ReeferMonkey Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 Ok thanks to Gil, I now can resize pictures and make them actually worth looking at. (Thanks Gil!!) On with the pertinent information: AGA 7g Minibow 32w CSL PC Retro w/ 50/50 bulb AC 300 Hang-On Filter Microjet 450 w/ Fluval Spray Bar 12# LS 10# LR Lucky for me I picked a piece of rock out of the premium bin at my LFS (Coral Connection in Kenner, LA) and it has turned out to be vastly entertaining. It's got the best color and has already yielded several feather dusters, a bristle worm and a whole mess of star polyps. I can run my mouth about my tank for quite a while, so I'll just cut to the chase. In the beginning, it was cloudy. And not that full. Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted February 27, 2004 Author Share Posted February 27, 2004 Add 4.5# of LR, become frustrated after 2 hours of arranging. Get some insight from your girlfriend and watch it all start to come together. Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted February 27, 2004 Author Share Posted February 27, 2004 My one really nice rock: Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted February 27, 2004 Author Share Posted February 27, 2004 Left side. Note the rock used to conceal the fluval bar from casual inspection. Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted February 27, 2004 Author Share Posted February 27, 2004 Right side. Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted February 27, 2004 Author Share Posted February 27, 2004 Different angle showing caves and a mess of hair algae: Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted February 27, 2004 Author Share Posted February 27, 2004 I forgot to mention that today is day 9. Yesterday, day 8, I introduced the second round of LR. Just did a 2g WC and tested everything I have kits for. SG: 1.020 pH: 8.0 NH4: <.25 NO2: .5 NO3: 25 Ca: 370 Temp: 78 F consistently SG is a little low but I'm using a hydrometer right now. My refractometer should arrive tomorrow afternoon sometime, and will allow me to accurately measure the tank and mix up proper WCs. I should have an Alk test kit (and maybe phosphates) within a week or so, not that I have any real drains on either of those right now. Tomorrow I'll mix up another batch of water and conduct another change either late at night or sometime Saturday in an attempt to get my trates and trites under control. Link to comment
Saul 1 Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 Good start Reefer Monkey, I like the rockwork arrangments, props to your g/f. Just be patient and be sure to post pics with your future coral. I too have a spraybar in the middle of the back side and it has proven effective . -Saul Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted February 27, 2004 Author Share Posted February 27, 2004 Being patient is the hardest part. Some folks from the local club are ordering from GARF in a week or so, I'm going to pick up some snails, hermits and grunge. Hopefully by the time everyone gets everything together and it gets shipped everything will be all cycled out. My cycle has been pretty smooth, all of the rock and sand was well cured. Link to comment
Saul 1 Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 ReeferMonkey, I know its hard to be patient but its really worth it. Here is why; I let my tank cycle for 1 week b/c I had good live rock and a lot of copepods. I added hermits, astrea and margarita snails. Come to find out that 3/5 hermits, 1 margarita snail, and all my astrea snails were all victims of death. Try and check the parameters before adding. Good luck. -Saul Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted February 27, 2004 Author Share Posted February 27, 2004 Right. I don't really want to act prematurely and end up losing the livestock I buy, prolonging the cycle and suffering a nasty algae bloom. Turns out the locals can probably wait a little bit before ordering, so I don't think there will be any pressure. Which is probably a good thing. I spend so much damn time with this tank it's probably better that I let my focus shift back to school, where it should be, so I can finally graduate. Link to comment
sgdoni Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 why the fluval spray bar what does it do? I am also starting a AGA 7 and purchased a AQ 1000 ph can I use this w/that attachment? BTW cool tank Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted February 27, 2004 Author Share Posted February 27, 2004 The spray bar is a bar you attach to a pump output that distributes the flow between a series of holes along the length of the bar. It's originally intended to fit on a Fluval cannister filter but fits quite readily on a Microjet 450 with the given tubing. I would suspect that even if the tubing didn't fit your ph exactly, you could easily rig up something with some new tube from your local hardware store. The attachment is only around $8 online. I'm pretty happy with it thus far. The only thing I want to add (besides a 70w 20k halide) is a surface skimmer for the AquaClear. Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted March 8, 2004 Author Share Posted March 8, 2004 Acquired some new test kits and some Joe's Juice so I can head off my aiptasia problem before it gets out of control. Looks like my cycle is almost complete: sg 1.023 pH 8.1 NH4 0-.25 ppm NO2 .25 ppm NO3 5 ppm Ca 340 ppm KH 7.4 dKH PO4 .03 ppm I'm not really sure where the phosphates are coming from. I'm using distilled water and not using any sort of carbon. At the moment it's not really a problem but I'd rather have it at 0. The local crew is gearing up to make an invert order, one from ReefTopia and one from GARF. I'm going to add a good mix of snails (trochus, astraea, nassarius, nerite, cerith) in small numbers and a few of GARF's red leg mexican hermits. It's about time! The hair algae is making it hard for me to pod watch during the day and at night. So far I've spotted small and rather large pods, a really really small starfish, a lot of bristleworms and a couple of weirdo crustacean things. They have two white spots, one in the front and one in the rear, but appear to be clear otherwise. The scurry out of their holes for a second or two and then scuttle backwards back in. Anyone else have these? The monthly club meeting is coming up, I think I'm going to use it as an opportunity to pick up a few small frags from the local crew. Before I accept any frags tho I'm going to do another 2 or 3 gallon WC (and maybe move the tank), then wait a few days and test everything again. I'm mid-diatom bloom and the sentiment in the majority of the posts I've read is that the diatom bloom is the indication that you are at the end of your cycle. I'm also experiencing what I think is cyano on the front glass. Either that or my coralline is already spreading, but I seriously doubt that. Pictures to come next weekend. Link to comment
redrocket Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 great start reefermonkey. I also live in Gonzales, but work in BR. Let me know when your tank is finished cycling. I have plenty frags. I also go to coral connection let me know when the meeting is. : Link to comment
redrocket Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 I also have that 70 watt 20k metal halide setup your talking about for sale. Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted March 8, 2004 Author Share Posted March 8, 2004 Redrocket, The meeting is of the Louisiana Club, originally the BR Club, and you'd be more than welcome to attend. Here's the URL for the Louisiana Reef Club: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brreefclub/ We were going to have a crawfish boil this Sunday at the meeting but that has been delayed till next month and instead we're having a huge batch of crawfish etouffee. Apply to the club, they'll add you in a day or two. What kind of tanks do you have, and what sort of frags do you have available? Link to comment
trmiv Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 That fluval spray bar on a powerhead is an interesting idea. Do you just have it sitting behind the rocks pointing up at an angle? I imagine that gives pretty decent flow behind your rocks. Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted March 8, 2004 Author Share Posted March 8, 2004 Yeah, I have to give credit to Sjediets, I saw it first on his (?) tank and realized what a good idea it was. It evens out the flow nicely across the back of the tank instead of having it all blow straight back into the opposite corner. I have it angled up slightly so that after flowing through my rockwork, it collides with the flow from the AC 200. BTW, does anyone have a good solution for getting rid of bubbles from the AquaClear? I keep the water level as high as possible but I still get microbubles from the damn thing. Also, Joe's Juice is the jimmyjam. I used it and completely eliminated one large aiptasia, and will see how many of the smaller ones I got in other locations. Good stuff!! Link to comment
redrocket Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 Oh ok reefermonkey. Im already a member of that board. If you look back a few days i have a post called trading anyone, and all my stuff is listed. I got alot of frags and things from the owner of the board Adrian and his friend Colin, (ajkaya420, irishstout) Link to comment
ReefMad1967 Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 hey i live in BR also! wsup guys. I am also interested in that forum aswell. Maybe sometime we can trade frags or something. I shop at marks, cc, and once went to ricks reef in metarie. Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Kick ass. Will check the forum. Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 I would be most interested in the monti frags if you'd be willing. I would love to get an acro but I don't think that it would survive under 32 w PC, even at the top. Rather, it might survive but the color would be pretty lackluster. Link to comment
ReeferMonkey Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 ReefMad, Rick's is decent, CC has great corals but the customer service can be pretty weak. Sign up for the forum and come to the meeting if you can make it! Link to comment
redrocket Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Awesome you guys. Let me know so we can get some trading going on. Reefermonkey I got plenty monti so give me a shout. Reefmad1967 get on the brreef board and lets get to trading.... Link to comment
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