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Sunday, 21 April 2013
Officially a reef tank
So I went to Birchwood aquatics again to get a little water... And I am happy to report that we got water. 50 litres of RO (Reverse osmosis) water so that I didn't need to go back next weekend to get more. It appears that my tank loses roughly 2L of water everyday, so that means there is a fair amount of topping up required. That and the weekly gravel sift means a normal 25L barrel lasts a week.
But the reason I got 50l is that I cant leave the store without getting some new things for my tank. This week I decided to stay away from the fish tanks and look into corals. After looking at their display tanks for the last 3 weeks and doing some research, I decided that a few mushroom corals, a leather coral and possibly some pulsing corals would be good starters for my tank. Also, they have very good visual appeal and can withstand a beginners mistakes.
The one difficult thing about buying them, is where exactly to place them! Some like moderate water flow, while others prefer a strong water flow. Some require moderate lighting, whiles others strong lighting. Placement is everything. While these are hardy, poor water quality and placement will result in their deaths. And with their deaths, you may find some fish following them. So to say that I found this daunting, may be an understatement.
Where did I place them? With the help of my wife, i think we have managed to find suitable places for all the corals. The leather coral is at the bottom of the tank with direct light on him. Also, there should be a good direct flow from the water jet for him to be happy. The other reason for keeping him low in the tank is the fact the can grow very big and block out a lot of light in the tank. The Pulsing polyps are in a part of the tank, where the water flow is circulating back to the jet and right on the other side. Therefore the water flow is moderate and hopefully they will have time to pulse (they wont pulse if the current is to strong for them).
Lastly, I couldn't find mushrooms, so I went for white spot star polyps These are really pretty, especially under the blue lights as their tips have a luminous green in them. These require moderate to high water flow and lighting. I have place these close to the intake of the water jet,, so they can get a good flow rate as well as being positioned very high in the tank for high lighting levels.
Unfortunately, while looking at the coral tanks, I saw a pair of white rayed shrimp gobies Also know as clown or Yasha hase gobies) that were irresistible So they came home with us as well. Unfortunately, there are no photos of these guys as we haven't seen them since we introduced them into our tank. They are known to be very shy when first being introduced into the tank and take up to a month before begin seen again. They are also known tank jumpers that require a lid to ensure they stay inside the tank. You can pair these up with a pistol shrimp. For now, I dont think I am going to do that as I bought a pair of these gobies. I worry that I may need a pair of pistol shrimps to satisfy both their needs and that may cause some heartache down the line. Lets hope these guys prefer each others company instead. I bought some clear tubing and have made 3 burrows in the tank in the hope that the gobies use these as a home.
But the reason I got 50l is that I cant leave the store without getting some new things for my tank. This week I decided to stay away from the fish tanks and look into corals. After looking at their display tanks for the last 3 weeks and doing some research, I decided that a few mushroom corals, a leather coral and possibly some pulsing corals would be good starters for my tank. Also, they have very good visual appeal and can withstand a beginners mistakes.
The one difficult thing about buying them, is where exactly to place them! Some like moderate water flow, while others prefer a strong water flow. Some require moderate lighting, whiles others strong lighting. Placement is everything. While these are hardy, poor water quality and placement will result in their deaths. And with their deaths, you may find some fish following them. So to say that I found this daunting, may be an understatement.
Where did I place them? With the help of my wife, i think we have managed to find suitable places for all the corals. The leather coral is at the bottom of the tank with direct light on him. Also, there should be a good direct flow from the water jet for him to be happy. The other reason for keeping him low in the tank is the fact the can grow very big and block out a lot of light in the tank. The Pulsing polyps are in a part of the tank, where the water flow is circulating back to the jet and right on the other side. Therefore the water flow is moderate and hopefully they will have time to pulse (they wont pulse if the current is to strong for them).
Lastly, I couldn't find mushrooms, so I went for white spot star polyps These are really pretty, especially under the blue lights as their tips have a luminous green in them. These require moderate to high water flow and lighting. I have place these close to the intake of the water jet,, so they can get a good flow rate as well as being positioned very high in the tank for high lighting levels.
Unfortunately, while looking at the coral tanks, I saw a pair of white rayed shrimp gobies Also know as clown or Yasha hase gobies) that were irresistible So they came home with us as well. Unfortunately, there are no photos of these guys as we haven't seen them since we introduced them into our tank. They are known to be very shy when first being introduced into the tank and take up to a month before begin seen again. They are also known tank jumpers that require a lid to ensure they stay inside the tank. You can pair these up with a pistol shrimp. For now, I dont think I am going to do that as I bought a pair of these gobies. I worry that I may need a pair of pistol shrimps to satisfy both their needs and that may cause some heartache down the line. Lets hope these guys prefer each others company instead. I bought some clear tubing and have made 3 burrows in the tank in the hope that the gobies use these as a home.
Monday, 15 April 2013
Mystery Solved
For anyone that has been following my blog, you would have read that we had a scare regarding Herbie (our reg legged hermit crab). I am happy to state that he was indeed moulting. While showing a mate the tank at night, we saw a little red glow on the rocks. I quickly put on the lights and there he was, happily grazing on the rocks. I haven't seen much of him since then, so who knows what will yet happen with the recluse Herbie. I wonder if he and Hitch(the mithrax crab that came with the live rock) have found a cosy spot in the tank and spend their days swapping crab stories where no prying eyes can find them...
Sunday, 14 April 2013
Sherman Tank!
The tank is doing really well. The diatoms are in check and I am slowly seeing some green algae. Le-Mon is doing well and picking at the rocks left, right and centre. We are also seeing some plant growth on the rocks. I am not sure what algae this is, but Le-Mon is not to keen on this stuff. So, we took another trip to Birchwood aquatics today - to get RO water and nothing else.
Lies! We found ourselves what can only be described as a tank. A large green, fighting machine. An emerald crab whom we named Popeye. I think its very appropriate as Popeye is a herbivore. He has HUGE pinchers that are perfect for flower picking. I am hoping that this guys can keep the grass nicely trimmed in the tank while providing us with another interesting crustacean to watch.
In addition to Popeye, we got ourselves some snails. I usually stay away from these guys - if you saw me with my freshwater tank you would have learnt that much of me. However these guys are good and wont procreate like rabbits in the tank. They do a very good job by shifting bucket loads of the substrate. I would have uploaded a picture of these guys, but they burrowed into the sand within seconds of being introduced to the tank. They are called Nasser snails and the only thing you see of them is what is best described as a periscope. They will occasionally come out of hiding and when they do, I hope to get a pic of them for the blog.
Oh, did I mention that I got some water too?
Friday, 12 April 2013
Crab sticks!
I got a very distressed call today at work from my wife. She found a body, lying motionless on the floor! "Love, I think that Herbie the hermit crab has become fish food. I found his legs and a small part of his body on the tank floor. I'm sorry."
I was distressed to say the least, but there wasn't anything I could do. But research. And research I did and found out that this could actually be Herbie moulting. Hermit crabs do it from time to time and have scared many an aquarist. So we have put the funeral on hold until we can confirm if this is a missing crabs case or a murder.
Why do they moult? Well, these guys have a hard exoskeleton that gets to small for them as they grow. So they need to shed this and grow a new hard exo. Your hermit will usually go find a quite place, climb out of his shell and shed his skeleton. They will then burrow themselves in the sand while they wait for the new exo to get hard. Once they are happy that the exo is nice and hard, they will come out of hiding and climb back into their shell. It is however a good idea to have spare shells in your tanks for hermits. Once they have moulted, their old shell may be to small or even uncomfortable for him. Therefore they may feel the need for a change of scenery.
So, short of moving all our rocks to find Herbie, we are just going to have to exercise that little thing called patience. And hope he turns up.
I was distressed to say the least, but there wasn't anything I could do. But research. And research I did and found out that this could actually be Herbie moulting. Hermit crabs do it from time to time and have scared many an aquarist. So we have put the funeral on hold until we can confirm if this is a missing crabs case or a murder.
Why do they moult? Well, these guys have a hard exoskeleton that gets to small for them as they grow. So they need to shed this and grow a new hard exo. Your hermit will usually go find a quite place, climb out of his shell and shed his skeleton. They will then burrow themselves in the sand while they wait for the new exo to get hard. Once they are happy that the exo is nice and hard, they will come out of hiding and climb back into their shell. It is however a good idea to have spare shells in your tanks for hermits. Once they have moulted, their old shell may be to small or even uncomfortable for him. Therefore they may feel the need for a change of scenery.
So, short of moving all our rocks to find Herbie, we are just going to have to exercise that little thing called patience. And hope he turns up.
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Week 2: End of the first nitrogen cycle
It's nearly the end of week 2 and there have been some developments since the new arrivals.
Firstly, the clowns have a new Tank mate: a yellow tang. I picked him up from Birchwood aquatics, which has a very nice range of fish and healthy looking as well. I know it's a bit early for him as there won't be a lot of green algae for him to graze on, but I am supplementing that with some algae circles that I can hang in the tank.
Then there was the invasion of the brown algae! After getting freaked out and doing some research, found out this is normal for a new tank. It signals the end of the first nitrogen cycle. This algae is actually called diatoms. This algae feeds off the nitrate that is in the water. They will go away and turn into the healthy green algae as the tank continues to mature. That doesn't mean that it should be left unchecked.
The pros of having this algae is that it helps keep your nitrates in check. If you checked your tanks nitrates at this stage, it should result in a zero reading. Therefore, if you removed all this algae in one foul swoop, your nitrate readings will shoot up. It would also result in a major overall of the tank and therefore you will start the cycle again. That's one thing that I am learning very quickly, this hobby is about balance and patience. 2 things I struggle with!
So what to do? Some people suggest that you can do a light siphon of your gravel to pick up these guys. You could also do a fanning of the gravel to lift them up so they get picked up by your filter. If your rocks are getting really bad, a light rub remove this from the rocks as well.
I decided to leave my rocks as they were as I want to get some green algae there for my tang. I also did a light siphon of the sand. This is 2 part as I wanted to remove some water and add RO water to the system as my salinity was to high.
Firstly, the clowns have a new Tank mate: a yellow tang. I picked him up from Birchwood aquatics, which has a very nice range of fish and healthy looking as well. I know it's a bit early for him as there won't be a lot of green algae for him to graze on, but I am supplementing that with some algae circles that I can hang in the tank.
Then there was the invasion of the brown algae! After getting freaked out and doing some research, found out this is normal for a new tank. It signals the end of the first nitrogen cycle. This algae is actually called diatoms. This algae feeds off the nitrate that is in the water. They will go away and turn into the healthy green algae as the tank continues to mature. That doesn't mean that it should be left unchecked.
The pros of having this algae is that it helps keep your nitrates in check. If you checked your tanks nitrates at this stage, it should result in a zero reading. Therefore, if you removed all this algae in one foul swoop, your nitrate readings will shoot up. It would also result in a major overall of the tank and therefore you will start the cycle again. That's one thing that I am learning very quickly, this hobby is about balance and patience. 2 things I struggle with!
So what to do? Some people suggest that you can do a light siphon of your gravel to pick up these guys. You could also do a fanning of the gravel to lift them up so they get picked up by your filter. If your rocks are getting really bad, a light rub remove this from the rocks as well.
I decided to leave my rocks as they were as I want to get some green algae there for my tang. I also did a light siphon of the sand. This is 2 part as I wanted to remove some water and add RO water to the system as my salinity was to high.
Saturday, 6 April 2013
Day 8: Welcome!
We got some fish! Went to a new fish shop called Abacus Aquatics in Sidcup and picked up a pair of Common Clowns. We also picked up a Scarlet Reef Hermit crab to help keep the tank clean.
I am glad to say that I followed the correct acclimation process. I left them in their bags for 30 minutes and then added a little tank water every 10 minutes. Thereafter, I scoped them out of their bags with a net and let them swim around getting used to it. I have heard that this is best as it prevents polluting your tank with the shop water. Also, the fish can sometimes be stressed and pollute their water in transit.
I hope all this pays off and they settle in nicely. Can't wait to add some more friends for these to interact with, but we will add them slowly so as to not cause to much strain on the tank. One thing is for sure...it definitely beats looks at rock for a week!
I am glad to say that I followed the correct acclimation process. I left them in their bags for 30 minutes and then added a little tank water every 10 minutes. Thereafter, I scoped them out of their bags with a net and let them swim around getting used to it. I have heard that this is best as it prevents polluting your tank with the shop water. Also, the fish can sometimes be stressed and pollute their water in transit.
Friday, 5 April 2013
The night before day 8
I am a rather impatient person, I admit it. This week has been rather tough for me as it is generally accepted that you should let your tank run for a week at least in order for it to mature. So tomorrow is Saturday and the tank would have been running for a week. That means its fish time.
Before anyone thinks I am irresponsible, I have been testing my water religiously for Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrates. Ie the fish killers. I am happy to report that all of these have been zero or very (and I mean very very) close to it. So it should be safe to get a fish.
Who is the lucky fish, you ask? Amphiprion ocellaris. Otherwise know as the common clown or Ocellaris clown. To some, it will be know as Nemo.
I love clownfish, as I am sure many people do. There is just something about seeing them swim around and play in an anemone.
In due course, I am hoping to provide them with an anemone to call home. But for now, I will try work on my patience and wait a little before venturing into marine invertebrates of that sort.
Before anyone thinks I am irresponsible, I have been testing my water religiously for Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrates. Ie the fish killers. I am happy to report that all of these have been zero or very (and I mean very very) close to it. So it should be safe to get a fish.
Who is the lucky fish, you ask? Amphiprion ocellaris. Otherwise know as the common clown or Ocellaris clown. To some, it will be know as Nemo.
I love clownfish, as I am sure many people do. There is just something about seeing them swim around and play in an anemone.
In due course, I am hoping to provide them with an anemone to call home. But for now, I will try work on my patience and wait a little before venturing into marine invertebrates of that sort.
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Day 5: The Hitchhiker
Hello little fellow, where did you come from?
Welcome to England. I am afraid that it may be drier in the tank than outside!
Apparently this little guy really enjoys the taste of live rock and corals. Not good news if I want to make this a reef coral tank. Also, the aquascaped rocks aren't the most stable around, so he may cause a rockslide. I think we will need to figure out what to do with him very shortly.
Crab for dinner?
Day 4: Sand
Before starting on this new venture, I didn't think this would be the first issue I encountered. I thought water quality would have been the usual chestnut, but all 3 days of testing has resulted in positive results. The questions that have been raised range from live vs inert sand to substrate thickness. Let me explain my issues and what I have tried doing for each of them? Unfortunately most of theses issues came up after the facts and once I'd done the necessary research.
Live vs inert?
For my tank, the manufacturers recommend about a 3 inch covering of substrate. My local shop recommended that I use live sand, but it was ridiculously expensive. I was informed that it has live cultures that will benefit my tank and help with the breaking in of the tank. Having previously kept a tank that used an under gravel filter, I could well believe the benefits. However I couldn't justify the cost. So I ended up buying half and half, hoping to get a good balance between cost vs benefit. This got me thinking and then researching.
This is an interesting one that seems to have many people divided. Some people on the net believe by it while others say that its a money making scam. They state that cultures surely cannot survive if its been bagged for a length of time, which makes sense.
My personal thoughts are now, if you going to use live rock, then I don't think you need the live sand as the rock should have cultures that will benefit your tank. If you not going the live rock route, it may be beneficial to bring in some organisms using the live sand.
When should I put my sand in?
When I left the shop, we left with the water, tank and sand. But no rocks. We were instructed to use this and then get live rock in a couple of days. BIG MISTAKE. If you are going to aqua scape after having your sand in, you are going to need a soft touch and a lot of patience. This is because of the sand being disturbed and turning the water murky to the point of no visual. Having researched on the net, nearly everyone says that you should put the rocks in and then sand. The benefits are:
Better aquascaping as you can do it without muddying the water
Once you are happy with your aquascape, you can suck up any detris to prevent it from decaying off the bottom of the tank.
The sand will help anchor the rocks into place
By having no sand under the rocks, there is less likely hood of any gases building up under the rock that will get trapped and later released causing a severe deteriation of water quality (current concerns for deep substrate beds)
How thick should my substrate/sand be?
This had me and my wife puzzled and going back and forth. Most books, forums and shops recommend between 1.5 - 2 inches whilst my shop and manufacturer recommend 3 inches. Looking at the tank, 3 inches looked very deep. What's the difference. Deep beds substrates are a new thing, apparently and have huge benefits. I.e. organisms that grow in the sand can grow better and thus breakdown tank wastes for you. The bad news is that this gets broken into gases that can get trapped in the sand. When the bubble finally bursts, it can cause a severe deteriation of the tank water quality. What we decided to do, was take out some of the sand and go for a 2 inch thick bed as I am really not wanting to go down that route and rather rely on my filters to do the job. This was a huge operation as we already had rock and water in.
Live vs inert?
For my tank, the manufacturers recommend about a 3 inch covering of substrate. My local shop recommended that I use live sand, but it was ridiculously expensive. I was informed that it has live cultures that will benefit my tank and help with the breaking in of the tank. Having previously kept a tank that used an under gravel filter, I could well believe the benefits. However I couldn't justify the cost. So I ended up buying half and half, hoping to get a good balance between cost vs benefit. This got me thinking and then researching.
This is an interesting one that seems to have many people divided. Some people on the net believe by it while others say that its a money making scam. They state that cultures surely cannot survive if its been bagged for a length of time, which makes sense.
My personal thoughts are now, if you going to use live rock, then I don't think you need the live sand as the rock should have cultures that will benefit your tank. If you not going the live rock route, it may be beneficial to bring in some organisms using the live sand.
When should I put my sand in?
When I left the shop, we left with the water, tank and sand. But no rocks. We were instructed to use this and then get live rock in a couple of days. BIG MISTAKE. If you are going to aqua scape after having your sand in, you are going to need a soft touch and a lot of patience. This is because of the sand being disturbed and turning the water murky to the point of no visual. Having researched on the net, nearly everyone says that you should put the rocks in and then sand. The benefits are:
Better aquascaping as you can do it without muddying the water
Once you are happy with your aquascape, you can suck up any detris to prevent it from decaying off the bottom of the tank.
The sand will help anchor the rocks into place
By having no sand under the rocks, there is less likely hood of any gases building up under the rock that will get trapped and later released causing a severe deteriation of water quality (current concerns for deep substrate beds)
How thick should my substrate/sand be?
This had me and my wife puzzled and going back and forth. Most books, forums and shops recommend between 1.5 - 2 inches whilst my shop and manufacturer recommend 3 inches. Looking at the tank, 3 inches looked very deep. What's the difference. Deep beds substrates are a new thing, apparently and have huge benefits. I.e. organisms that grow in the sand can grow better and thus breakdown tank wastes for you. The bad news is that this gets broken into gases that can get trapped in the sand. When the bubble finally bursts, it can cause a severe deteriation of the tank water quality. What we decided to do, was take out some of the sand and go for a 2 inch thick bed as I am really not wanting to go down that route and rather rely on my filters to do the job. This was a huge operation as we already had rock and water in.
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Monday, 1 April 2013
Day 3: aquascaping part 1
This is the plan, but its not going so well in the tank. Once I have figured something out, I will post the pics and tell you about the experience and difficulties encountered.
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| Work in Progress |
The Dream...
It has always been a dream of mine to start up a tropical marine reef tank but there has always been 100 reasons why it wasn't the right time. so we decide to stop making excuses and just do it. This past weekend, I finally got my tank... an Aquael Reef Max 105l.
Getting it setup was a touch tricky but it didn't take too long. So far so good. Learnt a few lesson's already, like how much sand NOT to use! Also placing rock before the sand is in would have be so much easier. Oh well, guess its all part of learning... and probably the reason one has to wait a week before adding any fish!
I have to wait for the tank to mature before adding any fish. This at least gives me plenty of time to read up about the kind of tank I want to create. So much to think about with corals and anemone's.
I'll be updating my blog with the tanks progress and hopefully won't have to blog about too many mistakes!
Getting it setup was a touch tricky but it didn't take too long. So far so good. Learnt a few lesson's already, like how much sand NOT to use! Also placing rock before the sand is in would have be so much easier. Oh well, guess its all part of learning... and probably the reason one has to wait a week before adding any fish!
I have to wait for the tank to mature before adding any fish. This at least gives me plenty of time to read up about the kind of tank I want to create. So much to think about with corals and anemone's.
I'll be updating my blog with the tanks progress and hopefully won't have to blog about too many mistakes!
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