Wiil's 5 gallon hex

[Wiilio]

Mark, I tried to DIY a filter chamber for this tank but I ended up melting the acrylic I wanted to use. Costed me quite a bit.

 

The original plan for this was to keep my current lighting the way it is and add a bar of LEDs to the back half. They sell them at the LFS and I'd find a picture if I could. I'm going tomorrow; I'll get pictures.

[Markushka]

Mark, I tried to DIY a filter chamber for this tank but I ended up melting the acrylic I wanted to use. Costed me quite a bit.

 

The original plan for this was to keep my current lighting the way it is and add a bar of LEDs to the back half. They sell them at the LFS and I'd find a picture if I could. I'm going tomorrow; I'll get pictures.

 

Ahh.

 

Maybe just a bar or two of blues for coloration, the white ones probably don't have the output to be beneficial.

[Wiilio]

I'll check how bright they are when I go tomorrow. For now, I'm sleeping.

[Kazooie]

No, you were posting.

[Wiilio]

I has LEDs.

 

Rio Mini Sun. Right now I only have one to see how I'd like them. Man, they make the zoas and paly pop. The zoas that are a more dull yellowish color under my 10W 50/50 glow under the LEDs. The paly's orange is stunning.

 

Right now I have the 50/50 and the LED going at the same time... looks kinda funny. The LED is just getting light to the back of the tank (where the new macro is).

 

In the future, I think I'll get one more daylight/deep see blue combo and one regular daylight. I think that'd look pretty freakin' sweet.

 

NO FISH

NO CRAB

FRIGGIN FISH STORE >

 

Also got my water tested today:

Ammonia: 0

Nitrite: 0

Nitrate: 20

pH: 7.4

Salinity: 1.024

Phosphates: 0

 

So yeah, pH is obviously low. So I think I'll dose baking soda; heard that was okay. How much do I need to dose?

Macros will take care of the nitrates... although I'm sort of suspicious about the reading. Last time I went in nitrates were 20 too. Since then I've done many more water changes and added macros. But it's still 20. So either it's time for me to change the floss (doubt it) or their nitrate reading is whack.

[Markushka]

Don't mess with pH. 7.4 isn't terrible. do you have your own test kit? and did the lfs use the strips? I recommend your next investment be a 30$ test kit. Its worth it.

[Wiilio]

They use some test strips and some liquid, don't remember which.

 

Changed my mind about the lights; I'll get two regular daylight. That one that I have now puts out a lotttt of blue.

[.Newman.]

just do a water change. it will raise you pH back to normal and reduce your high nitrates.

[Wiilio]

Actually I had done 3 water changes that week. Not sure if that's the problem... should I just do a larger one?

[.Newman.]

the pH of your water change water should be around 8.3

are you using RO or DI water to mix with the salt? are you using a proper amount of the salt?

3 WC a week should definitely keep your pH up to 8.3 if youre doing everything else right.

[Wiilio]

RO water with Oceanic salt. WCs are about 10% I'd say.

[.Newman.]

doesnt make any sense that the pH would be 7.4 then. should be much higher, the same as the mixed SW.

[Wiilio]

Would a freshwater pH test be able to measure saltwater pH? I could measure that; I have an API test kit for freshwater.

[.Newman.]

try to. I find the reading wont be exact but it might work well enough to get the idea. the color of the water in the tube should be somewhat purple-brownish or something. if you get light brown signaling the 7.4 mark then thats odd lol. obviously use the high range pH test.

[Wiilio]

Just did a test with MY old strips. Nitrate and nitrite readings match up with theirs, but my alkalinity is 300 ppm (when they said it was like 180 - 200) and pH is something like 7.8 (which was what the first reading they had given me was).

 

pH reading from the API kit was 8.0. So I'm guessing my pH is 7.8 - 8.0 and not 7.4.

[.Newman.]

sounds much better. I wouldnt worry about it now

[Markushka]

I wouldn't worry about the pH that much. the value of the store test could have been skewed because of transport if it was more than 10-15 min (probably even less time). If you can afford it, get a test kit. you wont need to use it much, but it's good in a pinch.

[Wiilio]

Trip was 30 minutes. Makes sense.

 

Anyway a few updates and pics:

 

Both of the star polyps are coming out. The pinks still need a small part of the front section, and the greens need their whole front half. The mussel has moved right up there with them from where I first put it (which makes sense since there's more flow there.

 

Macros are... there. The RGA is slowly growing, and I'm not sure about the other one. At least it's not shriveling up and dying.

 

I put the hermit back in the main tank... big mistake. I woke up this morning to find that he had knocked over not one, not two, but ALL of the zoa frags. Every. Last. One. I was not very happy. So back into the frag tank he went.

 

Onto the zoas themselves. The largest green frag is opening up VERY nicely, and there seems to be a feather duster worm intertwined in it. And whatever that frag was that was taking its sweet time to open just one polyp now opens every day with no problem, and even has a second polyp beginning to open.

 

The yellows are fine of course. They're a bit p'd because I just got done moving the zoas back into place. Friggin' crab.

 

As for the frag tank, everything seems to be doing well. The pieces of PSP that came off the main piece are coming out. The blue cloves are recovering very nicely, and there's a lot of them out. The pipe organs are very... pipey. And the other palys are unfortunately still brown, but not dead.

 

Porcelain crabs are in at the store, but I'm a bit sick, so I doubt I'll be going there today I guess that just means more waiting.

 

Pics:

 

 

[Markushka]

thats good news!

[Wiilio]

Did a water change today.

 

Decided that the cloves looked well enough to place in the main tank.

 

Oh and by the way I got a fish today.

 

[.Newman.]

were you the one with the overwhelming wish to get a talbot damsel? Dont tell me you passed on that and got a yellow tail ._.

[Wiilio]

Overwhelming? No. But I did want one.

 

I got there and looked in the tank.

 

No Talbot's.

 

I actually got a little mad. As many months as I've had this tank up with no fish and today was the day to finally get one... and they didn't have it. So I just walked around the store and looked at the other cool stuff they had.

 

Then I came back, and saw it.

 

It was the smallest yellowtail in the group of five. But out of all of them, this was the only one that had no chunks out of the fins. And for some reason, I thought I had to have it.

 

Pushed the thought to the back of my mind. I wanted a Talbot's. Did another walk around the store.

 

Ended up back at the tank... there he was, swimming right up front. I kept staring at it. Then I thought about something.

My tank has everything BUT blue in it. Green and yellowish zoas, yellow polyps, orange-pinkish on the AoG paly, purple on the rock, red and green for the macros. And blue is my favorite color.

 

I wanted some freaking blue in it!

 

So I asked how long these damsels had been in and the guy said two weeks. So I jumped on it. I'm glad the guy was patient; I was very adamant about getting this little guy.

 

And I don't regret it.

 

Eventually I'll be getting the blue porcelain. Kinda cool little "theme" having the polyps and such everything but blue, and leaving the blue-ness to the crab and fish.

 

 

 

 

Don't hate me

Have you never fallen in love with a cute lil fishy?

[.Newman.]

no lol I dont blame you. you told a nice story

[Wiilio]

Should I turn it into a book?

 

"The (yellow)Tales of *Insert fish name here*"

[Wiilio]

Guess who has pictures