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Kimber's Old Tank Thread


kimberbee

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5 minutes ago, Rory282 said:

Keep in mind, that powerhead isn't going to make life easy for the mollies. Good luck Kimber!

Mollies don't like flow?

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jedimasterben
10 minutes ago, Rory282 said:

Keep in mind, that powerhead isn't going to make life easy for the mollies. Good luck Kimber!

Why is that? Unless you're going for the super inbred mollies with crazy body shapes or fins, they will do very well in a high flow environment.

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Snow_Phoenix
32 minutes ago, jedimasterben said:

If you are converting them to saltwater, there aren't any parasites or bacteria that would survive such a quick transition. Mollies typically do best with 'drop' acclimation, basically just put them in and hope for the best. Generally there's a 50% or so survival rate in my experience, with a lower survival from doing longer acclimation over days.

I've always wondered - does the type of molly determine the survival rate? My LFS uses black mollies and dalmation mollies for GHA control in some of their tanks. I've never seen them use other types. 

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jedimasterben
1 hour ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

I've always wondered - does the type of molly determine the survival rate? My LFS uses black mollies and dalmation mollies for GHA control in some of their tanks. I've never seen them use other types. 

The larger mollies seem to do best, as do the jet black ones. 

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Late to the party here.  Nice tanks you have there! 

 

Have you tried Mexican turbo snails for the GHA?  Most will eat GHA (and a lot of other nuisance algae), but some people end up with duds that don't touch it.  They do get large and can knock over stuff that is not secure on the LR, so maybe try for smaller ones.  But they may need to be re-homed down the road once they clean it up (or if they don't touch the stuff at all).  Some people say they are sub-tropical as well and won't thrive in reefs, while others swear by them and have kept them in reef tanks for years.  I've had success with Mexican turbos myself, so I figure worth a shot before having to convert the mollies to SW.

 

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4 minutes ago, Tigahboy said:

Have you tried Mexican turbo snails for the GHA? 

I moved to the middle of nowhere Indiana about a year ago, and have yet to discover many LFS options in the area, so I wouldn't know where to go for mexican turbos specifically. However, I'm sure petsmart or petco have mollies. 

 

I'm pretty loyal to Reef Cleaners for my cuc anyway, but it's been too cold to place an order. Being in the middle of nowhere means UPS, FedEx, and USPS all come later, after they've done their rounds in town. 

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Icic.  I guess they are more readily available here in California due to the proximity and all.  Good luck with the mollie conversion!  :)

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Nick and I have been talking about the 10 gallon tank - mostly about getting the algae under control and getting the tank moved to the living room. I made a random comment about how moving a tanknis the perfect time to upgrade to a bigger one. I was only half joking... 

 

But he took it pretty seriously and gave me the go ahead! I was pretty surprised until he came clean - neither one of us spends much extra money on silly things or hobbies. He's been wanting to buy new bumpers for his Jeep, but felt guilty looking into it. I guess if I spend money on a new tank, he feels it's ok for him to spend money on the bumpers!!

 

My immediate thought was to swap the tank out for the nuvo fusion 20, which was what my RFAs were in before I moved them to the 10 gallon. I'd keep the main arch rock structure in the middle of the tank and add in nps gorgs and sun flowers to the sides. This would allow me to keep using the nanobox tide, which, because of it's small size,  would have shadowing at the ends of the tank. 

 

But then I saw the 20 gallon drop off panorama!! I could keep the RFAs at the top and nps gorgoinians at the bottom with tons of space to grow. The price though, is double that of the nuvo, which is really pushing the budget. 

 

I've got some time to think about it. The move is not likely going to happen for another month or two. 

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Finally got a ReefCleaners order placed! 

 

I've only ever purchased my CUC from them and I like that I have a favorite and reliable snail guy! 

 

 

Snails.JPG

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My snails arrived safe and sound today. Just about all of them woke up and started doing their thing, so I'm very glad about that. 

 

I've started the process of moving my IM10 to the livingroom. Last night I emptied the stand and prepped the space for it in the living room. During my water change today, I put the tank in a temporary spot. Lastly, I cleaned up the stand and now it's in place next to the tv.

 

Next week when I do my water change, I'll clean the tank like crazy and empty it almost all the way so we can bring it into the living room. I'll probably do a deep clean of all the equipment as well. I hesitated to move it today because I'm a little worried it's going to crowd the living room.  We'llgive it a week with the stand in place to see how we like it.

 

I did do a really dumb thing and didn't put the ato refill line back into the tank before I turned it on. It kicked on qhile I was cleaning the lagoon and shot water everywhere. Luckily, it seems just some random papers were ruined. 🤦‍♀️

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Took the little one to a LFS I found thats closer than the one in my area I knew about. It's only 9 miles away, unlike the other one that's 19 miles. It's a very "mom n pop" shop and unfortunately it looks like one too. It's a full pet store, so fish is just a part of what they do. Their tanks looked only ok, and their saltwater coral section was almost non-existant. I very likely will not be going back. 

 

It's been a year since I went to the one half an hour away. I remember their saltwater section being better, but I don't remember how the prices or variety were. 

 

The next closest place is over an hour away, and it's where I used to go when I lived in IL, but I think they are a little pricey. Though they have a decent selection, it's still pretty much the same stuff I've seen there for the past 4 years.

 

This means I'll likely have to place more online orders for salty creatures if I'm looking for something specific. Also means I should narrow down what I might want to get in the next few months - since I'll only do shipping in the spring and fall to avoid extreme heat or cold.

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1 hour ago, Justind823 said:

Tanks are looking really great! So hang on, are you upgrading the 10 or sticking with it awhile now that you moved it?

I was gonna upgrade when I moved it, but now with the contest I am going to wait. Tank sales usually happen around the holidays, so I still plan to upgrade it later this year!

 

Plus, I haven't actually moved the tank yet. Just the stand. The tank is in a temporary spot and I dread moving it to the other side of the house! 😰

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On 3/15/2019 at 11:02 AM, kimberbee said:

Took the little one to a LFS I found thats closer than the one in my area I knew about. It's only 9 miles away, unlike the other one that's 19 miles. It's a very "mom n pop" shop and unfortunately it looks like one too. It's a full pet store, so fish is just a part of what they do. Their tanks looked only ok, and their saltwater coral section was almost non-existant. I very likely will not be going back. 

 

It's been a year since I went to the one half an hour away. I remember their saltwater section being better, but I don't remember how the prices or variety were. 

 

The next closest place is over an hour away, and it's where I used to go when I lived in IL, but I think they are a little pricey. Though they have a decent selection, it's still pretty much the same stuff I've seen there for the past 4 years.

 

This means I'll likely have to place more online orders for salty creatures if I'm looking for something specific. Also means I should narrow down what I might want to get in the next few months - since I'll only do shipping in the spring and fall to avoid extreme heat or cold.

With online shopping these days, you really can live in the middle of nowhere and get whatever you need. I live in Orange County, CA. and our local LFS's are disappointing to say the least. If I want to find something decent, I may have to drive to LA or SD. No thanks!

 

It's so hard to support your local LFS when their selection and quality are crap. It's just a matter of time before our hobby is run solely online. It's sad, but this is just the reality of the future. #truth

 

I'm tired of seeing dead fish, sh#$@y and limited corals (selection) for sale at my local LFS's. My point: You don't need LFS's, they need you! Don't settle for sh$% or average! Never feel like you have to spend your hard money there, just because. Now, there are some really nice shops out there. But, they seem to be more the exception than the rule unfortunately. :owned:

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NEW PLAN!! 

 

Obtain an IM 20 tank for the living room IKEA stand. 

 

Move my b&w clownfish, their duncan, plates, sinularia, grandis paly, shrooms, acans, and hammer from the lagoon to the 20. Make it an LPS/softy tank.

 

Take my orange/white clownfish, RFAs, and gorgs from the 10 gallon and move them to the lagoon. Add skimmer, add ac70 w/ fuge mod, add gorgonians, add sun corals. Make it an rfa/gorg/sun coral/nps tank. Once pod populations are up, add mandarin. 

 

 

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So lagoon -> 20g, 10g -> lagoon... this means the 10g will be no more? It sounds like a good plan, but I'm going to need about a million pictures 😄 

 

A bit sad though! Your 10g was one of the first TOTM systems that I saw when I was doing research to decide whether I wanted to get into the hobby. It will be missed! But on to better things 😉

 

Can't wait to see how this project turns out!

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16 minutes ago, billygoat said:

So lagoon -> 20g, 10g -> lagoon... this means the 10g will be no more? It sounds like a good plan, but I'm going to need about a million pictures 😄 

 

A bit sad though! Your 10g was one of the first TOTM systems that I saw when I was doing research to decide whether I wanted to get into the hobby. It will be missed! But on to better things 😉

 

Can't wait to see how this project turns out!

Yep, the 10 gallon will be no more!! The good news is, I plan to keep the tank in storage, so there is the possibility I'll use it again one day. I really love the tank, i just feel I need a bit more room for the RFAs and the 10 is too small for a clownfish pair. 

 

Thank you for the kind words about my TOTM!! 

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Well the 50 watt Neo-Therm in my 10 gallon is out. 

 

Noticed the tank was a little warm the other day and the heater was set to 82. Weird, cause I usually set 'em at 78 or 89. So I dropped it down to 78. 

 

Today I take a peek, and the temp of the tank had dropped to 72 and the heater read 70. Balls. I tried to bump the heater back up, but it won't go over 74. 

 

I threw my 25 watt for the contest tank in there, but I know that's underpowered. I don't know what'll happen long term if I keep that heater in there. 

 

Wondering if a $25 replacement from Walmart is worth it, or if I can wait a few days for a better one. 

 

What brands are people recommending these days?

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jedimasterben

What is your ambient temperature? I use a 50w Neotherm in my 40 freshwater tank (mostly because I would only ever need to heat it to 74, it's a goldfish tank), and a 100w one in my reef since I keep it at 78. Lowest my house gets is 72.

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2 minutes ago, jedimasterben said:

What is your ambient temperature? I use a 50w Neotherm in my 40 freshwater tank (mostly because I would only ever need to heat it to 74, it's a goldfish tank), and a 100w one in my reef since I keep it at 78. Lowest my house gets is 72.

We're cheap and live where it gets cold. 

 

House is currently 68-70. In the summer we'll set the air at 70-72. 

 

The little 25watt keeps kicking on. I have the temp on it set at 78, but thermometer says 76. Better than the 71 I found it at earlier.

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1 hour ago, kimberbee said:

Well the 50 watt Neo-Therm in my 10 gallon is out. 

 

Noticed the tank was a little warm the other day and the heater was set to 82. Weird, cause I usually set 'em at 78 or 89. So I dropped it down to 78. 

 

Today I take a peek, and the temp of the tank had dropped to 72 and the heater read 70. Balls. I tried to bump the heater back up, but it won't go over 74. 

 

I threw my 25 watt for the contest tank in there, but I know that's underpowered. I don't know what'll happen long term if I keep that heater in there. 

 

Wondering if a $25 replacement from Walmart is worth it, or if I can wait a few days for a better one. 

 

What brands are people recommending these days?

Buy the Walmart one then return it when the new shows up. Normally I dont advocate doing this but ... who cares?🤔😆

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