Neptunes 125 Reef Diary.

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by pbnj
http:///forum/post/3141321
Scrap the scrubber and turn your skimmer on, dude!

My water looks clear enough to drink.
nope, not unless I have too. It is possible to have perfect water w/out a skimmer. I have awesome params, Ill turn on the phos/carbon reactor in a few weeks if I still cant get it to clear up pristine. Right now its clean, but I want flawless!
 

king_neptune

Active Member
woke up to a dead emerald today.
water checks out fine. salanity is a tad low at 1.023
but that should be ok. all the other inverts are fine. either lived his good long life, or starved. he didnt seem interested in eating unless i personally spot fed him, maybe that was my fault for making him lazy. because he never moved around much after the first 2 weeks. not that big of a loss...i had him almost 2 months and only payed $6.
I also picked up a second engineer goby and a blue cromis. they didnt have any more cromis so ill order a few more mates in a couple weeks. I hope the second makes the first one more comfortable. hes still really shy, but does come out to take food from my hand. but as soon as hes got it, he retreats to his tunnel system. havent seen the yellow watchman or the pistol shrimp in a month. im gonna assume dead :(
 

king_neptune

Active Member
nope it was the real deal, i pulled him out. smelled like feces, gross!! i mean really potent! REALLY REALLY POTENT! cant believe something that small could be smelled from several feet away.
 

king_neptune

Active Member
Gonna turn on the Carbon/GFO reactor tomarrow.
The water is very nice and clean finally. Id say its at about %90 of what I wanted vs. it being at %80 2 weeks ago.
But indeed the scrubber isnt gonna get out the ultra fine particles.
Also the algae is growing back even after a vigorous assault. Its not rampant, and therefore not a major concern. It grows VERY slow! But it does grow. I am getting patches of cyano and bubble algae.
But again, they are only small ones hear and there.
My water checks out great. I do it weekly but really don't have any problems to report. It always comes out barely register-able or nothing at all.
My GSP still hasnt opened up, and is begining to crust away in places. Its dead, or almost. Since my water params are fine, the most logical solution is getting new bulbs. Obviously the spectrum isn't enough to maintain them. They were supposedly 6 months old, but obviously that was not the case. No worries. A $50 rock was worth the experiment.
I ordered a 250w 10k/20k twin arc light to see if I like it. And a pair of UVL 72 INCH VHO SUPER ACTINIC BULB's. If the MH pans out, Ill get two more next month to complete the trio my hood can hold. Since I really dont have a coral load, 1 is more than enough.
Also got my first big order of fish on the way courtesy of SWF.com:
Bicolor Blenny
Yellow Watchman: I know the last one was a failure

Sixline Wrasse
Royal Gramma
Canary Blenny
Blueleg Hermit Crab - Group of 10
Fancy Nassarius Snail
Peppermint Shrimp - Group of 5
Sand Sifting Crab - Group of 5
Pink Tip Haitian Anemone
I wasn't too sure about the wrasse or the gramma. But they are reef safe from what I understand, and the care level will be a little more demanding. But I think I can manage. Any thoughts or tips?
The pink tip was one of the free items since im a returning customer, and should arrive a couple days before the lights.
Currently I have the CuC I started with. A couple engineer gobies, and a Blue Chromis (ill get him 3/4 more friends so I can have my little school).
Any recommendations for food on the fish? I was thinking Id go the the grocery store and get my own ingredients and toss em in the blender. I see lots of DIY fish food recipes. But was thinking maybe some flakes or something as a snack/treat would also be nice. What do you think?
OH AND BIG JOY!!!

I am now getting little specks of coraline hear and there. That purple up stuff is really starting to show!
Ive been adding a 1/3 strength dosage 2x a week, instead of full strength 3x a week. My Base rock is getting little purple blotches hear and there now!!
 

posiden

Active Member
I am not trying to be rude in any way.
You posted on here a fill date of 8-11 and we are now at 10-8. I think it is too soon. I know you have a good amount of volume but IMO you should be considering your second/third fish at this point, also free or not, 2 months is not enough time for a nem.
 

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by Posiden
http:///forum/post/3150985
I am not trying to be rude in any way.
You posted on here a fill date of 8-11 and we are now at 10-8. I think it is too soon. I know you have a good amount of volume but IMO you should be considering your second/third fish at this point, also free or not, 2 months is not enough time for a nem.

Originally Posted by pbnj

http:///forum/post/3151204

....especially if half your tank has died in the last few weeks.
But, good luck any way....seriously.
 

posiden

Active Member
Originally Posted by King_Neptune
http:///forum/post/3151568

Like I said friend....I wasn't trying to be rude. I am not trying to be rude now either but, You have stated clearly that you understand all the other peoples mistakes........ and yet you go down the same path when your tank is trying to tell you somthing. No two systems are the same. I thought you would have figured that out by now.
Frustration is the name of the game. We have all been there and we all go through it. I am in the middle of trying to clear my tank of a parasite....yet I still wait quietly and let my QT tank cycle so I can move the inhabitents that I am not prepaird to loose to move into. Wants and needs.......which is it??? Follow the tank bro, not what you want.
Another way of putting it......Stated by Wink, on the tv show BIG, "Form follows function"
 

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by Posiden
http:///forum/post/3150985
I am not trying to be rude in any way.
You posted on here a fill date of 8-11 and we are now at 10-8. I think it is too soon. I know you have a good amount of volume but IMO you should be considering your second/third fish at this point, also free or not, 2 months is not enough time for a nem.
Sorry,i meant to add a comment to yours individually but missed it, it was going to be a short "Im aware of the nem, thanks"
But now a winded one:
Addressing the anemone. It was free, nothing more.All the other free stuff was unwanted, lame,or difficult to care for imo. I just didn't want to throw away a free pet, that is, if nothing else, an experiment. Ideally would be adding something of that scale late December or early January. You are absolutely right. I was not troubled one bit yo, you have always looked after me on this build, and I took it as more of the same. Thanks.
However, Ive seen many successful tanks move much faster than my pittens of a stock list, also I am using 50lbs of LR that has several years to establish. And covered in beneficial parasites ect. The eco system is moving along, and had settled in well. The tank is pretty empty on the bio load. The CuC is active and doing its job. The goal is stabilize, spike, and stabalize.I have over kill filtration that hasent even been fully activated yet, and is still on standbye.
Cycle didnt even last 2 weeks, and that was a forced one from a gross overfeeding of the system. I then added a light CUC and a Jr. fish as an entry level addition...yes he died. But you cant force them to eat prepared foods, it had nothing to do with poor filtration,water stress, or moving too fast.
I have fantastic water, that barely ripples at the absolute most. This is because the bio load isnt stressing this system by any means. I might as well put a gold fish in a swimming pool and worry about it polluting it.
A month of stability post cycle/CUC I add a couple small fish. And beef up the CuC a little. Pretty much every 3 weeks I have added a small insignificant amount of bio diversity to the system. Today was the first real shock. But with $20 fish Im fully confidant things wont hurt too much if it fails.
Dude you have always steered me in a good direction and I mean it when I thank you for all your help. No worries whatsoever. I totally agree with you, the anemone is a completely %100 cautionary addition,and shouldnt be considered for at least 3-4 more months.But it was an experimental "Free" one at that.
=======================================
the
was a counter to the "losing half my livestock" comment which is pretty much a false statement.And extremely offensive to put it bluntly. Mocking me on the forums is something I honestly don't care for. I don't do it to you, and never will. You are wrong on every level.
A juvenile fish who wont eat cant be helped. It happens, Blennies have a rep for not adjusting to prepared foods from time to time. The Juvinile goby is an unconfirmed, and is simply MIA(but Ill still count him as starved as well till I see him again one day), yes...it was a juvenile and that is a possibility as well. The pistol shrimp has now dug holes around the area I saw him dive into. A worthless addition since All I get to see is swiss cheese.
Hmmm, that leaves a $2 snail that could have fallen prey to the hermits(because I see a nice big hermit toting around his shell. A $6 Emerald that really does baffle the mind since nothing is off on my water. But I did put him in the habit of getting hand fed daily and I abruptly stopped doing it.He could have starved, could have grown old...he was a large one, who knows.
The GSP never once opened up. Not one time. Water levels good....that leaves light, it was a used lighting system, and the bulbs were most assuredly the most likely cause. I was told they were 6 months old...obviously I was miss lead. I got some new ones coming in by Monday, and the starved GSP may still recover, but till then Ill count it as a death.
Nothing has once perished from rushing too fast and overloading my systems filtration. Not one thing. The worst thing my tank has experienced was the day I put in my base rock. I got a spike to .029 on the refractometer. Fortunately there was no I'll effects, since I put it down to normal by the next afternoon.
*and an update: the Anemone is fully open and found himself a nice perch with good flow. The wrasse is scooting around poking his nose all over. THe Blenny is munching away on algae(sweet). Blue chromis/canary blennie are pals who travel in a pair. The Royal Gramma is hiding. Yellow watchman is perched in the corner looking at me.
 

jas1

Member
I have followed your thread since I joined and I have to say congrats King!
There is most definitely proven science behind almost everything in this hobby... BUT, even the most renowned scientists, marine biologists etc... say there will occasionally be an exception to every "rule" meaning that we as humans cannot ass-u-me to know all about the animal kingdom.
WHEW... That being said. Keep an eye on the nem. I got the same free "deal" a couple months back and it did not survive. I don't know why because I already had a Sebae nem in my tank for 2 months B4 the PTHA and the Sebae is still alive and hosting 2 Ocellaris Clowns. Maybe they fought and the Sebae was tougher IDK. The PTHA did just what yours is doing It fully filled and extended, walked around for a couple of days until it found it's spot and then about a week later it started going downhill and didn't come back. I could probably come up with 100 different hypothesis for the outcome but I just chose to chalk it up to nature having her way. I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries I just wanted to throw my $.02 in the pot!
 

pbnj

Member
Originally Posted by King_Neptune
http:///forum/post/3151817
the
was a counter to the "losing half my livestock" comment which is pretty much a false statement.And extremely offensive to put it bluntly. Mocking me on the forums is something I honestly don't care for. I don't do it to you, and never will. You are wrong on every level.
Sorry, Neptune, I truly was not trying to mock you in any way.
Just an observation on my part. You seem to have definite explanations as to why each one of your creatures has perished. But the truth of the matter is neither you nor anyone else can provide an exact diagnosis. Fantastic water does not mean all is well. There could be disease in the tank. My point was you might want to slow down with the additions until you're sure.
I've followed and enjoyed your thread and I've tried to always contribute positively. I apologize if I came across offensive. Again, best of luck with the new arrivals.
 

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by Jas1
http:///forum/post/3151825
WHEW... That being said. Keep an eye on the nem. I got the same free "deal" a couple months back and it did not survive. I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries I just wanted to throw my $.02 in the pot!

no prob. I also was concerned about putting an anemone in this early, But like you siad about yours...mine is already filled up and walking around. if he doesnt make it. Ill feel no ill effects towards SWF.com or myself. I knew it was not a good idea to begin with.
Originally Posted by pbnj

http:///forum/post/3151867
Sorry, Neptune, I truly was not trying to mock you in any way.
Just an observation on my part. You seem to have definite explanations as to why each one of your creatures has perished. But the truth of the matter is neither you nor anyone else can provide an exact diagnosis. Fantastic water does not mean all is well. There could be disease in the tank. My point was you might want to slow down with the additions until you're sure.
I've followed and enjoyed your thread and I've tried to always contribute positively. I apologize if I came across offensive. Again, best of luck with the new arrivals.
No prob. If you meant no foul then I no longer take any.
Your right, the truth is no one really truly knows whats going on. I am confidant in my assessment, because when a fish gets thinner and thinner by the day, and hasn't eaten from the start...something is potentially amiss in the prepared foods department.
The Jr, goby might very well still be alive. Its a fairly large tank, and a small fish has lots to hide in. But i would lean towards KIA rather than MIA...just to be realistic.
The only ones that really does baffle me is the 1 Emerald, i could go anywhere with that. Truthis he was a voracious eater whenever I fed him...but never on his own. Who knows.
As for slowing down, I had planed to add about 2 fish every 5 weeks for the next 4 turns. Basicly Ill have 8 more on my "Stock list"
At that time, I will begin with corals, thus converting my Fowlr to a true Reef tank. 14 fish for 180gallons should do just about right.
 

mma-guy

Member
Originally Posted by King_Neptune
http:///forum/post/3152045
no prob. I also was concerned about putting an anemone in this early, But like you siad about yours...mine is already filled up and walking around. if he doesnt make it. Ill feel no ill effects towards SWF.com or myself. I knew it was not a good idea to begin with.
No prob. If you meant no foul then I no longer take any.
Your right, the truth is no one really truly knows whats going on. I am confidant in my assessment, because when a fish gets thinner and thinner by the day, and hasn't eaten from the start...something is potentially amiss in the prepared foods department.
The Jr, goby might very well still be alive. Its a fairly large tank, and a small fish has lots to hide in. But i would lean towards KIA rather than MIA...just to be realistic.
The only ones that really does baffle me is the 1 Emerald, i could go anywhere with that. Truthis he was a voracious eater whenever I fed him...but never on his own. Who knows.
As for slowing down, I had planed to add about 2 fish every 5 weeks for the next 4 turns. Basicly Ill have 8 more on my "Stock list"
At that time, I will begin with corals, thus converting my Fowlr to a true Reef tank. 14 fish for 180gallons should do just about right.
any pics???
 

king_neptune

Active Member
Originally Posted by MMA-Guy
http:///forum/post/3158564
any pics???
ill get around to it later tonight i suppose. really hard to get shots. folks do a lot of hiding in rocks ect. i got a few that I see every time i feed. the others only come out for spot feeding, then go back inside thier caves.
an update:
I have been battling a cyano outbreak for a few days now.its been building for a couple weeks, and is gaining momentum. I did padded measures but nothing drastic, however, i got some red slime remover stuff and it has pummeled the algae mercilessly. its 90% gone, I got another water change to do, then Ill watch everything for a week, and if needed one more attack for good measure.
Also after alot of consideration im removing the over flow bar, and going to replace it with something else custom. I have a few ideas in my head ranging from traditional over flows to Japanese style stand pipes. I might just make something of my own design. not really sure yet.
its not any one single reason. but rather a compilation many things that while not big enough on their own...do add up enough to make me want to do it now while it wont be a major issue. my tank will be fine if I have it half empty for a couple hours while I do a repair job, but 2 years from now that wont be the case.
 

king_neptune

Active Member
i tried for a good 20 min to get some shots. my camera just isnt up to quality to get them when they are moving around. and nobody sits still. sorry.
 

posiden

Active Member
I am interested in your idea for the retro fit design of the OFs. It would seem to me to be a bit of a pain with the foam/rock wall. I know it can be removed and trimmed and what not. Or can it? You siliconed that bad boy in right?
I will be waiting for your post on how you intend to do this or what you have in mind.
 
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