Paradise on the Prairie

[Christopher Marks]

How are the filefish doing so far, their first week in? Taking well to the new foods?

[flatlandreefer]

33 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said:

How are the filefish doing so far, their first week in? Taking well to the new foods?

 

They are doing well.  I got them last Friday, they were kind of shy at first but now they swim all over the tank and don't shy away when I walk up to the glass.  I realized pretty quick that I needed smaller food as their mouths are tiny, they are eating well and seem to be happy and healthy.  Really neat and unique fish, much more so than my clowns! 

[--chris--]

I love the simple rock design, even better is the careful placement of equipment.  Any new FTS for us?  

[flatlandreefer]

3 hours ago, --chris-- said:

I love the simple rock design, even better is the careful placement of equipment.  Any new FTS for us?  

 

Thanks, I just added a new FTS on page 1.  I'm excited for things to grow in, as you can see from my last photo in November, my birdsnest has grown quite a bit but has browned out so I need to work on getting some color back!

 

For my info: Test results

 

Phos: .03ppm

Nitrate: 0

Alk: 9dkh

Mg: 1200 (going to dose up to 1300)

[Kellie in CA]

How do you like the Kessil on this tank?  I'm considering it for my new build because I was able to snag a really good Amazon deal.

[--chris--]

35 minutes ago, Kellie in CA said:

How do you like the Kessil on this tank?  I'm considering it for my new build because I was able to snag a really good Amazon deal.

I have a 2 year old (used) A150 on my tank and im a little let down with them not being silent.  I think i have high expectations of everything though.

[flatlandreefer]

1 hour ago, Kellie in CA said:

How do you like the Kessil on this tank?  I'm considering it for my new build because I was able to snag a really good Amazon deal.

I like it, it is a nice relatively cheap option (only 1 light required) that is plug and play and has all the PAR you could need in this tank.  I like how small it is which makes maintenance easy and viewing from above enjoyable.  The one thing that I do notice and should be expected, is there is definitely a lot of shadowing since it is a single source light.  I'm not sure how this will effect things long term but as of now there is no negative effect.  For lighting this tank I like the kessil but I also think an ATI t5 fixture could be a good option for more even lighting. 

40 minutes ago, --chris-- said:

I have a 2 year old (used) A150 on my tank and im a little let down with them not being silent.  I think i have high expectations of everything though.

 

My A360 is basically silent, but it is also 6 months old. 

[flatlandreefer]

I dosed the BRS recommendation(from calculator) to get my mg from 1200 to 1300.  Every time I use the calculator for mag I never get the result that it says I should.  I dosed just over six ounces of the dual part mag solution and it only brought my level up to 1260.  Not sure what is going on, I am pretty much certain that I mixed the jug correctly.  This has happened every time I try to correct Mg. 

[flatlandreefer]

I got home today from being in denver for the weekend.  I looked at my tank and couldn't find one of the files.  I looked in the overflow and it was laying in the top chamber of one of my media baskets, kind of looked dead.  I plucked him out and stuck him back in the tank, thankfully he is acting like nothing ever happened!

 

I was able to stop by reef stock for a few hours while I was in denver.  The only talk I was able to make was Mike Poletta's.  His talk was very interesting, he seems to be a fan of dosing the tank with aminos and provided some anecdotal evidence to back up his experience.  I ordered the small bottle of acropower so I will start adding aminos sometime this week! He also talked a lot about his experience with miracle mud and his recent success with nano(scrubbing) bubbles.  I obviously can't make use of miracle mud without a refugium but I think the micro bubbles ran for a period at night could be an inexpensive and worthwhile addition at some point. 

[Weetabix7]

An Aquarium Store in Denver is what got me hooked on Reefing!!!

I wandered into this store on Colfax Ave (prob not even there anymore).

I literally didn't even know SW or Reef Tanks were possible. 

As I looked around at everything they had, my jaw dropped, my brain went into high gear, and I've been hooked ever since!!

 

I'm so glad your adventurous Filefish was ok. 

They're funky and cool. 

[flatlandreefer]

19 minutes ago, Weetabix7 said:

An Aquarium Store in Denver is what got me hooked on Reefing!!!

I wandered into this store on Colfax Ave (prob not even there anymore).

I literally didn't even know SW or Reef Tanks were possible. 

As I looked around at everything they had, my jaw dropped, my brain went into high gear, and I've been hooked ever since!!

 

I'm so glad your adventurous Filefish was ok. 

They're funky and cool. 

 

Thanks, I was relived that he didn't seem phased.  I was looking into the overflow guards that you can put on the nuvo series but some reviews say it blocks the surface skimming and a layer of gunk builds up on the surface of the water.  As of now I am hoping he gets smarter and avoids the over flow...unless anybody has ideas of a way to "guard" the overflow?

[Mariaface]

I had these on my 16, and they're actually not that bad! Your surface skimming will be fine as long as you can keep them clear of debris, which is what slows the flow enough. They'll also bring the water level up a bit, so be prepared (I know my lid's clips would siphon water out of the tank, for example).

[flatlandreefer]

Dosed mag this morning levels are now at 1350 

[MrRBW]

Nice looking build. I just read through the thread and you're making nice progress. You questioned changing salts in earlier posts and I would nudge you to think about switching to a better salt. Instant Ocean is a good salt, but known for having higher Alk, lower calcium and low mag then other brands. You're dosing, but you will need to be testing for it all the time. Switching to a brand like Red Sea Coral Pro Salt will solve your low mag issues, have better alk and calcium levels as well. Another advantage is that it mixes quick and you can use it within 1-2hrs of mixing it, provided temp is good too. I have used both and I will never go back to IO, I didn't like the time it took to mix not to mention the sediment is coated my mixing pump and heater with nor the out of whack element levels. Being that it's a 25g, a bucket of red sea goes a long way. For your desire to keep sps, your birdsnest and other sps will appreciate the better stability. Just my 2cents. Look forward to seeing your tank progress. I recently got a 25 lagoon, i heard that they are discontinued, so it was a panic buy as there was only 1 left in my city. Somewhere in the next few months I'll get it off and running hopefully.

[Mariaface]

I'm gonna disagree on going RSCP unless you're aiming for parameters that high between water changes. Especially if you'll aim for lower nutrients, otherwise you risk alk burn. Stick to a salt that mixes to your preferred parameters  

[MrRBW]

23 minutes ago, Mariaface said:

I'm gonna disagree on going RSCP unless you're aiming for parameters that high between water changes. Especially if you'll aim for lower nutrients, otherwise you risk alk burn. Stick to a salt that mixes to your preferred parameters  

One of the risks with RSCP, but I haven't had an alk as high as they show on their data sheet. I have yet to see any alk burn from that salt. For me and those I know who use it, our stability has improved and coral growth accelerated with this salt. But there are other salts out there too that will help provide more stable and appropriate levels for your tank instead of IO.

[uwdanno]

1 minute ago, MrRBW said:

One of the risks with RSCP, but I haven't had an alk as high as they show on their data sheet. I have yet to see any alk burn from that salt. For me and those I know who use it, our stability has improved and coral growth accelerated with this salt. But there are other salts out there too that will help provide more stable and appropriate levels for your tank instead of IO.

 

Thats my experience with RSCP as well. I was super nervous about the higher levels on the label but have nothing but positive things to say about that salt. I've been really happy with colors and growth since I made the switch. 

[Mariaface]

1 minute ago, MrRBW said:

One of the risks with RSCP, but I haven't had an alk as high as they show on their data sheet. I have yet to see any alk burn from that salt. For me and those I know who use it, our stability has improved and coral growth accelerated with this salt. But there are other salts out there too that will help provide more stable and appropriate levels for your tank instead of IO.

 

Again, it works if your nutrients are at the right level. My tank regime leaves me nitrate-limited, and it zeroes out pretty often. When I was using RSCP, everything would burn the moment I changed out carbon no matter how little I used - my alk was easily 10dKH or more, I definitely had what their data sheet said. Aqua vitro helped because alk only mixed to about 9dKH, so I kept the tank at around 8.5dKH and it wasn't a big deal.

 

So yeah, salt that mixes to the right parameters! Doesn't have to be IO, I agree 

[flatlandreefer]

I don't think I am interested at this point in changing salts.  I am happy with Instant ocean except for the magnesium issue, I have never had an issue with it mixing slowly and even if it was an issue I still need to wait for the heater to heat it to tank temperature before using it.  I have heard talks from notable "hobby experts" with the opinion that the salt mix is generally not the limiting factor in growth/health as long as parameters are stable.  I think the only salt I would consider changing to would be the blue top not coral pro but even then it is more expensive and I have a lot of instant ocean left.  Right now I am trying to keep parameters stable, keep nitrates and phos up but not too high, and feed the correct amount.

[flatlandreefer]

One of my files has been harassing the inverts recently.  He/She has been pecking at snails on the glass and has been taking a few shots at my urchin.  I'm not very worried about losing snails but I do want him to leave the urchin alone(one of my favorite things in the tank) but I can't imagine the file could win.  They have also been somewhat hosting in the gorg at times which has kind of pissed the gorg off and it has been keeping its polyps retracted.  Still no regrets with the pair, they are so cool to watch!

[--chris--]

Regarding the filefish going into the over: If it did it once, it will surely do it again.  I did not see you mention if you had decided on what to do yet, but consider this my vote for taking action!  

[flatlandreefer]

2 hours ago, --chris-- said:

Regarding the filefish going into the over: If it did it once, it will surely do it again.  I did not see you mention if you had decided on what to do yet, but consider this my vote for taking action!  

 

I still am trying to decide what I am wanting to do there, I was thinking about something diy maybe but it sounds like the overflow guards might not be a bad option.  I'm hoping at some point they get too fat to fit haha but maybe not.

[flatlandreefer]

I noticed the rock that my birdsnest is on wasn't secured very well and was moving with water movement so I grabbed some superglue to stabilize it.  After I super-glued it I noticed one of my files had grabbed a stay piece of superglue and had glued its mouth shut.  I didn't get any pics of it but I did manage to catch it and pull the piece out of its mouth.  It was kind of comical and I'm glad it turned out ok.

[Pinner Reef]

Derpy little fish crack me up like that. I'm surprised that the glue stuck to his slime coat though... Perhaps it had something to do with the shape of his mouth?

[flatlandreefer]

On 3/2/2017 at 9:56 PM, Pinner Reef said:

Derpy little fish crack me up like that. I'm surprised that the glue stuck to his slime coat though... Perhaps it had something to do with the shape of his mouth?

 

I think he tried to swallow it and it hardened in his mouth.  It was kind of funny and came out easy once I caught him.