Howaboutme's Return - Waterbox PM15 UNS 75s

[tpallas]

It's good, throw a tang in there.

[howaboutme]

42 minutes ago, tpallas said:

It's good, throw a tang in there.

 

Once it outgrows Alans pico.

[howaboutme]

On 2/1/2021 at 4:14 PM, howaboutme said:

I'm officially all over the place. Took on another project.

 

I obtained a very old MP10 wES dry side only with a manufacturer date in 2/8/11! I had to pay shipping plus a few bucks but I got a "working" dry side for next to nothing.

 

 

The only issue (and I knew about it) was that it is loud but not surprised for being this old. So I tore it apart to get access to the bearings (more confirm the size) and to make sure nothing was wrong:

 

 

Ordered 2 of these from Boca to replace. The were darn hard to get out and I scratched the rotor a few times. Hoping that doesn't affect the balance at all. We'll see. Once I replace the bearings to make sure the noise is gone, I'll look into procuring a wet side. Any wet side can work in this case.

 

Next I made sure it has the RF module. Check!

 

 

Having this means it will work with 3rd party controllers. Fun stuff.

 

I just wasted a few bucks messing w/ the dry side. I received the new bearings but in trying to get them installed I accidentally pulled the wires from the power cord out of the motor. Such a shame. It's going into a parts bin for the future. I wasn't planning on using this for my nano anyways as the Nero 3 is plenty. I just can't stand the BT connection.

[howaboutme]

 

Still cycling but I think I'm almost done.

 

I'm continuing to get the infamous .25/.5ppm for NH3 on API. I've never had anything above 0 for NO2 and am slowly getting my NO3 up the last few days. I'm now up to between 5 and 10ppm on API and between 2.5 and 5ppm on Salifert. In other words, the tank is moving along and likely "cycled". I do wonder why I don't get any higher numbers and I believe it's because I am exclusively ghost feeding and not dosing any additional NH3 (or adding other chems for that matter). I think it's because my tank is processing that little amount of reef flakes efficiently which is why none of my #'s are high nor am I getting any NO2 (I'm assuming the .25/.5 NH3 on API is a false positive). The raising of NO3 gives me confidence that I am where I need to go or be.

 

So, as I twiddle my thumbs I'm also continuing to do research. So much has changed (IMO) the last few years that I've been out. Did you know that NO2 (Nitrite) is now considered NOT toxic to marine fish? I thought it was a recent finding but sure enough, I found an article by RHF dated in ~2006 that stated just that. NO2 is toxic to fresh water fish but not to marine fish. How about that?

 

The above picture has the light at a very low intensity (less than 10%). This was for show but I am going to start turning my lights on at that intensity for 3 or 4 hours in the next few days. Reason?

 

1. To enjoy the tank.

2. To actually encourage some growth of algae.

 

Why? My plan is to first add some snails to kick things off. They will be in by themselves for at least a week, if not longer, as I continue to monitor the status of the tank. Since the tank started sterile, they've got to eat something! There's already some dust on the glass from the ambient room light (you can see in the pict above) that I won't clean and I wouldn't mind some more to keep the future CUC members happy.

[howaboutme]

Almost ready....

 

[AndrewRyan]

 
So, as I twiddle my thumbs I'm also continuing to do research. So much has changed (IMO) the last few years that I've been out. Did you know that NO2 (Nitrite) is now considered NOT toxic to marine fish? I thought it was a recent finding but sure enough, I found an article by RHF dated in ~2006 that stated just that.

I read the same article, I think. Something about the higher PH making it not toxic or something to that effect. Coming from freshwater tanks and some of them at higher PH (African Cichlids) that was news to me.

Tank and setup look great! Just curious, why the decision to go with snails first? Also, what snails you think about about going with?

Fun watching your progress!


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[howaboutme]

Thanks Andrew!

 

Why snails first? I don't have a good scientifically backed answer except that's what I did last time and what people recommended then. My thinking is that the snails are an easy and low risk way to increase the bioload and confirm the tank is doing okay. They clear the initial algae bloom (though I have very little which is why I've turned on the lights to help increase it a bit, famous last words...) which is helpful.

 

I added my clean up crew yesterday. The snails I wanted to get were nassarius, ceriths and astrea. They are small and look different and cheap. I have a small tank so larger snails will look a bit out of place. Once I have algae (if), I do love turbos but they can clear out a tank fast and I'll need to rehome them. In addition to snails I did get blue legged hermits. I debated for a few days to myself on this and decided to do it for the entertainment aspect. (I chose not to for my first tank.) They are cool to look at but they can cause trouble if not well fed. I'm now debating if I made the right decision because they love to toss snails upside down causing me to have a to flip them back over.....Ugh. I'll have to keep an eye out once corals go in too.

 

Side note: Part of my issue is that I asked for 2 hermits but also asked the LFS to  "throw in some empty shells". Well, they did that but also threw in 2 extra crabs so now I have 4 in a relatively clean tank. They did do a good job cleaning the rocks over night so now I think I need to get some pellets to drop down there for them to feed on until I get more bioload. Fun times, sorry for the ramble. (PS, do not get red-legged if you decide.)

[howaboutme]

It was my turn for one of the WAMAS PAR meters. I was surprised it got to me this soon but now is better than any to figure out lighting before I have any corals in. There is one negative though because I'm not able to have a visual baseline on how corals are doing. That said, the readings can serve as a starting point for future adjustments and once I get things established, check again and everything will be relative to these numbers. Thanks to AlanM for helping. I had a few brain f@rts working with this meter.

 

I have to say, I was a bit surprised at the #'s below. I thought they'd be higher considering I tested my light at likely a higher setting than what I'm likely to use. All blue spectrums were  near 100% (in AI HD, it's actually higher which makes baseline comparisons hard), less than 50% whites and little to no green/red.

 

 

Clearly the light is strong directly under but it does trail off fast when you start to move away from the center. The 240 at the top left is great but the 190 is a head scratcher as are the 2 other #'s on the main rock. I listed the # just below the water surface to serve as a baseline. Light is about 10" above the water line. I'm a firm believer in visuals so only the eye will tell what is appropriate but glad I got a chance to play with the meter.

[howaboutme]

More...

 

32 days after initial start of cycling, these 2 beauties are in!

 

 

I went to Reef Escape knowing they had quarantined fish. Plus, I hadn't been there in over 7 years. They didn't have a huge variety but I did find a combo that I really liked and felt comfortable adopting. Although I was hoping for 2 juveniles so they can duke it out themselves in my tank, I couldn't pass up a larger (assumed female) Black Ice and a smaller Black and White (assumed male). The above is just after introduction into the tank (no lights) and below is a bit later (lights on) to show that they are already inseparable. Who knew pairing was that easy?

 

 

The Black and White is supposed to slowly turn all black and white and lose it's orange in the next year. It'll be cool to see this transformation. My kids are happy!

 

Side note...I got to catch up with Dave Lin, one of the old WAMAS members and ex officers. The shop is doing something right with him helping to run the show.

 

[howaboutme]

A picture with no lights but the ambient from the room below. I like this because it gives a clear view of how the tank looks at ~4.5 weeks.

 

 

As you can see, no diatoms or noticeable algae (yet). There is a small amount on the glass and what little there was were taken cared of by my hermits (I assume). I kept my lights off for most of the cycle until the 3rd week when I slowly turned on the lights at a very small intensity and period. I'm now slowly increasing both the intensity and the photo period to try and beat out any of the ugly phases. Will do that a few more weeks and then see what happens.

Part of this process is trying to see if old live (as good as dead) rock can still leach PO4. When these rocks were first use, I definitely had some bad uglies.

 

Lastly I'm only checking NO3 right now and it's a bit higher than I'd like (~20 to 25ppm w/ Salifert prior to water change). I think it's high from just processing all of that uneaten food. Always a balance of input vs output and even harder to figure out input when only using food for NH3 and no instructions from the side of a bottle. I probably could have "fed" less. I'm going to want to get it down to ~10 ish as a baseline for corals, will continue to do larger changes until a nice input/output balance is achieved. Will likely put a skimmer in there at some point, sill TBD.

[howaboutme]

Build progressing....

 

Although a bit earlier than I had planned (or ahead of schedule if you're spinning it in a positive light) I couldn't pass up @ccurnick rainbow BTA. My plan was to always do a BTA sometime after introduction of the clowns and before any noticeable amount of corals. Two reasons...1) to allow the nem plenty of space to move until solidified and 2) so the clowns can only have one option to get hosted. The 2nd one has no scientific or personal experience to back that claim up. Just my way of trying to force nature.

 

(Note that I'm still trying to figure out the photo routine. I'm color correcting as well as I can with my phone app but the color is still not exactly what my eye see.)

 

Soon after introduction:

 

The name has a green base. Unfortunately none of the photos show it very well or at all.

 

 

Knowing that nems usually like to anchor their foot to the underside of a rock (like an overhang) and wanting it to be in prime location, I placed it just to the left of where you see it above and on top of that rock. Luckily, it only moved a bit to the right and secured itself there.

 

Starting to open up a night under blues:

 

 

Earlier today:

 

Plump

 

I jumped on the nem because it is a perfect size (small) and a bit more unique than a standard rbta but not outrageous. Let the hosting begin!

 

In addition to the nem, I got a couple of sticks to test a few things. 1) my water quality and 2) my coral introduction routine. The latter is still much to be desired. The two sticks are: WWC Toxic Aussie Green Slimer and a WWC Yellow Tips.

 

My initial plan is to try and break every stick off of the frag plug, if possible, and re glue it onto a fresh plug. Again, all in the name of keeping my tank as clean as possible. The slimer is a decent size and it has already started to encrust the plug so I decided not to mess with it. The yellow tips was small, not encrusting so seemed doable so I did. Unfortunately, I was not very elegant at it and really stressed it with breaking it off and then re gluing it. In addition to all of the above, I dipped both in a bath of Revive and then rinsed before introduction. Both are sitting on a frag rack with good flow and decent light. At this point, I do not think the yellow tips will make it as I'm starting to see STN. Slimer is happy with tons of polyp extension. Time will tell.

 

Other things.... I ramped up my light dramatically for the above. I have a longer light period and have increased intensity for about 5hrs. Again, just to start. I'm likely not at what my ultimate intensity will be. Still no algae but I see nice spots (sponges) on the rocks, a good sign. (I think my hermits are tearing up any sign of algae but can't prove it.) My NO3 is still a bit high (20 ish) so continuing to get my feeding and exportation routine to get that under control. Thinking of introducing a skimmer in the near future.... Now for clown news...They go from can't staying away from each other to not being anywhere near each other. They are truly clowns but anything but paired.

 

Edited February 28, 2021 by howaboutme

[ccurnick]

Glad to hear the BTA and green slimer are doing well. I hope the yellow tip acro pulls through for you. It's been fairly hardy for me and recovered from points where I thought I completely lost it. If it doesn't make it, I can hook you up with another if you ever pick up frags from me again!

[howaboutme]

22 minutes ago, ccurnick said:

Glad to hear the BTA and green slimer are doing well. I hope the yellow tip acro pulls through for you. It's been fairly hardy for me and recovered from points where I thought I completely lost it. If it doesn't make it, I can hook you up with another if you ever pick up frags from me again!

 

Appreciate it but this one is all me. Hoping it pulls through but yes to more frags in the future....?

[howaboutme]

Good news in the world of dating. Clownfish mating dance was evidenced by me! Things are moving along...

[AndrewRyan]

Coming along well! Enjoying following your process.


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[howaboutme]

49 minutes ago, AndrewRyan said:

Coming along well! Enjoying following your process.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks buddy! I appreciate it. How is yours coming along? I think another update is due.....

 

Also, the larger clown is showing interest in the new nem. That would be a record if hosting duties start this early. 

[YHSublime]

Watching this build take off the line like a Ferrari. 

 

Congrats, Jack, looks like things are moving in the right direction. 

[howaboutme]

1 minute ago, YHSublime said:

Watching this build take off the line like a Ferrari. 

 

Congrats, Jack, looks like things are moving in the right direction. 

 

Thanks buddy! I have to be honest. I'm scared s-less of the uglies... I know they're coming. But in the meantime, all seems to be as planned, crossing fingers.

[YHSublime]

Even though your tank may have cycled, you're still at the very, very, very, very beginning of stages. I'd put my seatbelt on if I were you  

[howaboutme]

30 minutes ago, YHSublime said:

Even though your tank may have cycled, you're still at the very, very, very, very beginning of stages. I'd put my seatbelt on if I were you  

 

Agreed! But trying to manipulate those stages as much as I can. Hold on!

[Yachaq]

Having gone through those ugly phases I can attest they are really a rollercoaster. Had a bad issue of hair algae that took forever to clear, followed by dinos and cyano. It was not pretty, but having the seatbelt on (love the analogy) and going for the ride worked well at the end. 

[howaboutme]

53 minutes ago, Yachaq said:

Having gone through those ugly phases I can attest they are really a rollercoaster. Had a bad issue of hair algae that took forever to clear, followed by dinos and cyano. It was not pretty, but having the seatbelt on (love the analogy) and going for the ride worked well at the end. 

 

Tanks for checking in Jose!

 

I'm getting stressed! No, just kidding.  I've done a few things to manipulate the maturation process based on my past experience so I'm interested in seeing what happens. I have no clue but excited to continue the race.

 

Just tested NO3 and am now finally down to 10ppm. Took a lot of water changes to get there but I'm now down to a # I'm comfortable with as a baseline. Any purposeful adjustments (up or down) will be based on coral health.

 

Speaking of coral, slimer below taken a bit earlier.

 

I'm continuing to try to work out my picture taking work flow with my Pixel. For the pic below I used a post process app called Snapseed. It seems to do a decent job at color correcting. It's close to what I see with my eye but still not 100%. There's a bit more green in the stalk IRL. I also zoomed in a bit too much so you can see the noise. I think I'm going to get some clip on filters.

 

 

I'm going to try and take periodic photos to track progress. My main interests here is continued growth but also color. I'm looking for the stalk turn green (or at least not brown) and will make adjustments based on visuals. I'll probably need another stick (maybe a birdsnest) so I can have 2 or 3 base points for testing.

Edited March 1, 2021 by howaboutme

[tpallas]

Are you dosing 2 part at all? Or just water changes?

[howaboutme]

44 minutes ago, tpallas said:

Are you dosing 2 part at all? Or just water changes?

 

The plan is to do water changes for as long as possible. If that can't maintain parameters then I will dose through my controller.

 

This is a good topic because there is both a PH and an ALK depression for a new tank because of the nitrogen cycle so when you (or I) test, we may get a false sense that our corals (or lack thereof) may be consuming Alk. It is likely not. Because I can watch PH continuously, I can see this, very subtle though. Just recently in the last day or so my PH has started to rise, perhaps indicating another level of maturation? All anecdotal of course.

[WheresTheReef]

I cut all corals off their plugs, even encrusted ones. Both for biosecurity, and my absolute hatred of the way they look in a tank when planted on rock. Frag plugs on a rack are a different story. Get some bone cutters and in the future frags will pop off very easily from plugs. The amount of coral left behind from plug removal is usually very minimal once you do it a few times.

 

I actually like to glue new coral onto rock rubble. This allows the coral to encrust while giving me the flexibility to move it around if needed. Just glue the rock rubble onto the plug or onto the main rock to hold it in place.