Bloomin' Tank of GeNRosity

[teenyreef]

Yay, you're getting to be self-sustaining! I hope to start selling a few frags here and there once I get my new frag tank going.

[FlowerMama]

I wish I could say self- sustaining and not have to go to my day job!

 

So, all the plumbing is put together in these 2 pics- not glued or tape put on threads yet, and of course I have tubing going from pump to output and drain from overflow for sump. Yey!!!! So since the stand is still drying I'll get it together and do a leak test tomorrow after work. Oh, and need to heat up the pvc piping so it's more maleable.

 

 

 

[spectra]

I put a 2nd coat on the outside just now. I only put one inside, I'll do the inside later today but it's looking really good. I think it's really gonna look sharp. Still drying so that's why it looks streaky on the front.

 

 

And I bought a barrel lock for the door, there's not even a handle. Otherwise it just swings inside and once the tank is up top I won't be able to put my hand in there to push the door back out.

 

 

 

 

Stand is looking good!

 

As for the barrel lock maybe return it and get a spring loaded magnetic lock. It mounts on the inside of the cabinet and all you do is push on the door and it pops out. I have one on my IM 30 stand and works great. I didn't want a handle on it so that is why I went that rout. Cost 3 bucks I think at HD.

[FlowerMama]

 

Stand is looking good!

 

As for the barrel lock maybe return it and get a spring loaded magnetic lock. It mounts on the inside of the cabinet and all you do is push on the door and it pops out. I have one on my IM 30 stand and works great. I didn't want a handle on it so that is why I went that rout. Cost 3 bucks I think at HD.

 

Well, I'm kinda over seeing them 3 times already this weekend so I'll just stay with that! My friend said he's got a drill so that's great.

 

I also painted the inside a little bit ago so that's still drying.

 

The pieces fit together so I might thread and glue the pieces tonight and then tomorrow get the tank on the stand and secure everything to the glass on both above/below and do a water only test. Then I'll have to rehome the coral banded temporarily into the 40g and the urchins. I think one I'll just give to my friend for helping so much with the plumbing.

 

Then I'll move the 10g out of the way and soak the the small Hydor Koralia in peroxide water to clean the algae. Soon it'll be going up. Then I have to close the 10g thread and start a new one maybe for The Nursery.

[FlowerMama]

Next I'm really thinking of making an algae scrubber once I have more going on in the tank.

 

Oops! I was trying to move my green mithrax crab outta the way using the long tweezers, well, apparently he wasn't budging so I when I moved him out of the way, his big claw went with me and without him. So I amputed him. I feel bad but he still has the little pincher so he won't starve.

[FlowerMama]

Oh, and Teeny's thread just reminded me...I need to make next soon a gravity fed ATO going, homemade using the dripline I got from Stinkybunny. Want to keep things as consistent as possible for these tiny babies.

[FlowerMama]

Just saw 2 males spawn, they don't always do it at once, some like to do it again later. But seems the males can spawn twice a month while the females 5.5 wks - I don't know as I haven't seen the 2nd brood yet from the spawning 12/04 and I should have seen them by now normally.

[FlowerMama]

I know the return has lots of curves which will slow flow down but

 

1) it was already made by previous owner

2) I just put the last spout on and I'm not going to glue that...I want to be able to turn it to face the Hydor Koralia to break up flow.

3) flow will be enough from the Hydor Koralia, I don't need a bald spot on the tank bottom

4) maybe down the line I can find a one-piece that replaces the elbows completely, except the last piece

[FlowerMama]

I saw the surgical center today. Doc said my gall bladder is full of rocks. I said what's your guess how long I've had them. He said 10 yrs. Good God almighty. I have felt some nausea the last year but I thought it was flu or something. Maybe twice I felt something in my side as if someone pulled a rubber band back and then let it go to hit. Youch. But that's it. Outpatient surgery Thursday to take the gall baldder out - for a cut in the belly button and 3 others on my torso.

 

I've never carried, incubated anything that long, kinda fond of the boogers now. I'll ask them to put them in a specimen jar for me so I can take them home. I really want to see what it means when someone says "full" gall bladder.

 

The 2 urchins and coral banded are now out of the 10g tank and in the 40. All that remains in it now is the rock w/ 2 mushies, the heater & light and the AC70 which will be repurposed for the nursery. Maybe on Gert's tank instead of the 2 smaller pumps.

 

I can tell the clowns are not happy with this development. They keep going over to him and want to start something. And he's messing back. I worry about hi being a piggy and eating the food from the babies, that's why I need to get all babies out as soon as possible.

 

Here's a pic of the corky finger looking pretty and fluffy.

 

 

And can you believe the size of the rose coral baby???

 

 

Can you believe I cut 6 polyps out of it? the ones remaining have grown a little bigger.

 

 

And I fed a few polyps yesterday in the grandis and when they closed up around the food I just found more tinier babies inside. How cute!

 

 

 

babies of course, haven't found any new ones, still don't know when this baby release from the 12/4 male spawning is happening. It's late.

 

 

And sometimes you look at one in the camera, it's yellow, and in the camera looks green, so I was very pleasantly surprised when I took a pic of this one that is mustard yellow, the most yellow of any babies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FlowerMama]

I did put plumber's tape on the 2 threaded pieces, one for both the return and the drain. Tomorrow I'll glue the top of that piece to the slip I think it's called? Oh hell if I know, I can't stand plumbing. But I do learn about it more every time I go. Randi was a big help to me; she's awesome w/ plumbing. Put me around plumbing and it's every Pole joke you've ever heard. I guess I don't understand how the pieces fit together, why you need all of them, that sort of thing. and then these are threaded, these aren't, why are there so many sizes, why can't it all be generated for one size or two, not 1/2, 3/4, 1, 1.5" ----too dang many I tell you.

 

I think I'm going to float the 2 pieces of pvc clear tubing in the hot tub w/ hot water, maybe I can straighten them out some before I do it again tomorrow to get them over my pieces. Last time blow dryer wasn't enough.

 

Good night, I am tired. Tomorrow I have some friends coming over to drill/screw in my door bolt. I know this is small scale, with only like 12g of water but I have this fear of it leaking so I wonder if I shouldn't find a large rectangular plastic pan, even like a littler box that the 5.5 gallon could sit in, just in case it spills over and save on my laminate floor underneath it. Maybe I can find something at the Dollar store at the mall nearby work. Problem is tight fit, it's only 1/4" of each end of available space.

 

But tomorrow for sure, it is getting wet w/ minimum RO/DI and I'll have to see overnight if it leaks. So if good, then Wednesday evening I could salt it. My friends can also help me open that damn little container of brush on glue, who in the heck created that little canister and top? SO then Wednesday I can start cycling and put the rocks in.

[StinkyBunny]

I would make sure that there's a hole in that return to break siphon in case of a power outtage.

[StinkyBunny]

I'm working on an off-the-shelf algae turf scrubber made from parts you can source locally and online. I'll be testing them when the other set of lights arrives this week.

 

The US EPA is who developed that lid because of the econutters. Can't risk .00000001% of a VOC escaping, might kill a Spotted Owl who falls into a creek killing a Snail Darter.

[FlowerMama]

I would make sure that there's a hole in that return to break siphon in case of a power outtage.

 

Ok, Where would the hole have to go? BEFORE I attach any tubing!

So far all I did this evening was glue the 2 pieces together for the overflow and drain.

My friend Randi is coming over tomorrow after work to assist. But it should be at least warm RO/DI wet tomorrow.

I'm working on an off-the-shelf algae turf scrubber made from parts you can source locally and online. I'll be testing them when the other set of lights arrives this week.

 

The US EPA is who developed that lid because of the econutters. Can't risk .00000001% of a VOC escaping, might kill a Spotted Owl who falls into a creek killing a Snail Darter.

 

Yeah, there are so many videos online. I do think since I won't have fish, that a skimmer just won't be necessary for this volume however the algae skimmer would be extremely valuable with the amount of feeding I'd have to do to keep the little flowers going.

[FlowerMama]

The latch is now on the door!! Thanks to some local friends. I didn't have a drill or an electric screw driver.

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow Randi is coming by and we'll hook up the water....where's this hole supposed to go???

[StinkyBunny]

Somewhere on the return line above the water. I usually do them on the back side of the line.

[FlowerMama]

Somewhere on the return line above the water. I usually do them on the back side of the line.

 

Thanks, Now I do remember my overflow I had for my 34, did have some kind of hole now that you mention it. I don't remember putting a hole in my 60g, but I will do that here, Thank You. She said we'll test some power outages.

[StinkyBunny]

It doesn't have to be a huge hole, but it can't be too small, around 1/8".

[FlowerMama]

Well, looks like I'll have fun tomorrow getting the water going through it, making sure it doesn't leak. Maybe adding salt tomorrow if I see no sign of leaking. Not sure if I need to have a new thread though, it's just an extension of this, esp if I may only be adding a few flowers at a time over there. For most I'll have to wait til they've grown more so I can move them. But the next batch of babies born in the tank I'll siphon out w/ the baster and move them asap. I wasn't all quite sure where all the babies would go in this first round. Now I see I'll want to pick them up as soon as they come out. What's awesome is I already have several people in my local club interested in babies & they're not even ready yet. So I am excited about that.

 

And then Thurs is my laproscopic outpatient surgery done in the hospital at 1:45 they say now.

[FlowerMama]

It doesn't have to be a huge hole, but it can't be too small, around 1/8".

 

And that is up top on the spout somewhere? Is it on the spout somewhere then where I make the hole?

 

I bought a 1/8" dremel bit. My dremel is old but it works.

 

 

Came home and I noticed the flowers are turned up here & there, they started a daytime spawning which I've NEVER had, so I quick turned off the skimmer. I get home at 5:45, it is STILL happening. It's foggy in the tank!

 

I'm not keeping track of these male spawnings anymore. It's so often. I have 11 spawning, and 2 of them are new nems, the orange w/ purple in center is male, and so is the smallest pink one which it's only a bit bigger than a quarter so I'm shocked that it had anything so spew.

 

For everyone's pleasure...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not getting water in the tank tonight. I'm too tired. And I rescheduled for help from my friend for Saturday. Only a couple left now of 11 that were spawning. The female clown loves the spawn.

[RIP Sebastian]

Bow-chicka-bow-wow.

 

Also, sorry to hear about your gallbladder. The admissions director at my school (who is also a family friend) had her's taken out two weeks ago and she's back at work. Prayers and thoughts going your way!

[jedimasterben]

Yeah, there are so many videos online. I do think since I won't have fish, that a skimmer just won't be necessary for this volume however the algae skimmer would be extremely valuable with the amount of feeding I'd have to do to keep the little flowers going.

A skimmer doesn't care if you have fish or not, but you will absolutely need one for propagation IMHO. The bigger the skimmer, the more you can feed without the water quality dropping. An algae scrubber is one way, but the RFAs might not like it (some animals just don't, the algae exudes chemicals into the water). I had some corals that closed up when I was using one and opened up only after I put the skimmer back on.

[FlowerMama]

Bow-chicka-bow-wow.

 

Also, sorry to hear about your gallbladder. The admissions director at my school (who is also a family friend) had her's taken out two weeks ago and she's back at work. Prayers and thoughts going your way!

 

Thanks, it shouldn't be too bad.

[FlowerMama]

A skimmer doesn't care if you have fish or not, but you will absolutely need one for propagation IMHO. The bigger the skimmer, the more you can feed without the water quality dropping. An algae scrubber is one way, but the RFAs might not like it (some animals just don't, the algae exudes chemicals into the water).

 

Well, I don't see how a skimmer is going to fit in there with the pump and rock, too small to bother with sectioning off. Only a 5.5 g aquarium fits in there. I won't need one at all at first as there will probably only be 4 nems, maybe less going in there as all of them are on the damn rocks that will not be moved over. So hopefully they move some so they're not in a hole and I can get a razor underneath. I'm not chiseling these guys out.

[kimberbee]

Wow, I can't believe how many spawns you get!! You must really be doing something right!!

[StinkyBunny]

Gimme the inside dimensions of the stand and the door opening measurement. I'll see if there's something better than a 5g tank for a sump.