My Rockin' Flower Garden!

[Tamberav]

My phosphate was .25 w/ API so I have to order some phosguard online. They only had a pack of phosguard for a 30g in a shop here. I'll check Petco on Mon because it's across from my workplace.

 

Who makes a really good phosphate, magnesium, and alkalinity checker? I have Salifert for Nirtrates but I don't like the test for the alkality at all. It says when it reads bright yellow, well, 6-12 are all bright yellow and I don't see a difference. Hanna?

 

Huh? My alk checker for Salifert just changes colors. From blue I think to pink and you just read how much you put in on a dropper. Is yours old? or maybe mine is? The Salifert I have is very easy to read.

 

I hate the Salifert nitrate.. all the pinks look the same to me That is the reason I didn't try their phosphate kit, just shades of blue.

 

I can't tell between the 0.03 and the 0.1 and 0.25 is really close. Maybe its my eyes? It must work for people because it has good reviews but for me it would be no more accurate than a API.

 

 

The red sea one looks easier to read out of the two.

 

I have the hanna phosphorus checker, it seems to work just fine. It is kind of a pain in the butt to get the reagents in the glass tube though. I won't claim its user friendly!

 

I wish I had the $ for Lamotte test kits. Their alk kit has 3 distinct colors. The red color lets you know you overshot and put too much in!

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

I had a similar situation, and that looks exactly like the kind of cyano I fought in my tank several weeks ago. Running GFO in a HOB filter took care of the issue immediately. That, and stuffing in some macro in the tank.

[OMGSIIK]

What DJ strip are you using?

[FlowerMama]

Annette,

I bought several Hanna testers when I started because I am colorblind.

But must admit the Salifert test kits are easier to read. My wife helps with the colors. Some of the Hanna testers work well for me but the alkalinity tester is always off. My LFS has checked my water several times. They use Red Sea test kits.

 

BTW, why is this thread in the equipment forum? I always am looking for it in the owners forum.

 

David

 

You know what? I don't know? maybe I started asking about equipment? How do I move it to another location?

 

I mean API alkalinty, duh, sorry, not Salifert.

 

So I probably just need to put some GFO in a media bag in my hob Aquaclear 30? or does it stay loose and later you dump it out after some time? I don't know anything about it but if I already have a hob then seems I should do that instead of getting a phosphate reactor.

 

I appreciate the feedback, always something to learn, something new that I didn't have to do before.

[FlowerMama]

Of course it'll work better if the gfo is moving around and the 2 little fishies reactor 150 is cheap so I think I'll have to get that. Makes better sense. What brand of GFO to buy now?

[FlowerMama]

Good news! I faxed my receipt from BRS last Fri late afternoon and the serial number on it next to the Tunze Osmolator listing and Roger from Tunze called and emailed me today. He's sending me a new pump out tomorrow! whoo hoo! Tha't's customer service!!!! Nice guy, laid back. I'm excited.

[FlowerMama]

Well, I put some phosguard in the tank wehn I came home. I put like 3/4 a cup and put it in a mesh bag into the AC30. No pictures to show, just awful beet purple/red cyano. In the meantime another nem died and one other one climbed a rock so I'm just going to let it be where it is. It is what it is. And it's not pretty right now. Skimmer is doing wonderfully. The Tunze pump replacement portion came, works, that's all good now so at least I've had that going as well since Sat.

 

And my visiting sister said she can send me her reactor and phosban so I'll get her some shipping cash before she leaves. She has her hands full w/ 2 babies right now. Love these guys. I'll miss them when they leave in another 1.5 weeks. They've both 5 lbs or so. 1 month old.

 

Picture time with me and the babies:

 

Olson

 

 

 

Olivia

 

 

 

 

 

[Mirya]

OMG they are so tiny!

[ninjamyst]

cute babies!!!

 

as for your tank, i thought bigger the tank, more forgiving it is. i am surprised u r running into so much issues with phosphate / cyano. i also have some green cyano in my 12 gallons that refuses to go away despite large water changes.

[FlowerMama]

cute babies!!!

 

as for your tank, i thought bigger the tank, more forgiving it is. i am surprised u r running into so much issues with phosphate / cyano. i also have some green cyano in my 12 gallons that refuses to go away despite large water changes.

 

Crazy, right? I know, my easiest tank and the one I could forget more than anything was the 8 gallon Evolve that has a clam in it!!!

 

OMG they are so tiny!

 

I'm amazed at how strong they are in their neck and torso. The girl is almost flipping over. And she learned herself she could hold her paci in her mouth w/ 2 fingers. The boy is a wiggler. She can already focus but he's cross-eyed most of the time. You can put them on opposite sides of the playpen/crib and they'll come together in the middle and even spoon while swaddled. He will hit her also. She once put the paci in his mouth, he keeps dropping it and is needy. The girl can hold her own!!

[Pancetta]

Cute babies Annette!

Hope you can get your cyno resolved.

 

David

[FlowerMama]

Yeah, I'm going to siphon the cyano w/ my water syphon for the water change this weekend and see how that goes this Sun. I feel bad because I want to feed the nems but don't want to add to the cyano. I know it won't kill them to be fed once a week but you know, when you're used to feeding them more. That's how I don't know how someone cannot have a skimmer on a nem tank, I wasn't even feeding every day and still got cyano, granted I know it was a new system and it doesn't take much then. I hope when it finally comes together it REALLY comes together and I have many nem babies to share down the line. I know I really have to be patient with this tank.

[owenj]

Whew, finally made it to the end of this thread. Those are some beautiful nems in a gorgeous tank! I'm also in awe of your craziness to commit to lugging buckets up and down stairs for the water changes

[FlowerMama]

Whew, finally made it to the end of this thread. Those are some beautiful nems in a gorgeous tank! I'm also in awe of your craziness to commit to lugging buckets up and down stairs for the water changes

 

Have to do it today, I have water filled to the rim in my 20g Brute warmed, unsalted, I have to wait until after 4 or 5, after I get the last of most of the on-call calls today. I don't have a way to make water downstairs; doesn't work w/ the bathroom or shower plumbing fixtures.

[FlowerMama]

Just did a 15g change on roughly the 75g in there. I syphoned out the cyano I had moved to one side in the tank. Otherwise the sand is looking really good, I razor cleaned the glass. I turned down the lights when I had the cyano. I had it at the following:

 

11:00 - -

12:00 20%W 60%B

13:00 40%W 60%B

17:00 40%W 65%B

20:00 25%W 75%B

22:00 - 1%B

 

The remaining nems are looking good, getting more evened up in in size. I'll see if I can get a pic later after it clears up some. 3 chose to go on rocks. I like having the rocks in there I'm just in the air about the babies growing on rocks.

 

And if you haven't been to my Maiden's Voyage tank my maroon nem spawned. So, I'm questioning whether I want to move the known mama and papa over to the nem tank. Shes the only all white one. I decided it'd be easier to just let them stay on the rocks they've been on so if I move them, there are 3 from that rock that go with it. If I move the one behind I get 2 more. The nice 2 toned green and red striped, the smallest of the bunch, and that big lavender one. I'd still have 4 left in the 34 gallon, the ones on the right side of the tank. So I have 15 in this tank and 11 in the 34g.

 

[FlowerMama]

I decided I'm going to try to mimic Florida w/ the long sunny days, so I'm going to rethink my settings.

[FlowerMama]

Took some pics, cyano is much better. I still haven't found what ratio to set these lights to get good pics though. I can do it just fine under the Kessil by turning blue off and still keeping the same colors. I can't seem to do it w/ the Razor and I'm getting annoyed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FlowerMama]

I'm gonna try these settings:

 

white blue

 

9a 0 1

11 40 70

12 50 80

5p 40 70

8p 30 60

10p 0 0

[FlowerMama]

I was under the new light schedule today. So far so good. We'll see how it goes. And here's the first video. I caved when it came to having rocks in the tank because

 

1) it's hard to remove nems from rocks

2) some didn't want to be on the sand, who am I to say no, they chose them themselves

3) the strongest survive and hopefully any babies will be able to leave the rock at one point, babies aren't hand fed in the wild so I'm just going to have to be good on the water changes, keep my skimmer going. And hoping that I can keep cyano down. Yes, took 2 empty rocks upstairs to the 34 and secured the gorgonian once again. 21 nems in the tank.

 

[frankdr]

... 21 nems in the tank.

 

Wow - that's insane I thought having 5 in one tank was getting full..

 

The way you have your rocks laid out should be really good. My problem is I have rocks with places they can disappear under. Since they really can't 'see' where they are going, I'm afraid they'll be stuck somewhere dark and not find their way out. And also the fact that I can't give them any food if they get way up under somewhere.

[FlowerMama]

Wow - that's insane I thought having 5 in one tank was getting full..

 

The way you have your rocks laid out should be really good. My problem is I have rocks with places they can disappear under. Since they really can't 'see' where they are going, I'm afraid they'll be stuck somewhere dark and not find their way out. And also the fact that I can't give them any food if they get way up under somewhere.

 

Several times in my 34 they'd crawl under so I'd flip the rock on its side or upside down as long as there was nothing on the other side.

[owenj]

Is that GSP on your rock on the back rightish side of the tank? This tank is such great eye candy. How big is the white skirt/neon-lime green center RFA? It looks huge compared to most of the others.

[FlowerMama]

 

Is that GSP on your rock on the back rightish side of the tank? This tank is such great eye candy. How big is the white skirt/neon-lime green center RFA? It looks huge compared to most of the others.

 

Yeah, that is GSP over there. I thought it'd be a good indicator of what's going on in the tank and it was. I had phosphates and the polyps weren't opening much, sure enough I checked the tank. I've always wanted an island of GSP.

 

It's like 3.5" and the color is actually yellow crayola but taking the pics under the light made it look different.

 

Here's what the color was under my Kessil and when I can get my camera skills right with the Maxspect.

 

[owenj]

Yeah, that is GSP over there. I thought it'd be a good indicator of what's going on in the tank and it was. I had phosphates and the polyps weren't opening much, sure enough I checked the tank. I've always wanted an island of GSP.

 

It's like 3.5" and the color is actually yellow crayola but taking the pics under the light made it look different.

 

Here's what the color was under my Kessil and when I can get my camera skills right with the Maxspect.

 

That's a good idea with the GSP as sort of a "natural" parameters checker.

 

I see the yellow now with the Kessil, but it still has a lime-y tint to my eye. Either way it looks lovely. Now tell them to put those babymakers to work

[FlowerMama]

The maroon male that spawned, I just moved him and his white nem bestie (only say that because she had 1 little baby but it disappeared) into the 60 a couple days later. So at least I know there is one male so far. It's a new tank and though I'd love to feed daily I can't because the cyano isn't totally under control yet.