Sascha D. Posted November 4, 2013 Author Share Posted November 4, 2013 I opened my BRS RO/DI unit today. It's actually been sitting in the garage for about a week. The unit came assembled and ready to go. After the one hour cleaning period, the unit was ready to go. I purchased the float switch and hopefully I don't flood the garage. The unit came with two adapters, one for the hose and one for the sink. I have to admit that I'm disappointed because the description said that it would come with every connector that I would need. Maybe I expected too much. I didn't even try to hard plumb it or mount it to the wall. I hooked it up to the hose for the night and installed the float switch. I really need to do a 30% WC tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 4, 2013 Author Share Posted November 4, 2013 Friday I noticed two of my frags were missing. After about an hour looking for them, I found them half way across the tank. I guess either my conch took them for a ride. Unfortunately, I took apart half of my rockwork to find them. Putting my aquascape was near impossible, so I created a new one. Hickhiking nudibranch. I have no idea what it is, but it's been on the glass for two days. I have no idea what kind of Zoanthids these are, but they've doubled in size since I got them. I probably should ID my polyps some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 4, 2013 Author Share Posted November 4, 2013 It looks like that nudibranch is extremely bad. It feeds on turbo snails. It must have come on the turbos I bought recently. As far as I know you can't dip snails in anything to get rid of pests like this. Bad luck I guess. Phestilla melanobrachia. Red Sea, East Africa to Australia, Japan, Hawai'i. To 2 cm. A good match for what Dendrophylliid coral? Feeds exclusively on Tubastrea... with matching egg masses laid on their food... of similar color. N. Sulawesi image After looking at hundreds of pictures of hitchhiking nudibranch, I finally found a similar picture. That led me to this article on wetwebmedia. The very last entry on page 6 has a picture that is spot on. I also found a species list on The Sea Slug Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Sascha, according to the article if you identified it correctly, they feed on tubastrea corals (sun corals and dendros) not turbo snails. Unless I missed something, then ignore. Hope that helps bud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 4, 2013 Author Share Posted November 4, 2013 Sascha, according to the article if you identified it correctly, they feed on tubastrea corals (sun corals and dendros) not turbo snails. Unless I missed something, then ignore. Hope that helps bud! Ooops. Good catch Ty. I had meant to write that it feeds on Tubastrea. Still though, it must have come in with the turbo snails because that is the only thing I've added since our last group buy. I don't have any sun coral so I don't know what it could be eatting or why I didn't notice it sooner if it had been in there a longer period. Some of my zoas are closed, but I thought it was for another reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Flashlight and some midnight staring at your fish tank sir. Look real close because if they are zoa-eating nudis, they blend in very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 8, 2013 Author Share Posted November 8, 2013 Week 15 Update: I've decided to remove all of the bubble algae from the tank. It was cool when there were two bubbles, but this week I started to notice more than I cared for. The main rock was completely removed. The remaining rocks didn't have very much on them and a small flat tip screwdriver was all that was needed to take care of those. The cyano has been giving me more problems than I would like. I went in and siphoned some out on Wednesday. One rock that was particularly covered got a peroxide bath. I mixed 5 parts tank water with 1 part peroxide and soaked the rock for 2 minutes. The second this rock hit the water, anything that could try to get away, did. I was able to save the stars and worms, but the pods died so fast that I couldn't catch them. Before Peroxide Bath Check out all the stuff that came off the rock! After I dipped three frags that had some cyano on them. Two have started opening up again today, while the third looks to be in worse shape than it was before. None of the macros appear affected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 great news. stupid cyano. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 great news. stupid cyano. I'm feeling pretty deflated right now. I think I'm going to hold off on doing anything for a few months and see where it ends up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Sascha, Consider using Red Slime Remover. After a year long battle with my 12 year old Jaubert Plenum, I used the product. I used recommended dosage and followed with a duplicate treatment 48 hours after. No partial water change, but replaced activated carbon. That was two months ago and all is good in the "Cyno War". Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 I think I rushed the whole process a little bit. I was under some pressure to have a nice looking tank quickly and now I'm paying the price. The cyano isn't really bad. It's only on the sand and none of the rocks really have it. Some of my corals that are considered hard to keep are doing great and the easy to keep corals aren't fairing too well. Now my fish have ich At this point I may have to let it go for a little while and stop trying to control nature. Ty said it best the other day when he told me that "the tank is finding it's balance." I think he's right. I need to stop messing with it. Right now I'm debating adding a skimmer. If I do then I'll clear out the first chamber of my sump. If I do not, then I'll fill the first chamber with live rock and add crushed coral to the middle chamber and pack it full of macros. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Let nature find its balance... and skim the heck out of it!!! Obviously I'm in the skim camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Grog Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I'm no expert but when I've had cyano outbreaks, more flow seemed to be the best thing. Cyano does not like flow IMO. The stuff that was left in the dead spots of sand is being policed by fighting conchs now. They are like little vacuum cleaners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 12, 2013 Author Share Posted November 12, 2013 I'm no expert but when I've had cyano outbreaks, more flow seemed to be the best thing. Cyano does not like flow IMO. The stuff that was left in the dead spots of sand is being policed by fighting conchs now. They are like little vacuum cleaners. I actually have three conchs right now. They were all sold as Fighting Conch, but they are all distinctly different. The one I got from reefcleaners.org is by far the best looking one and I believe it to be a Florida Fighting Conch. The other two hide in the sand all day and then climb the glass during lights out. They are the first ones I've ever seen leave the sand and it makes me wonder what they are. Identifying them is hard, but they look similar to the Queen Conch. I got them for $1 each at Petco, but they don't appear to be cleaning the sand at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 12, 2013 Author Share Posted November 12, 2013 Let nature find its balance... and skim the heck out of it!!! Obviously I'm in the skim camp. All of my tanks in the past have been skimmed and I've always used a size one up from the recommended. I've read in more than one place not to skim a tank under three months old and I'd like to see what a tank that isn't skimmed looks like. Right now all of the macros are growing well, but I do notice a film on the surface of the water in the sump. When I built the sump, I added a skimmer section large enough for the biggest footprint I could find. Depending on the model, I may have to adjust the baffles to the appropriate water level. Do you think I should sell the corals I currently have and wait until the tank calms down and I fine tune everything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenver Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 This is what I would do: 1.Red Slime remover 2.Stop adding any new corals or Fish for about 2 months 3.Are you dosing calcium? Are you dosing any vitamins? Are you dosing coral food? You and I have the same tanks, and probably the same age, everything that you described has happened to me I think I'm about 2 months ahead of you. This is what I did to fix my issues and now I'm starting to add coral and fish again, as for the ich, the best advice was to do nothing and let it cycle, I lost two clownfish and two Tangs a powder brown and a powder blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Depends on what your eventual plans are and how the corals are currently doing now. If your corals are all currently not doing well and melting/dying, then maybe rehoming them is not a bad idea for now until your tank becomes a more hospitable environment. If they are not dying but just don't look as healthy as they should, then maybe its time to aid the natural/biological route with some technology. I like using the analogy of medical care. I am a purest at heart and would rather avoid unnecessary medication and just let my body heal itself and feed it the right things. But in dire moments, give me the meds and hook me up to whatever piece of equipment you need to for me to get better. For your tank, when I saw it last, the only problem I saw was a cyano bloom. I don't really consider that a problem, more of a aesthetic preference. Yes, probably means your PO4 or nitrate levels may be elevated, but the real thing to look for is whether those elevated levels are doing harm to the corals? Or just fueling the cyano growth? If its just fueling the cyano growth, then continue forward and look for ways to lower your nitrates and phosphates while your tank finds its balance. If your coral are actually melting, then I would look into some way of helping lower nitrates/phosphates more quickly... what's worked for me in the past is running a gfo reactor, adding a skimmer, reduce feedings, running biopellets, etc. I have always liked the idea of reverse light cycles with macro but look at it as more of an additional tool to aid in the fight against higher nitrate and phosphate levels than a hope that it'll solve the problem. Now if I had a 5000g macro tank, then that's a different story altogether but size ratio-wise, it will help some but not near large enough of a refugium to take on the entire battle. One thing I must heed is to not make too many dramatic changes as your tank is still finding its balance with all the new livestock added. My nanocube was ugly for 5 months before it became the epitome of efficiency. My 65g had GHA for 7-8 months before it became a nice looking tank. My 125g spent the least amount of time in the "ugly" phase but I did transition things over slowly to the new tank and used the same liverock and tank water from the 65g. I did get cyano blooms and even a dreaded dino bloom as things were reaching a balance but they were far less dramatic than in the other two tanks. Point being, most tanks start out as ugly ducklings before you get the beautiful swan. So make changes to help it reach that stability and balance but don't make too many sudden changes and ride it out. I know I mentioned to you I don't do water changes anymore but regular, consistent water changes while siphoning out what cyano you can is the best remedy I see right now. Keep up with that and your tank will find balance on its own. Hope that helps bud and that I didn't rattle on for too long. -Ty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Oh, and just a heed of warning, I know its not the typical case but in my tank, I used red slime remover to hopefully tip the scales in my favor without actually fixing the problem itself of higher phosphates and nitrates, and instead I wiped out cyano, which was uptaking the excess nitrates and phosphates in my system and then dinoflaggelates took that opportunity to take cyanos place. I wouldn't wish dinos on my worst enemy... they are even less aesthetically pleasing than cyano and come with toxins that can actually kill your fish and coral. I got so desperate that I was trying to find a way to reintroduce cyano back into my tank! Like I said, not the normal result from using red slime remover but just something to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Depends on what your eventual plans are and how the corals are currently doing now. If your corals are all currently not doing well and melting/dying, then maybe rehoming them is not a bad idea for now until your tank becomes a more hospitable environment. If they are not dying but just don't look as healthy as they should, then maybe its time to aid the natural/biological route with some technology. I like using the analogy of medical care. I am a purest at heart and would rather avoid unnecessary medication and just let my body heal itself and feed it the right things. But in dire moments, give me the meds and hook me up to whatever piece of equipment you need to for me to get better. For your tank, when I saw it last, the only problem I saw was a cyano bloom. I don't really consider that a problem, more of a aesthetic preference. Yes, probably means your PO4 or nitrate levels may be elevated, but the real thing to look for is whether those elevated levels are doing harm to the corals? Or just fueling the cyano growth? If its just fueling the cyano growth, then continue forward and look for ways to lower your nitrates and phosphates while your tank finds its balance. If your coral are actually melting, then I would look into some way of helping lower nitrates/phosphates more quickly... what's worked for me in the past is running a gfo reactor, adding a skimmer, reduce feedings, running biopellets, etc. I have always liked the idea of reverse light cycles with macro but look at it as more of an additional tool to aid in the fight against higher nitrate and phosphate levels than a hope that it'll solve the problem. Now if I had a 5000g macro tank, then that's a different story altogether but size ratio-wise, it will help some but not near large enough of a refugium to take on the entire battle. One thing I must heed is to not make too many dramatic changes as your tank is still finding its balance with all the new livestock added. My nanocube was ugly for 5 months before it became the epitome of efficiency. My 65g had GHA for 7-8 months before it became a nice looking tank. My 125g spent the least amount of time in the "ugly" phase but I did transition things over slowly to the new tank and used the same liverock and tank water from the 65g. I did get cyano blooms and even a dreaded dino bloom as things were reaching a balance but they were far less dramatic than in the other two tanks. Point being, most tanks start out as ugly ducklings before you get the beautiful swan. So make changes to help it reach that stability and balance but don't make too many sudden changes and ride it out. I know I mentioned to you I don't do water changes anymore but regular, consistent water changes while siphoning out what cyano you can is the best remedy I see right now. Keep up with that and your tank will find balance on its own. Hope that helps bud and that I didn't rattle on for too long. -Ty give me all the meds,all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KimP Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Have you tested your alk, ca, & mg levels? My tank is roughly the same age as yours, I think, and I'm in the cyano stage myself. My corals are all doing great though but they didn't used to be. I finally started testing for those 3 and found out my alk was way way low. In my experience over the years, alk gets used/tied up in a new tank especially with any die offs. I got my alk under control and saw a big difference in all corals and am getting nice growth even with the nuisance algae. I just siphon it out with airline tubing about once a week or when it gets annoying enough, and it actually keeps the tank looking better than it would if I didn't have a reason to do that extra little maintenance. Only takes 10 min or so. Anyway, sorry if you already test for these, I didn't have time to re-read much of your build this morning. Things will get better and better as time goes on! Keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeden Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Oh, and just a heed of warning, I know its not the typical case but in my tank, I used red slime remover to hopefully tip the scales in my favor without actually fixing the problem itself of higher phosphates and nitrates, and instead I wiped out cyano, which was uptaking the excess nitrates and phosphates in my system and then dinoflaggelates took that opportunity to take cyanos place. I wouldn't wish dinos on my worst enemy... they are even less aesthetically pleasing than cyano and come with toxins that can actually kill your fish and coral. I got so desperate that I was trying to find a way to reintroduce cyano back into my tank! Like I said, not the normal result from using red slime remover but just something to think about. i got some for you. want to PM me or should i post it in the "free" section? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Dino problem solved so I don't need any of your cyano now. Maybe post it in the free section in case you got another taker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 Dino problem solved so I don't need any of your cyano now. Maybe post it in the free section in case you got another taker. LOL did you seriously want cyano? I thought you were kidding! Have you tested your alk, ca, & mg levels? My tank is roughly the same age as yours, I think, and I'm in the cyano stage myself. My corals are all doing great though but they didn't used to be. I finally started testing for those 3 and found out my alk was way way low. In my experience over the years, alk gets used/tied up in a new tank especially with any die offs. I got my alk under control and saw a big difference in all corals and am getting nice growth even with the nuisance algae. I just siphon it out with airline tubing about once a week or when it gets annoying enough, and it actually keeps the tank looking better than it would if I didn't have a reason to do that extra little maintenance. Only takes 10 min or so. Anyway, sorry if you already test for these, I didn't have time to re-read much of your build this morning. Things will get better and better as time goes on! Keep it up! Thanks for the advice Kim. I haven't tested for any of these. As I understand it, Calcium only affects growth of corals and inverts that deposit it to form a structure. Alkalinity is measured in the form of bicarbonate. Corals uptake biocarbonate, convert it to calcium carbonate and then use it to build calcium carbonate skeletons. I haven'ted tested for these because I don't have enough inverts to deplete my levels. They might be out of the acceptable levels on the high side but I'm not sure if that would have a negative effect. A significantly high Ca or Alk should be reflected in a crazy high Ph too right? Maybe someone knows. Magnesium levels in a reef aquarium is used in conjuction with Alk and Ca as a binding agent to control the amount of calcium carbonate. If Mg levels are too low then calcium carbonate will precipitate and that will cause an Alk swing. I'm not sure what happens if they are too high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Only thing that happens when your mg is high is that you waste money dosing it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Tell me about it, mine's at 2,100 ppm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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