Natalia’s reefbowl: 8 years old!

[natalia_la_loca]

14 hours ago, Weetabix7 said:

Natalia, I have a question about your PAR 38 lighting. 

I'm wondering about the reason for you covering some of the whites. 

Did you do that because of responses you noticed in the corals, or because of your own aesthetic preferences for how the corals look under the light?

 

That was actually a different par38 than the one I have above the bowl now. It had six white diodes and six blues. My reason for covering 4 of the whites was mainly aesthetic, but I was also concerned that the light intensity might be too much for some of the corals. I don't have any diodes covered on the current par38, but I do have it suspended higher, at 17.5". The smaller zoas seem to prefer that height, and it's still bright enough that the acros are growing. 

[Weetabix7]

14 minutes ago, natalia_la_loca said:

 

That was actually a different par38 than the one I have above the bowl now. It had six white diodes and six blues. My reason for covering 4 of the whites was mainly aesthetic, but I was also concerned that the light intensity might be too much for some of the corals. I don't have any diodes covered on the current par38, but I do have it suspended higher, at 17.5". The smaller zoas seem to prefer that height, and it's still bright enough that the acros are growing. 

 

Exactly what I needed to know, thanks!!

[natalia_la_loca]

Fluconazole update: I added another full dose of fluconazole after yesterday's water change. Although there continue to be some strands of hair algae, there doesn't seem to be much (any?) regrowth. I didn't do any peroxide spot treatments. This is day 14 with the full dose. It's day 21 if you count the half dose.  Further notes: there has been no regrowth of the wiry strain of GHA that disappeared. I also had another strain of hair algae that grew in tiny short clumps, no more than 1/16" in diameter. That's all gone.  Another note: the water changes in the last 2 weeks have extracted a much higher volume of detritus than usual. Maybe these are bits of dead GHA/bryopsis that have broken down and/or been eaten by the snails? Seems so, as I've had no coral dieoffs or changes in feeding.

 

Here's a cellphone pic of the new pink/gold/green zoas. They look best from outside and above the reefbowl. Unfortunately they look quite brown from the side. But they are very happy, and they like to eat!!!

 

 

[ABC]

23 hours ago, natalia_la_loca said:

Fluconazole update: I added another full dose of fluconazole after yesterday's water change. Although there continue to be some strands of hair algae, there doesn't seem to be much (any?) regrowth. I didn't do any peroxide spot treatments. This is day 14 with the full dose. It's day 21 if you count the half dose.  Further notes: there has been no regrowth of the wiry strain of GHA that disappeared. I also had another strain of hair algae that grew in tiny short clumps, no more than 1/16" in diameter. That's all gone.  Another note: the water changes in the last 2 weeks have extracted a much higher volume of detritus than usual. Maybe these are bits of dead GHA/bryopsis that have broken down and/or been eaten by the snails? Seems so, as I've had no coral dieoffs or changes in feeding.

 

Here's a cellphone pic of the new pink/gold/green zoas. They look best from outside and above the reefbowl. Unfortunately they look quite brown from the side. But they are very happy, and they like to eat!!!

 

 

New zoas look great

[Rain24]

Your zoas are so pretty!!!

 

I love your fluconazole updates. I remember my epic battle with bryopsis, so I'm always curious about what everyone else is using these days. Hoping for more updates on your experience! I think it's info like this that is so valuable to other reefers.

 

So, because of your bowl and Maritza's and all the other bowl/jar/vase picos here, I found myself at a LFS for the first time last Saturday. I thought I was all settled on a bowl but then there were these Aqua Japan picos that were also tempting. I wonder if I should start with a bowl and just move into one of those aquariums if things are going well? For the price of one of those aquariums, I could have almost everything I need for a reef bowl. LOL.

[Lula_Mae]

12 minutes ago, Rain24 said:

Your zoas are so pretty!!!

 

I love your fluconazole updates. I remember my epic battle with bryopsis, so I'm always curious about what everyone else is using these days. Hoping for more updates on your experience! I think it's info like this that is so valuable to other reefers.

 

So, because of your bowl and Maritza's and all the other bowl/jar/vase picos here, I found myself at a LFS for the first time last Saturday. I thought I was all settled on a bowl but then there were these Aqua Japan picos that were also tempting. I wonder if I should start with a bowl and just move into one of those aquariums if things are going well? For the price of one of those aquariums, I could have almost everything I need for a reef bowl. LOL.

I would go for whatever gets you started faster!   I'd totally go for starting with a reef bowl, and my tank isn't much bigger than one lol.  Maybe start a reef bowl while saving up for the other tank?

[Rain24]

1 minute ago, Lula_Mae said:

I would go for whatever gets you started faster!   I'd totally go for starting with a reef bowl, and my tank isn't much bigger than one lol.  Maybe start a reef bowl while saving up for the other tank?

Lula_Mae, you are the voice of wisdom! Now, can you please come and talk to my husband? The poor thing was disheartened by our bryopsis and flatworm issues with our last tank. Any advice on dips? I would love to have a sexy shrimp or two in a 2g bowl - or is that too small?

[Lula_Mae]

I don't know a lot about dips to be honest--though I did just use a peroxide dip (50% saltwater, 50% peroxide--the 3% concentration you can buy at Walmart or wherever) to rid a zoa frag of loads of hair algae.  I've never (knock on wood) had to deal with bryopsis or invasive flatworms.  I did a mild Lugol's dip as well after the peroxide dip.  I do believe there are corals that should not be dipped in either of these though, as they can't tolerate it.  There are loads of knowledgeable people on this board though who could advise you better about them.

 

I once had three sexies in a 1.5 but I didn't have them long enough to see if there were issues from that (temp swings in the house caused them to not make it ).  I think others have kept them in small picos at times.  Do be aware that they have something of a reputation for munching on corals, especially zoas.   That's why I'm shying away from them this time around lol.   They were a lot of fun while I had them though!

[natalia_la_loca]

3 hours ago, Rain24 said:

I love your fluconazole updates. I remember my epic battle with bryopsis, so I'm always curious about what everyone else is using these days. Hoping for more updates on your experience! I think it's info like this that is so valuable to other reefers.

 

So, because of your bowl and Maritza's and all the other bowl/jar/vase picos here, I found myself at a LFS for the first time last Saturday. I thought I was all settled on a bowl but then there were these Aqua Japan picos that were also tempting. I wonder if I should start with a bowl and just move into one of those aquariums if things are going well? For the price of one of those aquariums, I could have almost everything I need for a reef bowl. LOL.

 

Thank you I hope my experiences add to the knowledge base about both bowl/jar/vase reefing and fluconazole. 

 

The Aqua Japan picos sound great.  The choice really comes down to what you want out of your system and how much work you're willing to put into it.  Lately I've thought a lot about trying a slightly bigger pico like the Aqua Japan tanks you're looking at, as I'd love to be able to have a couple of fish and more inverts.  But those systems are really a different (read: more complex) operating model.  They are generally open-topped or have lids with large openings around them, so they would require either an ATO, daily top-offs, or some kind of semi-airtight lid (the latter would have to be cleaned at least weekly to prevent salt splash). With a bigger system, very large water changes become less attractive, hence the need for use of filter media or sufficient coral biomass to sequester nutrients.  They are big enough to have a fish or two, which would require more frequent feeding and more intensive nutrient export or sequestration as well as a close-fitting screen or other top to prevent carpet surfing.  @Nano Sapiens has a good and time-tested model for a low-maintenance nano-reef (not a pico--it's 12 gallons).  His reef has 3 or 4 small fish and many corals, no filter media to change, a DIY gravity-fed ATO made from modified water bottles for hamsters, and minimal (I think 10-15% per week) water changes.  Small water changes means that dosing is necessary; he doses kalk via the ATO, as well as iodine and magnesium.  (@Nano Sapiens please chime in if any of this is inaccurate or outdated!)  In the end I decided my current system is still the best fit for me because it provides great coral growth with an absolute minimum of maintenance (roughly 30 minutes per week) and no dosing, minimal feeding, and almost no top-off.  Hope this helps with your decision.

 

Re: sexy shrimp--I've heard horror stories of sexies attacking corals.  I think that would be the main concern in a 2g bowl as your coral biomass is likely to be too small to withstand predator attacks for long.

[Weetabix7]

13 minutes ago, Rain24 said:

Lula_Mae, you are the voice of wisdom! Now, can you please come and talk to my husband? The poor thing was disheartened by our bryopsis and flatworm issues with our last tank. Any advice on dips? I would love to have a sexy shrimp or two in a 2g bowl - or is that too small?

 

I really think you could do a couple of Sexies or Pederson's Anemone Shrimp in a 2g bowl, I'd do it!! In fact, I may!!

I agree that Sexy Shrimp do sometimes munch on Zoas, so either don't keep Zoas with them or do Anemone Shrimp instead. 

The financial investment in something that size is so much smaller that even if you have problems, you stand to lose little. I think if you follow the methods used in this thread, you will do well. 

My husband is just now helping me pick out stuff to get re-started and since I've involved him in the process, he is showing more enthusiasm about the tank. 

[brandon429]

 

 

Natalia and i were typing at same time

 

bowls hold a particular design boost over square tanks, evaporation control. A correctly fitted vase can go 4~ days in between topoff, beating any other reef tank of any size due to the lid resting on the inner diameter and forcing bubble splash back down. that makes a 1 gallon pico more salt-stable than a 200 gallon or a 400 gallon tank...and they said gallonage matters to stability. I guess the upside is a nerf ball impact can't kill the 200 g tank.

 

there is a poster on youtube called Tyler Johnson who was actually documenting his forays into setting up reef vases around town and maintaining them for money. in that, he attained the longest interval ive ever seen in pico reefing for an acceptable salinity shift of .023- .024 before topoff was required

 

19 days

 

 

that's so beyond amazing. he did it with a simple power head combo with his airstone

 

these partially-sealed picos that use inner diameter lids could essentially run with zero topoff but the system will go stagnant if the lid isn't pulled and refreshed from time to time. Since  Tyler wasn't able to be on each jobsite that often, he devised the simplest hack: turn the air bubbler down 95% to only a trickle, to refresh the air under the lid, and use a powerhead for the motion in the tank. 19 days topoff extension that's unbeatable in the hobby using no auto topoffs so required for larger tanks. picos can be more stable in several ways that larger tanks, just not to nerf impact or an elbow heh

[SeaFurn]

12 minutes ago, brandon429 said:

 

 

Natalia and i were typing at same time

 

bowls hold a particular design boost over square tanks, evaporation control. A correctly fitted vase can go 4~ days in between topoff, beating any other reef tank of any size due to the lid resting on the inner diameter and forcing bubble splash back down. that makes a 1 gallon pico more salt-stable than a 200 gallon or a 400 gallon tank...and they said gallonage matters to stability. I guess the upside is a nerf ball impact can't kill the 200 g tank.

 

there is a poster on youtube called Tyler Johnson who was actually documenting his forays into setting up reef vases around town and maintaining them for money. in that, he attained the longest interval ive ever seen in pico reefing for an acceptable salinity shift of .023- .024 before topoff was required

 

19 days

 

 

that's so beyond amazing. he did it with a simple power head combo with his airstone

 

these partially-sealed picos that use inner diameter lids could essentially run with zero topoff but the system will go stagnant if the lid isn't pulled and refreshed from time to time. Since  Tyler wasn't able to be on each jobsite that often, he devised the simplest hack: turn the air bubbler down 95% to only a trickle, to refresh the air under the lid, and use a powerhead for the motion in the tank. 19 days topoff extension that's unbeatable in the hobby using no auto topoffs so required for larger tanks. picos can be more stable in several ways that larger tanks, just not to nerf impact or an elbow heh

It's amazing to me actually.  In the short 6 weeks my bowl has been running I've never topped off between water changes (every 7 days).  Salinity has been absolutely constant over that time period. 

Each week after a water change I mark the water line with a small piece of scotch tape so I can see how much evaporation there is during the week - and it's very very little. I'm still a little surprised that there isn't more because there is a small opening where the airline and heater/controller wires pass between the lid and bowl (under the gasket) and air has to be continually exiting through that opening.  Otherwise the bowl is virtually sealed until I lift the lid for some reason.

[Rain24]

13 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

I don't know a lot about dips to be honest--though I did just use a peroxide dip (50% saltwater, 50% peroxide--the 3% concentration you can buy at Walmart or wherever) to rid a zoa frag of loads of hair algae.  I've never (knock on wood) had to deal with bryopsis or invasive flatworms.  I did a mild Lugol's dip as well after the peroxide dip.  I do believe there are corals that should not be dipped in either of these though, as they can't tolerate it.  There are loads of knowledgeable people on this board though who could advise you better about them.

 

I once had three sexies in a 1.5 but I didn't have them long enough to see if there were issues from that (temp swings in the house caused them to not make it ).  I think others have kept them in small picos at times.  Do be aware that they have something of a reputation for munching on corals, especially zoas.   That's why I'm shying away from them this time around lol.   They were a lot of fun while I had them though!

I'm going to watch your thread to see the effectiveness of those dips. Thanks! Oh, and I totally forgot that they munch on zoas. Hmm...maybe I'll pass? For all I know, acans might eat sexies...and I love acans!

 

11 minutes ago, natalia_la_loca said:

 

Thank you I hope my experiences add to the knowledge base about both bowl/jar/vase reefing and fluconazole. 

 

The Aqua Japan picos sound great.  The choice really comes down to what you want out of your system and how much work you're willing to put into it.  Lately I've thought a lot about trying a slightly bigger pico like the Aqua Japan tanks you're looking at, as I'd love to be able to have a couple of fish and more inverts.  But those systems are really a different (read: more complex) operating model.  They are generally open-topped or have lids with large openings around them, so they would require either an ATO, daily top-offs, or some kind of semi-airtight lid (the latter would have to be cleaned at least weekly to prevent salt splash).  They are generally bigger, so would either need larger water changes, filter media, or sufficient coral biomass to sequester nutrients.  They are big enough to have a fish or two, which would require more frequent feeding and more intensive nutrient export or sequestration as well as a close-fitting screen or other top to prevent carpet surfing.  @NanoSapiens has a good and time-tested model for a low-maintenance nano-reef (not a pico--it's 12 gallons).  His reef has 3 or 4 small fish and many corals, no filter media to change, a DIY gravity-fed ATO made from modified water bottles for hamsters, and minimal (I think 10-15% per week) water changes.  Small water changes means that dosing is necessary; he doses kalk via the ATO, as well as iodine and magnesium.  (@NanoSapiens please chime in if any of this is inaccurate or outdated!)  In the end I decided my current system is still the best fit for me because it provides great coral growth with an absolute minimum of maintenance (roughly 30 minutes per week) and no dosing, minimal feeding, and almost no top-off.  Hope this helps with your decision.

 

Re: sexy shrimp--I've heard horror stories of sexies attacking corals.  I think that would be the main concern in a 2g bowl as your coral biomass is likely to be too small to withstand predator attacks for long.

 

I'm looking for simple and able to be babysat by a reef noob in case we have to go out of town. LOL. I just asked the husband about starting up a bowl/cookie jar again and his reply was a semi-negative grumble and some mumbling about not wanting to be tied to the house again by a tank. Haha.

 

I did start with a 14g biocube and NanoSapien's tank was one of my inspirations. Bryopsis, flatworms, and having to leave the tank unexpectedly for an extended period without a tank sitter pretty much ended that. The appeal of your bowl really is the simplicity of it. Oh - what salt do you recommend?

 

I guess I have to also research what dosing is and if I need it for something this small. Thanks so much for all your info...this will help me figure out what I want in my next foray into reefing.

 

9 minutes ago, Weetabix7 said:

 

I really think you could do a couple of Sexies or Pederson's Anemone Shrimp in a 2g bowl, I'd do it!! In fact, I may!!

I agree that Sexy Shrimp do sometimes munch on Zoas, so either don't keep Zoas with them or do Anemone Shrimp instead. 

The financial investment in something that size is so much smaller that even if you have problems, you stand to lose little. I think if you follow the methods used in this thread, you will do well. 

My husband is just now helping me pick out stuff to get re-started and since I've involved him in the process, he is showing more enthusiasm about the tank. 

 

I hope you add some in your tank! I'll looking into Pederson's anemone shrimp as long as they get along with acans too. I found out last time that I love acans.

 

My husband was totally involved last time. He was the one that bought my tank for me for Christmas one year. I think he's just still discouraged from all the problems we had and all the pretty coral that was lost. Plus, we sometimes go on road trips for a few weeks so he's worried about that. Maybe I can stumble upon a simple DIY ATO and not need a tank sitter. We just moved here so we're not even sure who we could get to tank sit.

 

9 minutes ago, brandon429 said:

bowls hold a particular design boost over square tanks, evaporation control. A correctly fitted vase can go 4-6 days in between topoff, beating any other reef tank of any size due to the lid resting on the inner diameter and forcing bubble splash back down. that makes a 1 gallon pico more salt-stable than a 200 gallon or a 400 gallon tank...and they said gallonage matters to stability. I guess the upside is a nerf ball impact can't kill the 200 g tank.

 

there is a poster on youtube called Tyler Johnson who was actually documenting his forays into setting up reef vases around town and maintaining them for money. in that, he attained the longest interval ive ever seen in pico reefing for an acceptable salinity shift of .023- .024 before topoff was required

 

19 days

 

 

that's so beyond amazing. he did it with a simple power head combo with his airstone

 

these partially-sealed picos that use inner diameter lids could essentially run with zero topoff (shown in 2004/first sealed reef tank) but the system will go stagnant if the lid isn't pulled and refreshed from time to time. Since  Tyler wasn't able to be on each jobsite that often, he devised the simplest hack: turn the air bubbler down 95% to only a trickle, to refresh the air under the lid, and use a powerhead for the motion in the tank. 19 days topoff extension that's unbeatable in the hobby using no auto topoffs so required for larger tanks. picos can be more stable in several ways that larger tanks, just not to nerf impact or an elbow heh

 

Thanks, Brandon! I have been wondering if there was some advantage to bowls! I'm going to look up Tyler Johnson. 19 days between topoffs is really amazing (and would totally help me out with my road trip/travel concerns). That's a great hack, adding a powerhead. I'll look and see what he uses. I've also been reading your comments on other people's picos and hope to get a premium piece of LR so I can skip cycle.

[natalia_la_loca]

2 minutes ago, Rain24 said:

I'm looking for simple and able to be babysat by a reef noob in case we have to go out of town. LOL. I just asked the husband about starting up a bowl/cookie jar again and his reply was a semi-negative grumble and some mumbling about not wanting to be tied to the house again by a tank. Haha.

 

I did start with a 14g biocube and NanoSapien's tank was one of my inspirations. Bryopsis, flatworms, and having to leave the tank unexpectedly for an extended period without a tank sitter pretty much ended that. The appeal of your bowl really is the simplicity of it. Oh - what salt do you recommend?

 

My husband was totally involved last time. He was the one that bought my tank for me for Christmas one year. I think he's just still discouraged from all the problems we had and all the pretty coral that was lost. Plus, we sometimes go on road trips for a few weeks so he's worried about that. Maybe I can stumble upon a simple DIY ATO and not need a tank sitter. We just moved here so we're not even sure who we could get to tank sit.

 

Re: salt, I buy saltwater premixed from the LFS (another timesaver).  The salt is a 50/50 mix of Aquavitro Salinity and Tropic Marin.

 

My reefbowl could go two weeks without a water change, but I would be very nervous about going 2 weeks without a top-off.  I would not put an ATO on a reefbowl (nightmare visions of flooding the room).  Also, things happen...power outages, frags get knocked over, a snail could die and pollute your water.  I would want to have someone stop by at least every couple of days and check on things.  If they're a reef noob, ask that they not make any intervention without texting you first and maybe sending you a picture of whatever the perceived problem is.

[Rain24]

I suddenly have visions of taking the reef bowl with us to our summer vacations. LOL!!!

 

You have great suggestions though. I'm going to have to find possible tank sitters. I did find out that the LFS I went to has water half off one day a week - not that it's that huge of a deal. But that was kind of nice that they have a deal on water. They use Kent salt. I'm going to check out another LFS and see what they have to offer.

 

Meanwhile, I will plot and plan (and cajole the husband) and run around the forums getting more information and inspiration.

[brandon429]

 

 

Skip cycling is controversial but only because it seems that way topically. if I drain my whole reef to the bone for half an hour, and it sits there in the air, and then upon refill it doesn't recycle because nothing dies...that's actually much nicer than someone buying premium live rock from a pet store, taking it home in a bag of water (make them, even if they say not to, your money) and gently setting it into a tank.

 

skip cycles are also done at all marine aquarium conventions, or else the entrants would all show up 3o days earlier with a bottle of dr tims and an api ammonia test kit

[ReefWeeds]

Nat!  The bowl is looking fantastic!   

[Rain24]

36 minutes ago, brandon429 said:

 

 

Skip cycling is controversial but only because it seems that way topically. if I drain my whole reef to the bone for half an hour, and it sits there in the air, and then upon refill it doesn't recycle because nothing dies...that's actually much nicer than someone buying premium live rock from a pet store, taking it home in a bag of water (make them, even if they say not to, your money) and gently setting it into a tank.

 

skip cycles are also done at all marine aquarium conventions, or else the entrants would all show up 3o days earlier with a bottle of dr tims and an api ammonia test kit

Oh my gosh - that's so true! I never thought of it that way. Then again, I wasn't always sure how they set up their displays at conventions, never having been to one before.

[natalia_la_loca]

17 minutes ago, stellablue said:

Nat!  The bowl is looking fantastic!   

 

Thank you Stella   In another week, it will be a year old 

[Lula_Mae]

2 hours ago, natalia_la_loca said:

 

Thank you Stella   In another week, it will be a year old 

Good reason for some tank birthday presents!

 

My hedgie has been with me almost a year and I'm conversing with an etsy seller for some goodies for her LOL.  Violet loves her snuggle sacks!

[natalia_la_loca]

2 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

Good reason for some tank birthday presents!

 

My hedgie has been with me almost a year and I'm conversing with an etsy seller for some goodies for her LOL.  Violet loves her snuggle sacks!

 

Ha, I've already gotten it several early birthday presents   One thing I really want to do, after I've done a few more water changes and am done adding corals for a while, is add some copepods.  My reefbowl is 100% copepod free because I started with dry rock and nothing goes in it without a Bayer dip. I miss having those little guys. 

 

BTW, you can't go talking about hedgies without showing us pics!

[Lula_Mae]

  I shared this one on my thread a couple weeks ago:

 

Meet Violet!

 

I just saw copepods on my glass for the first time last night!  Wasn't sure I'd have those without adding them cuz my rock was pretty devoid of critters lol.

[natalia_la_loca]

Saw that one    Moar please.

[Lula_Mae]

Lol I'll see what I can do about getting some uploaded!

[Lula_Mae]

Here's a few!

Snuggling:

 

More snuggling:

 

Angry hairbrush!