KeeperOfTheZoo

+1 to lower K= fast growth but poorer color. I switched my bulbs out a couple months ago, didn't get exactly what I wanted but since I'm still trying to figure out what color I like in my tank (lighting wise) I went with it. I have two 6500k/10k bulbs and two 10k/actinic bulbs. My coral and coraline algae growth has EXPLODED (the back of my 6' long tank is at least 50% covered in coraline and it's all happened in the last month and a half)! Everything from SPS (who are giddy happy even with PCs) to my softies are growing like mad. All my zoas have browned out though and some of my other corals have shifted color as well. I suspected it was the lower K bulbs and this confirms it. I'm going to give the tank a few more months then switch out the 50/50 bulbs lower K bulbs with something else. The growth is wonderful, but I don't like the color of light in the tank or the color of my corals. Blah. Ooops, and I agree with Dave. Lighting ain't everything.

That's a cool looking coral! Would you swap for cash? I'll be at the meeting, if you have any remaining frags I'd like one. Don't really have much to offer in trade. I have a small frag from Neon Green Palau Nepthea that is currently loose as it was just dropped. It is already branching, about 1- 1 1/2 inches. My camera took a hike while on vacation so I don't have a pic of my colony, but here's a link to what it is/looks like: http://www.coloradocoralfarm.com/true-palau-nepthea/ http://www.atlantisaquarium.net/rare-palau-nepthea-frg132.html

Umm Will, not being snippy but even your links point out a 16g is too small for those fish! A 30 maybe until they outgrow it (eel would be ok), but even that seems to be pushing the ticket a little. I looked at the anglers when deciding where I wanted to go with my tank, it was a predator/large fish tank when I bought it. The anglers are very cool, but I remember reading that 50-70g was the min for any of them, the wartskin will grow to 6", that's a big fish. So you just need to upgrade to a 55g and all will be well! Like I said, not everyone approaches stocking with the idea of giving the fish plenty of space and I've seen some very pretty tanks that were very overstocked but all seemed fairly well. Total tank volume is good and will help with water fouling, but I don't consider total volume when stocking. My total system volume is up over 150g, but when I look at fish I only take into consideration the size of my display (125g). I will admit I'm anal about fish planning though, I'm fascinated with the idea of building a long term reef 'community' vs. constant swapping of stock. I tend to want to create natural environments (or as much as possible) for all my animals. I think with some of those fish your firefish would be very likely to be lunch as well!! I know my snowflake eel would happily eat anything he could get in his mouth, he also did a great job burrowing and moving my rocks and corals around. We generally only saw him at feeding time, or we'd see just his head sticking out of the rocks. For an animal that ate a lot he didn't add a lot visually to the tank (aside from bioload). He was beautiful, and it was amazing when he would come out and swim, but I'm very glad he's in a new home now. Oh... flow is easy to tone down. I'm sure Mama could help you! LOL!! It's good to play with these ideas and work out the kinks ahead of time. I just aquired a second 55g tank which frees up the drilled 55g I was going to use to upgrade one of my freshwater tanks. You know what that means... a new saltwater tank (and the upgraded freshwater, woohoo)!! I'm playing with the idea of creating a TX gulf biotope tank, but I'm not sure how realistic a goal that would be. It'd make a great science project for my kids though. We had so much fun collecting things off the FL coast, gotta hit the TX coast and do the same.

Hey Andrew, Do you have pictures? I'm VERY interested in the dragonfly zoas and the Hawaiian Tropics, but I'd like to see the frags before I commit to the drive to pick them up. Are you going to this months meeting?

This is a 16g tank? That's a pretty little tank for most fish. I'd do a bit more research on the space requirements for the fish you have listed, the predator fish would all need a bigger tank. In some cases a much bigger tank. I know not everyone approaches stocking their tanks in the same way and I have seen people put juvenile fish in tanks that are much too small for the adult size the fish will reach. It can work, but you need to be aware and ready to find the fish a new home before it gets cramped and miserable. I personally buy fish with their adult size in mind, regardless of the current size of the fish. I have a small yellow tang right now who looks lost, but I know he's going to get big some day! I'm looking forward to years of watching my fish mature and settle into their home and form a community. I don't want to be having to constantly swap out fish that overgrow my tank (and even with a 125g I have to watch size and stocking) or are not compatible with what I want in the tank. Personally, I think you'd be better off with the smaller community type fish, and even then, check tank sizes and make sure you don't overstock. Realistically you can probably only fit one or two small fish in that tank. I like the firefish, pretty and they stay small. One other idea... what about seahorses or pipe fish?

Don't know what it is Corey but it's really pretty! If it turns out to be friendly I want one.

I took the snail in to the LFS (which was very cool!) and the lady there said nassarius but I don't think that's right. I dunno.... As for collecting... going on what the long term natives are saying if something is washed up on the beach and you aren't stupid about grabbing it it's fair game. The 'law' may say otherwise, but I was sure not alone collecting things. There were folks on the beach with clear collection containers loading up and no one said a thing. We went to a different beach today, didn't see as much stuff but it was still neat. Lots of little fish, big horseshoe crabs and tons of differnt snails and hermits. Only came home with a few more washed up mangrove pods.

I know this isn't the best picture, I can get a better one if needed but this one provides the basic shape/color so here's hoping! This is a snail, good or bad? We collected a few because the shells are so pretty. Also gathered a few limpets, cute little guys but not at all flashy. They were chowing on the hair algae growing on a sea wall. Can't beat that!

Well, All went totally well. No problems at all and I think I'm past the danger zone. Good sand. I am now a HUGE fan of converting nasty old CC sand beds. Just wish I was home to enjoy it. Currently in Mississippi en route to N Carolina for a family emergency. I hate leaving the tank. I think I'm gonna sneak in a trip to Florida on the way home though!! Ric, I'm gonna get Koralia 3s. I figured I'd start there and add more if needed. Gee, I'd love to help you change over your cc bed but I'm a couple states away! LOL! It's really pretty easy and so worth it.

I will Gabriel and thank you for the heads up. I'll keep testing and watching. I mixed up more water so if things start to head downhill i will be ready.

Well, I would think stress then. That said, from reading is seems that the dusters/worms can be challenging to keep. I have tons of the itty bitty feather dusters on my rocks, no idea what did my big hawaiian in, it may not have been food related. Glad you got your canopy to work for you! Do you have fans in it? Don't cook your tank with those halides.

Thanks for the warning Hamp. I am going to watch the tank closely. Will run water param checks again tonight. Bummer on your tank crashing. Ouch. Did you have a lot of live rock? I don't know why my tank didn't crash after the move (it's been 6 months now since moving it and its done nothing but improve). It was *so* neglected when I bought it. The CC bed was filthy, hair algae out the wazoo, massive nutrient build up (with high nitrates and phosphates). Maybe it was just so bad nothing could possibly make it worse! Oh, and thank you for the compliment on the tank. It has come so far.

Hey Teoahnna, what LFS was this? One in Killeen? Hope your anemone feels better soon. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think coco worms can be hard to keep especially in a newer tank (because of the lack of plankton). I had a hawaiian duster and a cluster duster, both died. The cluster duster was doing great (making new tubes/babies) until my eel buried it,several times, then it never recovered. The hawaiian just up and blew its head and died one day. On researching more I learned filter feeders like these can be hard to feed. They eat little bitty plankton and can easily starve to death. I think that's what happened to my hawaiian duster. I'm going to try another one and specifically target feed it. They'll also blow their tops/jump out of their tubes because of stress. Your water params look great now (yea!!!!) but that KH spike you had was probably enough to stress a lot of your inverts.

All is well this morning. Water params last night and this morning are good. Everything settled, the water is totally clear (was by lights out last night). The stuff swirling around settled down, there's a different pattern in the sand now so I guess it adjusted to my power heads. I'm getting new PHs this weekend, hopefully they won't blow the sand around too much. Ric, I'm just teasing you. If anything I do helps you at all I'm pleased! My tank is just one long, ongoing science project anyway. Gabriel, I've done major moves and stir ups of my CC sand bed a few times now (the biggest when I move the tank and stupidly put the CC back in... didn't know at the time it was not what I'd want to use), it never sent my tank into a cycle. I tested for the complete nitrogen cycle right after moving, never got an ammonia reading. Ditto the 3 other times I took out significant amounts of CC from the tank and exposed the underlayers. Now, I don't know if that's because CC doesn't compact the way sand does thus allowing better water circulation through the whole bed, or if I just got lucky! The live sand I put in my tank had also just been moved a couple times and I dumped it all into a container and poured new water over it. With that much stirring and moving I'd assume I would have seen some sign of a cycle, right? Ammonia or nitrites (I left it in a container overnight then tested the water the next morning)? I didn't so I'm going to assume (hope!) that it was truly live and cycled and good to go. I'm not arguing with you, just kinda questioning the 'Don't re-use sand' theory because I've seen good arguments for and against. I'm hoping I'll dodge the 'against' bullets. Oh... might also help that I have a good amount of rock. Anyway, my next step is hopfully meeting Prof on Sat to get more sand, finishing off the sand bed on the front part of the tank then working on the back. Here are a couple of pictures with the sand in. Not great pictures, my camera was dead this morning so I took these on my iPhone. One thing I've noticed is that the sand is so much brighter than the CC!

Hey Glenda, When will you be close to Lampasas? If you are close I could meet you somewhere or of course you are welcome to come out to my place. I live rural, so a bit off the beaten path. Are you out in this area? I've been trying to keep tabs on the folks that live out by me (Killeen/Cove/Harker Heights). Did you get my PM (private message)? I'll go ahead and send another and hope we can work something out.

Ric, are you trying to use me and my poor tank as a guinea pig? A blog would have been a good idea. Sadly my allergies are making me miserable and since the water params on the sand came back great I just wanted to get it in the tank ASAP while it was still live. I will share my process & progress though. Chris, the sand (as far as I can tell!) is awesome. I found a tiny frag of zoas in it (that are already open) and a cool little snail is climbing up the glass in my tank... not one I've ever had before so I assume it came from the sand. All water params in the container where I had it tested perfect across the board (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and phosphates). Thank you again. Well, I had a lot more sand or maybe just a lot less actual 'floor' volume than I thought across the front of my tank. I do have a pretty good amount of rock. I ended up removing just over 1/2 a bucket of CC from the tank and replaced it with a slightly more shallow bed of sand (between 1/2-1", I may build it up a little more in spots eventually) that spans almost the entire front of the tank. More than I'd anticipated replacing, but I've taken a full 5g bucket of CC out of my tank at a time with no ill results so I'm not too concerned. Since the sand going in does seem to be fully cycled and live, I'm going to hope for the best and be happy I got so much done in a day. ** One note, since I was battling nutrient build up issues with this tank I had been doing deep siphoning of the CC bed to clean out old crud. It got fairly well rinsed when I moved the tank, but it was still kinda dirty. I'd also reduced the CC bed to less than an inch. If you have a deep or really dirty CC bed I suspect you might have more problems with releasing nasty stuff into the water column. When I was researching before doing this I read in several placed to deep clean the CC before removing it and in the case of a deep one to reduce the depth before finally taking it out.** Removing the CC is very easy. I used (4th time around now I've done this, I've got the technique down) a small fish net. Scoop up a net full of CC, let small particle crud settle with the net low in the tank, lift it up and let the water drain a second then dump in a catch bucket. Easy removal that leaves most of the water in the tank. This only let me get to the CC in front of the rocks, the stuff behind/deep between the rocks is going to be more challenging. I did leave some of the CC around the rocks, no idea if it'll help with seeding or not, but it was easier to leave some than to try to remove it all. Since the sand going in was wet it did not want to slide down a pipe (I tried a 5/8" flex tube with a funnel... it clogged too easily. A wider pipe and a DIY coke funnel might have worked better). However, since the sand was very wet it didn't float away much so I just scooped it up with a small cup and poured it out in the bottom of the tank. Easy enough. I'm going to have to get used to how sand swirls around. Nothing moved the CC... now I have sand blowing around from my powerheads. That's novel, for me. The whole process did make a good sand storm in the tank, but neither my corals or fish are upset. A couple corals actually seem to me enjoying the mess (my candy canes have had their feeders out all day)! It's been about 4 hours now and there's a slight haze in the tank but you can see through it and the worst has already settled down. I'm going to test water params tonight and in the morning. Thus far everything in the tank is doing great, no distress at all. I have 15g of saltwater made up in case I need to pull critters or do a water change, another 15 of DI water I can convert to salt in an emergency. Makes me feel a little better. I may just be in the calm before the storm (or crash), but it's been a few hours and all seems well so far. I'm keeping my fingers crossed For the CC behind the rock... I think I will siphon it out a bit at a time during water changes and then try filling it back in with dry sand and tubing. That's going to be the harder part of the change to accomplish for sure. Overall, I'm really happy. The sand looks *SO* much nicer. I mean wow... world of difference! Will update tomorrow on the condition of the critters in the tank.

I officially can not stand the crushed coral in my tank any longer! Man I hate that stuff. I got some 'live' sand from Chris today (Ozarkwater), about 1/2 a 5g bucket full (thank you Chris! Oh, and little Mr Crab is now king of the fuge. He has 10g of all the pods or algae he wants to eat. I think he'll be happier in there than in the sump). Because I'm paranoid I dumped off the water that was in the bucket, dumped the sand in a clean container and covered it with water from a water change I did today and put a couple airstones in to circulate the water. Gonna test parameters in the morning and check for ammonia and nitrites before I dump it in my tank. Yea... I do get the Mrs. Paranoia crown. Anyway, I've read some on how to switch out a sand bed and there doesn't seem to be an easy way to do it. My thought is to start at one end of the tank, clear out a section of CC and then replace with sand. I don't see any way to avoid having some of the old CC mix in with the new sand. I don't mind as long as the end result is a sand bed that is predominantly sand. Will wet sand slide down a PVC pipe? I've seen it suggested to add new sand to a tank via a pipe which sounds like a great idea. Just not sure it'll work if the sand is wet. If I know ahead of time that's at least one mess I can avoid if it's not going to work. How often should I add new sand to the tank? I don't want to make it cycle. I do have a lot of live rock and of course the remaining live 'sand' bed. I'm hoping that will help compensate as I switch things out. If I get dry (dead) sand would it be worth putting it in a container with some water from a water change and letting it sit & circulate for a while before adding it to the tank? I need a sand bed fairy godmother who can just 'poof' a pretty new sandbed into place while I'm asleep.

Hey Michelle, I think we have it all worked out now! I'll be in town the 19th.

Hmm, This is a double post. I PMed her earlier today. Anyone heard back on the status of the clowns?

Pm sent on clowns if they can be held till this coming weekend.

I'd nix the cardinals personally unless you either plan to keep fish larger than their mouths or remove them when they get large. When they get big they will happily, eagerly and aggressively eat other fish. I got rid of 4 large orbicular cardinals (PJs ugly cousins) because they would eat any fish they could fit in their mouth, or any fish they thought they might be able to fit in their mouth. I was amazed at what those fish could fit in their mouths. I'm just SO glad I found out by feeding cheap feeder fish to an eel (before we stopped feeding him feeders) vs. feeding a cute clown to the cardinals. It was amazing to see the cardinals hunt and eat the feeder fish. They'd get them long before the poor eel could. They were very passive otherwise (had other large tank mates), but I didn't want to risk misjudging what they would consider a snack when adding new fish.

"Otha motha" contraceptive... oh man... y'all are too much! Mama you're too young to be my momma too. I've always wanted a big sister though. Consider me RSVPed pending any calamities.

Do we have a firm deal on the overflow? Don't want to make plans to drive to S Austin if the sale is shaky.

Nope, I asked about just the hole, he said $25, bulkhead extra. Ok, where's Dave to settle this!?! Oh, second hole was $20. I posted in his section under 'tank drilling'.

Last time I asked Dave was charging $25 a hole.