Xris's 20H - Here we go.

[Arkayology]

Scranton, isn't that where The Office takes place?

[GokesReef]

Yep.. they do a surprisingly accurate job with local references, too

[GokesReef]

So I didn't snap any pics because it's not that interesting looking.. but I noticed something rolling across the bottom of my tank today. Upon closer inspection, it's a ~1/8" cleaner clam!

 

Took about 5 minutes for it to buy itself in my sand and now I'll probably never see it again until the day I tear the tank down and find dinner ;P

 

Also, diatoms are showing up plentifully as as well as some brown hair algae and a few other varieties.

 

I'm thinking basic CuC this weekend.

 

BTW.. From what I've seen, there's been no cycle. Ammo/Nitrite at solid 0 and Nitrate at 20. Since day 1 (ammo might have gone up a tiny bit then back down, it's hard to tell if the results read 0 or .25 (API kit). But there's not been any change.

[Billdemart]

Holy crap, you actually live in Scranton? That is awesome/hilarious.

[spleenman]

BTW.. From what I've seen, there's been no cycle. Ammo/Nitrite at solid 0 and Nitrate at 20. Since day 1 (ammo might have gone up a tiny bit then back down, it's hard to tell if the results read 0 or .25 (API kit). But there's not been any change.

 

I'm a newb, so take my statement with a grain of salt (and plenty of reading to check up on whether I'm talking out my ass!) but a nitrate level of 20ppm is at the extreme high end of things. Really it should be below 10ppm and as close to possible to 0.

 

So I'd say you were currently cycling, just starting with a bit of a headstart apparently. Maybe you got really good LR and sand? 0 ammonia and nitrite just means you already have enough of the cooresponding type of bacteria to deal with them, but you still need to let your LR get up to speed at removing the nitrate. I'd say keep the water changes to a minimum for now so that the things that consume nitrate can build their levels up. Once all 3 levels (ammnia, nitrite and nitrate) get down to pretty much 0 and stay there for a bit, then you're finished cycling. I'd certainly give it a few more weeks to see if that level starts to come down if it were my tank!

 

Good luck, and I hope I'm not totally wrong! Someone back me up or correct me here please?

[GokesReef]

Holy crap, you actually live in Scranton? That is awesome/hilarious.

 

yep

 

And about the 20ppm nitrate.. it's been at that level since day 1 after adding the rock (same with everything else being at 0), so who knows where it'll go from here.

 

I'm starting to get good algae growth, so hopefully that'll start to thin it out a bit. Haven't done any WC's yet. Probably another week or so depending on how the levels go.

 

I have the log of the test on my home PC, I can post them out if you want to see them.

[Fishfingers00]

my test results were the same with my tank same api test kit too

but i added my rock slowly and tested a week or so after but still sitting on 20ppm *shakes fist*

also have u noticed that the ammonia color for 0ppm is a little off what it should be from the chart to the test tube ?

happy reefing watching closely

[GokesReef]

Yeah, I have a hard time telling if the ammo is reading 0 or .25.. look more like 0, but not perfect I guess. As for the 20ppm nitrates.. I don't know what to do. Still there 2 weeks in haha.. I did just add some snails and hermits, we'll see if they make anything happen.

[Fishfingers00]

i have 3 snails and a star fish in mine all hich hikers oh and about 3 crabs ahh die crabs die

[GokesReef]

Haven't updated in a while, but that's because nothing particularly interesting has happened until yesterday

 

2 weeks ago I began working on my CuC. I think it should be good for a while at this point, and am pretty happy with how everything seems to be turning out. They're all pretty active and keeping everything nice and tidy. The only addition I'm considering at this point would be another 1 or 2 ceriths and a few dwarf ceriths.

 

Added 3/14:

2 Blue hermits

6 cortez/mexican hermits

1 unidentified large claw hermit - orange with white tips

1 Scarlet hermit

2 Dwarf Ceriths

2 Ceriths

2 Margaritas

3 Asternia (died while I was in the hospital for a week.. assuming my tank sitter didn't catch them upside-down in time sad.gif )

 

Added 3/23:

3 African nerites

 

And, I've got my first fish now added him yesterday as well. A ~1.5" Yellow Watchman Goby (tentatively named Watchman Willie - in regards to Adam Sandler's tollbooth Willie "I'm comin out of the boooooth").

 

He was in a tank at a LFS where they apparently didn't notice him whenever he showed up. He was staying near the top of the water in one of the corners, which seemed unusual, but he ate at the LFS and was looking good so I picked him up.

 

Now, in my tank, he seems to be doing pretty well. I dug out a few burrows for him, and he seems to have taken a liking to the one that's front and center. Here's a few pics:

 

In one of the burrows

 

Grumpy face

 

Little blurry... phone pic (5mp) no color correction.

[GokesReef]

So I guess I spoke too soon on the goby's choice of location... now he's hanging out in a little cave on the back side of the live rock -.-

 

What're the chances of him relocating?

[Fishfingers00]

haha pritty slim, he might move again to make up till hes made up he mind

[spleenman]

Point a powerhead into it for a couple of days until he finds somewhere else? Not so hard as to hurt him, or anything, but enough to make it unpleasant enough that he decides to look for a better home!

 

I hope that's not a stupid idea!

[GokesReef]

Well I finally got him to move haha.. it was probably a little stressful on him, but he seems happy now.

 

I got a large net and, when he came out to eat, blocked his spot. Then I gently encouraged him to check out some other dens I had made for him, and he found one he liked!

 

To seal the deal, I added a pistol shrimp for him today and he went right to town digging out one of the burrows up front, so I removed the net. Looks like everything turned out well

 

Thanks for the idea spleen, that actually sounds like a good strategy

 

(I'll try to get some pics of the pair tomorrow... they have a whole network of burrows under one of my large base pieces of LR now with 3-4 entrances that I can count )

[Arkayology]

I would have just let my goby do its thing. It hid in the same spit for a good month but now is really comfortable and now sits out in the open and even swims around a little. O well, you gotta do what you gotta do right?

 

How about an updated FTS? You get any new corals?

[GokesReef]

Ill get a new fts tomorrow... not much has changed, still no coral. The lfs's around here have terrible frags. I'm trying to find a nice combo pack or something online. Also, next will probably be a clener shrimp or midas blenny.

 

As for moving the goby, he seems very happy now with his pistol so I think he'll be ok

[GokesReef]

Alright, here's some updated pics.

 

FTS from today:

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm175/T...TS3-28-2010.jpg

 

Goby in his new home:

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm175/T...eef/YWG-FTS.jpg

 

This is just one of the FIVE entrances that the shrimp has made under that piece of LR.. in under 24 hours. I want some of what he's on.

 

As for the shrimp, here's a close up while acclimating:

I originally wanted a Randall's pistol, but when I saw this guy in the LFS (never came across a red Tiger before, they're usually a duller brown from what I've seen) I had to get him. He was hanging out with a YWG in that tank which one of my friends picked up for his 20H.

 

I dropped the shrimp in the tank and he immediately tried to burrow under a piece of LR rubble. I nudged him with the net until he was over near the goby's den. Once the goby saw him, he slowly swam over and nudged the shrimp then lead him back to the hole. Since then the shrimp hasn't stopped. The mountains of sand outside the entrances are getting quite large

 

A few more pics:

 

And:

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm175/T...WG3-28-2010.jpg

[Arkayology]

Nice adds!

[violinist]

I think the shrimp/goby combo is so cool. Definitely on the future-adds list.

[GokesReef]

Yeah, I definitely am happy with this combo as my start to saltwater life keeping

 

The goby is still pretty skittish, hides when I go to feed, but I'd imagine he'll get better as time goes on.

 

Very fun to watch.

[GokesReef]

Today's addition:

 

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm175/T...ef/4-1-2010.jpg

 

Pair of small percs. Looking good so far. Was planning to get the black percs, but after seeing them at the LFS, these were much more active and a bit smaller so I opted to go for the normal variety

 

Also grabbed 3 more Ceriths.

 

Next up: Cleaner shrimp. On sale locally for $15, can't pass that up

[Billdemart]

Haven't updated in a while, but that's because nothing particularly interesting has happened until yesterday

 

2 weeks ago I began working on my CuC. I think it should be good for a while at this point, and am pretty happy with how everything seems to be turning out. They're all pretty active and keeping everything nice and tidy. The only addition I'm considering at this point would be another 1 or 2 ceriths and a few dwarf ceriths.

 

Added 3/14:

2 Blue hermits

6 cortez/mexican hermits

1 unidentified large claw hermit - orange with white tips

1 Scarlet hermit

2 Dwarf Ceriths

2 Ceriths

2 Margaritas

3 Asternia (died while I was in the hospital for a week.. assuming my tank sitter didn't catch them upside-down in time sad.gif )

 

Added 3/23:

3 African nerites

 

And, I've got my first fish now added him yesterday as well. A ~1.5" Yellow Watchman Goby (tentatively named Watchman Willie - in regards to Adam Sandler's tollbooth Willie "I'm comin out of the boooooth").

 

He was in a tank at a LFS where they apparently didn't notice him whenever he showed up. He was staying near the top of the water in one of the corners, which seemed unusual, but he ate at the LFS and was looking good so I picked him up.

 

Now, in my tank, he seems to be doing pretty well. I dug out a few burrows for him, and he seems to have taken a liking to the one that's front and center. Here's a few pics:

 

In one of the burrows

 

Grumpy face

 

Little blurry... phone pic (5mp) no color correction.

 

Dude you named your YWG after Tollboth Willie? That is freaking awesome.

 

I want a YWG Pistol Shrimp combo

 

I think I have pushed my bioload to the limit though.

 

That is awesome. I still can't believe you live in Scranton, PA. That is funny ish.

 

Tanks looking good but you need CORALS. Get a GSP and a purple tipped FS.

 

Don't you have a local reef club?

[Arkayology]

Nice little clowns you got there.

[GokesReef]

Unfortunately, the closest reef club is about 1.5 hrs away, but it's in the town I went to college in. They're having a meet up in a few week that I'm going to try to attend.

 

HOWEVER! I am picking up some frags tomorrow! Mostly Zoas, but a pair of birdsnests aswell.. getting them from this guy:

 

http://scranton.craigslist.org/for/1652181310.html

 

I'm getting the

 

-Flamethrower Zoas

-Radioactive Dragon Eyes

-Nips

-Pink Birdnest

-Tyree Ponape (free bonus frag for buying a few )

 

It will also be nice to get to meet some other people in the area with reefs.. it's not to big around here

 

Also looking at some candycanes and a few other zoas from a CL ad.

 

Can't wait to get them in the tank

 

And I'm dieing to get a frogspawn and torch, but I'm going to have to order online for that I think

[Arkayology]

Too bad you don't live near me. I am trying to get rid of my frogspawn.