tuesday8877

Here are some pics of the recent changes...I liked the rocks better the other way but I did add some Texas Holey rock that we had in the sump of our 110 gallon freshwater tank. Here's the clarkii in jail with a bunch of the dragons breath that got knocked off the rocks while trying to catch him! Gorgeous macoralgaes and waving hand from Subsea and new rocks. [ attachment=22141:IMG_3772.JPG]

I added some very nice macroalgae that I got from subsea yesterday. Thanks Patrick! Also had to pretty much tear the rocks apart trying to catch the dreaded Clarkii...he is now in an isolation net hanging in tank until he finds a new home. *I was going to give him away but then I got scared that he won't be taken care of or just be turned into a LFS. The anemone is still recovering and the hammer is looking MUCH better. Everyone is generally happier with the bully out of commission. Thinking of adding some biopellets to my canister filter? Also does carbon go "stale" after while? And is activated carbon the same as the carbon used in HOB filters in the lil pouches? Need to get the nitrates down without having to do massive water changes all the time. Also I'm leaning toward the "natural" methods instead of or in addition to technology. I will be trying the DSB in my DT. Just wondering if there is a brand out there that is preferred. In going with the larger bits of crushed coral not the fine sand. Oh and I finally got the surface agitation just right do no more surface scum!

South Austin, near Barton Creek Mall.

This guy has been a bully ever since I put an anemone in the tank. Now he thinks everyone and everything is trying to hurt his anemone...he even bites me, the magfloat, pretty much anything that moves. He also trys to feed the anemone all kinds of random things...snails, pieces of rubble, etc. The poor anemone cannot take the abuse. He is also nipping at the corals and stalking the other fish. Basically I need him gone asap. He was fine before introducing the anemone. Free or trade for whatever you want to offer. Thanks!

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Hey Patrick, thanks for the reply and advice! I do have a tray of carbon in the fluval...forgot to mention that. I do need to overhaul the media...I will probably take out the filter pads and replace with pellets or rubble if I can find some. I think your right about it cycling...it was a long move and it probably killed a lot of the good bacteria in the sand and rocks. Before that the 75 gal tank was running for about a month with no major algae problems. When it was still in the 55 gal I used a HOB filter and it seemed to work but I didn't like the look and sound of it and it was kinda messy (water spray and salt creep). Plus I think the fluval is keeping the water clearer and less bubbles. The HOB was definately better at agitating the surface scum though. The cleaner shrimp and the banded have been together for awhile now. They seem to completely ignore each other but I will keep an eye on them. I think I have a Macro algae called dragons breath growing in the tank. Don't know where it came from but it's growing really well. There is some in the pics above maybe someone can help id it if its not dragons breath.

We built a stand and don't need this one anymore. Had a 75gal on it. Brown...no canopy. It's in pieces right now but fairly easy to reassemble. I think there was a flat top on it at one point but its missing...could use as is or lay a piece of plywood on top if you want. Will post pics asap. South Austin near Barton Creek Mall.

Thanks guys! The fluval only has some filter pads and a tray of ceramic pettlet things. I was wondering if I might be able to use another canister filter that I bought but not using (a Marineland Magnum 350) as a phosban reactor. Seems like it would be an easy conversion....have to do some research.

Some issues I am currently trying to deal with: Algae! Lots of it! I had it pretty well under control until we moved the tank to our new place...now it's bad again. The blenny, urchin, snail, and other critters are doing what they can. Higher Nitrate levels. I just did a 1/3 water change middle of last week and they are high again. Ive been getting water from Aquadome and RCA for the water changes. Probably need more live rock and sand because this tank is larger, Phosphate levels are also higher The Clarkii is a bully! He will not leave the Zenia alone and now he's picking on the blenny....might need to get rid of him! Other than that everything seems happy and healthy and growing. .

Here is a lil history on our saltwater adventures: We purchased a 55 gal SW set up off of Craigslist that was in horrible shape. It came with the tank, a HOB filter, a very old Coralife PC light, rocks, and crushed coral and thats it for equipment. The live stock that was still alive was a clown, a damsel, cardinal, some tiny starfish, hermits, and about a million worms. Everything was covered in algae. Even though we had absolutely no experience with SW tanks, we figured that we couldn't do much more damage to these critters and decided to try and save it. It's been a fun and frustrating learning process with much success and failures. Since then, we added a Remora C HOB protein skimmer, a Odyessea Quad HO T5 light ( I think we have 3 X 10K and one Atinic running during the day), a Fluval canister filter, and various other equip. We also recently upgraded it from the 55 to 75 gallon. Here is a list of the live stock we currently have (sorry if the names are wrong): Clarkii Clownfish - he's my least favorite cuz he nips at the corals but has the most personality Damsel Pajama Cardinal Cleaner Shrimp Coral Banded Shrimp Sea Cucumber Sea Star Conch Bubble Tip Anemone A couple of leather coral, i think one is a cabbage and one is toadstool? Several mushrooms Green Hammer - he's not doing so great, kinda deflated but looking better today GSP and a couple of other kinds of coral that I got at Aquadome but forgot the name hermits and snails We are hoping to build a sump/ refuge in the near future and possibly do an LED DIY fixture when time and money permit. Tuesday Hayden

Not gonna be able to make it to the meeting but really wanted to meet everyone...is the after party still on?

Thanks for the info James!

Thanks for the welcomes! Hi Subsea, I actually tried to call you a couple of days ago about the waving hand. Will definately need to come out to your place sometime soon. I forgot to mention that for moonlight I'm using a couple of led kits that I got from IKEA of all places. The color is adjustable and gives a good night time glow but doesn't have enough wattage I guess to make any real difference with the main lights on. I've noticed most peoples tank have a nice calm blueish tint while mine is pretty stark white. Definately need to upgrade my lights one of these days.

Hello Everyone, We (myself, my fiance Robert, and my kids) moved to Austin about a month ago and found this group through the Aquadome. Love that place! We have been reef keeping for a very short time (about 6-8mos) and only recently became serious about it. Here is a lil history on our saltwater adventures: We purchased a 55 gal SW set up off of Craigslist that was in horrible shape. It came with the tank, a HOB filter, a very old Coralife PC light, rocks, and crushed coral and thats it for equipment. The live stock that was still alive was a clown, a damsel, cardinal, some tiny starfish, hermits, and about a million worms. Everything was covered in algae. Even though we had absolutely no experience with SW tanks, we figured that we couldn't do much more damage to these critters and decided to try and save it. It's been a fun and frustrating learning process with much success and failures. Since then, we added a Remora C HOB protein skimmer, a Odyessea Quad HO T5 light ( I think we have 3 X 10K and one Atinic running during the day), a Fluval canister filter, and various other equip. We also recently upgraded it from the 55 to 75 gallon. Here is a list of the live stock we currently have (sorry if the names are wrong): Clarkii Clownfish - he's my least favorite cuz he nips at the corals but has the most personality Damsel Pajama Cardinal Cleaner Shrimp Coral Banded Shrimp Sea Cucumber Sea Star Knoch Bubble Tip Anemone A couple of leather coral, i think one is a cabbage and one is toadstool? Several mushrooms Green Hammer - he's not doing so great, kinda deflated but looking better today GSP and a couple of other kinds of coral that I got at Aquadome but forgot the name and hermits will be adding a CUC with snails and more hermits after the Group Buy tomorrow We are hoping to build a sump/ refuge in the near future and possibly do an LED DIY fixture when time and money permit. I'm so glad to have found this group and look foward to learning and making my tank awesome with your help! Tuesday Hayden

I'd like to get in on the group buy...just let me know how to order and who to pay. Thanks! Tuesday Hayden