elbowdeep88

I got an API ALK test to use in conjunction with my Hanna checker. Hoping to arrive at a reference color that I can use as I make some adjustments rather than keep using the Hanna twice a day. Thought others might find this helpful as I was never sure how ‘yellow’ the endpoint was supposed to be. Tank reading at 8.0 on the Hanna (checked it twice in succession and got 7.9 and 8.0). Pictures of tests using 7, 8, and 9 drops of API ALK shows that you are going for a greenish yellow, not as yellow as the drops from the bottle.

Couldn’t agree more. I advise folks find them on Facebook and join the group so you can participate in the auctions each weekend. Great stuff, great prices, great communication. Happy reefer.

Maybe. I’m in Richmond so let me see if that would add extra shipping time/cost. Would you be willing to make some recommendations as to what to include in the kit and some reference articles for folks to consult? I am thinking mostly fish remedies. Thoughts?

Anyone else having issues logging in? The app is timing out on me when I try to log in. The web browser version seems held up to. Assume their servers are down. Can anyone confirm the same issue?

I have thought that it would be cool to have a few med kits that could be loaned out like the PAR meter. Members could be charged shipping like with the PAR meter then prorated fee for amounts consumed. I just bought a box of general cure for like $20 and used 2 of the like 20 packets for medicated fish food. Needed 1tsp of seachem focus too. That was another $12.

That’s awesome. Do they carry zygotes for a few months like rock nems and that is what we are seeing here? Or are those eggs? I’ve never seen or heard of blue sun coral. Stunning. Please let me know if you decide to frag.

I remember reading in a book about coral farms where raceways were built intentionally for aptasia to grow out in high flow areas to catch stray organic matter. Some folks would rather not have them at all, other folks are happy to have them growing in their overflow or sump. They can be beneficial, but the risks of having them escape their designated area isn’t worth the reward to many folks.

Woah that’s awesome!

Cool. You could always take advantage of your Aptasia garden and start a Berghia farm. I guess that would count as another project...

Interested in this concept. Do you happen to have any diagrams or pictures to augment your write up?

Hi all, I had a Royal Gramma die about two weeks ago of what I believe was ich (see pics of it hiding like a toddler one night). About a week ago my clown started showing signs of ailment too, but it looks different. I know clowns are famous for Brook, but this looks more like Velvet to me, but it has had these symptoms for at least 5 days. I did a 5 min freshwater dip per humblefish 2 days ago which didn't really seem to do anything. The clownfish skin looks like it was dusted with baby powder in some places, with some sugar/salt crystals sprinkled around. Eyes look cloudy. Eating/acting fine. No flashing. Can anyone help me ID either of these diseases? Sorry for the blurry clown pics...you know how active they are... Thanks in advance for any help.

I know some snails will breed in tanks. I watched a bunch of my Florida/Stocky Ceriths depositing eggs this morning. Will they even hatch? Will they become baby snails? Or just get eaten?

Hi Paul. Just wanted to drop a note to thank you for advocating a food-based program for fish acclimation and health rather than a treatment heavy approach. As I cycled and seeded my tank I made up a batch of high quality food. All the usual suspects, but with copious amounts of live whole oyster and clam, with the guts and juices. I got a clownfish. It spent days swimming straight into the current. A google search finds many people saying that behavior must be gill flukes. I didn’t treat it, it eats like a pig, and is a happy camper. (I seriously doubt there were any flukes.) I got a flame angel a few weeks later (known for coming in with all sorts of diseases). Noticed white spots on tail and fins next morning. Rather than attempting to diagnose the pathogen, tear apart my reef to catch it, and administer some stressful/toxic solution, I just kept feeding it. Next morning, still some white spots, and some on my royal gramma too. I just kept feeding. By day 3, no spots anywhere. That was several weeks ago. Anyway, I appreciate your approach of helping fish be healthy enough that their own immune systems can fight problems so the aquarist doesn’t have to. Much more natural and far less stressful on the fish and the fish keeper in my opinion. I think this approach helped me not over react. And I think it worked to help get the fish healthy, fat, and destressed enough to heal themselves. Or it was my cleaner shrimp

So a limpet will move around the tank right? And a clam/mussel will close/retract if poked? A sponge will do neither.

Been cycling and seeding since January. Lots of rock in this (black lava rock), no sand, bottom is rock, lots of tunnels, and fish can swim all the way around the rocks. (Ugly pic below) planning softies at the bottom, some LPS on the rocks, and plating/encrusting SPS up top. Looking for thoughts on fish. Thinking of: Flame angel Longnose Hawkfish Exquisite Firefish Clownfish Royal Gramma? Is there a cool looking wrasse that doesn’t need sand instead? Interested in other rock-crouching fish that would stay low and don’t need sand. Thoughts?

“Elephant slug”?

Has anyone had experience with a Black Line Blenny? Looking for a good bottom/rock dweller for my 40 gal Red Sea Max. These look cool but having trouble finding info beyond the sales pages. Do they get territorial? How vibrant is the coloring? Any issues with feeding? Bother coral? Would be open to other fish recommendations too. Looking for color. Nothing in tank yet.

I am on the other side. Would love to see those two split. Seeing radions and sea swirls when I just want to burn $ on coral is just clutter.

My tank has been up for 3 months (no livestock) and I am trying to decide whether to wait longer before adding CUC. Initially planned to let it go until June so I could: 1. Get equipment dialed in 2. Let the environment stabilize (and learn what stable means for this system) 3. See what sorts of pests I may have introduced and combat them early ---Dec 2019. Purchased used Red Sea 170 (43 gal) ---Jan 2020. Decided on black lava rock vs regular live rock and started cycling in a bin with equipment using the @zygote2k method and nice looking rubble from some established tanks. Added various nutrients every few weeks to keep it well fed. ---Mid March. Set up the tank and have been running the light since then. Been very pleased with the life I have seen that seems to come and go in phases (in this order): cotton candy algae, diatomes, pods, hydroids, green hair, green film, and now maybe some light cyano coming in. Haven't seen any bryopsis, dinos, or much cyano. I have been adding a few small Betta food pellets (wife's fish) every other day to keep nutrients going in. Doing EOW 15% WC. Water is RODI 0 tds IOpurple. Green hair and green film is starting to take over as expected. Should I: 1. Continue to let it ride and naturally balance out, continuing EOW waterchanges 2. #1 but with intentional algae removal/syphon during WC 3. #2 and go ahead and add a CUC I guess my concerns are: A. If I let it ride, will it be too hard to get in check later? B. If I add a CUC now, will that needlessly truncate my tank stabilization period and/or limit algae control options later? Appreciate any thoughts. Not in a hurry here, but don't want lack of action to produce future problems.

What about Blue Reef Chromis (not regular Blue Chromis)? https://m.liveaquaria.com/product/113/?pcatid=113

Shrimp photobomb

Thanks all. I got my 2 PC4s, 2 SL1s, ph probe, and temp probe all showing up in MyReef 2.0. It didn't work on my Microsoft Surface, but works on an old laptop. Aparently the touchscreen gives it compatibility issues. Had to cut off the bus cable of the temp probe and connect it to the temp port on an SL1. Next step will be to play around with the float switches. I have downloaded the manuals and have sound some helpful videos. Thanks @robertmi for the offer. I'd say there is a >50% chance I take you up on that.

Thanks, PM sent. Still looking for some advice on where to go for RKL resources...

I am setting up a Red Sea 170 and impulse bought a used reefkeeper lite with 2 power bars and some probes. Does anyone have a good source for: 1-Overview of how people commonly use it 2-How to set up/program it Things I think I would like to do with it: 1-temperature probe for redundancy with the heater 2-second float valve for redundancy with the ato 3-ph probe as failsafe for kalk dosing (which may be part of ato process, not sure) 4-controller for dosing pump for long slow waterchanges Do these goals seem reasonable? Quick searches aren't returning the plethora of easy setup tutorials and accessory options I was expecting. So any help is greatly appreciated.

+1 wyze