castiel Posted August 27, 2011 Author Share Posted August 27, 2011 Great thread and tanks! Are you using the stock lighting still? Thanks =0) Yeah still using the stock lights, and to be honest I don't plan any SPS in here so I may well just stick with them. I may add another of the same light if I get anything more light hungry. Link to comment
tylernt Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Yeah still using the stock lights, and to be honest I don't plan any SPS in here so I may well just stick with them. I may add another of the same light if I get anything more light hungry.I know the stock IQ3 light is insufficient, so I'll be curious to see how the IQ5 light does. Keep an eye on your zoas -- if they start getting tall and skinny, like they're reaching for the light, that'll tell you you need to upgrade. The other thing about the IQ3 light is it fades within 6 months if run at full intensity. I suppose time will tell if the IQ5's light holds it's output long-term. Link to comment
castiel Posted August 28, 2011 Author Share Posted August 28, 2011 The IQ5 light looks like a fairly big upgrade compared to the IQ3, but yeah I guess time will tell. Zoas look okay at the moment. Link to comment
castiel Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Thanks! I posted this pic in the ID forum, but the best I got was 'wormy things' (ignore the aiptasia). Anyone help ID where these long sandy 'poops' come from? Is it really worm created? If so, is the worm responsible massive?! Seems to be a new one appear each day or so ... Link to comment
brandon429 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 what is that substrate you are using/ Link to comment
castiel Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Coral sand. Wait, I tell a lie. My tank now has coral sand in it ... but when we put the tanks together to start with (and still in Ang's tank), we just bought sand from the LFS, so actually not sure what type it is. I've been wondering whether we should replace it or not ... Link to comment
tmurray Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 nice little pair of tanks you have here. how are you finding the new lights? Link to comment
castiel Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 The lights are great so far, I like being able to dim the white lights in the evening and use just blue for the last few hours of the day, plus the first hour in the morning, before switching to full white and blue during the day. I am sure they will lose power (so reports seem to suggest), so I may look to add a Par30/38 at some point, but for now these are perfect. Link to comment
castiel Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 Just now Squirt (YCG) has taken to perching on the glass. Had me worried for a while, but searching around seems like this is normal, or at least common. Looks really funny though, like he's stuck there by a super strong jet of water or something. I'm also trying to figure out whether the two fish in separate tanks can see and react to each other. Quite often when one is up in the water and swimming around, the other will do so too, seemingly in response. And they swim against the glass nearest the other tank, as if they are trying to get over there. Weird, but kind of cute. Link to comment
Paigee Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Really nice pair of tanks I love the YCGs, I plan on getting one to join my tank Any other coral plans? Link to comment
castiel Posted August 31, 2011 Author Share Posted August 31, 2011 Yep, to get more! =0) I am thinking of a couple more ricordeas as I really like the one I have, some more morphs around the base and then something up towards the top of the rock, which I might save for when I upgrade the lights. Link to comment
DonnieP Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Just a piece of advice fellas, if you plan on keeping sps corals, I would not get a Yellow Clown Goby! I put one in my tank and it has pestered my acro's to death, literally, the polyps never open any more, they will pick at, and it looks to me like he is eating the polyps! I had a beautiful Green Slimer and it is now gone, don't know it was all the YCG's falt but its gone and now he is pestering a Purple tip Acro the same way. If I could catch him without tearing my entire tank down I would but its in a 28 JBJ nano with corals everywhere, I'm just hoping he dies soon. Harsh words I know but a $6.00 fish distroying expensive corals will really piss ya off! I'm just saying before you buy one do a lot of researching on all the forums and see what others say. Link to comment
castiel Posted August 31, 2011 Author Share Posted August 31, 2011 Thanks for the tip. I definitely don't intend any SPS in this tank, so the YCG won't be an issue. But in my next larger setup I definitely will, so will be researching which fish leave well alone! Talking of YCGs, I got these in the post today: (coral food for the open brain mostly, but will try with the others in the tanks too) So I think little Squirt and his buddy (as yet unnamed) are going to be happy campers tonight. Until now they've been living on copepods and brine shrimp. Hope the little f...ers eat it =0) Link to comment
castiel Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 Holy moly crapola, do I have a big worm in my tank! Well, big by pico standards. He came out to eat, picking up the leftovers. I reckon about 6 inches in length ... but I don't see the dreaded antennae, so assume it is just a bristle worm. And if he keeps mopping up leftover food, I reckon he can stay? (didn't dare put in the ID forum for risk of ending up in the hall of shame for blurry photos ...) So regarding the food ... unfortunately the gobies didn't take to either cyclopeeze or the nano pellets on the first attempt at least. Squirt grabbed the pellets as they zoomed past (definitely not slow sinking!), had them all in his mouth (I added one at a time), but then spat it out ... think that despite them being tiny they were still too big. Ang's goby didn't really seem to see them go past at all. And the Cyclopeeze, it's much finer than I expected and they seemed to eat some but not much. It's still swirling around the surface ... So not obviously will try again, at least for the cylopeeze. The pellets may end up being coral food ... a few landed on my brain and it seems to love them! Link to comment
brandon429 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Only the frozen cyclopeeze is easy to use and will stay in suspension. The dried is very hard to work with, residuals should be removed however in order to prevent nutrient sinking from accumulation. That worm is a detritivore indeed, but one aspect to watch out for is they can definately rip into lps corals at night, through the mouth, to pick through the insides smelling food bits the coral took in. I had damage marks on acans and lobos from just a few small bristles...maybe this one isn't like that who knows, at least its something to watch out for. Link to comment
castiel Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 Yes I was thinking that we need to skim the surface after using cyclopeeze. Or perhaps I will try mixing it with some water or phyto and syringing it in. Interesting point about the worm I hadn't thought of. My open brain would be particularly prone laying on the substrate as it does. Also, we are going away for four days this weekend so I am a little nervous. I bought timer plugs for the lights, and will feed the gobies before we leave ... but I just hope everything is as it should be when we get back. Link to comment
brandon429 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I do think a weekend will be fine, two to three days no touch is ok for these picos it would seem, they look sharp. have you ever done a hands off test for three days to see what the salinity does? maybe set it a few thousandths lower before you leave. On five day weekend runs to the mountains I turn the air down a little in my vase to evaporate a little less plus I set the salinity from .023 to .022 before leaving, would be curious to know how your tanks do on three days no topoff Link to comment
tylernt Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Yeah I'd be worried less about food and more about evaporation. My ATO only runs during the day and SG raises .0003 in a mere 12 hours overnight. Over 4 days that would really add up. On the other item, I have the scum issue too and I'd like to know a good way to skim the surface. Tried using a paper towel, didn't seem to do much. Swishing some filter floss around didn't pick anything up either. What I need is something I can dip and suck surface water down into... like a hydrometer with the opening at the top, but I hate to put all that slime into my actual hydrometer. Any tips, anyone? Link to comment
brandon429 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 how about one of those super absorbing auto shammys just a brainstorm...sometimes off the wall stuff does off the wall things big water changes are the only thing that works as easy...im thinking even if we absorb a good amount from the surface more proteins in suspension step in to replace... Link to comment
castiel Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 I'm not too concerned about top off to be honest, with the lids on these tanks see barely any evaporation at all. I might top up twice per week at maximum, sometimes more like once. But maybe lowering salinity a little before I leave is a wise precaution. Finger's crossed, but as you said brandon the tanks are looking really good, totally clear water in both. Mine is super clean, though Ang's is suffering with algae blooms on the glass and is looking quite 'furry' in places. I think when we get back I'll persuade her to put the phosphate remover in her tank ... we decided to see how it went without, and it's not that bad, but definitely detracting from the look of the tank if nothing else. Apart from the disaster crash right at the beginning, I have had no surface scum at all, thankfully. But would be interested in knowing what you find to work. Link to comment
brandon429 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 these picos carry really some of the most diverse life Ive seen in a starting tank, not easy tasks to balance both of you have done very nicely. No live rock Ive ever bought was half that dense w life Link to comment
castiel Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 Indeed. I still haven't figured out what is producing the mysterious 'worm poops' in Ang's tank! I am sure her tank has bucketloads more life than mine given I started again. I still have no idea how this giant bristle worm got in there given I only have three very small pieces of live rock in there. Link to comment
chippwalters Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Holy moly crapola, do I have a big worm in my tank! Well, big by pico standards. Ack! Just ran across this worm! It's over two feet, and there's a link in that thread to a three footer! Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.