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zygote2k

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Posts posted by zygote2k

  1. Looks like there’s a ton of cyano in there.

    im willing to bet there’s lots more undesirable detritus and dirt in there too.

    Good excuse to do a drain, clean, fix bulkhead, and refill.

    And for what it’s worth, it’s a Coffer Dam.

  2. Do you test your water parameters?

    if so, what are they?

     

    common tests-

    n03

    p04

    Cal

    Mag

    Alk

    Temp

     

    I did service for 20+ years and getting an auto feeder and keeping steady water parameters, will get rid of most nuisance issues.

     

    TDS assuming you’re using RO

     

  3. If you have the patience and want an outstanding tank, let it cycle for 4 months.

    in that time, you should be able to fully colonize it with bacteria and the algal cycle will also be nearly complete.

    Pee in your tank to start the nitrogen cycle and then feed it every week.

    Turn off any strong current and let the hair algae grow into its adult form- will resemble a big feather.

    After that happens, introduce a herbivorous fish to eliminate the HA, and it will always graze it.

     

  4. As mentioned previously, how long did you let the tank cycle? 
    IME, tanks that are cycled correctly allow for more stable water chemistry.

    A proper cycle takes 60-120 days, but most aquarists don’t have the patience for this and end up with issues.

    Pick a good salt mix and stick with it.

    Instant Ocean is great.

    Use high quality test kits like Salifert or LaMotte and keep a detailed log.

    Dose your Alk, Ca, Mg at 8 hour spaces to prevent precipitation.

  5. I have to say that working for Zack was one of the best experiences I had working for someone.

    I was treated fairly and with respect and I had lots of input on designing, building, and maintaining some of the finest aquariums in DC.

    Zack doesn’t have an ego and is well respected in the industry.

    The benefits were outstanding too.

     

    if you have experience in the hobby and/or looking to move up from another service company, I highly recommend working for Zack and Capital Aquarium.

  6. Due to virus concerns, I’m getting out of the service biz and am moving to Michigan to be closer to family and outdoor career.

     

    Ive thoroughly enjoyed the WAMAS community and all the opportunities it has given me, and all the fellow aquarists I have met.

     

    Ill still post from time to time and will be working on my book in the meantime.

  7. And for what it’s worth, it’s because I am sick with c19 most likely.

    Doing well-ish so far, been down 4 days.

    unable to get tested, been on the wait list for drive thru testing.

    not sick enough to go to hospital, want to try to ride it out, but may need oxygen at some point.

    id even settle for medical oxygen that someone might have unused.

    if you have and can provide this for loan or cash, please contact me.

    thanks all

  8. Josh-

     

    like you said in your “I’m back” post- you’re ready to listen.

     

    the best advice I can give you is to Slow Down. 

    It seems like you always rush things and make mistakes that could have been avoided.

    Your tank may have cycled the nitrogen, but has it gone through the whole algae cycle yet? 

    Wait till it grows nasty hair algae and then add CUC to deal with it, then add fish.

     

    Everyone here in America wants everything right now, including a cycled tank full of fish and corals within a month of purchase. It’s just not realistic and problems always occur with that method.

    Just look back through all your old posts from years ago....

     

    I’d suggest letting your tank cycle for a full month at minimum without adding anything more than those 2 hermits.

  9. Leathers don’t attack corals. They don’t have sweeper tentacles.

    Euphylliads certainly do have them.

     

    Is the Euphyllia healthy? if the flesh extends from the head down to the next branch intersection, and it’s white-ish, then it’s at least healthy. 

     

    They generally like low to medium flow and medium to high light.

     

    And sometimes they just close up for a bit for no particular reason.

  10. I use peppermint shrimp and filefish in many tanks.

    If you put 25-50 shrimp in a heavily infested tank, they’ll wipe them all out in a week.

    Multiple filefish as well. As mentioned by Isaac- they eat other things if they run out of Aiptasia. Generally they eat things that look like Aiptasia- maybe they did you a favor and ate all your brown zoas...

     

  11. We have lots of lights in schools with suspended ceiling tiles.

    Ask the school to suspend the lights from the structure above the tiles and use a hole saw to make holes for the cables to pass through.

    Electric can also be run above.

    As long as the lights are a certain distance from the tiles, the sprinklers will still be able to cover the affected area.

  12. As a service professional, I have seen lots of trends come and go in the past 25 years.

    Many of those trends are pure marketing at best.

    The refugium was initially designed to be a completely separate tank placed in a way that the overflow leads to the display tank so that the food critters can reach the aquarium without going through the pump.

    It was also 40-50% of the size of the display.

    Now there are sumps built with a fuge and in my opinion are just a gimmick or a place to grow chaeto. Also there’s a greater chance of calcification occurring on pumps and other equipment in the sump now that there is added lighting.

    UV sterilizers were all the rage in the 90’s and were used in fish farms. They’ve been scaled down to be used on home aquaria.

    They are absolutely worthless unless the right amount of water passes through them. Too much or too little and they become ineffective.

    No need for reactors,  carbon, or other media as long as you feed sparingly and keep your water parameters realistic.

    Like others have mentioned, the K.I.S.S. system works best in the long run.

  13. Get yourself some good, reliable test kits like Salifert.

    Record N03, P04, Alk, Cal, Mg.

    Dont worry about pH.

    Miniature fuge is unlikely to alter pH, so is best used for growing pods.

    Dont chase numbers- it’s stability that you are after. 

    If you’re dosing by hand, then a gallon jug with an airline dripper and use of kalkwasser might be your best bet.

    Theres a great article on Wamas about using KW to replace all of your top-off water.

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