Here's My Tank! and I have some questions

lilmonster · 10/02/2008, 01:04 AM

Hi Everybody, My name is Gary and everyone calls me "the Computer Guy".
I've had many freashwater tanks and a couple salt tanks over the years.
In 2006, i had a major castrosphe in my salt tank and everything died, it was so bad i had to throw most everything away, and it took a few months to get the special rocks back to life.
(special to me, Looks like a conehead skull, Can you see it?)
I decided that this time, I would make my first total reef tank. I started it the beginning of 2007 and it's still growing.
Since that last crash, i've been doing this very slowly and very cautiuosly because of what happen last time(also on a budget) and this is what it looks like today.

A lot of the Corals are doing great and have grown a lot in the past year

I also have a Refugium and sump

I have a Saddle Clown, Firehawk, and a Bi-color Blenny in the main tank. also lots of snails and hermit crabs, i also have a sallyfoot crab(right name?)

Here is one of my Fox Corals (1 of my favs)

My Second Fox Coral isn't doing so well, and is 1 of my problem corals. (I'll get better pics of both tomorrow)

Most all(but 4) of the corals i have are frags from a local store, to them their just broken pieces in the bottom of the bag, (not the cut and pluged type of frags) and the selection changes everytime they stock up. Their nice people there but I think their tired of answering all my questions, so i'm going to ask questions here.

How can i encourage more growth on everything?

And what is this?

I also have more pics of my tank here http://www.lmtcg.com/entertainingpag...s/fishtank.htm
To my friends that have tanks, i'm the smart one, but since i found Reef central, i feel like a newbie again. Teach Me!

Ok, thats for starters, go ahead, Bombarde me with questions, and maybe some answers too.

lilmonster · 10/02/2008, 01:05 AM

I have a few other that are not doing so good
I think this is a Sun Coral? and it needs HELP!

I don't know what this is, but it has been looking good like pic 1 but then on monday it looked like pic #2 and none of the things have come out since.

Not sure what this is ether but I've notice that 2 of the holes have died since i got it, 1 near the top right and the far left edge.

Can anyone identify the last 2 corals?
What can i do to help them Not Die anymore?

SALT WATER CRAZ · 10/02/2008, 01:10 AM

yes the crab looks like a sally to me.

The sun coral needs direct feedings. (It is not photosynthetic)

The bottom corals look like Turbinaria sp. to me

And

To Reef Central

I think these are what some people would call snake polyps but dont quote me on this one. lol

lilmonster · 10/02/2008, 01:20 AM

Here's another of my favorites, A bubble Coral, and it looks different during the different times of the day.

Daytime

Evening

And Night

And I have a Baby Bubble

I need to clean my glass.

Rendos · 10/02/2008, 08:13 AM

Snake polyps is correct. The scientific name is Isaurus tuberculata.

Jay180reef · 10/02/2008, 09:00 AM

What kind of lights are you running?

paca444 · 10/02/2008, 09:13 AM

One of the best resources I have found for sun corals is at melevs reef.

m_wonnacott · 10/02/2008, 09:26 AM

Ok before anyone can really help figure out whats wrong with your corals we need to know what equipment you are running, what your maintanance is like, what are your test results , amonia, nitrite, nitrate, calcium, magnesium, ph (i think thats all of them). All this info will help us all pin point the problem to better help you fix it

Cheetos&Cocopuf · 10/02/2008, 01:41 PM

Gary, throw that swing arm Sea Test dealio shown in the pics away and get a Refractometer. Accurate and consistent salinity measurement is fundamental.

I see it... the conehead skull rock IS cool!

lilmonster · 10/03/2008, 12:22 AM

Ok, all of my testing suff was on the old side so I went and got a new API reef test kit and here are the results so far

Calcium is 520 (i'm going to retest this, seems kinda high)
KH 143.2
Phosphate .25
Nitrates 20

I'll have to get the other testing liquids tomorrow (amonia, nitrite, ph, I don't think i've ever done a magnesium test)

As for equipment I have

Coralife florescent 48" Lunar Aqualight with True Actinic 03 Blue lamp and a 10,000K Daylight lamp and lunar blue-moon-glow LEDs.
Refugium light is just a home depot utility lamp with a daylight compact florescent bulb on opposite times of main tank.
BSM insump skimmer, after a few mods, it works great. I don't know what "wet" or "dry" skimming is.
1 Rio 12 750gph pump for the main tank
1 ViaAqua 1300 pump for the refugium

Darn it, i forgot to remove the salt tester before taking picture, I've looked into Refractometers, but there a little exspensive. But it is on my list of items I need.

bpkenn · 10/03/2008, 01:55 AM

can get the same refractometers you would find at DFS on ebay for around 35$ shipped. mine came with an LED built in for easy reading.

lilmonster · 10/03/2008, 09:21 PM

I retested today and here are the results

Amonia 0
Nitrates 20
Nitrites 0
PH 8.6
Calcium 500
KH 143.2
Phosphate .25
Salinity 1.020 (from cheapo gauge)

I couldn't find a Magnesium test kit anywhere.

foxhuntr · 10/04/2008, 07:57 PM

well IMO your nitrates are high and your PH is alittle high and your phosphates are high and your salinity is to low....... try to drop your nitrates as close to zero and your PH to around 8.2-8.4 and your phosphates close to zero and raise your salinity to 1.025..... I had a Pogoda like yours but it was huge and lost it cause of PH and my salinity was always flucuating so it ended up dieing alittle at a time..... i kept trimming back the die off but it kept going...... hope this was alittle help to ya

JamesJR · 10/04/2008, 10:09 PM

also, your corals may benefit from being fed.

April540 · 10/06/2008, 07:28 PM

Sun Corals have to be hand fed, this is something the Pet shops neglect to tell you. What a shame they don't research before they sell these to us. But they do really well when you do it.

lilmonster · 10/06/2008, 08:29 PM

I'm finding a lot of things the LFS didn't tell me or were not quite right about.

lilmonster · 10/10/2008, 01:56 AM

I retested again today and here are my results

Amonia 0
Nitrates 5
Nitrites 0
PH 8.4
Calcium 560
alk 7
Phosphate .25
Salinity 1.023 (and going up)

my calcium seems a but high, how can i lower that?
And i listed the wrong skimmer, i have a ASM Mini-g in-sump skimmer

SaltyDr · 10/10/2008, 07:44 AM

It will either go down on it's own, or you can do some partial water changes to bring it down.

10/02/2008, 01:04 AM	#1
lilmonster Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 324	Here's My Tank! and I have some questions Hi Everybody, My name is Gary and everyone calls me "the Computer Guy". I've had many freashwater tanks and a couple salt tanks over the years. In 2006, i had a major castrosphe in my salt tank and everything died, it was so bad i had to throw most everything away, and it took a few months to get the special rocks back to life. (special to me, Looks like a conehead skull, Can you see it?) I decided that this time, I would make my first total reef tank. I started it the beginning of 2007 and it's still growing. Since that last crash, i've been doing this very slowly and very cautiuosly because of what happen last time(also on a budget) and this is what it looks like today. A lot of the Corals are doing great and have grown a lot in the past year I also have a Refugium and sump I have a Saddle Clown, Firehawk, and a Bi-color Blenny in the main tank. also lots of snails and hermit crabs, i also have a sallyfoot crab(right name?) Here is one of my Fox Corals (1 of my favs) My Second Fox Coral isn't doing so well, and is 1 of my problem corals. (I'll get better pics of both tomorrow) Most all(but 4) of the corals i have are frags from a local store, to them their just broken pieces in the bottom of the bag, (not the cut and pluged type of frags) and the selection changes everytime they stock up. Their nice people there but I think their tired of answering all my questions, so i'm going to ask questions here. How can i encourage more growth on everything? And what is this? I also have more pics of my tank here http://www.lmtcg.com/entertainingpag...s/fishtank.htm To my friends that have tanks, i'm the smart one, but since i found Reef central, i feel like a newbie again. Teach Me! Ok, thats for starters, go ahead, Bombarde me with questions, and maybe some answers too.

10/02/2008, 01:10 AM	#3
SALT WATER CRAZ Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: michigan Posts: 872	yes the crab looks like a sally to me. The sun coral needs direct feedings. (It is not photosynthetic) The bottom corals look like Turbinaria sp. to me And *To Reef Central* I think these are what some people would call snake polyps but dont quote me on this one. lol Last edited by SALT WATER CRAZ; 10/02/2008 at 01:25 AM.

10/02/2008, 08:13 AM	#5
Rendos Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 5,380	Snake polyps is correct. The scientific name is Isaurus tuberculata. __________________ Richard Rendos - Founder WTMRAC It can't rain all the time. Current Tank Info: 92 gallon corner bowfront

10/02/2008, 09:00 AM	#6
Jay180reef Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Calgary Posts: 431	What kind of lights are you running? __________________ Jay Current Tank Info: 180G reef, 2x45G sumps, 45G fuge, MH lights w/T5s, ReefOcto skmr, Barracuda pump, Magnum powerheads

10/02/2008, 09:13 AM	#7
paca444 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: CNY Posts: 52	One of the best resources I have found for sun corals is at melevs reef. __________________ -75g rr packed reef garden 120lbs LR 40g sump, remora pro, Nova 4x54w T5 -75g tank for turbastrea -24g Aquapod- dropped- Current Replaced for Free!

10/02/2008, 01:05 AM	#2
lilmonster Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 324	I have a few other that are not doing so good I think this is a Sun Coral? and it needs HELP! I don't know what this is, but it has been looking good like pic 1 but then on monday it looked like pic #2 and none of the things have come out since. Not sure what this is ether but I've notice that 2 of the holes have died since i got it, 1 near the top right and the far left edge. Can anyone identify the last 2 corals? What can i do to help them Not Die anymore?

10/02/2008, 01:20 AM	#4
lilmonster Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 324	Here's another of my favorites, A bubble Coral, and it looks different during the different times of the day. Daytime Evening And Night And I have a Baby Bubble I need to clean my glass.

10/02/2008, 09:26 AM	#8
m_wonnacott Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Stratford, Ontario Canada Posts: 631	Ok before anyone can really help figure out whats wrong with your corals we need to know what equipment you are running, what your maintanance is like, what are your test results , amonia, nitrite, nitrate, calcium, magnesium, ph (i think thats all of them). All this info will help us all pin point the problem to better help you fix it __________________ 55 Gal about50 lbs of dead lr , 15 lbs lr to seed, 2x18" NO 50/50, penguin 350 with just carbon, pinpoint wireless therm, 300w heater, 2x korilia 3 Current Tank Info: 55 gal FOWLR atm

10/02/2008, 01:41 PM	#9
Cheetos&Cocopuf Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 89	Gary, throw that swing arm Sea Test dealio shown in the pics away and get a Refractometer. Accurate and consistent salinity measurement is fundamental. I see it... the conehead skull rock IS cool!

10/03/2008, 12:22 AM	#10
lilmonster Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 324	Ok, all of my testing suff was on the old side so I went and got a new API reef test kit and here are the results so far Calcium is 520 (i'm going to retest this, seems kinda high) KH 143.2 Phosphate .25 Nitrates 20 I'll have to get the other testing liquids tomorrow (amonia, nitrite, ph, I don't think i've ever done a magnesium test) As for equipment I have Coralife florescent 48" Lunar Aqualight with True Actinic 03 Blue lamp and a 10,000K Daylight lamp and lunar blue-moon-glow LEDs. Refugium light is just a home depot utility lamp with a daylight compact florescent bulb on opposite times of main tank. BSM insump skimmer, after a few mods, it works great. I don't know what "wet" or "dry" skimming is. 1 Rio 12 750gph pump for the main tank 1 ViaAqua 1300 pump for the refugium Darn it, i forgot to remove the salt tester before taking picture, I've looked into Refractometers, but there a little exspensive. But it is on my list of items I need.

10/03/2008, 01:55 AM	#11
bpkenn Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Schaumburg, IL Posts: 346	can get the same refractometers you would find at DFS on ebay for around 35$ shipped. mine came with an LED built in for easy reading.

10/03/2008, 09:21 PM	#12
lilmonster Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 324	I retested today and here are the results Amonia 0 Nitrates 20 Nitrites 0 PH 8.6 Calcium 500 KH 143.2 Phosphate .25 Salinity 1.020 (from cheapo gauge) I couldn't find a Magnesium test kit anywhere.

10/04/2008, 07:57 PM	#13
foxhuntr Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: PA Posts: 266	well IMO your nitrates are high and your PH is alittle high and your phosphates are high and your salinity is to low....... try to drop your nitrates as close to zero and your PH to around 8.2-8.4 and your phosphates close to zero and raise your salinity to 1.025..... I had a Pogoda like yours but it was huge and lost it cause of PH and my salinity was always flucuating so it ended up dieing alittle at a time..... i kept trimming back the die off but it kept going...... hope this was alittle help to ya

10/04/2008, 10:09 PM	#14
JamesJR Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 2,733	also, your corals may benefit from being fed. __________________ Just when I thought you couldn't be any dumber you go and do something like this....And totally redeem yourself! Current Tank Info: 20 gallon

10/06/2008, 07:28 PM	#15
April540 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 572	Sun Corals have to be hand fed, this is something the Pet shops neglect to tell you. What a shame they don't research before they sell these to us. But they do really well when you do it. __________________ April Current Tank Info: 180 gal. Reef Mix,230 lbs live rock, SPS,Shrooms,Buttons, Rics,Shrimps, clean up crew.ASM G3 skimmer,Outer Orbit 250 MH T5 lighting

10/06/2008, 08:29 PM	#16
lilmonster Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 324	I'm finding a lot of things the LFS didn't tell me or were not quite right about.

10/10/2008, 01:56 AM	#17
lilmonster Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 324	I retested again today and here are my results Amonia 0 Nitrates 5 Nitrites 0 PH 8.4 Calcium 560 alk 7 Phosphate .25 Salinity 1.023 (and going up) my calcium seems a but high, how can i lower that? And i listed the wrong skimmer, i have a ASM Mini-g in-sump skimmer

10/10/2008, 07:44 AM	#18
SaltyDr Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Southwest Florida Posts: 1,191	It will either go down on it's own, or you can do some partial water changes to bring it down.