StevieT's Red Sea Max Experience

[StevieT]

Thanks. I had to move around a few acros this week since my montis are growing like crazy. They were starting to do some coral warfare on a few.

 

I will get some underwater pictures later this afternoon, it gives nice close ups.

 

What a poser!

 

 

 

 

 

[garymad]

Hi Steve and everyone.Just wanted to jump in and say what a great thread. This is my first time posting on a forum. I have been reading Stevie T's thread for awhile now and finally just had to join.Sorry if I am doing this wrong so if I am just ignore my post and will leave everyone alone. I am semi new to saltwater aquariums as My first and so far only Tank is the Red Sea Max. I set it up 1 year ago this month. I had my problems here and there, but most were my fault. I rushed things and crashed my tank before it cycled, overfed and small things like that. But now it is doing well. After reading different comments and tips on the web (learned alot on this thread) I did some mods and so far things are doing alot better.The only thing I can't get to zero are my nitrates. They are running between 40 and 60. I lost a fish 3 days ago and can't find it anywhere. Iknow it is dead but it is like it just dissappeared.So one quetion I have is has any body experienced having a mantis shrimp hitch hike into there tank? The fish that I am missing is a banded goby.After he came up missing, I was looking in my tank with a flashlight to see if I could find him and when I looked into the burrow where he slept, I seen a pair of eyes staring back at meand it crawled back up under the rock. So I looked in there about every 10 minutes and started seeing more of it. It is small only about 1 inch. Its tail looks like a shrimp or lobster and what I could see of it , its colors were black green and red.If anyone has any advise on what this is please let me know. Sorry again if I am doing this post wrong but if I am I will leave everyone alone. I will try not to post such a long message next time. I just wanted to see if anyone has experienced this.If I am welcome to this thread, I will post some pics and tell what mods I have done.

 

thanks again

[StevieT]

 

Thanks for posting! Yes, mantis shrimp can and do hitchhike into our tanks. I do not have any personal experience with them but I do see threads all the time about what to do with them.

 

A lot find them from hearing a clicking in their tank. If you are having nitrates it is most likely from the dead fish. If you can't find the body, it has probably been eaten by your CUC, it happens very fast, but there may be some left over that is decaying.

 

Do water changes and try and find the dead fish.

 

On the mantis, do you want it? If not, you are going to have to remove it, or it will kill just about everything. I would sudgest routing questions directly on them on other threads or start your own, direct help here may be hard to find since it is all about the RSM tank.

 

here are some resourses, if you need anything else let me know, do a search for mantis and start reading! I am happy this thread has helped you out.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...6&hl=mantis

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...7&hl=mantis

[StevieT]

She has found a new place to play during the day:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey - Get off me!

 

 

 

 

 

Whazz up

 

 

[fierceseaman]

looking great man, really impressive.

[StevieT]

Thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lilredneckman]

Beautiful Stevie! Absolutely stunning!

[smarsh]

Great shots man! SPS doing great under stock lighting I see.

[StevieT]

Great shots man! SPS doing great under stock lighting I see.

 

 

thanks. Yeah the montis are growing very nicely. I had to move a few acros because the caps were encroaching on their turf.

[SteveGB]

Public thanks to StevieT for your help with getting my Rack to fit my 'unique' RSM. After lots of thinking, then just getting the router out, the Rack is finally in, Tunze skimmer working fantasic, (took the option of glueing another magnet onto the Tunze instead of mounting it onto the Rack), noise is still a problem though, instead of the skimmer, I can now hear this whining noise.... turns out it's the other half

 

Nice pics by the way.

[StevieT]

 

thats funny. Thanks Steve, I appreciate it.

[JimDantin]

Are the last batch of pics taken with your underwater housing? I really like the down shot of the clown, GSP, and hammer coral.

[StevieT]

yes sir, most of those were under water. The top downs were with the housing just under the surface to break the waves.

 

I took that housing in a few pools and lake Michigan these past few weeks, no fogging. The only reason I could see if fogging up if the camera was warm from the sun. But since it creates no heat, it should become the same temperature as the water not causing any condensation to build up...

 

we shall see in the ocean, have the anti fog gooo at the ready.

[JimDantin]

I found the water off Maui was notably colder than the air, so when I dove down, the housing glass cooled down and fogged.

[Brent F]

Steve,

 

The SPS look great. Proof it is possible to keep corals under stock lighting

[StevieT]

I found the water off Maui was notably colder than the air, so when I dove down, the housing glass cooled down and fogged.

 

 

That would make sense, if the camera was warmer and there was a drastic change it would fog up. We will see what happens in the Dominican, the water temp should be pretty constant where I am going.

 

I even had it in a hot tub a few weeks back, no fogging what so ever.

 

Steve,

 

The SPS look great. Proof it is possible to keep corals under stock lighting

 

 

thanks Brent, go RSM stock lighting!

[StevieT]

Schedule Update for the first week of September:

 

I will be out of the country From September 3-9, spending many hours in the ocean in the Dominican Republic, if I don't get caught by customs with a vast amount of corals , production will resume after that time. I will be running production up until September 2nd, catching up on backorders, new orders, and future orders.

 

I have always shipped out in the order of payment. I should be able to ship orders for another week or so, but anything after a point, all depending on demand, will be shipped after I return from vacation.

 

If you have any questions please send them my way, I will be out of data communication while on vacation and I am sure my girlfriend will send my blackberry into the ocean upon arrival just to make sure

 

Thank you to everyone for your past purchases, I look forward to getting caught up in the next week and a half. In the month of September I will be back to a stocking level since life will be slowing down. Please feed my fish and check the ATO on my tank while I am gone

[StevieT]

 

MORE PICTURES ON MOUNTING TUNZE TO REAR OF TANK

 

 

Yesterday, my epoxy failed on the bond that held the magnet to the side of the skimmer. I pealed it all off and rebonded it with Weldon, a plastic solvent. It should provide a more permanent bond. I also took a few zip ties (to make them longer) and finally sealed down the top lid since it never liked to be tight in the postion I needed it for our application in the RSM.

 

I took the opportunity to take more pictures since most are confused about how this works. It is super simple, just take the loose magnet and glue it to the side of the skimmer.

 

 

 

 

 

^^ the lid is actually backwards in the picture. It is turned 180* in my tank.

[Normandy]

Dude...Is that SPS the same frag as pictured in you 9/18/07 shots? Damn, serious growth under stock RSM lights.

[StevieT]

yes it is! Are you talking about the green one? I haven't lost one SPS piece of coral in this tank, the stock lights are plenty strong to provide good growth.

[Normandy]

yes it is! Are you talking about the green one? I haven't lost one SPS piece of coral in this tank, the stock lights are plenty strong to provide good growth.

 

Yeah, the Green one. Looks fat & healthy with nice "bushy" polyps.

 

Really cool to compare photos.

[StevieT]

It really is the only way to notice how much these things grow! They move so slowly. After my vacation, I am going to do a very nice comparison of growth for the one year anniversary of this tank.

[SeeDemTails]

Growth comparison shots are the best!

[Normandy]

Growth comparison shots are the best!

 

No, Shots like SDT has w/ attractive women in the background are the best, growth comparison are a distant second.

 

Maybe someone can combine the two.

[121a]

wow looks great! to bad we aren't near each other.