vlangel Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Got a bit of good news...a not so local lfs can have one in by Thursday. It's not ideal but I will take it! Link to comment
vlangel Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Actually with the big motorcycle roadtrip on the horizon, I guess this was a good time for this to happen! :-) Link to comment
markalot Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Actually with the big motorcycle roadtrip on the horizon, I guess this was a good time for this to happen! :-) Yea, and isn't it always the way things like to go bad just before a trip. Great confidence builder. Link to comment
Sk8n Reefer Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Actually with the big motorcycle roadtrip on the horizon, I guess this was a good time for this to happen! :-) For sure! When are you guys in Co.? Still some crazy weather around here- rain and hail? Link to comment
vlangel Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Yea, and isn't it always the way things like to go bad just before a trip. Great confidence builder. It's true and it reminds me of what else can go wrong, but I am not going to let that worry me and steal the joy of this trip. I will do what I can to safeguard the tanks and then I will ride out the driveway and not look back! Link to comment
vlangel Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 For sure! When are you guys in Co.? Still some crazy weather around here- rain and hail We are leaving the 24th of June and will be gone through the 5 or 6th of July. Friends just told us that they couldn't hike Pike's Peak because of snow last week and that is on our agenda. We still have 2 weeks plus though. Even here in PA the weather has been extreme....either cold and rainy or very hot and humid. Link to comment
vlangel Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 The tanks were fine over night...I always wonder when I change the plumbing, ha ha! Should I leave the lights off until Thursday? That will help keep the temps down plus I am going to put a fan on the sump. When folks are battling cyano and other algae they do the blackout thing for a few days and it doesn't seem to hurt the coral? Maybe it will even help with the little cyano I have in the seahorse tank as a fringe benefit? Link to comment
Nanofreak79 Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 You could leave them off, but I would do maybe a very short photoperiod, JMO. Using the fans in sump or up top should do just fine for a few 2-3 hours of light. I think 4 days is too long, I know people have done it though. Longest I've done is 3, for cyan issues. My 2 cents. Glad you found one so quick, also finding the problem before vaca. Good luck! Link to comment
vlangel Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 You could leave them off, but I would do maybe a very short photoperiod, JMO. Using the fans in sump or up top should do just fine for a few 2-3 hours of light. I think 4 days is too long, I know people have done it though. Longest I've done is 3, for cyan issues. My 2 cents. Glad you found one so quick, also finding the problem before vaca. Good luck! Thanks nanofreak! I appreciate actually talking to someone who has done a blackout with their tank to hear that it was ok. If I leave them off today it will be 2 and a half days if the chiller comes in Thursday afternoon. Assuming the plumbing matches up without too much changing I could run the light Thursday night 2-3 hours after the chiller is installed. I think that is what I will do. My T5s do make some heat. Maybe I will run the lights on the reef tank for a few hours though since there are sps and LPS in there. Link to comment
markalot Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I would just aim a fan over the tanks and/or the sump. That should be enough, it's amazing how much blowing air on the water can cool things off. Link to comment
vlangel Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 I would just aim a fan over the tanks and/or the sump. That should be enough, it's amazing how much blowing air on the water can cool things off. Thanks Mark, that is what I am doing now, a fan blowing across the top of the seahorse tank and another fan blowing across the top of the sump. The temperature is 72 which is perfect. There are no lights on yet though except 2 led moonlights on the reef. It can go to 74 and still be safe. Link to comment
kimberbee Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 A fan keeps my biocube cool and works really well. Other than the increased evaporation! Link to comment
markalot Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 I forgot how cool you run the tanks! Link to comment
vlangel Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 A fan keeps my biocube cool and works really well. Other than the increased evaporation! My evaporation doubles when I run a fan on the sump so with 2 fans I am sure it will be insane. I filled the ATO to the max this morning. I forgot how cool you run the tanks! Yes, stupid, (I mean darling) seahorses! Why do I love them so much? My life was so easy before them. Link to comment
gena Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 These are my new corals and cucumber except one that I couldn't get a good pic of. I always wanted to try a birdsnest and I am guessing this is a green birdsnest. It is pretty low in the tank but I don't think green birdsnest need as much light. It the first pic an orange cap?Looks like an orange/red cap to me too . Oh gosh...chiller on the fritz is a big deal with a seahorse tank then...didn't realize they needed to be kept so cool. Glad you found one . Link to comment
Felicia Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Woah! Sorry to hear about the chiller. These sorts of things always happen at the worst times. I'm glad an LFS can get you a new one this week. I know how important temperature is in a seahorse tank, so I hope you can keep it cool until Thursday. Sounds like you have a great plan. Link to comment
vlangel Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Thanks gena for weighing in on the 'presumed' cap. Yes, temperature is a big deal for seahorse keepers. In the ocean where the natural cleansing mechanisms are so effective that pathogen bacteria is kept in check, seahorses can thrive in warmer waters. The problem is in a captive enviroment with a creature that only has a primitive digestive tract, the warmer water, (anything above 74) breeds dangerous bacteria and seahorses are vulnerable to that. Temperature and husbandry are the 2 most important factors for success with the ponies. Link to comment
vlangel Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Thanks Felicia, I checked all my options to try and get one in stock. This particular lfs said they had it. I hopped on the turnpike and headed out only to find that they did not have it. :-( The owner felt so bad that she called and faxed her supplier who she knew was loading the truck hoping to reach them. Amazingly she did eventually reach them. Another cool aspect is this lfs was $100 cheaper than Amazon! I would have paid just about anything to get one though. Temp is holding at 72 so I think I am ok. Woah! Sorry to hear about the chiller. These sorts of things always happen at the worst times. I'm glad an LFS can get you a new one this week. I know how important temperature is in a seahorse tank, so I hope you can keep it cool until Thursday. Sounds like you have a great plan. Link to comment
Felicia Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Yeah 72 is a good temperature, so that's great to hear. Glad its all going ok. Link to comment
vlangel Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Yeah 72 is a good temperature, so that's great to hear. Glad its all going ok. Tomorrow may be a bit more challenging. Today's high was only 76 and tomorrow will be 86. The AC helps that a lot but my tanks are on outside walls. They have a good 8" airspace between the wall and the back of the tank so that should help. Also I have had the lights on since 4pm, whites and blues in the reef, just blues in the seahorse tank and the temperature still held. If I need to I just won't turn on lights tomorrow. Link to comment
vlangel Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 I woke up this morning to the tank being 69. H erectus are still fine at that temp so I am not concerned. Today is going to be a hot day so will keep the house closed up and keep the fans on. I went through about a gallon of top off water last night which is a lot for my system. That's ok, water is cheap. Link to comment
vlangel Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 Great news, the lfs called and the new chiller came in. I went to pick it up and I couldn't believe it, the old plumbing is even going to work! When does that ever happen? Link to comment
teenyreef Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 That's awesome! So glad it looks like you're going to get through this OK Link to comment
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