SquishyFishy's BioCube Planet

[FlowerMama]

Could just be cuz of no fresh air through the house, if you have AC going like me. My understanding is pH anyway, goes down in the evenings.

[SquishyFishy]

Boy I'm having a huge detritus problem in my tank...in one day the wave pumps and back wall has a thick coating of it. It is not algae I don't think, it just looks like crap collected. It comes off with brush and filter media is clogged within a couple of days! Temp on tank is high like 80 to 81 but with fan that comes on stays between 80 and 79.

 

I've decided its time to do a complete sand bed change out. My bed is really rubble so I ordered a course sand Caribsea Bimini to be exact. The cyano is bothersome and I am dosing Red Seas NO2NO3 stuff and for a day or so it kinda clears up but its back in a couple days even though I am following their protocol. So That's why I thought the rubble is just too full of it.

 

Should I just remove the coral rock structure and leave the fish, scoop up the rubble and suck as much water out as possible without stressing the fish out? This is a big deal, almost like starting over. I plan about a 15 gallon WC for my 26 gallon capacity Cube. Trying to get it as clean as I can. I'll have a bin full of the water I suck out for the coral.

 

Is this the right way to go about it.

[dropped]

It's the NoPox causings the gunk. How much are you dosing?

[SquishyFishy]

Don't think so, I got it because of the gunk it was there first. Doing 2 mml a day for my Biocube=26 gallons About a teaspoon full.

 

I have Phosgard mixed with Chemi-pure and filter floss pad in my Intank basket...have a skimmer but have not had it on for couple months...wasn't working right. I just cleaned it and turned it back on...hoping this makes a difference. The stuff collects on the outside of the wave pumps and then along the back wall of the tank, its crazy!

[FlowerMama]

Replacement of sand would be one location at a time, like several cups at a time or something over the course of a couple weeks maybe?

[SquishyFishy]

I thought about that too. So you'd do it that way? I could scoop the left side that's the one with the most cyanno The other side of tank doesn't have any, wonder why that is. And the left side is also where the wave pump shoots the water behind the scape, so you'd think it would be the one free of it. The right side that has less circulation doesn't have any at all, it's kinda dark over there though. Maybe there's too much light on the left so its growing better there. I've tried reducing my light time, didn't work well.

 

I have a PVC pipe I use to deposit the sand helps eliminate the clouding. This sand is bigger grain though so with proper rinsing don't expect much trouble. With the above method though, I wouldnt get ALL the detritus under the rock. But it would be a lot less stressful for the fish.

[SquishyFishy]

Did half of the tank today. Could not use my pipe because the Caribsea sand was live sand so wet and would not go down the pipe. Had to spoon it in, what a mess! But after 4 hrs of filtering beginning to look almost clear, am dreading the back of the tank where it will be h e double toothpicks for my hand and a net to scoop it up. Anemones were very pissed about this procedure, but their location is done so no more harassment for them. Like the look of the sand though, very light and clean looking. I know the banana wrasse will appreciate it for sleeping. He's been scraping his body up for a year in the rubble.

 

Here's a pic:

 

I like the sand, it looks natural like real reef sand with chunks of coral etc. and it shows up really pinkish my cell phone never does the color right. The right side is still rubble, but enough stress for today, will get up tomorrow and start again. I've decided now, to just cover all the rubble in the back since it is free of Cyanno and it needs some depth as well.

 

Guess the toadstool leather will be P.O.'d for a week, he's the most sensitive coral I have! Maybe Oreo will love on him and get him in a good humor! So funny....

[SquishyFishy]

I added Some Seachem matrix to the back chamber to improve the filtration. Hope that will help this detritus problem, I can't understand how all of a sudden I'd have this problem.

[SquishyFishy]

Look what is out on the new sand bed this morning! A huge star, he's about 4 inches wide from tentacle toe to tentacle toe! LOL

 

I completed the sand bed as best I could. Got as much rubble out as possible and changed out the floss 3 times! If you'll look closely the gunk I mentioned is pictured on this image on the wall behind the star. That stuff collected on the wall within hours. I know its not algae, it just looks like detritus to me. Anyone have this problem???

 

Hubby and I will do the water change this evening when he gets home to help. I plan on a 10 gal. change which is almost half the water volume

 

[Astinus]

Have u tried just using a Turkey Baster and blowing that stuff into the water column?

I Blow crap like that every day and let the filter(s) collect it up.

[SquishyFishy]

Yes, I did and it comes right off...do ya think I might need to take the pump out and clean it? Maybe it's just not sucking the stuff into the filter as well, haven't cleaned it in many months....I might try that tomorrow.

 

Thx

[FlowerMama]

That sounds like a good idea.

[SquishyFishy]

The new white sand is showing the cyanno worse than the rubble, but I have now lowered my white light 10% more to 50% 40% blue and am starting to notice something strange.

 

Overnight the cyanno is gone, at least I see just pure clean white sand in the morning, but by about 11:00 the orangy cyanno starts to appear, its just crazy. I'll try to get a before pic and after to show you this.

 

Right now...my sexies gather for breakfast "Feed me!"

[FlowerMama]

Cyano is rough!

[SquishyFishy]

Well, with the NOPOx dosing and the buffer I think I've finally got a handle on the Cyano. Not totally defeated, but under control.

 

Now my Duncan seems to be totally closed up and it was gorgeous before we went on vacation. But the tank fared well. My daughter didn't feed them, I had auto feed going and there wasn't much on the glass, just took a WC and good cleaning to get it right. Fish seem fine. I think the Duncan must be reacting to the alcohol..that's all I can figure out. Its done that before and finally opened up well but now its on strike again. The blue mushrooms have gone absolutely bonkers, from one head I've now got almost 30 big huge heads. Mushrooms are great. The Bounce and its offspring are gorgeous also.

 

The Rics are a little more picky but they seem to be o.k. I've seen them bigger and fuller, but I'm just happy the red sh!t is under control!

[FlowerMama]

Glad to hear you're getting it under control. Hard shit to remove.

[SquishyFishy]

LOLOLOL!

[SquishyFishy]

Had to take a hatchet to the Monte it is getting too big again! Had to remove 2 rosettes that were getting breathtakingly gorgeous, broke my heart and they both crumbled during the process.

 

I'm dosing with Vibrant per the main forum thread and I'm impressed....little by little the gha is deminishing and the sand in my foreground is staying pretty white, no new GHA nor Cyano or Dino on the rubble. Just 2 doses in though, am trying to post pics of the progress on that thread.

 

Since my banana wrasse bit the dust, I'm trying to decide what fish to replace it with.

[FlowerMama]

I hate when you're trying to frag something and you ruin it. Your intentions are good and then afterwards you feel so bad and wish you hadn't touched. Are there other wrasses you like?

[SquishyFishy]

Yep, Fairy Wrasse and also some gobies, but I really need something midtank that will come out of the rock to enjoy.

 

My lfs recommends a Coral Beauty or Flame Angel, but that's not the color I'd like.

[Marc.The.Shark]

I just got a Salon Fairy Wrasse, beautiful fish but definitely not mid-tank, cruises the bottom. My yellow assessor stays mid to top of the tank & out all day, but not an active swimmer. I always have a hard time picking fish! Lol

[SquishyFishy]

Thx, Now that A. randalli or Randalli Assessor is splendid looking, wonder how hard that is to find???

[SquishyFishy]

Yeeha!!! Guess what Santa is sending this Christmas??? A Red Sea Max Series E 260! Wahoooooooo!!!!!

 

So I guess this thread will go the way of the DoDo come Saturday. My LFS is setting it up so there should not be much in the way of a cycle. We'll use everything from my tank plus new water so it should be just like a WC. I am so excited!

 

Thank you Santa (Hubs). I will start a new thread soon for the new build.

[FlowerMama]

Wow!!! that's big!!! Joy!!

[SquishyFishy]

Thx Annette, seems you're the only one who cares...I started a new build thread on this forum but nobody has made the slightest comment...was having some words on the Tang thread and the discussion got kinda hot....almost makes me want to quit posting here. Some of them are so confrontational and insulting.

 

Oh well, they can't dampen my happy place....sooo excited. Todd finished my base so I can now roll it around. Now we're just waiting for the lfs guy to get it in and he will come build the stand and get it started, I'm still responsible for scaping and actually moving the stuff.

 

I'm gonna advertise my Biocube at all my lfs and on this site and Craig's List.