I've completed my whish list

1wizz

1wizz

AC Members
Jul 1, 2005
297
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16
Edge of the New Forest, Hampshire UK
Real Name
David
Camera Used
Mobile phone P30
After finally getting control of my Nitrates which are now down in the high 20's the next step was to build up my live rock and make a larger cave network for my regal tang and disorientate the old inhabitants ready for their new friend after all this was the reason for the tank in the first place.
I have posted some pics of the rebuild as most of you know this is a daunting task but once underway there's no stopping.
The clowns where caught first as they soon lose patience with hands in their space and put in a large old salt bucket then all the shroom rocks were taken out and put in with them.
All other life was carefully avoided being hurt by just being careful as it was left in the tank.
I brought 7kg of new rock over a three week period placing it in the main display to help keep things stable as i thought this introduction in one go would/ could change parameters.
It has always been my way; patience as i have waited and waited for this fish and i did not want things going wrong now.
I built up the branching coral moved the older, smaller pieces of rock and put on top the new large pieces making roofs on the various caves i then added the small pieces and then the rocks with shrooms on.
I hope it still looks good as it's never the same when you move things.
That's all for now as the new boy has arrived a few days ago and i can't stop looking and hoping all as well as it seems.:headbang2:

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Ahhhhhhhh. Took my water to be tested to a large lfs the results were not good.
Amm 1.2
nitrite 0.1
nitrate 100+
p.h 8.1
phos 0.11
Kh 10
After a long discussion about what had been done to the tank over the last 6 weeks it was determined that the last piece of live rock brought could not of been properly cured, it was a good thing the owner of the lfs i brought it from was not near me i was mad, gutted, upset and very concerned for all the fish, critters and even my shrooms.
I brought 100 litres of mixed to add to my own 25 liters i had on the go and raced home (not an easy thing on a Friday night i England)
An old man i once met told "never do any thing straight away take your time think and way every thing up, a few more minuets can't make much more difference". I have always remembered this so i sat down made a cup of tea and decided to do my own test its a new API marine test kit nothing seems amiss all 0 nates 30+
How can this be who or what do you trust.
So i did the water change and cleaned the sponges of my external.
All seems well but how can you tell?

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Water changes are your new best friend mate....Its a quick way to get them down...As long as there is not a bad source producing nitrates, do a 50% water change and the nitrates will drop down to 15ppm, or should, there abouts....I see no reason not to trust your own results...personaly, i only trust my own results, as i know from watching my LFS that they dont clean out the test tubes from testing one persons water....cleanlyness i think does play a part in getting as accurate as possible results...

Just my thoughts...

Niko

P.S...You from England, you say???
 
Thanks pal, My thoughts too,
just two more questions, with removing the Ehime wet/dry filter i only have live rock and the skimmer for filtration so will water changes of the amount i'm doing ruin my system?
Also what kits do you anyone else use?
 
1wizz said:
Thanks pal, My thoughts too,
just two more questions, with removing the Ehime wet/dry filter i only have live rock and the skimmer for filtration so will water changes of the amount i'm doing ruin my system?
Also what kits do you anyone else use?
Click to expand...


Providing you have enough live rock in there, no, it will not hurt the system....

I use the same test kit as yourself, the API master kit...i also have some salifert kits for calcium etc etc...

Niko
 
Well to update the water testing scenario, I went away for the night (Saturday lunch till late Sunday) Having tested the water before I went and only putting in carbon in my Prizm skimmer as an assurance to myself that i had done all i could, including the 100litre w/c Friday and 50litre Saturday.
I have now returned home and all seems well, tested the water and all's good and even my Nates are steady at below 30 (good for this tank) so i'm at a loss as to how the water tested so bad at the lfs.
I washed the container i used for the test water as its the one I use for thawing the frozen food but it did take over two hours to get to the lfs,
could this of made the water go bad?:confused:
Anyway as I said I think all good so, time to show and tell about the new tank mate as he is eating and getting on very well with all his new friends in the tank and has even conjoled the clowns in to exploring the rest of the tank and coming further out into the open to feed themselves than ever before.
The purchase of this particular fish has been a long consider event (4 years) and although the opportunity to buy one before has often arised the time or the tank was never right that is why the lfs scared me so much with the test results.
His name is.......Gill,:headbang2: and he is the most graceful fish i have ever had.

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