The "Family 6", an adventure for all of us!

[Lula_Mae]

20 minutes ago, CharlesFoxtrot said:

Just got out the ol' chemistry set, parameters look pretty good this week. Does anyone test or dose iodine? If so, is there something about your tank (or all tanks) that makes it needed?

 

I'm also wondering how often everyone checks their different parameters. A general idea so I can set a schedule would be helpful. I think I've read that weekly is about right for most things, but your personal experiences would be valued. 

I try to remember to match temp and salinity before a water change.  I no longer own any other test kits.

 

I don't necessarily recommend my reef-keeping practices.

 

I think calcium, alkalinity and magnesium are the biggest things to worry about, especially if you dose.  Get a good brand test kit, Salifert is one (I am actually looking at getting these in the near future).  I think everyone does things a little differently but weekly is probably a good starting point, especially while first getting established and getting a feel for your tank.  Hopefully someone who's attempted more challenging corals than I can chime in to give you better advice.

 

I have never tested for iodine but I used to put a drop or two in my tank on a regular basis (I no longer remember how frequently lol) or so since I'd read it was beneficial for the tank.  But then again, I'm one of those "recipes are more like guidelines" people.

[CharlesFoxtrot]

Thanks,  Lula Mae, and welcome aboard this humble thread! 

 

While I'm almost certainly too uptight to manage your free and easy style, I will remember it when I'm starting to stress about things. What sort of setup do you have? Do you keep any of the "really hard" corals I hear about? 

 

Anyone else with testing or dosing advice, please chime right in. The more the merrier! 

[Weetabix7]

Lula Mae has a really cool little Pico tank. 

 

I think that as you are beginning to learn about Reefkeeping, esp Nano Reefs, it's a really good idea to test regularly. Daily as you are first cycling, weekly after that and also test if you notice things looking "off" in the tank. 

 

I have personally gotten to the point where I'm pretty much like Lula, and I watch the tank inhabitants and let them tell me how things are. 

BUT (and this is a big one) I have been doing this for years and I have a much better feel for what is normal and what is not. 

 

I don't test for iodine or dose it. If I did, I'd be likely to just drop a couple of drops of lugol's in the tank every once in a while, most likely.

[CharlesFoxtrot]

I think I found my first hitchhiker, wondering what it might be. A blurry pic that I had to take with my phone is below. Hope it's something good... 

 

Also starting to develop some algae, guessing green hair algae because it looks like green hair. Clean up crew time? I think I remember that hermits eat that stuff, or snails?  Will they be able to get all the way up the rock work? 

[Weetabix7]

I see the crown of a small featherduster worm in the pic, not sure if that's what you meant. 

If so, that's a good thing. 

 

I would personally recommend just getting snails and no hermits, hermits always cause me trouble in the long run. 

Yes I think it's time to get them and yes they can get up the rockwork. 

Ceriths, trochus and astrea will work. 

Turbos will as well, but they can sometimes be bulldozers. 

[fishfreak0114]

My trochus did quite a number on the hair algae I had post cycle. 

[CharlesFoxtrot]

Yep, that's what I meant to take the picture of. I did kind of suspect a feather duster, but I also don't know my butt from my elbow. 

 

I'll try to stick to snails, although DB might want a hermit. I hear scarlets are less trouble than most? Also, I heard that astreas can't flip themselves upright if they fall. Is there a good substitute for those that requires less help, or are they really worth the trouble? 

[fishfreak0114]

My scarlet hermit is pretty chill.  Certainly more so than the blue legs or zebra. 

[CharlesFoxtrot]

It's a cleanup crew! Just finished drip acclimating my very first livestock, a scarlet hermit and a cerith snail. Both seem fine and are exploring their new domain. I was considering a trochus, but DB really favored the hermit, so we'll see how he works out. 

 

Quick question: I had them acclimating with the lights off, how long before I can turn the lights back on? 

 

Now it's back out to get more RODI and replenish my can o' water. Seems like I'm really tearing through the stuff these last few days. I'm beginning to see the appeal of having a home unit for RODI, but there's no chance DB is going to let me buy more toys for a while. And I'm saving up goodwill for an Apex Jr. Going to need a lot of goodwill. 

[Lula_Mae]

8 hours ago, CharlesFoxtrot said:

Thanks,  Lula Mae, and welcome aboard this humble thread! 

 

While I'm almost certainly too uptight to manage your free and easy style, I will remember it when I'm starting to stress about things. What sort of setup do you have? Do you keep any of the "really hard" corals I hear about? 

 

Anyone else with testing or dosing advice, please chime right in. The more the merrier! 

Haha no, I need a tank that can handle a little neglect as I'm prone to forgetfulness when I get busy.  I might try an SPS eventually but right now I've just started with LPS (a trumpet and a blastomussa merletti) and want to see how they do first.  There's a link in my sig, or try here.

 

Your little hitchhiker looks like a feather duster!  I love feather dusters! I have a yellow and purple big one in my tank.

 

7 hours ago, Weetabix7 said:

I would personally recommend just getting snails and no hermits, hermits always cause me trouble in the long run. 

Yes I think it's time to get them and yes they can get up the rockwork. 

Ceriths, trochus and astrea will work. 

Turbos will as well, but they can sometimes be bulldozers. 

 

6 hours ago, fishfreak0114 said:

My scarlet hermit is pretty chill.  Certainly more so than the blue legs or zebra. 

After a very bad experience with a zebra hermit, and a semi-bad experience with some teeny blue legs, I will forever advise against hermits, especially zebras.  IMO they are only good for doing swirlies in the toilet... (just kidding...sort of... )

 

56 minutes ago, CharlesFoxtrot said:

It's a cleanup crew! Just finished drip acclimating my very first livestock, a scarlet hermit and a cerith snail. Both seem fine and are exploring their new domain. I was considering a trochus, but DB really favored the hermit, so we'll see how he works out. 

 

Quick question: I had them acclimating with the lights off, how long before I can turn the lights back on?

Your tank will probably be large enough to handle a few more snails but starting slow is always a good idea!  I usually turn lights back on the next day or so.  Congrats on the new additions!

[CharlesFoxtrot]

Now that I have livestock, it would be great if I knew what signifies trouble. Something like fill in the blanks:

 

"If your ________ starts to _________ , then __________ ."

 

In other words, I don't know what's appropriate snail and crab behavior, and I want to be sure to notice if there's trouble brewing. Thanks! 

[debbeach13]

1. If your crab kills your snail for it's shell that's normal. 

[debbeach13]

You can toss a few empty shells that are a little bigger than the crab in the tank and if you are lucky the crab will use one of them instead. I actually like scarlet crabs and if they kill a snail or 2 that's ok. Right now I have only one blue leg. He has killed one snail in 6 months so not too bad.

[Clown79]

Hermits are weird. They act funny. Do lots of strange things.

Sometimes they fight, sometimes they go after snails(mostly ceriths), sometimes they clean up a dead/dying snail and get the "murderer" rep.

 

 theres really no way to stop nature from happening. 

 

If you see a hermit out of its shell and its not a molt, put a shell next to it so it can rehome itself. They are very vulnerable without their shell.

[CharlesFoxtrot]

I had heard about the crabs taking cerith shells. Right now my crab is just sitting in one place (he is alive), but he seemed to be eating algae and climbing around yesterday. Maybe he's not hungry anymore. Snail really gets around, which is surprising to me.

 

I hope they have enough to eat. Do I need to consider feeding them at all, just until the tank starts generating detritus? Fish is probably going in next week or so if all goes well. 

[Clown79]

While cycling test daily for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate

 

After cycle test, alk, mag, ca, nitrates, and phos weekly.

 

My waterchange water, temp and salinity matching. 

 

I never test iodine nor add it to the tank. its a tricky supplement and the test kits have been known to be inaccurate which can lead to major problems.

Never buffer ph either, rarely test it.

Your salt with waterchange will replenish the iodine.

 

I personally learned to relax because stress and ocd just leads to issue and over thinking, over dwelling.

 

I now test every 2 weeks and generally monitor my inhabitants. 

[CharlesFoxtrot]

Call me a worrier, but I'm growing concerned about my hermit. He went into the tank the day before yesterday evening, and got up onto the highest rock in there sometime during the night. And he hasn't moved from that spot since, although I have seen him peeking in and out of his shell. 

 

Also interesting, my cerith seems to like climbing up to the waterline and hanging out there, found her there this morning and last.  I'd kind of thought they were underwater critters only. 

 

Anyone care to quell my uncertainties? 

[fishfreak0114]

Hermits are weird.  I have a scarlet who will sit in a patch of zoas without moving for a day or two.  I have dwarf ceriths, and I occasionally find one or two out of water.  My trochus have also made bids for freedom  I wouldn't worry.

[CharlesFoxtrot]

Thanks, fishfreak. Now I just wish that hermit would get on the stick and clean up that algae. He was hired as a clean up crew member, not given an all expenses paid vacation to crab heaven. 

 

Work! Work! (POUNDING OF DRUMS) 

[debbeach13]

Some snails climb out and end up on the floor. I put them in a cup of tank water and most of the time in a few hours they show they are alive so I plop them back in the tank.

[CharlesFoxtrot]

I don't think mine could get out from under the hood, but they might try to find their way into the back chambers. Maybe I'll try to rig up a shield or something with plexi. Good call, Deb.

[CharlesFoxtrot]

Here's my DIY shield to keep livestock out of my back compartments. Just a piece of plexi, a shade less than 10 inches wide and maybe an inch and a half tall. The notch fits over the wall between compartments 1 and 2 to hold it in place on the left, and the right rests on the return pump fitting in compartment 3. When the hood is closed, nothing can get over or under, although there has to be a little room on the left and right to allow the hinge thingys that hold up the lid to fit. I suppose someone truly motivated might escape through there, but I doubt it. 

 

Try and escape now, little snail. The more you struggle, the more you will realize that your life now belongs to me. 

[CharlesFoxtrot]

The GHA battle continues. My hermit is still on strike for better dental benefits, and my cerith just isn't keeping up with the growth. My plans are to add some more cleanup crew this week, although it's a little sooner than I had hoped. I'm getting mixed messages as far as how many CUC my tank can accommodate, so advice along those lines would be appreciated. I'm thinking more ceriths, they seem versatile and hard working. DB might like another hermit, if it wouldn't be any harm, but I can probably argue successfully against it if it's really not a good idea. 

 

To try to suck up whatever nutrients the GHA is eating, I planted a mini chaeto fuge in compartment 2, with a submersible LED light that runs opposite the main lighting. Put some floss on the top to keep the light and chaeto in. Too soon to know if it's doing any good, but I think it won't hurt at the very least.

 

Finally, I'm planning on gradually decreasing the photoperiod to provide less light to the GHA. Any ideas as to the minimum hours of light I should stay above for the health of the tank? 

 

Whew. Lots of stuff going on! Thank you all for your ongoing support.  Cheers! 

[debbeach13]

Have you tested for nitrates and phosphates? When was last water change and how much? 

[CharlesFoxtrot]

Nitrates are 5 ppm or less, phosphates read as 0. At least my Salifert kit doesn't look even a little blue, so I'm reading that as 0.

 

I changed 1 gallon last Monday, and another 1.5 gallons or so the next day because I felt the nitrates were still higher than I liked. I'm planning another gallon change fairly soon, but I wanted to try to figure out the algae problem first, at least in terms of water quality. After all, once the water gets changed, the previous params are beyond speculation. 

 

Possibly related, what may be a diatom bloom. Pic below. It's isolated to the one area. 

 

I'd like to get at least 1 water change, or maybe 2, in by Wednesday, which will be my first opportunity to expand my CUC roster. What do you think?