Mr. Fosi's 5.5AGA fish/coral mix

[Mr. Fosi]

So I finally did a 1g waterchange.

 

I wasn't sure if I should do it because I couldn't get all the salt to dissolve. The water wasn't freezing cold, but there was still a small pile of white solid at the bottom of the bucket after an hour of powerhead mixing.

 

Before using it, I checked the pH and specific gravity and they were fine so I decided to chance it. The corals were ###ed, like they always are after a waterchange but the red mushroom looks happier, even though the GSP has closed up and not come back out. The Madracis is fine, of course, as is the chalice, but the zoas and star polyps are still mad.

 

Before I did the waterchange I plopped some filterfloss in the AC70, stirred everything up several times over an hour, then did the waterchange. I left the floss in the filter for about 24 hours before pulling it out. There was a lot of crap in it.

 

I think I may do one more 1g change before the end of the weekend.

[tinyreef]

While the NO3 is zero, I have noticed a bunch of dustbunny-looking, detritus-like junk hanging off my LR. I have also noticed a brown skin-like film starting to spread over one of my LR pieces. The film occasionally traps large bubbles under it, which can be released by tearing through it.

do the 'dust bunnies' look greyish? just like real dust bunnies? if so, i think it's poop from a rock-boring worm. annoying but not detrimental ime.

 

the brown film could be cyano or a cottony biofilm/algae. i've got a similar 'outbreak' (more blackish fiber-ish) in my pico but i think i've traced it to low salinity and too low flow.

 

for the recent waterchange and in the future, you can pre-heat up the fw in a microwave if you are worried about temperature differential and improved dissolution. i.e. heat a small cup's worth and dump it in the larger volume.

 

wow, i didn't realize you started this thread so long ago.

[Mr. Fosi]

It's about freaking time you posted on my thread!

 

The dust bunnies are a brown color and they don't respond strongly to basting.

 

The brown film is tough and has fibers under it. The specific gravity is in the area of 1.022 and doesn't change much since I top it off every 1-2 days. I'd like to try higher flow idea, but I am not sure what I would do to get it given the equipment that I have...

 

I'm not concerned about the temp differential, but I am shocked that my salt didn't fully dissolve. I have never seen that before, even when I used water that was much colder then we get in our new appt, but I like your supersaturation/larger volume idea.

[tinyreef]

It's about freaking time you posted on my thread!

was i ever invited? jk, i hardly ever post in members forum, so don't take it personally. heck, i barely post to my own thread and i never created (iirc) one for any of my previous nanos/picos, only for the present pico.

 

The specific gravity is in the area of 1.022 and doesn't change much since I top it off every 1-2 days.

that's a bit low imo (assuming 1.026 being equivalent to 35 ppt). you might want to try a tad higher, i'm thinking of going back into the 1.025~1.026 range if i can be more vigilent. probably not.

 

I'm not concerned about the temp differential, but I am shocked that my salt didn't fully dissolve. I have never seen that before, even when I used water that was much colder then we get in our new appt, but I like your supersaturation/larger volume idea.

could the grains leftover be precipitated CaCO3? sometimes localized supersaturation of salt can trigger that (well, according to someone here in a thread i read once, i don't know for sure but it sounded logical).

 

i mention that because i was worried you read the supersaturation to mean the salt (i think that causes more precipitate). i was talking more about just heating a portion of the fw to equalize the temp. i think coldwater does monkey with the mixing/dissolution though.

[Mr. Fosi]

could the grains leftover be precipitated CaCO3?

 

That sounds plausible. If it is the case, it would be a bummer since I would rather have the Ca in solution.

[travisurfer]

Fosi, I am going to put some sargassum in my 7 hex when it washes up again. If it takes off I can try sending you some in a water bottle with more water in it.

[Mr. Fosi]

Sounds like an idea that is worth trying. You won't send to send much, so the bottle can be small.

 

In fact, I have a couple polypropylene nalgene sample bottles and could mail you one to use. Also, I have 7-8 small xenia polyps now. If I can scrounge a camera, I'll get some pics for you.

[travisurfer]

Cool. I will be making my 7 into a macro tank so I can try to get you some cooler macros as I start collecting. Its a taller tank so I wont be able to fit too many in there. I may not get any more sargassum this year but I will try. It normally comes early summer but sometimes a hurricane will bring some in.

[15-and-6-GAL-NANO]

Sweet tank man

[Mr. Fosi]

Thank you, but I like the look of yours more. More types of coral, you know?

 

Trav, we need to work something out. PM me your addy and I'll put together a box with a polyethylene bottle in it and send it off to you. I wish I could put some xenia in it, but the polyps are still really small.

[Mr. Fosi]

My wife and I finally got a digital camera and just in time for the first of our first child. She has an appointment for a labor induction next Friday (Sept-22) and if all goes well, we will be going home with a son on Sunday or Monday.

 

I would have had more pics, but I don't yet have a memory card, so I am limited to 12 full res pics before I have to pull them off the camera and I am lazy. At any rate, here is the pictorial update:

 

We start with the worst of the pics. My little perc was very unhappy with the macro focus light and insisted on staying at the back of the tank under the AC70 spillway.

 

 

 

 

This is a pic of the mat that I have growing on part of my LR. I am not sure what it is, but it is tough and is connected to the rock by fibers.

 

 

 

 

Here is an updated pic of the front Madracis colony. I may be able to get a pic of the back colony if I am clever. You can see that some of the front polyps are smaller than the rear-left ones, that is because they are new.

 

 

 

 

They may be reaching, but they are happy enough to have spawned a new one.

 

 

 

 

Here is Big Purple and one of its offspring below and to the right.

 

 

 

 

Here is my hardy purple chalice. It hasn't been as puffed out these last few days, but you can see that it still has its tissue extended past the edges of the skeleton.

 

 

 

 

Here are the 10-12 new polyps that sprouted off the Friar Tuck piece of living tissue that was left after I accidentally sucked it up into the siphon tube and then drove it 700 miles, in the dark, upside down in the sand.

 

 

 

 

And here is the obligatory FTS. Right now the tank is on the floor and if I could find a stand for my 20L, I would move everything over to it.

 

[drowsyfirefly]

I have to say I love the fact that your chaeto and other macroalgae is just hanging out in there--I don't think it's ugly (it's pretty neat, I'd say) and I may be doing the same thing as I don't think I can mod my biocube to get a light for the chaeto to use. Also--well, why the heck not? I'd also like to get some other types of macros, which ones do you have--they all look amazing. I think you may have mentioned their names but I just read through ten pages of a very dense thread, so cut me a little slack.

 

I absolutely LOVE your tank...just for the record. Plants + corals + clownfish =

 

--Meghan

 

And I think you should have had a new baby right about now, so I doubt you're getting any sleep as it is and don't have time for n-r. Can't wait for your triumphant return!

[Mr. Fosi]

Thanks very much!

 

Right now I have Chaetomorpha and Gracilaria but I am working on getting some red kelp, ulva, and codium as well. I keep thinking I should just go the whole way and put a light back on top of the AC70, but I can't justify spending the $$ right now.

 

I really want to get a friggin stand for my 20L and get it setup. If my wife and I can keep expenses down for a couple weeks, I may be able to scrape the $$ together. If I were to get it all setup, I wouldn't need to buy a new light for the chaeto, I would just use use what I have over the 5.5g over a 10g sump.

 

I have everything I need, execept for the stand...

 

I don't know what I will do with this little 5g after I move everything. I was thinking of keeping it as a small quarentine/hospital tank or plumbing it in to the 20L+10g system as a remote prop tank. I think the prop tank idea is a little far-fetched since I would want to display frags rather then hide them in a prop tank.

 

EDIT: Damn spelling and grammer errors! All the experienced dads were right, I did't get much sleep last night.

[drowsyfirefly]

EDIT: Damn spelling and grammer errors! All the experienced dads were right, I did't get much sleep last night.

 

Hahaha. We forgive you. Thanks for the names!

 

Unfortunately tank is still a-cyclin' so it will be a while before I want to spend $$$ to put anything in there that might not make it.

 

Good luck getting a stand--I'm sure you'll be able to do it.

 

--Meghan

[bluebastion]

Hey Fosi,

 

We should meet sometime.

[Mr. Fosi]

Are you in SC?

[nanospoof]

ALL SC (South Carolina) reefers should get to gether some time and show up the other SC (SoCal) reefers. anyway congrats on the baby fosi!

[bluebastion]

Are you in SC?

 

 

Holy Crap Fosi... have you forgotten already?

[Mr. Fosi]

Dude, you have to forgive me.

 

I am running on 3 hours of sleep and a full day of classes, so I am a little out of it.

 

I am thinking about getting in a local reef club, but I only know of one. Are there others?

 

EDIT: Thanx spoof! It's a lot of work and he is only a week and a half old.

[bluebastion]

Reference Page 9...

 

I know where you live. Actually my wife is getting me some KFC hot wings after night school right outside your "neighborhood" entrance.

[The Propagator]

LUKING GUUD MAINE !!!

[Mr. Fosi]

Prop: You are too much maine.

 

Blue: Ahh yes! I have told that joke about 5 times since then.

 

I'm down with an SC reefer get-together. It's too bad there are never any frag swaps down here.

[bluebastion]

Prop: You are too much maine.

 

Blue: Ahh yes! I have told that joke about 5 times since then.

 

I'm down with an SC reefer get-together. It's too bad there are never any frag swaps down here.

 

Tell you what... if we meet, I'll give you about 6 lbs. of LR and some LR rubble. Also you can have the zoos and mushrooms on the rocks (that have survived that is).

 

This is stock from my highly neglected 2.5.

[The Propagator]

Hey Mr. Fosi, There is a BIG frag swap the Cincy reef club is hosting at the end of this month here in Ohio.

It may be worth the drive for you? How far are youfrom the Ohio border?

There is usaly around 60-70 vendors there and over 300 people a day Its a 2 day wekend event.

 

Joe from Marine Solutions Inc. starts marking stuff down in a HUGE way ESPECIALY CLAMS!!! ( but not maximas ) towards the end of the swap so he dosent have to lug it all back.

[bluebastion]

Also forgot to mention... it's pod city.