Fandangos Rio 125 New Build (Kind Of) !need Help!

Because you used Live Rock from an already established system, how long was the rock out of the water? If not very long (under an hour), then I would expect to see very little die off. Resulting in no ammonia spike and so really ready to be stocked slowly.

yeah i took a massive ikea container which was full of pre mixed LFS saltwater.. so they went from his tank into that then the trip was about 40 mins then straight into my tank and the sump...

im gonna leave it for a week and keep checking the water params.. maybe get a phosphate reactor in there as well..

thinking of either getting a small bubble magus NC3 skimmer or just not getting one at all and eventually going the natrual filtration method of cheato and mangroves with a led lamp in the sump.. but not until after christmas..

if i get the small nc3 and a phos reactor do you think that will be enough until january???

just bought a cleartides phos reactor kit for £60 and a crappy skimmer for £20 should do the job until i can get the natural filtration sorted then ill retire the skimmer..

found a decent LED lamp here ( http/fastlight.co.uk/acatalog/LED_Grow_Boards.html ) which ill get and install in the sump.. then there are people selling complete refugium kits on ebay which has cheato, mangroves, and a few other goodies for like $9 which is cool.. might get 2 of them then get it all going.. will have to redesign the sump to fit a decent sand bed in there so the mangroves take hold..

hopefully finish filtration by january..

well i decided to just go aqnd bite the bullet..

i bought some cuc

2 cleaner shrimp
2 turbo snails
2 blue legged hermits.

went in yesterday.. seem to be doing ok..
bought some live food as well so they have something to munch on...

before bed last night i saw one of the cleaners in a small cave which was fine.. anyhow when i got up he was still there but clearly not moving.. and looks smaller.. dont know whats happened to him.. not sure if its a molt or not.. i dont think it is.. i think hes died.. the other one looks really healthy and is moving around the tank and eating things.. tried to get the thing out of the cave and the bigger one nicked it and looks to have ate it...lol

also i seem to have gotten a few aiptasia coming out of the rock now.. might have to either get a peppermint shrimp or some lemonjuice and a syringe.. thinking another shimp seen as though a opening has come up..

all the rest are doing fine.. even saw my red legged hermit the other day so he is doing ok as well..

dropped a shell wrapped in seaweed for the crabs in before tea last night.. and when i came down this morning there was a few having a munch..

doing some tests tonight as its a week now and i will have to do a water change i think..

Smaller? It should get bigger, shrimp do tend to hide away for a couple of days after a molt. Allowing the new coat to harden.

no i ment the dead shrimp looked smaller.. hopefully its just a molt and its not dead but i fear the worst..

Like andy said though, they hide very well after molting, and it is common for them to eat the old shell as well. He might still be hiding.... I Hope

-Tyler

hope so.. would have been crap if he died after 2 days..

did a big cleanup / water change last night and got my crappy skimmer working a bit better.. also started running carbon in a bag which is turning over nicly in the return pumps exhaust... tank looks crystal at the mo.. i couldnt find the body of the other shrimp.. i think the big one ate it..

ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 20

sg was 1024
temp 25.5 / 26

didnt have time to test nitrate after water change.. took ages to clear up a load of seaweed which broke up.. got most of it.

so been looking into my aiptasia problem.. from what im reading if i get some aptasia x and a peppermint shimp or 2 and blast the ones i have there now. if they start to grow back the peppermint should take care of them.. hopefully i get a proper peppermint.. not the different species .. im going to go to the big lfs soon and have a look to see if they have them.

ill get some more piks up this week as ive aquascaped a bit since the last ones..
also should have some more equipment coming soon.. my phos reactor should be in the post as i type..

also i seem to be getting a bit of shock (only a tingle) when putting my fingers in the water... i think its from the lights as it dosnt happen when there on.. im figuring there getting wet.. so ive raised them away of the water and its better but its still there.. any ideas or is this normal.. (theres no contact with the water and all the connections are dry and theres no fray on the wire ect).

piks incoming

I got rid of my two aiptasia, by burning them. I got a small enough screwdriver that would fit into the nems hole. Took the rock with nems on out of the tank. Heated the screwdriver up over the cookers flame and killed them that way. They have never come back.

luckly i can take the rock out as theres no other corals at the minute else on there..and use a soldering iron on them i think.. ill be doing it tonight, hopefully will get most of them..

ok quick update.. found a bloke who sells proper peppermint shrimp right here in doncaster.. which is handy .. getting 3 for £20.. so hopefully my cleaner wont bully them.. i have a feeling hes a bit of a bully..lol

also.. i think i have figured out whats happening with my static charge.. its not the lights..thats for certain.. i think its the power heads and the heater..

i replaced an old powerhead and its hardly noticable now.. but slightly still there..

also got my delivery of copepods phytoplakton and baby brine shrimp and my reactor..

should have seen my cleaner ... he went mental, was eating everything the greedy blighter.. lol wish i took some video of him, looked like he was on drugs..haha never seen him so happy..

got the reactor all plumbed in using a t section on my return pump in the sump.. nothing in there yet as i dont have any phosban..

also quick question..
i bought some cheato today so i can put it in a small holder in the display tank.. if i run phosban will it interfere with the growth of the cheato?? should i be running two or shall i put carbon in the reactor and use cheato as a phos nitrate export..

piks coming tonight after i put my peps in..

Isn't the point of cheato to remove nutrients from the water? I use cheato in my refugiums and do not use carbon or phosban. Ignore me, though, I'm a strange hobbyist.

Why are you getting peppermint shrimp? They're not bad, I've just heard mixed reviews on them. They can sometimes be pests.

Otherwise, really looking forward to the updated pictures.

quick update..

last week i went and bought some new inhabitants.. 3 peppermint shrimps and a orange seastar.. all for £30, found a great supplier for livestock.. and will be using him for all future purchases.. apart from water...

so anyway after 3 days of the peps.. they have eaten all the aiptasia and im now aip free.. which is awesome.. there amazing little fellas..and ten to come out through the day as well.. my cleaner is a bit annoyed they have taken his home.. so he just moved and now likes a different cave to hang upside down in..

took some piks and a video of the peps eating aiptasia.. ill put up when i get home..
otherwise everything is looking good now..

the only thing im having a problem with is the toadstool coral which came with the rock.. since been in my tank its shrunk right back and hasnt opened.. im wondering if its dead.. ill put up a picture of it tonight also..

im getting 2 tangerine clowns for £30 in a week or two.. so hopefully theyll be in for christmas..

piks incoming!

finally got around to uploading some piks..

hopefully getting some clown fish tommorow!! woohoo..

another of symour the star and cyril the cleaner..lol

one of the peps