100G tank

[Kieth71]

I am waiting for my sponge filter which is in my sump to get beneficial bacteria on it so i can use it for my qt.How long does it normally take for it to get enough for use?I guess i missed 1 crab so i guess he will stay but i have thinned it out from 35 or so to 1 or 2.They are so hard to catch lol.I also received the total package from bulk reef supply tonight. I will finish off the b-ionic i have left and then start using that.


By kman71

[Kieth71]

I went ahead and ordered 3 160g buckets of reefcrystals from drsfostersmith as it is on sale at this time and my lfs wants like 65$ for coral reef pro.I got 3 buckets with shipping for just over 100$.I am gonna finish off the kent sea salt i already had though and i beleive part of the magnesium problems i have had is due to the low lvls in this salt.I am not sure if salt loses its trace elements over time but i had this salt for over 2 years..either way i am switching salts after it is gone.

[Kdocimo90]

looks great... this reminds me of my starting tank.. fortunate for me i knew i was going to want to upgrade some time, so I upgraded to begin with

What fish are you planning on getting?

[Kieth71]

I am still in planning stages on fish..i am thinking about these fish so far

chocolate mimic tang

yellow tang

2 percs(paired)

swallowtail angel or potters angel

diamond goby

4 or 5 blue streak cardinal fish

I have 3 peppermint shrimp about 12 astrea snails and 2 or so blue legged hermits in the tank right now along with a kenya tree and a few patches of zoa polyps

[Kdocimo90]

I would say definitely get a diamond watchman goby.. i've got one a bout 4 inches long and it's awesome... and i would go with a potters angel over a swallowtail.. but so far so good

Good luck!

[A sea K]

Keith,
You changed your username already. I saw your post in my wrasse ID thread listed as keithR but it showed up as Rockymtreefer.
Check your mag level on the reef crystals, the last few buckets I got were quite low and needed raising. This issue has supposed to been fixed but check your levels to make sure and buffer up before you add it to the tank.
I would ask around for personal experiences with the YT and the Mimic. As juvi's most of the Mimic's are yellow and the one I have(still juvi stage) does not like any other yellow fish and may be a problem. The Swallowtail (Genicanthus?) and the Potters will be compatible and you could do both if you desired. If not I would go with the Potters as well.

[Kieth71]

heh ya i asked them to change my username..i have not actually started useing reef crystals i just ordered 3 buckets since it was on sale.I am useing kent sea salt that i have had for about 2 years(unopened).I bought it when i thought i was gonna start my tank a few years ago but didnt have time to get it going.I had thought about the yelllow tang and the mimic might be a problem.I wonder if that is just while the mimic is juvenile and yellow or if thats something that is going to cause a problem in the tank even after the mimic reaches adult.

[A sea K]

Reef Crystals is good salt just make sure you test your levels and match them to your tank before using. You should do thid with any salt though.

I've had my Mimic for 1-1/2 yrs and he is still in his juvi color but showing signs of changing. He has lately started to chase my Yellow coris which has been in the system longer than the mimic. Not constant but I have noticed this more as of late. Post a queery in the Reef Fish forum and ask around for anyone having first hand experience with these two. If your not dead set on the YT I would try a Bristletooth (several to choose from). Very hard working and a good size for your system as most don't get very large. That said I want to find my Hippo a new home as he is getting BIG and would like to replace him with a Red Sea Purple.

[Kieth71]

Ty A sea K.I will rethink the yt.I do not want to put incompatable fish together and if there is a chance of trouble i would rather not have the yt.I will be sure to test the new salt before i start using it.I will also test the kent when i mix up a batch for a water change next week.I will have to admit i didnt test it when i made up 120 gallons to start the tank

[Kieth71]

I found a wonderful place to buy fish and corals this weekend.Its called oceans apart here in denver metro area and its only open to the public on saturdays.The are basically a company that does aquarium maintenance all week and then opens to the public on saturdays.All of the fish they have are brokered and they dont seem any more expensive then the other lfs's around here.Well having said all that i went ahead and purchased my first fish. He is a yellow tang and is eating well.I took a few pics but they are not great since my camera isnt great and he isnt exactly posing



By [URL=http://profile.imageshack.us/user/kman71]kman71[/URL





By kman71

[Kieth71]

I also asked about the chocolate mimic with the yellow tang and he said they should be fine together.I may chk into this a bit more and if they are gonna be a problem i may go with a diffrent tang for my 2nd tang..maybe powderbrown or white cheek.

[Kieth71]

Well everyting is going well with the tank so far.The yellow tang is eating well so far and although i took a calculated risk by not qting the fish this will be the only one i do not.The way i looked at it was that since it was my first fish in the tank if it did happend to get a disease i have a qt ready to go and would remove and qt it and keep the display tank empty of fish for 6weeks.I know it is early at this point but the fish is doing well so far.I am trying to fish the urge to redo my rockwork in the tank as i do not want to stress the fish..the wall i created although nice is bugging me..i ahve thought about creating a few piles of rockwork rather then the wall...must fight urge to mess with it

[Kieth71]

I tested the water for evrything today including nitrites for the first time since i just got the test kit for it.Everything is looking good and pretty stable.I even have my magnesium up to 1300.I received my salt today from fosters and smith and it looks like i get a free beach towel with each bucket.I am very happy i ordered them as it was a great deal.The yellow tang is doing very good and is starting to swim around the tank more and not hide so much.



By kman71








By kman71

[Kieth71]

I am planning on changing the water for the first time and am gonna do about 30g.I chked the water at 1.025 salinity ..the magnesium was at 750...that would explain why my magnesium was so low.I only have a little bit of that left and then i will be useing reef crystals which should be better.

[Kieth71]

I changed the water yesterday ended up changing about 25g.I was trying to do it right..got magnesium calcium and alk all to the right lvls.I made sure the temp matched the tank.I decided to vac the gravel a bit to get rid of a bit of dust that was still in it.I then decided to vac the sump a bit to get rid of some debris...this is when i made a mistake.I forgot to unplug my ato.I went out of the room and for a minute came back and my ato is filling my sump with water...woops.All that work trying to get the water to match down the drain..i then had to get the salinity fixed..oh well lesson learned.I will be sure to turn off the ato when doing water changes

[Kieth71]

I went to the lfs just to look around and to maybe order a fish.They had an ora picasso clown that had been bought as a pair but they didnt get along so one was returned.I had really wanted a pair but it was such a great price i couldnt resist.Here is a pic

[Kieth71]

Here is a pic of my yellow tang.He is doing very well and is already starting to fatten up a bit.The snail population is slowly but surely getting whittled down.I am not sure how you are supposed to keep astrea snails.Something that cant flip itself back over does not appear to be very good in a reef aquaria.I am going to order some trochus snails eventually which appear to be a better fit.they may be more expensive up front but if they survive they will be well worth it.Here is another pic of the percula clown as well



By kman71




By [URL=http://profile.imageshack.us/user/kman71]kman71[/URL

[Kieth71]

I tested all the tank lvls today

calcium 410
alk 143.2
ph 8.1
phosphate 0
ammonia 0
nitrate 0
salinity 1.025
temp 78.5
magnesium 1300


Everything seems to be going well with the tank.I went a bought some new food yesterday rods food for the clown fish and also some dry pellets.he loves the rods food and so does the yellow tang.I have seen the yellow tang scrape his side on the gravel once.I know this may be a bad sign.I have only seen him do it once but if i need to qt him and the clown to treat i am prepared with a sponge filter that has been in my sump for quite some time now.I guess i will have to keep an eye on him and see how it goes.I see no signs of white spots not does he have an marks on him from continuous rubbing.I guess i will just wait and see.also doesn anyone know of peppermint shrimp will clean a fish of parasites like a skunk cleaner shrimp will.I am not saying that this is the answer to ick if the fish has it just was curious.if not i may go buy one.

[Kieth71]

I decided to make a small refigium of sorts in my sump so i took some egg crate and made a box which i am planning to add my macro algae to.Anyone else ever done anything like this and should it work pretty well?.I did did not have a lot of room in my sump or underneath the tank so i am hoeping this will work.I am also still wondering if peppermint shrimp will clean fish as say skunk cleaner shrimp would any input on this? Thanks





By kman71

[Kieth71]

heh no input at all on this?I feel like i am talking to myself in this thread for the most part...i guess ill call it good on this one and let it die.

[kudora]

Originally posted by Rockymtreefer
I tested all the tank lvls today

calcium 410
alk 143.2
ph 8.1
phosphate 0
ammonia 0
nitrate 0
salinity 1.025
temp 78.5
magnesium 1300


Everything seems to be going well with the tank.I went a bought some new food yesterday rods food for the clown fish and also some dry pellets.he loves the rods food and so does the yellow tang.I have seen the yellow tang scrape his side on the gravel once.I know this may be a bad sign.I have only seen him do it once but if i need to qt him and the clown to treat i am prepared with a sponge filter that has been in my sump for quite some time now.I guess i will have to keep an eye on him and see how it goes.I see no signs of white spots not does he have an marks on him from continuous rubbing.I guess i will just wait and see.also doesn anyone know of peppermint shrimp will clean a fish of parasites like a skunk cleaner shrimp will.I am not saying that this is the answer to ick if the fish has it just was curious.if not i may go buy one.

i hope your tang doesnt have ick, it would be a shame after starting out so well you had to put both fish in QT. nice tank btw

[Kieth71]

Ty Kudora ..i dont know that he has ick as he still looks fine and is eating fine.I just saw him scratch on the sand once and that was the thought that crossed my mind right away.

[Kieth71]

I bought some chaeto(sp?) and a cleaner shrimp today as i found out peppermint shrinp dont in fact clean fish of parasites.Here is a few pics of my make-shift refugium.The yellow tang still shows no signs of ick and am hopeing it stays that way.How long do most people leave the light on for the macro algae? i was thinking 12 hours but any input would be appreciated



By kman71






By kman71

[Kieth71]

Bump for refugium lighting question

[Kieth71]

I think my yellow tang has flukes..he is twitching a bit and has a clear bump on his side..i also chked all my watyer parameters and they are all fine.I am thinking about a freshwater dip..any advice on what to do would be great..should i set up the qt? do i also need to worry about the clown even though he is not affected at this point?