150 tall build

[Planeden]

I think I read something along those lines as well.

i noted it because it said condies were the easiest nem. i like easy.

[Jmvanness]

Lol. Amen.

[Sascha D.]

Correction to my previous post. No clownfish naturally host condy.

Some people have had luck with Osc. clowns hosting condy when they introduce them at the same time using an acryllic specimine container. Basically you put the anemone and the clown into a clear container and put it into your tank. After a few days the clown may take to the anemone. After the clown begins to host then you can let them go into the tank and the clown will follow the anemone around wherever he goes.

Here's a list of clowns that may host it with some luck.

http://www.petsolutions.com/C/Live-Saltwater-Invertebrates/I/Purple-Condylactis.aspx

[wesreyn]

I see Maroon Clowns hosting Condi's all the time at Petco.

Edited May 31, 2013 by wesreyn

[KevinB]

Just a note about the dottyback, mine doesn't eat pods at all. Never even picks at rocks.

I wouldn't worry too much about fish like that eating pods...my pods don't even come out during the day, so never get predated on. My pods number into the hundreds or thousands I'm sure, some as big as 1/4".

[Jmvanness]

Schematic for my super sump. Approximately 75 Gallons. Been working on the plumbing today... just need to find some acrylic bond to block off the auto top off chamber and it's ready to go. Need suggestions for what to put in the "?" chambers. I figure I'll but some poly-foam in one of the small ones and bioballs in the one next to the frag tank. Any other suggestions? I figure I can also throw a HOB on the fuge and make it into a qt or naughty tank when I need one, since it can be easily blocked off from the rest of the system.

While we are on refugiums, how much sand/live rock do you all use in yours? How much algae and what are your favorite types?

[victoly]

Honest assessment here, it looks pretty complex. I'd think very hard about potential points of failure and see if you can reduce chamber quantity.

Additionally, ditch the bio balls. Just gonna trap junk and make nitrate.

[Jmvanness]

The sumps are already built and work fine. Just needed some adjustments. Thanks for the info about bioballs.

[Planeden]

I'd look into mud for the fuge. You only need about 1" of depth to do what a 3-6" deep sandbed would do (as I read it). Most people here use chaeto algae, but I think halimedia (sp?) is an option. Chaeto seems to be good a nutrient uptake and bulletproof.

I don't understand your hob QT? How big could it be to hold anything? How can it be blocked off and still circulate/filter without contaminating your system?

[Planeden]

Just a note about the dottyback, mine doesn't eat pods at all. Never even picks at rocks.I wouldn't worry too much about fish like that eating pods...my pods don't even come out during the day, so never get predated on. My pods number into the hundreds or thousands I'm sure, some as big as 1/4".

Do pods serve another purpose besides free fish food?

[Jmvanness]

I'd look into mud for the fuge. You only need about 1" of depth to do what a 3-6" deep sandbed would do (as I read it). Most people here use chaeto algae, but I think halimedia (sp?) is an option. Chaeto seems to be good a nutrient uptake and bulletproof.

I don't understand your hob QT? How big could it be to hold anything? How can it be blocked off and still circulate/filter without contaminating your system?

I've heard Mud is SUPER expensive and I haven't even begun to think about where to find it. I have chaeto in my 29's sump, so hopefully I can get it growing well enough to throw some in my big sump, if not it seems common enough to find the amount I will need.

The fuge is a separate part of the sump and I can turn the flow off to it at the overflow which will stop it flowing into the return part of the sump. Slap a HOB on it and voilà! 25 gallon qt. Might not work for very large fish, but a small tang should be fine in there for a month. Though, if something does have a problem in there, I'm not sure what I'd need to do with the water, sand, algae and rock in the fuge before putting it back into use in the tank. Let it sit unused and fish-less for 5 weeks? So it may just end up as the time-out tank for anyone being aggressive. If the biocube I have doesn't get sold soon, it may end up as my qt anyway so I won't need to use the fuge.

As for pods, I think they are sand bed cleanup crew with the benefit of being fish food for some. I'm glad you and I are doing this at the same time, bc you are asking a lot of questions I need the answers for and your thread is helpful!

[KevinB]

IMHO they are the best cleanup crew you can have. They can get to anything in the tank, and multiply readily. They don't hurt any other inhabitants and don't really have a drawback

Not just for the sandbed, they crawl all over rocks and even on glass surfaces

[Jmvanness]

Other than buying the pods in a jar at $20 a pop... how do you promote/culture them? I haven't seen any in my 29. The sand and rock in it have been established for over two years when I bought the set-up.

[KevinB]

A note about chaeto, It won't hurt having it, but I question how effective it really is.

I run skimmer less and do water changes twice a year. I grow lps fine, softies like crazy, and just started on sps which appears to be doing well. I don't have a heavy fish load, but I do feed the corals a lot. When I had chaeto I noticed no changes. I know it does some good, but is it enough to notice? I'm not sure. Then again I also have a 4" sandbed in the tank.

Not trying to discourage you from using it, but I wouldn't put a whole lot of eggs in that basket, I'd use other approaches to mitigate nutrients.

IMHO extra live rock in the sump would do more than chaeto.

But in the end it comes down to what you want in the tank and how you want to set it up

[KevinB]

Other than buying the pods in a jar at $20 a pop... how do you promote/culture them? I haven't seen any in my 29. The sand and rock in it have been established for over two years when I bought the set-up.

Well I am specifically talking about amphipods when I mention pods, not copepods. I know Patrick (subsea) frequently gives away his extra pods. That's the only source other than buying them or getting them on a rock. Do you have digitate hydroids? If so, they will decimate pods...which is what happened in my tank for a few months until they went away and the pods came back

[Planeden]

My mud cost me about $25/gal at bulk reef supply. At 1" depth, that covers a 230 sq. in. area. Considering you need 3x to 6x the sand, I don't think you are spending too much more. Of course, they sell sand buy the pound, so you have to figure out the conversion to be sure. Also, despite what the manufacturer's say, I don't think you need to replace it. Subsea has talked about his gaining depth over time and not replacing any of it in 11 years.

I understand you QT now. The concern I have, besides your "if they get sick" cunundrum, is that you would be cutting off a large portion of you filtration for extended periods of time. You would be loosing all the benefits of the fuge everytime you get a new fish. There is also the concern of adding a fish I the section of the tank that is supposed to let things grow without prediters, but that would be a secondary concern to me.

I bought myself a cheap 10g starter kit to act as a QT tank. Petsmart has a bare bones one for $40. Both petsmart and petco have them go on sale periodically, too. See a soon to be post in my build thread about my QT thoughts (and other's responses, hopefully).

I agree, it is good to have a newbie buddy. I've been reading and learning along with yours as well. Feel free to jump in mine with questions if you need something clarified in there. Odds are it will help me, too. Maybe others as well.

Thanks for the info about pods guys. I didn't know they were a good clean up crew.

[Planeden]

Other than buying the pods in a jar at $20 a pop... how do you promote/culture them? I haven't seen any in my 29. The sand and rock in it have been established for over two years when I bought the set-up.

I think you usually can get it on the chaeto you buy, barter, or steal on the site. I'm not sure how long you've had it in you cube, where you got it, or how long it takes to see them.

Edit...or what KevinB said. .

[Jmvanness]

A note about chaeto, It won't hurt having it, but I question how effective it really is.

I run skimmer less and do water changes twice a year. I grow lps fine, softies like crazy, and just started on sps which appears to be doing well. I don't have a heavy fish load, but I do feed the corals a lot. When I had chaeto I noticed no changes. I know it does some good, but is it enough to notice? I'm not sure. Then again I also have a 4" sandbed in the tank.

Not trying to discourage you from using it, but I wouldn't put a whole lot of eggs in that basket, I'd use other approaches to mitigate nutrients.

IMHO extra live rock in the sump would do more than chaeto.

But in the end it comes down to what you want in the tank and how you want to set it up

Thanks for the info. Could you recommend an algae that works better? Or do you believe live rock is better? You've seen my stock list, so I doubt I'd be running light on fish.

[Jmvanness]

My mud cost me about $25/gal at bulk reef supply. At 1" depth, that covers a 230 sq. in. area. Considering you need 3x to 6x the sand, I don't think you are spending too much more. Of course, they sell sand buy the pound, so you have to figure out the conversion to be sure. Also, despite what the manufacturer's say, I don't think you need to replace it. Subsea has talked about his gaining depth over time and not replacing any of it in 11 years.

I understand you QT now. The concern I have, besides your "if they get sick" cunundrum, is that you would be cutting off a large portion of you filtration for extended periods of time. You would be loosing all the benefits of the fuge everytime you get a new fish. There is also the concern of adding a fish I the section of the tank that is supposed to let things grow without prediters, but that would be a secondary concern to me.

I bought myself a cheap 10g starter kit to act as a QT tank. Petsmart has a bare bones one for $40. Both petsmart and petco have them go on sale periodically, too. See a soon to be post in my build thread about my QT thoughts (and other's responses, hopefully).

I agree, it is good to have a newbie buddy. I've been reading and learning along with yours as well. Feel free to jump in mine with questions if you need something clarified in there. Odds are it will help me, too. Maybe others as well.

Thanks for the info about pods guys. I didn't know they were a good clean up crew.

Thanks! Maybe i could get in on a group order on mud.

My current 29 isn't a cube. It's a drilled glass tank with a 15 tall sump.

And I agree about the fuge. I have the biocube and 2 20longs I just did't want another tank to deal with.

[Planeden]

My mud cost me about $25/gal at bulk reef supply. At 1" depth, that covers a 230 sq. in. area. Considering you need 3x to 6x the sand, I don't think you are spending too much more. Of course, they sell sand buy the pound, so you have to figure out the conversion to be sure. Also, despite what the manufacturer's say, I don't think you need to replace it. Subsea has talked about his gaining depth over time and not replacing any of it in 11 years.

I understand you QT now. The concern I have, besides your "if they get sick" cunundrum, is that you would be cutting off a large portion of you filtration for extended periods of time. You would be loosing all the benefits of the fuge everytime you get a new fish. There is also the concern of adding a fish I the section of the tank that is supposed to let things grow without prediters, but that would be a secondary concern to me.

I bought myself a cheap 10g starter kit to act as a QT tank. Petsmart has a bare bones one for $40. Both petsmart and petco have them go on sale periodically, too. See a soon to be post in my build thread about my QT thoughts (and other's responses, hopefully).

I agree, it is good to have a newbie buddy. I've been reading and learning along with yours as well. Feel free to jump in mine with questions if you need something clarified in there. Odds are it will help me, too. Maybe others as well.

Thanks for the info about pods guys. I didn't know they were a good clean up crew.

Thanks! Maybe i could get in on a group order on mud.

My current 29 isn't a cube. It's a drilled glass tank with a 15 tall sump.

And I agree about the fuge. I have the biocube and 2 20longs I just did't want another tank to deal with.

errrrr...i lied. i got it at drs. foster and smith. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+9805+7319&pcatid=7319

[subsea]

With respect to Cardinals and Chromis, they do better with schools of 3-5 fish. I recall you saying that six T5 with a MH was not enough light. On my 135 I am using eight T5 with PAR values of 100 at bottom of 29" deep tank. What lights had you planned on? In looking at your stocking list, I see no hi light demanding corals. If you put more light, unless they are LED you will have warm water requiring blowers for more evaporative cooling or perhapes even a chiller. In the case of your refugium, I like a macro filter with much lighting to push it. On my 20G long refugium, I have a horticulture 120W PC bulb at 6500 kelvin. The fixture was $50.

Enjoy the passion,

Patrick

[Jmvanness]

Thanks for the info Patrick. I was saying that I have the mh in case the t5 wasn't enough which I think it will be. It's a 6 bulb t5ho by aquamedic.

I need to do more research on refugium obviously.lol

I would love to see your setup some time Patrick. I've seen several high tech systems and it would be nice to see the other end of the spectrum. I imagine mine will be kind of in the middle.

[subsea]

Thanks for the info Patrick. I was saying that I have the mh in case the t5 wasn't enough which I think it will be. It's a 6 bulb t5ho by aquamedic.

I need to do more research on refugium obviously.lol

I would love to see your setup some time Patrick. I've seen several high tech systems and it would be nice to see the other end of the spectrum. I imagine mine will be kind of in the middle.

You have an open invite. Just call before you make the drive.

Patrick

[Planeden]

Check out chucksaddiction.com for all kinds of good stuff. Here is the link to their refugium page http://www.chucksaddiction.com/refuge.html

Their hitchhikers page is also popular.

[Jmvanness]

Thanks Patrick, can't wait!