Leemar Starphire 290
- Thread starter Kmooresf
- Start date
Kmooresf
Supporting Member
Hi there.
Fixed my sump / refugium, and decided to make a video of before and after. I opted NOT to narrate as I can't stand to hear my voice on these things, so enjoy some nice music from the "Afro Celt Sound System."
Basically the sump was made to run at about 12" of depth. However the sump is 24" tall, so I prefer to run it at about 18." At 18" the surface does NOT get skimmed and as you can see it was building up very fast. So I added about 6.5" to the last baffle in the fuge and reinforced it with some acrylic rods. It is now working perfectly!!
The video shows the before and after as I was re-filling the sump. Also shows the immediate difference and how the sump works now.
The two returns are linked with a Rio 3000 that is T'd off and sitting in the first chamber of the sump. I did this to avoid the Macro Algea's getting sucked into the pump. I am very happy with the results and it gives a nice amount of flow in the fuge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJS_kYCUjyY
Fixed my sump / refugium, and decided to make a video of before and after. I opted NOT to narrate as I can't stand to hear my voice on these things, so enjoy some nice music from the "Afro Celt Sound System."
Basically the sump was made to run at about 12" of depth. However the sump is 24" tall, so I prefer to run it at about 18." At 18" the surface does NOT get skimmed and as you can see it was building up very fast. So I added about 6.5" to the last baffle in the fuge and reinforced it with some acrylic rods. It is now working perfectly!!
The video shows the before and after as I was re-filling the sump. Also shows the immediate difference and how the sump works now.The two returns are linked with a Rio 3000 that is T'd off and sitting in the first chamber of the sump. I did this to avoid the Macro Algea's getting sucked into the pump. I am very happy with the results and it gives a nice amount of flow in the fuge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJS_kYCUjyY
h20player101
Guest
Noticeable difference on the surface, and great music.
Kmooresf
Supporting Member
Found the PERFECT spot for this Monti...........woke up this morning to find the Anemone decided to move right in to that PERFECT spot!! |(
Tank is doing well, not much to report.
Frag tank is up and running..........sump is fixed and working great...........good growth on all corals under LED and MH. Can't tell the difference at this point.
Water is looking good, however Calcium is starting to drop, Magnesium is starting to drop and Alkalinity is a daily chore........so..........Calcium reactor is about ready to go online. It was back ordered, but hopefully will be here soon.
Red slime is gone and got my 4th Tunze back online, so flow is much better in the tank.
Had my red headed wrass and a midas blenny jump from the tank......no other losses. Just added a Coral beauty who seems to be adjusting nicely and is so far a good citizen.
Still doing 80 gallon water changes bi-weekly and finally have the phosphates below .10. Still working to get that down even more.
Time to move the monti.
Tank is doing well, not much to report.
Frag tank is up and running..........sump is fixed and working great...........good growth on all corals under LED and MH. Can't tell the difference at this point.
Water is looking good, however Calcium is starting to drop, Magnesium is starting to drop and Alkalinity is a daily chore........so..........Calcium reactor is about ready to go online. It was back ordered, but hopefully will be here soon.
Red slime is gone and got my 4th Tunze back online, so flow is much better in the tank.
Had my red headed wrass and a midas blenny jump from the tank......no other losses. Just added a Coral beauty who seems to be adjusting nicely and is so far a good citizen.
Still doing 80 gallon water changes bi-weekly and finally have the phosphates below .10. Still working to get that down even more.
Time to move the monti.
Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
Whaaaa!
That's a hot maroon clown!
That's a hot maroon clown!
Coral reefer
Past President
Good to hear its going well!
Kmooresf
Supporting Member
Thx Mike and Erin.
The Maroon is my oldest fish. Got him in 2001 and he started in a 7 gallon bowfront......
quickly outgrew that and into a 27 gallon bowfront.......then to a 65, 110 and now the 290. His ocean keeps getting bigger, and so does he.
He also draws blood when he bites. LOL!
The Maroon is my oldest fish. Got him in 2001 and he started in a 7 gallon bowfront......
quickly outgrew that and into a 27 gallon bowfront.......then to a 65, 110 and now the 290. His ocean keeps getting bigger, and so does he.
He also draws blood when he bites. LOL!
Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
Is there a "mate"?
Kmooresf
Supporting Member
Kensington Reefer said:
Nope, no mate. He is actually a very social fish. He does great with all other fish once he lays down his territory. Never tried to put another clown with him though. Don't want to know what would happen.
@Houser......since being in the new tank this is the third time the Nem has tried to move. Just hasn't found the sweet spot yet. I decided not to move the Monti yet and turkey basted the Nem back.......he is now where he has been for the last couple months. Hoping it will stay there. I am feeding it regularly to keep it happy.
bondolo
Guest
Kmooresf said:
Almost certainly a female. Solo clowns will turn female. If you can find a juvenile maroon clown she will probably be fine with him. My female Ocellaris accepted a new male in about 5 seconds. As soon as she figured out it was the proper species and not female she immediately stopped chasing him and allowed him to hang around her.
The dropping calcium is a good sign!
Kmooresf
Supporting Member
bondolo said:
Thanks Mike. I would love to have a pair of clowns, just didn't think it was possible with an established one. I thought they had to be added at the same time. So would I get a baby / juvi maroon? Should it be a gold banded also? Anything special need to happen or just plop him in and hope for the best? I assume Gender will work itself out?
Yeah, I was happy to see a lower Calcium as well. I thought my hannah checker was broken. I bought another brand of calcium test to confirm it. Now it actually gives me a reading besides "600." Our Glucometers at work do the same thing. If it is over 500 it just says 500. Or below 10 it just says "low." The new calcium reactor is in the mail. GEO 624. Here is hoping it is big enough!! Although I may add a kaulk reactor someday if the need arrises.
bondolo
Guest
You should probably try to get the same species as the current fish for best results. It's my understanding that on the reef a female clown will accept additional juveniles and males to her harem for as long as she lives. Any time you have a group of clowns, including a solo fish, with no female the most dominant fish will turn into a female. If your clown has been solo for a long time then she is female. If the new fish doesn't seem like competition to her (female or different species) then she will probably accept it. Robin (fingerwrinkles) or David (lattehiatus) can probably provide more advice.
h20player101
Guest
If you are worried about aggression, a good way to get a sense of what is going to happen is put the new guy in small container in the tank. This way you can see what the females reaction is like, and give them a chance to introduce each other with ability to pull the little guy out before he is mincemeat.
aqua-nut
Supporting Member
h20player101 said:
h20player101 said:
Good idea, h20.
Take a look at:
http://youtu.be/K77cHtAV3GQ
Video by Leng Sy, the 'Miracle Mud' guy.
At about the 3 min mark he shows a nice eggcrate box to hold the new fish for a while. Cheap, lots of water flow. Did I mention cheap?
jestersix
Sponsor
Be careful adding Maroons - they are much more aggressive than Percs or Ocellaris. I've done it, but you really need to make sure to add a tiny male to have best shot at success. Gold Banded are easier than white stripes - at least in my experience. Should work out, just be prepared!
Kmooresf
Supporting Member
Good idea, h20.
Take a look at:
http://youtu.be/K77cHtAV3GQ
Video by Leng Sy, the 'Miracle Mud' guy.
At about the 3 min mark he shows a nice eggcrate box to hold the new fish for a while. Cheap, lots of water flow. Did I mention cheap?[/quote]
Thanks John & h2O, I have plenty of Egg Crate to make a box like that. After watching the video though I am not sure I am excited about it. LOL! I might give it a try though. I could put the little guy in the frag tank until someone takes him if it doesn't work. I'll take a video if I do try it.
@Jestersix.........I agree Maroons are a breed of their own. Although, I have always been surprised with this one. She (always used to say He) does bite the heck out of me, but rarely bothers the other fish.....even new fish. She occasionally will come out of the Anemone with some agression, but it's short lived. I might just give this a try. Maroons are so cute when they are small.
Take a look at:
http://youtu.be/K77cHtAV3GQ
Video by Leng Sy, the 'Miracle Mud' guy.
At about the 3 min mark he shows a nice eggcrate box to hold the new fish for a while. Cheap, lots of water flow. Did I mention cheap?
[/quote]aqua-nut said:h20player101 said:h20player101 said:
Good idea, h20.
Take a look at:
http://youtu.be/K77cHtAV3GQ
Video by Leng Sy, the 'Miracle Mud' guy.
At about the 3 min mark he shows a nice eggcrate box to hold the new fish for a while. Cheap, lots of water flow. Did I mention cheap?
Thanks John & h2O, I have plenty of Egg Crate to make a box like that. After watching the video though I am not sure I am excited about it. LOL! I might give it a try though. I could put the little guy in the frag tank until someone takes him if it doesn't work. I'll take a video if I do try it.
@Jestersix.........I agree Maroons are a breed of their own. Although, I have always been surprised with this one. She (always used to say He) does bite the heck out of me, but rarely bothers the other fish.....even new fish. She occasionally will come out of the Anemone with some agression, but it's short lived. I might just give this a try. Maroons are so cute when they are small.
Kmooresf
Supporting Member
Took some pics with my iphone on the way out the door yesterday. Thought they weren't too bad.
Frag tank. About 15 gallons.
Frags........love this blue polyp monti.
FTS at 5 months (taken yesterday). You can really see the different lighting in this shot. LED (old maxspects) on either end and a 36" 2x 96w PC with a 150w MH in the middle. Can't wait to get a proper lighting set up, but for now this is working. New PC bulbs and MH bulb a couple months ago.
Very pleased with the overall progress.
Frag tank. About 15 gallons.
Frags........love this blue polyp monti.
FTS at 5 months (taken yesterday). You can really see the different lighting in this shot. LED (old maxspects) on either end and a 36" 2x 96w PC with a 150w MH in the middle. Can't wait to get a proper lighting set up, but for now this is working. New PC bulbs and MH bulb a couple months ago.
Very pleased with the overall progress.