Ryan's 150g Marineland Deep Dimension!

[Ryan S]

Tank Parameters today, 3/20/2012, 5 weeks into the tank:

 

Salinity = 1.024 (Milwaukee Digital Refractometer)

Temperature = 79.9 (Apex)

pH = 8.11 (Apex)

ORP = 350 (Apex)

Ammonia = 0.0 ppm (API)

Nitrite = 1.0 ppm (API)

Nitrate = 10.0 ppm (API)

Phosphate = 0.08 ppm (Hanna)

Alk = 7.50 dhK (Hanna)

Cal = 440 ppm (API)

Magnesium = 1200 ppm (Red Sea)

 

After 5 weeks shouldn't Nitrite be 0 by now? Can I add a capful of Seachem Prime each week, until Nitrite or Nitrate reach 0? (Or more than a capful per week? Per day?)

Edited March 20, 2012 by Ryan S

[surf&turf]

Could be up from adding fish, mini cycle.

[trockafella]

To much to quick, your tank is no where near established enough to handle that much new stuff that quick. No offense, but thats why they preach adding slowly so that your system can adapt and keep up with the bio load. 19 fish in the first 5 weeks of a brand new tank is a lot. Not to mention your rock was dry rock.. Your alk is a bit low too, so becareful with your new frags.

 

 

[Novi]

19 Fish in 5 weeks??? Ryan are you crazy!! I dont think I am going to have 19 fish in my 200 in its life time let alone in 5 weeks of starting... Oh man

[Ryan S]

19 Fish in 5 weeks??? Ryan are you crazy!! I dont think I am going to have 19 fish in my 200 in its life time let alone in 5 weeks of starting... Oh man

 

lol. It was basically 1 big order. They are all small. It sounds worse than it is lol.

 

They are fine. It's the SPS I am trying to keep alive, not them anyway!

[Jon Lazar]

I'd keep a close eye on your ammonia and make sure it stays at zero. You might add an ammonia badge to the tank so you can monitor it between actual tests.

 

Your fish will probably tolerate short exposures to low levels of ammonia, and longer periods of moderate nitrites. But I would still take measures to lower ammonia (water change, reduce feeding, quarantine large and/or sensitive fish) if ammonia starts to climb.

 

Good luck!

 

Jon

[Incredible Corals]

I'd keep a close eye on your ammonia and make sure it stays at zero. You might add an ammonia badge to the tank so you can monitor it between actual tests.

 

Your fish will probably tolerate short exposures to low levels of ammonia, and longer periods of moderate nitrites. But I would still take measures to lower ammonia (water change, reduce feeding, quarantine large and/or sensitive fish) if ammonia starts to climb.

 

Good luck!

 

Jon

 

+1. I would test ammonia every day. It doesn't take much to take out fish and corals.

 

You could also cheat buy adding some rock from an established tank to help with the bioload. You can then remove it down the road if you don't want any more rock.

[Ryan S]

Thanks Jon (your tanks are amazing. I love seeing photos of them!) and Steve (I owe you a store visit, I promise to come down soon!) I will test for ammonia daily. I'm also adding a capful of prime, an ammonia neutralizer, daily for a little while too.

 

I should be borrowing 1 or 2 pieces of LR soon for a little bit. I should've done that 5 weeks ago.

 

On another note... I saw Jan's tank last week (it's big and beautiful), and I got to thinking about a poll that was posted a couple weeks ago about how important are fish in your tank vs corals. My initial thought was 50/50 importance-wise. Jan's tank is more of a "fish tank" than a coral tank (even though she has plenty of nice corals) because there are so many large beautiful fish in the front. And I think (as its a personal thing and everyone is different) that I may be more of a coral guy after all. Fish are fun to watch and add movement in the tank, as well as personality and different colors, but the tanks that really catch my eye are the heavy SPS tanks. Right now, as you can see in the photo below, I have sections for zoanthids (arch front right); florida rics (back left); torch (front left); etc. I am debating taking the tank in another direction and going 100% SPS; and putting colonies on everything, up high, down low, where the torch is, where the rics are, across the arch, etc etc. And going a different direction with the fish too (maybe removing the powder blue tang and sailfin tang, but keeping the anthias schools and the cardinals). Can you picture the same rockwork, with 2-3 year old sps colonies that are covering everything? Does it look as awesome in your minds as it does in mine? If I make the switch to 100% SPS, I need to decide whether I should get rid of the rics/zoas/torch now -- or wait a little while longer, let them grow some more then do it (it will be a while until i can afford as many sps colonies as I think I'd need anyway). I also need to figure out if I need to make any equipment changes (like adding a 2nd MP40w). Is there a way to make a tank SPS ready, other than weekly water changes and maturity? Thoughts?

 

[STEVE]

Ryan, Your tank will look great in a few months!!! I love the footprint and the aquascaping. The Radions will be great after your raise them just a bit. I am concerned that your corals wont make it thru this cycle though. Just my opinion. It was nice meeting you.

[Ryan S]

Ryan, Your tank will look great in a few months!!! I love the footprint and the aquascaping. The Radions will be great after your raise them just a bit. I am concerned that your corals wont make it thru this cycle though. Just my opinion. It was nice meeting you.

 

Thanks Steve. I will hit up Lowe's this weekend and see if I can find some screws to put through the canopy directly into the radions, as we discussed. This will raise them at least an inch more from the water. I want to have colonies like in your tank, and can picture this rockwork, with those colonies growing out, really looking killer.

 

It's hard when my gf/roommates/friends all want to see a mixed reef (they love zoas, rics, torch, hammer, xenia, etc etc) but I think I am leaning to pulling them all and going SPS. It's my tank in the end, and if it doesn't "impress them" like common, easier, "flowing" corals, well, so be it?

[STEVE]

I would be interested in the torch if you decide to do that.

 

 

[STEVE]

When you go down to Aquatic Obsession, let me know, I live like 10 mins from there....stop by.

 

 

[Der ABT]

i dont see why you couldnt keep most of what you have now, rics and zoa's are fine wtih sps...dont believe me take the 5 minute drive and see my mess.

 

you can always move the torch over on its own island and just keep it far away enough not to touch sps. you have enough room to plan for that now.

 

only thing with sps is getting the tank really settled....Stability is everything, and i do mean everything....there really is not much of a difference between and sps/mixed/lps tank....

 

the best thing about this hobby is yuo can change things around pretty easy, may take some work but it can be done.

 

you just need to let things settle and become established

[Reefoholic]

Ryan,

 

Being an SPS addict myself, I heavily invest on SPS. But at the same time I have a frogspawn, a number of acans, zoas, soft corals (such as pulsing Xenia) and rics everywhere. I don't think you need to choose one or the other. Also you have a big enough tank in my opinion, so why not fill the empty space between SPS with zoas? They add great variety, color and a different texture to tanks overall look. You could also move some rics on to the sand bed. They are great on the sand as long as they are attached to something. Another plus of having rics on the sand bed is that they will help eliminate uneaten food that falls on the sand. I created a ric island where I had the most detrius accumulation issues in my tank, and kaboom!!! my sand is clean at all times in that area now.

 

The hammer coral on the other hand, will add movement, flow and a different texture to your tank. I think when placed strategically it is a great asset.

 

I like your rock work a lot. I think you have the potential layout for an amazing mixed reef tank. If I were you, I would pick some SPS that you like ( many reefers here are more than happy to help you with frags I am sure) and place them the way you imagine your tank to be in a year or so. Then, sit back, relax and enjoy your little tropical vacation in your living room.

[STEVE]

It's not a matter of mixing sps and lps, that is very common...it about his corals surviving the cycle.

[Ryan S]

It's not a matter of mixing sps and lps, that is very common...it about his corals surviving the cycle.

 

I am looking past the cycle. I am trying to imagine the above photo, 2 years from now, and what I want it to look like. (I should've done that before buying any frags really and stuck to it.)

 

Like, with the colonies you showed me in your tank, if those were spread around my tank, I think it would fill in and look like a great tank (IE what yours is going to do!!)

 

But right now - with this mish mash/mix of stuff - 2 years from now, I don't think it would look that great. Sure, zoa's spread on the arch, the torch gets bigger, sps on the top 2 pillars grow upward, and the rics cover the back rock... But with SPS everywhere, it would grow and spread and fill the tank so nicely. At least in my head, it looks awesome that way.

 

Maybe I can spread the rics and zoas all around the tank, among the SPS colonies i am picturing, that's not a bad idea at all. As for the torch, eh... I am not in LOVE with it, but it's a beautiful torch. I am not sure what sps colony on that island would look better than the torch, but then again, I am sure I could find a rare sps colony to put there, that when it grows, would look 10x better than the torch, maybe?

[STEVE]

I think you have the right midset. It will be great when it's all settled in. "Patience grasshopper" You have good equipment, great tank, etc, just need to wait for mother nature....As mentioned above, maybe too much too soon. Let me know if I can do anything to help (or confuse.... )

[Jan]

How are your fish handling the cycle?

[Ryan S]

How are your fish handling the cycle?

 

Pretty good I think. I got 20 fish 2 weeks ago, and have lost 2 cardinals and 1 anthias. May lose 1 more anthias, but hopefully that's it. Everyone else looks healthy and eats well. The powder blue tang and sailfin tang had signs of ich on tuesday evening, so I've been doing a 3 day treatment with ich attack, and last night I didn't see any signs of the ich, so maybe that stuff actually worked. I don't think it was "serious ich" because they were both eating well the whole time. But we'll see. I wish they were all as fat as your fish, that's for sure

[Novi]

Pretty good I think. I got 20 fish 2 weeks ago, and have lost 2 cardinals and 1 anthias. May lose 1 more anthias, but hopefully that's it. Everyone else looks healthy and eats well. The powder blue tang and sailfin tang had signs of ich on tuesday evening, so I've been doing a 3 day treatment with ich attack, and last night I didn't see any signs of the ich, so maybe that stuff actually worked. I don't think it was "serious ich" because they were both eating well the whole time. But we'll see. I wish they were all as fat as your fish, that's for sure

 

Didn't you just buy a Juicer? lol... Get some Fresh Garlic and juice them bad boys and start soaking your fish food in fresh garlic juice. That will help fight the ich as well.

 

I think paitence is def. the key here if you want a dominat SPS tank. And if I were you I would just start buying small colonys as opposed to the little 2" frags.

[Jan]

My fish food has plenty of fresh garlic in it. Have you fed it to them yet? How's the response to the food? I had an emaciated looking tang and in two weeks it fattened up on this food. LMK.

[Ryan S]

My fish food has plenty of fresh garlic in it. Have you fed it to them yet? How's the response to the food? I had an emaciated looking tang and in two weeks it fattened up on this food. LMK.

 

Oh yes. I feed a 1" square chunk each night around 5pm. They gobble it up. The garlic may be helping them beat the cycle/ich as much as the ich treatment, if not more. I also turn the vortech off for 10 minutes after feeding, and the tiny bits of food float on to all of the corals, and I'm sure they enjoy it too. The torch always gobbles up pieces of the food which is cool to watch.

[Ryan S]

Thanks to Steve for the advice, I went ahead and mounted the radions directly to the canopy, as opposed to hanging them from the inside. This raised them from 5" from the surface of the water, to the recommended 8". It also increases the spread over the tank noticeably. I definitely think, down the road, when I get a bunch of SPS colonies in the tank, I may want to add a third radion and put them diagonal in the canopy like this guy did below, but for now 2 should do.

 

 

Here are the radions mounted directly to the canopy with 30mm long screws:

 

The marineland canopy has some strips missing for ventilation which are directly above the radion, allowing the air to be pushed by the radions out of the top of the canopy nicely. the mesh is to keep jumpers inside.

 

With them on:

 

FTS:

[Muddy357]

Ryan I love the look of your tank I would love to see it in person some time and take some pic's of it.

[Ryan S]

Ryan I love the look of your tank I would love to see it in person some time and take some pic's of it.

 

anytime! I'd love to see nice pics of it!