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Looks good. I bet you are happy to have that stuff out of the buckets.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Yeh, my wife was not very happy to have them all over the place. I am hoping to have the sump set up in the next couple of weeks. After that's up all the real fun can start.

What I think to be a torch, starting to open up. Still has yet to fully expand, but what can you do.

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Hopefully this gut will start me a nice colony.

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Really hope these guy's take off. They are very cool and really glow when it's just the actinics on.

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Moved a few things around. Not much of a change though.

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last one for the night

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You have some really nice corals there. It looks like you need to add some more water to the tank. Maybe you just didn't have enough salt water to fill it up? Anyhow I'd measure the salinity and fill that puppy up. It'll look way better full.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

can't fill the tank yet, the sump is still not set up.


chris

I must say, for anyone thinking of getting into the salt world, this is so much fun. Every night there is something new to watch. I have only had the tank for about a month now and there is almost nothing in it but I just can't stop starring at it. I have 1 clown fish, a couple snails and crabs, 3 peppermint shrimp and a few corals. Even with so few things in the tank I just get stuck in front of it every night. There is son much to watch for and it's only been a mounth. I am already starting to see new things like small star fish on the glass or brittle very tiny brittle stars poking out of holes in the rock. Trust me when I say this is one of the coolist things I have ever gotten into and it is just the begining.


chris

hey its my first time too. i actually just set up my tank today, i have had it sitting on my front porch for about 2 weeks but today i actually had time to drill the holes in the stand, and set everything up. i just havent set my sump up yet. funny how we are both new to salt water and are starting with a 75gal setup. for me just sand water and lights. plus two power heads gonna set up pump/sump soon. (just need plumbing)

*click *flash *click "whered he go???"

that the best part about this hobby ... those moment when we stare at the marvel in the water .. the ones that some people have trouble seeing and reflect in awe, that we are can be the keeper of nature.

i've been following the log and learn as well.. everything look great... cant wait to see how thing turn out ..keep up the good work

yeh, my sump is still not set up. I got the whole set up from a friend of mine who did not want it any more. I def. would not have fish or coral yet if it did not come with it. I will be using a 55g as my sump but just have not had the time to se it up yet. Hopefully I will have it up withing the next couple of weeks, especially since I can't run my skimmer with out it.


chris

Check your alkalinity......quite often torch/frogspawn/hammer corals wont extend fully if alkalinity is low

My test kit only shows Alk in ppm. I don't know the conversion to see if it falls within range. My reading are as follows:

Alk: 120ppm
PH: 7.5
Amm: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20ppm

At my own fault I have yet to perform a water change. I know I need one even though my load is light.

Question, should I be concerned about my sudden snail die off this week. I lost most of my snails eairler in the week and found a dead/molted? peppermint shrimp this morning. I also have not seen the other two for a day or so. I removed the shrimp and what I could get of the snails but I did see a couple dead ones where I could not reach. A little advice here, hmmmm, water change.



Chris

Also, some good news, I have one more yellow zoo polyp. yeh.

chris

Yeah, your nitrate level seems a bit high. It might be stressing out your inverts. I'd get a couple good water changes in. Your alkalinity is also at the low end of acceptable, so I'd figure a water change will help that or adding a two part solution will help too. You want it between 125ppm and 200ppm CaCO3.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

thanks for all the suggestions guys, and keep them comming. I did see one of my shrimp today, mabey the other is hiding. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

chris

looks like you have a sweet setup the rock display is amazing! as i posted befor i was just starting my 75gal up as well. unfortuneatly i had to start from scratch. i have 2 damsel fishes, and about 10 pounds of rock. i have a mag9.5 for the return pump, and about 80 punds of sand half aragonite sand, and half live. to top it off i have 130w actinic and 130w of 12,000k lighting plus moon lights. i would have to agree i love looking at the tank each day. each day i noticed something different. last two weeks i have been dealing with brown algea (diatoms)

*click *flash *click "whered he go???"

yeh, I have some red algae going on, I bought some shails and crabs but most of my snails just died off but I am not too worried about it since it is probably just because of the cycle.

I have gotten decent at setting up my rock work due to making caves for all my cichlids. I do plan to change the rock up a little bit and hopefully add a few more pieces.


chris

Is this an ocellaris or percula

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found this hiding a few weeds ago

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This, what I beleive to be a torch would be great if it would ever extend. It has more than 15 heads on it but has yet to fully extend it self.

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I think that's an occelaris clown. How are those parameters coming? It looks like those corals are a bit stressed, that's the reason I ask. I've seen worse though, believe it or not....so there's hope yet. I'd get in a couple extra water changes and test out the calcium and alkalinity levels.

Did you get that sump up and running yet?

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

no, sump atm, I have the tank I just need to make my baffles and get my plumbing worked out. I am doing 5 gallon weekly changes with R/O water. My param's are fine, though I have no means to check for cal. yet, but I also have no way to dose it yet either.


chris

anybody know what this is


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best pic of my serpent stat

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nice serpent star

The first picture is of some type of caluerpa, a macro algae. It grows very fast once established. Unless you really like it, I'd suggest you start pulling out as much as you can whenever your arm is in the tank. Otherwise it will take over.

A better macro algae to use for nutrient xport, if that is your goal, is chaetomorpha, AKA brillo pad algae.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I thought it was a type of macro. I did not add it and the people who had the tank before me had never seen it before. It just popped up over night about a week ago and after a couple of days started sending runners in every direction. I will remove it soon.


chris

My clown needed a friend before she got to big. the new one is on the left.




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Nice looking clown. It looks like she likes the new company.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I fed the bigger one at one end of the tank and put the new in on the other side. I figured the new guy could get a chance to hide while the older one ate, but that's not what happened. The new guy sprints across the tank and gets right up on top of the other one. The big one started charging and even grabbed the new one buy the tail, but the new guy just kept comming back for more. After 2 days things have setteled down and they seem to be getting along fine.

The new one is even eating a little. Yesterday they got some bio-blend and today I feed salt water mysis.


chris

Finally got my tank plumbed. Now all I need to do is replace the broken pumps that came with the tank and I will be able to move some water.

Here are some new pics. 3 are of some (unknwon) zooz's, two of wich were just aquiered.

whole tank with new rock work

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I like the rockwork, and I'm glad the plumbing worked out for ya. It looks like you are battling some cyanobacteria there. I'd suggest upping the water changes, making sure your source water is clean (ro/di would be best), using some carbon and phosguard in your filters, and manually removing as much as you can with a siphon hose. Also, limit your feedings as much as possible.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

this cyno is crazy matty. that is just what is left over from a huge siphon I just did a few days ago. I feed once a day, run carbon in my filter and do a 5 gallon wc every week. hoping it will clear up when I get the skimmer up and running.


chris

here are the other pics I was talking about.

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another



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