Tswifty's Custom 40g Rimless Build Thread

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by Taqpol
Would you recommend doing prophylactic hyposalinity or fresh water dips, or just wait and see if he shows symptoms? I remember those fresh water dips you did, they looked gruesome.

And I'll be taking you up on the PM offer if something isn't going right. He ate an entire clip of brown Nori in the QT today, so i am hopeful.

I prefer fresh water dips. The first one was pretty nerve racking, but the second two went much better. I'm not sure if he began getting a stronger tolerance to them, but besides looking better and being more active during the 2nd and 3rd dip, I was also able to leave him in the dip for longer without concern.

[Padrino]

no more than 10 minutes right??

[Tswifty]

10 Minutes!!!



Just kidding... I think the dips were all somewhere between 3-5 minutes.

[Padrino]

just checking to see you still remember.. ive heard of people doing 15 min FW dips.. which is way tooo risky if you ask me

[kudora]

i have done FW dips on all my fish before they went into the DT, 5 min max i would say. i use one of those oldschool desert holders made out of glass for small fish, the larger fish i put in a 2.5 gallon tank i have.

[downhillbiker]

Wow, your tank is gorgeous, truly stunning. I love the rimless look, makes me want to setup a nano just for rimless. Your coral choices are great. The color in your tank is amazing.

[Tswifty]

Late Night Water Testing:

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by downhillbiker
Wow, your tank is gorgeous, truly stunning. I love the rimless look, makes me want to setup a nano just for rimless. Your coral choices are great. The color in your tank is amazing.

Thanks. I was a little hesitant to downsize by so much initially, but am very happy with how it has turned out. This tank should definitely keep me satisfied for a few years (or however long it takes) until I can upgrade to a larger system again.

[Tswifty]

I've seen a few threads regarding how to clean filter socks popping up lately, so I figured I would document how I clean mine.

I use the washing machine, and before I start, run a rinse cycle to clear out any soap residue that may have been left over from prior use... after that, I'm ready to get down to business:

Turn dirty filter socks inside out:



Washer settings... Hot water & 2 rinse cycles:





Add cap full of unscented bleach:



Add dirty filter socks:



Remove freshly cleaned socks:



Hang dry until completely dry and bleach/chlorine smell disappears:



...and you're done 'till next time.

[kar93]

A domestic goddess too.

When you're testing late at night do you leave it running exactly as you would throughout the day with lights etc. or test while it's dark too?

[Electrobes]

Nice, your nitrates are gone! Nice write up.

[GSMguy]

Those filter socks are freaking nasty.

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by kar93
A domestic goddess too.

Where exactly can I find one of these?

Originally posted by kar93
When you're testing late at night do you leave it running exactly as you would throughout the day with lights etc. or test while it's dark too?

Haha... Hey Kar, haven't heard from you in a while. Hope all is well.

As for the testing, I just test the tank in whatever state it currently is in. Last night the lights were off when I performed the tests.

Originally posted by Electrobes
Nice, your nitrates are gone! Nice write up.

Thanks... I know, I'm pumped about that!

The Cheato has almost filled the refugium section, so I'll need to prune it soon.

Originally posted by GSMguy
Those filter socks are freaking nasty.

Yeah they get real sick. I need to get about 5 or 10 more though, so I can go longer between washes. When I change them, I just throw the dirty ones in a bucket out on the back porch until I need to wash them all.

[H.Veras]

hey TJ more pictures plz... looking good; there is a lot to learn here...

[Tswifty]

Here are some pieces that I scratched off for dead, or had counted out any chance of color returning... but have started to rebound lately:

Purple Tip Efflo (VERY excited about this piece coming back, you can see the new bright white growth, and a hint of the blue rim.)



ORA Marshall Island Blue Bottlebrush



Blue Digitata



Blue Tip Stag

[Kdocimo90]

JEESH how do your filter socks get so dirty? How often do you clean them?

[Tswifty]

Some others...

Blue Tort



Green Digitata



ORA Tri-Color (not sure what species though)



ORA Tri-Color Valida



AE Pumpkin Patch Chalice (2 new eyes forming)



Tubs Alien Eye Chalice



Exotic Frags Emerald Mummy Eye Chalice

[H.Veras]

nice pictures what camera r u using... they r some great pictures... i need to learn how to take good pictures like yours

[Tswifty]

Some pieces that I unfortunately have to get rid of to free up some room in the tank... so this is probably their last picture.

[Kdocimo90]

love that red one... dont sell it!

[Tswifty]

Originally posted by Kdocimo90
JEESH how do your filter socks get so dirty? How often do you clean them?

I change them on Monday and Thursdays. Usually I'll do a heavy feeding, followed by a sand bed/live rock/glass cleaning... then let the water clear before I remove them.

Originally posted by H.Veras
nice pictures what camera r u using... they r some great pictures... i need to learn how to take good pictures like yours

Thanks... I forgot to shut down the flow, or well put the VorTech into feed mode before I took these, so some of them came out a little blurry.

I'm using a Canon Powershot A520

Originally posted by Kdocimo90
love that red one... dont sell it!

Yeah it really glows, and I don't even have actinics. It's just getting to darn big, and I have a ton of red down low in the tank from the Acans.

I have so many chalices that I really need to thin out my collection, and I haven't really found a good way to get them mounted into the rockwork... so they basically all sit on frag discs on the sandbed, and take up a lot of prime real estate.

This is one of the instances where I wish I had a grow out tank, so I could keep some pieces I like, but don't have the room for, and just let them grow until I upgrade to a larger system.

[2frosty4u]

Awsome pics as usuall TJ. Are your pics in a shared album on Photobucket or are they locked?
Hows that Canon A520 for image stabilization? When I take pictures I shake more than a puppy pooping peach pits and need a new inexpensive camera that will help compensate.

[Goodwin9]

Originally posted by 2frosty4u
Awsome pics as usuall TJ. Are your pics in a shared album on Photobucket or are they locked?
Hows that Canon A520 for image stabilization? When I take pictures I shake more than a puppy pooping peach pits and need a new inexpensive camera that will help compensate.

Have you thought about a tripod?

[2frosty4u]

Originally posted by Goodwin9
Have you thought about a tripod?

I do have a tripod but my problem is not so much for tank shots as it is for everyday shots of people. I was taking pictures at one of my kids school plays lately and they turned out terrible. I bought a monopod to try and help with the shake but it's not always practicle to drag around and half the time I just forget to grab it.

[OwNeD162]

Originally posted by Tswifty
Some pieces that I unfortunately have to get rid of to free up some room in the tank... so this is probably their last picture.

I will gladly become the new owner of those chalice's for you TJ