Here we go < 90g SW build/log/project
- Thread starter EddieJ
- Start date
As much as the wife wants everything yesterday I am proceeding with the moto: The only thing that happens fast is failure.
I think one of the biggest things a QT gives you is a chance to observe the way a particular fish acts without outside influences. In that 4 week time you should really get to know the fish.
New Years Eve Update
Glad the holidays are winding down, kept me running here and there and finding places for all of Maddie's (our 1 year old daughter) new toys!!! The tank has completed it's cycle (gotta love fully cured live rock) and has been stable for 9 days (0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 10 nitrate). On the 29th I added a clean up crew consisting of 10 turbos, 10 blue, and 10 red hermits... So much fun breaking up crab fights and picking up snails who fall off the rock and land on their backs!! LOL!! The inverts settled down after day one. But they are way behind in the algae fight!! The last 3 days I have had an explosion of green algae. I fired up the protein skimmer yesterday but that will take a couple of days to break in. As you can see from the pics it is EVERYWHERE!!
Water Params:
Temp: 79
PH : 8.1
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 10
Nitrite 0
SG 1.024
Phosphate 0
dkh 6.2 <--- Little low?
I have only used RO/Di water from the start. I also double checked my water after mix and it is at 0 trates and 0 phosphate. So the source water is good going in. TDS meter reading 000 on the RO/DI water, it is doing it's job well.
Right now I am running my MH for 8 hours, actinic couple hours before and after looking to get the corraline growth going.
What should be my plan of attack here?? Don't want this to get out of hand right out of the gate.
Since I only have inverts in there, I was thinking about a water change 2morrow and clean out what I can of the algae. Then I was going to keep the lights off for a few days and see if that reduces the outbreak. I was also planning on running some carbon. Sound like a sound plan?? or should I do something else??
Looks like bubble algae to me on the rock to the top right.
Green Green EVERYWHERE!!!
Been trying to direct the Hermits to this field of dreams LOL!!
Is this more bubble algae I see?? looks different from the other one in the first picture.
And of course, just to make matters worse, our friend Aptasia
It's all not doom and gloom... Introducing Frick and Frack, as they chill out in the QT. They are eating well and are very active. Curious little buggers...
Glad the holidays are winding down, kept me running here and there and finding places for all of Maddie's (our 1 year old daughter) new toys!!! The tank has completed it's cycle (gotta love fully cured live rock) and has been stable for 9 days (0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 10 nitrate). On the 29th I added a clean up crew consisting of 10 turbos, 10 blue, and 10 red hermits... So much fun breaking up crab fights and picking up snails who fall off the rock and land on their backs!! LOL!! The inverts settled down after day one. But they are way behind in the algae fight!! The last 3 days I have had an explosion of green algae. I fired up the protein skimmer yesterday but that will take a couple of days to break in. As you can see from the pics it is EVERYWHERE!!
Water Params:
Temp: 79
PH : 8.1
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 10
Nitrite 0
SG 1.024
Phosphate 0
dkh 6.2 <--- Little low?
I have only used RO/Di water from the start. I also double checked my water after mix and it is at 0 trates and 0 phosphate. So the source water is good going in. TDS meter reading 000 on the RO/DI water, it is doing it's job well.
Right now I am running my MH for 8 hours, actinic couple hours before and after looking to get the corraline growth going.
What should be my plan of attack here?? Don't want this to get out of hand right out of the gate.
Since I only have inverts in there, I was thinking about a water change 2morrow and clean out what I can of the algae. Then I was going to keep the lights off for a few days and see if that reduces the outbreak. I was also planning on running some carbon. Sound like a sound plan?? or should I do something else??
Looks like bubble algae to me on the rock to the top right.
Green Green EVERYWHERE!!!
Been trying to direct the Hermits to this field of dreams LOL!!
Is this more bubble algae I see?? looks different from the other one in the first picture.
And of course, just to make matters worse, our friend Aptasia
It's all not doom and gloom... Introducing Frick and Frack, as they chill out in the QT. They are eating well and are very active. Curious little buggers...
Eddie: great thread and you are making text book progress. All you need now is your diatom bloom and life just can't get better. So now that you have the green algae growing in your sand bed...have you gotten any hermits? I saw one snail in an earlier photo. All looks great. And Frick and Frack will turn to Freeda and Frack once they find something to home (like Xenia, Anem or toadstool). Clowns are funny that way. Mine have to anem's and are hosting a clump of Xenia, but they did fight it out earlier in an anem and after killling it one went male and the other female. Now there is a big size difference. Happy New Year! David
Yup, have 10 blue and 10 scarlet red hermits. They were more interested in brawling with each other when I introduced them to the tank. I was like guys, you have tons of room here no need to battle LOL!!
I have just discovered in a little cave in the rocks a red and white crab. Can't get a good pic of him, but he does have some hair on him. Bad thing is I noticed some red hermit crab legs by his area. Hmmm.. Did he take out one of my scarlets? He is not that big.. Been trying to identify him via photos on the web. Still don't have a good match. Not sure if he is going to get his eviction papers!!
Great setup so far. I really like how colorful your rocks look 
Especially that blue one. The QT tank also looks nice and clean. My QT tank is pretty beat up and scratched. Thats why I never take pictures of it. You wouldn't be able to see the fish anyways.
I wouldn't be too quick to blame the mysterious crab for the hermits death. It might just have been a molt. Or a casualty from your hermit battle war
Especially that blue one. The QT tank also looks nice and clean. My QT tank is pretty beat up and scratched. Thats why I never take pictures of it. You wouldn't be able to see the fish anyways.I wouldn't be too quick to blame the mysterious crab for the hermits death. It might just have been a molt. Or a casualty from your hermit battle war
I really like how colorful your rocks look
You making fun of my blue coral?? LOL!!! That is just a space filler for now. Plan on adding more LR as the budget allows. I would have got it all at once but the holidays were upon us and man the budget took a hit!!!!!
"I have just discovered in a little cave in the rocks a red and white crab. Can't get a good pic of him, but he does have some hair on him. Bad thing is I noticed some red hermit crab legs by his area. Hmmm.. Did he take out one of my scarlets? He is not that big.. Been trying to identify him via photos on the web. Still don't have a good match. Not sure if he is going to get his eviction papers!![/quote]
I wouldn't be too alarmed - yet - the first time I saw the legs or even what I thought was my porcelain crab I thought they had 'been done in'. Turns out they were just molting, but boy did it look like the real thing. Hope that is what you are experiencing.
I wouldn't be too alarmed - yet - the first time I saw the legs or even what I thought was my porcelain crab I thought they had 'been done in'. Turns out they were just molting, but boy did it look like the real thing. Hope that is what you are experiencing.
