WheresTheReef
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Posts posted by WheresTheReef
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I viewed this talk over a live stream. I found it really interesting, covering the symbiotic relationship between the Hawaiian bobtail squid and its bioluminescent bacteria. Figured I share this video in case anyone else finds this kind of stuff interesting.
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That looks like a nut that clips into the unit. Is it threaded inside? If so, you can take it to Home Depot or Lowe's to find the correct screw that would fit it. You might consider stainless steel machine screws to help with rust. You should also match the length of the current screws. The old threads are likely rusted in the nut making it difficult to remove. Not sure if you can use something like WD-40 to loosen the current screws and be able to remove it all so that it doesn't get in the water.
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Do you have pictures showing what you're dealing with?
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Yes that’s correct. You want to cut along the hard skeleton below the flesh. Before you remove it from the tank, it’s best to make it close up so that the heads aren’t as heavy and you keep from damaging them. You can just gently shake it, or blow water on it using a turkey baster or waving your hand in front of the heads.
Your profile says you’re in Rockville. What’s your zip? I’m in Gaithersburg 20879. I don’t mind showing you how I frag them with my dremmel. Little messier than a saw, but very easy to do. Pm me if you still want some help and we can coordinate a day to get together.
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12 hours ago, howaboutme said:
Thanks for the context. I never paid attention to these tests and never realized they tested all of the fluff but very little of the stuff we care about day to day.
I'm sure some use it as an integral part of their reefing, especially for trace elements. I mostly look for possible contaminates and heavy metals that get flagged which wouldn't show up in any of our test kits, but can build up and cause issues.
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Yea I agree, I can’t make out most of those results either. Maybe for the best since we shouldn’t chase numbers based off a single snapshot in time. I do an icp test maybe once per year. More for trends and to check against a sample when things seem off.
Just looked back at the phosphate reading from last month and my Hanna url phosphorus checker gave a 0.1ppm reading and the icp result was 0ppm. So more than a little lower.
I don’t think it’s possible to measure alk and NO3 with an icp test. Fauna Marin does sell a test kit that includes them, but I haven’t used it.
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My phosphate read much lower in my icp results than my hanna checker. I didn't worry about that much. The chlorine reading should be from the chloride in the salt. I believe that number is elevated, if I reminder correctly, but you can confirm. You might check your salinity against a calibrated refractometer. Of course, refractometer calibration solution can also vary. Maybe check against a reefing buddy or LFS.
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How separated are the heads? Do you have a picture? I have a dremmel with some diamond cutting wheels and typically frag them very easily with it. Would only need a saw if the heads are small and barely split.
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Sometimes they get irritated and take a little time to fully extend again. Looks like it has some healthy tissue growth down the skeleton so that’s a good sign. It’s good to monitor the tissue for signs of recession or damage from stress or parasites. In more extreme cases they can lose heads overnight. I believe mine had a bacterial issue a while back and I lost several torches, hammers and frogspawns. Looks like it settled a bit ago and I’m finally starting to restock again slowly.
Did you make any changes to your lighting or flow? What are your water parameters? I would also hold off on feeding it. IME I have found most Euphyllia and Fimbriaphyllia eat very little and can be irritated with too much feeding. Good water parameters and lighting, and fish poop is usually enough to keep them healthy and growing.
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Very nice work!
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Sounds good. Monitor their eating as sometimes their appetite is decreased during treatment. I've experienced this more with Metro than with copper alone. I would extend treatment just a little beyond 14 days as this implies optimal temperature within the aquarium for the parasite life cycle.
I would hold off on immediately adding new fish to the hospital/ treatment tank as something may arise during observation of the fish. There may be a case that you might need to continue treatment on the fish, so it's best to leave the medicated tank in place.
There's always a chance of introducing a parasite via corals or other inverts. This can be greatly reduced by running a fishless QT. This is what I used to do. Now I just make sure to remove corals from the frag plugs and never introduce pieces of rock. There's still a chance of something coming in on a coral skeleton without any tissue though.
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I always observe the fish for a week or two to ensure they are eating and have the strength to make it through the treatment. If something crops up sooner then you can treat earlier. This is where it matters that the fish come from a good source and not in bad shape to begin with.
The link below is a pretty good resource.
https://humble.fish/community/index.php?threads/quarantine.2/It’s worth noting that copper doesn’t address brook or uronema. Below are a couple links worth reading.
https://humble.fish/community/index.php?threads/brooklynella.5/
https://humble.fish/community/index.php?threads/uronema.13/
I also like to keep metroplex, Kanaplex, furan 2 (which is no longer available), and seachem focus on hand.
Nothing really changes since these are your first fish. IMO it’s good you’re starting off with a treatment and quarantine protocol for your fish.
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FYI 29g tanks are on sale at petco for $40.
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You need to make a call. However, if the majority of the rim is touching and it's just the very corner then it's likely fine. You can inspect the silicone at the glass seams to see if it was disturbed. A trick that you can do is to stack some playing cards to create very fine shims. I also agree that those tanks are pretty cheap, especially when they go on sale.
That's also an older tank. You might inspect the silicone seals to make sure that the tank doesn't need to be resealed.
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+1 on the sump volume, but a small tank shouldn’t back up too much more water.
You will need valves to balance the return flow. How is your drain setup? You consider using a drain to gravity feed the extra tank under the stand? You might need to split a drain and use a valve to control the flow to the tank.
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Looking good. Kyle actually gave a talk on Seahorses back in 2016.
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You can borrow the club's par meter. Hopefully this will help too. Sounds like you might have a nutrient issue that higher light is now exposing. Have you tested phosphate and nitrates? With algae growing they may test lower since they are being consumed, but still worth testing. What nutrient export methods are you using, and how is the flow in the tank? Might be worth giving us more details about your tank and maybe a picture.
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That could be a big reason for the quick recent drop. Most dosers should able to space out the volume to avoid interaction between solutions. However, I’m not familiar with the bubble magus. I had custom scheduled mine since I wanted to guarantee at least 1 hr between Ca and Alk dosing.
I placed a small powerhead in the sump chamber I dosed in and that solved precipitation issues for me. I would also check the doser’s calibration. Might be good to manually track dosing to reestablish your dosing volumes.
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When I was dosing, it was never truly balanced but very close. Have you tested your Mg and Ca? I wonder if you’re overdosing Ca or Mg is too low and there is some precipitation.
https://reefs.com/magazine/chemistry-and-the-aquarium-solving-calcium-and-alkalinity-problems/
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Sorry to hear about your fish and all your challenges. Glad you’re still pushing through it all. I feel like this hobby is like survival of the fittest. Always something!
I was actually looking into acclimating mollies this morning. I did it a long while back with black mollies to test for velvet, post fallow period, after it wiped out most of my fish.
Not sure if I’ll do it again anytime soon. Jake Adams has this video that I watched where he talks about his experience with the survival of different species being better than others.
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Really nice start. You planning on adding more lights? This video might be helpful. They go up to a 120g, but you should be able to scale up to your dimensions.
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Very nice! Thanks for sharing.
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1 hour ago, Dell said:
Hello,
I have IM Nuvo 40g that I replaced the pump a couple of years ago. The new pump was slightly bigger then the stock pump and when I put it in it was too big so it had to be tilted/lowered in and then I could screw on the return hose. The pump would not go in with the return hose attached and facing in the right direction. So, I put the pump in, screwed on the return tube with my hand/arm down in the chamber. When it came time to service the pump I could not unscrew the return tube from the pump (at the base of the pump in the chamber with my hand down it) to get the tube off. The tube has to come off before the pump can come out. The chamber is about 20inches deep. At first I thought it was just stuck or I wasn't strong enough so I had a guy (big guy) friend come over and he couldn't unscrew it either. Fast forward to a year later and the pump really needs to be cleaned and almost has no flow at all. Not surprising at all. My question is - Does anyone have any ideas that I'm not thinking of? My first thought was get someone stronger to help, that didn't work. My second thought is to cut the intake tub off and replace it. But does any one have any ideas on how to go about that safety and/or tool suggestion? The space is so limited and the chamber is all glass. I couldn't get my hand plus a wrench or something down there. The tank is not empty, it is up and running - just poorly.
Thanks,
Dell
Can you not just pull the nozzles off from the front and pull the pump out with the tubing attached? At least that's how I do it in my IM 25g Lagoon (with stock pump). Maybe pictures can help visualize the problem a little better. Not sure how you need to unscrew the return tube.
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Pretty fish. I've thought about a butterfly but always concerned about it eating my corals and/or clam.
Hello from Frederick
in New to the Hobby
Welcome! Feel free to tell us about your tank and any questions we can help with. Consider posting in the Dedicated Tank build forum where you can document in detail and hopefully get great feedback.