Tina's Twin Bommies

[garry_boyd3]

My little man sulks, he sticks his lower lip out. Doubt whether it will work with my wife buts its worth ago

Anyway I agree if someone offers why not. However I won't be getting a boy friend to sulk to though

 

[kj23502]

wow how exciting. Man I wish I could afford to do all that. I'd be setting up my 90g right now. Your other half must have a really good job or your disability pay for your injury is outta this world

 

[bagu]

sorry to hear about the powerheads, must be a pain to see that happen

love the snail shot XD

 

[rabbut]

OOOOOHHHHHHH Big up-grade

Probibly a bit late now, but if the powerheads that died were Maxijets, leave them un-pluged for a couple of hours then try em again. They have cut-outs that somethimes trip with a knock to prevent over-heating, so they may still be fine

All the best
Rabbut

 

[TigerIssey]

No unfortunately they were really cheap powerheads. Going to see if I can club bits rom the two together to get one working one for using for mixing or something.

The maxijet was fine, that was my fault, where you twist it back together after cleaning the impellor, I had only locked in one side. Once I clocked that and sorted it, it was fine.

Will keep it for use in the sump somewhere on the big one, its the MJ model not MP so can be used as internal or external pump.

The upgrade will take a while but will be well worth it. Even if the logistics are doing Andrews head in already. He is going to reinforce the joists but is also going to use some for of metalwork to tie the stand in to the stone wall due to it being an upstairs living room.

Luckily he will be able to use all the equipment at work to make the stand in his own time. His boss also has a load of aquarium glass stored upstairs in the factory that I am thinking may be very usable for the sump design, his boss built tanks in the pas too. I think I am going to have 3 tanks rather than one big one and drill them and then pipe them together, one for the equipment which will then go into the seahorse refugium, which will then go into a lit chaeto fuge / return pump section, which will be split by baffles and have two return pumps (not sure about this bit yet, but want two drains and two returns, need to look it all up). That will mean Andrew can put extra supprts in, in between the sections. Better to be safe than sorry with that weight on the first floor.

The cabinet itself will be 18mm kitchen type wood, we have some soft closure hinges already and the wood will be at trade price. The hood will be the same type of design as the Seabray tank I have now. I am also going to have a small box next to the cabinet that will store water for an auto top-off system.

The most expensive part will be the actual display tank (apart from the vortech). I am trying to get a second hand one, if not work owe me a load of money, once I get that, I could order one if needs be. Will not get the tank probably (unless one comes up for a really good price) until the floor is down in the living room.

 

[rabbut]

It's a fairly normal size tank, so you should be able to get one reasonably cheaply from a large aquatic shop in new condition Not really a need to build it custom.

 

[TigerIssey]

That is quite good to know Rabbut, all the places I have looked at online want about £250 for the tank, weir, drilled holes and some cover glasses. Using T5's, I like to have the cover glasses, especially with the fact that most of my fish would jump. They do take extra cleaning, but it is well worth the added piece of mind.

All I need to do now is find a larger aquatic shop that will sell them. Not many large ones by me, although there is a world of water I have not yet been to at Kirkham. Maidenhead definately sell those size tanks, will depend on the price, I have only seen them there with the units. I definately want Andrew to custom build the unit though. I may also have the doors in solid character pippy oak, depends what colour board I go for.


The sea Hare is definately chomping its way through algae, he has just took the easier stuff so far. May need to wait till that is exhausted before he cleans it of Briopsis. He has eaten some, just not all.

 

[owlbassboy]

why not use egg crate instead of cover glass this will stop jumpers and also make sure you get good gas exchange. i wouldnt be too sure about the seahare chomping on the bryopsis have you tried raising your mag up to around 1600 as i believe this will help.

you could try acaquatics i believe they have competitive prices for tanks

 

[TigerIssey]

The above price is from AC aquatics. ND was more expensive, Poseidon that advertise on Aquarist Classifieds works out about the same as AC.

Sea Hare has definately been eating it, just has been all around the tank cleaning the silicon first. I read loads about them and apart them the only other Bryopsis eating creature I could find was the lettuce sea slug Tridachia crispata.

I did even watch him tear some off to eat earlier. A month or so ago I had a wonderful cyano bloom, obviously sorted now, however it was difficult to properly clean certain places like the silicon joints and right underneath the brace bars. He seems to have cleaned this first, along with any bryopsis that was growing around the sand bed. Will see how he goes anyway, seems to move about the tank a fair bit though.

 

[owlbassboy]

fingers crossed it sorts the problem for you

 

[Buddyboy67]

If the hare doesn't work on your bryopsis have you considered raising your magnesium levels...worked a treat for me here...raised Mg levels to 1700ppm for a month and it died back, hair algae dying off at around 1500ppm. Simply syphon it off then as it dies..
My blue knuckle hermits cleaned up any that was left..

This is what i was up against.....

 

[TigerIssey]

why not use egg crate instead of cover glass this will stop jumpers and also make sure you get good gas exchange. i wouldnt be too sure about the seahare chomping on the bryopsis have you tried raising your mag up to around 1600 as i believe this will help.

Too many people on here recently have still lost jumping fish despite having the top covered with egg crate. It seems smaller fish can still get through. I am not happy to risk it.

If the hare doesn't work on your bryopsis have you considered raising your magnesium levels...worked a treat for me here...raised Mg levels to 1700ppm for a month and it died back, hair algae dying off at around 1500ppm. Simply syphon it off then as it dies..
My blue knuckle hermits cleaned up any that was left..

Really don't want to be messing with levels at the moment. On the 17th July I have surgery to move my ulna nerve from the ulna tunnel to elsewhere in my elbow. This is going to mean that I will not be able to use my right arm for tank maintenance for at least 6 weeks. Even to be constantlly testing would be too much for a right handed person. I need the tank to practically run itself with very little intervention for the next 2 months probably.

The basic testing I will do left handed, but that in itself is not easy. The whole of my right elbow will not even be able to rest on the desk and will not have any or much nerve function for quite a while, I had the left done last year so already know this.

Andrew is going to have to do water changes for me, I cannot leave him to cope with test kits aswell.

Add all this to the fact I can only walk with crutches and you kind of get what the next few months are going to be like for me.

 

[Buddyboy67]

Hope all goes well for you with the op and you can get back to splashing around asap....
Bryopsis is a real pain, I reccomend manual removal with a pair of plastic tweezers where ever it can be reached as well..this really can make a significant difference...I could only reach the top third of mine to pluck hence the Mg route, which I can however highly reccomend to anyone with severe algae problems.

consider adding blue knuckle hermits ..these cleaned up my system to the rock in about 5 days!!!
Here's one hard at work.....

 

[TigerIssey]

Havee tried manual removal, obviously with a problem with my arm and standing it is too difficult for me.
It looks really good for a few days then comes back as bad as ever.

I have now increased flow considerably and once the Koralia 2 is added (in box at moment, cannot face it today) that will almost have doubled the flow and will be better quality flow. Hoping this will make some difference.

Have already got red legged hermits, advice I have read says not to mix two different types of hermit. Not sure on this.

 

[seffieuk]

Oh wow Tina, another new tank but this time a dream tank really looking forward to hearing all about the planning.

The grass type algae you have is the bryopsis, right? I have a small bit in my tank and on some on the rock in the nano, I quite like it, it never seems to spread though. Trod also had some but her emerald crab ate it all. Luckily if I ever get any hair algae my hermits dive on it straight away and eat it up within minutes

Seffie x