Tswifty's Custom 40g Rimless Build Thread

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by IridescentLily
Hi Tswifty,
Can i ask, what is that one coral way to the right in the fts above? It's next to the sps and directly above the acan. It's hard to tell. Is that a favia or an echinata or... other? It's really nice looking.

Thanks. I think the coral you're describing is the ATL Meteor Shower Cyphastrea (LPS).

[IridescentLily]

Oh goodness i didn't recognize it as such.
I covet your cyphastrea.
It's really a nice big colony with nice color. It looks like your cyphastrea is a red color. Is it red, or is that the camera?

[Tswifty]

Yeah it's kind of hidden back there, I actually can't remember the last time I've taken a picture of it.

It's a low light coral in my opinion, and I have tough times finding spots for those in the tank. In my experience, it's skin can drastically change color depending on the intensity of the lighting. I've kept it where it's had teal blue skin with red polyps, but since I added the second pendant the skin is now gray with red polyps. Grows like an encrusting monti and very fast as well.

Here are a few older pics I dug up, perhaps it's due for an update. Notice how my rocks are nice, purple, and non-algae covered.

[Tswifty]

I updated my other thread with more pictures, but figure I'll post a few of the impressive improvements here. Thus far I have only been dosing Brightwell Aquatic's Microbacter 7 and Kent Marine Lugol's Solution. I plan on starting Vodka dosing tomorrow.

My ORA Marshall's Island Blue Bottlebrush which I had written off for dead. Polyp Extension has returned, and color is beginning to come back.

August 9, 2009



August 30, 2009





The Diver's Den Green Acropora Tenuis (not A. Millepora)

August 9, 2009



August 30, 2009

[OwNeD162]

Good to see they're starting to come back TJ !
Sucks about the algae though, I've got a bit of an outbreak in my tank at the moment too, hoping to pickup a hermit crab sometime soon to take care of it... Also have an aptasia outbreak ... I'm hoping that a peppermint shrimp might take care of it for me...

[Tswifty]

Thanks Mitchell. As far as the Aiptasia goes, I've had good success with Red Sea's Aiptasia-X.

I think I'm going to re-calibrate my pH probes tomorrow. I may have spiked my pH tonight... although I'm not sure how or why?It got up to 8.6 (currently it's 8.4). So I need to check on the calibration to make find out if the results are accurate. Also, I'm going to test my alkalinity here in a little, but I shut off my CO2 yesterday and am going to let the alkalinity stabilize, so I can find out if I need to dose 2-part or if the kalk will handle it alone.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking... shutting off the CO2 in combination with the kalk must have spiked the pH. That was the first thing I thought as well. So I checked my graphs, and the pH was fine and within range all day up until a few hours ago.

Also, my pH probe is located where the kalk dumps into the sump... so the reading is probably skewed a bit. I'm planning on pulling the extra pH probe out of the calcium reactor (since I am no longer using it), and placing it in the external overflow, which should hopefully give me a more reliable reading of what's going on in the display.

As I mentioned... yes I am planning on heading back to a 2-part dosing regiment for the time being. Like I've brought up in past posts, I'm tired of battling alkalinity swings. So for the time being I'm heading back to the dark ages, and will begin manually dosing the tank if necessary.

I need to purchase salt as well, and am planning on giving Red Sea Coral Pro a try this time around. Since I'm shooting for a lower alkalinity these days, it seems like it will be a good match. Also, I have a gift card for the LFS, and they don't sell Tropic Marin Pro.

[OwNeD162]

Cheers for the heads up on the Aiptasia-X
Apparently my LFS can't get it, but they sell Tropic Marine Elimi-Aiptas which does apparently does the same thing? Might try that before I go out and buy a shrimp that might not eat them anyways

[Johnny C]

+1 on the Aiptasia X! Mitch, PM me if you need some... I can pick it up from the LFS for ya.

TJ... Even though you've got a little HA, the last FTS still looks great. I have a bottlebrush about the same size as yours, and it's one of my favorites. If you get some time, take some more shots of your ORA's, I'm loving 'em!

[OwNeD162]

Thanks for the offer J.C. !
I'll give this Tropic Marine version a go first and see how it goes, if I don't have any success then I'll definitely take you up on that

[pcannone]

Originally posted by Tswifty


Yeah it's kind of hidden back there, I actually can't remember the last time I've taken a picture of it.

It's a low light coral in my opinion, and I have tough times finding spots for those in the tank. In my experience, it's skin can drastically change color depending on the intensity of the lighting. I've kept it where it's had teal blue skin with red polyps, but since I added the second pendant the skin is now gray with red polyps. Grows like an encrusting monti and very fast as well.

Here are a few older pics I dug up, perhaps it's due for an update. Notice how my rocks are nice, purple, and non-algae covered.

Hey TJ

I just ordered a meteor shower frag from Reef Hot Spot and they told me under T-5 lighting to keep it near the top of the tank under high flow. You mention that in your expierence to keep it under low light and it grows really fast. I've had mine for about a week and the polyps aren't extended like yours.

Think it might be to much light? My T-5 were eight inches off the water and over the weekend I changed it to four inches off the water.

As always your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

[Tswifty]

Depending on what type of T5 lighting you have, that may or may not be accurate. Like I said, in my experience it prefers lower light and moderate flow (it can tolerate higher flow, but just don't blast it with flow). It's probably sitting in PAR of around 200 right now, but in my opinion it's happiest in PAR of around 100 or less. Basically similar care conditions of chalices.

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by CaliDreaminjC
TJ... Even though you've got a little HA, the last FTS still looks great. I have a bottlebrush about the same size as yours, and it's one of my favorites. If you get some time, take some more shots of your ORA's, I'm loving 'em!

Thanks, I don't have too many ORA pieces anymore, but I'll try and take some updated pics. MY ORA Bird's of Paradise is probably one of my favorites, but growth hasn't been the greatest since I knock it off the rocks and break it just about everytime I clean the tank.

[kudora]

Originally posted by OwNeD162
Cheers for the heads up on the Aiptasia-X
Apparently my LFS can't get it, but they sell Tropic Marine Elimi-Aiptas which does apparently does the same thing? Might try that before I go out and buy a shrimp that might not eat them anyways

i have used tropic, joes juice and aiptasia-x, and i will rank them for you
aiptasia-x #1
joes juice #2
tropic marin #3

the peps will take care of the small ones, i used 11 or 12 in my DT and sump total, so blast the bigger ones.

i was able to get a indo CBB to eat and is now very healthy, he ate all my aiptasia after not looking at them for several weeks.

[kudora]

Originally posted by Tswifty


As I mentioned... yes I am planning on heading back to a 2-part dosing regiment for the time being. Like I've brought up in past posts, I'm tired of battling alkalinity swings. So for the time being I'm heading back to the dark ages, and will begin manually dosing the tank if necessary.

I need to purchase salt as well, and am planning on giving Red Sea Coral Pro a try this time around. Since I'm shooting for a lower alkalinity these days, it seems like it will be a good match. Also, I have a gift card for the LFS, and they don't sell Tropic Marin Pro.

dosing 2 part manually isnt all that bad lol, i dose 40 ml so i try to dose 20 ml at a time when dumping it in the overflow. i found that some of my more delicate corals(pearlberry, verde) would get burnt tips if i dumped it in all at once(even slowly).

thats the salt i used untill i started using reef crystals, guy i bought the tank had a bucket so i used it up, i couldnt find it locally so i started ordering RC, i am dead tired of the brown sludge and the wierd smell it produces. let me know what you think of the RS pro it has a real salt water smell.

[pcannone]

Originally posted by Tswifty
Depending on what type of T5 lighting you have, that may or may not be accurate. Like I said, in my experience it prefers lower light and moderate flow (it can tolerate higher flow, but just don't blast it with flow). It's probably sitting in PAR of around 200 right now, but in my opinion it's happiest in PAR of around 100 or less. Basically similar care conditions of chalices.

Thanks for your input, TJ.

[pcannone]

Sorry hit submit too fast.

The T-5 lighting I have is 48" 4x54W SLR T5 High-Ouput with IceCap ballasts.

Thanks again.

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by kudora
dosing 2 part manually isnt all that bad lol, i dose 40 ml so i try to dose 20 ml at a time when dumping it in the overflow. i found that some of my more delicate corals(pearlberry, verde) would get burnt tips if i dumped it in all at once(even slowly).

thats the salt i used untill i started using reef crystals, guy i bought the tank had a bucket so i used it up, i couldnt find it locally so i started ordering RC, i am dead tired of the brown sludge and the wierd smell it produces. let me know what you think of the RS pro it has a real salt water smell.

Yeah it's not gonna be terrible. I'm just extremely forgetful... seriously, check out the calendar I had to make so I don't forget or double dose my tank.



I would definitely agree with a switch away from Reef Crystals. I just noticed on the salt thread that the chart has been updated with "new" batches of Reef Crystals posting an alkalinity value of 13 dKH! I just picked up a 55g mix container of Red Sea Coral Pro, and will let you know how it works out when I make up a batch. I was surprised that the LFS actually was selling it for only $4 more than I found it online.

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by pcannone
Sorry hit submit too fast.

The T-5 lighting I have is 48" 4x54W SLR T5 High-Ouput with IceCap ballasts.

Thanks again.

No problem. With that lighting you should be perfectly fine placing it in the lower regions of your tank. In my experience it's a very hardy coral as well. I actually grew a frag from 1 polyp that happened to break off of my original frag.

You can see it next to the original frag in these pics.





Here it was a few months ago in the ex-g/f's tank.

[kudora]

Originally posted by Tswifty
Yeah it's not gonna be terrible. I'm just extremely forgetful... seriously, check out the calendar I had to make so I don't forget or double dose my tank.



I would definitely agree with a switch away from Reef Crystals. I just noticed on the salt thread that the chart has been updated with "new" batches of Reef Crystals posting an alkalinity value of 13 dKH! I just picked up a 55g mix container of Red Sea Coral Pro, and will let you know how it works out when I make up a batch. I was surprised that the LFS actually was selling it for only $4 more than I found it online.

ever since the new batches have been comming out i only add 2-5 gallons at a time and i dont add alk and calc for the day since my dhk stays around 9. its getting annoying and thus i might change to something else, i have had great growth and i have another bucket of reef crystals to go so it will be a little bit.

i have some blue corals in the tank atm they look good but i have been wondering about adding lugos lol might have to pick some up soon.

[Tswifty]

If you do decide to dose Lugol's, I would advise doing so at 1/2 the recommended dosage. For my 50 gallon system, I only dose 1 drop per week. Some people just dose Potassium instead, which is supposed to be the additive which helps bring out the blues. I haven't looked into it all that much though. I know ZEOvit sells a few different Potassium supplements. The Kent Marine Lugol's Solution has Potassium Iodide in it.

[kudora]

yeah i have read most of sunnyx thread, i would start slowly forsure.

[Tswifty]

I picked up my Vodka for the tank today. So I'm ready to begin dosing. Ended up having a funny conversation with the cashier at the liquor store about dosing Vodka in a fish tank. He was actually really intrigued by it. LOL

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by kudora
yeah i have read most of sunnyx thread, i would start slowly forsure.

That's the best way to go about it, and the main theme I kept seeing repeated throughout all my reading.

I'm actually going to be headed to Arizona for a week at the end of September, and will probably just have my sister maintain the current dosage throughout that entire week to minimize any potential side effects from the increased dosage since I won't be around to observe it.

[kudora]

with that nice check off list i am sure she will take care of your tank NP.

wow in the last pic with the vodka i could really see the algae.

[OwNeD162]

Originally posted by kudora
i have used tropic, joes juice and aiptasia-x, and i will rank them for you
aiptasia-x #1
joes juice #2
tropic marin #3

the peps will take care of the small ones, i used 11 or 12 in my DT and sump total, so blast the bigger ones.

i was able to get a indo CBB to eat and is now very healthy, he ate all my aiptasia after not looking at them for several weeks.

Thanks for that Kudora !