65 progress

[treesprite]

I feel kind of bad because I don't have a working camera to take pics, while everyone has threads of their tanks with all the pics that make them interesting. I will just have to update without them for now.

 

Anyway, I have this 65 gal tank now. Total system volumn is 95 gal.

 

I set up the live rock last night. 18" is SOOOOOO much easier to work with than 12"!!! Unbelievable!

 

I've got about 50% old water and 50% new water between the sump & tank, plenty of liverock, and a light bioload, so I shouldn't need to worry about the ratio.

 

I'm running some floss in an aquaclear to clear the water, which I expect to be fine by the time I get home tonight. If so, then I'll hook it up to the sump/fuge which is the current home to all manner of livestock, and tomorrow move the livestock over.

 

I keep thinking how happy my clowns will be with the additional space . I can't wait to get them moved.

 

An issue is going to be feeding the fish without overfeeding because there's all this additional space for food to float around in, meaning the fish will have to stop being lazy and swim after it. Does anyone have tips on feeding just a few fish in a 65, without feeling like I have to add more food?

 

Looking for yellow and blue fish ideas now to add to those guys but without over-stocking a 95 gal system (65 tank, 30 sump/fuge). Current livestock is: 1 large female tomato clown, 1 smaller male tomato clown, 1 fridmani dottyback, 1 vanderbilt chromis, miscellaneous snails and crabs, and miscellaneous frags.

 

If I can manage to get a camera, I'll take pics, but until then, oh well use your imagination!

[FishWife]

You go, girl!

[zotzer]

Someone suggested in my thread, early on, that "power off" means "feeding time" for the fish. Skimmer, fuge, and one koralia are all on one power strip. I turn that off, and feed in front of the one ph that is still on. Power goes off, and all of the fish migrate to the "feeding" powerhead. Edit to add: it took all of two or three days for them to get with the program on this. Pavlov was a smart dude! LOL

 

Food doesn't last two minutes in the tank. Might be worth a try. It was great advice and I'm just paying it forward.

 

Oh, and how about one of those cute little pygmy cherub angels? They are blue and yellow all in one! Look at Dave S October TOTM page to see several of the cute little buggers.

 

Tracy

Edited November 12, 2007 by zotzer

[st9z]

I use a wavemaker that has a button that turns off all the power heads. Very similar method like Tracy's, my fish knows that power head off means feeding time and the start migrating to the top of the tank. Very entertaining to see them eat so fast that you can hear all the fishy slurp water at the top of the tank:)

[lanman]

I used to turn my water movement off; but decided I prefer to have the fish get a little exercise chasing the food. They know when feeding time is. If I approach the tank in the afternoon around 4:00 or so (pellets and flakes), they all come running. If I come up to the tank around 11:00 with a turkey baster (mysis, squid, fish, etc), they practically jump out of it to get to me. I suppose if I ever get fish that can't catch their own food, I might make an exception - but so far this works very well.

 

bob

[jason the filter freak]

We do power off at work

Edited November 12, 2007 by jason the filter freak

[treesprite]

My clowns practically attack me when I get near the tank. Here's another feeding question.... my female clown could probably eat until pigs fly, so how do I know when to stop giving it to her when I give her chunks of frozen food (she swallows frozen chunks whole!)?

 

I went to put the livestock in the tank and couldn't find that chromis. I saw it a couple hours earlier, and now can't find it anywhere, not even on the floor!

 

Lighting. If anyone has comments on this, please make them. The tank is 36x18, the Nova Extreme fixture is 36" but it isn't that wide. It would be fine since the corals won't be behind the rock where I can't see them, but I still felt like having more light back there, and I have flourescent strips from before I got the T-5s. I put a dual-bulb strip beind the T-5s, but have to tilt it up on the back edge of the tank because it's too wide for the space to lay flat.... bulbs are a T-8 actinic and T-12 10k. Does anyone have any comments on this? Is having the light back there worth having to have the fixture tilted up on back of the tank?

[treesprite]

found the chromis.... it is living behind the overflow box with the urchin

[lanman]

My clowns practically attack me when I get near the tank. Here's another feeding question.... my female clown could probably eat until pigs fly, so how do I know when to stop giving it to her when I give her chunks of frozen food (she swallows frozen chunks whole!)?

 

Whoa!! Brain freeze!!

 

bob

[treesprite]

Whoa!! Brain freeze!!

 

bob

 

Maybe they don't have nerves that can detect cold....?? This makes me want a slurpee.

[treesprite]

I should say good night. I stayed up all night building a closed loop, except I have to paint it black. It goes around the top of the tank.

 

I have a question about it. I had to route the loop around a CPR overflow box that is like 9 or 10", and I'm wondering if I should have an output on the section in front of it. Right now there are 6, but the ones along the back are really close together on the same half of lengtj because of that overflow box being in the way.