Monosyth's Ocean2point0 - Starting over!

[monosyth]

Thanks for the encouragement. I think I just need to get in there rearrange, glue down, check params, etc. and I will feel better about it.

 

It's 101 degrees here in San Diego today, and it's only 10am. It's another ice cube baggie day with no chiller.

 

So, now that cleaner shrimp is swimming with the copepods, I want another shrimp. What do you guys think? Another cleaner shrimp, or a different type? What about a coral banded? I've always thought I wanted one or something else interesting?

 

@stevie new scape looks great! I would use rods if I saw a photo tutorial.

[StevieT]

I should have taken pics while I was going. It was really easy, drill a hole stick the rod in. You have to backtrack some since you can not do it all dry and on the ground. Just take the two rocks out, drill, rod, maybe some aquamend done. Also helped I work with acrylic I suppose so it was easy to cut.

 

It is 64° here right now, I'll blow some if it over.

 

I want a shrimp, had a peppermint in the past. I am just worried it will steal food away from my Mandarin.

 

A new scape will surely perk up your mood. You just have to find the time.

[monosyth]

peppermints are evil. they always robbed my acans. and actually destroyed a few of them just to get the food. they love aiptasia though - that's the only thing they are good for.

[StevieT]

And cleaning your fingernails.

[monosyth]

True. they did that. Aww that made me miss my cleaner shrimp. always jumping on my hand when I put it in the tank. Love those guys.

 

OK, what'd'yall think: I've read some good things about the 24 Inch 4x24 Watt AquaticLife T5 HO Light Fixture W/ 2 Lunar LEDs... I would consider 24" Outer Orbit, but hard to find. Is this a good option to do? I'm feeling 90% sure about doing this in the near future.

[monosyth]

Today I tackled the tank. Finally. Should have sooner but all is what it is what it is.

 

So after realizing my cleaner shrimp died, I realized tank params must be off. Something wasn't right. Then I had a house party last night and people were ovine the tank before the lights went off. It was then i realized how downhill it had gone. They were still amazed.. ("you have nemos!") ugh. I realized my bright green monti cap was light green and brown. And my 7"x8"x7" green birds nest was literally half dead with hermits picking the algae off it. 20% of the zoos were open. Corals had fallen on top of each other with battle wounds and everything looked like it had been thru a pacific monsoon.

 

I was embarassed it got this far. And right at the edge of giving up, I had put way too much money into this, way too much time and honestly way too much emotional stress! (who can relate? All of ya I bet)

 

This morning i checked my parameters. First let's start with pH. 7.8. Low. Probably my calcium was off I assumed. Next I checked nitrates. At least 20. That's getting to be a problem. Then I checked calcium 360 - 380. I really need to dose more and keep up with water changes, the life blood of the tank.

 

So after my move last month, I have not done a water change. Big mistake. If you move your tank, do weekly water changes. There is die off. And clearly this was my biggest mistake. I know I know. The biggest reason is that the faucets in the house do not fit my mighty mite di/ro filter. Does anyone know if i can get a converter and pass through that i can put on the cold water washing machine water input faucet? Anyway that was one big problem. And the other problem it got hot last week and my tank water got to 84.6 degrees! Didn't help things for sure.

 

So I went to Aquatic warehouse here in San Diego and bought big plastic water jugs and bought ro/di water. Mixed up some water. The guy there asked what kind of salt I used. I said red sea coral pro. He explained they put extra calcium and additives in there, which I knew but then he explained that the evaporation would leave different concentrations behind. Made sense to me and i bought the Marin pro salt he recommended.

 

Anyway then I decided to rescape the rock work. What a freaking mess. I pretty much had it up to here with the ugly half dead stony corals soooooo I trashed them. And it felt good. Those $30 frags that turned into a mess just didn't work in this layout anymore. And i wanted a cave. So with a whirlwind of my hand and quite some later I got something I was 90% happy with. Which is good because I've only been 20% happy up until now. I then figured I'd change the water out. It had mixed for oa few hours and i felt it was important to switch it out.

 

Also I figured out what was causing the micro bubbles again: the bottom fell off my tunze skimmer! So I cleaned that up too. What a pain. So hopefully i wake up to a cleaner aquarium tomorrow. I plan to finish some scaping glue down some corals and let it grow back in.

 

Oh the next big purchase WILL be a new light. I only have the stock lighting with 2 ecoxotic LEDs.

 

Help me pick a light! I think i want MH and T5 combo. What do you think of the marineland pro? Around $600 but if it makes the aquarium rock, I want it.

[monosyth]

Last night I aquascaped a bit more and then finally glued some frags down. 4 pieces of frogspawn have been contained finally. And to top it off, the aquarium pumps and heater got turned off because it got plugged back in to the outlet controlled by the light switch! Temp got down to 76.5, so I think everything is going to be ok. but we'll see. TOO much drama for this tank lately! I'll be making another water change this week for sure.

 

Oh and doing a little research on this coralvue t5x6... looks tempting for the price, wattage etc.

[StevieT]

ugh sucks.

 

I am doing biweekly water changes for two weeks on the moved tank. There is die off like you noted and I have more than usual because I pasted my rocks out of water than scaped pretty much in the air, I was pouring water over the rocks as I drilled.

 

Your PH may have been low because you tested in the AM, try that in the afternoon when the lights have been on all day.

 

Sounds like you know what to do, but it hurts to lose coral.

 

Maybe Nemo had too much too drink at the party, puked and ####ed up the tank.

[monosyth]

Maybe Nemo had too much too drink at the party, puked and ####ed up the tank.

 

Oh Nemo and his pals, always getting into some trouble. I think adding a Yellow Tang will help my situation GREATLY.

[monosyth]

In all it's glory: FTS October 4th, 2010:

 

[Needreefunds]

Purdy!

[MrIcky]

Wow, post 245 to 260 is a huge change. I really like what you did with that.

[monosyth]

Ha, you are right, I just reviewed it again. Thanks! I really love what I did, and am keeping a MUCH closer eye on it now. Made another water change this week, corals loved me for it and opened up even more. Gotta get my nitrates down before the algae decides to take over.

[rO.oster]

wow man, go back one page and hit home / end, nice recovery and i am glad your tank is breathing better. because thats what water changes equates to heh. great scape job, and GL with your light choice

[monosyth]

Thanks! Well, I have been dosing for a bit now, trying to get levels back up. Calcium and Magnesium were low, resulting in lower pH, I'm sure. Pumping that back up. At this point, I still don't know what to do about lighting, not in a place to buy a nice light right now, and I think it's been since January since I ordered light bulb replacement? Time for a change I think. I think I'll probably do that instead for now. Oh and I bought a new cleaner shrimp. And two fighting conchs, but never see them. Dug one up the other day, thought it had died laid it on top of the tank while doing maintenance and it moved, so I put it back in. This tank. Somedays I wonder about it.

[monosyth]

i did see the fighting conchs out the other night. so thats good. I replaced my lights, what a difference! oops! need to remember to do that. I really would like to get a 150 orbit with T5's... or similar. anyway.. I also picked up Tropic Marin Bio Calcium and have been dosing as I have switched my salt to Tropic Marin Pro. I have seen a difference in brighter colors I believe. I just checked my calcium and it was up to 400. So I think I will just add one scoop of TM Bio Calcium maybe twice a week and see how it does.

 

Just picked up an acro today and a chilli monti. Hopefully they'll do good, the LFS guy said acros like temps of 78, so i'm going to adjust that too. I currently run around 79-80.

[uxdesigner]

Awesome tank! The green monti looks great! Damn that's a lot of coral

[monosyth]

November FTS:

 

 

another angle:

 

Two New Corals Green Acro and Chili Pepper Monti.

 

 

 

Clown Bed:

 

Perfectly happy as a clam on the sand bed of RSM stock lighting...

 

Frogspawn just keeps going and going:

[Noelpk]

Hey Mono, great thread! I have enjoyed reading through it.

 

I have a RSM that is about 2 months old (it is what is left of my 12 YO 180 gallon reef that I was pursuaded to take down). Other than the microbubbles (which I can't stop despite all of my attempts), I am very pleased with it the RSM.

 

I am going to add some more light, but I am not ready to rip out the stock lighting yet. I like the stunners, and they seem to be pretty reasonable. I do have a question though... Would you still do one UV 403 and one 453, or two of the same (and which one)?

 

Thanks and keep up the good work!

[monosyth]

Thanks! I really like the 453's together. I didn't think that the 403 would give as much of a blue look. But I don't know. I might buy one and swap out to see if it looks different. I see they now offer reflectors too. Oh and for some reason the micro bubbles do go away at some point. Not sure where they come from.

[sammy33]

So I've been reading on here, and thought my photoperiod / lighting schedule was too long. Originally it's been 9am - 8pm every day with stock lighting and 2 blue ecoxotic led strips. 11 hrs total. I have read that it's actually more beneficial to have not that much light, and wonder if that's why some of my corals dont' have great color? So I have changed it to 10am - 8pm - 10hrs... and might even drop another hour at some point? what do you think?

 

Not sure if you got any feedback on this? I still use a 12 hour actinic cycle with only 9 hours of daylight in between. This gives me 3 hours to look at the tanks with actinic crazy pop colors!

 

Your tank is looking awesome. Keep us posted.

[monosyth]

Thanks! Going thru a bit of a cyan/ long brown stringy stuff. I have reduced feedings. I think my random feedings caused that prob. I need to do another water change and now that I got my mighty mite hooked up through the washer water hook up, thanks to the sponsor on here, the filter guys, I was able to get a splitter and a piece that screws on and goes to 1/4" tubing. Got it in 3 days! So water change is def due.

[monosyth]

Lots of water changes later, and the brown stringy stuff is still around, but not nearly as bad. I have been trying to get my calcium and magnesium up lately. Calcium always hovers around 360-390, and magnesium around 1150. I believe that if I get my Magnesium up to 1300, I can keep my calcium up better. So I am going to attempt a test. I am going to follow this plan:

 

Add 30ml Magnesion daily until 1300 Mg is reached.

 

Then measure Magnesium daily to see how much the tank is taking in for a week or 10 days.

 

Calculate how much I should dose a day.

 

I believe that in keeping my params up, I should be good. With healthier water and corals.

[monosyth]

Today's FTS:

[monosyth]

Well, I just ordered my Christmas present... AquaticLife 4x24 24". It sounds like a good move for me, and eventually will probably change out the bulbs. I'm excited to see how that works out.