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LCDRDATA

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Posts posted by LCDRDATA

    Out of control algae!!

    in General Discussion

    Has anyone used to peroxide method of removal?  Thoughts on that?  Thanks!

     

    I've had mixed success with hydrogen peroxide; sometimes it kills the algae, sometimes not, but any damage to corals I've tried it with has been minimal at worst. I mix standard over-the-counter peroxide (3%), diluted with 4-5 parts tank water to 1 part peroxide, and soak with circulation for 5-10 minutes. If it's practical, it's probably worth a shot, but don't expect miracles. :fish:

    ATI bulb suggestions and sequence

    in General Discussion

    Oh man! You were little late in breaking the rules :clap:

     

    I was following this thread and few others in ordering bulbs and decided to order these like 2 days back...4 blue+, 2 coral+, 1 purple+ & 1 aqua blue special. 

     

    If it makes you feel any better, on Reef Central there's a ginormous thread on this subject with the primary guru being the "Grim Reefer"  -- the combination is pretty close to the recommendations I got for my 8-bulb T-5 unit.

    Para guard in reef tank

    in General Discussion

    I don't have experience, but given the nature of the product I suspect it would kill any arthropod/crustacean inverts in your system (shrimp, crabs, good "pods"), at a minimum. Probably any worms as well, including feather dusters (of all sizes) and bristleworms. The only in-reef-tank product I've ever used with any success is Ruby Reef's "Kick Ich," and mixed success at that. They have another product ("Rally"?) that's supposed to be reef-safe -- by itself or with Kick-Ich -- but I had a major tank crash shortly after trying it several years ago. To be fair, I was already having some significant issues in the tank or I wouldn't have tried it, so the relationship with the crash could be anything from none whatsoever to directly causal. Unfortunately, with sick fish in a reef tank, generally about all you can do, other than remove them to a hospital setup (itself sometimes more stressful/damaging than the disease) is maintain optimum parameters and feeding and hope the animal's immune system is up to doing the rest.

    VA UV SOS

    in General Discussion

    That's a very high rating for 8 watts.  I would be interested to see how many wraps the coil on the inside has.

     

    There are no wraps; the water completely surrounds and flows past a quartz sleeve that runs the complete length of the unit's center. At only 214 GPH, it would seem the velocity is low enough to give sufficient contact time. You can click on the link in the original post for more info. :bluefish:

    VA UV SOS

    in General Discussion

    · Edited by LCDRDATA

    What are your goals for using that UV sterilizer? Killing parasites? Algae reduction?other?

     

    Algae and disease (bacterial) reduction primarily. The unit is rated for 90,000 uw/cm2 at 214 GPH, or about what an MJ900 puts out (if the unit isn't plumbed directly inline to the inlet). If I'm not mistaken, that's enough to kill everything up to moderately hardy parasites.

    VA UV SOS

    in General Discussion

    Did you test it with a voltage meter? That might help narrow down the issue.

     

    I thought of that, but we've been redoing our closets/storage and I can't find mine. :angry: It's also a very basic one and so might not do the job even if I find it. :bluefish:

    VA UV SOS

    in General Discussion

    When upgrading my 55 FOWLR to a 90, I had to move my inline UV sterilizer - an Aqua UV Advantage 8W - and noted it was time to replace the bulb. Long story short, the new bulb doesn't seem to work, but it's unclear whether the problem is the bulb or the transformer / power supply, although I'm leaning toward the latter. Does anyone in the NoVa area have a transformer / power supply for this sterilizer that I could borrow to determine which component of my unit is faulty? Given that the replacement part is half the price of a complete new unit I want to be sure that's really the problem before I do anything else. Thanks! :bluefish:

    Snail chart!

    in General Discussion

    I've had some nasty hair algae a couple of times, and it seemed the only snails that would eat it were Mexican turbos - no other snail (including other turbo varieties) would touch it. Pincushion and tuxedo urchins help some, but will pick up and carry off anything small that isn't nailed down and will do some bulldozing as well. I've looked on and off at hairy chitons; they're reputed to do a good job if they survive the initial shipping and acclimation/settling in period. :fish:

    ATI bulb suggestions and sequence

    in General Discussion

    I ran my T5s on a 12-hour light cycle with the first bank (two, in this case) coming on for two hours, all bulbs for eight, and then back to the first bank only for the final two hours. Assuming your first bank is the two outermost bulbs, I would recommend the following sequence (front to back):  

    1: Aquablue Special

    2: Blue Plus

    3: Purple Plus

    4: Midday 6000

    5: Aquablue Special

    6: Blue Plus

    'Nem + pump = mess

    in General Discussion

    We decided the very large RBTA in the display tanks needed to move, since it had killed all the corals over a large piece of real estate and seemed destined to continue annexing new territory. So we put in in my cube, and after several hours it started wandering, which was expected. What was not expected was that it would find a way to get caught in the intake of the HOB refugium pump. I was monitoring its travels, and in the ~15 minutes between observations it went from fine to shriveled, and the tank looks as though someone poured a pint of milk into it. :huh: I performed about a 30% water change and added a large flow-through carbon module to the 'fuge. That's been about an hour and a half, and there doesn't seem to be much progress clearing the tank. Any thoughts? 

    Got Bryopsis? (part tres)

    in General Discussion

    · Edited by LCDRDATA

    Bryopsis is soft, but usually very feathery. Almost like Caulerpa when it is growing well.    Below is a photo from an earlier batch.

     

    I thought I remembered something like that, and with a little web research on my own I'm pretty sure that's what it is. How would you suggest getting what I can collect to you? Will you be at the meeting next Saturday? :fish:

    Used LEDs

    in Reef eScape

    Sorry for the slow response. We've been on the set of "Tanked" filming a local installation and are a bit behind schedule.

     

    Make sure you let us know the broadcast date! :bluefish:

    "Loaner" tank

    in General Discussion

    Couldn't you put the snake in a rubbermaid container with a lid? Seems a lot easier than "musical tanks."

     

    My wife says, <<You should put "That's what my wife said.">> She says she can handle the snake for a few days. Far be it for me to contradict my resident wildlife biologist. So I guess no extra tank required. Thanks all! :bluefish:

    "Loaner" tank

    in General Discussion

    Couldn't you put the snake in a rubbermaid container with a lid? Seems a lot easier than "musical tanks."

     

    That's a thought, and I haven't completely ruled it out. However, it's probably five feet long, and if it ends up taking a couple of days keeping the right conditions (temperature & temperature gradient, humidity, etc.) for the snake in a rubbermaid could be problematic.

    "Loaner" tank

    in General Discussion

    I'm wondering if there's anyone in the Springfield area that might have a tank I could borrow for a short time (I'm guessing probably a week, with a range of three days to two weeks). A standard 55 gallon would be perfect. As this no doubt appears to be an odd request, here's the background ... 

     

    A couple of days ago, my wife got a phone call from a friend whose sister needed to divest herself of a large milk snake. My son wanted it very much, and so they said they could bring it over on the 26th (last night). She said there was a stand that came with it and that it was in a standard 55 gallon aquarium tank. Well, when it got here, it turns out it's a standard 90, not 55. So the thought is, move the livestock and rock from my 55 FOWLR into something else, put the snake in the 55, and upgrade to a 90 FOWLR. It's a win-win! 

     

    The trouble is, I'm not sure if I have anywhere I can put the contents of the current FOWLR while I clean out their tank and make sure the snake's tank will hold water. Assuming it does, then we need to do some additional rearranging (the 90 won't fit in the space the FOWLR currently occupies), which might take a couple of days, then re-aquascape and fill the new, 90 FOWLR. In a perfect world, I'd drill it as well, but I don't think time and resources will permit that. If the 90 doesn't hold water, then unless it's an easily-fixed sealant issue, everything needs to go back where it started. 

     

    At any rate, it would be unwise to start playing "musical tanks" until I know I can house things while I determine the 90's status, which brings me back to my original question. It's also possible I'll still find something in the garage that can hold either the FOWLR's current contents or the snake, but a cursory examination didn't show anything. So, any takers? Any thoughts/similar experience? THANKS!

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