Combating low nutrients (and Dinos!)

[PootiNe]

41 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

Liquid nutrients are really the best way to make targeted adjustments to the levels in the water.  Unlike feeding, every dose of liquid nutrient is precisely correct based on testing, it and takes effect immediately. 

15 minutes ago, PJPS said:

Until you're there, dose to keep yourself outta trouble 🙂

Dosing it is! Will hook up a dosing pump to dose PO4. NO3 seems to drop very slowly, might just replenish every couple of days.

 

Unfortunately, The closest LFS is an hour away. The only frozen food I can easily get is San Francisco Bay stuff from Petsmart. Not sure if that's the highest quality stuff.

[mcarroll]

6 minutes ago, PootiNe said:

The only frozen food I can easily get is San Francisco Bay stuff from Petsmart. Not sure if that's the highest quality stuff.

I'm not aware of anything better.   😉   (Other frozen brands SHOULD be similar or the same as long as you're comparing like products.....eg. comparing spirulina brine shrimp with spirulina brine shrimp.)

 

Just be wary of over-buying just because it's a long drive.....freezer burn and other freshness issues still count, so mostly just buy what you can use that week/month and plan another trip to the store after that. 👍  If you HAVE to overbuy for any reason, I recommend getting a small cooler or cooler-bag to keep the food in while it's in the freezer so it doesn't experience all the temperature spikes/crashes that a freezer normally experiences while you're getting in it for food.   That causes freezer burn.  The extra insulation will curb that to an extent.

[PJPS]

15 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

I'm not aware of anything better.   😉   (Other frozen brands SHOULD be similar or the same as long as you're comparing like products.....eg. comparing spirulina brine shrimp with spirulina brine shrimp.)

 

Just be wary of over-buying just because it's a long drive.....freezer burn and other freshness issues still count, so mostly just buy what you can use that week/month and plan another trip to the store after that. 👍  If you HAVE to overbuy for any reason, I recommend getting a small cooler or cooler-bag to keep the food in while it's in the freezer so it doesn't experience all the temperature spikes/crashes that a freezer normally experiences while you're getting in it for food.   That causes freezer burn.  The extra insulation will curb that to an extent.

I'm forced to buy quantity, and keep it in a small insulated lunch bag in the back of the freezer to minimize temp flux as described.  Good tip for we LFS deprived.

[PootiNe]

2 hours ago, mcarroll said:

Just be wary of over-buying just because it's a long drive.....freezer burn and other freshness issues still count, so mostly just buy what you can use that week/month and plan another trip to the store after that. 👍  If you HAVE to overbuy for any reason, I recommend getting a small cooler or cooler-bag to keep the food in while it's in the freezer so it doesn't experience all the temperature spikes/crashes that a freezer normally experiences while you're getting in it for food.   That causes freezer burn.  The extra insulation will curb that to an extent.

More great advice! Definitely should start doing that. I've already seen freezer burns on a few cubes (had it on the freezer door rack, terrible idea!)

[PootiNe]

Finally, (crappy) pictures!

 

Monti setosa, algae took over the tips during tissue recession.

 

 

Tierra Del Fuego

 

Oregon Tort

 

No ID

 

FTS - need to play with the white balance a bit more. The brown sticks on the right are gonna go if they don't color up soon ;D

 

 

Btw - algae is popping up on the sandbed again, any suggestions on sand-cleaning / sifting CUC for a nano? Or is manual removal the preferred way?

 

 

 

[seabass]

10 hours ago, PootiNe said:

Btw - algae is popping up on the sandbed again, any suggestions on sand-cleaning / sifting CUC for a nano? Or is manual removal the preferred way?

A finer grained sand won't trap as much detritus as your crushed coral substrate. That might help with the algae.  Most of the true sand sifters need a larger tank.  But nassarius and cerith snails will help as they dig through the sand.  I also like a small number of blue leg and/or scarlet reef hermit crabs to pick through the substrate.

[PootiNe]

12 hours ago, seabass said:

A finer grained sand won't trap as much detritus as your crushed coral substrate. That might help with the algae.  Most of the true sand sifters need a larger tank.  But nassarius and cerith snails will help as they dig through the sand.  I also like a small number of blue leg and/or scarlet reef hermit crabs to pick through the substrate.

Good point. Honestly at this point might as well go BB if I continue to populate the tank with sticks. A few encrusting monti / lepto at the bottom won't look too bad.