Hello From Southern England

[drsquirrel]

Not as small as this I take it?
MicroPump
?

Could take a while with that.

When I said Micro, I didn't mean a brand. I meant the physical size, I have a 300 and 450lph here that are about 1/3 the size of a rubiks cube.

My point is, even a cheap (aquarium) pump will be easily double that, and would empty your vat under 30 minutes (depending on head height, which is your tank height of course). Can even use it to get the water out in the first place.


General bins are around 80litres, you can get slightly larger ones, but most people will say to make sure they are food safe. I know somewhere online selling 110litre ones, although realistically you would only get around 100L in there, depends how close to the top you are willing to go.


A Newjet 1200 is only £10 more (£25) than the 400. For £1 more (£26) you can get a rio 1700, LAC do a 2600 for £23... it's only going to be for changing your water so hardly the need to go buying expensive pumps.

 

[APG78]

Not as small as this I take it?
MicroPump
?

Could take a while with that.

When I said Micro, I didn't mean a brand. I meant the physical size, I have a 300 and 450lph here that are about 1/3 the size of a rubiks cube.

My point is, even a cheap (aquarium) pump will be easily double that, and would empty your vat under 30 minutes (depending on head height, which is your tank height of course). Can even use it to get the water out in the first place.


General bins are around 80litres, you can get slightly larger ones, but most people will say to make sure they are food safe. I know somewhere online selling 110litre ones, although realistically you would only get around 100L in there, depends how close to the top you are willing to go.


A Newjet 1200 is only £10 more (£25) than the 400. For £1 more (£26) you can get a rio 1700, LAC do a 2600 for £23... it's only going to be for changing your water so hardly the need to go buying expensive pumps.

Hi - Cheers for that, exactly what I'm looking for, will check out if it'll fit in the cupboard when stored. Will also go for a sump refill me thinks, that way I can get a small pump, as suggested, and not have to worry about head height - come to think of it, might even get away with no pump for filling - will have to check when it comes time to do my first water change.

Thanks, Al.

 

[APG78]

OK, this mornings Sg test came in at 1.023 ? Odd, as I also tested the water in the bucket and that was all the way up to 1.030! Not sure how the tank is staying so low, unless all the salt is sticking inside the sliding lid? Maybe, lot of crystals there, but not a huge build up - could be enough over that total surface area I suppose.

Anyone think it's a bad idea to add salt directly to the tank while it's cycling with NO fish in?

We also did a little more re-scaping last night(photos to follow later tonight or at lunch) and have more precariously balanced rock than in the tower of Pisa!? Must get some of that putty someone mentioned. Don't like the look of it - if something decides to swim straight into it, it could go? Paranoid much? Yup... I'm no builder, and it does move if I grab it, not if I wave my hand around it. Don't think I've got anything planned for the tank that could topple it, like an over sized urchin?

Anyhow, moving the rocks around seems to have made this appear this morning on the bi-daily cleaning schedule. First casualty.

Poor guy. doesn't smell at all, so either fresh or hollow. Will be checking the water @ LFS soon, maybe lunch, latest Saturday. Will do the 'normal'(?) tests last too, just in case something has spiked from moving the rock. Maybe I crushed it, or it was trapped in a rock from a couple weeks ago.

Not to worry, sure there are more. This isn't the one I spotted a while back jumping around either, this one has wider eyes.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Not sure on the salinity mate. Temperature can effect salinity I think (I don't know how much) and strangely enough a cube tank I'm setting up was at 1.027 a couple of days ago and is now just under 1.026 (and I haven't touched it as all). Guessing in my case it was due to testing the water the first time before it had come up to temp but I have never seen this happen before.

With regards to adding salt directly to the tank. As there is no livestock in there you could do (though you did have some zoa's on 1 rock and salt falling directly on them would burn and kill them). Double check your refractometer is calibrated correctly first though (I use de-ionised water to calibrate. Put a couple of drops of DI on and make sure it reads zero). This isn't the best way to calibrate it (best way is to calibrate it at a known salinity solution but to be honest things really don't need to be THAT exact).

If the crab looks "hollow" then it is probably just a molt. Crabs and shrimp regularly molt so you often find what look like dead crabs sitting around the tank. I remember when I started keeping marine tanks and woke up to find my shrimp "dead". It wasnt until I looked closer that I found the shrimp sitting happily behind the rockwork and the "dead" one was just his molt

 

[APG78]

Not sure on the salinity mate. Temperature can effect salinity I think (I don't know how much) and strangely enough a cube tank I'm setting up was at 1.027 a couple of days ago and is now just under 1.026 (and I haven't touched it as all). Guessing in my case it was due to testing the water the first time before it had come up to temp but I have never seen this happen before.

With regards to adding salt directly to the tank. As there is no livestock in there you could do (though you did have some zoa's on 1 rock and salt falling directly on them would burn and kill them). Double check your refractometer is calibrated correctly first though (I use de-ionised water to calibrate. Put a couple of drops of DI on and make sure it reads zero). This isn't the best way to calibrate it (best way is to calibrate it at a known salinity solution but to be honest things really don't need to be THAT exact).

If the crab looks "hollow" then it is probably just a molt. Crabs and shrimp regularly molt so you often find what look like dead crabs sitting around the tank. I remember when I started keeping marine tanks and woke up to find my shrimp "dead". It wasn't until I looked closer that I found the shrimp sitting happily behind the rockwork and the "dead" one was just his molt

Morning. I think it wasn't hollow, but I didn't think of that at the time. Will check again later today. Bet it'll smell now, nice and warm today! I normally do a calibration against a couple drops from the RO system. Is indeed odd. Think I'll add the salt to the first chamber of the sump in that case, I do now remember reading what happens to fish if they're put in the opposite water types. The burning thing. Wasn't aware the zoa's were the same, makes sense tho.

Another thought is that the refugium chamber is after this first(return) one, so might make is the last chamber...

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Yeah adding it a little bit at a time to the sump is a good idea. The main problem with adding salt directly to the tank is that the salt is actually very caustic and can burn fish and corals if it isn't dissolved properly (this is one of the main reasons its recommended to allow water to mix for 24 hours before doing a water change).

 

[drsquirrel]

Salinity (your 1.000 number) is affected by temperature and pressure, but the Refractometer should deal with this (so called ATC you don't really find them without ATC). A drop of water will alter it's temp very fast too.

I just wonder how much of a swing ATC in refractometers can deal with...

 

[steelhealr]

We can leave it here for a bit til you get thru the tough parts, then, can move it up to the journal section. I think you'll get noticed and read more here to start. Welcome aboard.

SH

 

[APG78]

Turned out that yesterday's day off with the wife to go see Alica Keys was a little more 'aquatic' than we planned. Mother popped over to say howdy. (It was her that got us to thinking of getting a fish tank recently too). She wanted to go get some new media, so we took her to LFS and I took a sample of water with me. Turns out the water is fine, so we ended up with a pair of percula clowns.

(What is the difference between True and False - I've done an image search on Google and they look the same)?

Also got 5 red legged hermit crabs, with a few extra 'homes' for them if need be, and also 5 turbo-snails.

We did get a cleaning shrimp, but that didn't survive the journey home from LFS, didn't even get out of the carry bag to the tank for acclimatisation. LFS were called straight away for advise, in case there was a trick to reviving them somehow - said just to dispose of and come get another in a week. They're a little sensitive to moving, have to mix waters for up to an hour before actually moving them. Will do this Saturday morning when I can give it all my time.

Alas, the clowns went in totally fine! They are SO funny, they stuck together through the transition to the tank - one in the tank stayed next to the bag with the other one. Not scared at all it seems?

Had to leave them to it, left lights off until this morning as we had to hit the road straight away for the concert. But when we got home, the 'kids' were sitting on the bottom fine and dandy.

Do they actually 'sleep' then? They sat there swimming up and down, like they do.

I was tired this AM, excuse the yawn!

Some photos of the day:

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Tanks looking good!

One quick thing regarding acclimatisation of fish/corals/inverts, etc. It should take around 2-3 hours to do it properly.

Drip acclimatisation is the best method. Float the bag in the tank for 10 minutes to match temps. Then you need to place the bag in a container below the water level of the tank and use a bit of airline hose with a valve on to drip water from the main tank into the bag (around 2-3 drips per second). You need to do this for at least 2 hours (ideally 3 with corals and inverts).

If you have a sump you can put the bags in the sump and drip from the display tank, this keeps the temperature matched.

I would be worried about the shrimp to be honest. They are sensitive but they shouldn't die in a short trip from the LFS.

Regarding the difference between a Percula Clown and Ocellaris Clown:
Percular has 11 (occasionally has 10) Spines on the dorsal fin and thicker black bars around the white bits.
Ocellaris has 10 (sometimes 9) spines on the dorsal fin and very thin black bars around the white bit (tend to be a little smaller than Perc's too).

Then you get the hybrids of the two which completely confuse everything To be honest it doesnt make any real difference. The Perc's tend to be more sought after because they have thicker black bars but they all behave the same.

Yes they do sleep Eventually they will find a spot which they will call their own and hang around here most of the time during the day. Once the lights go off they will always go back to the same spot to sleep. Clowns do something called "hosting", in the wild they do this with 'nems and some species of muchroom corals. In the aquarium they will do this with corals (mine have killed off about £300 worth of corals by hosting them, hence the clowns now being moved to their own tank... if I can ever catch the little buggers!). They have also been know to host power heads, magfloats, heaters and all sorts of other strange things

 

[APG78]

Tanks looking good!

One quick thing regarding acclimatisation of fish/corals/inverts, etc. It should take around 2-3 hours to do it properly.

Drip acclimatisation is the best method. Float the bag in the tank for 10 minutes to match temps. Then you need to place the bag in a container below the water level of the tank and use a bit of airline hose with a valve on to drip water from the main tank into the bag (around 2-3 drips per second). You need to do this for at least 2 hours (ideally 3 with corals and inverts).

If you have a sump you can put the bags in the sump and drip from the display tank, this keeps the temperature matched.

I would be worried about the shrimp to be honest. They are sensitive but they shouldn't die in a short trip from the LFS.

Regarding the difference between a Percula Clown and Ocellaris Clown:
Percular has 11 (occasionally has 10) Spines on the dorsal fin and thicker black bars around the white bits.
Ocellaris has 10 (sometimes 9) spines on the dorsal fin and very thin black bars around the white bit (tend to be a little smaller than Perc's too).

Then you get the hybrids of the two which completely confuse everything To be honest it doesnt make any real difference. The Perc's tend to be more sought after because they have thicker black bars but they all behave the same.

Yes they do sleep Eventually they will find a spot which they will call their own and hang around here most of the time during the day. Once the lights go off they will always go back to the same spot to sleep. Clowns do something called "hosting", in the wild they do this with 'nems and some species of muchroom corals. In the aquarium they will do this with corals (mine have killed off about £300 worth of corals by hosting them, hence the clowns now being moved to their own tank... if I can ever catch the little buggers!). They have also been know to host power heads, magfloats, heaters and all sorts of other strange things

Thanks. Yeah, they've got plenty of places to claim as their own at the moment in there! I think maybe I'm thinking that maybe I've got too much light coming up from the back of the cabinet, from the refugium's light, so i will put some kind of black-out curtain back there at some point. That might help everything sleep easier? I'll have a good think about the corals too - maybe if I'd added them first they'd not be considered food? But alas, won't know - not until we get a bigger place for the 2nd tank!

Thanks for the explanation on the dripping method, I wasn't 100% on how to set that up. Do have plenty of air-hose, as I use that from the RO in the other room to top up, that'll work fine. Will try this out Saturday. Easier than doing what we were doing, 5ml every 5 mins...

 

[APG78]

Had a suggestion that there is too much current in the tank.

Could I ask people to comment on the video below?

Please note that was first thing, morning after they'd moved from a shop...

Will be adding another shortly, WHEN it uploads.

 

[APG78]

Next video. How's the flow?

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Will let others comment but to me it looks fine. In the first video it does look like they are fighting against the current but there will be lower flow spots in the tank they could move to if they wanted. My orange clown sometimes liked to swim directly in front of a korillia 4 (something like 5000lph coming out of it).

Don't forget in the wild these fish are experiencing much stronger currents then we are putting into our tanks. As long as there are lower flow areas they can rest in if they want they will be fine.

The video shows off the scape really well. Looks really good and you have lots of flow around the rockwork which is important.

 

[drsquirrel]

Your water level seems very high, above the braces...?

Do you have enough room in your sump for the water volume above the overflow?

I think you mentioned it before, but if not it's worth testing what happens when your pump cuts out, earlier the better.