ALNs-Piece of reef

[ALNN]

I dont think that gsp will open anymore its looks really weak with a pale purple compare to a healthy gsp. Also my stock light is totally useless for coral and I think that's a really good reason y its going down hill. I got home after a good 12hr shift so I couldnt do my regular monday testings will tryy best tomorrow

[ALNN]

Great news this morning when I went to turn on the lights before I went to work. There was a little thing poking out of the gsp matt which got me really excited, went up to change and gave another look before heading out and saw some colour! I hope I can get off work ealier today and see it all open that would make up for my busy week

[lnglostsurfer]

Hey, that's awesome! Might take a bit for all of it to open but I'm glad you're seeing some life. It's really hard to completely kill GSP....I've had some go downhill a few times and it's always come back. Mine has had quite a few days that it hasn't opened all the way but some days it does. Very unpredictable.

[ALNN]

Heres a picture of the gsp, looks kind of weak but im waiting for my rapid led stuff to get in to upgrade the light

Picture took from my phone.

 

I see 6 polys

 

http://s210.photobucket.com/user/aL-n/media/20130413_123425_zps18bb3721.jpg.html'>

[JoshuA c]

To get the surface skimming action, then you need to block off the lower opening (which i believe you have already done), then take out some water so that the back water level is lower than the display. This will give you a waterfall type effect.

[ALNN]

FTS
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also did my testing today
temp: 76.7F
PH-8,0
1.026sg
Amm-0
Nitrite -0
nitrate-0??s

this part got me a bit confused...no nitrate? feels a bit weird so im going to retest that again tomorrow.

small update on the gsp-
seeing more poly open now (eight), moved the flow nozzle to not have water flow hitting it directly as it seems to be bending the gsp over. Can see micro greenish tips on them with a magnified glass. Going to do a bit of cleaning in the tank (glass only) and planning a cleaning crew atm

any idea of what snails to get? dont really want a turbo in such a small tank. Set on 2 hermits either 1 scarlet and 1 blue or both blue.

When the cycle is finish first coral im going to be picking up is a pulsing xenia if i can find one

Monday will be the 4th week this tank has been set up! cant believe its passed so quickly

To get the surface skimming action, then you need to block off the lower opening (which i believe you have already done), then take out some water so that the back water level is lower than the display. This will give you a waterfall type effect.

 

OOO yah! the bottom opening....i havent really got it sealed so im guessing that could be the problem.

would coral putty work to fill up the hole?

[rev138]

I've had good luck with astreas and nassarius. In my experience, hermits walk all over corals and make them close up. They're jerks.

[lnglostsurfer]

If you clean some of the brown gunk off of the GSP I'll bet you'll have a lot more polyps open up. Either a turkey baster or maybe a really soft tooth brush would work great. Just be gentle with it so you don't take it right off the rock. It doesn't take much on their for your GSP to not want to fully open. Shouldn't take much to get it back to full life again.

[ALNN]

Yah! Ill trying to find a soft toothbrush but I do blast it when I get a chance

 

Right now there are double the amount of poly I count 16 and to my surprise my feather duster came out of no where today and seem to have grown very rewarding after work

 

I've had good luck with astreas and nassarius. In my experience, hermits walk all over corals and make them close up. They're jerks.

Haha maybe ill hold out on the hermits first then

[ALNN]

double checked by nitrate today when i got home and its still 0 so maybe the cycle is done...i hope.

 

either way when i have time im going to head out on the hunt for some Cerith and limpets snails or even some astreas and nassarius.

 

going to have snails start cleaning up the tank and then im going to check the nitrate again.

 

Temps are kind of shifting from 75-77 on and off. this shouldnt be a problem right? i would like it steady at 78 but doesnt seem to be happening.

 

I also received my LED shipments in. OMGGG things LED are BRIGHT! i tested one of the Neutral white and omg...i see black dots right now as im typing. Im sure im going to run these at 40% for sure LOL.

 

1 Led lights up my room.

 

http://s210.photobucket.com/user/aL-n/media/20130415_195804_zpsa215786c.jpg.html][/url]

 

cant wait to get starting on this project!!

[jtwisconsin]

I have been waiting to see how your lights turn out. I will be ordering mine in a few weeks as well.

 

I have been having the same problem with temperature swings using the same Hydor Theo 50W heater you have. My problem is that the tank is sitting on my basement bar, and it gets fairly cold down there at night. I have been thinking about moving the heater from the smaller chamber into the larger one to see if that helps at all. Otherwise I might have to consider a second heater or maybe a larger one.

[ALNN]

Yah, my tank is in the basement at night so when the temperature changes outside it affects how warm or cold the basement is. Right now I have the heater set at 85 and display tank is running 77.8 steady from last night to this morning. Ill be keeping an eye on it forsure. Sometimes I debate if I should of got tyr 100w heater

 

As for the lights there is no real process with it atm cause of work, found out that I kight have to work the weekends too so that's pretty disappointing. But ill keep posting on my progress for the light as slow as it might get

[ALNN]

got home a bit late to just did a small bit of thinking on now im going to do this DIY light.

took apart the stock light and got the stock led board out and got the whites and blue on at the same time so at least when im doing my leds my tank wont be in the dark all the time. its currently on a time from 830am start to 830pm
i know this is a long cycle for lights to be on but since the stock light doesnt do much having it on that long wont do much harm.

light sitting on a piece of clear acrylic
http://s210.photobucket.com/user/aL-n/media/20130417_212150_zpsb9ef5149.jpg.html'>

took a look at the stock housing and filed down the aluminum bar to fit. thought of what need to be redesigned and opened for hot air to expect ect. and then i called it a night. going to start marking down the measurements and drilling the housing and figuring how heavy this light is going to end up. Cause the last thing i want is the light being dipped into the tank.

http://s210.photobucket.com/user/aL-n/media/20130417_212327_zpse3959a7a.jpg.html'>

For the LEDs im thinking of laying them out as 3UP/VU - - NW/RB/NW - - VU/3UP and see how the colours turn out. I also got myself some Cool blues and cool white just incase i want to play around with the colours.

[andi.rahl]

awesome that you got gsp as a hitchhiker! I had a tiny speck of it on one of my rocks when I was cycling (and by tiny, I mean like possibly 3 polyps), but mine didn't make it :/ I'll be following along.

[ALNN]

awesome that you got gsp as a hitchhiker! I had a tiny speck of it on one of my rocks when I was cycling (and by tiny, I mean like possibly 3 polyps), but mine didn't make it :/ I'll be following along.

 

Aww sorry about your gsp. Im really happy fhat mines could make it it has 20+ polys atm but still doesnt have that long green poly look yet.

http://s210.photobucket.com/user/aL-n/media/d37be97c-88b7-4770-a5a1-47d9f9ac961f_zpsd2462d61.jpg.html'>

[andi.rahl]

heh, that's okay. I bought a frag from a lfs a couple of weeks ago that I love watching. When it has more growth, I'm going to be mounting some on the back of my tank. Yours are recovering and coming back, I'm sure they'll open up soon then be nice and big and green for you.

Also, your polyps look like mine did initially in the new growth area. Just give it a week or two and I'm sure they'll be fine.

[jtwisconsin]

I went ahead and moved my heater to the larger chamber. Right now I just have a piece of the stock foam wedged in on top (holding the acrylic overflow in place) until I build a DIY rack to go in there. The combination of heater in the bigger chamber and under the foam made a huge difference in my temperate. Still haven't decided if I am going to leave it there or maybe add a second heater.

[ALNN]

hmmm i see. i dont think i will be able to move it to the larger chamber cause im getting a Fuge Insert designed for the sided. and i also have a stock pump on that side also. i did push the heater lower down into the small chamber so that the pump draws up more heated water. today i check and the temp is at 78.2 and last night was at 77. so right now my range is within 77-78 and i hope to keep it that way.

The only problem i having with the heater at like 80+ degrees its that evaporation, i have to top the back off everyday so keep water level up in the back

[ALNN]

picked up some cerith and nassarius snails today got 4 of each. after a drip accum, i saw 2 nassarius go stright into the sand bed and one climbing up a rock LOL

 

http://s210.photobucket.com/user/aL-n/media/20130418_145433_zps4e38c651.jpg.html'>

http://s210.photobucket.com/user/aL-n/media/20130418_145423_zpsc0e02155.jpg.html'>

[ALNN]

licking the glass
http://s210.photobucket.com/user/aL-n/media/20130418_155901_zpse976c417.jpg.html'>

[rev138]

I put 4 nassarius in my new tank last weekend. 3 buried immediately, and one stayed up by the rim for about 3 days and then buried itself. Weird.

[ALNN]

haha yah at least i have 1 more thing to watch now

[andi.rahl]

wait until you see what they do when you put something they wanna eat in the tank! everyone that I know calls them zombie snails. it's especially accurate if they're buried near each other....kind of funny, in my opinion.

[ALNN]

wait until you see what they do when you put something they wanna eat in the tank! everyone that I know calls them zombie snails. it's especially accurate if they're buried near each other....kind of funny, in my opinion.

hahaha i will have to try that one day! but for now diatom is all they get muhahaha

[ALNN]

i know i shouldnt be thinking about this right now but i just want to plan for the future when i do see a good deal.

This is about stocking the tank with fish. what can i put in a 5.5g? i know its very very limited and what i have in mind is probably a yasha gobie pair with a banded shrimp and a small clown (that will be moved to the 37g in fall or sold when to big for the tank)

i was thinking a tank this size should be limited to 1 fish but since the gobie wont be swiming around much and will be burrowing more often i can give him a try.

what are your thoughts on this? and any other recommandations? maybe a benny or some sort?