xourheartsdesire's RSM Reef Tank

[latteslave]

I agree with socal (twice even) about the scape... Take some time to make it interesting. Think back to the Karate Kid and Mr. Miyagi telling him to see the bonsai and then cut.

 

Seriously though - you have a lot of intersting shapes in those rocks. Have fun!

 

Oh - and the MP10 - do eet!

[xourheartsdesire]

i still dont know how to rescape this...ive got 2 big flat rocks i pretty much used for the top ledge and everything else is small odd shaped stuff... how else could i do this? i dont wanna try this out then i cant see till later again hah

[wmb_1983]

if i were you i would maybe break one of your bigger rocks with a hammer and chisel to help build it up a little more smaller pieces=more options IMO but if you want a shelf be sure to keep on large flat one. it took me about a month of changeing to get my scape how i like it. and keep it good for flow.

 

Also i just got the whole media rack, tunze and mp10 combo. the mp 10 is amazing if its in your means

i would get one.

[xourheartsdesire]

 

 

Rescape attempt #1

 

lemme know what u guys think i should do

[spanko]

Lottsa opportunity here. I like the look. It really depends on what you plan to keep. Maybe a bit much on the shaded areas but again depends on your stocking.

[xourheartsdesire]

ughh...i hate this...someone come over and do this for me...im good at stocking big tanks, not nanos

[xourheartsdesire]

 

Rescape #2------i like this one better then the rest so ill stop now till i get some imput hah

[spanko]

I like them both!

[wmb_1983]

i like this setup gives you alot of room to mount stuff and not much shade

[xourheartsdesire]

Yea i didnt pile up the bottom back as much, theres actually room behind there. It gives me the option for SPS on the very top if i want to get a couple to try out. Thanks for the input...

[xourheartsdesire]

so ive been taking my water parameters every day PH, Ammonia, and Nitrites...and the Nitrites came up a little bit the day before i added more live rock to the tank and now theres none...does this mean its re-cycling? Ammonia is about the same...I tested for Nitrates for the hell of it and it looked like it was a little bit but couldnt tell.

[xourheartsdesire]

why havent i gotten any nitrites yet??????

[xourheartsdesire]

 

 

what are these air bubbles under where my cave is? its like under most of the rock....even on the way up towards the top of my aquascape there seems to be a few bubbles

[xourheartsdesire]

 

and what is this growing out of my live rock? its like clear almost with a stalk maybe....is it baby aiptasia?

[spanko]

Yup Aiptasia. Kill it now.

[ddwbeagles]

The air bubles you're seeing are probably just micro bubles coming out of your return pumps and collecting under the LR ledges. Many mods out there to reduce the micro buble problem. OR it may be just air escaping from your LR itself. With the absence of any coraline alegea you may of gotton some base rock - meaning that at some point in the near past, it was out of water. I know when I picked up mine, they wrapped it up in wet newspaper, put it in a plastic bag for transport. Even that will "drain" some of the water out of the interior pores in your LR. It will go away without aid. Or if it's bugging you, go to your local grocery store and buy a turkey baster. You're going to need one anyway to blow off the build-up on you LR scape before each weekly water change. Use the baster to free the air bubbles out from those ledges.

 

Looking good so far and you made a wise choice with the RSM.

[xourheartsdesire]

i used joes juice last night to kill the one aiptasia that i saw...does it just carry by live rock or is it in the water itself? i see so many bristle worms and little pods, they look like bugs with tentacles and like 4 legs and its gross...these things are safe? why do i still have no nitrites? will i ever see any?

[ddwbeagles]

i used joes juice last night to kill the one aiptasia that i saw...does it just carry by live rock or is it in the water itself? i see so many bristle worms and little pods, they look like bugs with tentacles and like 4 legs and its gross...these things are safe? why do i still have no nitrites? will i ever see any?

 

Tough to say as some hitch hikers are good and other not. If you post pics of your hitch hikers in the coral pest/treatment forumn you'll get much more feedback and a postive ID of what they are and whether to be worried about them or not. I'm not sure how aiptasia spread believe they split or divide like other anemones do. I know if you try to kill them and are unsuccessful, that they can go into "survial mode" and multiply like rabits. As far as your cycle goes. How often have you been testing for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. There should of been an ammonia spike followed by readable levels of nitrates. If you haven't seen this yet, I'd gamble on giving it more time. I know it's hard with a new tank, but patience now will pay off big time verses fighting all the problems of adding a bio load before your system can handle it.

 

....and I know you're planning on getting more LR and you NEED more as that really is your primary biological filtration. So, unless you plan of adding dead/dry/seterile LR in the future, you're going to have to go through another mini cycle anyway. What were you're plans there. If it was to add actual live rock, then you're going to get some die off, even if it's "cured". Hang in there.

 

 

Oh, it's up to you, but I wouldn't add anymore sand. There really is no benefit to it, unless you're going for the "deep sand bed" method where you use anerobic bateria deep in the sand bed to help with the biological filtration. Hard to do in a nano size tank anyway, plus it looks a little odd to have 4 to 6" of sand showing through the glass.

[xourheartsdesire]

i did a 4 gallon water change today cuz i felt like it...i test almost all the time and i bought test strips for nitrite/nitrate just for the hell of it cuz i was getting the same stuff everyday. i got a 8.2 ph, 0.5 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 20 nitrate....how messed up is that. The tank is seriously stressing me out because nothing is going normal or how its supposed to. i havent seen nitrites spike ever and i dont know how high they are supposed to. im getting very impatient.

[xourheartsdesire]

still at 20 nitrates....and i took out the purigen and chemipure, just have floss in media rack now. i tried running the skimmer but when i leave it alone and i come back to it, the cup is half full of water.....why does it keep doing that?

[xourheartsdesire]

skimmer is skimming baby

[xourheartsdesire]

 

UPDATE:

-Added a Hammer Coral with about 4 heads on it

-Diamond Watchmen Goby

-3 Turbos

-10 Reef Hermits

[xourheartsdesire]

[thadscottmoore]

The diamond goby is a good choice! I have one in mine!

 

still at 20 nitrates....and i took out the purigen and chemipure, just have floss in media rack now. i tried running the skimmer but when i leave it alone and i come back to it, the cup is half full of water.....why does it keep doing that?

 

I installed an air valve on mine- cut it back some- reduce the bubbles - tune it!

 

watch the goby with the hermits- they might be eating some expensive meal! I lost one in my tank- not sure if it was the hermits or the 18inch brittle star.- all were in the tank a year together.- and one day- the goby vanished! got rid of the star and the hermits- and bought a new goby.

[xourheartsdesire]

Update!