Didn’t you already have another tnak up and running? Why go the bottled ammonia route and not just use some live rock from your old tank and have a insta cycle instead of waiting months? Just curious
"The Lab" - Josh and Tiffany's IM Nuvo EXT 200
- Thread starter IOnceWasLegend
- Start date
Because I'm really paranoid.
The rock in the holding tank I have up and running was from my RSR250 that suffered a velvet outbreak that wiped out almost all my fish. I was originally going to do a 76 day fallow period and then use some of that rock to seed the new tank, but 1) some pests (including aiptasia and ulva lettuce) made it through, and 2) I had the opportunity to get a yellow eye kole tang (one of my favorite fish) midway through the fallow period.
Calculated risk of adding it to the tank, but rationalized it's 1) the only fish in the tank, 2) I was running a UV sterilizer on it, and 3) I was prophylactically using selcon to ensure good diet, and 4) I'll be QTing it before adding it to the display tank. But, that did reset the fallow period and make me very leery of using rock that (however slim the odds are) may have velvet on it.
Understandable! I would have taken rock and put it in a bin, cranked up the heat on it to 82* to speed up the fallow period for the rock. Speeds up the metabolism on the trofants and cysts, so their life cycle is shortened. Takes away from the 76 day deal
100% agreed. I would have preferred to do that, but we were juggling a move with keeping a tank up and running (when I wasn't going to be able to get the tank set up before the move), so the decision was "Fishless cycle a tank on a time crunch, or fishless cycle a tank in the future," and I opted for the latter. Ideally I would've done exactly what you said, and set up the tank, 'cooked' off the trophonts, and had clean rock, but that wasn't an option.
At the very least, this means I get a (hopefully) pest-free start, and - by the time I add coral/etc from the holding tank after the fallow period - I'll have the CUC and an army of algae-eating minions to deal with any stragglers!
Achievement unlocked: cable wrangler. Still not as clean as I was hoping, but good enough and a far cry from the usual rat's nest behind my tanks. I ended up rearranging a bit and putting the Vectra controllers into the control cabinet, though.
Also, allow me to introduce 3/4ths of my Tang Gang, courtesy of Kenny (@under_water_ninja ) at High Tide Aquatics. He was kind enough to directly speak with his contact and get them to pick me out some extra-nice hybrids (achilles x white cheek and powder blue x white cheek), as well as a juvenile desjardini! They're currently going through QT at his shop, and I can't wait.
Also, allow me to introduce 3/4ths of my Tang Gang, courtesy of Kenny (@under_water_ninja ) at High Tide Aquatics. He was kind enough to directly speak with his contact and get them to pick me out some extra-nice hybrids (achilles x white cheek and powder blue x white cheek), as well as a juvenile desjardini! They're currently going through QT at his shop, and I can't wait.
Coral reefer
Past President
Achilles hybrid?!? Somebody not sparing any expense…
Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
I hope for tang harmony!
Surprisingly, about the same as a 'regular' achilles. I know a guy.
So far so good, at least from what I've heard. I'm hoping the white cheek mix helps tone down the powder blue aggression.
So, in spite of looking information up everywhere I could and finding no clear contraindication, I've learned that chromis do not do well in Copper Power. I lost all six of them a couple days ago. Please learn from my mistake.
On the other side of the QT front, both the lawnmower blenny and the kole tang have been doing well in the QT tank. The kole tang is still EXTREMELY shy, but hopefully he'll come out of his shell in the DT.
Also, in preparation for the first tester piece of coral on Saturday, I opted to measure PAR levels. I currently have two Gen 6 XR30s mounted on the RMS rail (~10" above the tank) running AB+ at 60%. These were the PAR values I measured at various points of interest:
Color me impressed at the spread over a six foot tank. Strictly speaking, I probably don't NEED to add the two G5 XR30s, but I'm a fan of more light and more even spread for growing SPS. Also, as a firm believer that boys never really grow up—we just get bigger and better toys—all I can say is
On the other side of the QT front, both the lawnmower blenny and the kole tang have been doing well in the QT tank. The kole tang is still EXTREMELY shy, but hopefully he'll come out of his shell in the DT.
Also, in preparation for the first tester piece of coral on Saturday, I opted to measure PAR levels. I currently have two Gen 6 XR30s mounted on the RMS rail (~10" above the tank) running AB+ at 60%. These were the PAR values I measured at various points of interest:
Color me impressed at the spread over a six foot tank. Strictly speaking, I probably don't NEED to add the two G5 XR30s, but I'm a fan of more light and more even spread for growing SPS. Also, as a firm believer that boys never really grow up—we just get bigger and better toys—all I can say is
Added:
- Bicolor foxface
- Firefish
- Watchman goby + pistol shrimp
- 5x bimaculatus anthias
- Banggai cardinal
Truth, and I've considered light bars with the XR30s. I'll wait and see, though, since I'll be able to pull my two G5 XR30s off the holding tank in a couple months after the fallow period is over.
Thanks for the compliment, though I'd probably disagree with the 'patience' thing, haha. Part of meticulous planning was figuring out how I could do everything as quickly as possible while still being safe.
Finished up the last few odds and ends I can do before I set up the calcium reactor in a few weeks. Got everything ready for the refugium, since I should be getting my order of clean chaeto from AlgaeBarn tomorrow. Had to use the Kessil Extended Slide Mount to get it centered over my refugium, but it worked out:
Our big goober decided he wanted attention, too, while I was taking pictures:
Since adding the fish and feeding the tank, I started using filter socks (well, Reef Diapers). So far so good with them; they've lasted about as long as filter socks have before, and - given my wife would shoot me if I tried to wash filter socks in the wash - they've been a good compromise. I also LOVE the filter sock silencers I ordered with my sump from Synergy Reef:
Diatoms have finally started kicking in. Got the UV sterilizer going now, and hopefully they'll burn out before too long:
Fish are getting along pretty well. Can't thank @under_water_ninja enough for recommending the bimaculatus anthias. Beautiful, pretty chill so far, and they've made friends with the foxface (who seems to think it's an anthias, too, given it schools with them).
Now I play the waiting game again. The algae blenny and kole tang will be done with QT (modified it to match Kenny's process) a week from today, and I'll be adding them along with the royal gramma + three tangs in Kenny's QT a week from Sunday.
Our big goober decided he wanted attention, too, while I was taking pictures:
Since adding the fish and feeding the tank, I started using filter socks (well, Reef Diapers). So far so good with them; they've lasted about as long as filter socks have before, and - given my wife would shoot me if I tried to wash filter socks in the wash - they've been a good compromise. I also LOVE the filter sock silencers I ordered with my sump from Synergy Reef:
Diatoms have finally started kicking in. Got the UV sterilizer going now, and hopefully they'll burn out before too long:
Fish are getting along pretty well. Can't thank @under_water_ninja enough for recommending the bimaculatus anthias. Beautiful, pretty chill so far, and they've made friends with the foxface (who seems to think it's an anthias, too, given it schools with them).
Now I play the waiting game again. The algae blenny and kole tang will be done with QT (modified it to match Kenny's process) a week from today, and I'll be adding them along with the royal gramma + three tangs in Kenny's QT a week from Sunday.
Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
@IOnceWasLegend
IME
The espi rabbitfish ate lps here when I had one several years ago.
Just FYI
something to keep an eye on
IME
The espi rabbitfish ate lps here when I had one several years ago.
Just FYI
something to keep an eye on
Much appreciated on the heads up. I'm trying, if anything, to overfeed to make sure everything's fat and happy to minimize aggression (and unwanted snacking).
Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
Once the fish are in the tank...
MOST of what is added is food
So ya don’t want the fish to associate new corals or zoanthids as food items
Good luck
MOST of what is added is food
So ya don’t want the fish to associate new corals or zoanthids as food items
Good luck
The good news: my chaeto got here and, in spite of a four-day delay in shipping, looked great!
The bad news: even though I tested it out to make sure it was working last week, my Kessil H380 fuge light decided to go on the fritz in a bizarre way. It wouldn't turn on at first, and now it's just blinking off and on whenever I have it turned on. Contacting customer support today and hoping the chaeto will last however long I need it to without light.
The bad news: even though I tested it out to make sure it was working last week, my Kessil H380 fuge light decided to go on the fritz in a bizarre way. It wouldn't turn on at first, and now it's just blinking off and on whenever I have it turned on. Contacting customer support today and hoping the chaeto will last however long I need it to without light.
RandyC
Supporting Member
I have a ton of chaeto if you want some. It’s not billed as “clean” chaeto though.
If you’re worried about keeping it in the dark, just throw it in the display tank for now. Could use a plastic basket/strainer or a mesh bag if you’re concerned about loose pieces flying around the display tank.
If you’re worried about keeping it in the dark, just throw it in the display tank for now. Could use a plastic basket/strainer or a mesh bag if you’re concerned about loose pieces flying around the display tank.
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Appreciate the offer, and good idea for the chaeto! I'll keep that in mind.