xeon
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Posts posted by xeon
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Alex,
That is your garden variety bristle worm, otherwise known as a harmless, yet beneficial detrivore. If they get huge, I tend to want to remove them. IMO, they can also be opportunistic omnivores and increased size may change their "feeding habits". Fireworms are reddish/orange from tip to tip.
Keyoke,
Your large beasts... could they be peanut worms? Peanut worms tend to feed at night from a hole in the rocks. (or at least mine do) They look like a conch's "trunk" moving around picking stuff off of the rock.
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This might not fit in the "cheap" category, but I think building a sump out of acrylic is the best solution. You can build exactly what you want/need to fit in the space available.
Alex,
A sump is beneficial and multi-faceted item. Here is an excellent write-up on them.
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Sounds kind of like a Stomatella, but the soft shell and smoke kind of eliminate them. I agree, sounds like a Sea Hare. Here's a link to my favorite "slug type of thingy" id site.
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Clams that small definitely have to be fed. You want to ID it if nothing else to identify what it is so you know the best place for it. I.E. is it a rock dweller or sand bed clam? A description of the shell and other physical charactheristics would help. Either way, I'd start with it low in your tank, especially if you have halides.
To fed it, get a bowl, put some tank water in it and add some phyto until the water has a nice green tint. Do this around three times a week for 30 minutes at a time. Continue until the clam hits 2.5 - 3".
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I have my waste water plumbed into a sewer pipe in my basement.... so I have no idea how much water I truly waste. I have thought about plumbing it through the wall to a container outside or a flower bed... but it is still in the sewer pipe.
I have seen and thought about getting a permeate pump that supposedly would decrease the amount of waste water versus the good water. I'm not really sure if it would work or not(since I'm not sure how it works)... but it does look interesting.
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Yep, the phyto you should be culturing will do the trick.
A refuge also helps by giving them a predator free zone... if you have predator that dine heavily on copepods. -
Jake et al,
It was also nice to see some familiar faces and meet some "screen names" face to face. I don't get the whole Star Trek/Star Wars convention thing, but it is nice to rub elbows with people who have the same twisted affection for salty critters. I ended up taking home a piece of the Montipora Hispida(sp?). I was ready to buy some clams, oh well.
In regards to the red bugs and Interceptor treatment, I ran across some info from Eric Borneman and others on Reef Frontiers. In his research he has come to the conclusion there is no larval stage with the red bug. It also seems to be an unidentified specimen, which he may end up identifying if he can't get someone else to do it. Since there is no larval stage, it seems as if one appropriate treatment might do the trick. With my Acros, I plan on removing them and treating them in a separate tank. In doing this, I will keep the corals out of the main tank for a week or two since the red bugs seem to die off in 5-days without an acro host. Given this time I might even do two rounds of the Interceptor... shouldn't hurt anything.
Anyway, here is the best read I have found.(IMO) There is a picture on page one of the thread with a link to the reefs.org dosage of Interceptor and how-to.. Eric Borneman, who posts as EricHugo, has a nice post on page 6 of this thread. There are also two movie clips on the next page of the thread that Eric sent in.
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Since it is acrylic, the best bet will probably to get it soaked real good and try using a credit card. I'd let it soak (fill the tank) for a day or so and then try using a CC. I'd even be afraid to use a toothbrush. If that doesn't work, maybe some Novus cleaner or Novus #2?
Another idea that might be the easiest would be a diluted bleach solution. Maybe something along the lines of 1/4 cup bleach to a gallon of water. You could probably make it stronger and it wouldn't hurt anything.
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What are your phosphates at? If your RO/DI is fine, that is just kind of the start. What kind of salt are you using... could it be high in phosphates? Do you dose any "supplements"? What kind of carbon if any are you using? I'm just trying to think of potential phosphates. Honestly, I'd really try to find the source to ultimately eradicate it. Otherwise, you could do all that work and go back only to have it come back again... which would really suck.
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Since the Roozen's thread popped back up... thought I'd share my friends experience. They bought over $400 in livestock for their new 180. Of the various items, they bought a Rose BTA. The first guy they were chatting with quoted one price. Somehow someone else got into the mix while they were picking out fish-n-corals and claimed the price was higher. The first guy bagged the RBTA and wrote the lower price he had quoted. The other guy met them at the register and scribbled out the lower price and wrote "his" price in. IMO, it's not really about the $12... if a price is quoted, stick to it. Even more important, don't have a little back and forth price war under the customers nose. Ridiculous!
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You definitely want to to take anything dead out as soon as possible. High nitrites btw are not OK. This is indicative of a few things, aside from the fact that your tank is cycling as I type.
-overstocking
-tank not cycled
-dead organisms
-others
To tell you the truth, I would remove all living creatures from the tank. I don't know how possible this is, but that is what I would do. Let the tank cycle and then stabilize for 30-days(or longer). Patience goes a long ways in being successful. You're 15, so you have tons of years left to enjoy the hobby.
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Do you think it could be your lights shifting color spectrum? How new or old are they? Does your tank get much sunlight during the day? Have you cut back on feedings to see how that helps/doesn't help. I would really hate it if I went through a major coral extraction, rock scrubbing and dark tank phase only to have the algae come back.
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In the long run, the RO/DI will save you money over buying bottled water. Spring water is safe for drinking, IMO it is probably not suitable for a reef tank. Distilled would be a better choice if you are going with bottle water.
At the root of it, most RO/DI's are the same. The key is good filter media and membranes... the housings and rack are just there to hold and keep the water going where it should be going essentially.
Here is the one I would buy... errr I did buy about two years ago. I would add one thing to the order, a float valve. That way you can buy a trash can(container), drill a hole in the side, mount the float valve and make your water in there without having to turn it on and off manually. I flooded my basement twice before buying this $12 item. A TDS meter is another item that is worthwhile. You want to be able to check you water quality from time to time.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...2351113491&rd=1
Benefits of this system: clear housings, Deltec RO, Re-fillable clear DI housing... everthing you need to get started. (minus float valve)
On another note, this "hobby" isn't cheap. If you are having trouble with a ~$130 item, you might want to re-think going to a 90 in the very least. Finding a cheap tank for instance is a false positive. The associated equipment and ongoing maintenance for a larger tank is a chunk of change and time. I hope I don't come off as a "Negative Nellie".... just trying to be realistic with you.
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We're running down side roads... but
I think the real difference between RO gpd rates is higher and/or lower rejection rates. Personally, I wouldn't use anything higher than a 75gpd. I'm also not sure a 50gpd membrane is necessary, although its rejection rate is better... which is why I use a 75gpd. A 100gpd is probably fine though, definitely better than tap. Never used one though, so I cannot confirm or deny TDS or other tests with a 100gpd membrane.
End note: RO/DI = get one
My suggestion is a 5-stage off of E-bay. Sediment--->Carbon1----->Carbon2----->RO Membrane----->DI cartridge. You can find one for a little over $100. Get one with clear housings and a clear DI with/for color changing resin. While you are at it, see if they have a mechanical shutoff valve that you can mount in a trash can or other reservoir you will be running the RO/DI water into.
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I'd like to know more details too. When was the tank setup, how long it took to cycle, what size tank, what kind of filtration, substrate, how much rock, current test results and pretty much anything you can add to the list. If you have die off still on your rocks that produce copious amounts of ammonia when uncovered and/or moved around... that is certainly a problem. If you have a small or non-existent cleanup crew, detritus and waste buildup can be a problem.
In the time being, I'd do a large scale water change. If moving your rock is really producing so much ammonia it is running amuck of your ANN cycle, that should be addressed. It could be a lot of things really, but we(I) need more details. Another thought is what is your stocking list? If your bio-load is too heavy for the filtration of your tank... you will never have a stable tank.
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Definitely will try to be there. I'm a maybe too.
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A day or two shouldn't be a problem provided you have some oxygenation coming from somewhere. What is in the sump? I might even suggest emptying the sump if it will make the repair easier. If you have rock, refugium items and so on in the sump, I would put them in a rubbermaid tub so you don't have any/much die off. I would also use GE II Window and Door Silicone. Per a comment from GE it cures faster... like the 2-day time frame you are shooting for.
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As ongoing maintenance, it is a good idea to back flush the RO membrane. This will help extend the life of the RO. The filters you should replace more than anything else will be your sediment and carbon cartridges. If you have a pressure gauge on your unit and you see it dropping, that can be a sign the sediment filter needs replacing... plus you can visually inspect it. (Provided the housing is clear)
Putting a time on length on their life is tough to do since it depends a lot on how much water you run through them and the quality of the water to begin with. Replacing them (carbon and/or sediment) when they are nearing the end of their life will extend the life of the both the RO and DI. A used up carbon filter will do little to chlorine, which will wreak havoc on your RO membrane. If you want to take an extra step, you could also test the waste water for chlorine/chloramine in addition to regular TDS readings.
I don't know what is really "acceptable", but I try to keep my TDS as low and close to zero as I can.
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If your skimmer is the kind where you cut the airflow on the output of the collection cup and it stops your skimming from bubbling.... you can do this. On the top of some kind of container, place two holes... one for skimmate to enter and another to attach a device with a ping pong ball that will float to the top and block air when the level reaches a certain height. When the skimmate floats the ping pong ball and blocks the ultimate air flow... no skimming.
If you Google "Protein Skimmer Waste Collector", you will see some of the commercially available models that use this design. As a tip, T12 bulb protectors work pretty good for the "ball holder". The other parts are PVC, a threaded nipple fitting and of course a container that would lend itself to this application and be air tight.
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Paul,
You know I would help for sure, but I'm going to be way out of town(Hawaii) until late next Friday. If this slips to next weekend or the following week, count me in whenever.
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Phil,
Sounds good to me. Of the two, I think the Blue Tang will be the aggressive one of the two... similar to what you might expect with a Purple Tang. Fish size might have a lot to do with their initial interactions, but then again they might buddy up immediately or completely ignore one another. Putting fish in a tank can be interesting as you watch how the new fish fits into the "community". Adding them at the same time is ideal IMO, I don't see any problems.
You might also grab some sheets of Nori.
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You are right, some people use Miracle-Gro liquid All-Purpose Plant Food. I have no personal experience with it though. Here's the link: http://www.miraclegro.com/index.cfm/event/...fc7853f91a11165
Since this doesn't sound like a large ongoing operation, the f/2 won't be much of an expense. Here's where I get my culturing stuff from:
www.florida-aqua-farms.com/
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I culture my own phytoplankton, Nanochloropsis specifically. I use two liter bottles as my culture vessels. Keeping it going isn't too difficult. The only work I put into it is mixing up more water when my supply runs out for new cultures and harvesting it every 9 days or so. My decision to harvest is a visual thing.. when it gets dark enough or shows signs of crashing out, I harvest and restart cultures. So, I mess with my cultures about three times a month. You can run the cultures longer by adding more fertilize, but I found you need to shake them often so they don't crash. I'd rather harvest than mess with them daily.
Restarting consists of filling two new or cleaned bottles about a third full of the phyto I harvest, adding f/2(fertilizer) and putting it back in the culture station. If this isn't going to be an ongoing thing for you, it might be better/easier to just buy some already cultured phyto. Using real phyto will be an improvement over the dead "yet preserved" cells in the Pytoplex. There are people on E-bay and Florida Aquaculture sells a nice bag of phyto. Or if you are close enough, I could probably increase my culturing when you needed it. The next two weeks are kind of tough though.
Here is a link to a generic setup for phyto culturing.
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I think I have diagrams for a spray injection skimmer. This is the type Erik was speaking about on making the injector. Shoot me an e-mail and I will reply to you with it. I also have a template for flanges that I can shoot your way too.
Euro-reef RC vs Turbo Flotor
in General Discussion
Personally, I'm becoming a fan of ASM skimmers. Making it a recirculating skimmer is a mod you can pull off for less than $20. Drill a hole and plumb the pump intake back into the reaction tube. Then plumb your overflow into the body of the skimmer. IMO, I think the Euro-Reef "design" is an excellent skimmer. Of the skimmers I've used it seems to to be the most effective. The ASM is where you get the design and the bang for your buck. (IMO) www.asmskimmer.com