TeenyReef's 10g Fusion - ATO Disaster

[NathanC]

Everything is doing well after the move. The acros I was worried about are either declining or staying the same - I'm still not sure if the blueberry mille will make it or not, it has continued to lose tissue. But everything else is fine!

 

Here's the view from where I sit at the desk now

 

2016-06-01 IM10 FTS by TeenyReef, on Flickr

and the wrasse making a long-awaited appearance in the back.

[teenyreef]

and the wrasse making a long-awaited appearance in the back.

I actually see him a lot more with the tank on the desk. I don't know if that's because I am sitting by the tank so I notice whenever he comes out, or if he's just happier in this location with less outside motion and noise.

[NathanC]

I actually see him a lot more with the tank on the desk. I don't know if that's because I am sitting by the tank so I notice whenever he comes out, or if he's just happier in this location with less outside motion and noise.

Hopefully he is happier, i would be in that tank. But yeah he is a pretty cool fish.

[FlowerMama]

You make this tank look bigger by all the corals in it!!!

[teenyreef]

You make this tank look bigger by all the corals in it!!!

I think it's because they're all so teeny, lol. But thank you!

[dropped]

so that pink streak wrasse is not a six line? it just looks like one? are they a smaller version?

[teenyreef]

so that pink streak wrasse is not a six line? it just looks like one? are they a smaller version?

Definitely not a six line, Fitzgerald is smaller and very peaceful. I'll post some better pics a little later.

[teenyreef]

Definitely not a six line, Fitzgerald is smaller and very peaceful. I'll post some better pics a little later.

As promised, pictures of Fitzgerald. These aren't new, they are the same ones I posted a month or two ago.

 

Fitzgerald by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

Fitzgerald by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

And one together with Squidward, who is no longer with us. RIP little buddy

 

Fitzgerald and Squidward by TeenyReef, on Flickr

[dropped]

Ahh awesome!!

 

ill be heading to the not so local LFS tomorrow to pick up a few fish. Hope i can find something as cool as him.

[teenyreef]

Ahh awesome!!

 

ill be heading to the not so local LFS tomorrow to pick up a few fish. Hope i can find something as cool as him.

Good luck! Let me know what you get since I can't get any fish for the new tank yet

[mooker]

Hey teeny! throwback to almost page 1 of your thread, but are you still using that DIY refugium light you made? I'm thinking of copying you -- anything you'd do differently this time?

[teenyreef]

Hey teeny! throwback to almost page 1 of your thread, but are you still using that DIY refugium light you made? I'm thinking of copying you -- anything you'd do differently this time?

No, I stopped using it after about the first six months. For whatever reason, the chaeto never grew very much, and all it did was trap detritus. Even if the chaeto had grown quickly, it was such a small compartment that I don't think it would have done much good anyway. So I broke it down and I run a bag of GFO in that section of the media basket instead.

[mooker]

No, I stopped using it after about the first six months. For whatever reason, the chaeto never grew very much, and all it did was trap detritus. Even if the chaeto had grown quickly, it was such a small compartment that I don't think it would have done much good anyway. So I broke it down and I run a bag of GFO in that section of the media basket instead.

 

 

Oh, that's good to know. I was hoping to use the cheato to pull nitrates out of my tank... do you do anything to control nitrates aside from frequent water changes?

[teenyreef]

 

 

Oh, that's good to know. I was hoping to use the cheato to pull nitrates out of my tank... do you do anything to control nitrates aside from frequent water changes?

I run Rox Carbon and I dose NoPox. I also frequently stir up the sand bed with the turkey baster, one section at a time.

 

NoPox has made a big difference in the long run. Before I started using it, I could never get my nitrates below the 10-15 range, probably because of my heavy bioload. Now I'm well below 5

[dropped]

I was wondering what my third dosing pump was going to be for... thats a good idea!

[teenyreef]

I was wondering what my third dosing pump was going to be for... thats a good idea!

Yep, me too! I only have two pumps set up right now, but I just bought two more from a fellow N-R member. I'm going to use them to add a third pump for this tank as well as the 40g, and run NoPox through them. Right now I dose by hand, which is quick and easy, but you have to do it every single day.

[NathanC]

Finally began the process of fixing my neglected pico. First thing to do is order a nice light. All thanks to your tank

[dropped]

Yep, me too! I only have two pumps set up right now, but I just bought two more from a fellow N-R member. I'm going to use them to add a third pump for this tank as well as the 40g, and run NoPox through them. Right now I dose by hand, which is quick and easy, but you have to do it every single day.

 

for some reason i thought you already had a dosing pump on this one?

 

Im starting out with 1ml alk and 1 ml cal per day. will order some nopox later when needed.

 

what are you dosing this per day?

[teenyreef]

 

for some reason i thought you already had a dosing pump on this one?

 

Im starting out with 1ml alk and 1 ml cal per day. will order some nopox later when needed.

 

what are you dosing this per day?

I've got two BRS dosing pumps, one for Ca and one for Alk. The third one will let me dose NoPox.

 

I also dose magnesium, but I just dose it about once a month.

[dropped]

what sort of volumes are you dosing per day?

[nickkohrn]

teeny, how is the IM Ghost skimmer working for you? I'm looking at picking up a skimmer for my IM 10, but I've read that it's loud.

[teenyreef]

what sort of volumes are you dosing per day?

I always have to do math, because the BRS dosers get set by how many seconds they run. It's roughly 3 ml per day.

 

But it can go up and down quite a bit. When the big monti caps aren't growing for whatever reason, it can drop to just 1 ml per day. When I've got the acros really cranking, it can go higher.

 

I test alk almost every night just to make sure I'm staying on track. With such as small tank, small changes in dosing requirements can change alk significantly in just two or three days. If I didn't dose at all, I'd probably lose a full degree per day.

teeny, how is the IM Ghost skimmer working for you? I'm looking at picking up a skimmer for my IM 10, but I've read that it's loud.

I have a hard time keeping it at just the right level. If you open the air valve all the way and leave the skimmer cup all the way up, it skims great, has no microbubbles, and is pretty loud.

 

If you crank the vavle down most of the way, it's nice and quiet. And if you get the cup at the right level, you'll get good skimmate. And if you get both of those at just the exact right spot, you don't get microbubbles.

 

In practice, for me, most of the time I have to choose between the loudness and the microbubbles. But I have been able to get it dialed in at just the right spot in the past, and kept it that way for months.

 

Right now, I'm back in the mode of trying to find the right spot.

 

Unfortunately, if you want a powered skimmer, this is the only option for this tank. Every other powered skimmer on the market is too big to fit in the chamber. So your only other options are an air powered skimmer, which is relatively weak and requires frequent replacement of the air stones, or a hang on back skimmer. If you have the room, that's a great option. But of course that kind of defeats the whole idea of an all in one tank.

[nickkohrn]

I have a hard time keeping it at just the right level. If you open the air valve all the way and leave the skimmer cup all the way up, it skims great, has no microbubbles, and is pretty loud.

 

If you crank the vavle down most of the way, it's nice and quiet. And if you get the cup at the right level, you'll get good skimmate. And if you get both of those at just the exact right spot, you don't get microbubbles.

 

In practice, for me, most of the time I have to choose between the loudness and the microbubbles. But I have been able to get it dialed in at just the right spot in the past, and kept it that way for months.

 

Right now, I'm back in the mode of trying to find the right spot.

 

Unfortunately, if you want a powered skimmer, this is the only option for this tank. Every other powered skimmer on the market is too big to fit in the chamber. So your only other options are an air powered skimmer, which is relatively weak and requires frequent replacement of the air stones, or a hang on back skimmer. If you have the room, that's a great option. But of course that kind of defeats the whole idea of an all in one tank.

Thanks for your response! It almost makes me want to go without a skimmer.

[teenyreef]

Thanks for your response! It almost makes me want to go without a skimmer.

I ran my 4g tank without a skimmer for the first six or eight months, and I was able to get decent growth. But it did make a big difference when I added the skimmer.

 

I'm not a big fan of the Desktop Ghost, but, for me, it's better than no skimmer.

[dferrari13]

I always have to do math, because the BRS dosers get set by how many seconds they run. It's roughly 3 ml per day.

 

But it can go up and down quite a bit. When the big monti caps aren't growing for whatever reason, it can drop to just 1 ml per day. When I've got the acros really cranking, it can go higher.

 

I test alk almost every night just to make sure I'm staying on track. With such as small tank, small changes in dosing requirements can change alk significantly in just two or three days. If I didn't dose at all, I'd probably lose a full degree per day.

I have a hard time keeping it at just the right level. If you open the air valve all the way and leave the skimmer cup all the way up, it skims great, has no microbubbles, and is pretty loud.

 

If you crank the vavle down most of the way, it's nice and quiet. And if you get the cup at the right level, you'll get good skimmate. And if you get both of those at just the exact right spot, you don't get microbubbles.

 

In practice, for me, most of the time I have to choose between the loudness and the microbubbles. But I have been able to get it dialed in at just the right spot in the past, and kept it that way for months.

 

Right now, I'm back in the mode of trying to find the right spot.

 

Unfortunately, if you want a powered skimmer, this is the only option for this tank. Every other powered skimmer on the market is too big to fit in the chamber. So your only other options are an air powered skimmer, which is relatively weak and requires frequent replacement of the air stones, or a hang on back skimmer. If you have the room, that's a great option. But of course that kind of defeats the whole idea of an all in one tank.

 

So how many seconds so you run those BRS doser for?