Converting Tropical To Fish Only (Fowlr)

[jameshughes1989]

Red eyes normally mean baddie! Im no expert though.

 

[Yuma]

OK, I'm a total noob, but I'm gonna take a shot at this one.

Actaeodes tomentosus [font="Arial][color="#00CCFF"]
[/color][/font]Quick search of other forums show a mixed bag as to whether or not they are bad or good. As mentioned before, most hitchhiker crabs aren't good.

Here's a link with some more info:
http/www.chucksadd...hitchcrabs.html

And another from reefcentral:
http/www.reefcentr...d.php?t=1786877

There are a few other posts in other forums about them as well, but that's 2 sort of opposing views.

Maybe someone else will have some input as well.

Yuma

 

[rcracer20071]

Thanks for the help guys, the fish tank is going well, nothing has died, Nitrate, nitrite and Ammonia are still at 0 permenantly. Will hopefully have a small internal refuguim setup soon and I have now purchased a Aqua start 320 (30 litre) tank for a quarantine tank which is now up and running.

After much persuation from the girlfriend we got a yellow tailed damsel fish or Dorey lookalike as she calls it. I have read that they can be aggressive, anyone had any experience of this?

Also I would like to get a school of green chromis can they be mixed with the yellow tailed damsel fish?

 

[seffieuk]

I would stay away from the blue damsels, it usually ends in tears!! Re the chromis, you need to have a large group of them to equal out aggression and feed them several times a day or they will pick on the weakest until it is dead and then just keep going all through the group - so I suppose what I am saying is unless you have a very large tank and can house a big group and feed them often, then forget it

Seffie x

 

[rcracer20071]

thanks for the help recently i have been getting hair algae how do you get rid of it?

 

[jameshughes1989]

Ive got some but my CUC seem to be munching through it. It has seemed to reduce since I started rowaphoa. Are you running a po4 remover?

 

[rcracer20071]

Hi,
Here is my new pics:

My main tank

Merlin the clown fish

Nemo Clown fish as he has half a stripe at the back

My new quarantine tank.

Our yellow tail damsel in quarantine.

I dont have a po4 remover (what is that?) - my Cuc seems to ignore it, I have 0.00 Ammonia, 0.00 Nitrite and 0 Nitrate (it shows as pure yellow, next reading would be 5mg which is orange.)

I beleive that this algae is usuall caused by Nitrate or phosphates, well as you can see above I have no nitrate so it must be phosphates right?

Would this be because I have no plants or corals (Fish only system)? - I have got some plants for my tanks and refuguim today, will this help?

 

[seffieuk]

Are you talking about the red algae that I can see? if so, it looks like cyano to me, which is caused by phosphate = poor flow, lights on too long, over feeding, one or all

So, increase flow to the area, look at your lighting, do you rinse your frozen food? Are you over feeding (most of us do)? Run a phosphate remover - but first and foremost test for phosphate and improve flow

Seffie x

 

[rcracer20071]

Hi,
1.) Flow - i do think that I need more flow in my tank (14x turnover currently)
2.) The algae is green hair algae
3.) Frozen food - how can you rise it when it is brine shrimp etc?
4.) What is involved with running a phosphate remover (maintenance & cost)?

 

[seffieuk]

The water round the food is full of phosphates - many people strain their frozen food in a sieve and then rinse with ro water - I however, just ensure i defrost on a piece of kitchen towel, so the water doesn't go in the tank

Phosphate remover can be run in several ways:

a reactor
in a media bag with a powerhead directing flow through the bag
In an external filter

Green hair algae, will be using the phosphates as food, get some more cuc and reduce phosphates.

Seffie x

 

[rcracer20071]

Thanks for the help, I got some PO4 remover filter media and put in the external filter. I will also start preparing the frozen food so it does not go in the water. I will also be looking at getting a Koralia 2 to replace my nano powerhead in the big tank which will enable me to put the nano one in the quarantine tank.

My clown fish got better and has been returned to the main tank. I have also purchase two new fish a Banggai Cardinal and a Royal Gramma (both in the quarantine tank).

 

[rcracer20071]

Hi,
The Hair Algae continued to grow and grow, then I noticed that it was only growing on my artifical reef and artificial rocks, so i took it out. By doing this I removed 98% of the hair algae in one swoop. I then manually removed the remaining stuff and since then I have had hardly any and does not seem to be growing back.

In place of the artificial rock and arfticial reef I have purchased about 15kg of live rock, which has been in now about three weeks. In my preperation for a reef tank, I purchased a new wave machine, so now I am running a 3200 lph and a 1500 lph. I also now have a 25 watt marine blue T8 Bulb and a 25 watt marine white bulb T8. I also purchased 1 light reflector which the coral seemed to react positively to. I am planning on buying another light reflector for the marine white bulb when I get the funds to do so.


I also have got branching torch coral, a clove and green star polyp. I have still had 0 nitrate until I started the reel reef two weeks ago and then it went up to 10. I later found out that I was feeding the coral too often. I was feeding based upon the instructions which said 5ml per every 20 gallons every two days. But I did not twig that this is based upon a full reef and not three frags of coral, so now I feed 5ml once every week which has led to my nitrate falling down to 5 so far. I have done a water change last night and will test again in a few days at which then I will hope I will be back to zero nitrates.

 

[woody88]

That's much better mate! No more fake corals, and more lr. NOW it's a marine tank!!!!!!
If your new to coral like me then may I suggest you start off with Zoas,zenias,polyps etc as they are more hardy and photosynthetic.

Anyone wanna correct me?

Any FTS mate!

 

[seffieuk]

Anyone wanna correct me?

Well, not all softies are, so make sure you research first

SEffie x

 

[woody88]

Anyone wanna correct me?

Well, not all softies are, so make sure you research first

SEffie x

Crap! Getting ahead of myself!.......thanks seffie.

Make a note guys. Take my advice with a pinch of salt! Lol