New Set-up

[SkiFletch]

Sounds like you're off to a good start. My only word of caution is that you won't be able to keep SPS in a tank with only PC lighting. You may be successful in keeping them alive, but they will not thrive

 

[yorkcoparamedic]

I was afraid of that. But I did not want to drop $500 on MH. Oh well, I will cater to those species that will thrive in the conditions I can provide for now. Thanks for the comment.

I also purchased a top skimming filter attachment for my fluval filter. So far it looks like it is going to work great. Any little particles and dog hair that have landed in the tank have been filtered.

 

[chrissaysyes]

Ahhh dog hair in the tank...I know this all too well

 

[yorkcoparamedic]

Got the LR added to the main tank, aqua-scaping is complete. Except that I might add one more larger rock on the right side of the tank. I am going to epoxy two of the smaller rocks together before adding critters to the tank so they don't knock them over. I will post pictures in the morning after the all the sediment settles out again. Got my power head installed and running.

I also replaced the ceramic rings in my filter with nano rubble. Almost two full pounds of it. (2 trays crammed full)

Next I purchased a 2.5 gallon acrylic tank to make my own refuge tank. A small power head, tubing and t-hulls. I am going to sit this up and behind the show tank and grow macro algae in it to help filter NO2, NO3, and PH4. I bought some cultivated macro algae while I was at the LFS and have it floating around the Q tank for now. I plan on getting some Caulerpa sp. by mail order or if I can find some one to purchase it from.

If I can I will try to tank raise Caulerpa sp. for use by other members around here if they would like some. I have plans for a bigger refuge in the future.

Well that is it for now! This is so much fun!!!!!!!!!!

 

[yorkcoparamedic]

I have been looking up the macro-algae that I puchase and it appears that I got a combination of the following types for sure:

1-Grape Caulerpa, C. Racemosa
2-Feather Caulerpa, C. crassifolia
3-Spaghetti Algae, Cheatomorpha

 

[chrissaysyes]

Chaetomorpha is definitely a must, and Crassifolia is a personal favorite of mine Nice buy!

 

[yorkcoparamedic]

Here is a couple more pics up to this point.

It looks kinda empty to me. But that is 1 pound per gallon of water minus the substrate. 28 pounds total. I might add one more on the right side to for some more surface area. I dont know, we shall see.

 

[chrissaysyes]

I like to do 2lbs per gallon myself. After you have Xlbs in Xgal where X=X then it's pretty much whatever looks best. You may want to add some more just for aesthetics, just remember that you'll be getting extra rocks if you start adding corals since theyre usually mounted.

 

[yorkcoparamedic]

When is a good time to add my CUC. The diatoms are all over the place and now they are converting to small green feathery algae all over the rock. I think within the next day or so it will be all over the place. Should I try to clean it off some or just leave it like some of the books say to do???

Water parameters are:
Temp- 78F in the morning and 79.8F at night.
Ph = 8.3
Alk = 2.0
PO4 = 0.1
N02 = About 0 or very close
NO3 = 5
NH3 / 4 = 0.25
SG = 1.026
Salinity = 35

 

[SkiFletch]

Leave it be for now. When the ammonia drops to 0 you can add snails. They'll gobble up the diatoms, fret not

 

[chrissaysyes]

yup all part of the cycle. Won't be long and all the diatoms will taken over by some nice calcerous algaes.

 

[yorkcoparamedic]

Thanks for the replies!

Got the refugium drilled and everything set up. While I was sorting through the macroalgae in the Q tank I noticed some little Aiptasia that was swiming around in there and there was some that were growing on the side of the tank wall as well. I took a couple of pictures before I sucked them off the wall and out of the water with a large syringe.

I also found what I think to be a mussel or a clam. It was all tangled inside the algae ball that was floating around. It sure looks like a bivalve to me. I have been researching him all morning long and cannot find pictures of baby bivalves just drawings. I put him in the refuge for now until I find what it is. I also got a couple of good pictures to post on here later. Overnight it dug out a perfect circle in the refuge mud and sand and has some type of foot or tenticle poking out of it opening. Really cool to watch. I hope I can figure out what it is so I can keep it alive and see how big it gets.

 

[yorkcoparamedic]

Here are the pictures. What is this?

Look at this little mud circle it made.

Aiptasia in Q tank.

Newly set up refuge (DIY).

 

[yorkcoparamedic]

Tonights water parameters are and I double checked them!

NO2 = 0
NO3 = 2.5
NH3 = 0

Weird pH went upto 8.6 and Alk dropped to around 1.8, I added some buffer to equalize things out though.

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Man the diatoms are thick and all over the place. I hope the coralline algae starts soon. This is sick.

 

[chrissaysyes]

coraline will take a while. A lot of people say scrubbing all of the coraline off of a mature rock while in your tank will help spread it, also low phosphates and correct levels of calcium will help a lot.