Sk8n Reefer's Nuvo 16

[Sk8n Reefer]

Ok is better then done for atleast. Hopefully it will pull through, its not uncommon for most of the more difficult acros to go through changes after fragging and being moved for a little while before settling in so hopefully thats all this is

 

Carbon could be bothering it, I've never had luck running carbon with sps and I know quite a few others who haven't either. GFO would only be bothersome if its becoming dust and entering the tank, or completely stripping the tank of nutrients... both would effect other corals as well although most of your other pieces are pretty hardy so I could see either bothering some of the more delicate stuff but not most of the easier stuff.... atleast not right away.

Thanks for the info Chris- It's still doing well tonight ? taking it day by day for awhile. Woke up to my blue acro laying on the bottom with its rock tipped over and my solo turbo cruising along. He's a little to big for this tank- They didn't have any small ones so I picked one up a few weeks back. Set the rock back up and glued the blue acro back.

 

Would you run carbon a little? Or not at all- what else would you use to polish up the water?

[Sk8n Reefer]

Some crappy top down shots with the iPad . I can't seem to capture good ones with the Nikon. Here's some shots of the back half corals that really don't show well from a straight on FTS . To the left and right of the Ponape the encrusting Monti's are starting to get to a good size. Bonsai is encrusting across the rock.

 

 

 

And the right side- stylo and my birdsnest frag- it's like it never left ? and a little encrusting monti - still gotta find a spot for 3 frags on the rack

 

[Maniu]

Far from crappy. And I am also interested in carbon overdosing and alternatives. Hmm

[Sk8n Reefer]

Far from crappy. And I am also interested in carbon overdosing and alternatives. Hmm

Thanks Maniu! Ya , I run carbon pretty much continuously- not a ton 3 teaspoons but it's through a reactor. Maybe I should reduce to 3 weeks a month? GFO is running smooth and the glass needs to be cleaned every few days or so -nutrients are still around but being managed with it

[Chris!]

Thanks for the info Chris- It's still doing well tonight taking it day by day for awhile. Woke up to my blue acro laying on the bottom with its rock tipped over and my solo turbo cruising along. He's a little to big for this tank- They didn't have any small ones so I picked one up a few weeks back. Set the rock back up and glued the blue acro back.

 

Would you run carbon a little? Or not at all- what else would you use to polish up the water?

 

Tanks looking great even with your "crappy" colorful ipad shots lol

 

Personally I haven't had any "good" results running carbon, passively or in a reactor. But I run a larger skimmer, biopellets, and dose vinegar so my water is already pretty clear. If anything I would try substituting carbon with some filter floss, with your husbandry I don't think you would forget about changing it weekly-biweekly as needed. I am horrible with it so I haven't tried it but have heard it is a good polisher... polyfil is the cheaper alternative to aquarium filter floss and pretty sure its rumored to be the same thing just marketed differently just have to make sure it doesn't have any flame retardant additives.

[Sk8n Reefer]

Tanks looking great even with your "crappy" colorful ipad shots lol

 

Personally I haven't had any "good" results running carbon, passively or in a reactor. But I run a larger skimmer, biopellets, and dose vinegar so my water is already pretty clear. If anything I would try substituting carbon with some filter floss, with your husbandry I don't think you would forget about changing it weekly-biweekly as needed. I am horrible with it so I haven't tried it but have heard it is a good polisher... polyfil is the cheaper alternative to aquarium filter floss and pretty sure its rumored to be the same thing just marketed differently just have to make sure it doesn't have any flame retardant additives.

Thanks Chris, I run floss in both overflows- Marineland bonded filter pads- nothing special and change it out every 3-4days. Carbons like my right hand though ? I've thought about adding a protein skimmer - not impressed with the ghost or some of the Nano's - if I were to I'd do a hob - probably a reef octo. or an AquaMaxx but I am changing anywhere from 40-46% weekly so a skimmer isn't critical. I'd be interested to see what gunk it would pull out though

[Chris!]

Have you ever tried not running carbon? I haven't heard much of anything good about nano skimmers either so I don't blame you on not wasting the money really. If you think you might upgrade in the next 6-12 months I wouldn't even mess with getting a HOB skimmer, you seem to be having good success doing what your doing now and that little bit of carbon isn't likely the key to your success If you think you will upgrade then I'd hold off on any big equipment purchases, if not then I'd consider the HOB just because it will allow you to feed even more and still have great water quality, or cut your water changes in half atleast with a good one Most equipment loses its value so quick tho its not worth buying if you are going to upgrade in the semi-near future.... and if your going to upgrade mind as well do it right with in sump skimmers as they are far more effective.

[Sk8n Reefer]

Have you ever tried not running carbon? I haven't heard much of anything good about nano skimmers either so I don't blame you on not wasting the money really. If you think you might upgrade in the next 6-12 months I wouldn't even mess with getting a HOB skimmer, you seem to be having good success doing what your doing now and that little bit of carbon isn't likely the key to your success If you think you will upgrade then I'd hold off on any big equipment purchases, if not then I'd consider the HOB just because it will allow you to feed even more and still have great water quality, or cut your water changes in half atleast with a good one Most equipment loses its value so quick tho its not worth buying if you are going to upgrade in the semi-near future.... and if your going to upgrade mind as well do it right with in sump skimmers as they are far more effective.

For sure- yes the "upgrade " conversation happened again this morning. Probably should just start getting some quotes from Pico and Miracles- their online pricing is really decent but it's from 2012- not sure of the increase over the years. I used to run carbon 2-3 weeks a month but in the last 5 months pumped it up to continuous. I'll be hitting a year this month- crazy- went by pretty fast- that was my initial goal 1 yr. of success. The new scape has allowed for some extra room-in spots- but my poci still is growing crazy and very aggressive. Now my purple stylo and idaho grape are touching- fairly pleasant "war" grape is losing in a little spot but not to bad- hopefully it will focus its growth in another direction.

[Chris!]

For sure- yes the "upgrade " conversation happened again this morning. Probably should just start getting some quotes from Pico and Miracles- their online pricing is really decent but it's from 2012- not sure of the increase over the years. I used to run carbon 2-3 weeks a month but in the last 5 months pumped it up to continuous. I'll be hitting a year this month- crazy- went by pretty fast- that was my initial goal 1 yr. of success. The new scape has allowed for some extra room-in spots- but my poci still is growing crazy and very aggressive. Now my purple stylo and idaho grape are touching- fairly pleasant "war" grape is losing in a little spot but not to bad- hopefully it will focus its growth in another direction.

 

I won't lie, Pico will likely be considerably cheaper. Lawn got a quote for his tank from both and while I don't remember the exact prices I do remember there being a pretty good difference, but shipping was also a bit further from miracles and I'm not to sure how much of a difference between the 2 would be for you. I didn't know Pico did bigger tanks when I ordered mine or I would have quoted them too, but Reef Savvy was a HUGE difference from Miracles so I went with Miracles obviously. They also shipped freight inside a wooden crate built specifically for my tank, alot of other places seemed to shrink wrap or just use cardboard on a pallet with plastic bands through ups which IMO isn't acceptable for a quality item.

 

I hate pocci, its a weed just gonna put that out there As far as the grape focusing its growth in another direction it isn't likely. They want to grow towards other corals to fight for space. Space means room to grow and they want to grow so its a kill or be killed world really.... they can all "sense" other corals being near by and will focus on gaining space more often then trying to run from another coral

[Sk8n Reefer]

I won't lie, Pico will likely be considerably cheaper. Lawn got a quote for his tank from both and while I don't remember the exact prices I do remember there being a pretty good difference, but shipping was also a bit further from miracles and I'm not to sure how much of a difference between the 2 would be for you. I didn't know Pico did bigger tanks when I ordered mine or I would have quoted them too, but Reef Savvy was a HUGE difference from Miracles so I went with Miracles obviously. They also shipped freight inside a wooden crate built specifically for my tank, alot of other places seemed to shrink wrap or just use cardboard on a pallet with plastic bands through ups which IMO isn't acceptable for a quality item.

 

I hate pocci, its a weed just gonna put that out there As far as the grape focusing its growth in another direction it isn't likely. They want to grow towards other corals to fight for space. Space means room to grow and they want to grow so its a kill or be killed world really.... they can all "sense" other corals being near by and will focus on gaining space more often then trying to run from another coral

Man, I gotta say- I look forward to your responses - always thought out and come from a different angle than what I normally consider. That makes a lot of sense- poci sends out stringers towards areas that are closest for sure. I still like the poci's though- solid color fairly easy to keep happy- I've probably fragged about the same size that it is now though. Caps are always the loser- with everything they've encountered- poci,stylo, Milli's . My bubblegum is encrusting within an inch of my green cap- we'll see how that one goes - two of my favorite corals too.

 

Ya, I've heard really good things about Pico's silicone. I am on vacation this week and chilling around the house so I may visit a few stores with tank inventory- but they would carry anything like a Pico or Miracles. I've even been thinking about stretching to a 36x36x24 cube- the extra depth wouldnt be to much of a big deal- I would want to leave atleast a foot of open water and not really have high light demands in that area. So that nanobox highbred with 4 T5's would still do the trick ! It would really open up scape possibilities - I think that's about 135gal. ?

[NanoFever]

Man, I gotta say- I look forward to your responses - always thought out and come from a different angle than what I normally consider. That makes a lot of sense- poci sends out stringers towards areas that are closest for sure. I still like the poci's though- solid color fairly easy to keep happy- I've probably fragged about the same size that it is now though. Caps are always the loser- with everything they've encountered- poci,stylo, Milli's . My bubblegum is encrusting within an inch of my green cap- we'll see how that one goes - two of my favorite corals too.

 

Ya, I've heard really good things about Pico's silicone. I am on vacation this week and chilling around the house so I may visit a few stores with tank inventory- but they would carry anything like a Pico or Miracles. I've even been thinking about stretching to a 36x36x24 cube- the extra depth wouldnt be to much of a big deal- I would want to leave atleast a foot of open water and not really have high light demands in that area. So that nanobox highbred with 4 T5's would still do the trick ! It would really open up scape possibilities - I think that's about 135gal.

Cant speak for Miracles or Reef Savy but my Pico is solid build and Chris was awesome to work with. VERY reasonable price too, especially for a custom tank. Silicone is great with no bubbles. My only regret is I didn't go bigger. Chris shipped mine on a pallet UPS freight with cardboard around it but even the UPS guy was impressed with how well it was packaged.

[Chris!]

Man, I gotta say- I look forward to your responses - always thought out and come from a different angle than what I normally consider. That makes a lot of sense- poci sends out stringers towards areas that are closest for sure. I still like the poci's though- solid color fairly easy to keep happy- I've probably fragged about the same size that it is now though. Caps are always the loser- with everything they've encountered- poci,stylo, Milli's . My bubblegum is encrusting within an inch of my green cap- we'll see how that one goes - two of my favorite corals too.

 

Ya, I've heard really good things about Pico's silicone. I am on vacation this week and chilling around the house so I may visit a few stores with tank inventory- but they would carry anything like a Pico or Miracles. I've even been thinking about stretching to a 36x36x24 cube- the extra depth wouldnt be to much of a big deal- I would want to leave atleast a foot of open water and not really have high light demands in that area. So that nanobox highbred with 4 T5's would still do the trick ! It would really open up scape possibilities - I think that's about 135gal.

 

Thanks man I've been doing this and have learned alot through tons of reading, friends that have been doing it even longer, and years of watching what goes on in my own tanks and I enjoy helping those that care and try as well Don't get me wrong, pocci is nice to look at but its invasiveness is quite aggressive as it is not only potent with its sting, but it will "drop" pieces and spread around the tank quite readily as well.... which leads to it being a weed IMO.

 

Caps wil do one of two things, get stung and die off a bit.... they don't fight worth crap tho your mille will pack a good punch against it. Or, it will litterally just grow right around the other coral blocking out its base but allowing the other coral to grow up through it. I have even had put a little sand or glue on a spot on larger caps to kill a small area off and attach a different coral to it which is kinda cool if done right.

 

IMO while an upgrade is pretty much always nice, if your considering not upgrading again for a long time I really feel if you can do it spring for what you really want and get it custom made by a higher end company like pico, miracles, reef savvy to your specs. Also spring the extra for starphire its worth it!I love the idea of the 36x36x24 with a nice pillar type scape in the middle and maybe a few small islands surrounding it for added lower light pieces that don't always fair well on the sand itself. If I had the room for 36 front to back I would have definitely done it, but 4' was the min I wanted to go length wise. I like the 24" height, but I am also 6'5 with fairly long arms. I can reach the bottom back of my tank but it goes up to my arm pit so that is something you may want to consider especially if it won't be fully accessible from 3 or all 4 sides. You don't really think about that alot, but if a nice frag gets knocked down it could be a PITA and require scuba gear if you go to tall for your body/ access lol Now get on getting those quotes!!!

[Sk8n Reefer]

Cant speak for Miracles or Reef Savy but my Pico is solid build and Chris was awesome to work with. VERY reasonable price too, especially for a custom tank. Silicone is great with no bubbles. My only regret is I didn't go bigger. Chris shipped mine on a pallet UPS freight with cardboard around it but even the UPS guy was impressed with how well it was packaged.

 

Ya everyone seems to be happy with their work and your tanks looks great ?

[Sk8n Reefer]

Thanks man I've been doing this and have learned alot through tons of reading, friends that have been doing it even longer, and years of watching what goes on in my own tanks and I enjoy helping those that care and try as well Don't get me wrong, pocci is nice to look at but its invasiveness is quite aggressive as it is not only potent with its sting, but it will "drop" pieces and spread around the tank quite readily as well.... which leads to it being a weed IMO.

 

Caps wil do one of two things, get stung and die off a bit.... they don't fight worth crap tho your mille will pack a good punch against it. Or, it will litterally just grow right around the other coral blocking out its base but allowing the other coral to grow up through it. I have even had put a little sand or glue on a spot on larger caps to kill a small area off and attach a different coral to it which is kinda cool if done right.

 

IMO while an upgrade is pretty much always nice, if your considering not upgrading again for a long time I really feel if you can do it spring for what you really want and get it custom made by a higher end company like pico, miracles, reef savvy to your specs. Also spring the extra for starphire its worth it!I love the idea of the 36x36x24 with a nice pillar type scape in the middle and maybe a few small islands surrounding it for added lower light pieces that don't always fair well on the sand itself. If I had the room for 36 front to back I would have definitely done it, but 4' was the min I wanted to go length wise. I like the 24" height, but I am also 6'5 with fairly long arms. I can reach the bottom back of my tank but it goes up to my arm pit so that is something you may want to consider especially if it won't be fully accessible from 3 or all 4 sides. You don't really think about that alot, but if a nice frag gets knocked down it could be a PITA and require scuba gear if you go to tall for your body/ access lol Now get on getting those quotes!!!

Starfire glass for sure! Good point on the height-I'll have to mock something up to be totally sure on what size works. gonna watch this stylo- grape war and see how it develops before I frag the grape.

[Sk8n Reefer]

RIP- not sure what happened- he never showed in the morning and never came out to feed. Wow- really bummed- no sign of em. Check the filter in case he went through the overflow- nothing . Blew around to see if I could release a body but nothing. Looked all around the outside of the tank- nothing. He was eating well and gaining weight- watched em eat some pellets last night. Plenty of pods around. Just bizarre - I was giving my condolences to NanoFever yesterday on his Ruby red. My wife is really bummed. She handled the afternoon feedings and got em eating pellets regularly . Miss the little guy scurring around over rocks like a lizard. That's 2 peppermints and now a Ruby red - disappearing .

 

[NanoFever]

Ya everyone seems to be happy with their work and your tanks looks great

Thanks, I highly recommended them.

 

RIP- not sure what happened- he never showed in the morning and never came out to feed. Wow- really bummed- no sign of em. Check the filter in case he went through the overflow- nothing . Blew around to see if I could release a body but nothing. Looked all around the outside of the tank- nothing. He was eating well and gaining weight- watched em eat some pellets last night. Plenty of pods around. Just bizarre - I was giving my condolences to NanoFever yesterday on his Ruby red. My wife is really bummed. She handled the afternoon feedings and got em eating pellets regularly . Miss the little guy scurring around over rocks like a lizard. That's 2 peppermints and now a Ruby red - disappearing .

 

Dang dude that stinks. Wonder what happened to him!

[teenyreef]

Oh no! So sorry to hear about your ruby red - he was so cute. I hate those mystery disappearances where you can never figure out what went wrong

[Sk8n Reefer]

Thanks, I highly recommended them.

 

 

Dang dude that stinks. Wonder what happened to him!

No idea, he was fitting in and started to really get the routine - bumming. It was my wife's fish so she is pretty down on the tank right now. Rough week for the tank for sure!

[Sk8n Reefer]

Oh no! So sorry to hear about your ruby red - he was so cute. I hate those mystery disappearances where you can never figure out what went wrong

Thanks, Ya that's the toughest part- I can't figure out what went wrong. I've heard they aren't collected very good?? He came in with a batch of 4 others at mt lfs and they all died after a week. Not sure if I'll get another one- I would love to but if they can have this " mystery death" element to them it's not worth it. They sleep so heavy- wonder if something could if snuck up and attacked it while it was on the bottom sleeping. Not sure what's hiding in there though that could of snuck up on him. I've seen a large bristle worm in there I've been trying to get- about 2.5-3" long. Could something like that attack it- not sure what else would? Could one of my larger ball anenomes sting it enough to kill him?? Aiptasia-?

[Maniu]

Thanks, Ya that's the toughest part- I can't figure out what went wrong. I've heard they aren't collected very good?? He came in with a batch of 4 others at mt lfs and they all died after a week. Not sure if I'll get another one- I would love to but if they can have this " mystery death" element to them it's not worth it. They sleep so heavy- wonder if something could if snuck up and attacked it while it was on the bottom sleeping. Not sure what's hiding in there though that could of snuck up on him. I've seen a large bristle worm in there I've been trying to get- about 2.5-3" long. Could something like that attack it- not sure what else would? Could one of my larger ball anenomes sting it enough to kill him?? Aiptasia-?

Sorry about your ruby. It looked so happy in your tank and was eating like a champ. Truly mysterious disappearance.

No way bristle worm could have done that. With aggressive anemones, it's a possibility but...... I have never seen such a predatory behavior in person. In my IM 16, there are two tinny Eviota gobies and Curlicue anemone. These nems are very aggressive and know to eat smaller fish. However, I thing gobies know better to stay clear from its sticky tentacles tho. I am wondering what else might be hiding between those rocks........ it's very unsettling to watch things disappear just like that.

[Chris!]

Man that sucks about the ruby red, it was a cool little fish. I went downstairs last night to check on things and top off and found my large yellow tang layin dead on the bottom of his tank. He was one of my first few fish and I've been thinkin I've been in the hobby for 4-5 yrs for a few yrs now so I probably had him like 7-8+ yrs LOL

[Maniu]

Man that sucks about the ruby red, it was a cool little fish. I went downstairs last night to check on things and top off and found my large yellow tang layin dead on the bottom of his tank. He was one of my first few fish and I've been thinkin I've been in the hobby for 4-5 yrs for a few yrs now so I probably had him like 7-8+ yrs LOL

Another sad news. Sorry. These moments are never easy.

[Chris!]

Atleast with mine he lived a good healthy life and got to spend the last bit of his life in a 8'x3' vat.... I suspect it to have been natural causes.

[Sk8n Reefer]

Sorry about your ruby. It looked so happy in your tank and was eating like a champ. Truly mysterious disappearance.

No way bristle worm could have done that. With aggressive anemones, it's a possibility but...... I have never seen such a predatory behavior in person. In my IM 16, there are two tinny Eviota gobies and Curlicue anemone. These nems are very aggressive and know to eat smaller fish. However, I thing gobies know better to stay clear from its sticky tentacles tho. I am wondering what else might be hiding between those rocks........ it's very unsettling to watch things disappear just like that.

Thanks man, Ya that's the worst part not knowing. I have a fair amount of rocks in my sump and we pulled them all out and checked through everything. Now I am kinda feeling like I would like another one- really neat fish. What lurks in the shadows though .......

Man that sucks about the ruby red, it was a cool little fish. I went downstairs last night to check on things and top off and found my large yellow tang layin dead on the bottom of his tank. He was one of my first few fish and I've been thinkin I've been in the hobby for 4-5 yrs for a few yrs now so I probably had him like 7-8+ yrs LOL

Wow sorry Chris- that's a lot of time with a fish. Any signs he was having any problems?

[Maniu]

Thanks man, Ya that's the worst part not knowing. I have a fair amount of rocks in my sump and we pulled them all out and checked through everything. Now I am kinda feeling like I would like another one- really neat fish. What lurks in the shadows though .......

 

Wow sorry Chris- that's a lot of time with a fish. Any signs he was having any problems?

 

Wait..... you have a sump with your IM16??????