JoeBlog

Both Redwood and Organisms down here in ChCh discuss each item that I purchase on how well it will do in my system and its special needs (if any). My problem in the past has been my willingness to listen to them. :oops: I have since learned to correct this problem, unfortunately at the high price of a large dent in my wallet and loss of livestock.

Fay, I am sorry to hear that your LFS is less than helpful in terms of advice. Given the turn of this thread, I just want to point out that the guys at Organisms are more than helpful when it comes to choosing the coral/fish for individual’s tanks. We did in fact discuss the possible difficulty of keeping the Elegance, but I decided to go ahead anyway. I have learned from my mistake and won't make the same in the future. Now on to a question about my "doomed" elegance, I don't have a recent picture of it, but it certainly looks worse than the picture Fay posted of hers. Since it has been said that they "almost" never come back, is there anything that I should be doing to give it the best chance? It initially did the puffy business that Pies referred to. Now, the tentacle extension is very short and when the polyp retracts (75% of the time), the tissue recedes very far into the skeleton to the point where the ribs of the skeleton are visible in some areas. I’ve already tried moving it to a shadier region and less flow, but no improvement. It has never eaten anything offered, i.e. small bits of mussel, Brine, Mysis, etc... Is it beyond hope at this stage and time to humanely euthanatize it to avoid contamination of my tank? It has gotten this brown slime on it from the very start that I’ve been removing with a large syringe. This can't possibly be the tissue rotting away can it since it has done this since day one? I’m pretty sure that I’ve read somewhere that this jelly stuff is NOT good for your corals/tank.

I bought one from Alois via Organisms about 3 weeks ago, and it is definitely on its last leg. So, I guess that drops the percentage a bit.

I've never asked them for a specific coral, so that is yet to be seen. However, they have always gotten any fish that I've specifically requested (given that it isn't a rediculous request for something half way around the world) and pretty certain that it will be the same outcome where corals are concerned. A year and half is a long time to go on asking without getting what you want. Sorry to hear that Layton. That must be incredibly frustrating. However, I think during that time, you might have been one of the only reefers in ChCh interested in those types corals though.(?) Now there are at least 4-5 Reefers that I know of (and I would certainly guess that there are more) looking for at least some SPS for their tanks. This might be enough to motivate people/suppliers to start getting these types of corals in. I've heard the same about Organisms upgrading their system, and that is great news. Interestingly, I don't even think at this stage with the availability of these types of corals coming down to ChCh that these new lights are even necessary. From what I can gather, it isn't the lack of appropriate facilities holding up the availability of SPS here, but rather simply the lack of supply.

I've been asking more regularly as well. Not only from them, but also from Organisms. I figure that if I become a real pain in the ass that they will order some in just to shut me up! From what I've heard/read, Alois has the huge shipment and hopefully something will trickle down south to us ChCh guys. Bob/Craig has asked me to let them know exactly what I want, so hopefully there will be a little something special for me in their next order.

Sweet fish Layton! What a nice new addition. Is that the actual one that you picked up or did you down load a representative pic? I guess with the plans for the new BIGGER tank in the works you aren't so worried about reducing the boi-load any more. Aren't these one of the large Tangs?

I've heard quite a bit of talk of the Bourneman article on RC. I will definitely have to get my hands on a copy. I really like the look of sand and would certainly like to keep it. Given that you (Pies) have done heaps of research yourself and the fact that you are going to have essentially the same setup as mine (in terms of sand bed), it is quite a relief. As far as SB maintenance, should I just continue the current regime: 1. vacuum fortnightly (not the entire accessable bed, approximately 1/2) 2. in the inassessable areas, just use the power head to raise the detritus back into the water column. Should I worry about raking the sand in those areas that is not assessable for vacuum in addition to the power head treatment? I have also read somewhere that this is actually good for the corals in terms of a bit of a snack.

I choose the 2†sand bed initially simply for esthetics and a place for little critters to grow/live/hide. The 2" bed was also the depth of the www.Reef-Eden.com tank that I modeled my on. I have a "deep" sand bed in my refuge, i.e. 4", which is (hopefully) for functional purposes. If the 2" is in fact a problem, then I will probably have to remove an 1" or so as you suggest. I would prefer not to have to do this since I have a 2" acrylic barrier for the reef rack island. You would then be able to see under the rocks and I’m sure it would look pretty bad. If I add more sand, then it will just fall under the reef and be continually blown out from the spray bar, not exactly ideal either. This is basically my starter tank and the visible reef rack wouldn’t be the first ghetto look that I will chalk up to a learning experience. We’re going to buy/build a house in the next year or so where I will have the larger tank set up (probably very similar to Chimera's, so thanks for all the information/advice) with hopefully all of these kinks worked out by then! In the mean time, it is more about function and if it has to be ugly, then I will just live with it for a while. I'm not sure speicifically what kind of sand it is since it just came in a bag marked sand when I bought my system. It is quite small granule though.

I am a bit worried and confused about the care of my sand bed. The design of my tank was inspired by www.Reef-Eden.com, which was also featured in Marine World magazine Dec/Jan 2004, Issue No. 15, pg. 18. So, I have an island reef rack surrounded by ~2†of sand bed. Due to my low position on the learning curve during the design (which hasn’t increased significantly since), I didn’t take into account leaving room throughout to clean/vacuum the entire bed, i.e. in the back and some areas on the sides the rock is just too close to the glass to get the vacuum in there. Others have recently looked at my tank and have been quite concerned with the gas formation in the sand, which is visible from the front glass. The recommendation has been to vacuum more often and stir the sand in between the times I vacuum as well as in those areas that the vacuum cannot reach since these gas bubbles will eventually become toxic and possibly kill everything in my tank if left untouched. Is this true? How often should I be vacuuming the sand? I currently do it in the accessible areas roughly fortnightly. Before all of this worry, I just used a power head to stir up the detritus in those areas that I couldn’t reach with the vacuum and let the filtration system take care of it. Is this not good enough? Is this sand bed too deep? Layton made a comment in another thread relating to DSB’s, “Most important thing is DON'T ever touch or disturb the bed. By exposing the inner layers of the bed, you expose all sorts of intermediate chemical, which are often very toxic, so they can diffuse into the water quickly, and kill your tank inhabitants.†Again, I wouldn’t call my sand bed deep since it is 2â€, but I certainly have some gas bubbles throughout. If I stir the sand as has been recommended, in some areas it’s almost as if there was an air stone under the sand. Thanks for your help!

I know lots of people as well as LFS's that use spa pumps 24/7. The seals do go out after a while. I'm told that they need to be replace about once a year, but it really isn't a big issue. Davey actually makes a larger pump similar to the spa pumps that is specifically for salt water applications. I was going to get one myself since they are relatively cheap compared to "aquarium" pumps for equivalent grunt, e.g. brand new for under/around $400. The reason that I didn't go that route is because of the electricity consumption. I opted for the Dolphin Aqua Sea Series World Version (240V). Pretty good grunt for the price, very quiet and very low electricity consumption compared to the spa pumps as well as other aquarium pumps of equal size. For example, the Iwaki MD70RLT (you quoted $289US below) draws 3 amps for 5500 lph at 4' head, where the Amp Master 2100 ($218US+shipping,etc...) draws less than 1 amp for 7950 lph at 7' head. The Iwaki's are certainly great pumps with an excellent reputation for running forever without a problem. However, the Dolphins, Sequence, etc... are also quite good pumps for possibly a smaller draw on the wallet.

I'm pretty sure that they do make all the Dolphin Aqua Sea Series in a World 240V version. I already have one Amp Master 3000 and just ordered another that should arrive next week. I think that the Amp Masters are awesome pumps and really quiet. Some people on RC have complained that the seals leak, but not a drop from a leak out of mine for the last 8 months and counting.

Thanks for doing that Layton! Where did you go for the check?

Has anyone noticed any difference in the readings between the JBL and Salifert, specifically for Calcium and KH. I ran out of the Salifert and couldn't find a quick replacement, so I went with the JBL since I had heard such good things about them. I recently got new batches of the Salifert and noticed that the readings are consistently higher for Salifert than JBL for both KH and Calcium. I don't have my log here and can't remember specifically for KH, but the Calcium readings differ consistently by about 35-40, e.g. 380 (JBL) and 420 (salifert). Has anyone noticed the same? Could I be stuffing up the measurement process? It seems pretty straight forward though, especially for the JBL. The Salifert has this explicit timing of the swirl, but still seems pretty obvious.

I personally have had quite bad experiences with Pet World. When I was just starting out, I bought a little blenny from them that turned out to have white spot. Granted I was new and didn’t really have a clue, but they were more than happy to sell it to me. Once I figured out what was going on, thanks to Bob’s (Redwood) help, I took all the fish to his shop for treatment. It turned out that everything in my tank died!!! Bob looked over the fish and determined that given the (eventual) extent of white spot on all the other fish in the tank compared to the newly introduced blenny that it had to be the blenny that introduced it. They always have a great selection, which (against my better judgment) has led me to buy more from them on the rare occasion. I have honestly never purchased a fish from them that has survived for more than a week. I have purchased fish from every other fish shop in ChCh as well as from other reefers, of which, none have “mysteriously†died. I have had the misfortune of a jumper, beaten up by rough tank mates, etc…, but no floaters in the morning. Just thought I would share my experiences before people not only spent money on a fish, but also the crazy shipping charges as well in order to buy from them.

As with Layton, I only use mix (due to convenience) and don't use RO/DI water either. I was told when I started that ChCh has very clean water (for whatever reason) and it the RO/DI isn't necessary. I didn't know any better at the time and so went ahead with the good ol' tap water. So far so good!!! Redwood uses NSW and seems to have quite good results. So, there must be "clean" water somewhere in/near ChCh. Hey Nodle- Welcome to reefing!! I sent you a PM with my details if you want to get together.

When I special ordered a 240V pump from Marine Depot, I complained a bit about the extra time and they had it shipped directly from the manufacturer to me. That saved heaps of time. I ordered a different make of pump, but this may still be an option. If you are anything like me, sooner is definitely better even if it is by just a week or so! I would say that you would certainly have some leverage as well since they already stuffed up your order.

I will take some pictures tonight for you guys to check it out.

I tried to use a step-down transformer on for one of my pumps when I first got here. For my situation, the damn thing cost hundreds of $$ and ran REALLY hot after a while. I would certainly try to get the appropriate voltage pump before going the transformer route. IMHO.

Hi Layton- Man, talk about getting an early start, 5:56 am??!! Your professors must be much more of a hard ass than me. I'm sure that none of my students are ever up that early. My water seems to be pretty good: Ph = 8.2 Salinity = 1.025 Nitrates = 0ppm Phosphates = 0ppm Magnesium = 1200 (bit low and having a hard time bringing it up) Calcium = 440 KH = 8.2 I am hopeful for some awesome color. I guess the plan is to just keep things as pristine as possible and let time do its thing! Thanks, Steve

WOW, that would be a downer. It certainly isn't a looker in its current state!! I was hoping that it was just brown from high nutrients in the LFS tank and the fact that it is lightening up was a good sign. I guess time will tell. I will do a check tonight to see if I can spot any polyps popping out. Thanks Pies.

Hey Tim- Well, it's still pretty brown, but just starting to lighten up. Unfortunately, I can't tell what color it's eventually going to be, but it's only been two weeks. Given that this is my first experience with Acros, I really don't know what to expect as far as coloration. Others have said that it can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks given good water quality. It's a crap shoot, but hoping for something bright! I haven't noticed any polyp extension though, which has me a bit worried. How about yours? Are you getting any color (other than s%#* brown) showing through? Steve

Hey Layton- I am VERY interested. If you have some acro frags for sale, I will definitely take a few from you. Send me an e-mail for whenever you are ready!

Man, I wasn't really paying attention to how much the customs guys wanted from me when they called, but I thought it was awfully high and possibly getting multiple charges on the same ordered item! :evil: That's why I will never have it shipped directly again.

Wow, you should be stoked!! Maybe it was due to me making such a large order for pumps, etc... Was the quantity (size of package) and price of goods ordered quite small? Chimera has also made reference to this GST cost. So, I don't think that I am an outlier.

3iQ Ventures is coming out with a 1" version supposedly by the end of the month. I had an e-mail from them some time ago, but can't seem to find it now. Unfortunately, their service leaves little to be desired as well since they are no longer returning e-mails over this past month. To give them the benifit of the doubt, they may be getting swamped with people anxious to get the new version. There are quite a few threads on RC talking about it as well. Pies-As for drilling it out, I got the idea off of the RC. I was skeptical myself at first, but had nothing to lose since I wasn't really happy with the performance. After drilling out the holes, it seems to be much better. There is a thread on RC that has taken one of them apart, and it appears as though there is quite a bit of room on the interior of the device and the point of restriction is really the input/output holes. At any rate, I am a bit happier now that they are larger. It will eventually be replaced with OM 4-way anyway. It's just a cheap way of getting a bit more "random" flow in the tank in the mean time. WASP-As for not paying GST, how do you get around it. Every time that I have mail ordered, it gets stopped in Auckland, they give me a call for my credit card in order to pay for the customs taxes (which I assume are GST).