Welcome to BAR - the Bay Area's premier saltwater hobbyists hub!

Derek's 225g - Magnifica / SPS Reef

Fishy Business
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2012
Messages
2,204
Love the solution for the air intake, but I'd put a screen on that. Bugs love to enter stuff like that. I'd get a fine filter as well, so help take out dust. If you get a way oversize unit, you'll probably never have to clean it :)
 
DBTC Coordinator
BOD
Joined
Jun 27, 2022
Messages
2,338
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2012
Messages
2,204
Yeah! Thanks for the reminder, that was my intent - maybe something like this? https://www.amazon.com/FERRODAY-Sanitary-Filter-Fittings-Homebrew/dp/B07149NMRM/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3PL4GD6AUOUP&keywords=air+line+filter&qid=1703710959&sprefix=air+line+filte,aps,144&sr=8-5

I could also probably stick an air stone on the end of it too...
Funny you should say that. I used a large airstone for just that at an aquaponics farm I managed (Director of Aquatics) for just that purpose.
 
DBTC Coordinator
BOD
Joined
Jun 27, 2022
Messages
2,338
Having an issue with the haddoni - he's trapped in egg crate! He was rooted to the egg crate at the bottom of Michael's tank. We just snipped around it with cutters and popped him out, easy.

He was looking pretty comfortable last night before lights off.
IMG_0442.jpg


This morning I noticed the egg crate was sort of pushed up out of the sand, which seemed odd. Come to realize that during the night he pushed his entire foot through a SINGLE half inch hole in the egg crate, and then rooted to the bottom of my tank. He then expanded (or has tried to) his oral disc on the other side, looking pretty grumpy.

I was able to him off the bottom and get him to mostly deflate, but there's still too much anemone on either side of the egg crate to get to the single hole he's pushed through and cut it, or force him out. Current plan is to set him on his side and hope he squeezes himself out one side or the other in search of something to attach to...open to any other ideas.

IMG_0448.jpg
IMG_0447.jpg
IMG_0445.jpg
IMG_0444.jpg
 
DBTC Coordinator
BOD
Joined
Jun 27, 2022
Messages
2,338
I mentioned that my mag was shuffling around also. I figured it was flow related, but couldn’t get him settled after experimenting with flow. I decided to put a dedicated Kessil 160 spotlight on him and he’s stayed put for a couple days now so we will see. Looking pretty happy:

IMG_0455.jpeg


I have renamed my thread accordingly.

FTS showing the new light and where the carpet anemone is located:
IMG_0471.jpeg
 
Last edited:
DBTC Coordinator
BOD
Joined
Jun 27, 2022
Messages
2,338
Couple updates:

Po4 has been steady now right at 0.11ppm. I scaled back the lanthanum dosing bigtime (5ml/day of my solution instead of the 75ml/day). I think my water finally caught up to the po4 being released by substrate, and I've sort of found equilibrium which is great.

Note - I had some lanthanum show up on a Triton ICP test @ .15mg/l. This means that dosing it directly into skimmer, even pretty heavily diluted, still allows some to escape into the water column. I was dosing it pretty heavily, see above, and have since scaled it back - so I will be curious to see the next ICP result. I lost my Yellow Tang during this time. No other fish have shown any symptoms (Nor was the YT the night before) and all behaving and eating normally. Maybe not related...but given all the anecdotes associated with Lanthanum and Yellow tangs, I figured I'd share as a word to the wise.

No3 is right around 30ppm and has been for many weeks now - I'll probably stop testing this but once every couple of months.

Happy to report the anemones are doing great. The mag hasn't moved in quite a while, and the carpet hasn't claimed any fish - though he did eat a couple shrimp.

IMG_0624.jpg


Seeing a lot of good growth, pretty happy with how things are going. I'm doing very little to the tank right now - dosing 2 part, a trickle of trace elements and lanthanum, and lots and lots of food!

Some FTS:
IMG_0653.jpg

IMG_0654.jpg

IMG_0661.jpg

IMG_0662.jpg
 
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2023
Messages
1,967
Tank is looking amazing! That anenome is gorgeous.
Couple shots of the clowns being clowns. Still experimenting with my wife’s camera, having trouble getting good color:

View attachment 51864
View attachment 51866
Awesome pics! What kind of camera? Maybe I can help you get it dialed in. Feel free to DM me or we can converse and discuss it in the photography forum. Make a post and we can get others' insights on it too.
 
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2023
Messages
3,086
Sorry to hear about the tang :(

Second that. I dosed Lanthanum in the Nano tank and it was great since I could not do much else that would not also reduce Nitrates which were very low. I did a super low and highly diluted dose without having a proper skimmer and it did not show in the ICP tests over a several month period. Hearing the impact on a yellow tank will still not make me use this for the main DT now. Thanks for sharing Derek, and sorry about your loss :(.
 
Top