call me exited, but...

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by VTi EG6
Great Tank, how's the seahorse set up coming along?
Since I just got back from my dive trip this past weekend, I haven't had much of a chance to get anything going with my sh tank. I DO plan to get that little project under way this coming weekend, with pictures and narration, of course.
I did however get out to the LFS on Monday and bought a sweet little gorgonian for the sh tank, which I'm keeping in my reef for the time being. It'll be a great little hitching post for my ponies. I'm attaching a picture of that.
More to come, and thanks a lot for looking.
Lisa :happyfish

 

[anubisxero]

Beautiful Gorgo.

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by Anubisxero
Beautiful Gorgo.
Thanks, I thought so too. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be going home with me one way or the other. Notice the polyps extended in the pic, it hadn't been doing that in the store...I think he likes his new home.
Lisa :happyfish

 

[anubisxero]

Originally Posted by MonaLisa
Thanks, I thought so too. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be going home with me one way or the other. Notice the polyps extended in the pic, it hadn't been doing that in the store...I think he likes his new home.
Lisa :happyfish
I sure do. It looks extremely happy in it's new home. Someone's got a blue thumb! ;p (blue instead of green yanno..aquatic instead of plant? Don't mind me.) :hilarious

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by Anubisxero
I sure do. It looks extremely happy in it's new home. Someone's got a blue thumb! ;p (blue instead of green yanno..aquatic instead of plant? Don't mind me.) :hilarious

***)
Lisa :happyfish

 

[nemo_66]

tell me if i missed it, but did you transfer most of your water from your 37gallon to the 46bow? since and if you did this, you really didn't need to do a cycle right? kinda like a water change. asking because i am transfering my 40 to a 28bow. just got into doing a nano since my bro had a big tank. thanks.

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by Nemo_66
tell me if i missed it, but did you transfer most of your water from your 37gallon to the 46bow? since and if you did this, you really didn't need to do a cycle right? kinda like a water change. asking because i am transfering my 40 to a 28bow. just got into doing a nano since my bro had a big tank. thanks.
I did transfer all the water from the 37 to the 46, but I also had about 7 gals of clean change out water for supplement. I think I still had to add about 5 gallons (maybe a little more) of fresh saltwater which is about a water change, and correct, it didn't cycle. Also, I didn't use my old sand in the new tank either, just the live rock and, of course, my critters. Good luck with your transfer. Let me know how it goes. When are you doing it?
Lisa :happyfish

 

[anubisxero]

Originally Posted by MonaLisa
I did transfer all the water from the 37 to the 46, and correct, it didn't cycle. Also, I didn't use my old sand in the new tank either, just the live rock and, of course, my critters. Good luck with your transfer. Let me know how it goes. When are you doing it?
Lisa :happyfish
I'm glad you found my blue thumb joke funny.
As for responding to this. I totally wish when I moved that I hadn't kept my old sand or if I had that I'd cleaned it better. Because, wow. So very dusty now. I haven't had a goby in over a year and finally got a new one and now my water column is full of sandy dust. It's like years worth of the stuff.

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by Anubisxero
I'm glad you found my blue thumb joke funny.
As for responding to this. I totally wish when I moved that I hadn't kept my old sand or if I had that I'd cleaned it better. Because, wow. So very dusty now. I haven't had a goby in over a year and finally got a new one and now my water column is full of sandy dust. It's like years worth of the stuff.
Whoa...look at you!!
Yeah, I tossed the decision about the sand around a bit and decided not to use it because of it starting a cycle in my tank, which I did NOT want to have happen

ugh that would've been really ugly. Anyway, I'm not using the old sand in my 37gal sh tank either. I'm going to start pretty fresh with that with the exception of saving some change out water from my 46 to go in as well. I don't mind starting from scratch there, since I don't have any critters and won't for a while.
How long has your sand been dusty looking? Hmmmm...what about just taking like a plastic spatula and gently fanning the sand off of where you don't want it? Is the water also cloudy from it?
Lisa :happyfish

 

[anubisxero]

Originally Posted by MonaLisa
Whoa...look at you!!
Yeah, I tossed the decision about the sand around a bit and decided not to use it because of it starting a cycle in my tank, which I did NOT want to have happen

ugh that would've been really ugly. Anyway, I'm not using the old sand in my 37gal sh tank either. I'm going to start pretty fresh with that with the exception of saving some change out water from my 46 to go in as well. I don't mind starting from scratch there, since I don't have any critters and won't for a while.
How long has your sand been dusty looking? Hmmmm...what about just taking like a plastic spatula and gently fanning the sand off of where you don't want it? Is the water also cloudy from it?
Lisa :happyfish
Haha I assume you mean the avatar. Yeah I bit the bullet and decided to resize a picture finally.
It's not really cloudy, it's actually really clear thanks to the chemi-pure I run in the sump, i'm in the middle of converting my proclear 125 into a makeshift fuge, but i've still got some kinks to work out. Back to what I was saying it's just suspended particles I guess. I use a turkey baster to blow the stuff off the rocks but in like an hour it's right back there. If you can only imagine what they look like after a full day of being out of the house. :scared: Really awful to look at in my opinion. My overflow is one of those hang on ones which is annoying enough on it's own and it came with a Rio 2500 which only pumps at like 380 at 4 feet of head. I'm hoping I can switch up to a Mag 9.5 and get the full 600gph of flow through the overflow and maybe that'll help get some of this crap outta there.
*crosses fingers*.
Jason

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by Anubisxero
Haha I assume you mean the avatar. Yeah I bit the bullet and decided to resize a picture finally.
It's not really cloudy, it's actually really clear thanks to the chemi-pure I run in the sump, i'm in the middle of converting my proclear 125 into a makeshift fuge, but i've still got some kinks to work out. Back to what I was saying it's just suspended particles I guess. I use a turkey baster to blow the stuff off the rocks but in like an hour it's right back there. If you can only imagine what they look like after a full day of being out of the house. :scared: Really awful to look at in my opinion. My overflow is one of those hang on ones which is annoying enough on it's own and it came with a Rio 2500 which only pumps at like 380 at 4 feet of head. I'm hoping I can switch up to a Mag 9.5 and get the full 600gph of flow through the overflow and maybe that'll help get some of this crap outta there.
*crosses fingers*.
Jason

Try repositioning your power heads. I find that sometimes if a power head shifts or something, my sand will also shift. Try that and see if it helps.
Lisa :happyfish

 

[anubisxero]

Originally Posted by MonaLisa
Try repositioning your power heads. I find that sometimes if a power head shifts or something, my sand will also shift. Try that and see if it helps.
Lisa :happyfish
sadly that doesn't help, the best way i can describe this stuff is as like, dust..although it's some form of detritus i'm sure, it just hangs in the column or is dropped in it by the goby, if he weren't filtering the sand the water would be crystal clear. I think it's just because it's old used sand. I'll most definitely be trashing it when I start the 90.
Jason

 

[nemo_66]

Originally Posted by MonaLisa
I did transfer all the water from the 37 to the 46, but I also had about 7 gals of clean change out water for supplement. I think I still had to add about 5 gallons (maybe a little more) of fresh saltwater which is about a water change, and correct, it didn't cycle. Also, I didn't use my old sand in the new tank either, just the live rock and, of course, my critters. Good luck with your transfer. Let me know how it goes. When are you doing it?
Lisa :happyfish
yes, i did feel like i wanted to change the live sand just becuase i hate what my sand looks like. first, i had normal sand, then added really really fine grain, then add agronite(sp) and now i hate it.

i will do it maybe tomorrow if i can go to the LFS and get some and a lot this time so i dont add any more

sand. i will post a diary, just like you!

 

[anubisxero]

oh and also, Lisa, what brand of sand did you use in your tank? I have a mix of i think caribsea that bacteria bagged crap(didn't know any better way back when I started it) and another of fiji pink sand of a different size and structure, not by much though. I think this might be part of my problem as well.

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by Nemo_66
yes, i did feel like i wanted to change the live sand just becuase i hate what my sand looks like. first, i had normal sand, then added really really fine grain, then add agronite(sp) and now i hate it.

i will do it maybe tomorrow if i can go to the LFS and get some and a lot this time so i dont add any more

sand. i will post a diary, just like you!

Great!! I'll be looking for your diary.
Lisa :happyfish

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by Anubisxero
oh and also, Lisa, what brand of sand did you use in your tank? I have a mix of i think caribsea that bacteria bagged crap(didn't know any better way back when I started it) and another of fiji pink sand of a different size and structure, not by much though. I think this might be part of my problem as well.
I use a base of sand called "Super Naturals". It's also very fine sand, but I've not seen a problem with that in my tank. In the reef I also used a 20# bag of the Fiji pink as a top layer. I really like that stuff. I couldn't find it for my sh tank (just got back from the lfs) so I just picked up some Estes' Ultra Reef which has a slightly larger grain than the super naturals. The Ultra Reef will also be the top layer in the sh tank.
While I was at the lfs today, I noticed that they have a ton of really good looking live rock...gonna get me some of that!! Sheesh, this is going to be an expensive (but fun!!) weekend.
I'll post pics as things progress.
Lisa :happyfish

 

[bronco300]

well lisa, tanks looks great, snow sculptures look great, keep those wonderful pics coming--hows your gorgonia doing?

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by Bronco300
well lisa, tanks looks great, snow sculptures look great, keep those wonderful pics coming--hows your gorgonia doing?
Hey Bronco!!
The gorgo is doing great. It's almost a shame to think of moving him again, but I'm sure he'll be just as happy with the ponies (eventually).
So far I've got 11gals of RO salted and aerating. I've got to run out to Wal Mart to get some more. That'll bring me up to 25gals. I might just stop there for today, get that heated and moving in the tank and then add LR tomorrow to see how much more I'll need.
Yay!! It's finally happening!!
Lisa :happyfish

 

[monalisa]

OK, first and foremost, I want to post a new addition to the family. I was at the lfs this afternoon purchasing more salt so I wouldn't run out, and low and behold, they had a perfect little pygmy angel. She's apparently been there for a few months already, but for some reason, today she caught my eye. She's acclimating as I type...here's a pic of her, Sister Mary Angelica II.
Lisa :happyfish

 

[monalisa]

Sr. Mary made it into the tank after 3+ hours of acclimation. She hid for a little while (big lights out) and Willie (Royal Gramma) gave her what for for a second, but while the blue actinics were on, she was out exploring her new home, nipping at rocks, and pretty much getting acquainted. I think she's going to be a really good addition. I'm glad, I've missed having an angel.
So, here's what where I'm at with the sh tank...pics to follow. I only ended up adding about 22.5gals to the 37gal tank because I heated and aerated some for adding to the reef to make up for the acclimation loss.
I think it's coming along nicely, and so far I'm happy with it. I'm anxious to add rock tomorrow...
Lisa :happyfish