[STOCK] tinyreef

[Tony]

I know a lot of people who don't do regular water changes if any at all on there main display tanks with great success. I'm really suprised my pico has done as well as it has since I've only done 2 water changes.

[tinyreef]

Are you finding that you can keep the alkalinity/calcium levels up with just the changes alone? I was surprised to find that my levels had dropped quite significantly...

actually, i have no idea (for sure) if the levels are high or low. the only things i've ever checked on this tank was salinity and temp. never bothered with ammonia or nitrates or anything else.

 

obviously, not a recommended way of doing things but it is pretty much how i "feel" the reef setups i have. i look at the livestock and just adjust accordingly. otoh, it does leave me vulnerable to fast-developing problems but i usually notice things out of the corner of my eye before they develop to emergency levels (it's the slow problems that catch me off-guard, d'oh!).

 

i do think my ca/alk is low though. i agree, it could be (likely imo) the livestock (worms, snails, microcrustaceans, etc.) that are affecting the balances though, especially the ca/alk. their growth just naturally saps the available levels. and i don't believe i can sustain the necessary levels with wc's only. or at least i ain't willing to do that many wc's!

 

i've been dosing b-ionic since the start and upping the dosages as i see the need. but i only recently noticed a fast growing coralline i've never had before and that threw my dosing considerations off a bit. it had been hidden in-between a zoo colony i got from seacrop. while it's already locked down a couple of frags (good) but now i have to consider its bio-needs from my ca/alk dosings.

 

i believe that it is sucking most of the ca/alk and not the snails, pods, et al., which i had been thinking was the culprit(s) but not quite believing. i also thought it may have been another (branching-type) coralline i have in the tank but it showed little growth. but now the 'new' creeping coralline fits the missing puzzle-piece mystery kinda nicely.

 

although it probably is biolimiting the ca/alk from those guys so i've been thinking on my next option. i'd already unbalanced my b-ionic dosing (more #2 than #1, more CaCl basically) but it may need more "umph".

 

tony,

yes, i agree if the system is balanced right you can get away with little to no changes. it's very difficult though ime to hit the combination "just right". it seems you've achieved that with your pico though, which doubly difficult imo.

[Ann]

Ahh, so you are dosing for Alk/Ca even if you don't know what the levels are exactly. I thought that water changes alone would be enough. Wrong! I can't blame it on the corraline 'cause there doesn't seem to be that much growing in my tank yet, just a few spots on the pipework and on the pump housing (and on the rocks of course). Perhaps with better levels it may grow a bit faster now.

 

Best regards

 

Ann

[tinyreef]

Ahh, so you are dosing for Alk/Ca even if you don't know what the levels are exactly.

yes, ma'am.

 

but you've got stonys a-go-go in your tank. they're growing and probably depleting that supply. i'll switch over to your thread now.

[Tony]

I've been using B-ionic in my tank also. It's very hard to get the same of part 1 and 2 for a tank this size so I dont really think about it, my corals seam to be doing pretty good and growing like crazy.

 

I want to remove my Xenia from a couple of spots. Do you know how to do this without crudding up my tank?

[tinyreef]

I want to remove my Xenia from a couple of spots. Do you know how to do this without crudding up my tank?

i guess you can't remove the xenia/rock and then scrape.

 

you can try scraping and then siphoning the immediate area gently with a turkey baster. after the initial "bleed" from scraping the coral contracts to protect itself but you can still catch/suck out that "bleed" as you scrape along.

 

you can also snip and suck (that doesn't sound too good) but that results in more crud possible. if you're just looking to harvest the xenia (i.e. throw it away afterwards) i'd suck up the frag and scrape while it's caught in the baster, kinda like pulling and cutting hair.

[Tony]

I removed a piece last week and I got the "bleed" I do not want that happening again, at least not in this tiny little tank.

[tinyreef]

7:10PM - we made camp at the base of the famed undersea volcano, Mt. Wanahockaloogie. the sight is breathtaking...especially since it's underwater.

 

 

we plan to ascend the northern face of the mountain (on the right). a more difficult climb than the more leisurely ascent of the southern face but without all the perils of the south.

 

the dangerous southern side has claimed a number of intrepid mollusks (cerith and astrae).

 

it starts with its cannibalistic palythoas at its base. then onto the curious and bulbous tunicates, mysteriously tranparent yet a voracious filter-eater.

 

next comes the beautiful red featherdusters that cling to the rocks and withdraw at a moment's touch. they straddle the deep pores of the living rock, which are filled with unspeakable invertebrate dangers. (y'all saw the 'bug pit' scene in King Kong, right? <shiver> )

 

then if you even reach the southern tip, you must traverse the dreaded zoanthid plateau, aka "the plains of flowery doom", to reach the tip of Wanahockaloogie located on the northern half.

 

or you can just go up the northern face. if you avoid the grappling phyllochaeto worms at the bottom, it's a straight climb up. the only danger would be the possible presence of the gigantic brittlestars (two of which are known to reside on the mountain). but we've brought a wee clown baby to appease these monsters (courtesy of xytrix).

[Casabubu]

Haha too funny! However, you failed to mention the large hot rod that will melt your hand in an instant on the southern face . A good climb, no doubt!

[dickie52]

7:10PM - we made camp at the base of the famed undersea volcano, Mt. Wanahockaloogie. the sight is breathtaking...especially since it's underwater.

 

 

we plan to ascend the northern face of the mountain (on the right). a more difficult climb than the more leisurely ascent of the southern face but without all the perils of the south.

 

the dangerous southern side has claimed a number of intrepid mollusks (cerith and astrae).

 

it starts with its cannibalistic palythoas at its base. then onto the curious and bulbous tunicates, mysteriously tranparent yet a voracious filter-eater.

 

next comes the beautiful red featherdusters that cling to the rocks and withdraw at a moment's touch. they straddle the deep pores of the living rock, which are filled with unspeakable invertebrate dangers. (y'all saw the 'bug pit' scene in King Kong, right? <shiver> )

 

then if you even reach the southern tip, you must traverse the dreaded zoanthid plateau, aka "the plains of flowery doom", to reach the tip of Wanahockaloogie located on the northern half.

 

or you can just go up the northern face. if you avoid the grappling phyllochaeto worms at the bottom, it's a straight climb up. the only danger would be the possible presence of the gigantic brittlestars (two of which are known to reside on the mountain). but we've brought a wee clown baby to appease these monsters (courtesy of xytrix).

 

 

I found the adolescent garbage you wrote extremely offensive.

[tinyreef]

I found the adolescent garbage you wrote extremely offensive.

i think you're under the misperception that i care what you think.

[Ann]

 

Best regards

 

Ann

[melbourne]

i guess you can't remove the xenia/rock and then scrape.

 

you can try scraping and then siphoning the immediate area gently with a turkey baster. after the initial "bleed" from scraping the coral contracts to protect itself but you can still catch/suck out that "bleed" as you scrape along.

 

you can also snip and suck (that doesn't sound too good) but that results in more crud possible. if you're just looking to harvest the xenia (i.e. throw it away afterwards) i'd suck up the frag and scrape while it's caught in the baster, kinda like pulling and cutting hair.

 

Xenia/Anthelia can grow to plague proportions. Scraping is tough, since any tissue left can grow into new colonies. Best to snip the rock or create a little pancake of epoxy and seal them in :b - Tank is looking great Tiny, I like the volcano shot. I have a hard time taking angle shots on my tank since it sits so far back on the stand.

[tinyreef]

thanks ann and mel for the comments! been a little lax with updates but nothing really new lately, just settling in.

 

below: brown/green polyps, some further growth (original frag was 3-polyps) and firm attachment onto the LR

 

below: one of two gsp frags i added last week. this frag is front and center on the tank so it receives the most light. it's already grown (attached) onto the LR.

 

one significant change i've instituted recently (today actually) is a switch over to RO/DI from distilled. i finally got off my butt and setup the RO/DI i bought last fall.

 

the TDS reading of the RO/DI is 2~3 ppm versus 1~3 ppm for distilled, everything seems fine so far (1st waterchange).

[tinyreef]

mushroom's pedal spawning/laceration (far right, should develop into a new frag)

this shroom's taken root well since moving it off the sand. it's already pedaling off a daughter on the rock. probably by this weekend it'll split.

 

this is a bit unusual for me because i usually don't do well with mushrooms (of any type). hence, the reason why i even bothered taking a pic of a very mundane coral reproduction event.

[tinyreef]

updates!

 

below: updated fts-tummy shot (note the shadowy outline reflected n the glass). i had to really suck in my gut for this shot. winter fat layer, i guess.

 

below: updated fts-end view (note the blue shroom coloration change, to purple, just from perspective change, kewl! )

 

below: updated zoanthid growth shot, just sneaking in another gratuitous macro shot!

 

couple of overall tank updates:

 

more sand have been thrown up lately from the ugf. maybe it hit a soft sand spot recently. the ugf does provide a decent amount of suction/flow and in spurts so things can get dislodged occasionally.

 

i've been seeing a gradual loss of my clear tunicates for the last two weeks. at first, i thought it was just some losses from me doing a re-aquascape recently. but i've been seeing colony after colony disappear.

 

perhaps connected is my troubled gsp colony on one of my lava rocks. it's decided to retract and stay like that for almost a week.

 

the change to RO/DI water seems ok so far. it doesn't quite match the timing of the tunicate problem but it does match the gsp issue. but i also have two other daughter gsp colonies flourishing, one less than an inch away from the original troubled one.

 

corals, algae, and pods are doing well though. another recent growth spurt (imo) from the added light of good weather. spring's coming!

 

the accursed valonia have gained a foothold. i'm planning to assault them positions and cast off these damnable heathen bubble algae back to the abyss from which the came.

[tinyreef]

weekend/snowstorm updates!

 

below: upgraded my lights today with a snow reflector. quite blindly. white light spectrum-only though.

 

below: green palys macro shot, just an update (i.e. bored snowed-in) pic.

 

below: zoanthids macro shot, actually been trying to get a decent pic of the green daisys zoos for a while. it's finally grown another polyp (behind the back polyp-hidden). it's doubled from two polyps since the start of the tank.

[J86]

i see........SNOW!!!!

[shivametimbas]

lookin great

[tinyreef]

i see........SNOW!!!!

just a little.

 

thanks for the compliment, shiva!

[dreadfish]

sorry if this question has been ask before but i was in a hurry an just noticed ur post ur pics look brilliant but how come ur tank dont over heat??

[tinyreef]

sorry if this question has been ask before but i was in a hurry an just noticed ur post ur pics look brilliant but how come ur tank dont over heat??

actually, it does in a way. the temperature varies from 76F (night-heater controlled) to about 84F (day-high noon on a very sunny day).

 

it's kept from going beyond 84F by the deskfan i have to one side of the tank (you can see it in some of the farther back FTS shots). the fan is on a timer so it kicks on just before sunrise (to give the glass a headstart on cooling) and switches off just after sunset. i recently just had to reset the timer as the daylight is getting longer, i.e. season's change.

 

before i put that fan into position (back at the beginning of the thread/contest) the temperature used to soar into 88F~90F regardless of room temperature!

 

i think the somewhat wide variation (76F to 84F) is still one of the main reasons the tank isn't performing as well as i'd like (or expected). on a cloudy/overcast day (typical winter weather), the temperature is still somewhat stable up to about 80F~81F, with the fan on.

 

but on a very sunny day, even with the fan at full blast and room temperature around 68F, the tank can push 84F~85F! so occasionally (about once a week) the tank gets temperature stressed whether i like it or not. i'm planning to upgrade the small deskfan (8") to a big floor fan (20") to see if the tank can hold steady as the spring/summer comes though.

 

thanks for the comments!

[dreadfish]

kl i was pondering my own sunlite tank maybe a bigger tank wouldnt get as heat stressed..?

[Ryan_H]

I want to remove my Xenia from a couple of spots. Do you know how to do this without crudding up my tank?

 

you could always try joe's juice (doesn't just kill aiptasia-pretty harsh stuff!) and scrape/siphon the shrivelled remains.

 

awesome tank tinyreef! what do your corals do during stormy weeks? lol

[tinyreef]

i think you might be right. a larger tank may get less heat issues. it's a function of the area exposed to the sunlight.

 

for my 2.5g tank it comes out to be 96 square inches (12" x 8"H). otoh, for a 29g tank it comes out to be 540 square inches (30" x 18"H). it's about a 5x area but 11x volume needed to heat up. also, you could do more cooling devices and evaporative cooling on a larger tank.

 

the main functional issue/problem comes down to viewability imo. i have trouble viewing the tank since it's up against the window.

 

i've been looking into "directed sunlight" techniques to allow better viewing and still have the natural quality of sunlight. there's a great thread over on RC i just found recently that discusses one of the techniques (sola-tubes) i mentioned previously. not the viable/great option i originally thought but the other info and experience there is amazing imo.

 

but there's so much benefits to sunlight (again imo) that this is really an issue i want to pursue with my future tanks. i've gone thru the gambit of lighting upgrades; from old NO fluorescents to PC bulbs to VHO bulbs to MH lighting and now to sunlight. i figure if i end up with sunlight (maybe some actinic supps) i really can't upgrade anymore after that.

 

awesome tank tinyreef! what do your corals do during stormy weeks?

thanks! they gotta suck it up and wait for the sunny days.

 

i think it's limited some of the growth (limited light) but i think the temperature stressing is more a limiting growth factor because it's more "stressful" and more often.

 

my mh lights for a viable nano-chiller! altho that new lowes undersink water chiller has some potential. hmmm...