Update picture of tank this morning, been about 3 weeks in the running - algae and all.
Julie
Nice!
Thanks - maybe I can get a few opinions here - do you think a skimmer is really necessary on a 20 gallon tank?
Julie
Yes, unless you change out water every week. Stuff has to be exported somehow. You'd be amazed what kinda stuff comes out with a skimmer.
Nice tank btw.
Is the remora worth it?
Julie
CoraLife makes really good needlewheel skimmers... but I know that you will upgrade to a bigger tank so plan for it right away. We started with a 29g and now have a 210g, its really addictive. :)
I have a Remora Pro and its working too hard on my 90g but unless you have a sump it would be BIG on your tank. I wouldn't buy something small now cause you'll need something a lot bigger in the future.
Here's a basic but interesting article that talks about starting a sw tank. There's some info about skimmers that may interest you.
http://www.melevsreef.com/overview.htm
Great link Nelson, what skimmer are you considering?
Julie
Quote from: "Julie"Great link Nelson, what skimmer are you considering?
Julie
I bought a fairly large one from Ray - don't know who the manufacturer is. It was operating on two tanks and seemed to be collecting a lot of junk!
Quote from: "Nelson"Here's a basic but interesting article that talks about starting a sw tank. There's some info about skimmers that may interest you.
http://www.melevsreef.com/overview.htm
Is there anything like that, but for african cichlids?
I'm pretty sure I know which one you're referring to Nelson - did you get your rock?
Julie
Quote from: "valiko"Quote from: "Nelson"Here's a basic but interesting article that talks about starting a sw tank. There's some info about skimmers that may interest you.
http://www.melevsreef.com/overview.htm
Is there anything like that, but for african cichlids?
Haven't seen one if there is.
Quote from: "Julie"I'm pretty sure I know which one you're referring to Nelson - did you get your rock?
Julie
It's a bit early for that. Still selling off the freshwater stuff in the tank I'm converting. The tank should be empty of plants and livestock by the weekend so I can get busy removing the substrate, cleaning it up, getting the SG in order and connecting the sump etc. Unfortunately I'm away next week which will slow the process down a bit. As suggested by rockgarden, I have a cycled brackish 36 that I could use to temporarily store coral that I can't resist buying.
tank looks very good, what kinda light do you have Julie?
love those candycane!
Thanks, dual satellite power compact.
Julie
BUMP!
Any new pics Julie??
Glenn
pic:
Julie
Very nice, Julie.
I admire the fact that you got taken in by all the sw talk and then simply went out and set one up for yourself! I keep having to restrain myself... I have to wait til much later for a sw tank. I need to be sure I'm done moving and traveling about for a lil' while first.
My advice is getting deeper into the discus hurts the pocket book as much as a saltie. :lol:
Julie
But if I go away for a year or half year again my father is fully capable of taking care of the discus for me. He'd never take care of salt water.
And with the prices I've been getting my discus at - that point of expense is debatable. :lol:
Just ludicrous :wink:
(sure rub it in :D )
Julie
I don't have a skimmer on my 20 gallon, and never have had a problem that would be related to not having one. I don't keep hard corals, mostly cause the lighting would give me boiled nemos! If I kept hard corals, then a skimmer is a must. the 65watt lights you have won't be suitable for hard corals anyways. Give things a try without and then decide. My tank is about umm....2.5 years old I think, and it does very well without a skimmer.
the tank look awesome by the way! Koodos to you, you did a great job!
Thanks for the compliments everyone. :)
Insane - do you have any pics of your tank?
Julie
Definately looking good!
Glenn
I'll try and take some. I find it so hard to get pics that really does the tank justice.
Mr. Ugly (aka lawnmower blenny) died last night. We had him for a really long time. He got sick and died pretty fast. Nothing had been added/changed in a long time. I think it is just one of those things. My son is not too pleased that "his" Mr. ugly died. Man, this guy was quite the algae eater. He will be missed!
Quote from: "Insane79"I'll try and take some. I find it so hard to get pics that really does the tank justice.
Mr. Ugly (aka lawnmower blenny) died last night. We had him for a really long time. He got sick and died pretty fast. Nothing had been added/changed in a long time. I think it is just one of those things. My son is not too pleased that "his" Mr. ugly died. Man, this guy was quite the algae eater. He will be missed!
I as looking at one the other day...once the algae becomes scarce, what do they eat?
They always pick stuff off the rocks and if you dont clean the glass they'll suck that also.
i am running skimmerless on my 10 g and dont have problems so far. my bioload is still on the light side but only time will tell. i do water changes once a week. what r the future plans for the tank julie. and nelson which skimmer did u get from ray the prism with the mod ?
Quote from: "93GTCANADA"i am running skimmerless on my 10 g and dont have problems so far. my bioload is still on the light side but only time will tell. i do water changes once a week. what r the future plans for the tank julie. and nelson which skimmer did u get from ray the prism with the mod ?
I don't which skimmer you're referring to...the one I bought is 3" tall with one venturi and a fairly large collection cup with overflow. Don't think there are any mods to it.
I'm checking out a cpr bak pack from Ray though I'm not positive I really need it. I know about the larger skimmer options but my space is very limited in this former microwave cupboard.
I'm going to try everything in there including an sps, tank is not very deep so that is an advantage lighting wise.
Larger tanks are already here with fresh, fish are all relatively young except 2 discus tanks, alot of them are around 3-4 yrs.
The 90 bow is extremely deep and not sure how easy it would be and accessible as a sw set up. I can't reach the bottom with my hand, I have to use tools.
Julie
Quote from: "Nelson"Quote from: "93GTCANADA"i am running skimmerless on my 10 g and dont have problems so far. my bioload is still on the light side but only time will tell. i do water changes once a week. what r the future plans for the tank julie. and nelson which skimmer did u get from ray the prism with the mod ?
I don't which skimmer you're referring to...the one I bought is 3" tall with one venturi and a fairly large collection cup with overflow. Don't think there are any mods to it.
After checking out Prism skimmers I now know what you're referring to 93GTCANADA and no, it's not that one. Here's a pic of the one I got from Ray, to the right of the sump.
very nice nelson. ray is a great guy to deal with. i use him all the time.
Quote from: "93GTCANADA"very nice nelson. ray is a great guy to deal with. i use him all the time.
The best :wink:
Sorry to bump into your thread Julie...
Nelson, are those BioBalls in your sump? NitrATE factory, not good for a SW setup.
The nerve of you Dark :wink:
I noticed when I used the combined foam/charcoal on my whisper hob the nitrates increased also. I only use a plain carbon now and then.
Julie
ive been using a sponge in my filter but i wash it every week and change it every month. is this good. and my other question is can i change my carbon every month or its bad to run carbon all the time.
Remember guys the live rock is your main filtration, not whats in the hob. I wouldn't use a sponge at all, if you want to polish just use maybe some filter floss but don't leave it in there.
Julie
so the sponge will harm my tank all my levels are at 0 so i havent notice anything yet.
Just not sure what the purpose of the sponge is other than to trap stuff.
Julie
one more:
I use bio-balls in my sump - and my system has ZERO nitrates.
very nice julie
Quote from: "DARKPHREAK"Sorry to bump into your thread Julie...
Nelson, are those BioBalls in your sump? NitrATE factory, not good for a SW setup.
Yes they are and another example of varying opinions in the hobby. I've read opinions that don't don't buy into the "nitrate factory" theory and those that do. You're not the first "local" to tell me it's a bad thing - you won't see them in the next shot. I will be adding crushed coral to my sump - how deep should I go do you think?
I also hope you're not upset with this dialogue Julie - could start another if you wish.
Nice pics Julie!
its nice to see your tank coming along so well.
im no means an expert but i wouldnt add crush coral in the sump i would use live sand.
Quote from: "93GTCANADA"im no means an expert but i wouldnt add crush coral in the sump i would use live sand.
You're right - I used the wrong term.
No not at all, I'm curious about it myself. Is there actual bacteria which would colonize a foam or bio balls - not sure on this one?
Nelson: where did you get Nemo?
Julie
Quote from: "Nelson"Quote from: "93GTCANADA"im no means an expert but i wouldnt add crush coral in the sump i would use live sand.
You're right - I used the wrong term.
Live sand is nothing but crushed coral that has been cycled ... don't pay good $$$ on "live" sand, it's nothing but a marketing hoax....
Quote from: "Julie"No not at all, I'm curious about it myself. Is there actual bacteria which would colonize a foam or bio balls - not sure on this one?
Nelson: where did you get Nemo?
Julie
Got them BA (west I believe) - $20 per Outstanding little fish, the kids get a kick out of them. I'm very curious about the way they and some other sw fish swim, they don't move in the stiff manner that we're used to seeing freshwater swim. The behave like they're not restricted by a skeleton!
Do you know what they keep their salinity at?
Julie
i keep mine at 1.025. my clown is awsome as soon i put my hand in the tank he touches it. i can even pet him lol. the wife loves the little guy. he is a small ocellaris. he sleeps on my mag float.
Quote from: "Julie"Do you know what they keep their salinity at?
Julie
It's quite low. I had to drip them for several hours before putting them in the tank. The logic as explained to me is that the lower salinity is some protection against disease in a fish only tank.
I wouldnt put CC or any sand in the sump. Throw a few peices of liverock in there and that should be enough. Remember "quality" liverock is the most important part of the system.
I have a sump/fuge combo. It has crushed coral that I took from the main tank along with 5lbs of liverock. It also has 3 different types of macro algae. I might even put fish in there also.
I don't know about keeping sps without metal halides julie. They need an awful amout of light and I don't think, no matter how shallow your 20 gallon is, there won't be enough with power compacts.
Here is some pics of my tank, as awful as they are...hope this works.......
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IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c320/insane79/harley022.jpg[/IMG]
(https://www.ovas.ca/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi30.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fc320%2Finsane79%2Fharley021.jpg&hash=55c3a9b8b1e8fd789dbd33497f78f9c0a957b1bb)[/img]
umph, one didn't work, let's see if I can add it....
and a side note, my silly torch corals (front right and back right on the pics in the other post)weren't open in the pic (the shrimp had been playing in them, so they close up and usually take awhile to reopen. Once open torch corals are super cool. Just like anemones!
(https://www.ovas.ca/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi30.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fc320%2Finsane79%2Fharley022.jpg&hash=abda9189537d83342fe05ed96c1ea36f0979c8e7)
Nice tank!!!! Can you name a few things in there, I know some but not all, like mushrooms and other softies.
What is the yellow on the left hand side?
I have a candy cane frag for about 3 weeks now and it is doing ok so far.
Julie
the yellow on the left and on the right for that matter (just sorta budding on the big rock at the bottom) are yellow polyps. These things reproduce like snails!! Bottom left is my galazy coral, in all it's monstrousity. I have purple mushrooms and carpet mushrooms, and 2 torches, and a feather duster that isn't really out (you got to get those guys at just the right moment!- it's under the purple mushrooms. In the center-bototm is the beloved barnacle. Obviously not a real one, but a hollow one that the clown fish absolutely adore. They live in there. I have 2 pumps to keep the water flowing. One small and one bigger. And then the usual inverts and such.
hmm...wouldn't be selling some of those carpet mushrooms? Here is my tank at 1 month.
Of course how can I leave out the Clown and anemone picture?
What does your starfish eat? 8)
Julie
Ummm to tell you the truth, I have no idea. He just glides back and for all day eating algae I guess.
Awesome one of the clown - what kind of anemone is that?
Does it move around alot?
How big is your tank?
Julie
It never gets a chance to move because I feed it shrimp and it tends to stay put. I have no idea what kind of anemone that is, I bought it from BA's and they said it was a Ritteri. They are never right..lol. I have a 90 gallon tank.
I like the blue tips on it, and I bet clownie does too. :lol:
Julie
Quote from: "gkilla"hmm...wouldn't be selling some of those carpet mushrooms? Here is my tank at 1 month.
umm... been thinking about it. Already traded in a few at marinescape. Seriously, corals just reproduce like freakin' crazy in my tank. With the exception of my torch that needs more lovin'. I could probably be persuaded to sell a rock with some on, to save me from having to trade them in. I'll give it a thought and let you know.
Update pic for this week:
what kind of light do you have on top? really nice...
Dual satellite(its on actinics in the pic)
- thanks(NJ you'd like that fish, his favorite is escargot)
Julie
i just saw those lights, the price is not bad huh?
Got it at marinescape for a couple hundred.
Julie
you have the moonlight with that too right?
Yes, but it only works occasionally - I think I got some salt in there - it's just a little led bulb. I let the moonlight from the kitchen window light the tank at night.
Julie
cool, I like your tank :) good job
Needs more colour - pretty blah right now. Fresh is prettier at this point, the brain is my favorite and most colourful.
Julie
Quote from: "gkilla"I have no idea what kind of anemone that is, I bought it from BA's and they said it was a Ritteri. They are never right..lol. I have a 90 gallon tank.
blue tip sebae anemone i think! i got stung once and it triggered all kinda allergies! traded in the next day thank you!
forgive me for the stupid question, but live rock, its just rock right? does it grow anything? like anemone? or do you have to get specific anemone for specific rock/fish?
it is called live rock becuase it has bacteria, and bristle worms that live in it. it acts as the filter in a marine tank. You have to get anenome's, and other corals by themselves, and the usualy cost quite a bit. hth
sometimes with liverocks u will get what we call hitchhikers. like bristleworms, crabs snails etc.. but if u are lucky u can also get hitchers as form of corals. such as mushrooms ... or the unlucky one aiptesia or mejone anemones.
Quote from: "93GTCANADA"or the unlucky one aiptesia or mejone anemones.
or mantis shrimps (yes I had not 1 but 2) or carnivore crabs (had 1 too)
all kinds of nasties can tag along. A good super salt dip before you put the rock in your tank usually sends these guys running out of the rock and into your bucket.
What exactly is a carnivore crab? I have a crab which I posted a picture of a while back which seems to eat the coralline algae.
I know I have some kind of shrimp which stares out a hole all day, either mantis or pistol.
Julie
Updates of my 20g.
The yellow leather is one of my favorites.
Julie
That leather sure looks to be prospering :)
This crab is always eating.
Quote from: "Julie"What exactly is a carnivore crab? I have a crab which I posted a picture of a while back which seems to eat the coralline algae.
I know I have some kind of shrimp which stares out a hole all day, either mantis or pistol.
Julie
Do you really have a Mantis??? I have been looking for a Mantis shrimp forever! If you decide to get rid of it, I'd pay you for it plus take a frag of the leather...lol
Hi, I did have one but my husband disposed of it while I was away on vacation due to invertebrate fatalities.(beginning of Jan) -sorry otherwise you could have gladly had it.
Julie
Quote from: "Julie"Hi, I did have one but my husband disposed of it while I was away on vacation due to invertebrate fatalities.(beginning of Jan) -sorry otherwise you could have gladly had it.
Julie
i was just gonna say take it out...it will catch/eat fish in no time....good for a predator tank though!
Its' head and eyes looked quite attractive peeking out of the hole.
I heard clicking a few times too.
Julie
NOOOOO!!! I guess it's not meant to be. I've actually been trying to find one and can't seem to. Meanwhile people that aren't looking always seem to get them...lol
gkilla - Just this morning I saw a shrimp molt stuck to a piece of rock, it was only tiny and definitely didn't belong to my cleaner so maybe this mantis shrimp had 18 baby shrimps, if they ever show up you can have them all.
Julie
That would be amazing! Where did you get your rocks from initially? I might go and grab some from there and maybe get lucky?
Some from Ray but a couple from marinescape which would have been wild.
Julie