Jump to content

300 Gallon Disaster Reboot


Sascha D.

Recommended Posts

11 hours ago, Juiceman said:

YUP! Got Velvet from DD! I tried that last time before I had to go Fishless. EVERYTHING was from DD, no non "QT'd" Fish. Still got Velvet... SMH.

I would still observe for at least two weeks in a QT, then move just to be sure.

Man, what rotten luck! From what I've read, DD observes them for two weeks before selling. The problem is that marine velvet can take up to four weeks to show symptoms and some fish are carriers without being affected. I've been doing a four week observation method for about a year. I recently sold my Innovative Marine Nuvo Black because I was tired of topping off. I really need to replace it soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Reburn said:

Remove BP, add 4 cube a day algae scrubber, add cryptic zone, add 25 fish.  Feed 5 cubes a day......

thats just what I would do.

Talking to you hurts my bank account! I'm going to have to sell stock just to maintain this thing. 😂 I don't think that big scrubber is in the budget right now. I need to figure out the lighting situation first. 

My 100g sump is already cryptic and I have a 13g section full to the top with random size pieces of LR.

I ordered an Eheim feeder yesterday and I've already doubled the food that I'm feeding. I plan to feed 2 cubes a day and have the auto feeder feed 2-3x spectrum. The Nori sheet that I'm feeding used to last 20-30 minutes, but now it's gone in under 2 minutes. I'll have to feed seaweed 5x a week the addition of my last two tangs and probably double the amount.

I plan to add 30 fish, so I got you beat there! I just need to get my hands on them first. 

I currently have 17 fish:

  • One Spot Foxface (Siganus unimaculatus) - May 2016
  • Melanurus Wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus) - May 2016
  • Dusky Wrasse (Halichoeres annularis) - January 2017
  • Pink Smith Damselfish (Pomacentrus smithi) x2 - January 2017
  • Azure Damselfish  (Chrysiptera hemicyanea) x2 - February 2017 (selling, but haven't caught yet)
  • Red-Lined Wrasse (Halichoeres biocellatus) - March 2017
  • Springer's Damselfish (Chrysiptera springeri) x2 - April 2017
  • Emperor Angelfish - Africa (Pomacanthus imperator) - August 2017
  • Oscellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) x2 - November 2017
  • Yellow Tang - Hawaii (Zebrasoma flavescens) - December 2017
  • Yellow Eye Kole Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus) - December 2017
  • Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) - March 2018
  • Christmas Wrasse (Halichoeres claudia) - March 2018

I plan to add these before the year is out:

  • Blonde Naso Tang (Naso elegans)
  • Convict Tang (Acanthurus triostegus)
  • Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto) x 1-3
  • Ignitis Anthias (Pseudanthias ignitus) or Bicolor Anthias (Pseudanthias bicolor) x 5-6
  • Lubbock's Fairy Wrassse (Cirrhilabrus lubbocki) x 3-5
  • Springer's Damselfish (Chrysiptera springeri) x 3
  • Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres crysus) x 1-3
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, Neon Reefer said:

No TDS meter behind the DI canister to measure the good water or did these chemicals not register

I'm not sure what your referring to specifically. I have a TDS meter that came with the RODI unit. It's either broken or not sensitive enough provide an accurate reading and I've been using a hand held TDS meter since the end of 2017. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Emperor Angelfish kept photobombing my pictures. What a prema donna! 

DSC07616.JPG

Green Fungia Plate looking pretty fluffy lately. It must be happy! It's too bad that I have to give him up, but my wrasses keep getting sand on my plates. 😣

DSC07604.JPG

Got a good shot of the Christmas Wrasse. By "good" I mean it was the only picture that wasn't blurry. She almost never stops moving. Those Superman's are coloring back up nicely. I'm paring down my mushrooms/ricordea/rhodactus corals

DSC07617.JPG

This pictured of a Red Lined Wrasse came out pretty dark. I don't have much light in the corners of the glass since the tank is so wide. 

DSC07622.JPG

I remember why I don't like anemones! This guy hasn't moved in over a year and then just started migrating. I thought it was passing through, but it's been there long enough to sting the devil out of my spiral.

DSC075972.jpg

Atlantis Meteor Shower looking good tonight! I might fuse two rocks together and make a big colony of it. 

DSC07601.JPG

Golden Fleece Pavona is starting to look really nice. Encrusting pavona are somewhere rare and this one has great color. I need to mount it somewhere and watch it grow out. 

DSC07596.JPG

Demon Chalice. I bought this for $0.99 in an Ebay auction and it really hasn't done anything. In two years it's barely grown at all. I like the color combination though. 

DSC07602.JPG

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let's see if I can get this guy to relocate! I'm going to start by pointing a powerhead into his hidey hole. That generally works for me. One time a Green BTA went all 80's hair band and loved the extra flow, but let's hope this guy doesn't go there. There's also a small chance he moves somewhere else I don't like. We'll see...
d9cedfe939592db21c6dfab78a7bb928.jpg

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I'd like to start this update by saying the anemone got the hint and moved to a new location, but it didn't. :eusathink:After five days I turned off the pump pointed his hidey hole to avoid causing any damage. It was back out within a few hours, but the tentacles were slender instead of their usual bubble shape. I actually have two more Rainbow Anemones and so this one will be for sale when the rest of the corals are ready to go. 

DSC07924.JPG

Edited by Sascha D.
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a storm! That was really unexpected. Normally KXAN would be all over this every second until it hits. Very strange! The power went out around midnight and still isn't back on yet. Estimated time of recovery isn't until 11pm tonight, nearly 24 hours later.

I'm not concerned about the temperature in such a large tank, but the oxygen levels are worrisome. After twelve hours without power I hooked up the circulation pumps to the ancillary power source in my car. I plan on cycling the power for the next mine hours or so until the power comes back. Fingers crossed!

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites



What a storm! That was really unexpected. Normally KXAN would be all over this every second until it hits. Very strange! The power went out around midnight and still isn't back on yet. Estimated time of recovery isn't until 11pm tonight, nearly 24 hours later.

I'm not concerned about the temperature in such a large tank, but the oxygen levels are worrisome. After twelve hours without power I hooked up the circulation pumps to the ancillary power source in my car. I plan on cycling the power for the next mine hours or so until the power comes back. Fingers crossed!

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk




Go get $6 bait bucket aerators at Wal-Mart and some D batteries Sascha. That'll help with oxygen levels.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't think that would do much in a large tank. Know anyone that's tried it before? Any concern with the corals not getting any flow? Right now I'm running the circulation pumps 10 minutes every hour.






Go get $6 bait bucket aerators at Wal-Mart and some D batteries Sascha. That'll help with oxygen levels.


Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't think that would do much in a large tank. Know anyone that's tried it before? Any concern with the corals not getting any flow? Right now I'm running the circulation pumps 10 minutes every hour.

 

 

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

I basically ran 3 of them, one in my sump, one in my frag tank, and one in my DT from 1am-9am. All my corals are normal and fish as well. There was no water current at all other than what was being generated by the fish, bubbles rising, or@reefpuck with a spatula.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/4/2018 at 10:04 PM, Christyef said:

I have a generator if you need to borrow it. My power was out 16 hours.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the offer! The power was out about 30 hours, which is the longest outage that I've ever had in this hobby. I didn't take any action from 0 - 12 hours without power. Between 12-21 hours I ran the circulation pumps for 15 minutes, once an hour. I took @FarmerTy's and @Reburn's advice for the last 9 hours and purchased two Bubble Box air pumps. I placed them 30" from each end of the aquarium and tried to get them as close to the bottom as I could. I wasn't sure if lead fishing weights were safe, so I didn't use them this time. 

61pbqH5pgAL._SX425_.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Sascha D. said:

Thanks for the offer! The power was out about 30 hours, which is the longest outage that I've ever had in this hobby. I didn't take any action from 0 - 12 hours without power. Between 12-21 hours I ran the circulation pumps for 15 minutes, once an hour. I took @FarmerTy's and @Reburn's advice for the last 9 hours and purchased two Bubble Box air pumps. I placed them 30" from each end of the aquarium and tried to get them as close to the bottom as I could. I wasn't sure if lead fishing weights were safe, so I didn't use them this time. 

61pbqH5pgAL._SX425_.jpg

How is everything doing now?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's been a while since I posted but saw how severe the power outage was. I'm glad you and everyone else is OK. It's great to have such a helping community that comes together in times of need. 

Cheers,

Paula

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, jolt said:
How is everything doing now?

The water was a little cloudy when the sump came back online but everything is fine as far as I can tell. Didn't lose any fish and I don't have any invertebrates besides coral. There was probably a slight drop in parameters but shouldn't have been bad with the lights off. The anemones were a little larger than normal and they walked a few inches.


ba4e59998e6c2e96a2b4c85136457042.jpg

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk
 

Edited by Sascha D.
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, jolt said:

I'm sure you are relieved, all looks pretty well to me!

Honestly, I didn't know what I would find when the lights came back on. After going through all of the stages of grief, I was resigned to deal with whatever happened when the power was restored. Fumbling around in the dark doesn't help anything. I'm totally elated everything is okay! Now I'm thinking about all of the unfinished projects that I have to do. :wacko:

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Everyone,

I'm a little behind on the reef projects. I've been working on the backyard project that we've been planing for two years and finally started making headway this spring. We've still got a few months to go before we can stain the concrete and get the fire pit in place, but I can start some landscaping in the meantime! I hope to get back to it after this weekend. 

Before picture. I put that flower bed in last year, before that the backyard was a blank slate. It's two tons of river rock and a 600 pound boulder.

1.jpg

Framing out the patio!

17.JPG

We needed two whole trucks of concrete for this project!

18.JPG

Finishing up the sidewalk and patio. The section in between the sidewalk and the house will either be planted with native Texas plants or xerascaped.

21.JPG

Hey, where did that natural gas grill come from!? If you look closely you can see the stub where we're going to put the fire pit and seating. 

24.jpg

Going to xerascape the whole right side of the yard between the new patio and the fence. That 600 pound boulder was tough to move! I finished up framing the landscaping this evening. It's going to be a dry river bed flanked by mulched planted areas. I have to move about two tons of rocks this weekend. :blink:

DSC07926.JPG

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow!!! I can’t believe bubblers kept your tank alive. That’s great!!!! I was so freaked out bc of last time I lost 7 fish, I had one bubbler in my powerhead blowing bubbles and a small powerhead sticking out of the water for a super bubbler! Lol. Your backyard looks great!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, Christyef said:

Wow!!! I can’t believe bubblers kept your tank alive. That’s great!!!! I was so freaked out bc of last time I lost 7 fish, I had one bubbler in my powerhead blowing bubbles and a small powerhead sticking out of the water for a super bubbler! Lol. Your backyard looks great!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How long was the power off? I wonder if it has something to do with the toxicity of ammonia. Below is an exert from UK Marine Special Areas of Conservation

Effects in the marine environment

Toxicity to marine organisms

An exhaustive literature review on the toxicity of ammonia to marine organisms has not been carried out for the purposes of this profile. The information provided in this section is taken from existing review documents (Seager et al 1988 and Nixon et al 1995). The most sensitive groups of organisms have been identified.

The toxicity of ammonia to marine organisms has not received the same level of study as freshwater organisms but there is sufficient information to indicate that the principal groups of organisms affected by ammonia toxicity in the marine environment are invertebrates and fish.

The un-ionised form of the ammonium ion (NH3) is the most toxic. The toxicity of ammonia to aquatic life is affected by the following physico-chemical parameters: temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and salinity. In general, ammonia toxicity is greater, the higher the temperature and pH and the lower the levels of dissolved oxygen and salinity.

Concerns about the toxicity of ammonia should be greatest in estuarine European marine sites and close to sewage outfalls in coastal waters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the areas that I would like to focus on is the lighting system. The Ocean Revive S026 is a great light and it's helped me grow corals for years. It worked very well when my aquarium was 18-24" wide, but doesn't have a spread large enough to cover the 30" width of this new tank. I currently run my 4 units at 100% blue 70% white and enjoy the color, but would like more overall brightness. Right now I'm looking into two options: replace the LED's with additional fixtures and/or add supplemental T-5 retrofit kits. 

Option 1: Add two T-5 retrofit kits, 4 total bars @ 54w each. This option would incorporate my existing fixtures and I would mount the lights to the roof of the canopy. @FarmerTy made some good suggestions in this post for bulb selection and I'm thinking about adding a Coral+ and Blue+ to each side. I'll have to measure the canopy to see whether I can fit two 48" kits or if I have to go with two 36" or one 60" kit. I'm looking at the LET kits based on the reviews and attractive pricing. 

image.png

 

Option 2: Replace my current LED fixtures with similar PAR, but higher coverage LED fixtures like Current USA Orbit Marine IC PRO Led Light Fixture 48-60 inch. These fixtures measure 46.8 x 7.5" increasing the overall coverage from 640 sq in to 1,404 sq in. This would increase the overall distribution of light to eliminate shadows, but the LED's aren't as strong for pinpoint PAR. My main reason for looking at this fixture is the coverage of light versus the pinpoint of a pendant light. I would add the same amount of T-5 kits, but they would be central instead of the outsides of the figures. 

image.png

orbit-marine-chart.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is certainly nothing wrong with your option 1 and then evaluating if you need more or want to proceed to option 2.

If it were me, and I was going to replace the LEDs, I would consider switching to T5 and Reefbrites.  That combo is known to be killer, but maybe expensive I don't know. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...