The official 65g FOWLR diary thread

[Swimfins]

You guys in Toronto? Oh c'mon go to Reefraft.ca.Its new and the people running it sold corals out of there home for years, but now have a very cool store. I hear its amazing.
http://www.reefraft.ca/RRhomepage.asp

 

[Blinky]

I shop around. I buy lots at Extreme Marine, it's close to home and the prices are great (more like wholesale than retail). I also get things at PJ's Yorkdale, since I work there I get a good discount. Our stock is improving (there's a new marine manager) but we don't have many tanks. Our coral selection ATM is non-existant, I'm hoping to see that improve soon. I hear great things about ReefRaft, it's far for me to travel (I don't drive) so I haven't been out there yet. I also shop at Big Al's in Scarborough, their stock varies but the staff are great.

 

[Swimfins]

UPDATE please

 

[Blinky]

Okay, you asked for it
Here's a pic from a while back when I finished the rockwork, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out:

I added a pair of baby V. sexguttata sleeper gobies, they're taking frozen foods well but a challenge to feed. I use a homemade feeding tube to place bits of food under the sand - keeps it out of reach of Sam and the cleaning crew and gives them time to feed at their own pace. I can't believe how sweet they are, always looking out for one another and sleeping side by side in their little cave at night.

The Caulerpa is working out so far - two of the three pieces started to 'go sexual' and I pulled them out before they could make a mess, the third is now spreading like wildfire. I added a Xenia frag that's doing great as well - I've got enough of the stuff, I figured why not toss it in for looks as well as nutrient control?

Sam (the maroon) actually looks under the weather today, not sure what's going on but her skin is a little cloudy/dusty looking. Her eyes are clear and she's all attitude and appetite, so it may be nothing, but I'm desperately hoping it's not oodinium. I didn't QT the gobies; wetwebmedia actually recommends placement in the main tank if they look healthy, as they're touchy and QT in a crowded, sterile tank can do more harm than good. It may have backfired in my case, though the gobies came from copper-treated tanks and I'm guessing disease could have ridden in on the LR as well (some came from tanks with fish). I may be about to learn a lousy lesson

Things are definitely moving along, no hair algae yet but the diatoms have moved out and the cyano is here in force . I went to a big Boxing day sale and bought ten Astraeas, ten mini bluelegs and five Hawaiian hermits - at 50-75% off, I couldn't resist. They're doing a nice job cleaning up, and the gobies are keeping the sand crystal clear.

The sandbed is working, it's amazing. I'm seeing lots of bubbles along the front, which I have learned means that there's denitrification going on, and the levels are pretty good. The caulerpa is keeping the PO4 near 0, NH3 is 0, NO3 is negligible, but there are still traces of NO2. At <0.1ppm I'm not too worried, guessing it's the result of adding too much, too soon. I figure if I leave things alone and keep doing regular water changes things will even out on their own - good thing my pockets are empty, couldn't add fish now if I wanted to!

 

[kobeSumo]

Ugh, I can't use tap water. I'm getting a RO unit tomorrow My tap water is riddled with nitrates and silicates, the root of my brown algae problem!

 

[Emg]

OH Blinky !! Thanks for posting another log thread ! I so enjoy watching what you do with your tanks and the info I pick up in the reading.

Such as.....you mentioned your plant going "sexual" and taking it out before it messes up your tank.....what exactly happens when they do that..and what are the signs of that happening ? I saw some of that greenery in a reef tank at an lfs here recently and thought it was a very attractive addition. I always like a bit of green in any tank..even SW...

I file away all this info I get from you....for that future FOWLR I keep dreaming about...lol...

 

[Blinky]

KobeSumo - I think I'm really lucky to have tap water with ZERO nitrates and phosphates, seems pretty rare. I do test it regularly, and I know I will eventually have to get an RO/DI unit though, as municipal water supply can change overnight and I may one day find myself with unusable water.

EMG - you're welcome, and thanks for the compliment I learn most of what I know from www.reefcentral.com - head over there and read until your eyes bleed, you'll learn more than you ever thought possible! The biggest thing I've learned is how much I still have left to learn.

Caulerpa, as I understand it, can produce two ways - vegetatively, and sexually. When it 'goes sexual', you see the entire plant begin to turn white/clear and if it's left to its own devices it will disintigrate, releasing gametes into the water in an attempt to 'breed'. I've heard it can be triggered by not pruning it enough, pruning too vigorously/incorrectly (ripping rather then pinching off branches), or just looking at the plant the wrong way It's pretty and does a wonderful job keeping NO3 and PO4 down, but you need to watch it like a hawk or your tank can turn into a soupy, cloudy, stinky mess. That said, while some people claim Caulerpa going sexual will crash a tank I've read loads of posts from people who said no real harm was done and they cleaned up after an 'event' by doing a few hefty water changes and using fresh carbon. I'd just like to avoid having to test this all together!

 

[Swimfins]

Hey Cool. The boxing day sales are super! Its last day tomorrow so I'll be heading out for a look. The tanks looks good. I hope Sam weathers her problem and no other fish involved. Would be a shame for the tank to crash now!!!!!!!!!!!! I always think of QT but never have done so...
Might be time to start, as things have acumulated moneywise, and a total loss would wipe out 5-600 dollars (who's counting) plus time and energy.
I've discovered WorldFish...excellent store. I'll post their website as soon as I can. (Montreal). Fingers crossing for Sam.

 

[mrsdorothy]

Looking good Blinky! I am still learning something new everyday, tucking it away for future references. Right now I am in the process of filling my tank. Will let it set for a few days to make sure there is no leaks. As soon as the rest of my supplies come in I will be starting my own thread. Since I am just learning, it will not be as informative as yours.

 

[Blinky]

IMHO EVERY diary is informative, no matter if you're an expert or noobs like us I can't think of how many times I've read someone's diary and they've ID'd a hitchhiker, or pinpointed a solution to a problem with a coral, mentioned a way of doing something that I've never though of... I also love to see pictures of other people's setups and livestock, every tank is so unique.

One thing I forgot to mention, something happened just the other day that was interesting, maybe this marks another step in my progress in this hobby, maybe my husband started spiking my Diet Coke with Valium, I don't know...

The background: I'm a VERY impatient person sometimes, and when I want something I generally find a way to go and get it/do it or it bothers me until I do. This hobby and my type A personality don't always go well together, lol. I'm also a kinesthetic (sp?) learner - you can show me, you can tell me, but until I do something with my own hands it's not likely to sink in. I know everyone says 'go slow', but I had to do the reverse and see for myself WHY they say it.
Lately I've been experiencing the effects of overloading my 30g - it's less than a year old and was probably due for a nice cyano bloom anyway, but I know too many fish tipped it over the top. I removed Sam to the 65g, then the Potter's angel succumbed to a nasty bacterial infection (I now suspect that Sam started it by wounding him right after he was introduced to the tank), and the tank was back to the original three musketeers - a fairy wrasse, yellow clown goby and shrimp goby. I also stopped overfeeding and let the corals fend for themselves for a bit. I assumed levels would go back to normal and the cyano would die right away, but I think the tank is going through a bit of an 'echo cycle' - some of the bacteria are dying off as there's less NH3 to feed on, causing little ammonia spikes and fueling algae blooms as they go.

I have started to see the tank leveling itself out since I stopped adding things, and have developed an overwhelming urge to LEAVE THINGS ALONE. It was miraculous when it happened just a day or three ago. I added a few more crabs and snails to the 65g and then, amazingly, suddenly I didn't have the urge to shop for more livestock, stir up/even out the sand, move anything, feed a little more, scrape algae... I'm just doing water changes on both tanks, rinsing sponges, adding things like Ca and buffer when needed and keeping my mitts out of the tank. Now that I'm not bothering them so much, I imagine they'll both settle down nicely given a little time. Maybe not worth mentioning, but it's interesting to enter a new headspace where I can look at a little algae and not freak out