Dave’s 90g learning-curve glass room experiment

[fatoldsun]

I got I nice clump of Chaeto back in June - about the size of a nerf football compliments of Tanks (Thanks) and well let's just say it don't look as happy as it was at his place....

Here's a shot when it first went in my fuge (roughly june 24th)

and here's a shot from July 15 – looking kind of bad – dusty – covered with algae

I gave it a haircut and picked up a different bulb – a “daylight” CFL as suggested by Tanks in a Chaeto post - figured the chaeto liked that bulb there so maybe it would like it here too....

Here it is after about 4 days with that bulb and post haircut – a little better but still not as green or tight as it was back in June

Any thoughts? How often is anyone doing the haircut thing?

 

[fatoldsun]

Someone local is selling off some clone RBTAs that he's had split. About $10/inch which seems to be a fair price. He said he may throw inva frag or two. I'm not sure how the nem (or the SPS frags he offered) will fair. The tanks still not as stable as I'd like. Or I'm a lousy tester and it's better than I think. Anyway my maroon clown is hankering for a nem. She's constantly fanning the sand so she seems like she's looking for something. Wish me luck. I'm also reposting below from my tank parameters thread just to get advice before I get the nem tonight. Am I crazy trying this with my water like this?

Last couple rounds of testing....
7/21 8:30PM
Temp 77
pH 7.95
salt 1.026
Ammonia 0.05
Mg 1160
Alk 2.5 / 7
Ca 350
PO4 0

8/1 10:00PM
Temp 78
pH 7.81
salt 1.0257
Ammonia 0.2
Mg 1160
Alk 2.4 / 6.7
Ca 350
PO4 0.04

I also tested a batch of new SW using AquaVitro salt
Mg 1220
Alk 2.5 / 7
Ca 390

So that's a little better but also has me question my testing skills b/c I doubt the batch of AquaVitro's that far off...

 

[redfishbluefish]

Dave, just be aware that the RBTA will pick the place in your tank it wants to hang out. That might mean that it “walks” around stinging everything in its path. So pick a nice spot…..medium to low flow…lots of light….nice hole to plant its foot.

 

[fatoldsun]

Thanks for the heads up - I guess I'm hoping my clown is bossy enough that she beats it into submission - although she prefers a dark corner so I guess the nem won't "drink the koolaid" - on the bright side I have very little in there for it to stink - just 1 branching hammer that I hope is off the beaten path (and in a high flow spot that I guess the nem wouldn't like too much) and a teeny zoa that's more at risk of getting stepped on ;D

 

[TanksNStuff]

First off, sorry I missed the last post about the chaeto. After the new bulb, it appears to be a bit healthier looking. Has it gotten any better (or worse) since that post? Just remember that it thrives on nutrients in the water as well as light, so if it's dying off on you it could be because your water is "too clean".

As far as the nem goes, I agree with Paul that it will find it's own home. It's better to pick a spot you think it will like, but don't be surprised if it moves... they usually do. Your params should be ok for the nem. It probably wouldn't hurt to hand-feed it a bit when you first introduce it to the tank (use whatever you feed the fish) as that will help keep it happy. The clown will also be a plus once it starts hosting and taking care of it.

Keep us updated!

 

[fatoldsun]

Chaeto's due for another trim I guess - should I be cutting it back frequently? I expected it would grow and need to be cut as it grew too large but I guess I didn't think it would need to be "pruned" to cut off the exterior - I guess that's a way to export some of the nutrients? I DOUBT my water's too clean. Sounds nice in theory but given the amount of algae in those hard to reach spots (between the baffles in the sump and in the overflow - which is behaving like an algae scrubber maybe) there seems to be plenty of algae. I guess it's a bit better with the bulb - once I get doors on the stand and get some sort of light cycle down there I think it will get a little better. I'll try and post a pic tonight before I trim it.

Feeding the nem?... really just the dry food I'm suing now? I was thinking I needed to use a defrosted shrimp and chop up 1/5 or so like a 1cm chunk and use that. I didn't think it would take the pellet food....

will definitely keep this posted - and I have some other pic questions to post - just need time to shuffle those from my phone to photobucket. where are the slow summer work days at? dammit, doesn't everyone know I'd rather be developing my reef keeping knowledge ;D

 

[fatoldsun]

Some new-be questions – and just a chance to put some more pics up….
I assume that the algae settling on the sand bed is normal - most of it is stirred up by the Nassarius snails coming in and out at feeding time – I just want to make sure I’m not ignoring anything concerning…

And is any of this the start of new coralline growth?
Specifically the bluish gray patch (if I knew how to do the red circles I would, sorry)

And on this there are the light purple patches starting – not the burgundy or standard purple-pink coralline bit the real faint patches of light bluish-purple

Sorry everthing's so hard to see - this hobby doesn't leave much $$$ for the photography hobby that seems to run along side it....

 

[fatoldsun]

Well
I picked up the RBTA last night. I was floored by this guys set-up. Nothing like seeing a system with sumps larger than your whole system. He had a 210 display with 2x100g totes plumbed in down in the basement. 5-6 years with nothing but a UV light. No skimmer, No reactors at all – oh, he did have filter socks in the totes on the drains. He said he does a 65g WC every 3 months. Literally went against every rule I’ve picked up here. I guess there’s no substitute for a 400g system. It was so stable and the only thing he added was Mrs. Wards pickling Lime. Someday… (oh and then I saw the game room – WOW – looked like an arcade in there. Enough about that, back to my new addition

It settled in nicely. Went in on a small piece of rock and I put it in a spot I thought it would like – yeah right. Within an hour it was buried in the rock work in the middle of the tank (upside down) Found it with a flashlight. This morning it moved clear to the other side of the tank – told me, huh! My clown showed some interest within minutes and this morning she came out of her usual hang out and was spending a lot of time where the anemone settled in. I’ll see where it is after the lights have been on for a few hours. One interesting note – I have a brittle star that went nuts when I added it in. The star was completely stretched out reaching up the side glass as if it was desperately looking for something or trying to escape – never saw the star do anything close to that. Usually all I see is the tip of a “leg” here and there so seeing it out and behaving oddly was, well… odd.

Here’s a pic

The guy showed me that it was already starting to split so if it’s happy, it may soon be a “they”

I tried to get a shot with the clown – she is hard to convince to pose and add to the mix the fact that my camera si my phone, and well, the quality/clarity of the pics - sub par….

And a gratuitous shot of the crabs munching on some chaeto trimmings I dropped in last night to create a diversion….

 

[fatoldsun]

Re: Dave’s 90g learning-curve glass room experiment

RBTA chronicles

So we have decided that the RBTA is somewhat of an inconsiderate tank-guest. I fully expected it to move and had no doubt that it would disagree with what I thought was a great spot – near the clown’s “home base” up close to the lights and, very easy for me to see. Since there is very little in the tank I thought it would be nice to have – after all it is the biggest splash of color I have. Well, the fist night within about an hour of it going in it had moved – I used a flashlight and found it upside down in the middle of the rock-work. I figured that was a bad sign. The next morning it was clear on the other side of the tank – took a while to find it – it was nestled between the back-glass and the rock-work. The clown had issue and she seemed just as happy to relocate – now she’s set up camp on the other side of the tank and begun to ”rearrange” the sand bed in that corner. She follows the RBTA around like it’s her mommy. I guess that’s good for her to move right in but I’m not sure the RBTA is happy. Maybe it’s a bit shy for her promiscuity – she is sort of bossy so maybe the RBTA wants a little space but now it has moved to a spot that is only visible if I put my face on the back wall of the room and squint to see some of the outside tips. I guess when the lights come on it may move into a more prominent spot but for now it’s hiding from me and the clown. It seemed to adjust really well, color was really good and it looked full and “inflated” for 48 hours (the pics above are 12 and 24 hours) so I thought that was really positive but now I’m not sure what to make of it – I wonder if it’s not doing well (or as well as I thought). One thing I do know, if it doesn’t move there’s no way I could get to it and definitely no way I could feed it.

 

[mnat]

Let is do its thing. The anem is going to wander until it feels comfortable, we have found ours in all sorts of weird spots. We just moved it into a new tank on sunday and it stayed in the same spot until yesterday and moved over a bit. Just be happy there is not a ton of corals in the tank, it will sting the bejesus out of them. Good luck, we love our RBTA and our clowns love it even more.

 

[fatoldsun]

Thanks. I'll try and get a shot today. I just hope it isn't too comfortable in the current spot since it's impossible to see. My wife thinks it's pretty funny ghat it might split and just walk away from itself. Also the clown tore up her tail fin from fanning all the sand...

 

[downbeach]

Be careful of any PH's that you may have running in the tank, until they find a spot they're happy with they'll float around and potentially get trapped in the intake and become BTAburger.

 

[fatoldsun]

Except the 1st night for an hour its been locked down. Of course if/when it decides to move I could have problems. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[fatoldsun]

RBTA chronicles
Today's shot:

Hard to tell from this but the clown has dug a nice channel underneath it. 3 days ago that rock it's attached to was burried about 2-3" deeper. Hope everything is secure and I don't wake up to a rock slide. Needless to say it seems pretty settled in it's hiding spot. I'm surprised it's not drawn to the lights.

I also had to move my little zoa. Came home to find that the clown burried it in the sand storm making the net's channel. Nothing opened up today. Hopefully it comes back. I glued it to a rock so there isn't a repeat occurrence.

 

[TanksNStuff]

Haven't checked in here in a while. The RBTA looks like it's healthy still. The clown seems to like it, so that's another plus. It may still move again if this most recent spot isn't perfect.

Yea, my clowns continually channel out under my nem too. It might help to move some of the piled up sand to another part of the tank, or else the clown will keep digging whenever it slides back. Snails and crabs running around tend to fill it in and the clowns don't like that.

Let me know if the zoa doesn't make it. It probably will and is just unhappy right now, but if not, I can give you some more of those Dave.

 

[fatoldsun]

Thanks for the encouragement George. The zoa may be pissed but it's taken the grudge to a new level...

When your clowns remodel do they tear up their back fin (caudal I think)?
My wife's calling the nem "the enemy... of visability". Guess she'd prefer it pick a less inconspicuous locale. I've decided to name it Bond or Double Oh (I didn't think 007 showed enough creativity)

 

[fatoldsun]

RBTA chronicles, day 10 (this is from Saturday)
Happily basking in the warm sun – it briefly emerged from hiding – Saturday was nice and sunny

By Sunday it retreated – even further into hiding. I guess it didn’t like the dreary-rainy day. Still the same weather today so I don’t see it moving. I suppose it’s not impressed with the 150W MH/HQIs I have because it doesn’t surface when they are on – only the mid-morning sun brought it out and oddly that was not the first sunny day in the past 10 days. I imagine it will remain in hiding for a while now after a few days of cloudy weather.

 

[TanksNStuff]

Dave, that zoa does look pretty stressed. It looks like there is some hair algae growing all over it too. Any way you can suck or blow it off with a turkey baster? That might help it. A quick dip in Coral RX or similar coral dip might help also.

My clowns didn't tear up any fins while digging in the sand... but that doesn't mean it's not possible. It could also be them scraping it on the rocks as they spaz out to move the sand. If they start looking like they are taking serious damage, you may want to put them in a QT tank with some stress coat for a couple days.

It's strange that your MH lights aren't enough to keep the rbta happy. May sound like a dumb question, but how old are your bulbs? Maybe you need to replace them. If they are new(ish) then I have no other answer than that.

 

[fatoldsun]

I have a bottle of coralRx but I glued to zoa down. Will prying it off cause more damage? The rock it's on is not gonna be easy to take out either. I really wanted to avoid gluing it but it kept getting moved around by the hermits and if I left it on the sand it would be the snails or the current - and finally the clown burried it. Only about 6 hours.
As for the RBTA and the bulbs, I'm not sure of their age. They were 3 weeks old when I bought them but isn't that what everyone says? I've been running them for about 2-3 months and I'm looking to replace them. I was just holding out until Xmas to push for some LEDs with the surge of $1-200 fixtures I figured new bulbs =~$115 and 2 new LEDs could be ~$315. Cash is a little tight at the moment so I'm putting off the $115 in the hopes that it could go towards the $315 and hope I get enough natural light to fill in the gaps in light spectrum in the interim.

 

[TanksNStuff]

Yea, if you're looking to go to LED's, I'd hold off on the HM bulbs too. No sense in spending the money for a few months worth of use. You should be ok with what you have until you go to LED's.

Pulling the zoa off the rock won't really damage it any worse than it is now. The alternative is leaving it there and not dipping it, which seems like it would be the worst option of the two IMO. You can always glue it back to the rock after dipping.