kgoldy Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 Update from the red corner- Apparently kgoldy's money pit is preparing not just for the battle with the CUC... But it seems to be getting in shape for the next Reef Cleaners Sanctioned Ugly Tank Contest! Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 Okay, at first I kind of took the GHA as a joking matter. Then it doubled in mass in a single day. Not too funny anymore since the GHA is averaging like 4 inches long. So- the CUC ADVAN team has been deployed! Can you spot it?..........................................................................hint-hint^^ T-minus 4 days until arrival of Reef Cleaners CUC. Link to comment
johnmaloney Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 that is pretty bad infestation. what are your nitrates like? Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 Phosphates 0 Nitrates 5 Checked with two API test kits to be sure. Link to comment
AFRobert568 Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Where are you getting your water from? The algae is keeping your nitrates/phosphates down. My last tank was 10X worse then yours, and it was because the water I was getting from a “Reef” store was loaded with phosphates. It was like 3 colors down on an API test chart before I even put it in the tank. Do you have a phosban reactor? I’m not sure if the will help you, but I have spent more money on quick fixes when I should have just purchased a reactor. Edit, maybe it is just your cycle, and the hair algae was there to grow rather then diatoms like most tanks. Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 6 stage MaxCap Spectrapure RO/DI, brand new filters. My guess is that the nitrates and phosphates are leaching from the dry rock. Being that it's a brand new tank, I don't mind waiting while the algae clears. The sea hare is pretty comical anyway. Haha Link to comment
johnmaloney Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 What is your water change routine like? What maintenance do you do for the tank? edit - thanks! Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 How do we get this thread moved? I'll change thread name to ask it to be moved to invert section.... Link to comment
johnmaloney Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 awesome also I updated your custom clean up crew to match the tank better. Link to comment
ednangel Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 have you also used manual removal i think you're past the CUC stage only. damn i've never seen so much GHA together. Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 Sweet! No crabs though, right? Also- the GARF Grunge I ordered two weeks ago was lost in the mail and the replacement package should get here the same day as the CUC... Think it'll be bad to throw in like 5 lbs of the GARF the same day the CUC goes in? It's basically just some live sand with critters in it... Link to comment
ednangel Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 so you did went for the sea hare... good when she finish her job you might want to return it, sell it to another reefer or rent it like CoralWhisperer. how it's the hare working? Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 And to answer some questions- WC's- Because of a tank defect (never buy from Deep Blue) I had to pull out all my rock and sand a few weeks ago and put it into a new tank. Out of the 100 gallons of water I took out (exact measurement, btw), I replaced 25% of it with the change over. I had a very short mini cycle after that- Ammonia just a day before it went back to zero. Up until this point, the system had only been seeded with LIVE-SAND from my LFS and my own biocube. Then I put in three pieces of coraline encrusted LR from my biocube, and almost immediately the GHA started. When I first got that LR to set up my biocube a year ago, I had a really bad GHA outbreak- but put in two big mexican turbos and they cleaned the tank in just a few days. Got rid of the turbos and cherry picked a CUC from my LFS, and never saw GHA in my biocube again. I guess the spores were just laying dormant, waiting for food and fresh territory. I've noticed the GHA has been unable to attach to these three pieces of rock I seeded the system with- so the rumors are true about coraline keeping down pest algae. Back to the question- I haven't done a WC in about two weeks, since the Nitrates and Phosphates have hovered at or near zero. To bring the Nitrates down from 5 to 2.5 with a WC, that'd be 50 gallons of new salt water- which is 10 full buckets in, 10 full buckets out. Too big of a waste, if you ask me. I have a BRS reactor with GFO running again (had this on during cycle, then took it off since I saw no phosphates at all). Maintenance outside WC- daily scrubbing of the glass. Skimmer is on standby since there's virtually no bioload in the system yet. I have had my light schedule blasting like 10 hours a day- Think it's safe to shut it completely off for a few days to knock back the GHA? Link to comment
ednangel Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 If you don't have any corals a few dark days will weaken the GHA and that should make it easier for the CUC to eat it, you should try manual removal as well. Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 Yeah, manual removal is def going to be happening. It'll be relatively easy considering how much I have to grab onto... Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 so you did went for the sea hare... good when she finish her job you might want to return it, sell it to another reefer or rent it like CoralWhisperer. how it's the hare working? Sea hare was kicking butt all last night... There's a trail of poo that leads into a "cave" in the rock... And random clean trails all around the edges of the openings in the rock... Haven't spotted him at all today though. Are these things mostly nocturnal? Link to comment
johnmaloney Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 keep the hare away from those powerheads if you can't block them...only a matter of time otherwise until you have some chopped sea hare. good gha eaters though for sure, an adult can do about a quart per week, which is a ton. what species did you end up with? No crabs, and with the sea hare I will keep it the same as your normal order then, I was going to send extra florida ceriths, move your crew up from medium which is really for tanks without major problems to a very strong crew. the grunge should be cured, i wouldnt add it the same day. any live substrate sand/rock etc.. should be cured if it has been in transit for any appreciable length of time. It may turn out not to cause any ammonia, but you want to be sure. A five gallon bucket should do the trick. Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 He's a spotted sea hare. Was planning on getting rid of him when the job is done... if it ever is... He seems to be MIA though. There's a trail of poo from the first night going into some rocks, but there's no evidence of him working at all yesterday or last night... Water parameters are spot on, acclimated him over two hour period... Hope he's okay... Link to comment
johnmaloney Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 spotted sea hares are good for scaring you like that, they do seek shelter when they are full. keep your fingers crossed and he will come out soon enough Link to comment
skeeters Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Turbos would knock it out in a heartbeat, then you get rid of them. I added them with my CUC from John and they wiped it out. Photos to prove it. Also, took a toothbrush a couple times to it when I water changed. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/lofiversio...hp/t246723.html Also, I didn't want hermits in my tank at first then added a bunch from John and they are awesome. I never see them kill snails. Actually, I think crabs are more efficient than snails. Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Also, I didn't want hermits in my tank at first then added a bunch from John and they are awesome. I never see them kill snails. Actually, I think crabs are more efficient than snails. You know how you see the beginners section say "pick an expert, and follow just his/her advice"? I'm following someone who depends on microfauna in the oolitic sandbed to be a large part of the CUC (hence ordering a ~ medium strength instead of a full strength crew). I'm going to avoid species that are predatory and/or "sand sifting". Things that agitate the bed are just fine- but nothing that eats the critters in it. So I've got a LOT of interest in the idea of passing the sea hare where it's needed on my local forums (manhattan reefs). So, I got a second hare. They're powering through the GHA like cows (the first one finally came out) and should have most of it gone by the time the real CUC arrives. When they're done in my tank, they're getting passed on to someone local- with the agreement that they keep getting passed on for free. When there's no one left in line, the person holding the animals either pays me for them, or delivers them back to me. I'm hoping no one kills them, they're freakin awesome. I almost wish I had enough GHA to keep them alive and healthy as permanent residents in the tank. Key word being *almost*. As for the turbos, I went that route when my biocube ended it's cycle with a big GHA outbreak. Two of them cleared out my 29 gallon in under a week. I think the sea hares are just way more fun to watch while they work. By the way, turned the lights back on since I have two hares to feed for now. They power through 6 inch strands like they're nothing. And sea hare poo seems to attract A LOT of pods. I mean, there's a total outbreak of them, all clustering around the poo. I could totally throw a mandarin in there right now and not have to worry about feeding it, if this GHA outbreak/sea hare thing kept up. edit- P.S. Got an email today: "Your ReefCleaners.org Order Has Shipped" Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Wow... CUC made it to me in NY in under 24 hours. Sweet. Link to comment
alfiefive Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Wow... CUC made it to me in NY in under 24 hours. Sweet. Been following for a bit, can't wait to see PICS Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 (Posted this on the ReefCleaners thread) There's a rumor going around that John can't count. And oh my, is it true. What I ordered............What I got 80 Dwarf Ceriths.........352 Dwarf Ceriths 25 Florida Ceriths........167 Florisa Ceriths 20 Dwarf Planaxis........77 Dwarf Planaxis 0 Turbo Snails..............3 Turbo Snails Freakin wow, that is a whole lot of CUC right there. Looks like those sea hares will be out of my tank in no time. Macros/mangroves we'll count later though. Link to comment
streakr22 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 What I ordered............What I got80 Dwarf Ceriths.........352 Dwarf Ceriths 25 Florida Ceriths........167 Florisa Ceriths 20 Dwarf Planaxis........77 Dwarf Planaxis 0 Turbo Snails..............3 Turbo Snails O_o ...wow Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.