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Spec V Build - Beginner Style!


Texag12

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1/2/2015 Evening Chemical test

 

1-2-2015eveningtest_zps4932a76b.jpeg

 

I feel like my nitrite and nitrate are looking a bit higher today. Would yall agree compared to the previous pictures? I feel like I am seeing poop on the bottom from my shrimp or 2 turbos... but not sure.

 

I was planning on adding some type of sand sifter tonight to my CUC... any suggestions? Think I am safe to pick up my first frag?

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Interesting, I may just use them as a precaution but we'll see. Hey I was taking a look at your Spec and it's beautiful. What's the green that you are growing on the side where the flow and sump area are? I think I saw some red dragon macroalgae as well?

 

I took out all the macroalgae cuz it grew sooo fast. The green is GSP and it spread to the glass now...haha. Have to razor it off soon.

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I took out all the macroalgae cuz it grew sooo fast. The green is GSP and it spread to the glass now...haha. Have to razor it off soon.

what is GSP? Sorry still learning all the acronyms.

 

Any thoughts on my chem levels or suggestions for a sand sifter if these specs?

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Ok picked up a nassarius snail as my local fish store recommended it over a fighting conch for my size tank. My wife went with and got excited, so we picked up a nice acan frag that happened to have a hitch hiker snail.

 

This snail looks like a nassarius and is very fast, but I can't identify it because it seems to be missing its shell. Picked up some mysis shrimp as well.

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noticed some hair algae on my acan frag while I had it in a half and half acclimation. How do you guys typically remove this? Dip it in a hydrogen peroxide bath or just let your CUC naturally get it off?

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went by my LFS and picked up a green star polyp (GSP). Couldn't get it it free so paid $20 for it. It's definitely not as green as yours.

 

I acclimated the acan and GSP last night and went to bed with the GSP still closed. I awoke to both the GSP and the acan being open and out so I am pretty excited! I've read about them staying shut for some people for a few days. So happy to have my first corals in here :)

 

Thinking today might be my first water change judging by my nitrate levels. Will post chem test in a bit to get yalls opinion.

 

Mu current LED system gets in today and mini jet 606 tomorrow so things are really starting to come along quick!

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Just gotta say... I've read about nass coming out of the sand, but it's pretty awesome to see in person. I dropped about 1/8th cube of mysis shrimp in my tank for my acan to see if it would feed and watched my nass come out of the sand and hunt around sucking up mysis whether it was on the live rock or the sand floor. He pissed the GSP off for a bit by bumping into it, but it has since opened back up.

 

NEW GSP Frag & New Nass

1-3-2015GSPDay2_zps6a1f1f87.jpeg

 

NEW ACAN

1-3-2015Acanday2_zps0ceaa1f2.jpeg

 

1/3/2015 Morning Chem Test

1-3-2015morningchemtest_zpsd2a12cd7.jpeg

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Thanks for the current light system suggestion. It just came in and I've set it up to use default timer #1. Is that what you guys are using? This system has made an awesome first impression.

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Chad Walters

That's what I always used, got pretty good growth out of it. Could have been more I'm sure if the settings were tweaked but it worked good for me.

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are yoou sure your tank is cycled? u should not be seeing nitrite....

went and put a raw shrimp in it to see if an ammonia spike happens. I'll leave it in for awhile. Right now my peppermint shrimp is going to town in it.
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Chad Walters

You already have ammonia in the system... correct me if I'm wrong but adding the shrimp shouldn't tell you if your cycled or not. You should have 0ppm ammonia and 0ppm nitrite with only nitrate present. Water changes are how you lower and keep low your nitrate to safe limits.

 

With ammonia showing in the system your cycle either has not completed or by adding livestock your biological filtration bacteria is having to "catch up" to the new bio load. But that shouldn't be it with a small bio load that you have.

 

Others... am I correct?

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You already have ammonia in the system... correct me if I'm wrong but adding the shrimp shouldn't tell you if your cycled or not. You should have 0ppm ammonia and 0ppm nitrite with only nitrate present. Water changes are how you lower and keep low your nitrate to safe limits.

 

With ammonia showing in the system your cycle either has not completed or by adding livestock your biological filtration bacteria is having to "catch up" to the new bio load. But that shouldn't be it with a small bio load that you have.

 

Others... am I correct?

yeah that will lower the nitrate, but it won't lower the notrite that has randomly started showing up.

 

Now that I think about it adding that shrimp and monitoring for ammonia spike is probably not the best idea considering we are talking nitrite spike which is generally after the ammonia spike in the cycle. I just am stumped as to why nitrite has gone up all of a sudden. Nitrate has gone up as well, but I would expect that to.

 

I think the low ammonia that is showing is a false positive as I've read API test kits have showed it when in fact it was zero for others.

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take the shrimp out, just go slow, and let the bacteria population build.

removed it and just going to keep everything as is and monitor for awhile. Cheers for the help guys!

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minijet 606 came in, do you guys typically replace the stock flow pump with this? That is what I am planning to do. I've seen people say they set it at half and at full, any suggestions?

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minijet 606 came in, do you guys typically replace the stock flow pump with this? That is what I am planning to do. I've seen people say they set it at half and at full, any suggestions?

 

 

I set mine at full. You have to take the cover off so you really cant adjust it.

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I set mine at full. You have to take the cover off so you really cant adjust it.

You mean take off the adjusting area so the blue circular thing is exposed? Interesting, I didn't realize that. Is the reason for doing so to minimize it being clogged? Do you have any thread examples of taking it a part so I can make sure Im doing it ok?

 

EDIT: found this example video

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Ok did exactly as the video shows and hooked it up. This minijet 606 is wicked powerful in the little Spec V! Anyone have pics about how they are angling the flow spout? I've played around with a couple different positions and still not really sure which I like best. Right now I've got it pointing straight out vertical wise, and pointing to the left to bounce off the back wall.

 

 

Went ahead and topped off today with store bought distilled water as well.

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if you want even more flow, don't even use the flow nozzle =P.

 

My acan are reacting like I've never seen before. All four (another 1-2 heads developing right now already) heads are flaring their inner tentacles up to catch things in the current. I haven't seem them do this before even when putting mysis in.

 

1-4-2015acanflair_zps580a165e.jpeg

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