New Member - Hello

[Nano sapiens]

I dug up some pics - I just recently moved cross-country so I had to strip it all out, but these were the cichlid tanks I had to NYC. One is a 240 WC Moba/Tricoti tank (sold everything including tank), and the other is a 180 Malawi peacock/hap tank. I still have the 180 and I'm going to turn that into a frontosa tank here soon....unless I just go 100% salt, which is unlikely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very nice looking tanks!

 

Love the Frontosa, but Haps are my favorities. I remember when my Electric Blues would spawn, it was like a neon lightshow

[Apexlaxfrog]

I like the color variety in Malawis, but those Frontosa chichlids are gorgeous bevo!!! Mine was white/gray and never colored up with those awesome blue hues.

 

But to Nano-Reef! Looking forward to your SW system!

[bevo5]

Thanks y'all. I think I'm going to set up the 180 as a frontosa/tricoti tank even though it's a bit on the smaller side. But it's a lot easier to get fish for - just one big mail order vs. trying to mix and match malawi nonstop.

 

As for the biocube - I'll just let it go and get nice and brown. At least that will give the CUC something to do when the tank is fully cycled.

 

Thanks.

[ClaireRenee]

Hi bevo, it looks like we are only a few days apart on the start of our systems. It will be interesting to see how these two systems progress through the cycle. I will be following along

[chrisparks11]

How do I start a build thread on here. I am computer illiterate and I can't seem to figure out how to start my new tank build.

[charnelhouse]

How do I start a build thread on here. I am computer illiterate and I can't seem to figure out how to start my new tank build.

 

Go to the particular forum you want the thread in (Members Tanks probably) and click the "Start New Topic" button at the top right.

[bevo5]

Hi bevo, it looks like we are only a few days apart on the start of our systems. It will be interesting to see how these two systems progress through the cycle. I will be following along

yeah this is perfect - now I can read your thread and not have to ask as many questions here. Thanks!

 

I didn't even think about gluing the rocks down...I guess that makes sense so nothing crashes into a coral. I'm going to do that this weekend.

[ClaireRenee]

yeah this is perfect - now I can read your thread and not have to ask as many questions here. Thanks! I didn't even think about gluing the rocks down...I guess that makes sense so nothing crashes into a coral. I'm going to do that this weekend.

I will be doing the same. It is nice to have someone else going through the tedious cycling process as well. To attach my rocks together I used coral epoxy. It comes in a tube and is like playdoh. I had no luck with the superglue gel. The epoxy worked really well, but you have to hold it in place for a minute or two. Also it helps to not think of the epoxy as glue but more as something to create a collar around the intersection of the two rocks. When I first tried I thought I could make a ball of epoxy and smash it between the rocks and it would hold. This turned out not to be the case. I had to put the rocks together then squish little bits around the joint more like mortar. I don't know if this makes sense, hope so.Good luck with your tank, I will be following along.

 

Also, if you create a tank build thread, let me know and I will follow that.

[Jtm51]

Nice

[bevo5]

Fun day today - tank has only been up for about 9 days but ammonia is dropping and nitrites are kicking up. I haven't bothered testing for nitrates since it doesn't really matter. Hoping that the seed material I dropped in is going to keep on working things through the process.

 

I've got quite a bit of brown/hair algae starting to grow. It's really strange as there are tiny air bubbles forming and popping up towards the surface. I guess the algae creates a little bit of O2? Or are those spores? Very clear micro bubbles.

 

Anyway - I'm just excited to be processing ammonia...one step closer.

[Mariaface]

Dinoflagellates?

[bevo5]

Dinoflagellates?

Yeah, that's what the stuff is starting to look like. Brown, stringy, and little bubbles.

 

That's probably a bad thing eh? I was thinking it was just the typical brown algae outbreak that comes with a new tank, but it seems like these are much harder to get rid of.

 

Seeing as how the tank is only a week old should I take any extreme measures to deal with this now? I can kill the lights no problem, but should I just remove the rock and scrub stuff clean then try again?

[Mariaface]

Yeah, that's what the stuff is starting to look like. Brown, stringy, and little bubbles.

 

That's probably a bad thing eh? I was thinking it was just the typical brown algae outbreak that comes with a new tank, but it seems like these are much harder to get rid of.

 

Seeing as how the tank is only a week old should I take any extreme measures to deal with this now? I can kill the lights no problem, but should I just remove the rock and scrub stuff clean then try again?

 

You're better off just turning off the lights. The dino is competing with your beneficial bacteria for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. It'll still be there when the cycle's over (albeit not visible), but at that point you'll be able to add carbon/purigen to help (don't add it before, of course, because it will also deprive the bacteria of food; add it later, when you've started introducing a CUC and food to the tank).

[bevo5]

OK sounds good. I was reading that upping the PH will also slow it down. Since there is nothing in the tank to harm, I might just go ahead and pump up the PH to mid 8's....I can bring it back down when I'm ready to add livestock easily enough.

[Mariaface]

OK sounds good. I was reading that upping the PH will also slow it down. Since there is nothing in the tank to harm, I might just go ahead and pump up the PH to mid 8's....I can bring it back down when I'm ready to add livestock easily enough.

 

Honestly, I wouldn't bother trying to alter pH. Since there's nothing in the tank, you're better off just turning off the lights until there is something in the tank that needs illumination.

[bevo5]

It's that easy? I keep reading horror stories on these forums about dyno's being impossible to get rid of. I suppose in an empty system they will just eventually die out from lack of nutrients, but wouldn't that take time?

 

Are tanks ever actually clear of these things or is life just a constant battle knowing they could pop up at any given time?

[Mariaface]

It's that easy? I keep reading horror stories on these forums about dyno's being impossible to get rid of. I suppose in an empty system they will just eventually die out from lack of nutrients, but wouldn't that take time?

 

Are tanks ever actually clear of these things or is life just a constant battle knowing they could pop up at any given time?

 

It's basically an uphill battle. They come out to make a wreck when the tank's imbalanced, which is why good husbandry is important.

 

Light's going to be a limiting factor, and without it they should die back. Once you're cycled you'll be able to add carbon and other filtration media to remove excess nutrients from the tank, so they shouldn't be an issue as long as everything's kept clean.

[bevo5]

Ok sounds good - thanks for the advice.

 

I also started getting some little green growths on the glass and saw a bunch of tiny centipedes or something running over the rock. I've looked through tons of hitchhiker guides and I think these guys are relatively safe. I'm just not used to seeing, much less being OK with, random bug things in my tanks. But I guess that's part of the fun of creating a true mini-reef system.

 

Tank is cycling ammonia at a decent clip now....so hopefully once these dynos fade away I'll be ready to add something worth looking at.

[Mariaface]

Centipedes? Or pillbugs/rolypoly? If it's the former, be very careful. If it's the latter, it's probably amphipods. They're good at munching on leftover food and some plant matter, but if you let the tank get too dirty they'll happily reproduce to the point where they get annoying to your corals (but yummy to fish and anemones and anything else that can sting/eat them). Good news is, if they made it then odds are you also have a nice amount of copepods!

[atrox]

Behold the many hitchhiker a that are present.

Shoot I have baby jelly fish as hitch hikers.

 

 

 

 

This deft isn't a complete list but it will get you started in the right direction.

http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showthread.php/49804-Live-Rock-Critter-ID

[Mariaface]

Behold the many hitchhiker a that are present.

Shoot I have baby jelly fish as hitch hikers.

 

 

 

That jelly is badass. I had teeny 1mm ones when I initially got rocks from premium aquatics a couple of years back.

[bevo5]

Centipedes? Or pillbugs/rolypoly? If it's the former, be very careful.

 

Huh...well, they look like miniature centipedes but they are so tiny I can't really get good look at them before they escape into another bit of rock. From the looks of them they have a bunch of little legs, maybe like a yellowish tinge on top, pretty flat.

 

I read that there are all sorts of centipedes in tanks but they're mostly harmless. What would be the reason to be careful of them? I figured my CUC or fish would eat them?

[Mariaface]

Huh...well, they look like miniature centipedes but they are so tiny I can't really get good look at them before they escape into another bit of rock. From the looks of them they have a bunch of little legs, maybe like a yellowish tinge on top, pretty flat.

 

I read that there are all sorts of centipedes in tanks but they're mostly harmless. What would be the reason to be careful of them? I figured my CUC or fish would eat them?

I'd look through here and see what they are. Could be herbivores, could be predators. Hopefully the former!

 

It'd be bad if they were predators of something you wanted to keep in your tank (pods and other such benthic life), or if they constantly walked over corals and irritated them. Your fish will probably get them if they don't have a line of defense (the way bristleworms do).

[Mr. Microscope]

to Nano-Reef! This is a great community.

 

Your cichlid tank was amazing! Looking forward to see what you bring to SW. Good luck!

[cju84]

Old tank looks beautiful. Can't wait to see your new build. I'm also about a week into my build, so I'm sure we'll have the same questions. Def. will be following your progress.