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7 minutes ago, Kindanewtothis said:

Do you mean that the clownfish and the angelfish could fight or that that any other peaceful fish will have a hard time between these aggressive fish? I don't know if you understand what I'm trying to say?

The two clownfish and the dwarf angelfish should be alright together.  However, like you said, they might be a little much for some other fish.  Besides, the bio-load of these three fish would be substantial by themselves.

 

11 minutes ago, Kindanewtothis said:

I'm thinking about adding (not now) some easy coral on the left side. Would mushrooms type be a good choice?

They are hardy and easy.  However, they can take over a tank too (which is either good or bad depending on who you talk to).  You'll probably want something with a little height too.  But just because the anemone seems content where it is, you might still find it in another spot someday.  I wouldn't invest a lot in coral (as the anemone could go for a walk and wipe out your prized colonies); but I'm with you, it would look nice to have something else on the rock.  Your anemone will be the centerpiece, so I'd just look for a few other pieces which you like that are on sale.

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Kindanewtothis
9 minutes ago, seabass said:

They are hardy and easy.  However, they can take over a tank too (which is either good or bad depending on who you talk to).  

They multiply that fast? How long for a single mushroom head to create another?

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Kindanewtothis
10 minutes ago, seabass said:

The answer is, it depends. :lol:

Come on Gandalf, you can do better 😉

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It really does depend. How large the mushroom is, how much it likes the conditions, what type it is. And the trouble isn't so much how long it takes one to produce another, it's how long it takes 5 to produce 5 more. One mushroom isn't going to take over the tank, but a bunch of them will make an effort at it.

 

The best route to take with mushrooms is just to isolate them. Put them on their own rock, so they can't spread everywhere. Keep an eye out for any strays that get blown elsewhere in the tank- mushrooms are closer to anemones than corals, and can sometimes let go, blow away, and reattach elsewhere if unhappy. If one goes somewhere you don't want it, point a powerhead at it to make it let go so you can move it.

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Kindanewtothis

Ok thanks for the answers. I'm asking because my lfs sells single head mushroom frags and I was wondering If buying a single head would take months to become 2 or 3 or if I should get one (more expensive) with already multiple heads.

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You have one big advantage that other beginners don't have, and that is mature rock.  I feel that's what's mainly preventing the wild uglies from appearing.  There is really no harm in planning what you'd like this tank to look like and what you'd like to keep.  Maybe it's even a good thing; just as long as you don't get caught up in other impulse buys.

 

You need to take some time to figure out water changes, testing, maintenance, possibly sourcing a RO/DI unit, and we haven't even really discussed filtration or flow.  Besides some algae which might have been brought under control with some herbivorous snails, you have yet to encounter the numerous and inevitable issues your tank will likely encounter.

 

I realize that you just invested a bunch of money into what you currently have, and you have seen some other tanks which are full of color and life (which can be very appealing).  But try to get all the basics down, do a ton of reading, and take things slow.  Like I said early on, just a pair of clownfish and this anemone can be nice on their own.  You definitely don't want to rush into anything and jeopardize what you currently have going on.

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Kindanewtothis

Thanks again you have been a great help. Regarding filtration, I have a fluval 207. I also have a powerhead to which I will add a filter (aquaclear 50). My skimmer is a tonze 9001. 

 

For the rocks I have been lucky. They were in a restaurant aquarium for over 15 years. Went there a couple times and the tank was really great. Restaurant is closing due to the pandemic... Only paid 2$ a pound!

 

And for the RO/DI, it's the installation that stops me. The distilled water is cheaper than expected (water is cheap in Canada), but yeah, I have to carry it. I take it at a drugstore.

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2 hours ago, Kindanewtothis said:

They were in a restaurant aquarium for over 15 years. Went there a couple times and the tank was really great. Restaurant is closing due to the pandemic... Only paid 2$ a pound!

Wow, that was a great deal!  What a wonderful way to start this hobby.

 

For flow, I figure 30 times turnover would be pretty good.  I didn't add up everything you have; however, for a 30 gallon tank, that would be about 900 gallons per hour (GPH), which is about 3400 liters per hour.

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rough eye

since my tank is so small i've been buying water. doesn't seem worth the hassle to set up my own RODI system since i only spend $7 or so a month on water.

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Kindanewtothis
53 minutes ago, seabass said:

For flow, I figure 30 times turnover would be pretty good.  I didn't add up everything you have; however, for a 30 gallon tank, that would be about 900 gallons per hour (GPH), which is about 3400 liters per hour.

I'm far from that, on fluval website it says the 207 is for up to 45 gallons tank. Filtration is only 780 liters per hour. The powerhead adds 100L per hour. What filters 900 gallons per hours?

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31 minutes ago, rough eye said:

since my tank is so small i've been buying water. doesn't seem worth the hassle to set up my own RODI system since i only spend $7 or so a month on water.

There is absolutely no problem with buying distilled water.  I did it myself for awhile.

 

However, for where I am, I pay just over $0.80 a gallon for distilled water, and I believe it is well under $0.10 a gallon for RO/DI (including the cost of replacement filters).  So very roughly, I'm saving about $0.70 a gallon making my own water.  If you figure that a decent RO/DI unit is well under $300, then it would take far less than 430 gallons of water to pay for itself.  I happen to top off more than 2 gallons a day and probably change more than 20 gallons of water per month (or around a 1000 gallons total each year); so, for me, it more than pays for itself in 6 months.

 

Just now, Kindanewtothis said:

I'm far from that, on fluval website it says the 207 is for up to 45 gallons tank. Filtration is only 460 liters per hour. The powerhead adds 100L per hour. What filters 900 gallons per hours?

You don't need to filter 900 gallons per hour; you just need around 900 gallons per hour of total flow (filters + return pumps + powerheads/wavemakers).  At a minimum, I'd want at least 20 times turnover (or 600 gallon per hour at the very least), but 30 times turnover is probably better.

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I have an RO Buddie unit. It's not necessarily good enough for all types of tap water, but it doesn't need to be installed. You just screw it onto the faucet when you're using it, and unscrew when you're done. Works fine for my tank and my tap water, your mileage may vary. 

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rough eye
1 hour ago, Tired said:

I have an RO Buddie unit. It's not necessarily good enough for all types of tap water, but it doesn't need to be installed. You just screw it onto the faucet when you're using it, and unscrew when you're done. Works fine for my tank and my tap water, your mileage may vary. 

that might be worth it for me. if i spent $300 on a RODI unit it would be 5 years before it saved enough to pay for itself.

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27 minutes ago, rough eye said:

it would be 5 years before it saved enough to pay for itself.

Not to mention the time and fuel required to purchase and haul your water back to your home.  The other thing I didn't always consider was having water available in case of an emergency (or if the store you usually purchase it from doesn't have enough).  Buying 20 gallons of water is such a hassle.

 

Five years isn't all that long.  Hopefully you'll be reef keeping longer than that.  Since paying off my unit, I'm saving around $700 a year (over buying distilled water).

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2 hours ago, rough eye said:

that might be worth it for me. if i spent $300 on a RODI unit it would be 5 years before it saved enough to pay for itself.

I got this one @ BRS when it went on President's day sale. 

 

RO/DI Value 75Gpd

 

135 bucks.  Grabbed a dual line tds meter with it for around 30 bucks.  It works fine for my water and not 300 dollars.  Though it is bulkier than I had hoped and I'm still moving it into nad out of the mud room sink for making water.  

 

But Having the cheap RO/DI water allows me to use pure water more without considering the cost.  I use it to rinse tools, test kits, if I feel like I have tainted water in my salt bucket, I dump and mix a new batch.  

 

Even my 10 gallon tank pays for itself well under a year.  Plus I can add a tank / bigger or smaller and not have to consider additional water cost. 

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I'll be honest, i didn't save much money going to rodi from distilled.

 

I wouldn't have gotten an RODI if i had only 1 nano.

 

You have to remember, here in Canada, filters aren't cheap nor readily available.

There are 3 stores that ship rodi filters and they all charge the same.

 

Lfs charge more, the ones who carry the stuff.

 

Chloramine carbon block is $30, DI is $22

(i had to change di every 2- 3 mnths which is common for hobbyists here) everything else was changed every 4 mnths. 

 

So replacing the filters that much ended up saving hobbyists very little here.

 

The RODI  units aren't cheap either 

 

Plus we pay for our water usage and 13% tax on everything. 

 

When you leave the hobby here, you don't make back your money, unfortunately.

 

Its not a cheap hobby here, if anything many regularly leave the hobby here because it costs too much.

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MotherofAnimals

I bought the RO Buddie back in 2017 when I was growing orchids. That little thing is a beast. I was using it in Manassas, VA and now in San Diego. In both places the TDS reading is 350+ but the RO Buddie has always been able to get the TDS reading ten or below without deionization resin. With the Deionization resin, I get a reliable and consistent TDS reading of 0. I bought my unit used for like $46 on Amazon and haven't looked back since. I've seen the more expensive models but the small form factor and ease of use has kept me with the RO Buddie all this time. I have used it attached to my washing machine water connection, to the faucet in my garage, but my favorite place is attached to the shower nozzle in my guest bathroom held up by a hanger. It's ganky but it gets the job done! Lol. I highly recommend it. 

 

Also, because I'm a chemistry nerd, I regenerate my deionization resin, which is a little cost-saving. It uses everyday chemicals and is super easy to do. 

 

Regards,

Ayden

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Just to clarify, I said, "well under $300" as high estimate for a 5 stage unit (but also because the units are more expensive in Canada).  I believe that the one I actually purchased was closer to half that price (they used to sell the reconditioned SpectraPure units for $124).  Plus my estimates were purposely high for illustration purposes.

 

Knowing your water quality can help you determine which RO/DI system you should get (like if you might benefit from running two carbon stages).  But as Clown79 stated, for a single nano reef, you might just choose to stick to using distilled water (there's nothing wrong with that).

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Kindanewtothis

Ok so a snail went on a powerhead and got sucked in a little. I took it out of the powerhead. I do I know if it's dead?

20210510_103819.jpg

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It looks like it's attached to the glass.  Dead snails don't do that.  IDK, I suppose it could be injured.  I'd just leave it alone for now.  If it stops moving for a day or so, pick it up and give it a sniff.  Dead snails are very smelly.

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1 minute ago, Kindanewtothis said:

It detached itself from the glass and it is just laying there. Think I'm gonna take it out.

I would do the same in your situation. Snails decay fast and can mess up your water quality if your not quick about removing the dead ones.

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  • Kindanewtothis changed the title to Kinda's Large Tank Adventure (LTA)

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