29g Reeflog

[Subliminal]

I'm taking what I've learned over the last 4 months and building a new system. The build date was May 12th, 2007.

Specs include:

* 29g display
* Aquafuge (medium ~ 19x12x4)
* 2 powerheads
* 100 watt heater

Display contains:

* 30 lb LR
* 40 lb LS
* Blastos
* Some kind of SPS
* Orange centered Zoos of some sort
* 2 True Percs
* Pygmy 'Falco' Hawkfish

Fuge contains:

* LS
* LR
* Chaeto

Lighting is 4x55 watt PC (Hamilton Technology)

* 2 6500k
* 2 Actinic

Even though I haven't heard such good things about PC lighting, this baby is definitely lit up! Better so than my 55 with T5's.

Plans are to run skimmerless and use nothing but circulation and biology (and feeding in small increments) to filter.

First setup:

 

[Subliminal]

After adding the fuge on May 26th, 2007:

The water isn't really cloudy (even in the fuge), we just have the wall behind the tank painted yellow.

 

[JohnS_323]

Looks great, Damon. Keep the pics coming.

 

[Subliminal]

Update (new corals) 5/30/07:

The pictures aren't the best because my wife loaned out our camera, so I just used the camcorders flash memory and took a few shots. Everything I put in is looking great, and the initial algae bloom seems to be coming close to it's life's end...which is good.

 

[Subliminal]

Almost a month later than the last pic:

 

[Subliminal]

Some pics from 6/28/07:

FT Pic. All extra equipment out of tank. Just 2 powerheads and the fuge pump.

This one is the favorite of all my zoos. It incidentally hasn't been open like this for about a month:

Believe it or not, these are supposed to be brown yellow and pink. Funny what being closed for a few months will do:

Xenia and Blastos doin' great!:

Still have some hair in there, but that's gotta be eating nutrients at a great rate, especially considering I'm using the 'correct' water now adays.

 

[mynd]

You know what I hate more than anything? Posting a message and seeing that 50 people have viewed it and not one reply. Just like me though I am sure it was just missed. It is important for people to feel like they belong in a group. I want to assure you that we are interested in your progress and are here to help in any way we can.

Now. That hair algae.. damn that's a mess. We need some updated photos, and some test results, and some more information on your water tests and what kind of water you are using. How is it filtered?

We need to clean that up ASAP. Most importantly get to the bottom of the problem. Meanwhile, STOP adding fish. I am a bit concerned that it looks like you added fish the day you added the rock. We don't want to kill anything. We are trying to save the reefs

So if you can provide an update as of today 7.10.07 that would be great! I don't want to come off harsh or anything so don't take it that way. I am saying it all with a smile.

 

[Subliminal]

Hey Mynd,

Thanks for the reply.

As for history:

I had a 55g and somehow got ich. Most of my fish ended up dead, but with Carlo's QT method, I managed to save my lil 1 inch pair of percs. While they were in QT, I decided I'd get a few more fishies, so I bought 3 chromies and that little pygmy hawkfish and ran them thru the QT process as well. Once of the chromies came all jacked up, and he didn't make it. The others didn't seem to have any problem in the QT.

The initial rock in this tank came from Carlo. Basically, we 'traded'. He gave me rock that had been curing for 8-9 weeks, and I bought some new rock and gave it to him. I also used 2 bags of arag-alive sand. So, everything that went in the tank was already cured/cycled/whatever. I didn't get a cycle.

The whole reason I started the 29g was to have a home for the clowns while the 55g tank sat for 8 weeks to rid itself of the ich.

Well, when I went on vacation, there wasn't really any hair algae in the tank at all, just a little fuzz on some rocks. When I came home it looked like a chia pet. There was 8 inches of hair hanging off the rocks, everywhere. Couldn't see the corals, nothing.

So, I pulled out by hand what i could and the corals underneath looked great.

Well, long story short, I still end up pulling hair out every week, but it's not gotten back to the point it was.

Initially I filled the tank with my well water, just like the 55g (which never had hair algae, by the way), but for the last month or so, I've been using RO/DI that I've been buying from eagle reef systems.

My only filtration is the fuge with chaeto, and my params are all in check (0's on the big 3, etc).

I'm basically hoping that by switching water and feeding very little, that the stuff will eventually run out of food and will go away, but so far...

Ha. Anyway, all my corals are doing the best they've ever done, my BTA is happy, and my fish are doing great...just got to get through this hair algae business.

Thanks again for the reply, and any info you can give is definitely appreciated.

 

[MikeNapoli]

I saw this tank in person last night when I was picking up some Live Rock. Let me say that the pictures don't do it justice. The tank is really nice and all the frags in it are really great.

Everytime I focused on something I thought looked good, I saw something next to it that looked just as good if not better.

Once that hair algea goes away it will look perfect.

Great work.

 

[mynd]

Thanks for the good information.

BTW, the time out here really gets on my last nerve. I typed this long explanation and then went to the loo and when I got back checked it and then submitted and had to re-log in, losing everything I typed. That really sux.

However, in short, the reason that you are getting results of 0 in your tank for your tests is probably due to the fact that the algae is consuming it all. So do me a favor and test the water you are using and POST the results here without salt, then retest the water after you get the proper salinity and temperature before adding it to the tank and POST results here as well. Please test for Phosphates.

 

[Subliminal]

Mynd,

I'm sure that the water I initially used was nutrient rich, and that started the problem. Well, not sure, but reasonably sure.

Now, since I've such a small tank, I decided to just start buying my water, pre-salted, from Eagle Reef in Hillsborough. I will try and test some change water next time I grab some, but my guess is it should be in pristine shape. His tanks look amazing, and this is the water he uses, so it stands to reason...

That sucks about the reply. I've had that happen before. Usually just hitting the back button works...but not always.

Thanks again for the help...much appreciated!

 

[CONSTANTNE]

I love the way you aquascaped the rocks. It looks good!

 

[twan]

Nice looking Hawkfish, they are neat.

 

[Subliminal]

Thanks, Twan.


If I had it to do over again, though, I never would have bought him. I had 2 cleaners I had to give up because he's just...well, he's just hungry, I guess.

 

[Subliminal]

Still running on nothing but flow, light and macro. Everything looked so good that I wanted to do a little update.

Some kind of leather I won in a NJReefers raffle. I believe the light tips are indicitive of new growth.

This guy likes to hide and has really no impact on my algae growth that I can see.

This rock used to be in my 55g, and it had 2 quarter sized shrooms on it, but when I put it in the 29g, it was oriented differently, and one of the shrooms kind of spooged down the rock into the sand, and now there's some big guys on the sand and the one on the rock has a lil baby.

Anemone should never be kept under CF lighting....mine looks terrible!

This shot didn't turn out to well with the lighting and all, but it shows the cleaners, which I didn't even notice when I took it.

Not a very good picture, but a lot of happy LPS and some jolly softies in there, too!

Once these guys grow in, I think I'll have a nice looking field of color.

And finally...FTS 8/06/07

 

[Phyl]

The "leather" (isn't actually a leather if my guess is right) is a Psammacora. That's what the mother colony looks like to me after some research.

The tank looks good, tufts of hair and all!

 

[Subliminal]

Thanks.

Phyl, you were the one who actually told me it was a leather, when you were handing me my loot.

I have no idea what it is, I'll have to do a little research on Psammacora.

 

[MikeNapoli]

Any new additions to the tank damon?

I know you were at A.O. recently so that's why I ask.

The tank still looks good. I'm actually trying to do the same thing with some different color zoas in my tank and hoping they grow in real nice.

Talk to you later.

- Mike.

 

[Subliminal]

I bought a 3/4 inch long sea hare and 6 hermits while I was there. I considered adding another fish, but...hard to pick, as one more fish will leave me with 'full stocking', or so I assume.

My algae is starting to recede. I think it's a combo of the CUC and the RO/DI, honestly.

Here's a couple of pics I snapped with the pumps off yesterday:

 

[mynd]

Hey Hey.. you have some really nice colors going on in there. Somehow it is just working.. lol Amazing.. really... That picture above with the anenome is really nice. Glad to hear the change has your hair algae leaving. Good to know. Be careful with that Sea Hare. I have heard they can kill a tank one he finished cleaning it.

Really nice Subliminal. Looking really good..