Osric Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share Posted March 8, 2009 Your reverse photo period with your fuge light, does it come on right when you lights turn on and off right when they go off? Or does it go on just before they go off and off just after they come back on? I was a bit confused by the end of your paragraph :-) ... however this part is pretty clear and it's the second - a bit of overlap on each end so the lights are all on at the same time in the evening and in the morning. The two plugs are on completely separate timers so it's easy to adjust however seems best. I hadn't read the pH thing though - do you have a link/reference? In continued news, today I did remove the rock and put it in my QT to blast it clean with a koralia powerhead. The powerhead made quick work of getting the slimy film off the rock. I took some 'before' pictures: These are all of the same rock. I was so worried that this rock (which is a foundation of my rockwork) was going to be hard to remove - but thankfully everything was stable enough that I could remove it without losing too much support, clean and replace. So I did that. The tank looks much better now, hope the cheato can keep the slime from coming back. Very curious if anyone can positively ID that as cyano for me. Next step ... vortech ... looks like it'll have to be mail order, having trouble finding it locally. Osric Link to comment
Osric Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 Vortech ordered but might take a week to get here :-( Pretty happy with how it's looking, leaving the Koralia in the tank full time for now (normally move it to my QT at night). Today's stats 80.5F, 8.4 pH, 8-9 dkh, 0s for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate. Saw a bit more cyano on a different rock when inspecting today, but not too much of it, going to wait and see how things look by tomorrow night before doing any more manual cleanup. How quickly does chaeto grow? I can't see any difference at all, but on the other hand it's only been one day. Osric Link to comment
pprwngs Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I hadn't read the pH thing though - do you have a link/reference? I know I've heard people talk about on N-R before but, I'll try to find it when I have time after work. The whole reason to run a reverse lighting for the fuge is so your pH is stable throughout the night. I'll also take a look through a few of the books I have to see if there is something about it in there. Any who your tank is looking awesome. Jim Link to comment
Osric Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 The news today is that my sally lightfoot molted! My wife got a great shot of the old exoskeleton. Wish I knew how to tell the gender of sally lightfoot crabs ... for now, I'm calling her "Sally" ... original, eh? I also took a new pic of my cleaner, Mo (after the cleaner robot in Wall-E): Things looking ok algae wise, not incredible. Still a lot of green on the glass after a full day of lights, cleaned it off just before lights out. Hope the chaeto growth kicks in soon and hope I'm not being too optimistic about its ability to starve out other algae. Osric Link to comment
Osric Posted March 13, 2009 Author Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hope the chaeto growth kicks in soon and hope I'm not being too optimistic about its ability to starve out other algae. This seems to be working out now, after just a few more days for the chaeto to get established. Algae growth in the display tank is noticably diminished and the cyano seems to have totally disappeared. I've got my fingers crossed! Anyone have any advice about frequency of testing the water? Up to now I've done it almost every day, but I'm wondering if at this point - almost a month into things - I can slow down to testing weekly or so. Osric Link to comment
Osric Posted March 14, 2009 Author Share Posted March 14, 2009 Weekly testing it is due to popular support ;-) Added the Vortech to the tank today - last step in the cyano plan - reef crest random produces lots of nice flow, reasonably unpredictable. Osric Link to comment
pprwngs Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 I think pics of the Vortech are in order... I'm thinking about getting one soon! Link to comment
Osric Posted March 15, 2009 Author Share Posted March 15, 2009 I think pics of the Vortech are in order... I'm thinking about getting one soon! Sure! The pump is fairly large, both inside and outside the tank. Here you can see the motor and cord on the side of the tank: On the other hand, on the inside of the tank it isn't really any more obtrusive than a Koralia powerhead: Here's a closeup of the interior: And here's how it looks if you sight down the side of the tank ... hey, if the front edge of my tank had a scale in it, it'd be a built in refractometer too ;-): Finally, a shot of the logo: I tried out a out a few positions. If you have sand, it is definitely easy to put it too close to the bottom. Since our tanks (Solana) are only 20" across, the stream from the powerhead hits the opposite glass and stirs up the substrate if it is further than halfway down the tank. I think I will keep it where I have it now - fairly close to the back top corner. This position creates flow from right to left across the back of the tank, hits the side glass and creates flow to the front, hits the front glass and flows from left to right across the front, and then the intake creates current across the side it is on. So if you stir up a bit of detritus from the bottom you can see it make circuits of the tank over and over again - at full power the pump can suspend basically all the dirt in my tank; the filter ultimately takes it out of the system. In fact the tank is noticably nicer since adding it! I like reef crest random which is a very variable mode that creates interesting surface ripples and constant eddies and currents throughout the tank. I do not think my tank will require any more flow than this! It's excellent. And it doesn't heat up the water at all, pegged near 79 ever since I took out the Koralia. Osric Link to comment
pprwngs Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 sweet! i want one of these. Link to comment
davidr2340 Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Congrats on the Vortech! I love mine as well! Link to comment
Osric Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share Posted March 23, 2009 So this weekend I failed to find a flame angel for my QT, but we did spot some hitchhikers. At the back of my tank I see what I think are two legs of a small brittle star - they are very thin, and look like they have combs on both sides, white with purple/pink stripes. In a different area, I have a crab hiding in the rock, not sure how to ID him - is it most likely he's a hermit? I'm hoping if so he'll find the empty shells of some of my early snails if so... Osric Link to comment
Osric Posted March 29, 2009 Author Share Posted March 29, 2009 Hoping for the flame this weekend - will be phoning around tomorrow. Recent pics, nothing too interesting. Osric Link to comment
bluenassarius Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 osric, i'm gonna follow in your footsteps and get a solana but 25g, vortech but the mp20. i just placed the order for the mp20. the solana will be ordered tomorrow. Link to comment
Osric Posted April 6, 2009 Author Share Posted April 6, 2009 Well, my QT disaster is over, and I've introduced "Goby" into the main tank. He seems happy enough, active and moving, but not obviously eatiing yet (though he was eating in QT). He's way too reclusive to get a picture. Hope he settles in and becomes a more interesting character for the tank. Osric Link to comment
bluenassarius Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 Well, my QT disaster is over, and I've introduced "Goby" into the main tank. He seems happy enough, active and moving, but not obviously eatiing yet (though he was eating in QT). He's way too reclusive to get a picture. Hope he settles in and becomes a more interesting character for the tank. Osric Os, which model vortech did you get? Link to comment
Osric Posted April 6, 2009 Author Share Posted April 6, 2009 which model vortech did you get? The MP20. This was before the MP10 appeared, and the MP40 is overkill. Heck the MP20 might be overkill but I like it Osric Link to comment
bluenassarius Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 ahh thats what i bought for the 25g. i know it will be more than enough flow. the mp10 looks like more like a stream but good for really small tanks.. Link to comment
Osric Posted May 3, 2009 Author Share Posted May 3, 2009 Mmm, somehow I only posted about my clowns jumping in a separate thread, and not here. Well, for the record I lost both clowns in one week a while back. Found one in the fuge, dried up and dead, the other is MIA and at this point I don't expect to find him. Sadness. After being away for two weeks, am OK with how my tank is looking, a little bit of really dark brown algae on all the rocks is my only big concern. Plenty of light purple coralline taking hold. Against the wisdom of my betters I have put a green BTA in the tank yesterday. He's still not too settled, or at least I hope not - he's hiding in a crevice in the rocks facing the back wall of the tank at the moment. Will get pics when he stops moving, or post for help if he doesn't... Osric Link to comment
Osric Posted May 25, 2009 Author Share Posted May 25, 2009 Added a flame angel, two clowns, sun coral, and an orange sponge today. Pictures! Osric Link to comment
irogers Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 that's a nice looking flame angel. let us know how he does, i have always been interested in this fish but i am hesitant to put him in my 29 gallon Link to comment
Osric Posted May 25, 2009 Author Share Posted May 25, 2009 that's a nice looking flame angel. let us know how he does, i have always been interested in this fish but i am hesitant to put him in my 29 gallon Worried about coral nipping? I decided to chance it. I have very little in so far, just the sun coral and the orange fan sponge (and my anemone). So it may be a while before I can see if he's a nipper or not... 50/50 odds everyone says. Tank size wise, you hear different things from different people. I think he'll be (just) OK in my 34G. Osric Link to comment
34G Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Worried about coral nipping? I decided to chance it. I have very little in so far, just the sun coral and the orange fan sponge (and my anemone). So it may be a while before I can see if he's a nipper or not... 50/50 odds everyone says. Tank size wise, you hear different things from different people. I think he'll be (just) OK in my 34G. Osric I would say on the small side for tank size but not really bad or anything. I have owned a few over the years and they are very active swimmers. Looks like you have lots of open room More than my Solana! Both of the Flame angels and also the Potters Angel I have owned never picked at anything. They were a little territorial with other fish and did nip a lot but left corals alone. Nice looking flame and tank! Link to comment
Osric Posted May 26, 2009 Author Share Posted May 26, 2009 I would say on the small side for tank size but not really bad or anything. I have owned a few over the years and they are very active swimmers. Looks like you have lots of open room More than my Solana! So far he loves to swim all over, and through every one of the tunnels in my rockwork (there are quite a few of them - 6 or 7 distinct choices). It's kind of displaced my yellow watchman goby, who might need a prawn now to feel at home, though the flame doesn't really harrass him (he's skittish). I had to heavily rearrange the rockwork to make shade for the sun coral, haven't had much chance to see how that'll impact the flame's swimming space. I think/hope he'll be fine, and he does also seem to enjoy the currents created by the vortech... Osric Link to comment
Osric Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 Recent pictures: Note goby hiding in the bottom of the last one. Osric Link to comment
Lalani Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Good luck with that angel.. and the sally lightfoot. Looks good otherwise. Link to comment
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