tebstan
02/16/2012, 12:44 PM
I have a trachy that’s relatively new to my tank, I’ve had it for a few months. It would puff normally for a feed response and seemed content. In the last few days, it’s been puffing up like a balloon. I want to believe this is a good thing, but I just want to make sure by asking you guys.
Tank parameters:
2.5 yr old 90g w/ sump and 10g fuge
Bio pellet reactor, mediocre skimmer
Wave box, couple of big koralias hidden behind the mountain, and a big sicce return pump
6 T5s, 3 actinic and 3 67K (I like a white look.)
Nitrates are 0, I don’t bother to test for ammonia, nitrite or phosphate
Salinity is 1.025
Calcium is 360
Mag is 1280
Temp is 79
kH is 12
pH is 8.4
I dose calcium… when I remember. A few times a week. I’d like it a little higher.
I do 15g to 20g water changes every 3 to 4 weeks.
It’s a dirty softy/LPS tank, no SPS, lots of macro and filter feeders.
I did a WC at the end of January, and another one on Feb 13th. I was cleaning out the sump, for the first time ever, so that I could put some polystyrene under it to reduce noise. In order to get the sump out, the fuge had to come out. Everything is pretty tight in there. It turned out to be about a 25g water change. I did dose iodide, half the recommended dose, that day. It’s another one I mean to do more often but forget. (I do a half dose since my iodine test doesn’t read it, I’ll be switching chemicals soon.)
When I turned everything back on, tons of sponge chunks and debris bits that had been growing inside the plumbing got blown into the tank. A few corals freaked for a moment and closed up, but most went nuts eating it. That’s the first day I saw the trachy puffed up like crazy, so I assumed it was a feed response. Over the next few days, it has gone back to normal size and puffed up like a balloon off and on.
Here’s a pic from 2-14-12
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/TebstansTank/Trachy/Trachypuffed2-14-12.jpg
And pics from this morning, 2-16-12
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/TebstansTank/Trachy/Trachypuffedright2-16-12.jpg
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/TebstansTank/Trachy/Trachypuffedleft2-16-12.jpg
A FTS for reference if it helps, 2-16-12
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/TebstansTank/FTS2-16-12.jpg
SO, is it normal?
Tank parameters:
2.5 yr old 90g w/ sump and 10g fuge
Bio pellet reactor, mediocre skimmer
Wave box, couple of big koralias hidden behind the mountain, and a big sicce return pump
6 T5s, 3 actinic and 3 67K (I like a white look.)
Nitrates are 0, I don’t bother to test for ammonia, nitrite or phosphate
Salinity is 1.025
Calcium is 360
Mag is 1280
Temp is 79
kH is 12
pH is 8.4
I dose calcium… when I remember. A few times a week. I’d like it a little higher.
I do 15g to 20g water changes every 3 to 4 weeks.
It’s a dirty softy/LPS tank, no SPS, lots of macro and filter feeders.
I did a WC at the end of January, and another one on Feb 13th. I was cleaning out the sump, for the first time ever, so that I could put some polystyrene under it to reduce noise. In order to get the sump out, the fuge had to come out. Everything is pretty tight in there. It turned out to be about a 25g water change. I did dose iodide, half the recommended dose, that day. It’s another one I mean to do more often but forget. (I do a half dose since my iodine test doesn’t read it, I’ll be switching chemicals soon.)
When I turned everything back on, tons of sponge chunks and debris bits that had been growing inside the plumbing got blown into the tank. A few corals freaked for a moment and closed up, but most went nuts eating it. That’s the first day I saw the trachy puffed up like crazy, so I assumed it was a feed response. Over the next few days, it has gone back to normal size and puffed up like a balloon off and on.
Here’s a pic from 2-14-12
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/TebstansTank/Trachy/Trachypuffed2-14-12.jpg
And pics from this morning, 2-16-12
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/TebstansTank/Trachy/Trachypuffedright2-16-12.jpg
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/TebstansTank/Trachy/Trachypuffedleft2-16-12.jpg
A FTS for reference if it helps, 2-16-12
http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/TebstansTank/FTS2-16-12.jpg
SO, is it normal?