esacjack Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 sorry, i replied before realizing everyone had already told you to 'keep it simple'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 sorry, i replied before realizing everyone had already told you to 'keep it simple'. No worries. I think they were talking about the fuge light. But regardless, I don't mind hearing the same thing repeatedly. It is helpful to know there is agreement across many people. My thinking on my QT tank was that since it'll be running constantly or so long it would easier to have it stable on its own (guessing 6-12 months, depending on...lots of things). That way i can watch the things without watching the water so closely and constantly doing water changes. If I need to I can aqulimate them again between QT and DT. After the main tank is fully stocked then I can break it down and run it as a simple QT as required. Or turn it into a nano tank . I'm planning on putting it my office where I spend most of my me so I can observe the livestock more regularly. After having it in there so long, I may decide I want a tank up there. Oh, I work from home, so the office is in the same house as the DT. So, with that thinking does the complication make sense? Am I asking for trouble with this setup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 always keep the QT tank separate. If you really want a small tank for your office, loot at the jbj picotope. 3 gallons, comes with light and filter.. tons of potential. Or get a mr.aqua 7.5 bowfront or cube and an ac50 Here is my current QT. Currently I have two chunks of rock in there because of the amount of frags i received (42!) Only have some ric's in there currently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 I get it. the hob filter ought to keep the water clean enough, so don't add hiding places for little evil things. I have a couple of PVC elbows that I can put in for fish To hide in and feel more comfortable. I'd still be able to see the fish pretty well, but if some predatory nudi or anything gets in it'll be easy to spot. Also, if something gets in and I need to break down the tank I won't have to be baking rocks. I still may turn it into a nano later, though. It may be easier to say "ok QT is done so I'm gonna add some coral." and then "oh, we need a new QT to replace a fish or add a new frag, etc.". I keep showing her little nanos for sale and I get "that's really pretty...NO". . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 How many tanks do you have active? You still havent put anything in the tank right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 How many tanks do you have active? You still havent put anything in the tank right? i have a 55g freshwater we are fighting with, a 20g freshwater planted tank that is no problem, a 5g betta tank that is really hers but counts against me too, and this 40g build. I think she may count the FW QT tank and the upcoming saltwater QT. So, by my count i have 2, but by the committee's count we may have 5. I haven't put anything in the reef unless you count whatever lives in sand and on live rock. Last time i tested the water (saturday, maybe?) i had 1 ppm ammonia and 0 nitrite. i probably shouldn't have used a boiled shrimp to start the cycle, but i'm sure he'll really start breaking down any minute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 sorry, i replied before realizing everyone had already told you to 'keep it simple'. No worries. I think they were talking about the fuge light. But regardless, I don't mind hearing the same thing repeatedly. It is helpful to know there is agreement across many people. My thinking on my QT tank was that since it'll be running constantly or so long it would easier to have it stable on its own (guessing 6-12 months, depending on...lots of things). That way i can watch the things without watching the water so closely and constantly doing water changes. If I need to I can aqulimate them again between QT and DT. After the main tank is fully stocked then I can break it down and run it as a simple QT as required. Or turn it into a nano tank . I'm planning on putting it my office where I spend most of my me so I can observe the livestock more regularly. After having it in there so long, I may decide I want a tank up there. Oh, I work from home, so the office is in the same house as the DT. So, with that thinking does the complication make sense? Am I asking for trouble with this setup? I do not see it as a complication that is difficult to accomplish. Let me give you food for thought. Consider maintaining a brackish water lagoon biotheme. It could be used for hypo saline ich treatment or as QT with increase of salinity. With respect to the refugium light fixture, I have one that was set up as an outside stage light for celebration concert after C4. Try it for free. If you like it, buy a new one and pay for shipping or buy this one. You must retrieve it from the tree. I will supply the 24' ladder. Come visit the facility. With expansion into greenhouse, as I moved 800 lbs of rock, I have discovered numerous sponges and feathers. The different macro algae that is emerging as starts on numerous rock, signals me that these macro algae are influenced by seasonal stimuli. With my ability to control temperature and light, I am honing in on mass cultivation of Red Grapes. In any case, you are welcome to try out this light. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 thanks Patrick. no fear of heights lights . I have some research to do before i can really respond to this with any additional questions. I am looking forward to seeing the new additions to the place and chatting with you. dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 4, 2013 Author Share Posted June 4, 2013 "Let me jump in a make a quick 'yay I have nitrites' a one-line post and give all these guys a break from my ramblings. oh crud, I'm not working on my fifth paragraph. what the heck happened." sometimes i just want to hit myself in the head with a rubber mallet. "maybe the bacteria war reenactment will provide enough entertainment to placate people for the long post" Today I have Nitrite. 1 ppm ammonia and 0.5 ppm nitrite. I see no reason at this point to take out my shrimp. I agree with Bio^3 that it'll be best to leave it in there until the cycle is done. I know that the theory is that bacteria can double the colony in 20 minutes, so this is probably not necessary and may even slow things down. But to me it is a piece of mind thing. It's probably ignorant, but letting it continue to rot until there is 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite seems better to me. Maybe it subconsciously proves I have enough filtration, maybe it is just because it feels like it'll have a larger starting point gives them a better chance to do their doubling thing. hard to tell but I'm in no hurry. I also want plenty of time to get may sand cleaners established including in my DSB portion, which is about half the display. Come to think of it, I may leave it in there until I add something that produces ammonia. i need to feed my microscopic warriors anyway while I'm waiting for things to produce it. heh, warriors, little WWII style helmets and George Sactiera Patton with a cane and a monocle standing on hill "reports of ammonia in quadrant 4c - ammoniciders CHARGE!!!. nitrovores get your gear, you'll be moving in to mop up whats left". ok, this is nuttier than normal. i should check that i took my little pill this morning. I also saw some tentaclly things waving around on some of the live rock. one may be some sort of brittle star based on the size and articulation of them. the others are thin-white things just waving in the water. i suppose these would be some sort of worm. they came out after i dropped some flake food in the water. I also have white "flakes" floating around the display. It could either be some bleached food i put in yesterday in case the snails, worms, and henry the hermit were hungry. Or it could be pods. What do I know? So, I'm thinking that once I get 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites that I will pull my QT filters out and get that tank set up. toss in a shrimp pellet or something to make sure it is cycled. Once that is good, I will buy something to QT for a month or so. Meanwhile, I will be waiting for an algae bloom in my DT and add a clean up crew. Unless I avoid the algae bloom by adding macro early in the process. Thanks for reading. Hope you guys enjoyed the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Hurray for Nitrites! Not often one is excited about seeing Ammonia or Nitrites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 4, 2013 Author Share Posted June 4, 2013 Hurray for Nitrites! Not often one is excited about seeing Ammonia or Nitrites yeah, it is a little disconcerting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 i would sink the shrimp and let the hermit have a go at it.. But otherwise, you're doing great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 i would sink the shrimp and let the hermit have a go at it.. But otherwise, you're doing great! Yeah, he's sitting on the bottom. I'm amazed he hasn't seemed to find him yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 more disconcertion: yay, i have diatoms. i went ahead and turned my lights off to slow them down a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 And so begins the "ugly" phase of cycling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 more disconcertion: yay, i have diatoms. i went ahead and turned my lights off to slow them down a bit. Cool! This is where I am in my cycle too, except I'm running my lights to encourage them to grow and get this part over with. I believe they grow until they use up whatever they eat, right? They always just go away after a little while. I get them on anything new I've put in one of my tanks. Usually it's a frag rack. I've never shut off the lights during that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Kim brings up a good point. Having your lights on now will also encourage coraline algae growth in the tank, which you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 more disconcertion: yay, i have diatoms. i went ahead and turned my lights off to slow them down a bit. Cool! This is where I am in my cycle too, except I'm running my lights to encourage them to grow and get this part over with. I believe they grow until they use up whatever they eat, right? They always just go away after a little while. I get them on anything new I've put in one of my tanks. Usually it's a frag rack. I've never shut off the lights during that. Kim brings up a good point. Having your lights on now will also encourage coraline algae growth in the tank, which you want. fine points. i read most places that you were supposed to cycle with the lights off. and, some even recommend covering with a blanket to eliminate ambient light. i thought i was cheating this whole time so i could watch things crawling out of the rock. It makes sense to go back to the KimP Custom Light Spectrum (slightly modified because I'm not a morning person and because i screwed up when testing my light ). James, did i read in one of your threads that you bought a detrivore kit? last night i was looking at ispf.com and one other with a similar name. I got some live sand from other's to seed my tank, but i thought I would add another kit to get diversity and make sure i get all the little buggers i need. anyway, if so can you tell me where you got it. i remember you (or whomever it was) being very pleased with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I recently got a clean up crew from ReefCleaners... all of my other beneficial sand critters have come from live rock I moved over from an old tank and from new purchased live rock. Now, for this new tank I am about to start up, I am thinking about going the base rock route. While in general I have been pleased with live rock, I have gotten a few nasties that I wish not to repeat (orange ball anemones and euclid worms). I believe AquaDome sells kits to premium members, yes the "Micro fauna kit" (see sticky post in the Premium For Sale forum). I will probably do that for the new tank once I get the cycle going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 5, 2013 Author Share Posted June 5, 2013 I recently got a clean up crew from ReefCleaners... all of my other beneficial sand critters have come from live rock I moved over from an old tank and from new purchased live rock. Now, for this new tank I am about to start up, I am thinking about going the base rock route. While in general I have been pleased with live rock, I have gotten a few nasties that I wish not to repeat (orange ball anemones and euclid worms). I believe AquaDome sells kits to premium members, yes the "Micro fauna kit" (see sticky post in the Premium For Sale forum). I will probably do that for the new tank once I get the cycle going. neat, thanks. that is super cheap. the ones at ispf.com (they may have more in them) start at $100 shipped overnight. bookmark added and reefcleaners noted. i remembered seeing that aquadome page somewhere but couldn't remember where. PS: not planning on buying today. i need to wait for the cycle to complete. just preparing for the next step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 6, 2013 Author Share Posted June 6, 2013 Am: 1.0 ppm Trites: 0.5 ppm Trates: 10 ppm PH: 8.0 Phos: 0 ppm...I mean undetectible . Odd, my "spikes" have been much lower than expected thus far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Without any significant amount of decaying matter in the tank, you might not get huge spikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 6, 2013 Author Share Posted June 6, 2013 Without any significant amount of decaying matter in the tank, you might not get huge spikes. yeah, i'm pretty pleased with it, actually. i think the live rock will be, too. i reread what i thought i was using as my guide when you and kim mentioned the lighting cycle/algae thing yesterday and it said not to add live rock or sand until you got 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites to keep them alive. oops . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Well, adding "fresh" live rock during the cycle will mostly likely cause more die off on the rock, then adding it later. But if you added live rock from an established system, probably won't get much die off. The plus side of adding the live rock during the cycle is that more beneficial bacteria will be built of to deal with all of the die off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted June 6, 2013 Author Share Posted June 6, 2013 thanks james. yes it was established rock directly from a tank. but, i was thinking to add it right away for the bacteria you mentioned. i was wondering how the life would fair in the cycle though. i knew i was not adding enough to avoid the cycle. i'm planning on getting some more live rock tomorrow (subsea, this time). but i may leave it in a bucket with an airstone for a few days until the cycle is complete. or not pick it up yet and leave it at subsea's and add it later. i'll check my parameters tonight and tomorrow to see if they are dropping. to my inexpert eye. it appears i have enough bacteria for the ammonia to keep up with the ammonia coming off the shrimp. it was at 1 ppm saturday, tuesday, and wednessday. i didn't test sunday and monday, so i guess i don't know that it didn't get higher those days. that is based on my thinking that the release of ammonia continues to increase as the shrimp get grosser. diatoms are definitely increasing. but i am also planning on adding macro from subsea on friday. so, it'll be interesting to see how the nutrient competition affects the diatom growth. i bought stuff to diy myself a fuge light. it will run three to six 23W cfls at 800 lumens and 6500K. i'm thinking i'll start with three and go to more if i need to. i may need to go to more to get a better spread, even if i don't need the added light. i have not assembled and mounted it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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