Chyendra's 30 Hex

[Chyendra]

Yah, vet school is just as hard as everyone says it is... I didn't really want to believe it and you have 0 time for a real life outside of school.

 

But believe it or not maintaining an aquarium is sort of a stress reliever (when things are going good )

I wouldn't say I'm a "successful" SPS keeper, but I'm attempting.

 

I REALLY would like to figure out why my SPS keep browning out. I feel at a loss. I'm hoping that with the fall coming in and my temps returning to normal a bit, that might help... who knows...

[timdanger]

i can proudly say that i've defeated bryopsis, so that gives me all kinds of credibility to give advice here. All you have to do is blow out your light fixture and then don't replace it for a few weeks. CURED. the few mushrooms/GSP I have remaining in that tank are surviving on ambient lighting in the room! .....

 

in all seriousness, though, i feel like i tried everything (urchin, nudibranch, Mg dosing, etc.). it sucked, and nothing seemed to help. prior to my light fixture failure, i had been fighting it for almost a year. when my light fixture failed, i decided to just upgrade my tank. however, my plan prior to the light fixture failing was going to be to work with my LFS to get either a "loaner" (with a deposit) or purchased (with the understanding i would return it) bryopsis eater. maybe your LFS is nice and wants to help?

 

for instance, just throwing this out there (i am about to endure some punishment for this suggestion), but what about seeing if you can get a very small yellow tang on loan? this obviously wouldn't be a permanent addition, but i hear they're big vegetable eaters. might be worth a shot, eh? same thing with urchins/nudibranchs -- you could maybe buy a few, see if anything seems to help, and return what doesn't help?

[Paleoreef103]

Tank looks great. I'm really just wondering if part of the reason your sps browned out was just distance to the halide. When I was using a Viper I had to stick my more light demanding SPS pretty close to the light and they still didn't explode. Vipers are pretty awful in my opinion. Good for LPS and Caps, but that's about it.

[timdanger]

Tank looks great. I'm really just wondering if part of the reason your sps browned out was just distance to the halide. When I was using a Viper I had to stick my more light demanding SPS pretty close to the light and they still didn't explode. Vipers are pretty awful in my opinion. Good for LPS and Caps, but that's about it.

 

agreed on the depth of those hex tanks being an issue.

[Chyendra]

I totally agree with you both, The depth on this tank is a huge issue. If I were to do it over I'd try to build up my live rock a bit more, but it's such a small footprint to try to build a 20" rock structure on

 

I also agree that the viper reflector is awful, but it suited my needs for a simple, self-contained fixture. I took a risk on an odysea for the hope of a better reflector and the addition of actinic (also so that I could put the cover back on my tank, my firefish jumped out

 

So far Odysea doesn't seem any better or worse than the Viper.

 

If I had any tools, like a saw or something. I would build a custom canopy for it and retro a 250 HQI. *sigh* thats what I really would like.

[timdanger]

If I had any tools, like a saw or something. I would build a custom canopy for it and retro a 250 HQI. *sigh* thats what I really would like.

 

a hex canopy? sounds like a breeze..!

 

building tall rock structures is feasible (with aquarium putty, some kind of supports nailing the live rock together, etc. -- not saying it'd be easy, but it's at least feasible), but you still will have issues getting light to the bottom. i guess that's not as big of a deal if you wanted to structure corals such that you've got low-light-lovin' corals (mushrooms perhaps?) or non-photosynthetic corals (sun polyps, chilis?) hanging out down there. might actually be kind of neat to create like a thin-ish tower of live rock in the center, with a 360-degree viewability.

 

another thought: create yourself a mega-DSB! is the tank the 24" depth kind? you could make yourself a 7" DSB or something and bring everything closer to the light! and, you'd get NNR action? this may be a terrible idea, but it is, in fact, AN idea.

[Paleoreef103]

If I had any tools, like a saw or something. I would build a custom canopy for it and retro a 250 HQI. *sigh* thats what I really would like.

I have a 250. It is amazing. It wouldn't have any trouble getting to the bottom of that tank. Mine is 14" inches above the tank and still puts out over a hundred PAR at the bottom of the tank. (450 just below the water level. My old viper hit about 300 right below the surface and that was when it was about 4 inches off the water.)

[Chyendra]

a hex canopy? sounds like a breeze..!

 

 

Yah it would be easy if I had a saw and some clamps and whatnot. My dad and I have built canopies for my aquariums in the past, including my 5 gallon flat-back hexagon, but I live 3 states away now, so I'm on my own for building projects... and I'm not really gifted in construction...

 

DSB huh? ha ha, well like you said... it's AN idea. I've never really liked sand... my first tank had sand for about 3 weeks and then I got rid of it, and all my tanks have been barebottem every since. But that WOULD raise the rock work...

 

 

Edit

LOL and I just noticed your title... Promulgator of Bad Ideas

 

Well, Bad ideas are better then no ideas...

[Paleoreef103]

Bite the bullet and get a 250. You'll be happy you did.

[Rocket]

Is the rock work movable? You could build a pole stand. Drill the rock and slide over a Acrylic rod, use aquamend or something to hold them in place. Thus stacking the rocks to any height you want. Maybe create a cone shape with bigger rocks on the bottom, creating shelves to put corals.

 

It is far better (safer) than just stacking the rocks to get higher height. I contemplated this when I did my hex. But upgraded the tank in the end.

 

DSB's are a pain. I ran one in a fuge for a week then siphoned the sand away. Any rock put on top a DSB will sink and shift. I would not trust it stability wise.

 

Or... Using food grade plastic #5 you could build a grated platform in the shape of the hex. Raise it up say 6 inches and all would be good. Cut holes in the grate to allow the fish to swim under. Over time this would coraline up.

[timdanger]

Is the rock work movable? You could build a pole stand. Drill the rock and slide over a Acrylic rod, use aquamend or something to hold them in place. Thus stacking the rocks to any height you want. Maybe create a cone shape with bigger rocks on the bottom, creating shelves to put corals.

 

It is far better (safer) than just stacking the rocks to get higher height. I contemplated this when I did my hex. But upgraded the tank in the end.

 

DSB's are a pain. I ran one in a fuge for a week then siphoned the sand away. Any rock put on top a DSB will sink and shift. I would not trust it stability wise.

 

Or... Using food grade plastic #5 you could build a grated platform in the shape of the hex. Raise it up say 6 inches and all would be good. Cut holes in the grate to allow the fish to swim under. Over time this would coraline up.

 

ya, the pole would help. then just use that aquarium putty to hold it all together. no problem.

 

DSB making rockwork unsteady? i've never tried it in a display tank, but do you really think it would be able to collapse a rock structure that had been puttied together? i guess the concept has already been vetoed here, but unless you've got burrowers tossing your sand around, i wouldn't think that the sand would move THAT much. i guess it might depend on the grade of sand.

 

in any event, if the DSB is a no-go, i vote for creating the rock tower, puttied together up a pole, with less/non-photosynthetic corals lower down and sps higher up.

[timdanger]

DSB huh? ha ha, well like you said... it's AN idea. I've never really liked sand... my first tank had sand for about 3 weeks and then I got rid of it, and all my tanks have been barebottem every since. But that WOULD raise the rock work...

 

 

Edit

LOL and I just noticed your title... Promulgator of Bad Ideas

 

Well, Bad ideas are better then no ideas...

 

I MEAN IT WASN'T THAT BAD OF AN IDEA....!

 

Listen, I've had worse. Take for example my idea above of introducing a yellow tang to eat your bryopsis. Now, THAT is a bad idea.

[Chyendra]

I have a 250. It is amazing.

 

 

Yah... I think that's my next step down the road, once I save up some money...

 

Those AquaMedic Pendant sort of look like alien spaceships, but I've looked into them, since It's hard to find a fixture under 20". We'll see what I decide on. I like the way you have yours hanging, but I don't think that would work in my apartment.

[Chyendra]

I MEAN IT WASN'T THAT BAD OF AN IDEA....!

 

Listen, I've had worse. Take for example my idea above of introducing a yellow tang to eat your bryopsis. Now, THAT is a bad idea.

 

 

Shhhhh.. I was going to overlook THAT idea Actually if I didn't have doubts that a yellow tang would actually eat bryopsis I would have tried it

 

 

 

Rocket: I've seen other tanks with acrylic rods in their live rock and it looks like it works really well. I considered it when I was putting the tank together a year ago, but AGAIN... No tools, I'm not even sure what kind of drill would be needed for that? (Hey I'm a girl, cut me some slack)

 

At any rate, The rock isn't moveable. It's epoxied together, and it isn't moving. I'm not even sure what I'm going to do when I have to move out of this apartment next year.... THAT will be an adventure...

[louphoenix]

Yeah, I contemplated the same problem when I built my tank, that's why I set my live rock in layers, with the widest, flattest pieces at the bottom, alongside the panel closest to the wall, then stacking gradually smaller flat pieces as it went up. Doing that created shelves for the corals to attach to and it allowed me to place live rock all the way to the top of the tank, which is where I keep my sps corals. I originally had an island setup, which severely restricted the amount of open water and flow in the tank, not to mention it looked unnatural, with little space to attach corals to it, so I opted for the gradual shelving design instead, which has worked out well in terms of space management, ease of access and water flow.

[timdanger]

Shhhhh.. I was going to overlook THAT idea Actually if I didn't have doubts that a yellow tang would actually eat bryopsis I would have tried it

 

At any rate, The rock isn't moveable. It's epoxied together, and it isn't moving. I'm not even sure what I'm going to do when I have to move out of this apartment next year.... THAT will be an adventure...

 

FINE no tang. lawnmower blenny?

 

also, re: epoxied rocks -- don't worry, dude -- I found this to use Fo' Chisel(ing rocks).

[Rocket]

Finally found it. I was linked this long time ago. Scroll down 1/2 to 3/4 to see the pvc plastic shelf stuff.

 

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-10/totm/index.php

[timdanger]

Finally found it. I was linked this long time ago. Scroll down 1/2 to 3/4 to see the pvc plastic shelf stuff.

 

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-10/totm/index.php

 

you are some kind of sorcerer. that's awesome. i am still thinking about how i'm going to scape the LR in my new tank, and although I had considered the single pillar of rocks on a pvc pipe, i hadn't considered multiple pillars before -- but i love it! maybe several pillars of varying heights... hmm... i need to get some graph paper.

[Chyendra]

Wow thats crazy! You can't even see the platform in the FTS with all the coral grown around it. Cool! How many gallons is that tank? 600?

 

 

I'm not sure lawn mower blennies eat bryopsis either.... At any rate, It's stopped spreading, I've been removing it one a week with my water change and it was definitely growing alot slower when I was dosing vodka and mag. I've since stopped the vodka dosing because of issues with some of my SPS, but it definitely eliminated my trace phosphates and nitrates. I need to get a mag test so I can make sure I'm not over dosing mag either....

[Rocket]

I find it hard to overdose Magnesium. whats your source?

 

no lawn mower blennys will not eat bryopsis. They like the long leafy seaweeds. Nori if im not mistaken. Same thing my tang eats. I had one. They are so ugly everyone says their cute. Too bad my emerald ate the blenny. Since then my emerald has been banished to 1 rock in the sump/fuge.

[Chyendra]

LOL wow nasty emerald... I'm pretty much convienced that nothing eats bryopsis, even though I've only tried emerald crabs and a tuxedo urchin.

 

I'm using the Bulk Reef Supply.com mix which I think is magnsium sufate and magnsium cloride mix? (I should look that up) My biggest problem is that it didn't come with any instructions as to how much to dose how often... hmmm so I think I put a tsp worth in some RO water until is dissolved and I dose that, well, whenever I feel like it... which is about twice a week. I'm a bad reefer

[Tigahboy]

Couple large Mexican Turbos should knock out the bryopsis.

[louphoenix]

Are you using RO or RODI water? using RO could be a source of nutrients for nuisance algae/bacteria

[Chyendra]

I've been using RO water with a TDS between 7-20, But i just got a new RO/DI unit for my apartment and it's Awesome!

 

0 TDS and I don't have to drive to the store..

 

So... I agree that trace nutrients could have been coming from my water, but I've taken care of that now

[Chyendra]

Just wanted to throw in a few updated pics:

 

One of my new favorite corals: Warhead Lobo! It's hard to tell but it has a green rim around the edge and the yellow stripes are becoming more prominant with my lighting.

 

 

 

Gray/blue Acan This was a freebie from another reefer because she was afraid it would sting her seahorses

 

 

Red Tuxedo Urchin: I got this guy to eat bryopsis but he doesn't (go figure) But he's still SO cool! even though he bulldozers any lose frags

 

This green plate coral is still one of my favs. It was so little when I got it!