tibbsy07 Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 Do love me some zoas and rics Me too! I just wish my ric liked the general flow in the tank a bit more. It's REALLY happy in the shot glass, totally open, about the size of a quarter. Anytime it's not in the shot glass, though, it's about the size of a nickel and looks kind of grumpy. I'm wondering if I can place it on the right side of the tank, kind of under the larger rock so that flow is reduced, but there is plenty of light? Link to comment
kguske2 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Gotcha. It seems that many people use Reef Crystals or Red Sea. Both are ~pricey compared to the IO I've been using, but if they are worth it, then spending a bit more for good salt doesn't bother me. Also - for those intank AC70 media basket users - if there is water coming back out of the HOB from where the intake tube is (i.e. not where it should be coming out) is that because the filter floss is too much? Should I put less in the mediabasket My AC 70 recently started to do this too and I'm not sure why! Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 My AC 70 recently started to do this too and I'm not sure why! I think it's because of the filter floss... I'm going back and forth over the acrylic or glass cube idea. I trust acrylic more, but I'd be afraid to scratch it... Link to comment
xiaoxiy Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 It's because of the filter floss; it's backing up the flow in your AC. P.S Tibbs, have you considered a cadlight 8G Mini as a tank? Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 It's because of the filter floss; it's backing up the flow in your AC. P.S Tibbs, have you considered a cadlight 8G Mini as a tank? Gotcha - I'll put less of it in. As for CADlights, I have considered their tanks. I really like them, but I like the ADA glass cubes more, to be honest. I'm still debating between acrylic and glass. Acrylic would be nice because it's structurally more sound, and there isn't really a "seam" to leak, because from what I understand, the acrylic is fused to itself, where it becomes ones piece (in a sense). Glass is cheaper, but more prone to leaks/cracking. Glass doesn't scratch as easily, though, whereas acrylic can get totally gouged (though my glass has some scratches now due to sand in the nanomag cleaner ) Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 I contacted synergy reefs to ask about some custom work in case I end up going with the NanoBox light/tank combo. I don't really want to run an HOB on the tank as it would have to be off the side, not in the back. That would make it look all wonky. I asked about a custom 10g sump. Their custom sumps start at $400. That's way more expensive than a sump needs to be, imo. I'm sure their build is fantastic, but an acrylic sump that is 20x10x12 with some baffles for $400 bucks? Shoot. I could probably make my own for much cheaper than that. I've asked Mike at MicroReefs as well. We'll see what he says. Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 Did my weekly water change tonight. Brought ric back out of the shot glass. I left it in the sand where the glass was. I'm realizing that this is a hobby I'm not naturally good at. I think this hobby will require more work for me than some. I need to focus on keeping the tank stable. Tomorrow morning I'm going to test parameters before work. I'll post a picture of my filter floss tomorrow too. When I take it out and replace it, it is all brown and smells bad. I have a question regarding CPE... I have had mine for a bit over a month. It's the 6.5 oz. Should I switch to the purigen yet? Just activated carbon? I'm going to likely order some zoas from cylalaleona soon. She has some absolutely gorgeous zoas. PM her if you want to buy some. Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 This is what my filter floss looks like weekly when I throw it out and get new stuff. Is this normal? Sorry for the crappy photo. Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Totally normal. CPE is a mixture of a type of activated carbon and a small amount of GFO. Purigen is an adsorption media, similar to carbon, but contains no GFO, so you will have no phosphate removal (which shouldn't be an issue unless you start dumping food into the tank). Buying a small sump is 100% pointless IMHO. A sump is about having an area for all your media/equipment to go and to increase your water volume as significantly as possible. Adding a sump that is only 1-2g just doesn't make any sense. 10g at a minimum, but nothing would be hurt by having larger - 20g, 29g, even 40g lol. It may be strange to think about, having a sump much larger than your display, but it makes more sense than a smaller sump than your display. Hell, refugiums are only truly useful if they are a significant percentage in size compared to the display (a 1-2 gallon fuge won't ever help anything on a tank larger than 10-20ish gallons, and even then it is a stretch), so having a refugium that is larger than the display would be badass. lol Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 Totally normal. CPE is a mixture of a type of activated carbon and a small amount of GFO. Purigen is an adsorption media, similar to carbon, but contains no GFO, so you will have no phosphate removal (which shouldn't be an issue unless you start dumping food into the tank). Buying a small sump is 100% pointless IMHO. A sump is about having an area for all your media/equipment to go and to increase your water volume as significantly as possible. Adding a sump that is only 1-2g just doesn't make any sense. 10g at a minimum, but nothing would be hurt by having larger - 20g, 29g, even 40g lol. It may be strange to think about, having a sump much larger than your display, but it makes more sense than a smaller sump than your display. Hell, refugiums are only truly useful if they are a significant percentage in size compared to the display (a 1-2 gallon fuge won't ever help anything on a tank larger than 10-20ish gallons, and even then it is a stretch), so having a refugium that is larger than the display would be badass. lol Good to know about the ff. I know about CPE and purigen, I have phosguard too. I'm just not sure when CPE should be replaced? And should I replace it with the purigen I have, only adding phosguard if needed? I have a bag of activated carbon that came with the AC70 that I could use, as well. As far as the sump/fuge - I definitely do not intend to have a sump/fuge that is smaller than my display. I only like larger sumps for a number of reasons. I would like my fuge to be the same size as my display, though one larger than the display would be cool Link to comment
metrokat Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 CPE instructions should say when to change it. In a 5.5 G tank I imagine you can go a very long time. Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 7, 2014 Author Share Posted March 7, 2014 CPE instructions should say when to change it. In a 5.5 G tank I imagine you can go a very long time. Yeah, that's what I figured. Especially with such a low bioload. I'll dig around online and see what their recommended usage is. Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 Things seem to be better. It's amazing how much a 20% water change can help. The corals immediately start looking better. I might do one more this weekend, tomorrow night perhaps, just to ensure that the water quality is good. CPE is still running fine, and I reworked the FF so that there is no flow issue. Still have virtually zero flow in the back rear of the tank, but I think that's how it's going to be, unless I can get a small powerhead back there (maybe the koralia pico 180 or the rio 50). Link to comment
gena Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 This is what my filter floss looks like weekly when I throw it out and get new stuff. Is this normal? Your filter floss looks cleaner than mine at the end of the week . I've decided to start doing 2 water changes a week. Until I upgrade of course. Then I can probably get away with just one again. Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 Your filter floss looks cleaner than mine at the end of the week . I've decided to start doing 2 water changes a week. Until I upgrade of course. Then I can probably get away with just one again. You also have a much larger bioload Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 Things look like they are settling down. I was going to order a big zoa shipment from Cylalaleona but I think it's going to have to wait. I want her stuff and her prices are incredible (seriously PM her) but I'll have to stick with lfs stuff for now (aka no shipping). Setting up tank parameter testing now. It's been a while. Womp womp. Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 Well now I think I know why the corals have been a little bland. Last water change left them rather nutrient-less. I have about 1/2 gallon missing due to evaporation and here are my parameters... Temp 78 pH 8.2 Salinity 1.022 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 0 Phosphate 0 dKH 6.8-7.0ish Calcium 320 Magnesium 1040 I think my weekly water change will be like a half gallon removed and a full gallon replaced. Link to comment
gena Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Your salinity must have been way low if you evaporated a 1/2g and are sitting at 1.022 right now. I'd get that up to at least 1.024. It will help a ton . Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 Your salinity must have been way low if you evaporated a 1/2g and are sitting at 1.022 right now. I'd get that up to at least 1.024. It will help a ton . Salinity and everything else that comes with the salt. Makes a lot more sense! I really wish I had probes right now, lol Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 11, 2014 Author Share Posted March 11, 2014 I hope one day I can become a master at picos, seriously. I'd love to have like 3 picos of different themes all growing perfectly. Link to comment
gena Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I hope one day I can become a master at picos, seriously. I'd love to have like 3 picos of different themes all growing perfectly. I've decided picos are more difficult than I initially thought. It's harder find that balance in such a small volume of water. It would be really cool to have multiple themed picos though . Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 I've decided picos are more difficult than I initially thought. It's harder find that balance in such a small volume of water. It would be really cool to have multiple themed picos though .Simple themes. Like a zoa/ric garden. A mantis tank. This mixed reef. That's all. I was thinking of something else too but I'm going to keep it under wraps for now... Link to comment
gena Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Simple themes. Like a zoa/ric garden. A mantis tank. This mixed reef. That's all. I was thinking of something else too but I'm going to keep it under wraps for now... If only it didn't cost so much to start up even a pico . Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 If only it didn't cost so much to start up even a pico . Right? Ultimately it costs way more to do larger tanks imo bc of the lights. Everything else is similarly priced. Rock obviously is more, too. Link to comment
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