tank talk - updates

Well, how's everyone holding up this summer? I am really struggling to keep my tank up with all the biking I've been doing. I've ridden 480 miles so far and the 300 mile fundraiser ride is coming up in a few weeks. I may be posting a few frags for sale before then to help raise the money for MS that I'm supposed to but should take updated pics first. Anywho, last eve I cleaned off powerheads and did a 10% water change and siphoned out the sump. Wow...poor tank was so neglected. This eve, I'll do some tests and maybe take those pics I just talked about. I decided to come and post so that I hold myself more accountable to the maintenance I should be doing. If I don't hurry, I'll really regret it soon. So, I will do at LEAST 5% water changes every week and will do another 10% within the next week. I will also work hard to get my water parameters where they should be after testing this eve.

Maintenance record:
7/5 10% water change and cleaned off powerheads
7/15 10% water change, cleaned out sump

How's it going for you guys? I hope you're doing better with your tanks then me.

I have this funky layer of dust from the road and prooobably just nutrients floating on the top of my tank, so I've actually INCREASED the amount I am doing to my tank. 1/week water changes (5 gallons on a 25 gallon. So... 20% weekly) Also fighting cyano. All newish tank issues. although my tank is, I think, officially 7 months old now. or.. 6. I dunno, it was 'born' Jan 1stish.

The clam is ginormous. I don't really have anywhere for more frags either, heh. Even though I want more things for it. Some things do not want to stay glued down either. I really need to find some epoxy to help make things stick in place.

My few sps are showing rather good growth, IMO. But I keep on bleaching corals with my light. UGH. Zoanthids are doing good in the upper to middle, I had a ricordea drop and move down to the bottom, another is shaded by Mr. Clam. Who is in the upper-middle. Almost all my LPS are being moved into nearly full shade. The duncans and the candycanes are puting out heads like its christmas. And I think the plate is growing, but I can't tell! lol, I see it too often.

New tank news is-I'm going to be placing that order for dry rock from BRS soon. I'm down to two types of tanks. A clownfish/BTA tank (think 10 bta's.... wall to wall anemones of different colors, and the newly 'described' anemonefish, Amphiprion barberi )

Or pipefish in a deep sand bed with live grasses tank.

Decisions, decisions. UGH!

Mine is still flowing. Dealt with two massive power outages and survived both times. I have been doing a 15G water change about every two weeks. About weekly dosing (bad curtis) due to no time to test. I really need to do some slight dosing with the dosers to try keep up I think. No deaths in the tank lately, corals have shown moderate to slow growth other than my zoas/palys and birdsnest corals.

Blennie, I may be interested in helping you out for the fund raiser. Post up some pics and I will be back in that area at the beginning of August (first weekend).

Looking at the upgrade on my tank and how to fund it. I may have a frag blowout coming up here with cheap frags at $5 or $10 to try build up some upgrade cash. The tank I was looking at is actually going to cost me an extra $100 than I planned so I need to make up the difference...

Happy Reefing Everyone!

Doing ok here, got some die off of my torch in the big tank, not sure if it's my high nitrates, somethings off or maybe somebody picking at it but I'm trying to step up water changes.

24 gallon, I'm down to one healthy acan lord colony and they are not puffy at all, I'm starting to suspect the clownfish of messing with them but I need to setup my aquapod and catch them to be sure, chalices are growing like crazy and my acan hillae is absolutely fine. Who the heck knows!

I really need to buy a better skimmer for the big tank but that's gonna be a ways off, maybe tax time lol.

Before I left for work tonight I set James on an important task. "Watch that tank". He said the same thing, he thinks the clowns might be pissing stuff off! I'm gonna be so mad at those stupid things, I mean I know clowns suck and they probably are just doing annoying hosting biting clown crap but really! ALL MY ACANS! And I just know I'm gonna end up wrecking that tank trying to catch them outta there.

I feel your pain. I thought I was going to keep my clown pair. At the last meeting I was going to sell them to Joyce but she couldn't get her hands on a nem for them so she decided against it. Then, I decided to keep them. I mean, the black ones are pretty hanging out in their RBTA, right? Well, the last two nights working on my tank, I remember why I don't want them anymore. So....discounted price to anyone that wants them. The money will go to MS! I got them from Garrett for $60. They're up for grabs for $45!

Tiff, sorry about your acan troubles. It makes me feel ill. At least it's not all your corals. That makes me think it is the clowns and hopefully you can catch the buggers without too much trouble. Do traps work for them?

I don't know, the one tends to attack the siphon, so I think I might use my huge siphon and try to suck him up lol! I have a net but that tank is too small to be waving it around.

Well Tiff-when my 'reds' (that have turned into orange, green and purple rainbows in my tank) get big enough, I'll send you a frag!

My tank is about the same. I did remove the big carpet nem and replaced him with a green LTA.

Nice to hear from you Dan. Tiff, I haven't fragged the acans yet but I've still got your name on some.

WOW! What a difference. My tank looks better already with just a couple of days of paying more attention to it. I can't wait to do another w/c this week and some other maintenance tasks. I have some junk corals starting to make a come back so I'll have to go in with the tweezers soon. Swanwillow, do you need any more junk corals for your son's little tank?

We got rid of that, heh. It was too unsteady. Not even the hermit crabs lived. The xenia is pumping away in my tank though. And of course I'll take anything. It can go into the future clownfish and bta tank.

My tank move and sump upgrade and the added rock all happening at once kinda took my tank off course for a bit no losses (except a frag my tang broke off plug ! ) just didn't have as good of colors heavy filtration, skimming and daily testing and dosing has brought it back though i think my biological filtration I's starting to catch up again so that I's good! My water changes have been kinda sparatic with all the stuff going on usually 30 gal every 2 weeks I's what i shoot 4 !

my tank still seems happy, maintenance has dropped to pretty much 50 gal water changes ones every month and a half. Just to busy to really enjoy it but fortunate that i built it to run without me. I am glad to see everyone's tanks are doing well.

UGH in my re-arranging and coral moving, I accidentally let the war coral thwap two of my favias. And alot of my corals are sliming (but still have polyp extension... go figure THAT one out) hopefully I don't lose too much.

Oh. And my female Yasha is missing. GRRRRRRR

...So I think I lost some corals in my rearranging. NEVER AGAIN will I be moving rocks. some of my chalices have receeded. Most of the sps looks like I took a crap on 'em. and the plate looks... welll... bad. I have to wait until there's $$ in the account in the next hour, run to the store, and get carbon. I think there's coral war soup in my tank.

I have never lost that much moving rock. I lost a few things when we moved from the 55 into the 75. I suppose it's because your tank is smaller . Sorry to hear of your losses. If I have stuff that you lost, let me know when you want replacements.

did you stir up the sandbed when moving the rocks? That can release uglies into the water that get trapped deeper down in the sand which can cause issues like you are seeing...

yeah, I did. I messed it up by stirring up all SORTA crap. But I'm working on another waterchange, I'll siphon things out. I just hope that my losses come back. like the sps still have polyps... so maybe they'll come back. Thank GOD that they're just little easy to keep frags. The LPS are angry, but have polyps... but I think the chalices got slammed. ammonia is .25, but nitrates are 0, so I caused a tiny cycle. waterchanges, carbon, and we'll go from there.

I should clarify-the duncans haven't receeded abnormally. They look pissed, but not dieing. The candycanes are even more upset, sliming, but okay. The pagoda and clam look fine, zoanthids are coming out now and then. actually, all the softies look like this is a walk in the park. only sps are really hurting. gah! waterchange water should be ready soon.

Carbon and good sized water changes will be your friend at this point. There is a poisonous gas that can get trapped in the sandbed of reef tanks that if disturbed can be like tank armageddon if it has a high enough concentration. Let me know if you lose anything you got from me and I'll hook you up. I'll be going that way at the beginning of August so I can even deliver

mmm, right now I have hopes for everything but a chalice. One that I ordered online, of course. The fungia still has its mouth, its flesh receeded though. (and if it does go, I'm keeping it in the tank. Lets hope for babies) one of the chalices looks bad, and another looks worse. BUT they still have flesh. The war coral did the most damage. Took out one of my favias, and the other has damage (had them in the same bucket) the cats paw and... the other little frag I got from you look iffy. They still have polyps, just bleached looking. And the big orange/red monster has polyps too, just looks bleached. So its really now a wait and see game, as to what comes back. I think I'll know in a week.

That said, the pagoda never receeded-it looks happy as hell. The spongodus (sp? cammie?) is just fine. The clam has stayed out and happy, acting as normal. Rics, and giant polyps look fine. It was rally random as to what had a reaction.