this is frustrating

[treesprite]

I had accidentally messed up my aquascaping, so was scrubbing off those rocks that got messed up from the structure. When I was putting them back, I messed up the other end of the rockwork. So then I scrubbed all of that. So far, since Sunday, I have worked on the tank rocks about 12 hours Sunday/Monday, and 6 hours Monday/Tuesday, so during these couple of days I have only had 4 hours of sleep total. I am STILL not done, just got home from work at 11pm, and need to get the rest of this done because my corals are laying all over the place.

 

I can't figure out what to do with my liverock. I think I should get some more, but I don't want to have to cycle it, and don't was to risk putting anything weird into the tank. I wasted nearly a whole tube of epoxy because I didn't like what I put together so I took it back apart, and because I kept taking too long between the mixing and the using.

 

I really don't want to leave the tank like this, but I'm so sleepy I feel like I'll collapse.

[gmubeach]

Wow and you had such pretty rock work I know your efforts will pay off!

[trockafella]

I wouldnt see the need to cure dry rock (macro etc), your system is established enough to support adding some new pieces. You will see a slight algae bloom on those rocks, but it doesnt last long..

 

 

[treesprite]

My rockwork will NEVER look the same! I was really happy with the old look, except the one rock is too bulky (no natural arching to it - been tempted to chip away to give more dimension). I did get the one rock turned more upright at a slight angel - that rock is perfect, when turned that way, for at least several corals.... this is the direction it was intended for when I bought it (from Mr. Coral about 1.5 years ago). I was at a shop with Holly and looked at some rock, but everything was too bulky with no interesting features.

 

I worked on the tank for about 3 hours, from about 1:30 to 4:30am. I've got to be up in a couple hours, but I will be away over night, so I needed to do at least something, even though it was practically nothing if you go by how the tank looks (looks the same as last night, but most of the corals are off the sand and I have a better idea of what I'm working with as far as turning different rocks different ways). I don't know why it's taking me so long!

 

While I have been doing this, first one of my chromis disappeared. I saw it in the sump and it wouldn't let me catch it, so I left it alone. Then this morning (yesterday?) discovered that another is missing... I looked in the sump for it and the first one, and can't see either one of them. They could not have gotten past the baffles to the side to then get over the overflow to the refugium, and I didn't see any fish on the foor, but maybe they jomped out and landed in a spot I can't see behind the sump's stand.

 

Aquarium life is such an ordeal!

[Guest thefishman65]

Don't you have cats. Maybe it jumped out and was a midnight snack? If you like I can help you build some rock. It will take a while to cure, but it will hopefully look like what you want.

[treesprite]

I spent a cumulative total of about 7 hours today working on this tank again - it's 6:37am and I'm just now finishing for the day. I gave up on the aquascaping. I am just going to leave it the way it is with the hope that when things grow out, it will look a lot better, except a few small pieces that are not terribly significant. My son thinks it looks better, but I think it looks like C^%p.

 

I was missing 2 chromis and a firefish. I found one chromis and the firefish in the sump - they had managed to get on the pump side. The firefish was hiding under the pump and the only way to get it out was to disconnect the pump and remove it, and I also had to remove the protien skimmer. I couldn't see with all the flow, so I cut off the big pump (I have a small return in my refugium). I could not find the second chromis - it might be in the overflow... it's hard to see in there.

 

I cleaned my Gen X 6000 pump while I had it disconnected - it was nasty. These Gen X impellers only last a few years - the current one was a replacement a couple years ago, and it appears that this one will need replacement before too long because it has a thin corrosion line that will ultimately erupt like the old one.

 

I've got to go to work in about4 hours and haven't had any sleep because of this tank.

[gmubeach]

Did you ever find the clownfish? Glad to see your found some fish.... I'm still fighting the cyno and grape culerpa its going ok, but its a long and ardoius process!

[treesprite]

I never found the clownfish, unfortunately.

[treesprite]

All of my corals are darker. I wasn't paying much attention before because of the shambles, I was mostly worried because things were laying on the sand. Everything is darker, both sps and zoanthids. Maybe there is a change in chemistry due to the upheaval. I hope they get back to normal soon.

[surf&turf]

I feel your pain. I was adding some frags to my scape and accidentally hit my tower and one side came tumbling done. This was last friday evening.

 

Friday night @ 11.30 I finally give up and go to bed. Only slept a little, Sat. morning I get up @ 6 am and within a 1/2 hour have it close to what it was.

 

Sat afternoon after a little tweaking I'm finally happy with it again.

 

Your corals will color back up, I have found when you mess with them, they will lose some color till their happy again.

[treesprite]

I hadn't tested any params until just now. It looks like the reason my corals are darker is a nitrate spike caused by the big mess. I probably killed some micro stuff scrubbing my liverock, plus I stirred the sand all up. In addition to that, a little chromis died in my tank a few days ago, and I suspect that the first one that was missing probably died in there too (hbh reported that some of her new chromis died too....).