Softie reef on a student budget

[Murphs_Reef]

All set for Uni H? I wish I was your age again in some ways... What a bloody exciting time... And drunken... 🤣 

Just make sure you carve off an hour a week to reef tanking 👍🏼

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

I reckon I'm sorted.... Totally planning on spending all Freshers week black out drunk. But if I spend only an hour a week on reefing someone better call a Dr because there will be something terribly wrong 😆

 

[Murphs_Reef]

Yeah man... Sounds like a well thought out plan. #### ace 

 

The ### was fu..... Ckin

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

Lil parameters check 

Ammonia looks like 0.25. 🥲 

Nitrite 0ppm

Nitrates 5ppm

pH 8 ish 

 

Snails and coral still happy though. I thought my nitrates would be waaaaayyyy higher. But the glass is covered in algae again and I think the mushroom may have grown so I guess it's being consumed as fast as it's produced.

Itching to add some algae eaters. 

 

Been looking at lights too. I said I'd wait but eh. Idk. 

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

Whyyyyyyy  has the salinity moved once again?! 

(These are two separate measurements.) 

 

[Murphs_Reef]

Just drop in some fresh RO water every other day and you'll be ok. As an example.... With mine, I have to top up my ato with 9 litres every 3 days. So that's about 20 litres a week freshwater.. I never water change... Just top off..

The ammonia tests, personally I would just end now.. phosphate and nitrate are the numbers for now... The alkalinity. 

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

Confession: haven't bought a phosphate kit yet. What brand is best, API or Salifert? 

 

I didn't even consider it was evaporation, lol. Dumb bitch moment 👌 is there any way to check how much RODI I need to be adding? Or is it just a matter of trial and error? 

 

I was sort of assuming I'd need to water change to manage nitrates but they're being gobbled up. There's been another copepod explosion over the algae too. Still not convinced the one zoa is ok but going to wait and see before doing anything rash. 

(Plus. I need to stay away from my lfs, my bank account is crying after last time 😂 and I just spent £300 on stuff for my other animals 😳😳😳).

[Ratvan]

I like the Salifert Kit myself.

Mark off your water level and top up to that point with RODI

 

[Murphs_Reef]

Phosphate either salifert or Hanna.. 

 

As @Ratvan aka Mr Van suggested. A some visual marker on the water level works grand. But in time you'll just know when to top-up. You get right into the detail of your own tank very quickly.  🤩

 

£300!!.. your budget was £200 haha... 

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

It wasn't on fish/reef stuff TBF, on the others - I've got a two chinchillas, two rabbits, a horse, 15 snails, a hamster, and 22 fish all told, and I fund as much as I can myself. It's EXPENSIVE 🤷 😂

[Ratvan]

Show me the bunnies

[Murphs_Reef]

Your a bit of a pet keeper... One might suggest 🤣

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

@Ratvan 

Some longeared miscreants for you.

 

They're free range house rabbits in what used to be my bedroom but which has been universally referred to as 'the rabbit room' for about seven years now.  The agouti and white doe is Ginny, the harlequin buck is Marshal. 

 

@Murphych but as my mum likes to say at least I will never be able to afford drugs 😂

 

 

[Ratvan]

I had a free range house rabbit called stew (actually knox but i called him stew) miss the annoying little shit

 

You can always find ways to get drugs trust me on that 😂

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

Stew was ADORABLE.

 

Animals > people 

Always! 😂 

 

And in my albeit limited experience - if you work hard and want something enough you can make it happen regardless.... Whether it's drugs or reef tanks....🤷🤷

 

 

 

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

Ok ladies and gentleman, it's your regularly scheduled ✨ dumb question time✨ 🤪

 

Haven't seen the smaller of the two nassarius snails for a couple of days. But there's been no ammonia spike and no smell (and in my experience dead snails STINK).... And I'm putting probably way too much food in and it's all disappearing. 

Do I assume it's just hidden in the rock work? There are a lot of nooks and crannies especially round the back. But tbh I don't want to pull everything apart to go looking....I don't know if that's grossly irresponsible and lazy though. Should I look for it?! 

[Ratvan]

8 minutes ago, InAtTheDeepEnd said:

Ok ladies and gentleman, it's your regularly scheduled ✨ dumb question time✨ 🤪

 

Haven't seen the smaller of the two nassarius snails for a couple of days. But there's been no ammonia spike and no smell (and in my experience dead snails STINK).... And I'm putting probably way too much food in and it's all disappearing. 

Do I assume it's just hidden in the rock work? There are a lot of nooks and crannies especially round the back. But tbh I don't want to pull everything apart to go looking....I don't know if that's grossly irresponsible and lazy though. Should I look for it?! 

IF the smaller one has perished the larger would have most likely cleaned it up, i wouldn't worry about it in all honesty 

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

Ok.... There'd be a shell though surely? Or do aquatic snails also eat those for calcium? (Terrestrial snails do). 

 

This larger snail I've discovered is also responsible for why the zoa colony that fell off its frag is retracted so much more frequently - it's slightly lower down and tilted and the snail keeps climbing onto it, falling off, righting itself, then climbing straight back on. Then rinse and repeat 😂

 

 

 

Sorry I feel like my ignorance is REALLY showing here 😂😬 

[Ratvan]

5 minutes ago, InAtTheDeepEnd said:

Ok.... There'd be a shell though surely? Or do aquatic snails also eat those for calcium? (Terrestrial snails do). 

 

This larger snail I've discovered is also responsible for why the zoa colony that fell off its frag is retracted so much more frequently - it's slightly lower down and tilted and the snail keeps climbing onto it, falling off, righting itself, then climbing straight back on. Then rinse and repeat 😂

 

 

 

Sorry I feel like my ignorance is REALLY showing here 😂😬 

They typically die in the sandbed, or at least that my experience of them. Not sure if anything would consume the shell though. 

Asking question is how we all learn  

[Murphs_Reef]

I loss mine for weeks on end and then all of a sudden they pop right back up, always when lights out.. mine never come out during the day...

 

 

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

May have just ✨  stocked✨ my tank 😋

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

Le smol friends 

 

4 turbo snails 

2 gobies 💗💗🥰💖💕😍   

 

Lfs demonstrated them feeding for me too (on frozen brine).

I was going to get green gobies instead but the ones in the tank were squabbling whereas the black and yellow seemed much less territorial and every time I've been have been swimming peacefully together. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Murphs_Reef]

How are the 2 getting on? Assume they are black and yellow clown gobies? 

These can be aggressive to one another so keep an eye out

[InAtTheDeepEnd]

 if they fight = excuse to get more tanks 🤣

 

Though the lfs owner did say they tend to be quite peaceful. (I know taking advice from people trying to sell you stuff can be a dubious practice, but there was a pretty marked temperament difference between the greens/reds and yellows/midnights - as I said, I was originally much keener on the greens than any of the others. But he said if you want multiple those aren't the ones to get.)

So far they are good (🤞) but I have enough live rock and a spare pump and multiple small tanks (12-20 litres) to separate if necessary. Hopefully it won't be though. They've got loads of space to get away from each other if they want but are so far choosing to sit in a gap in the rock work practically touching each other lol 

 

 

Basically - I'm aware it's a risk, but I feel I've done what I can to minimise it and will take steps to make sure the needs of both fish are met if the worst happens and they do start fighting, even if that means setting up another tank.

 

[Murphs_Reef]

Haha. Love it. Get more tanks if it's a problem 👍🏼