Susan's RSM 250

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Susan Edwards

Susan Edwards

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BTA acting strange earlier, all retracted and almost inside out (up in a crevice) but now he's back out, hanging upside down, looking normal from what I can see. I swear he's trying to give me a headache...

Tested today.
NH4 0
NO2 0
NO3 10
ph 8.4
Alk 6

I know the alk is low. Going to test my water when I get it ready for my sunday water change. If it is low, will see if okay to try to raise it by adding baking soda. Might also do a larger water change than normal. There's not much in to use up alk I don't think but there is a huge issue with green dust algae. Read some who said to leave it 3 weeks but no way am I not going to be able to see into the tank for that long, not with fish and corals and a silly bta in there.
 
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Susan Edwards

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Bubble Tip still playing its games. HIde and worry me, then come out a bit, then back into hiding....

Noticed the appearance of hair algae--tuffs here and there. Went to the LFS and picked up 5 red tipped hermits (I think), 2 more trochus (4 total), 2 bumblebees, and 3 chromis. Hermits and snails went right to work! Tossed in extra shells. Watched one hermit checking out a shell way too big for it! Clowns not super happy to have other fish in their aquarium. Chromis found large cave when lights went off and clowns hugging their corner of the tank.

Received my Phosphate test kit. At 0. Will test my new batch of salt water for my Sunday water change for calcium, mag and alk as my tank is low on the mag and alk. Don't want to just start dosing this early and there is not a big bio load of corals yet. Cut lights to less than 10 hrs for the green dust algae and plan to do a slightly larger water change tomorrow

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Susan Edwards

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Ugh. Fish tank owner #Fail. Was doing a water change, trying to siphon out some of that awful green dust algae and my torch got sucked in! The wave maker was on and waved some long tentacles into the hose. It was looking so awesome too. Turned the damaged part to the rock wall. Seems to be doing okay. Just not as many long tentacles as before. Lots of new shorter ones and it's waving just as before so hopefully it will recover quickly

Tested my water--Instant Ocean Reef
Calcium 370
Mag 1200
Alk 9

Do I need to start supplementing the water?
 

saltyfilmfolks

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Ugh. Fish tank owner #Fail. Was doing a water change, trying to siphon out some of that awful green dust algae and my torch got sucked in! The wave maker was on and waved some long tentacles into the hose. It was looking so awesome too. Turned the damaged part to the rock wall. Seems to be doing okay. Just not as many long tentacles as before. Lots of new shorter ones and it's waving just as before so hopefully it will recover quickly

Tested my water--Instant Ocean Reef
Calcium 370
Mag 1200
Alk 9

Do I need to start supplementing the water?
nope, your fine. IO is good stuff.
 

saltyfilmfolks

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I don't think there's too much in my tank to really absorb a lot yet.
exactly.
folks do make a big deal about the "best" numbers. fwiw I have a good friend with the most amazing SPS tank ever. he uses IO and his numbers match Instant ocean exactly. some of his colonies are as big as my head.
 
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Susan Edwards

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Almost 4 weeks. Wow, what an up and down few weeks it has been. Tank is stable, going through the ugly-no-one-can-love-me-but-mom stage. Will be glad to get rid of the green dust algae. Hate it. Hair algae coming in strong but the hermits and snails are plowing away at it. the Corals are surviving, some very nicely, and the 2 that survived me (clove that didn't appreciate the peroxide bath, zoes seem to have loved it) and the torch that got some tentacles torn, are even doing well. Clove opening up and self healing. GBTA still playing it's hide and seek games. Comes out, looks great, then hides back in a crevice. Sometimes it looks nice and full and healthy when it comes out, other times it looks awful. Jury still out on that fella.

One Chromis looks like he tusseled with another chromis or a clown. Patch of scales missing. All hermits happy, snails appear to be all accounted for, except nassarious. Haven't seen all 4 of them at one time. 2 bumblebees also questionable. They haven't really moved since bringing them home on Sat. So for my first 4 weeks, I'm pleased with my accomplishments and the fact that I haven't killed anything yet. I've soaked up a ton of knowledge and will keep learning! I'll take a picture tomorrow of the tank as it is now and post
 
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Susan Edwards

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Wow, so it has now been officially a month (and a day) since adding water to my tank and hitting the "go" switches. I've seen cyano come and go, the green dust algae has come and gone, and I'm staring at lots of hair algae! Still have lots of bright green color on most rocks. I did a bit more than just a water change today. I scraped off all the algae on the back glass. Wow, did that make a mess. Cleaned one of the foam blocks in the sump and rinsed the purigen. Next week, I'll rinse out the other foam block on the other side, and take out and rinse the media in the media rack, including the bio ceramics. Carbon should be okay as my instructions say to replace once every 2 months. I do have some--maybe not as good a grade--so could replace one bag out of the 2.

Might even be a good idea iwth all the junk this week to do the water change out of the sump to vacuum anything on the bottom of the sump chambers. Should probably also look into taking the skimmer out and doing a cleaning but will wait another week or two.

So far, except for losing a few snails and hermits. Hmm, since doing the water change and a bit of a vacuum of the sand (just getting loose stuff up), I haven't seen my hermits active. They are all still... 2 clowns and 2 chromis very active and corals and feather duster all seem to be thriving. GBTA was ticked at the maintenance. Went back under rock and balled up. Now back out a bit. Tempermental little guy.

So considering this is my first foray into saltwater, I think things are going well. Normal even. Going to add more clean up crew. This is what I have presently:
4 nassarius but have only seen 3 recently,
3 cerith, but only seen 2,
4 trochus,
2 bumble bees, 1 questionable whether it is moving or the flow of current is moving it around
4 hermits.
2 clowns
2 Chromis
1 green star polyp
1 xenia
1 torch
1 frag of zoas and polyps
1 hawaiin feather duster (I think--it has more than one crown and they spiral outward)

My next trip maybe this weekend will be to add:
another 10 hermits and maybe 10 other snails to keep that hair algae down
a Tang also for algae
something for the sand. Goby or blenny
maybe a firefish or royal gramma
 
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Susan Edwards

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Feel like jumping for joy. The GBTA finally came from beneath a rock and the crevice it has hidden in, coming out just slightly then pulling back. First it came out to the rock beside it. Now its on the sand bed. Hoping it will stay, even though it's a the back of the tank!
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Water change on Tuesday
today's numbers
NH4 0
NO2 0
NO3 0
Cal 350
Mag 1200
PH 8.2 but that was taken an hour and half after lights on
Alk 6

A bit concerned on the alk. Mixed 1 t of baking soda in a small jar of RO water (13oz). Will dose tank with a little each day, taking a week to use it.

xenia isn't acting happy: shrinking and not all of it is pulsing. Maybe it doesn't like 0 nitrates?
Torch hasn't stretched out yet this morning.
gbta still in its new place on sandbed against rock but curled up. Not totally happy but not hiding
Everything else acting normal.
 

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I suggest getting a two part dosing product, like kent, twofishies....Your mag needs to come up. An alk of 6 is too low.

Keep on keeping on, the tank is young it will come around. Might consider adding more flow to assist with the diatoms and cyano.

:)
 
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Susan Edwards

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Almost at the 6 week mark. Tank very ugly :p Numbers this week/today. Tried the kent 2 part dosing which brought things up some.
NH4 0, NO2 0, NO3 0
Cal 380, Mag 1400, Alk 6-7 depending on which test kit, P 8.2

Went to a new fish store for more cuc. Came back with 4 more hermits, 1 emerald, 2 peppermit cleaner shrimp (m/f). Still need to get more snails
Wanted a lawnmower blenny for algae control. Came home with
Scooter Blenny
Tricolor blenny (male). He can get a female when I want
Small yellow watchman goby.

Have to say I'm enchanted with the three. The scooter is doing just that. Scooting around and around the tank, up and over the lower rocks. The watchman has taken up a spot front and center and the bicolor has a couple holes on one side but is also all over the tank, staying close to rock. All are very interested in me but not afraid and all have been pecking at rocks and sand. Emerald crab now out and eating on the rock. If he does well, might add one more. Hermits had a gathering where they were all checking out the extra shells...
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The owner, a man I would say is very old school was informative, though at odds with some of the forum advice. He did identify some of my red algae as macro but it's growing on my clove coral and zoa frag. He also recommended putting tank temp to 76 for the algae. It's at 78-79.

Debating whether to do a water change tomorrow. Some advice says no, some say yes. Nitrates still 0 but some other numbers still a bit too low, plus I want to do more algae scraping and suck it out to get rid of it. Changed out one bag of carbon to try and clear tank. Skimmer pretty foamy yesterday--might be the kent? Added just half a dose of part 2 for the alk (both parts day before for 40 gal, though I prob. have 50 gal water)

Torch coral is extending somewhat, not as much as before, green stay polyps opened today--closed yesterday and xenia still alive and maybe looking a tad better.

Next weekend, hope to check out another new fish store. the new one today had great prices on fish stuff, and the livestock I bought but very limited on fish choices. Mostly clowns and blenny's and cuc. Poor coral selection. Mostly a lot of freshwater. My normal store had an electrical accident and is closed until repaired. Not sure if there was a fire or person hurt or what.

So the journey has been fun and frustrating but never boring so far. Fish thriving, coral hanging in there. Goal to get rid of algae

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Susan Edwards

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4 more hermits and one emerald seemed to make a difference with algae in one night. One rock looks almost clear. the Bicolor is also hanging out in that rock. This weekend, might add one more emeral, a few more hermits and some more snails, esp. the trochus. Have to see how many per gal of tank. I have 4 but they sure eat the algae.
 

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Nice additions to your tank, looking good:)
 

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