KeeperOfTheZoo

Thank you Cindy! Little fishy is doing great and so far is leaving all my corals alone, even the couple SPS frags I have. If she wants to eat them she can knock herself out, I'd rather have the angel than the SPS. She's putting my tang to shame with the amount and the rate at which she is consuming algae. She eats everything really well. Chowed down on the mysis and frozen formula 2 that I feed. I glued the pink zoas onto a rock, just waiting to see if they open up. Once they do and look like they'll survive I'll get them to you. They look just like the bright pink colony polyps here, so maybe they are palys and not zoas? I have some of the silver palys on there too. Hmm, the red palys and orange skirts too. Also have light blue palys and some sort of purple polyp that is starting to color up really pretty. Now to just convince them all to grow faster!!!! http://www.aquacon.com/polyps.html Liz

Ok, Y'all wanna shoot for around the 5th or 19th of Feb? Either date works good for me so what ever will get the majority. Muddybluewater, thank you! I'll see which location works out best. Maybe we can narrow down a few drop off points. Liz

Hey Vash if you have blue ones I want a couple please! Where are you located? I live way north so coordinating pickup is a little bit of a pain. I really want some blue mushrooms though!! Liz

I can show you lots of pictures of what happens when you use tap water long term in a saltwater tank! Oh boy I got this one covered!!! It *very* successfully grows the most beautiful, lush, healthy and dense amounts of algae one could ever hope to NOT have in their tank. Hmm, unless of course that's what you are going for in which case go for it. Eventually I will have the flip side to those pictures along with the complete saga of how to rehab a neglected reef...someday. I won't put words in Bill's mouth, but I don't think it's so much the 'facts' involved as it is the tone in which they are presented. As a newbie to this hobby it can be very overwhelming to figure everything out even when you are trying very hard to stay ahead of the curve and not screw up. Sometimes the 'Well duh you idiot' tone in response to simple questions can be very off putting when you didn't even realize you were asking something about a <supposedly> obvious subject. I have a tough skin, have been on the net long enough and have enough other hobbies where I'm the old hand helping the new folks to not take offense when some of the gruffer folks snap like old dogs at a pup. Not everyone does though. Overall I've found the folks here to be wonderfully helpful and really great about answering even the most simplistic questions. Some perhaps more so than others... but overall I think it's wonderful how so many people are willing to help those of us who are very new avoid making disasters of our tanks. Tizzite, I started out using my tap water because it's what I've always used without problems for my freshwater tanks and it's what the folks that I bought my saltwater tank from were doing. I inherited a hell of a nutrient problem from them that I've been fighting a battle against for the last 3 months, primarily in the form of algae and cyano bacteria. I had no idea that things like phosphates and nitrates in tap water could lead to huge problems in a saltwater tank. I didn't even switch to DI water for that reason. I switched because a few months back our water company finally switched from straight chlorine to using chloramine and it has made our water horrible, spiked the free ammonia in the water and it smells horrible. My research on nuisance algae and the problems associated with making water treated with chloramines safe for saltwater tanks is what led to me changing to all filtered water. I've since learned that the issues with tap water extend even further beyond nitrates, phosphates, chloramines, ammonia, etc. It's just not safe to use such a variable substance in a contained system that is as sensitive as our saltwater tanks can be. I think some people do use tap water and get away with it because they keep things in their tanks that are hardy, or when things die off they attribute it to something else. The folks I got my tank from had killed all kinda of things. I was amazed at the amount of money they had spent on livestock only to have it die! I can't afford to do that. It's easier and cheaper for me to make sure the water going in my tank is 'clean'. There's enough to worry about without having to worry about water quality. If you want to chance it, test your water yourself and see where you stand. I tested my tap water for phosphates, nitrates, free ammonia and free chlorine. All the results came back at levels to high to be healthy for a reef tank. If you are still trying to figure out what water parameters you should shoot for in your reef check out this web site: www.wetwebmedia.com. I really, really have learned a lot there. Liz

No prob, 2 weeks or so works good for me. Gonzo, thank you for the offer to hold stuff for me. My hubby works in RR and could pick up so that would actually work really good. I read through the basic directions for doing a group buy and it looks simple enough. I'll repost next week and we can see if we can get enough folks together to get 'er done. Liz

Where is the fish bowl? I've never heard of that one. I swing by Aquapets in Killeen sometimes. They have a limited selection of fish (usually really itty bitty babies) and dry goods. Their live rock is $6 a lb, not very 'alive' but no pests either. I bought sone rubble for frags. Liz I got

I have yet to participate in the whole group buy deal. I realize I just missed a reef cleaners group buy. Grr! Anyone gonna set another one up soon? There are a few things I'd like to order, if shipping could be avoided that'd be great. Only problems is I live very far N. of Austin. Not sure if there is enough interest out where I am to do an order for locals (Kempner, which is outside of Killeen), or would someone in Austin be willing to hold my shipment for me next time a group buy is done? Liz

Hey Ric, If you wanna bemoan algae with me we can talk at the meeting. Heck, I'll even bring pictures of my tank. Misery loves company! How does one go about using a filter sock? I know, I know... but I keep hearing references made to them and as simple as it sounds I'm not sure how to implement their usage. What are they made out of? Could I make one? Liz

Wow 1' mushrooms? Now that I can see eating something. I keep looking at my hairy mushrooms (the biggest is about 4" across) and wondering how it would even be possible for them to consume a 2"+ clown. Sundra, you do have some awesome hairy mushrooms and I just read you have a mandarin as well. I was quite worried about the possibility of my slow, docile little mandarin getting eaten too. I think I'll just keep all parties involved and only pull the mushrooms if they get monster sized. Crazy J, not getting rid of my clown! Was considering getting rid of the mushrooms but wanted input first. As long as the mushrooms don't act like they are going to eat anything I'm going to keep them, my clown loves them. Liz

Not sure if I really count but I'm closer than most. I'm in Kempner out towards Lampasas. Still a ways from Belton. I've met (and saw the beautiful huge tank) of another reef club member in Kempner. Met another gal that I'm not sure has joined the list, but she and her husband are setting up a new tank and they live in Killeen. So, there are a few of us out here. Sure wish there were some better LFSs around here! We go to Fins & Flowes in Cove all the time because we buy our ball python's feeder rats there. I bought a very healthy banded serpent star from them. I get a huge kick out of the ladies that work there (and all the birds)! They'll happily special order fish and inverts if you want them too. Not always the best price available (mostly because they are so low volume), but I just like the store. Seems like one of the biggest gripes of everyone I talk to out this direction is the lack of a good, big, well stocked LFS. Liz

Oh... the dreaded super glue! I am so horrible with that stuff y'all. I had to fix my daughter's barbie doll bed a while back and I was peeling glue off my fingers for days! I checked again today and a few of the yellow polyps have attached to the rock rubble. Not exactly where I would have put them, but they are on there. Many are still loose though The zoas aren't even opening, let alone attaching to anything. I'll have to just try the glue. At least I have some disposable gloves now. Might keep me from gluing my fingers together. Bill, my mushrooms have obviously all been male. I told them to stay, gave them *the look* and not a one has budged from where I initially put it. Helps that I have 3 sons and a husband, I am well versed in subtle raised eye brow communication of threats. Which by the way don't phase my daughter one darn bit. Liz

Yep, I'd second the start of cyano especially the red growth on the rock in the upper left. That is how my nightmare outbreak started. Red growth on rocks, bubbles... now it's all over my substrate. It seems like it's getting better the last couple days but I'm almost afraid to say that and jinx myself. Gotta go knock on wood, throw salt... Liz

Is there magic to the water entering at the bottom and working it's way up through a reactor? The baffles in my sump perfectly hold the two plastic media containers (side by side) that used to be in my big double bio-wheel filter. All the water in the tank has to flow through those baffles! Of course the water enters from the top then goes to the bottom. Ric, read through the links on that website and if you decide to reduce your CC let me know how it works for you. I wish I knew if it was coincidence or a direct connection between the shallower CC bed and the nitrates. It sure looks nicer if nothing else. I did remove it slowly so I didn't release too much nasty stuff into the water at once. When it was real deep I'd scoop about 1/2" worth of CC out on one side of the tank at a time being very careful not to stir it up too much. Then I'd do my water change and siphon the CC. I never had any problems with toxins being released. I took it from a pretty deep bed.... 4-5"+ down to 1/2-1" deep right now. I think I'm going to mix some sand into it eventually, just not sure how to do it without making a mess of the tank. Still gonna keep the bed 1"- 1 1/2" or so deep overall. Liz

How do I go about securing loose zoas and yellow polyps? I bought a rock of pink zoas and yellow polyps from peeperkeeper (they are doing great and my daughter loves the pink zoas!). The yellow polyps had started to encroach upon the zoas and one part of the zoa colony was no longer opening. Sundra had tried to inject the yellow polyps with a hyper saline solution to kill them and it didn't work. So, I got brave (or insert other adjective) and decided to just cut some of the polyps off. Armed with gloves, goggles and a very sharp small knife I set to work on the colonies. It was a great success! No problems and now the pink zoas are all opening up beautifully since the yellow polyps aren't all over them. Which leads to my question... how do I get all the loose polyps I cut off attached to something? The first polyps I cut off I placed in a small container of rubble rock, covered with net for 24 hours in a low flow part of my tank. Took the netting off and some looked attached to rock, but they weren't so I repeated and have since just left them in the cup. No idea if they are attaching to the rock or not. The second bunch I trimmed off the parent rock included a few of the pink zoas. These I placed them in a small cup with crushed coral. My thought was that if I could get them to attach to anything at all I could then glue the little bits of CC with attached zoa to a bigger rock and away we'd go. Is there a better way to do this? I know the safer method to propagate zoas is to place a rock next to the colony and let them grow onto it. But, since I needed to thin the colony that wasn't really an option. Now I have all these loose polyps and I'd really like to get them secured where I want them instead of where they want to be, or where my urchin has decided they should be after picking up a few that escaped the cups. The only other loose 'corals' I've worked with are mushrooms and xenia, both of which happily secured themselves where I wanted them within 24 hours. Thanks! Liz

Hey Ric, No great advice, but I feel your pain. I'm basically in the same boat, err...tank? I've got what I think might be bryopsis taking over a couple rocks and cyano decorating my crushed coral. It's very.... festive. I've been using the DI water from RCA and I'm very happy with it. It always tests well. I started with nitrates at 60+ and phosphates at 5+ back the end of September. The main things I have changed with my tank are: - No more tap water, all DI now - 10-15% water changes every week - reduced my CC to less than 1" and saw my nitrates drop significantly (I read a lot about CC on www.wetwebmedia.com in their substrate FAQs) - added a 10g fuge with chaeto & live rock rubble and a 20g sump w/ a chunk of live rock and a hermit that can't behave in the main tank My chaeto is under cheap-o grow lights from Walmart! I have 2 strip lights on a reverse cycle. I've already had to thin the chaeto as it had grown so much in 2 months that it was getting compacted - bought a good skimmer - Have been running phosphate reducing granulated media as well as polyfilter pads My nitrates are reading 0 (though they are not gone, no telling how much the algae is using up. At least I'm not getting high readings in addition to tons of algae now) and the phosphates are at .5. I'm frustrated because I'm still battling all the junk even though my tank is so much healthier and my nutrient export systems are working. I'm hoping that I'm on the final leg of the nutrient battle and that within the next 6 months or so all the nuisance stuff will die off. Heck, I'd be happy if the cyano alone would just go away. The macro algae doesn't bug me so much and my little tang snacks on it all day long. My tank was neglected before I bought it and had a lot of nutrient build up. I have yet to find a concise plan for rehabbing a reef tank where that's happened. I'm muddling through. Hope you find a solution for your tank! If you do, please share. I too have had moments where I just want to rip everything out of mine and start over. However, it's a little on the cost prohibitive side! Replacing all the rock alone would be painful. Liz

So, as I kinda suspected it would my crazy clown has decided to host in the new green hairy mushroom rock I added a week or so back. I was doing some reading online to see how the mushrooms hold up to clown love and stumbled across a forum post where someone had a healthy clown eaten by a hairy mushroom!! Kinda has me wondering... What are the odds? The mushrooms don't seem overly irritated by the clown. Hope they aren't luring her in to be a midnight snack... Liz

Hey Daniel I just checked out both the products you suggested and wow, they sound like an almost perfect solution that would be truly beneficial to getting my tank back on track. Easier on my mind too than venturing into vodka dosing. At least for the tank anyway. My hubby and I discovered Dripping Springs vodka a while back. Good stuff and it's locally brewed. Much too good for the fish. Liz

Hey Daniel I just checked out both the products you suggested and wow, they sound like an almost perfect solution that would be truly beneficial to getting my tank back on track. Easier on my mind too than venturing into vodka dosing. At least for the tank anyway. My hubby and I discovered Dripping Springs vodka a while back. Good stuff and it's locally brewed. Much too good for the fish. Liz

I got a lot of sediment the one time I tried Red Sea salt. Mixed it the same way I mix the IO (trash can w/ 15-20g DI water,pump with a hose attached for ease in filling buckets, pour in salt, heat & mix 24+ hours ). I've haven't used the RS salt since. I have almost no sediment with IO. When I first got my tank I had 1/2 of a 5g bucket that I think was just labeled 'reef salt'. It mixed so well! I haven't seen it locally and there's no telling where the prev owner got it. Is it beneficial to periodically change salt brands? Liz

Interesting Mike and thank you for sharing. The fact that the red slime showed up as your nitrates dropped caught my attention. I too had real high nitrates. They are now testing 0, as the nitrates dropped Ive had red slime show up. Is there a connection there? So, did your tank get cloudy as the bacteria took off? Did you run carbon or any other media while dosing? Liz

Would like input on vodka dosing to help lower nitrates and phosphates. I'll put the disclaimer out there that I'm not about to rush into this! I've read several long 'how to' articles as well as some of the issues that crop up with doing this. I guess I'd just like some feed back on how it's worked out for folks that have tried it. I've seen one tank that is currently being dosed with vodka and it looked great and the owner seemed thrilled with the results he was getting. I guess my concerns are: - a bacteria bloom consuming to much oxygen and killing my tank inhabitants (I only have 3 small fish in a 125g tank, but I have lots of old nutrient build up to get rid of) - too much build up/die off/contamination as the bacteria levels build - loss of bacterial diversity and what ever consequences that may have. Though I am unclear on if that will happen or not. - what happens when I want to sober up the tank and stop dosing? Of course, if I took a few shots I'd probably stop fussing over the cyano take over going on.... Liz

LOL! I hope someday I can say the same. Waiting for my various small frags and colonies to grow enough to fill up 125g worth of tank is hard. Mitch... I'm not picky! Anything that'll grown happily under PC lighting. I live way far N. though y'all. I'll be in Austin the 23rd to go to the reef club meeting. I can make other trades that day as well if y'all aren't going to be at the meeting. I attached a picture of the mushrooms. The spots look kinda green in the picture, and sometimes they are... sometimes more blue. Weird huh? I don't think this is just a standard red mushroom. I have one of those as well and it's solid red. Is there a special name for the polkadot ones? Liz

Hmmm, So in the case of someone with a PO4 spike due to something short term then yea, I can see how this would work. I can't easily eliminate the source of my PO4 (substrate and maybe even live rock leaching) in one fell swoop so I think I'm doomed for this control method. Muddybluewater I'm gonna start another thread on vodka dosing because it's something that I've been pondering as well but I'm still not sure about doing. Liz Oh Ric... my PO4 is at .5 which is down from 5+ when I first got and reset my tank back up 3 months ago. It was an established and neglected tank. Lots of nutrient build up...little did I know what a hassle fixing it would be!

I'd like one! Been trying to get some different colored mushrooms. You wouldn't want a red one by chance would ya? I'll trade! I have a red mushroom that is working its self loose from my overcrowded mushroom rock (those things bud like rabbits). It's not a solid red though. It's red with blue spotted rings that glow under actinics. Liz

Thanks for being up front about the softies Teg. Hope you find your pretty fish a new home. Back on the market for those of you without softies!