JamesL Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 thanks james, you feed once every few weeks? wow, i see people online saying that "oh, clowns should be fed 10x a day". i usually feed daily. sometimes skip a day. i probably shouldn't, and definitely don't need to, feed my palys often, but like i said, i just like seeing them eat. maybe i'll get bored with it, but man my palys seem to grow fast. i haven't noticed anything nipping at my gorg, but i haven't had a lot of intimate time, gazing lovingly into it's eyes, with my tank lately. but, it does seem happier where it is. it is "bushier" and i don't think it is deteriorating anymore. of course, it's been three days or so. the reduced lighting is continuing to help the brown stuff. still haven't vacuumed the sand. but i'm hoping to do that before leaving town for thanksgiving. Frozen foods, I probably feed once every few weeks. But I do feed some pellets occasionally. And my small tank I do feed more often, since the clowns almost jump out of the water when I walk by . But I have no issues with letting the tanks go almost a week without food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted November 26, 2013 Author Share Posted November 26, 2013 Thanks. Good to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 http://marineplantbook.com/marinebooknemastoma.htm This is your #1 red macro. I have a large live rock with many colonies of this red macro. It is fleshy and somewhat slippery to the touch, The Yellow Tang in my #2 55G lagoon loves it. There is so much macro he grazes on it all. He is prunning and grooming. I thought about your request to supply an undulating veggie bar on a pump discharge nozzle. The long entestine shapped tubes of green macro are a first cousin to Ulva, which is the principal ingrediant in Nori. http://marineplantbook.com/marinebookenteromorpha.htm If you want some, come and get it. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted December 24, 2013 Author Share Posted December 24, 2013 The tank, with the exception of my sun coral, is doing well. I have not had time to replace Ali, yet. But all is well. Tonight, I fianally set asside enough time to do some maintenance. While I was mixing saltwater I decided to test nitrates and phosphates. Both are undectible for the first time ever. Apparently, not running GAC for a month, using tap water for top offs for a month, and not doing a water change for two months is the secret to my water quality. So, since my water came out of the faucet at 50 degrees, I may just put off the water change til the weekend. I did finally glue down my digi and birdsnest that the hermits keep turning over and the zoa colony that smith and Wesson keep using for the door to their burrow. I give them rubble, but they say they like the pretty door. Ok, so I am not advocating poor husbandry practices for anyone. Just a little surprised and thought I'd share. I will also get my GAC reactor back up and running after I get back from Christmas travels. I will say that I have not noticed a difference after starting tap water. Which backs up what timfish says, but contradicts most others. Since I have a bunch of filters, I will probably resume my rodi experiment and use it at least until I run out of them. The good (and bad) news is that it looks like I will have more time in January to start regular maintenance again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Merry Christmas. Enjoy the time off. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted December 25, 2013 Author Share Posted December 25, 2013 Merry Christmas. Enjoy the time off. Patrick Thanks Patrick. You too.in fact merry Christmas to everyone that likes that sort of holiday. For the non-Christmas types, to be PC, just be happy; enjoy your day off for no reason. meanwhile, we'll be opening presents and over eating. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 I'm looking forward to the airing of grievances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 I got a lot of problems with you people!! And now you're gonna hear about it!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 SKIMMERS, AMIRITE!!??! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted December 25, 2013 Author Share Posted December 25, 2013 I seemmed to have failed to see the implications of my joke. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 after six weeks of letting darwin have his way (mostly) things are going to be getting back to normal. i finally got my water change done last night. even with 6 weeks of no AC reactor running and bad top off practices nothing has died. my sun coral receded quite a bit, but has settled down. i think this is because of a flow issue with one side of it disappearing and the other side seeming to be fat-dumb-and happy. i am having an issue with green hair algae (i think that's what it is). oddly, it is mostly on my overflow and powerheads. the overflow was so bad that the water level in my DT was rising. i did manual removal, but think i need a CUC addition to help. not sure what to get that will help in the locations it is. i would think snails, but some of those are a little fuzzy, too. one little guy has quite the fro going. this week i want to get some CUC, fish, and corals (corals get QT for 1 month). fish - i lost a molly and a jawfish. i want to replace the jawfish for certain. i'm not sure if i want to get another molly. if so it wont be a black one as he all but disappeared against the black backdrop. corals - i want 3 - 4 more (then i think i'm set). i want bubble coral and hammers for sure. and i have some duncans whenever i can hook up with brian srock to pick them up. then perhaps one more that jumps out at me at the store. inverts - i really need to step up my invert game. not including a sparse CUC of hermits and snails, so far i just have wesson, the pistol shrimp. oh, and i may or may not have a pom pom grab. i need research and advice on reef safe inverts. it'll probably have to be a poll of some sort as everyone has had a "fill in the blank" invert that has wrecked the "fill in the blank" something or another. so it'll be a bit of the law of averages playing a role. i will look for more advice here once i have done some research to narrow it down a bit. so, by the end of the month, i should no longer have a long term need for my 10 gallon coral observation tank. of course, before i buy any corals i need to do some heavy mowing as my g. hayi and c. prolifia have had a couple of months to run amok. there may be some dragon's breath and another red macro in there that i threw in some starts of when they weren't doing well in my DT. but i digress...this last 6 weeks has reminded me of my up and down free time. my initial plan was to use this tank as a little office fun tank once my QTing was done. i have a 5 gallon tank i can set up for emergencies. but, i am rethinking this a little after letting this tank evaporate to the point of the powerheads sucking in air...oops. funny thing is, this one is really doing better than my DT. needless to say, this one will definitely be set up as an even more bulletproof system only the hardiest of the hardy lagoon inhabitants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 Abbreviated update on shopping until I can find my camera cord. Must have been the cats, or it's right where I left it but under/in a stack of papers/books/binders/clutter. I now have an RBTA. He apparently has decided to host in a paly colony. Hunkered right own in there. I have no idea how to get him out because I'm sure the palies have spead off their rock by now and are creeping up the back glass. The girl clown has found and loves the nem. So, sometimes I get a clown hosting in a nem hosting in some palies. Take that James with your symbiotic tank . Nem's only been there since this morning, so it may go walkabout again and find something else to annoy. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Sweet! I am really loving my RBTA. It has gotten really bubbly lately, and am wondering if that is because it is time for me to change the MH bulb. I have one clown that always hosts in the anemone, and the other clown half hosts the anemone, and half hosts in some palys also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 Sweet! I am really loving my RBTA. It has gotten really bubbly lately, and am wondering if that is because it is time for me to change the MH bulb. I have one clown that always hosts in the anemone, and the other clown half hosts the anemone, and half hosts in some palys also. I asked jake at RCA about the bubbleless bubble tips and he said no one knows why but not to fear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpb Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 My RBTA used to be super fat and bubbly like the first month I got it, it hasn't bubbled for months now and it's tentacles are literally as fine as angel hair pasta. Wonder if it tastes the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 I'm SKEERED. I took a sample to hunter or a proffessional check one my water. Ca - 340 ppm, Mg - 1200 ppm, and Kh - 5.6 whatevers. So, I came home with red sea's reef foundation test kit and fluval sea Alk and Ca dosing fluids. Of course, getting home with it, and starting to panic, I'm thinking maybe it's safer just to do water changes . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 My RBTA used to be super fat and bubbly like the first month I got it, it hasn't bubbled for months now and it's tentacles are literally as fine as angel hair pasta. Wonder if it tastes the same. Mine are long and puffy. Yesterday I gt home and they looked kinda skinny, shriveled, and dry (yes, it's underwater). I shoved a pinch of shrimp in its mouth and it's puff again, but still not bubbled. Shrug, I've only had him a few weeks, so last night may have been a fine behavior, but it "didn't look right". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Anemones will go through all kinds of looks and states. I think the funniest is when it withdrawals all of its tentacle, and bubbles up its base. The poor porcelain crab tries his hardest to hang on in the little bit of tentacles sticking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 That's funny. So we'll see if he learns to play me and try going into odd shapes to make me panic and feed him. I've heard about fish doing it. Not odd shapes, but variations. What was interesting is as he shrank down, the palys under him just opened as normal. I thought he would be killing what he is sitting on, but maybe not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Dosing Log (mostly putting this here so i have a place to go back and review) Using Fluval Sea Ca and Alk fluids Targets (over range of top offs low and high salinity): salinity: 1.022 - 1.025 Calcium: 400 - 450 Alk: 8.0 - 11.0 dKhs 2-3: Salinity = 1..022; Ca = 340 ppm; Alk = 5.6 dKhs 2-6: Salinity = 1.025*; Ca = 400 ppm; Alk = 6.7 dKhs Note: I need to top off to 1.022 before testing each time. I cannot use these values for anything because evaporation effects are not known. Dosed 2-3: Ca = 25 mil and Alk = 40 mil (oops, i was supposed to do them hours apart...dang) Plan: Dose Ca = 25 mil on 2-6 and Alk 40 mil 2-7. Test water 2-8 and verify my results w/ Niko's Reef if that service is offered. Dose alternate days until target is reached. Maintenance Plan: Find maintenance dose and alternate dose with top off schedule (approx 2-3 days). I will aim at the low salinity levels in case i forget a top off for a while and salinity goes above 1.025. not that that has ever happened. that would be negligent reef keeping and i cannot condone that...ehem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Your LPS will love you long time if you get that alk up a bit higher (i noticed positive LPS changes (polyp "fatness")) when i keep my alk in the 8 range (+/-0.5). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Thanks Victoly. I've been struggling with Ca and Alk since I started the tank. But it was always hovering towards the low end of minimal (380-400 and 7.0). I was shocked when Hunter told me how low it was. Hence, the dosing and the better test kits. I'm really liking the red sea test kits for that titrater thingymagig alone. That is so much easier than "drip, cap, shake, count, uncap" repeat 20X. never mind that i always lose count. but adding ", dry hand, tick mark" to the series was just too far. also, the API caps leak like a sonof...errrr....soaker hose. the only complaint i have about the red sea is that i can't seem to get the air bubbles out of the syringe. i flick, shake, toss...it doesn't move. fortunately, i can usually get it sucked up to get the liquid to the one mil line before the plunger comes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 For the red sea kits, make sure you are reading the instructions carefully and using the plunger line to line up your 1ml and not the liquid line. It accounts for the space in the needle tip. If you pull the plunger line past 1ml, you may be off on your readings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 For the red sea kits, make sure you are reading the instructions carefully and using the plunger line to line up your 1ml and not the liquid line. It accounts for the space in the needle tip. If you pull the plunger line past 1ml, you may be off on your readings. i thought of that when i was first fighting it. asking myself if they measured 1 mil with the tip or without. then i realized, it doesn't matter. you are measuring the difference in the stuff. you can start with 2 mils and measure it down to 1.5 mils to get 0.5 mil or reagent(?). at least, i think that is what i realized . also, in theory i think, if you measure with the tip on when the plunger reaches the bottom it should have dispensed exactly 1 mil and the tip should still be full. but clearly, with my low readings i am not having to worry about what happens when i bottom out the syringe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 Dose log: Dosed Ca 25 mil 2-6 and Alk 40 mil 2-7. Tests. Salinity 1.022ish. Ca 380 ppm and Alk 8.1. Alk is within range, measured 12 hours after dose. Prev post #445. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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