Totara
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Posts posted by Totara
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:facepalm: thought that was a moorish idle
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Looks normal to me, if you've just come out of a cycle you'll have an algae phase until you get everything perfectly in balance, which takes time. How big is that tank
There is a lot of fish in there who like room to swim... -
I am pretty sure the tank is cycled, I have talked to the guy from Living Reef quite extensively and he is sure that it will be fine. So I just do with the flakes what I did for my Tetras? Crumble it into the tank so it can fit into their mouths? I will start with little more than one or two flakes, to get the tank used to the bioload.
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I've got some standard marine flakes I'll feed for the first few days until I sort some bloodworms etc. Later on I will try freezing my own food. Is two small feedings a day of flakes enough for baby clowns? Morning and night?
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Now this is going to be a tough decision :bggrn:
Because it is in the living room the rest of the family has input on what goes in there. And they really want a hermit crab. There's quite a few spots the snails will be able to hide I believe and I'll make sure there is plenty of spare shells. I added two more frags the other day, Anthelia and another Zoa. I am getting ready to get a pair of clownfish sometime (hopefully) next week. What do other people give their clowns to mix up their diet? Just looking for some input to make sure mine get good feedings.
Will
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Hi all,
Another update on the tank. I have added my first coral and it is going well! Thanks to si_sphinx for providing my first coral
I got it on Sunday, and it was opening on the same day. The next day it fully opened, on the little rock is mainly green zoa's but I noticed one yellow zoa head, which has already grown to two heads. So it looks like all is going well. I'm going to add a few more corals this weekend, and need to sort my supplements and other test kits before I start looking into LPS and SPS. I'm starting to look for my CUC members and a pair of clownfish if anyone has anything please let me know! For my CUC I'm looking to get a Hermit Crab, a snail or two and a shrimp. On that note here are a few pics of progress so far, let me know what you all think!
Cheers,
Will
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Yeah I had a feeling 100% was too high. My ceiling was like a disco floor, all the % you mention, is that across all three spectrums? So I have all 3 at 10%? I would be interested in getting a few Zoa frags from you, so once I've got the last test kits and checked the parameters are right I'll let you know. While I am keeping just Zoa's and Softies will I need to be dosing anything? I am using NSW.
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Hows the skimmer going?
Only had it running a few hours :slfg:
But it is looking good and isn't very noisy! Thanks for it.
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Hi all,
Haven't done a update in a while so I thought I'd share the progress!
I ended up buying the MicMol LED's as I saw evidence of reasonable SPS growth AND I got it direct from the manufacturer from less than 1/2 retail! If anyone is interested in one I'm sure I can sort one out. The light is on 100% (On all three channels, White, Blue and Special) in these pictures and is looking good. Is their anyone who can help me figure out what % I should have each channel on at points in the day? Currently on turns on 7:20 AM at 100% and stays that way all through the day (Apart from thunderstorms
). The tank is completely set up with skimmer, wavemaker, light and all! All I have left to get is the test kits and I'll be ready to get my first coral. On that note is there anyone in Nelson with some Zoa or other easy frags for sale? I'd prefer to get the 1st one locally to avoid any complications. Tell me what you guys think!
Will
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Looking good. Are you going to be DIY'ing the stand etc?
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Yeah good point SanityChelle I didn't think of that. Or another option could be suggesting upgrading his sisters 30L tank to a 50L tank or something and they could both look after it. That wouldn't take much more space.
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A good cheap idea for a filter would be a simple sponge filter, which you could make yourself. Its quite effective and you can put biomedia in some designs making it even better. Any small power filter in a tank like that I would worry about creating too much flow. To be honest, I prefer having Betta in larger tanks but it is a heavily debated issue. If it isn't too expensive or large I'd highly reccomend going with something like this http://www.trademe.co.nz/pets-animals/fish/fish-tanks-aquariums/auction-788554978.htm plenty of room for the Betta, can fit in lots of plants and has good filtration and flow for a Betta. For substrate I am not sure, it really depends on what you spend. Black Fluorite is nice but quite expensive, you can even take multiple sized sifters and just go to a river bank and get some nice gravel. Try your local landscaping store and ask if they have any sand for aquariums, sometimes they do and it is really good. Just wash it thoroughly and plants will grow nicely in it, especially if you use something like Flourish Excel. Good luck with the tank,
~Will
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That looks really good! I love the aquascape and when the plants get a bit bigger it will look even better. What lighting etc are you running? Any dosing?
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Good thing I just got my skimmer. I think I am not meant to turn it on for the next few months until the cycle is over? I added one of the algae pellets I feed to my BN's so that should be my source of ammonia. When I was cycling my first tank I threw one of those in and it slowly released ammonia, so I will just add one every couple of weeks. Couple of things I just noticed that I am not sure about, 1) on the glass lid I noticed a bit of salt this morning, was that from the tank? 2) the back compartment on the AquaNano 40 isn't filling above the pump? should it? Maybe I should add some more water but it already seems quite full.
Cheers
Will
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You should take the mussel out entirely, it will only add phosphate.
There will be more crud in that rock than you would have imagined possible, it is quite capable to rot on it's own without adding a mussel to the mix.
While rotting (cycling), it can smell pretty bad, if doing it in the house you live with it.
Other thing though, while cycling, lots of crud comes out the rock and settles on the bottom. It contains phosphate and junk that you want to remove from the tank or you will have massive algae problems later. Although you may not want to, you would be best at this stage to remove all the sand. That way as crud builds up on the bottom it's easy to syphon out.
Syphoned water can be replaced with new water if you can.
Taking the sand out at this stage would be nigh on impossible. I guess I will just have to deal with the phosphates as they come. I will take out as much of the crud as possible and I guess I will have a longer algae stage? I will dose for the phosphates during the algae stage and because I am using RO water, NSW etc I should be able to eliminate the phosphates. Am I right?
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Around 7-8cm long. I'd prefer to cycle it where it is, theres a towel on top now and theres no smell.
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The one neon tetra that died. He is the only fish I have ever had die.
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Heres a picture of where I am so far.
Yes thats a scented candle on top. It happens to be right where you walk past and you could smell it when you walk there. How long should I expect the smell to last?
Cheers,
Will
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How big was the mussel?
I wouldn't use any more biomass than the size of your little pinky nail for a tank your size.
Cloudiness is indicative of high concentrations of ammonia.
I would take it out and only put a very small amount back in.
Well that explains the smell. How long will it take for the ammonia to go back down? Should I do something to lower it and get rid of the smell. Its not too bad but it gets annoying.
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Hi there guys, looking for a bit of advice.
The tank has gone cloudy overnight, when should I take out the mussel I threw in to start the cycle?
Cheers,
Will
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Sorry - keep forgetting to check old posts first. Will some of my freshwater fish food be ok?
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Its wet!
Went and collected the water in my 200L barrel today, and after much kicking and cursing I got it off the trailer. The tank has been filled and I added 1 mussel to kickstart the cycle. Has anyone got a indepth guide of what I am going to see during the cycle and signs that it is done?
And you need to account for rock, sand, filter media, pumps, heaters etc which all take up space and lower the total water volume. Local water around here is usually 1.028-1.029. I just add a splash of water and test it before adding it to the tank. I always seem to get it right without measuring.If you have a 20ltr container, I can fill it up with RODI water if you ever need any. Just let me know.
Thanks! I will take you up on that offer sometime.
Pics to come later,
Will
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Hi all,
Anyone able to advise on the best cost effective lights for a tank with coral?
Tank is 200L 1m long
I was thinking of getting an led one from fish-street.com but their descriptions are crap and I can't figure out which one I need.
Thanks for any help.
I thought you already had a tank with coral? Or are you setting up another?
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If you want 1.025, yep! I prefer 1.026
Is 55L the exact tank water volume, or water volume excluding the top inch of void space at the top of the aquarium?
You're using RODI water, right? Not tap water?
Oh I'm not sure, thats just what I know the tank as being from the box. Yep I am using the RO water from Countdown. I will get myself a RO/DI Unit later.
Help, Saltwater Newbie
in Saltwater
Posted
After you've read that, I'd read a few other peoples tank build diaries e.g. Morcs' it gives you a visual reference of progress.