Origami
-
Posts
21,554 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Events
Store
Posts posted by Origami
-
-
What exactly are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels? What is your salinity? Are you topping off with fresh water? Do you have good surface flow? Are you dosing anything else you've not mentioned? What symptoms/behavior do the fish exhibit when unwell?
Sent from my Note 10+5g using Tapatalk -
2 hours ago, yagerboy said:
Thanks! Yes, picked one up from John yesterday
I can't tell you how many times over the years John and BRK have been there to save members' bacon in emergency situations. It's just one of many reasons that I ask people to support our local stores - to ensure they're here to help when we need help NOW, not in one or two days.
-
2 hours ago, davjbeas said:
Thanks for al the attention. I decided to add 4 turbo snails and an emerald crab. I did blast the rocks and changed the filter socks on Friday.
-
Thanks. Moving a tank with the plumbing attached stresses connections. You found that out.
Quickest thing is to just replace the bulkhead. You will likely find one stocked at BRK. John always seems to have these sorts of things in stock at the shop.
You also don't need the foam with that kind of frame. There's a risk that it's going to put more stress on the panels rather than less.
Sent from my Note 10+5g using Tapatalk -
These days, I run Radions over my main display but use Chinese "black box" LEDs over my frag tank. I tend to go through one of the black box LEDs every 3 or 4 years, so I always keep a spare on hand. As an entry-level light, they'll probably do just fine to meet your needs.
-
On 2/18/2023 at 10:13 PM, ReefdUp said:
@davjbeas I hope you're not considering fluconazole yet. You've got quite a clean tank that really appears to be coming along. I doubt it would take much to knock out the remaining algae. In 15 years of reefkeeping, I've only used it twice. Good husbandry handles the rest.
Post #12 says he's not and that he's relying on his CUC at this point, which is what the consensus is. He was merely asking for more information about fluconazole for personal knowledge.
-
yagerboy, can you post a picture of your tank - make sure we can see the bottom frame that you spoke of. If you have the kind of frame that we commonly think about, a foam pad underneath is a bad idea as the frame may settle into the foam (indenting it) and the foam may start to apply uneven pressure to the bottom panel.
And what do you mean you "broke a seal?" Did you break a bulkhead fitting? Feel free to post pictures. They can be helpful.
-
8 hours ago, davjbeas said:
Is there a particular brand you recommend?
No. I got capsules years ago from an online pet supply place. I just searched back then and found a relatively good price, and it all worked out. It has a shelf-life, though, so I wouldn't just buy it and hold it. If you search, try googling "fluconazole 200 mg capsules aquarium" or something like that to avoid getting the human-use listings (which require a prescription). You can generally find the stuff for anywhere from over $1 to around $3 per 200 mg capsule, I think.
-
Richard was good to work with. He's been in the business forever it seems. I've retired so I guess it makes sense that he may have also. My air freight pick up was at Dulles years ago. Like you, I found it easy despite never having picked up anything at an airport freight office before.
-
9 hours ago, davjbeas said:
It is good to know at least what the algae is. I did not know about that medication. Is that med reef safe in that it does not harm corals? I agree it is not bad enough right now to go that way. I currently have 2 camel snails, and a lot of baby snails. I have been doing research on reefcleaners.org. I have found that there are lots of options for critters that eat hair algae and bubble algae.
Yes, it's reef-safe. I've used it myself. But follow the instructions. It's normally advertised as targeting exclusively Derbesia (green hair algae) and Bryopsis but if others have had success with it against other nuissance algae (e.g., Valonia (bubble algae)), then that's a potential bonus.
-
I once had water running along the frame to the front from a leaking bulkhead. Try taping a paper towel along that corner to see if/where it gets wet.
Same here. Water leaked from an overflow bulkhead and ran to the frame where it flowed / rerouted and collected as salt creep.
Sent from my Note 10+5g using Tapatalk
-
With a frame on the bottom, you normally would not use a foam pad. It's possible that the move may have flexed the silicone just enough to open up. Or that the surface it's sitting on now is not perfectly flat. Sometimes - just sometimes - a tank can settle in and the seam will close and stop leaking. About 15 years ago, I had a 55 that I was using as a frag tank and it was sitting on one of those snap-together, heavy duty six-foot racks from Costco or Sams (I can't recall). It had wire shelves and reportedly could hold something like 1,000 or 2,000 pounds. I lined one shelf with 3/4-inch plywood and set the tank on top, near the center. After a few weeks, I noticed salt creep near a bottom seam. I also noticed that the front and back rails (which were formed metal) were twisting slightly - a sure sign that the shelf was sagging (so much for load capacity!). I wound up stringing a piece of all-thread front to back in the middle of the beams and using fender washers and nuts pulled the twist out of the rails and unbowing the shelf. The leak stopped and never reappeared. Eventually I decided a 55 made a lousy frag tank and replaced it, but the point is, sometimes you can do things to close up an otherwise open/failing seam.
-
2 hours ago, AlanM said:
If you want diversity (and a mantis) for your refugium you could just get this:
https://tbsaltwater.com/product/mantis-box-florida-mantis-shrimp-with-sand-rock-snacks/
It ships overnight to your house so you don't have to go to BWI to get it.
It's kind of cool how Richard has made a package out of what, for many that buy his rock, is a pest. For me, way back when, the G. wennerae was a curiousity that lasted in its own, dedicated tank for several years. I regularly fed it a bit of squid or shrimp placed at the end of a bamboo skewer when I didn't have some pest snail or crab to deal with.
-
12 hours ago, ReefdUp said:
Fluconazole knocked out my bubble algae back in the day. It rocks for stubborn algae, but I don't think you need to be there quite yet.
Agreed. As noted in my post, I don't think you're anywhere near that. The information is provided, not only for your arsenal, but also for others that may find this thread someday in the future.
For you, since the problem seems so isolated, I'd first give manual removal and the toothbrush/siphon approach a try. Then, bring in a minimum team of herbivores if needed - just enough that your tank can actually sustain to keep any problem under control. (That is, don't get so many that they eventually starve unless you're willing to toss more food in that can sustain them after they've done their job.)
-
Well, reading and asking questions is a great way to get a good foundation. Remember, there's often more than one way to do things. Also: Nothing good every happens fast in a reef tank. In the end, you're striving to build a stable ecosystem from the bottom up. That requires patience and understanding. Water quality is important - more so for some tank types than others. You can get there several different ways: Frequent water changes, and/or solid, diverse biological, chemical and mechanical filtration. You have to provide for the needs of your advanced life forms (food, water quality, light, temperature, chemical additives, etc.). There's a lot of "stuff" out there that you can buy - some of it's proven, and some of it's a lot of glossy marketing. It pays to understand how we got to where we are today. This hobby, for many years, was driven by hobbyists from around the world that experimented with ideas, and built solutions to problems that the strove to understand. The hobby is still quite dynamic and hobbyists have played a large role in developing technologies and methods used today even in large public aquariums and, for me, that's what makes it exciting.
-
You can also try picking off as much as you can using your forceps. Then, with a toothbrush, lightly scrub the rock while siphoning off the water and debris that comes loose. There is a reef-safe chemical treatment that will wipe out the GHA and/or Bryopsis. I had luck with it many years back when I had a GHA outbreak and finally needed to do something drastic. I don't think you're anywhere near there yet. But, if it did become a problem again, consider Fluconazole. You'll find instructions online. But you pre-dissolve one 200 mg capsule for every 10 gallons of water, adding it to your tank. Do this every 24 hours for 5 days. Plan on making some partial water changes during treatment as the algae dies off. You should see improvement within 5 days and, if not, discontinue the treatment as it may not be susceptible. The results are long-lasting, too, in my experience.
Just another tool in the arsenal.
-
2 hours ago, yagerboy said:
Unfortunately front left corner of tank. Only possible scenario is water is getting through the silicone seam.
Thanks!
Yeah, your call. But, if it were me, I'd be starting to think about getting a new tank, or resealing the old one the right way. It may take forever for it to fail or grow to where it's intolerable, but it's just one of those things that, if it's going to happen, it'll happen when you're not home or, worse yet, on a long vacation.
From your description, this is the bottom, front left corner? Does this tank have a frame or is it frameless? If frameless, is it sitting on a flat, hard surface or a dense foam surface that has some give?
-
Picture? Location on the tank.
Is the water coming from a seam? From an overflow?
If a seam is failing, then caulking over the problem won't fix it and bigger problems could arise. On the other hand, if a bulkhead or plumbing is weeping, it's an easier problem to deal with. Since water flows down, the location of the salt residue only tells you where the water has settled. The leak may be elsewhere. If the leak is light enough, both locations may be the same. But not always.
Sent from my Note 10+5g using Tapatalk -
Agreed. Sounds like GHA is most likely. Especially if it pulled out easily in tufts with tweezers. I've found it easier sometimes to identify Bryopsis while it's in the tank. The water keeps the branches separated, making it easier to see the branches.
Sent from my Note 10+5g using Tapatalk -
I like Rick. He's been in the hobby/business forever. He's also a good friend of Julian Sprung of Two Little Fishes. Not many can say they go back as far as those two.
Eight months has got to be life hanging. I'm glad that you're looking forward and trying out something new. Saltwater tanks are a bit more involved than fresh. Have you read any books on saltwater aquarium setup and animal husbandry?
Sent from my Note 10+5g using Tapatalk -
I can't see detail, but is it green hair algae (filamentous, single strands) or filamentous but branching strands (like Bryopsis)? ?
Sent from my Note 10+5g using Tapatalk -
Welcome and thanks for joining us as a member.
As Eric mentions in the post above, feel free to ask questions.
What attracted you to the hobby? Where do you want to go with it? What, if any, experience do you have with saltwater tanks (or even freshwater)? Have you established a relationship with a local fish store (LFS)? If so, where?
-
Has it been compromised, or was it C0m%r0m153d? A little password humor there. ;-)
-
Calcium and magnesium are fine. There's no need to avoid water changes in nitrate levels become too high and you have higher life forms in the tank. Anaerobic bacteria populations develop more slowly, in part, because of nutrient limits set by diffusion. If you have no higher orders of life in the tank that could be adversely affected by high nitrates then, sure, let it sit awhile. You might even turn the temperature up to stimulate bacterial division. Continue feeding the tank, watching ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels and, eventually, you'll see nitrate stop accumulating and begin decreasing. This is the classic sign if the anaerobic bacterial population catching up.
Sent from my Note 10+5g using Tapatalk
Pest Algae
in General Discussion
I've had small collonistas get caught in my skimmer impellers but never in my intake. They do find a way sometimes, don't they?
Sent from my Note 10+5g using Tapatalk