about it. Maybe next time I go there, I'll bring my meter.
• Parameters: 0 ammonia and less than 5 nitrates...I think things are in good shape, so maybe I'll back off the paranoid readings! Tank salinity is at 1.024.
• CUC: Added the critters from ReefCleaners this evening. I have 1 ruby mithrax crab (and he's huge...2" or so, but wish I had gotten an emerald), 7 hermits (ordered 3), 15-20 dward ceriths (ordered 10), 3 nassarius (3 ordered), 2 FL cerith (3 ordered...1 dead), and 3 nerites (3 ordered)...probably my favorite of the bunch (these guys fly!). The ruby mithrax crab is definitely interesting to watch, but he's been hiding more than anything. The hermits definitely seem to be clumsy bullies, but are fun to watch. Here are some photos:

Brown algae really blossomed the past 24 hours, just in time for the CUC!

Hermit!

Ruby Mithrax!

[RollaJase]

 

• Aiptasia Hitchhiker: A few hours after adding the CUC, I noticed what looks to be aiptasia on a dead snail shell. I decided to grab the shell with some tongs and get it out of the tank, not realizing that I'd be lifting it right through the MP10 and stock pump currents. I examined the shell once I got it out, but I didn't see anything. Maybe it retreated into the shell, but otherwise, it could be anywhere in the tank. Any ID confirmation or suggestions at this point? Should I not worry until I see more of them cropping up?

Aiptasia?

Picture is too small to be 100% certain but it does look a lot like one. It looks too thick to be a hydroid or a feather worm.

[rdck99]

Woke up this morning and the tank is weirdly lifeless. The ruby mithrax crab seems normal, but the rest of the snails/crabs have barely moved in the past couple hours...and that's a far cry from last night when everyone was flying around the tank. Tested all parameters and everything seems in check...

[Super CatPig]

Don't worry, everything's probably fine if your params are good. Though I don't know your light cycle ceriths tend to be more active at night from what I have read. The crabs/everything may just be getting used to the conditions. Be sure to have extra shells for the hermits to move into. They love cerith shells and expect some molts soon that will leave you thinking they are dead. Crab molts will fool ya every time.

[rdck99]

Don't worry, everything's probably fine if your params are good. Though I don't know your light cycle ceriths tend to be more active at night from what I have read. The crabs/everything may just be getting used to the conditions. Be sure to have extra shells for the hermits to move into. They love cerith shells and expect some molts soon that will leave you thinking they are dead. Crab molts will fool ya every time.

All is well. I think it was a mix of acclimating and my light schedule. Despite what I would have thought, the snails/crabs seem to be much less active when the lights are off. And yes, I do have several empty shells, but probably need more (ordered 20+ from ReefCleaners, but received only 5-7 very large, and rather obnoxious-looking shells...think of the shells you'd buy from a cheap souvenir store in FL - very unnatural).

[rdck99]

• Skimmer: waiting for the micro bubbles to stop and to feel confident that the "break-in" period is over, before I post my entire experience...hopefully that'll be soon!
• CUC: everyone is doing well and are extremely anxious for some fish poop to eat...another 1-2 weeks!
• Worm: haven't seen a bristle-like worm in ages, but snapped this shot yesterday...good to see some of the original hitchhikers are still kicking!

• Brown Algae: as you can see, I have a lot of brown algae-looking stuff buried in my sand bed. I assume it must be like this all throughout my sand bed, but it's very ugly along the front/sides of my tank and I'd like to get rid of it. Is this part of the initial cycle diatom bloom and will likely go away on its own with time or is it something I should manually remove? I've read that disturbing the sand bed is good and I've also read that it's bad. And advice/suggestions?

[rdck99]

• Mithrax Crab: his behavior seems to be normal, but it looks like he's losing his color here or there. As you can see in the photo, his shell has begun to look blotchy. Is this normal? Bad? What does it mean?

• Filter Floss: this is what my filter floss looked like after about 10 days or so in the tank. Lots of grime for LR and CUC only.

• Yasha/Pistol: so, I had my Wheeler Goby/Candy Pistol Shrimp on order and it had been a couple weeks, so I gave the LFS a call. Long story short, the fish arrived without my name on it, but it just so happened to jump to its death a few days ago. The manager I was speaking with asked why I chose a Wheeler and I explained that it was mainly due to price, as I'm new to the hobby. He said that they offer several different goby + shrimp pairs for $50 (which is what I was set to pay for the Wheeler/Candy), including the Yasha gobies. I still think something seems to good to be true, but at the moment I have a Yasha Goby/Candy Shrimp on order, and they'll apparently cost me $50 total!

[rdck99]

• Maintenance: nitrates were nearing 20 (everything else is still at zero, including phosphates), so I did a 2g water change today and topped off my water reservoir. Gave the glass a good scrub and used the baster to blow off the rocks beforehand.

First Feeding: I've been feeling bad for my CUC due to the delay in getting my first fish, and the subsequent delay in their feast, so I decided to drop a few of my New Life Spectrum Thera+A .5 mm sinking fish pellets into the tank. I'm certain I put too many in and I'm already regretting it, but wow - feeding the tank really brought things to life! All 3 of my Nassarius snails came up out of the sand (I hadn't seen any of them since I originally put them in the tank) and I counted at least 5-6 different bristle worms poking out of the LR. Pretty interesting stuff, I just hope I didn't hurt the balance of my tank with the pellets...we shall see.

[RollaJase]

In regards to the crab. As far as I know some crabs will change the colour of their shells to better suit their environment. The white patches look very similar to the patches on your LR and the colour of your sand.

 

Don't quite me on this though, I haven't had any experience with aquarium crabs.

[rdck99]

In regards to the crab. As far as I know some crabs will change the colour of their shells to better suit their environment. The white patches look very similar to the patches on your LR and the colour of your sand.

 

Don't quite me on this though, I haven't had any experience with aquarium crabs.

I promise not to quote, but thanks for the response/opinion

[rdck99]

IM Desktop Skimmer (skimmer has been up and running for 20 days now, so I thought I'd post my experiences with it):

• Setup: before adding it to my tank, I washed the skimmer body with a water/vinegar mix. I had to slide the Skkye Lights in towards the middle of the tank to fit the skimmer, which is kind of a bummer, as I don't think the light spread is as even as it was. I also trimmed about 3" off of the air line tubing to remove the excess. The rest of the setup/install process was exactly as outlined in the manual and very simple.
• Adjusting Water/Bubble Level: this is by far the most frustrating and tedious part of the process and from what I can tell, there's not a trick to make it any easier. You just have to play with the height of the skimmer (i.e. how far up/down the skimmer body sits in the chamber) and the air control valve until you find a sweet spot. Initially, you want the bubble level about 1/2" above the skimmer body, going into the collection cup, as you can see in the below picture. During this period, I'd have it set to what I thought was a good level, only to wake up to the collection cup overflowing and/or the bubble level having inexplicably increased/decreased. My cup has overflowed three different occasions and it's extremely annoying for two reasons - 1) it's spilling skimmate back into your tank (luckily, it never overflowed onto my floors) and 2) when the saltwater bubbles out of the overfill holes in the collection cup, salt dries all over the top of the tank glass and equipment, causing a pretty big mess. Continue playing with the height of the skimmer and the air control valve, and you'll eventually find some consistency.

Bubble Level on Day 1:

• Break-In Period and Micro Bubbles, Phase #1: for the first week, the micro bubbles were intense (see first picture below from day 1). After the first week, a slime coating was beginning to form in the inner column of the skimmer body/cup, which is exactly what you want to see, and it helps reduce the micro bubbles. This slime coating helps the bubbles creep up and spill over into the collection cup, along with the nasty skimmate (see second picture below - you can also see some salt from an overflow on the glass tank lid).

Micro Bubbles on Day 1:

Broke-In Bubble Level (skimmate collection begins):

• Break-In Period and Micro Bubbles, Phase #2: for the second and third weeks, it seemed nothing changed - micro bubbles remained, albeit slightly less noticeable than week one. However, maintaining the proper water/bubble level became a bit easier and more consistent, and I didn't experience any overflows. Every few days, I'd play with the height/valve and now the micro bubbles are virtually non-existent (see below picture). It's been 20 days, but I'm finally happy with how the tank looks.

FTS 7/13/13:

• Skimmate: despite only having a CUC, the skimmer is collecting some pretty nasty stuff (see pictures below). I get a full cup about once every 7 days. At the moment, I seem to be collecting more of a wet skimmate (nasties + water), than dry skimmate (just the nasties), which I think I'm okay with. I hear cleaning out the collection cup is real chore if it's filled with dry skimmate, but I suppose I'll need to monitor my salinity more if I'm removing a cup of saltwater-infused skimmate every week, only to have my ATO replace it with freshwater.

After Week 1:

After Week 2:

After Week 2:

 

Steve at IM has been great throughout the whole process, and I strongly recommend contacting him if you're having trouble, before giving up on it.

 

7/23/13 Update: micro bubbles were almost completely gone and I wrote a nice review of my experience on this thread. However, since adding the Yasha/Pistol and my 3 frags 8 days ago, the micro bubbles have been back in full force. I also used a bit of Loctite Gel on the zoa and GSP frags, which I know didn't help. IM has told me that the bubbles should get under control after adding significant bioload to the tank (i.e. my two clowns), so I'm going to give it another week, before I say "uncle."

 

7/30/13 Update: my two clowns had been in the tank for over a week and the micro bubbles hadn't budged at all, so I again contacted Steve at IM. He still thinks my tank is too clean and the body of the skimmer isn't coated in enough slime, which is keeping the micro bubbles around. Everyone and their mother on these forums insist not stocking more than what I already have (2 clowns, goby, shrimp, CUC) in a 16g tank, so I'm somewhat torn on what I should do...add more fish/bioload and hope the micro bubbles decrease or keep things as they are and hope my real "break-in" point is somewhere in the future? Until then, I'm going to try wedging a bit of floss (wrapped and rubber-banded around the IM stock yellow media) in the main/sump area, between the back of the tank and the panel separating the tank from the sump, at the bottom of my 1/2" waterfall, beneath the skimmer's chamber. The hope is that the bubbles will spill over from the skimmer chamber, onto this floss, and break up before being spit back out into my tank. Fingers crossed! Here's a picture of my makeshift bubble-popper.

 

7/31/13 Update: boy oh boy did the floss/yellow media/rubber band wedge work wonders. I woke up this morning and the tank was 98% crystal clear (see pic below) and micro bubble free! I now can't stop staring at my tank - this little mod yielded a night and day improvement, and I'm kicking myself for not doing it sooner. I may play with it a bit (maybe add a second wedge or raise/lower the existing wedge in the sump area) to see if I can knock out the remaining 2%, but I couldn't be happier. I also think I noticed a small snail in the skimmer body, which may keeping it too clean and not allowing the proper sludge build-up...next time I remove the cup, I'll try and get him out. All-in-all, I couldn't be happier...assuming it stays this way!

 

My skimmate also seems to look better, as my cup has more bubble overflow than before.

• 8/11/13 Update: The collection cup for will literally go days without producing even an inch of skimmate in the cup, then out of nowhere it'll overflow with clean saltwater. It seems to happen about once every week or so and it doesn't seem to coincide with anything I'm doing to the tank (feeding, media change, I use a Tunze osmolator, etc.). It's been over a month since I've actually emptied the cup because of a normal filling of tea-like water/skimmate, so the skimmer has been all but pointless the past 30 days.
• 10/8/13: Same 'ol, same 'ol. Finding a sweet spot where the skimmer produces good skimmate, but doesn't mysteriously overflow every week or so has been next to impossible. Considering I'm adding the reactor/biopellets and the fish will be coming home soon, I suspect I'll have a whole new round of fits - I've just excepted that I'll have to deal with a finicky device...sh*tty as it is. In the future, I plan on being more careful with how I run it - turning it off when I'm away, leaving it off for longer periods after feeding/media replacement/water changes, etc.
• 10/21/13: I've tried EVERYTHING that I can think of and the overflows are still happening about once per week (most of the time overnight, for whatever reason). If this is normal for any skimmer, please let me know and I'll just give up, but I can't handle the overflows anymore. The skimmer will seem to work normally and produce decent skimmate for days and up to a week, but then it overflows for no apparent reason. I'm going to call IM soon and see if I can get my money back. Here's my logic: I was having problems from day one, but was told to allow time to break-in, therefore, even if BRS has a 30 day return policy, that doesn't exactly seem fair if a product takes 60-90 days (or in my case 5 months) before you can even determine that it works or not.
• 11/30/13: GOOD NEWS...It has been over a month since my last overflow. Perhaps adding the fish back to my DT from the QT did the trick? Perhaps it's something to do with my reactor + biopellets having an effect? Those are the only two things that have changed, so I'm guessing one if not both, had an effect. Either way, I couldn't be happier...knock on wood. I have the skimmer as high in the chamber as it'll go and I also have the air valve open as much as possible...even with all that air, I'm emptying the skimmer probably twice per week. I'm not seeing much debris in the collection, but definitely tea-like brown water. As mentioned previously, I'm also turning my skimmer off when I'm away from the house for 24+ hours or after media/water changes...I think that's helping too.
• 1/8/14: my last post was very complementary of the skimmer, as it seemed to work for several weeks, as advertised. However, it's pushed down in the chamber as far as it'll go and the air valve is completely open, and I can't get anything to collect in the cup and it's been weeks. I even turned it on right after my water/floss change tonight and it barely bubbled over a drip (usually, I have to leave it off for several hours after a change, because it'd overflow so easily). Who knows!
• 1/12/14: I noticed the hose connecting the pump to the air valve was turning yellow and I thought water may be in it. I also saw that my sponge filter was dirty, and I had heard it's best to clean that out every so often. So, thinking these two things may be contributing to my skimmer's recent poor performance, I took my skimmer out for maintenance...

   

  This is what the venturi line air hose looked like. I ran pipe cleaners through it and turns out it wasn't wet on the inside nor was there any kind of noticeable debris. I guess the dirty air had been staining it?

  

  Side note: when trying to detach the tubing from the pump, I broke off the nipple on the pump that the air tube attaches to. Now, there was a hole in the inlet nozzle of the pump and I had nothing to attach the hose to. So, using a drill, I made the hole slightly larger, so a small nipple attachment from the MJ1200 could slide into it. I then used gel super glue to secure the new nipple in the hole. So far, so good...hopefully it holds up!

   

  When I removed the sponge filter, I found 8 dwarf cerith shells inside. A dirty sponge, plus all this clutter was surely hurting the skimmer's performance...at least I hope I discovered/fixed the issue.

  

• 2/3/14: since cleaning my skimmer a few weeks ago, the bubbles have been out of control (no, I didn't clean the inner column - just the airline tube and sponge), so I've kept it off the past week. My tank looks SOOO much cleaner and runs SOOO much more quietly when it's not running. I think I may sell it and switch my Reactor to GFO. Stay tuned.
• 2/4/14: I decided to remove it...the tank looks/sounds so much better without it, I couldn't resist. The thing worked properly for about 1 of the 8 months I owned it, and that's not good enough. I may contact IM about returning it (crazy as that sounds), otherwise, I'll probably sell it. Should I ever get another tank, I may try the Tunze 9002, but for now, the skimmerless life is for me!

[rdck99]

• Yasha/Pistol: I picked up my Yasha (~2.5") and Candy Pistol Shrimp (~1.5") Sunday, and the LFS was true to their word - $49.99 for the pair! I first temp acclimated them for 30 minutes, then drip acclimated the Pistol for about 70-80 minutes, and the Yasha for about 30-40 minutes using the IM AccuDrip and netted them both in. The Pistol found a little cave in some LR and has been there ever since, poking his head out every so often. The Yasha took refuge behind the same LR, but when I woke up this morning, he was nowhere to be found...I hear it may take up to a week or more, before they begin getting used to the surroundings and find each other. Does that sound right?

• Food: I have some New Spectrum Thera+A pellet food, as well as some frozen mysis shrimp that I plant to inject near their dwelling.

Corals: I couldn't resist buying a few frags at the LFS as well. I picked up a small zoa frag with about 10 small heads (watermelon, I'm told) for $15, a ricordea mushroom with 2 heads for $10, and a chunk of GSP for $15. The zoas and ricordea's mouth really look awesome under the blue LEDs, but the 'wow factor' diminishes quite a bit when the whites are on. I temp acclimated them for 30 minutes, then put them in a bowl with CoralRx for about 10 minutes, swishing them around manually. The only 'pests' I saw abandon the coral were 4 starfish...I felt and was tempted to try and save them, but wasn't sure if they were good or bad, and well, better safe then sorry.

Crab Trouble: Unfortunately, my mithrax crab (as well as a few hermits) has really taken a liking to the zoas and GSP. He's destroyed 3 heads on the zoa frag, so I relocated it in the tank and it has since opened up. He and the hermits haven't given the GSP a bit of rest (something is always on it), and it still hasn't opened up yet. About how long should I wait for them to open before I should worry that it's dying? As my tank is pretty clean and I've only just introduced some fish, I've learned that I probably should have been feeding my CUC this whole time, so they're probably just hungry. Any advice on how often and what I should be feeding them (my current plan is a couple pinches of the pellet food each night)? Any pointers for keeping them away from my coral? John at reefcleaners shipped me 7 hermits (plus the mithrax) and only 3 were recommended, so maybe I should return some to my LFS?

[RollaJase]

If your worried about the CUC being hungry go buy some dry nori (seaweed), soak a piece in tank water to soften and rubber band it to a small chunk of dry/live rock, if they really are that hungry they will be all over it. My hermits also love my zoas, they are always walking over them and picking at pieces of algae that grow in between the polyps. I have never had an issue with mine nipping at them though.

[rdck99]

If your worried about the CUC being hungry go buy some dry nori (seaweed), soak a piece in tank water to soften and rubber band it to a small chunk of dry/live rock, if they really are that hungry they will be all over it. My hermits also love my zoas, they are always walking over them and picking at pieces of algae that grow in between the polyps. I have never had an issue with mine nipping at them though.

Awesome. This is exactly the kind of suggestion I was hoping to find. Thank you!!

[rdck99]

The crabs continue to hound my GSP and zoas, but on the bright side, I found my Yasha's hiding spot! As soon as I turned off the pumps and put a 1/4 of a cube of frozen mysis shrimp in the tank he began poking his head out. Unfortunately, he's on the other side of the tank from his pistol pal and they both seem to have nice little LR homes going for themselves. I obviously don't want to stress them, but if they continue residing in their own homes for awhile, should I push the issue by forcing them out into the open, so they hopefully run into each other? If they have nice LR homes now, seems like they wouldn't have much reason to go looking for a partner to make a sand home out of...

[Super CatPig]

Mine will run over my zoas as well. I'm guessing a lot of stuff can get trapped below their skirts.. but any time I introduce a new coral in my tank the hermits go bananas and pick all the detritus and algae and crap stuck to the base of them. The stuff from the store always seems "dirtier" till everyone has a chance to snack on it's base IMO.. GSP can be temperamental and stay closed for a long time. Sometimes turkey basting the surface of them helps them open (they don't like a lot of crap built up on them) but it sounds like they are just getting used to things. I'd say just leave it in there.. forever. If you still see the purple mat it's still got a chance. I'm more than willing to throw some your way if I ever get a day off from work/play.

[rdck99]

Mine will run over my zoas as well. I'm guessing a lot of stuff can get trapped below their skirts.. but any time I introduce a new coral in my tank the hermits go bananas and pick all the detritus and algae and crap stuck to the base of them. The stuff from the store always seems "dirtier" till everyone has a chance to snack on it's base IMO.. GSP can be temperamental and stay closed for a long time. Sometimes turkey basting the surface of them helps them open (they don't like a lot of crap built up on them) but it sounds like they are just getting used to things. I'd say just leave it in there.. forever. If you still see the purple mat it's still got a chance. I'm more than willing to throw some your way if I ever get a day off from work/play.

It's good to hear that others have issues with crabs and new corals. Hopefully, they're just cleaning and will eventually move on, especially now that I'm feeding the tank a few pellets each day.

 

Also, thanks for sharing your GSP experience - makes me feel better, as it still hasn't opened, but it's definitely still nice and purple. I'll also try blowing it a bit with the 'ol turkey baster.

 

I'm always game for some more GSP! Do you dabble with any of the local clubs/groups?

[Egginis]

Been thinking about adding the vortech mp10 to my Nuvo 16. What percent power do you have it set and in which mode?

[rdck99]

Been thinking about adding the vortech mp10 to my Nuvo 16. What percent power do you have it set and in which mode?

I currently have it around 40-50% in ReefCrest mode. My tank is so lightly stocked at the moment, but I plan to crank it up to around 70% once I get more critters in, so I can gauge how they react.

[rdck99]

• Yasha/Pistol: they're still residing in separate LR homes, but the Yasha has been getting less and less shy every day. The Pistol on the other hand I hardly ever see - he's barricaded both entrances to his LR home from rubble that he found somewhere. Every couple of days I thaw a quarter cube of frozen mysis and turkey baste it into their respective homes. The shrimp pops out a bit to eat and the Yasha comes all the way out to feast for awhile - I even saw him enjoying some pellet food earlier today. I'm open to suggestions on how to get these two to meet each other? I managed to snap this shot of him (but still no photo of the Pisol).

• Clowns: I added two small ocellaris tank bred clowns yesterday (one black/white and one orange/white)! I drip acclimated them both for about 30 minutes or so and netted them into the tank. They seem to be enjoying the New Life Spectrum Thera+A small pellet food that I drop in once a day. They also seem to be hosting the back right corner of my tank (at least from my reading, that's what it seems like they're doing). I've got my eye on a small frogspawn frag at my LFS, so hopefully they'll have a proper home to enjoy before too long. Here's a picture of them hosting (you can also see my ricordea frag and another curious tankmate as well).

• Skimmer Update: micro bubbles were almost completely gone and I wrote a nice review of my experience on this thread. However, since adding the Yasha/Pistol and my 3 frags 8 days ago, the micro bubbles have been back in full force. I also used a bit of Loctite Gel on the zoa and GSP frags, which I know didn't help. IM has told me that the bubbles should get under control after adding significant bioload to the tank (i.e. my two clowns), so I'm going to give it another week, before I say "uncle."
• Crab/Coral Trouble: I ended up giving 3 of the 7 hermits to my LFS and things seems to be better. The zoas are always out and look good (see picture below), but the GSP is still troubled. They came out for a day or two, but that's it. Now the purple base is turning black in some spots (see picture below) and I haven't seen them out in days. When they were out and happy they were in this same location, but do I maybe have them too high in the tank, exposing them to too much light (they are about 5" below the water surface)?

• Sump Cleaning: I shined a flashlight down into my filter, heater, and sump chambers and it's pretty darn dirty back there. There were a few snails already back there, but I also dropped a hermit in the middle chamber. Was this a good or bad idea? Any suggestions to cleaning this area? Any Nuvo users out there clean your sump chambers yet?
• Feeding: is really a lot of fun. One minute after turning off my pumps and dropping some pellet food in the tank, I know all 3 nassarius snails will be out of the sand, as will my Yasha and 5+ bristle worms (including the 6"+ one below). My mithrax crab has come to enjoy being fed straight from my turkey baster with mysis shrimp - as soon as he sees the baster in the tank he scrambles toward it, grabs the end, and waits for me to blow shrimp into his mouth. Pretty amazing how smart some of these creatures can be.

 

P.S. As soon as the micro bubbles are under control, I'll whip the DSLR back out.

[eawonko]

Looks good! I like the rock work. How are you liking the Tunze nano osmolator? I have one and I'm not 100% crazy about it. I feel like I have to unplug it and plug it again to get it going.

[rdck99]

Looks good! I like the rock work. How are you liking the Tunze nano osmolator? I have one and I'm not 100% crazy about it. I feel like I have to unplug it and plug it again to get it going.

Thanks! I like it now, however, my first week or two with it were a bit annoying. I was having the exact problem you're describing. I'd plug it in, it'd pump water for a bit, and then the pump would start clicking, as if the reservoir was empty. Sometimes I'd plug it in and it'd work great for a day or two, but then the clicking would resume. I contacted Tunze and they said it was an extremely rare problem, but that it sounded like the brain/control unit was malfunctioning. They sent me a new one and it's been working flawlessly since then. I haven't had to unplug/replug in over a month! I'd contact Tunze and see if they can maybe send you a new brain/control unit.