Whitesharks 27 gal. Cube Build.

[whiteshark]

I'm posting this here because, while not new to this hobby, this is my first build from the ground up. In that sense, I am new. Plus, it's not a 300 gallon in wall build with a dedicated sump room, auto WC, $10,000 build so no one in Reef Discussion would be interested (thus less views and less help).

Please excuse the cell phone pics. I don't have a great camera, but I will borrow one when it comes time for livestock pics.

First the stand. Built it from scratch:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/070_zps6dab4f7b.jpg

Instead of butt ending the 2 x 3's together I miter cut them. I think it turned out decent, but the stain is kinda ugly. Not going to change it though for reasons to be describe later.

Next the plumbing:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130119_095731_zps0fd208bf.jpg

Clearly in the first pic I must have been drunk when I put that plumbing together :lmao:. Reconfigured it to look less horribly ugly and make it more stable. I'm running two Phosban reactors off of the return, which is a Mag 5. There is also an overflow pipe which goes into the fuge section of the sump, controlled by a ball valve, in case I want some more flow in there. Speaking of the sump, it came off my old 90 gallon which I dismantled and stored about 7 years ago. Thought about building my own, but decided to save a bit of money here as there is really nothing wrong with it. Yes it's not hidden, but this is in a back room in the basement. It's not a living room show piece and it allows me very easy access to everything. Also I'm currently renting this place so if I need to move I'd like it to be a painless as possible. The sump is oriented such that the first chamber will be a fuge, the second obviously the skimmer and the third the return. I have the return plumbed inline here, but after testing decided to move it in sump to help a bit with noise and because it had a slow leak.

Filling up the tank :

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130120_043249_zps0ef3172f.jpg

At this point I was getting pretty excited. Things were progressing nicely. One thing bothered me, though. This is a RR Marineland cube. While the overflow has space for two return pieces of LocLine, it only came with one. I wanted two. So I cut out the overflow, added a Y and some more LocLine to get a second return.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130131_070836.jpg

I thought it would help keep the top agitated and thus free of film. I resealed the overflow, started to fill up the tank again, and this happened:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130202_094048.jpg

Not exactly sure how or why it happened, but since it was not on a Marineland stand and I removed the overflow, the warranty was void :headwalls:

[whiteshark]

I was demoralized, but had come to far to give up. I found a great deal on Craigslist. 27 gallon cube (not drilled), black stand, 150W HQI Sunpod fixture, Tunze nano skimmer, and CPR HOB fuge for 125$. Jumped on that. Got the tank drilled, Took the overflow from the other tank and siliconed it in the new one:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130209_012449.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130217_003418.jpg

Redid the plumbing to fit the new stand:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130220_163820.jpg

Added some unions in there for convenience. Filled it up, did an all systems check. Everything looked good so it was on to the next step; aquascape:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130222_015308.jpg
Aragonite added:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130222_022436.jpg

Saltwater added:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130222_033718.jpg

After letting it run overnight:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130222_165951.jpg

And that's where I'm at now. Everything is working. Water has cleared up quite nicely. The list of equipment is:
Mag 5 return
ASM G-2 skimmer
JBJ Wavemaker Duo
JBJ ATO
VisaTherm 300W heater
150W HQI Current Sunpod (will be a gen 2 Radion in a couple months)
2 x Phosban 150 reactors; one with BRS carbon and one with BRS GFO

I know the salinity is 1.026 measured with a temp compensated refractometer. I used a Seachem salt mix I’ve never tried before. Salinity I believe it was called. Heard good things about it, but have yet to test magnesium, calcium and ALK. Will do that tonight or tomorrow.

Next step is to add some ammonia, a bit of live rock rubble, and let the bacterial magic happen. Speaking of ammonia, I want to cycle with pure ammonia, not the shrimp method, but I can’t find any with no surfactants. Anyone know where I can find some? I’ve checked Walmart, Giant, HD, Lowes, and Wegmans. Ace had some janitorial ammonia but I didn’t see any ingredients listed.

[bnumair]

looking good.....
first tank cracked due to over tightening of the bulkhead. they are supposed to be just hand tight. anyways.. good luck with the new tank.

[whiteshark]

looking good.....
first tank cracked due to over tightening of the bulkhead. they are supposed to be just hand tight. anyways.. good luck with the new tank.

So I had read. I definitely only hand tightened it, but when I removed it the first time I had to use a wrench because it was on so tight. I only ever hand tightened it.

[whiteshark]

I have a question. Anyone have success with any particular ammonia to cycle a tank? Particular brands? I can't find any anywhere without surfactants or fragrances.

[worm5406]

I could not find any either... I just used shrimp.

Someone said HD or Lowes but I looked there too. Unless I was in wrong section.

I wonder if a dollar store might have some.

[bpcardona]

I bet a local cleaning supply business would have some.

[whiteshark]

I'll have to check and see if we have a local cleaning supply place. So far I've checked walmart , HD, Giant, Wegmans and Lowes with no success. The dollar store is a good idea.

[Slystone]

Grocery store.

[whiteshark]

Grocery store.

I've checked several but have come up empty. It seems like cheaper stores, from what I read, would be more likely to have it so I'll keep an eye out.

A quick promotional word for GFCIs:

A couple days ago I was taking the phosban reactors off. I accidentally disconnected one above the ball valve :facepalm: As you can guess, water started spraying everywhere. Now I have drip loops on my wires, but they were of no help in this situation. Water made it's way to the power strip but as soon as it did, the GFCI tripped and cut the power. THIS THING IS A LIFESAVER! It's not expensive, bulky or difficult to use. Completely plug and play. There really is no excuse not to have one.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130131_065917.jpg

That's all it is, but it's role is huge and well worth the minimal investment.

[whiteshark]

Did calcium alk and mag tests today.

Ca - 340ppm
Mg - 1130ppm
Alk - 6.6

:eek2:

Salifert tests. Obviously I was NOT happy, but then I realized something. The kits are older than I thought; 2009. So I guess its time for new kits...

[bnumair]

yup new kits will be a good idea and if still those numbers are true then time to bump up everything. is ur salinity 1.025-1.026?
acceptable ranges are (i am sure you know this but for some newbe's sake)

cal 380-460ppm
alk 7-11dkh
mag 1280-1400ppm

[whiteshark]

1.026 on the nose. Like I said this is read from a temp compensated refrac so I'm pretty confident its accurate.

[whiteshark]

After another day of searching I think I finally found some usable ammonia. Only ingredient listed is ammonium hydroxide. No foam when I shake it so it doesn't appear to have surfactants and definitely no dye or fragrance.

Its called Austins Ammonia. I found it at Dollar Tree so if it works out at least I have something I can recommend.

http://www.jamesaustin.com/pages/Product_Popups/pop_ammonia.html

Its the clear variety obviously.

[whiteshark]

Dosed the ammo up to 2 ppm. I added bio spira as a starter culture. I also have a cycled qt which I could add some water or rock from.

Also got new salifert kits and retested the water. At 1.026:

Ca : 400ppm
Mg : 1275ppm
Alk : 6.4 dKH

A little better. Still would obviously like everything bumped up so I might still have to do that. Also might have to go back to tropic Marin.

[whiteshark]

Cycle is moving along nicely. Actually, quite quickly. Ammonia went from 2 mg/l (just realized these kits measure in mg/l) on March 1 to 0 mg/l on March 4. Nitrites climbed from 0 mg/l to about 2 mg/l. On March 5 I dosed a bit more ammonia. Actually, I screwed up and dosed quite a bit. It was maxing out my kit at 5 mg/l. However, today ammonia is down to 0.5 mg/l. Nitrite is maxed out on the kit at 5 mg/l. I'm going to give the nitrites at least a few days to see if they come back down any. I've heard high ammonia can stall a cycle, but haven't heard anything about high nitrites stalling one. I guess time will tell. In any case, things seem to be moving along quite quickly. Almost fast enough to make me skeptical...

I also have a couple residents in the QT now. A Firefish and a Benggai Cardinal. Yes, I know, don't QT two fish at the same time. These two came from the same place, in the same filtration system. Both looked very, very good. Both were eating within 24 hours of being on the QT. Both are still looking great and getting along quite well. Not that I expected anything different, but I figured if they were going to have any issue with each other I might as well find that out now. This should also give me more than ample time to observe them and make sure they are healthy. The QT is a 20 long and will be able to run as long as it takes for the DT to cycle.

[biggles]

Looks like everything is progressing well so far, i see what you mean about the plumbing in the first pic lol. Your aquascaping in such a confined space is great, well done. What type of reef are you planning, i don't think you mentioned it. I reef on a budget so i enjoy following simple setups like mine, although you really should invest in a reef monitor that will page you even in the toilet at work to let you know the tank temp at home went up 1 degree.........that really is a must imo..........:p

[whiteshark]

Well, hopefully mainly LPS and SPS. Never been much a fan of softies and have always loved SPS. It worries me a bit being such a small setup; keeping the params in check enough for SPS might be a bit of a challenge. I'm up for it though. I'm considering upping the return to a Mag 7 and running a separate 10 gallon refugium fed by the return. Should help stabilize water parameters and aid in nutrient exportation more than the small section I have for a fuge currently in the sump.

Fish list will be:

1 - Firefish goby (Nemateleotris magnifica)
1 - Purple firefish goby (Nemateleotris decora)
1 - Benggai Cardinal fish (Pterapogon kauderni)
1 - Whiteray Shrimp Goby / Yasha Haza (Stonogobiops yasha)

Possibly 1 - Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse (Wetmorella tanakai), if I feel I have the nutrient export capability.

As for the tank, ammonia was 0 the past two days. Nitrites have come down to 2 mg/l. I dosed ammonia back up to 0.5 mg/l this morning to see how long it takes to get back to 0. I'm hoping this takes no longer than 12 hours.

Oh and thanks for the aquascape compliment BTW. It's much appreciated! I just hope I didn't go a bit too high on the big rock. Otherwise, I think it came out decent. Passes the mag float test on all sides and actually I think it looks pretty good from every angle which is what I was trying for. Wish I had a better camera to capture it a bit better.

[whiteshark]

Is there a current, updated list of product substitutes for Randys 2 part? Because I plan on this being an SPS reef mainly I'd like to find the ingredients to the 2 part now in case future dosing is necessary. I can't find Dow Flake or Mag Flake locally.

[whiteshark]

Had a bit of a mishap today. I was building a custom fuge and I accidentally dripped a bit of acrylic cement into the sump. Luckily the pump was off as I was working in there earlier too, and the first compartment was low on water. I drained and disposed of what water was left, dried the section really well, let it sit for about half an hour or so, then filled it back up with new saltwater. I observed the copepods for about an hour after restarting the pump. They seem fine. No mass extinction so I think I got off lucky. When I check tonight, though, well that will be the real test.

FWIW, I calibrated my refrac today with calibration solution as opposed to distilled water as the instructions recommend. I was surprised to see the difference of about .0015 SG between the two. I guess I had my water at 1.0245 instead of 1.026. Might explain the Calcium, Mag and Alk test results too. I'm slowly bringing the salinity up to 1.026 and will repost test results when I get there.

[whiteshark]

Because I could I made a chemistry tracker spreadsheet. It will come in more handy when corals start using up the big 3, but for now it's cool to see the cycle graphically:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/Capture-9.png

I do wonder where the nitrites actually spiked to. They were certainly maxing out the kit. Anyway, getting very close to finishing this thing. Can't wait to start putting livestock in the DT.

Oh and it seems everything is fine after the small acrylic cement spill BTW.

[Cymonous]

Good to hear. Nice to see it is coming along well.

[worm5406]

Why not go ahead and get your QT tank and get some fish in there. They will be ready when your cycle is done.

[whiteshark]

Why not go ahead and get your QT tank and get some fish in there. They will be ready when your cycle is done.

It is set up and there are a couple fish in there. Actually I'm just about to feed them :)

[worm5406]

Ahhh good.. ok.

[whiteshark]

Yeah I'll get pics of them sometime this afternoon maybe. Nothing special yet. Just a fire fish and a benggai cardinal.

I did a test before I went to work. Nitrites are 0. Nitrates are up to 25ppm. I'll do another test in the am to confirm but appears the cycle is done :).

I just have to complete my fuge and change the sump plumbing a bit, then do a big WC and it should be ready for livestock. I'm thinking of seeding with just a bit of lr from my LFS. Basically just to get some coralline in there. Might just let that come in on the cuc and frag plugs though. Not quite sure yet.

[nanomania]

u have stuck acrylic with glass?

[whiteshark]

u have stuck acrylic with glass?

You mean the overflow? If so, I'm not entirely sure what kind of plastic it is but I don't think its acrylic. It came with the first tank that cracked. I cut it out of there and resiliconed it in the new tank. It sealed fine.

[whiteshark]

Test confirmed this morning that the cycle is over! Hopefully this afternoon I can do a big water change, mod my sump a bit, and let the new water break in for a day or two before moving my QT inhabitants to their permanent home. I'd also like to get my small custom fuge assembled.

A quick question about acrylic cement. How long does it have to "cure" before it can be water tested?

Oh and I'll really try to get some pics this afternoon with a real camera and not my cell camera.

[worm5406]

Just checking... how was it confirmed? It is not like a turkey and the little thing pops out...


HAHAHA

YEAH.. Pictures...!!!

[whiteshark]

Just checking... how was it confirmed? It is not like a turkey and the little thing pops out...


HAHAHA

YEAH.. Pictures...!!!

Lol. Well I just basically redid the ammonia and nitrite tests to confirm both were 0, which they were. Devils game is about to start so no pics for at least a few hours :D

[worm5406]

OK Have fun... and sorry the devils lost.

[whiteshark]

OK Have fun... and sorry the devils lost.

Yeah I needed to take my mind off that so I started working on the tank. Next thing I knew it was 4am lol.

I did a few things. First I redid the return on the sump to make it more streamlined. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to get a good camera yet so you'll have to bare with more cell pics for the time being:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130317_035025.jpg

I capped the hole in the side, drilled a new piece of acrylic, and welded it into place.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130317_035034.jpg

I redid the remaining plumbing to streamline it a bit. This new configuration allows me the option of a filter sock should I decide to use one.

The other thing I did was assemble my mini fuge and it's stand:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130317_034227.jpg

The stand is made from scraps from the stand I built for the tank that cracked. It will sit just behind the sump and allow the return of the fuge to be above sump level so it is gravity fed (I would never rely on a pump for a return in this case). The fuge is made from a single piece of acrylic that was 24" x 18". I had them cut it into 4 18" x 6" lengths. Three were used for the sides and bottom, the last was used to make the ends.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130317_034752.jpg

The left is the return, the right is the feed from the sump which will be fed by a PH. I wanted it oriented the other way, but screwed up when I put it together.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130317_034816.jpg

You can see the 3/4" main return. Above it are two 1/2" backup returns juuust in case the main drain gets clogged. The baffle was made from some thin acrylic sheet I had lying around. Here's a better view:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130317_034942.jpg

Finally, on the inflow I added a locline piece so I could direct the flow in such a way to make the chaeto tumble.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130317_034953.jpg

And that's were I'm at now. Just have to plumb it into the sump and it should be ready to go. I didn't get a chance to do the big water change yet. Had some issues mixing the salt. Will do that tomorrow.

I also had a pretty big scare tonight. I turned the skimmer and gfo reactor on for the first time since the cycle began. I left the room for 20 minutes or so. When I came back there was a large puddle on the floor. Not quite a flood, but enough to make my heart race. I started looking all around for the problem thinking the sump was leaking or the tank was leaking. I thought it might be the tank because there was a puddle in the stand. That thought scared the hell out of me. After much searching and on the verge of panic I finally realized what it was. Somehow the wire from the heater had made it's way alongside the sponge on the skimmer overflow. Water was flowing down the wire and into the stand. What a HUGE relief it was to find that. I was thinking the whole project might be over. Also, it's a damn good thing I have drip loops on all the wires!

[whiteshark]

Oh and I also ran the big 3 tests again since the salinity was raised to 1.026:

Calcium - 450ppm
Magnesium - 1425ppm
Alk - 6.4 dKH

Much much better. Well, except for the Alk. I'll have to see what all the tests come out to when the WC water is done mixing. Hopefully the Alk will be better. If not, I have baking soda on standby.

[worm5406]

Nice..... busy last night. You will prob crash today.

[whiteshark]

Nice..... busy last night. You will prob crash today.

Meh. I work a night shift so its normal for me to be up all night. This is an odd time for me to be up but I have off and need to get stuff done.

[worm5406]

Yeah I spent 4 hours, on purpose, working on tank maint because IO want it to look and be better.

Water change and working on some HA.

[whiteshark]

Did a big water change. About 75% of the system volume. Big 3 tests:

Calcium - 445ppm
Magnesium - 1425ppm
Alkalinity - 7.3 dKH

It seems the problem with the alk was me not mixing the salt bucket well the first time. It's a bit better now, but since 25% of the tank volume was at 6.3 dKH, the alk is probably depressed from what it should mix to.

Anyway, here are a couple views of the sump with the fuge added:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130318_001826.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130318_001841.jpg

[worm5406]

OK.. Not bad.

Are those cable/probe holders right there at the skimmer, on the edge, and below the water line too?

[Coddigtion]

Where did you buy the first tank from? I can't believe that they didn't warranty that! I will never buy one of their products the LFS should have backed you up.

[whiteshark]

OK.. Not bad.

Are those cable/probe holders right there at the skimmer, on the edge, and below the water line too?

Hmm, what cable or probe holders? Do you mean the gang valves? They are just setting there at the return section atm. They are above the waterline, but I don't know where their final destination will be yet. They are for some super low tech DIY dosers I made, but for some reason my phone would not allow me to take a pic of. As of now I don't know if I'll even need them. Water changes might be enough plus the Kalk I plan to use as top off. I'm still thinking of where to put them.

[whiteshark]

Where did you buy the first tank from? I can't believe that they didn't warranty that! I will never buy one of their products the LFS should have backed you up.

It's a Marineland tank. The LFS is a good place with good people. They said I had to go through Marineland, though. Because I removed the old overflow and it wasn't on a Marineland stand the warranty was void. Like I said though, I think they had the bulkheads too tight at the factory. I needed a wench to get them off!

Oh well, it worked out in the end. Had it not cracked I wouldn't have went on craigslist and found the great deal I did.

[worm5406]

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130318_001841.jpg

Hmm, what cable or probe holders? Do you mean the gang valves? They are just setting there at the return section atm. They are above the waterline, but I don't know where their final destination will be yet. They are for some super low tech DIY dosers I made, but for some reason my phone would not allow me to take a pic of. As of now I don't know if I'll even need them. Water changes might be enough plus the Kalk I plan to use as top off. I'm still thinking of where to put them.

Right at the bottom of the sump, in this picture. On the ledge of the sump.

[whiteshark]

Yeah they are just gang valves. Not hooked up to anything yet and i don't know if I'll use them in the future. I was just considering my placement options in case I do use them.

[whiteshark]

Tried or organize the wires a bit:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130319_075955.jpg

Still ugly? Yes, but better.

Also managed to fit my ATO reservoir inside the stand:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130319_080040.jpg

I know the wires still look ugly in there. I working on that still.

The reason I didn't have the ATO in there before was that it was on the QT tank. Well, the two fish are in the DT now so there was no more need for it on the QT :). The cardinal looks great. After an easy removal from the QT and a 1.5 hour drip acclimation to the DT (water params are almost identical but I still wanted to acclimate them), he was added to the DT. Started eating pods within 15 minutes in the DT.

The firefish wasn't so easy. I see why they are called dartfish. That bugger was hard to catch. Did some nice aerial acrobatics too. Good thing he landed back in the tank (yes I had mesh over the QT but had to remove it to catch him. Also have a nice, tight fitting screen top on the DT). After a bit of a struggle I got him. Same acclimation process as the cardinal. He seemed to take it fairly well. I added him to the DT and he darted around for a bit, then buried himself under a rock. Hopefully he's back out and about by this afternoon.

[whiteshark]

Sooo dKH is low. after letting it reach equilibrium for about a week it has leveled out at 6.7 dKH. So it's dosing time. 1.6 tsp baking soda (per the reef chemistry calculator) dissolved in 1.5 quarts of RO/DI water added via my super high tech DIY doser:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130322_050952.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130322_051004.jpg

And that, worm, is what those gang valves are for. I was able to calculate how many drops from the valve are in a tsp, then how many tsps of water are in 1.5 quarts, then dial in the valve so it should add this over about a 3 day period during which I will monitor pH. I'll also, hopefully, be able to build or buy some sort of permanent stand to hold all three DYI dosers.

As for the fish, well, I wanted to get pics of them with the good digital camera but it seems to have gone AWOL. No one knows where it is. So, more cell pics:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130320_174205.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130320_174129.jpg

And here's one last thing. I got some chaeto in my fuge and made a real short vid of it spinning inside:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x6H621V700

[worm5406]

Thanks.. I guess the angle threw me off.

[whiteshark]

Just ordered the fish I've been waiting for to come in stock! So excited! By Tuesday I'll be the owner of a Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse! I love the coloration and diminutive size:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/lg-74616-tanakas-possum-wrasse.jpg

Obviously credit goes to LiveAquaria for the photo. Tried to link it to their site but it didn't work.

[whiteshark]

I'm a little disappointed in LA. I ordered the pygmy wrasse, a yasha goby, yellow clown goby, and a pistol shrimp. I placed the order literally 20 minutes after I received an email saying the wrasse was in stock. Yesterday my order shipped and it did not include the wrasse. They redeemed themselves a bit though. I told them the only reason I ordered the other fish was because I wanted them and figured since I was paying shipping for the wrasse i might as well order the others too. I can get those fish around here at LFSs if I wanted, but I know LA has good livestock and husbandry practices. Anyway, they said if they get any more wrasses in stock in the next couple weeks they will ship it to me for free. If not, they will refund my shipping charge. So I'm still annoyed I didn't get the fish I really wanted, but props to LA for being good to their customer.

New QT inhabitants:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130327_125644.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130327_125805.jpg

Random cardinal pic in DT:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130327_104900.jpg

[bpcardona]

I got a yellow clown goby, he has almost destroyed all my SPS!!! Keep him away. I know it say reef safe, but type it it the search bar. Mostly horror stories. I wish I had never put him in.

[whiteshark]

Really? Huh. Never even crossed my mind that it'd be a problem. Thanks for the heads up! I'll take him to the LFS asap.

[bpcardona]

Just glad I could save someone. I am not sure why these are considered reef safe. I the wild they live in sps, and even are said to kill them to breed. It is a shame to becuase he is a cool little guy with a ton of personality. However he is impossible to catch!!!

[whiteshark]

Luckily mine is still in the QT. Just hope I don't stress out the Yasha too much trying to get the clown.

Now I have to consider another small, colorful goby to take his place...

[Cymonous]

Is it just the yellow clown goby that does this? Or all clown gobies?

[bpcardona]

Is it just the yellow clown goby that does this? Or all clown gobies?

I personally only have the yellow clown goby, but reading the forum here it seem to be all.

[GrantH]

Just wanted to compliment you on your build - it is looking great. Hope you manage to get that fish you always wanted!

Grant

[whiteshark]

Just wanted to compliment you on your build - it is looking great. Hope you manage to get that fish you always wanted!

Grant

Thanks! One way or another I'm getting that fish :lmao: I've let my LFS know I want it, so they're keeping an eye out for me. I made it abundantly clear to LA that I want it. I even tried to get them to reserve one for me but they won't do that if they don't get any more within 2 weeks, which I'm almost sure they won't.

After going back and forth with what lighting to choose, a lot, I think I've finally decided. Not going to jump on the LED bandwagon just yet. I'm going with 1 x 150W HQI supplemented by 2 or 4 24W T5HO's in a canopy that I'm currently putting together. Heat does concern me. I'm going to mount some computer fans in the canopy, and since it's in a basement I think I should get by without needing a chiller. At least I really hope that's the case. I do have an in room AC that I could put in there to keep the room cool. Maybe that will do it.

[whiteshark]

Well the clown goby has a new home at the LFS. The yasha is looking good, but I think the pistol shrimp, which is in the DT, is getting tired of waiting for the yasha to get out of the QT. The other two fish look real good. Also, frags!

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130401_101457.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130405_175336.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_20130405_175352.jpg

Stupid cell phone camera just can't capture the colors...

[whiteshark]

So something in my system seems to be eating away my alkalinity. I just can't get it any higher than 6.9 dKH. Other parameters:

Calcium - 430 ppm
Magnesium - 1425 ppm
pH - 8.25

Not that anything else should have an impact but nitrate and phosphate are both 0 ppm.

I had buffered alk up to 9dKH over a period of one week using baking soda. It declined over the period of a week back to 6.9. I've done a couple small water changes (2 gallons each). The change water tested at 9.3 dKH. After changing the dKH remained 6.9.

I don't use kalk yet as I only have a couple frags and I'm worried about ODing it. I just can't figure out why I can't keep alk above 6.9. Its quite frustrating.

[whiteshark]

Any ideas on the alk? I can't figure it out. Calcium is not declining anywhere near the rate of the alk and the pH has remained stable. Coral frags seem fine and the alk stabilizes at 6.9 dKH, but I'd like it to stabilize at a higher number.

[whiteshark]

Alk was down to 6.1 dKH on the 10th. I am currently dosing it back up with baking soda and will also do a series of small water changes to try and bring it back up. It still frustrates me that I can't figure out what's causing it to drop so quickly and dramatically though. Coral frags still seem happy. Good color and decent PE. I just can't imagine the few frags I have are what's causing the decline.

[whiteshark]

So the Yasha is now in the DT. After drip acclimating for about 1.5 hours, I put it in the tank. It perched around for about 10 second then backed down to the entrance of the pistol shrimps cave. The shrimp came out, actually nudged the goby a few times in the tail fin, then the two darted off into the hole. Amazing how it only took all of 30 seconds for the two to find each other.

[TimeConsumer]

I really like your fish choices so far. Hopefully you'll be able to get the pygmy wrasse soon. Get us some more pictures soon!

[whiteshark]

I really like your fish choices so far. Hopefully you'll be able to get the pygmy wrasse soon. Get us some more pictures soon!

Thanks! I do really want to get some more pics. I'm going hopefully this Thursday to get a new camera. This cell phone camera just isn't cutting it.

[TimeConsumer]

I was a little shocked seeing a response at 4am, then I remembered you also work night shifts. I always felt so lonely on this board past 1am.

[whiteshark]

I was a little shocked seeing a response at 4am, then I remembered you also work night shifts. I always felt so lonely on this board past 1am.

Yeah as most places things really die down after 1ish am. Everyone is passed out in bed while I'm doing testing and water changes :lmao:

[whiteshark]

Bad news. My first acro frag started to look like it was bleaching a bit which I though was odd because other wise the color was really good. Upon closer inspection I found red bugs... I removed the frag, dipped it, and isolated it in a separate tank. Luckily I haven't seen any others in the tank on any other frags. Everything else looks really good.

It annoys me because I dip every incoming frag...

[smtank]

What did you dip the frag in?
Unless it was Bayer or Interceptor you will not kill the red bugs. They are hardy little suckers literally.

Tank looks great BTW.

[whiteshark]

What did you dip the frag in?
Unless it was Bayer or Interceptor you will not kill the red bugs. They are hardy little suckers literally.

Tank looks great BTW.

Thanks. And neither BTW. I'll have to get some of that Bayer. I didn't realize they were that hardy. Hopefully I've isolated all of them. I'd hate to lose any more frags to them.

[whiteshark]

No sign of Red Bugs on the other frags so far so that's good.

Other good news. I finally got the Wrasse! It just shipped so I know I'm actually getting it this time. Should be here tomorrow. I also got a camera from eBay, but that won't be here until Saturday. So any wrasse pics until then will still be from the cell.

[Esage]

I got a yellow clown goby, he has almost destroyed all my SPS!!! Keep him away. I know it say reef safe, but type it it the search bar. Mostly horror stories. I wish I had never put him in.

My green clown goby took out my birdsnest.

[whiteshark]

The Wrasse is acclimating right now. Looks a bit worse for wear but it's not surprising considering the journey it's just been on.

Just checked the tracking number for my camera and that should arrive today as well! I'll try to get some pics when it gets here, but I can't promise I'll learn to use it that fast :lol:

[worm5406]

Point and click... Can only get better from there.

[whiteshark]

OK, I just snapped a couple pics real quick.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2079.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2079.jpg.html)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2080.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2080.jpg.html)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2081.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2081.jpg.html)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2083.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2083.jpg.html)

Quite clearly I have to work with the white balance. Sorry, no wrasse pics. It was pretty stressed and I didn't want to force it out of the pipe it went in in the qt.

[whiteshark]

The Wrasse is making me nervous. I was recently filling up a bucket with RO water when I noticed it swimming around the tank. Immediately I was surprised as this fish RARELY comes out. Well, it's swimming funny. Seems a bit disoriented. Much the way it did when I first got it and the water was wayyy too cold. It seems to be breathing ok but the colors are a bit faded and its bumping into things. It's also not darting away into a pipe the way it usually does when it detects any kind of movement at all.

I checked the parameters.

SG - 1.0265
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Temp. - 77.1 F

Nothing has been added to the tank besides food. The SG did get a bit elevated due to more evaporation than normal, but I've since brought it back down to 1.0255. Hope it's going to be OK. Will report this afternoon with an update.

[whiteshark]

Luckily the wrasse seems better this afternoon. Color is back. Very curious behavior last night though. Still makes me wonder. Still makes me a bit nervous.

[whiteshark]

So I'm still fighting this low alk issue. I've noticed something. It seems I have a lot of what I assume is calcium carbonate precipitation in my water change water after it sits for a day or two. The calcium after the precipitate forms still reads about 425ppm, but the alk drops from about 8.4 dKH to 6.4 dKH. I'm wondering if part of the issue of the low alk is the water changes lowering it, but what would cause the calcium carbonate to form in the WC water?

[worm5406]

When do you add your salt?
When do you add a heater to it? (Before or after salt)
Do you place a powerhead in it from the time the RODI hits it until you use it?
How long do you let it sit after salt is added to the time you use it?

[whiteshark]

Generally I add the salt slowly to cold ro/di and mix using a piece of pvc pipe. I try not to aerate the water much per the instructions. I let the water sit 24 hours then run the battery of tests. When params are correct I heat it and use it. Usually the precipitate comes after I heat the water or after it sits for 36 plus hours. Its aquavitro salinity fwiw.

[whiteshark]

So I have some new livestock in the mail. Should be here today. I'm thinking I'm also going to put the wrasse in the DT today as well. I just hope it's a bit more outgoing in the DT than it is in the QT. I really only ever see it when I feed it and I have to be perfectly still. I worry about it having to compete with the others for food. In any case, pictures will be taken and posted. Just have to figure out if I want to nap before the stuff gets here...

Also still fighting low Alk. I buffer it up, then it goes back down. Much faster than it should. Magnesium is at 1425ppm and calcium is 400ppm. I'm thinking of adding kalk to the ATO after I add the new stuff to see if it helps keep it stable. I'm just afraid of ODing on the kalk only having a couple very small frags.

[whiteshark]

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2134.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2134.jpg.html)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2187.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2187.jpg.html)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2206.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2206.jpg.html)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2211.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2211.jpg.html)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2143.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2143.jpg.html)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2138.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2138.jpg.html)

Please forgive the mediocre pics. I haven't slept in like 21 hours and am still learning this camera and it's millions of functions.

[whiteshark]

Finally got some pics of this elusive little bugger:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2252.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2252.jpg.html)
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2260.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2260.jpg.html)
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2265.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2265.jpg.html)

I know, not the best pictures, but this fish is pretty camera shy.

I don't know why, but this fish literally never fans it's tail. I saw it do it just once when I was transferred it to the DT, but never before and never since. Even when it's startled. Every other fin will flare, but the caudal remains compressed. Any ideas?

[CoralReeForrest]

OK, I just snapped a couple pics real quick.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2079.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2079.jpg.html)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2080.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2080.jpg.html)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2081.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2081.jpg.html)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/IMG_2083.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/whiteshark_2006/media/IMG_2083.jpg.html)

Quite clearly I have to work with the white balance. Sorry, no wrasse pics. It was pretty stressed and I didn't want to force it out of the pipe it went in in the qt.

What is the little blue frag with the orange polyps on it??? Tank looks great by the way!!

[whiteshark]

CoralReeForrest: Its a Cyphastrea "Meteor Shower". Its kinda washed out in color since that pic was taken. I think the light might be too bright and white. Polyp extension is great though.

[CoralReeForrest]

Even with the color like it is I love it!

[whiteshark]

Even with the color like it is I love it!

Yeah its a neat coral. I'm hoping when I supplement the halide with some t5s it colors back up. Otherwise its got great pe and seems to be happy.

Also the birdsnest seems a bit less happy lately. Not too great pe. The milli, though, is already growing. Its got a new branch starting off the base.

[whiteshark]

So my roommate decided he was going to spray for bugs. Sprayed around the perimeter of all the rooms, including the fish room, then decided it would be a good idea to close all the doors and windows. He assures me he got none in the tank, but the corals don't look too happy and the skimmer went absolutely bonkers. He may have just wiped out several hundred dollars worth of livestock not to mention a lot of hard work. I feel like flipping out, throwing things, breaking stuff, etc., but have held my cool so far. We'll see what happens if I actually do lose any livestock, though.

[Dactylopterus]

Do a big water change the faster you can

[whiteshark]

So it's been quite a while. A quick update. I did a large water change after the insecticide incident. SPS didn't take it too well, but they were starting to recover. Then I went on vacation. Probably should have stayed home. Not that anybody really did anything wrong but it just got way way hot. Water warmed up to 85 to 86 degrees. Lost all SPS frags. Came home to a lot of hair algae and acans that were on the brink. I put a big old fan to blow across the sump. That helped a lot. Did a big water change. Removed as much hair algae as possible and changed the GFO.

Things are looking better now. Yes, I lost the SPS, but the Acans are coming back and ALL fish are healthy. Still have a bit of an ongoing HA problem, but no cyano and coralline is now starting to seriously displace the HA. I still scrub the rocks with a toothbrush every week or so the remove any built up HA, but more and more coralline is visible and less and less HA comes back. So things are moving back in the right direction. Only major losses were the SPS and the pistol shrimp.

Future plans are in the works. I think I'm going to upgrade to a 40 breeder. I was worried about cracking the tile floor but I think if I put down some plywood it should distribute the weight enough. Going to build a custom stand, custom center return sump, and a beananimal overflow. Also looking into a Neptune controller, Reefbreeders Supernova LED, and a small chiller. Obviously this isn't going to happen quickly, but that's the direction I think I'm taking this.