FlowerMama Posted March 18, 2016 Share Posted March 18, 2016 Do you know what the big coral on the left is? I like the little cave like nooks & crannies. Link to comment
evan127 Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 Looking good man! Good to see another local on here! Link to comment
aviator300 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 Do you know what the big coral on the left is? I like the little cave like nooks & crannies. I have no idea. Maybe someone can ID it by looking at the rock pics before they were added to the tank..Can anyone out there check this out and ID the coral? The big, grey, spongy looking thing in the middle. Link to comment
righttirefire Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 Is it alive? Looks like a favities skeleton or leptastrea Link to comment
aviator300 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 Looking good man! Good to see another local on here! I just became local about a month ago. What is the "go to" LFS in the area. I've been to "Aquatic Dreams" in Clearfield and they seemed Just OK but nothing special and not a lot of everyday equipment needs. I don't mind driving a bit to find a good place. Is it alive? Looks like a favities skeleton or leptastrea Hard to tell. It's soft but firm. I'll just watch it and see what it does over the weeks. Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 I had something that was white skeleton and then it grew in a light pink/tan fuzz. Link to comment
aviator300 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 I've had an Auto Aqua micro ATO on backorder for 2 weeks now. Hope it gets here soon. Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 Any ammonia readings yet? Link to comment
aviator300 Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 I had something that was white skeleton and then it grew in a light pink/tan fuzz. OOOOH. I don't know if I like that or not but thanks for the heads up. Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 One thing I loved with live rocks was the critters. I got a peanut worm. It looked like a sock stretching and then inverting on itself like you're turning a sock inside out. Then an 8 legged reef spider, 3 mantis shrimp, maybe 5 pencil urchins and a boring urchin, a small bivalve, stomatella, the snail that looks like a rolly polly, all the bristle worms and baby white brittle stars, some crab, some kind of snapping shrimp, then the weird gooey sticky things that would stick from one rock to another. Amazed with those because it would look as taut as string. I was excited about the copepod explosion, then it was amphipods too. Just a healthier tank with all those things. I'm sure I'll be just as excited and will have my magnifying glass ready. Link to comment
aviator300 Posted March 20, 2016 Author Share Posted March 20, 2016 Any ammonia readings yet? On day 1 and 2, I didn't test at all. Day 3 test showed about 0.15 and today a little less so after almost 4 full days it looks great so far (either not much die off or not much there to die off. All 3 little imbedded clams or bivalves or whatever they are look healthy and continue to open and close. They really react when I walk close to the tank. Other than that, I haven't spied any other motile life forms yet. I think i'll begin testing for Nitrite and trate tomorrow and watch the ammonia close. I'm ready for water changes if the Ammonia spikes higher but I'd rather leave a little in there to feed the bacteria that I hope are growing and multiplying. I did add a small bottle of Bio Spira at start up to supplement what was already on the live rock. Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Do you know what the big coral on the left is? It is a Siderastrea genus, and species is either radians or siderea, with me leaning towards radians Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Yeah, then I had one w/ my first rocks from KPAquatics 3 yrs ago Link to comment
aviator300 Posted March 20, 2016 Author Share Posted March 20, 2016 It is a Siderastrea genus, and species is either radians or siderea, with me leaning towards radians Thanks for the reply. I read up on both species after seeing your post and I agree with Radians also. Its range seems to match Dans operating area a little better and the form looks just like what I have. I can't really tell if it's dead or alive but it is slightly spongy and when I put it in the tank, several pea size areas appeared to plump up and protrude from the surface a little. Time will tell. Link to comment
aviator300 Posted March 20, 2016 Author Share Posted March 20, 2016 I did some water testing today and got some unexpected results. NH3 trace NO2 Zero NO3 80.0 PO4 0.25 This is really the first time I've started with this quality of live rock so maybe these readings aren't so unusual after all but I'm trying to figure out where the high Nitrate and Phosphate came from after only 4 days of cycling. I did add some Bio Spira to the mix when I started so the only thing I can figure out is this. Is it possible that dying life or other stuff on the rock created an immediate Ammonia surge (not sure because I didn't test for the first 36 hrs or so). The rock may have had tons of Nitrifying bacteria on it and along with the Bio Spira that I added, most of the Ammonia created cycled into Nitrite and then to the high Nitrate reading I got today (day 4). Not sure about the Phosphate (used distilled water) Anyone else have a take on these readings. I suppose I should treat this just like an established tank that has high Nitrate and Phosphate levels (water changes and Chemi-pure Blue or GFO). For now, I'm just running floss. Link to comment
righttirefire Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Personally, I'd do a about 50% wc. Should knock nitrates to about 40. Recheck. Feed tank. As you would for first fish or lightly for any living coral. Something small crusted flakes powder or liquid. And recheck tomorrow and the following day. If no ammonia and a raise in nitrates. Another wc should knock you down to the less than 20 range. Either feed again or add 1 fish or coral. Be prepared to do about 3 waterchanges over the course of the week. I wouldn't worry to much about po4. It'll come down with wc also. And may "leech" a little over time. Good luck! Link to comment
aviator300 Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 Iiiiiii like it thank you Link to comment
aviator300 Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 Personally, I'd do a about 50% wc. Should knock nitrates to about 40. Recheck. Feed tank. As you would for first fish or lightly for any living coral. Something small crusted flakes powder or liquid. And recheck tomorrow and the following day. If no ammonia and a raise in nitrates. Another wc should knock you down to the less than 20 range. Either feed again or add 1 fish or coral. Be prepared to do about 3 waterchanges over the course of the week. I wouldn't worry to much about po4. It'll come down with wc also. And may "leech" a little over time. Good luck! Thanks for replying..My thoughts exactly. I'm doing a 50% change tonight and recheck tomorrow, etc. I think I'm going to order something like a green banded goby and also plan to get a CUC going next week. I guess with this premium, uncured live rock, you get a very quick cycle or maybe no cycle at all. Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 I seemed to remember skipping over ammonia or it was so fast that i never saw it on time. I think I cycled in like 7 or 8 days. Link to comment
Sharbuckle Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Quick cycle ftw For real though id still wait to add fish Link to comment
aviator300 Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 I actually changed about 2/3 of the water, added Seachem Denitrate and Chemi-pure blue to the filter and the Nitrate today was 15.0 (quite a drop). So I think I'm on the rightrack and i'll keep testing and get a water change routine going. I got a Pinpoint PH meter in the mail today and the Auto Aqua Micro ATO that was on back order shipped today. I have some "two little fishes" Zoplan and Kent Microvert that i'll use to feed the live rock and encrusted clams for now and I also thought about feeding with LRS Reef Frenzy once I get a coral population going. Does anyone use this regularly and is it worth the steep price for everyday use or maybe just use weekly or less? Link to comment
righttirefire Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 I want to know more about the auto aqua micro. I almost ordered one this weekend Link to comment
FlowerMama Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 LRS is wonderful, such an awesome mix of seafood that you couldn't spend your money on separately (well you could but this is already ready) everything in the tank likes it. You don't need to rinse it off, it doesn't cloud the water. You don't have to give a lot. I sometimes just take a little chunk and wave it around in the water, or wave it in front of the circ pump to disperse it. Bristle worms, stars, acans, palys, rock flowers, lps, they all live this stuff. Link to comment
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