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Mark Peterson
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Posted: April 17 2016 at 6:42pm |
If the Goby is not out much and isn't actually moving much sand around, then no worries. Enjoy it when you see it. The typical reason it doesn't chase the food being fed is that it's probably still finding enough to eat in the sand. A hungry Goby can be trapped using the Pop Bottle Fish Trap(google it).
Healthy fish are usually able to escape a Star or Anemone. It's when they are not well that they get snagged and eaten. Brittle Stars are good tank mates most of the time. Blennies are pretty good tank mates too, but they can get overbearing/territorial. Yes, it's kind of crazy but the clean up crew takes care of everything dieing and dead, even bones. Not only the Brittle Star and Hermits, but Bristleworms and small bugs enjoy eating a dead fish, snail, etc.
Aloha, Mark
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LakeCityReefs
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Posted: April 17 2016 at 6:43pm |
If animals are dying in the tank then yes, this will create huge amounts of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. You need to do your best to always remove dead critters IMO.
Edited by LakeCityReefs - April 17 2016 at 6:44pm
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Here we go again
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Hottsauce23
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Posted: April 20 2016 at 2:38pm |
Okay so here is an update. It's now been a few days of the sump light on all the time and the photo period of the display like 17 hours. Only one tiny feeding has been done. I did a water change on Monday night. Also most of the macro algae that has been in the display is now gone with alot getting trapped in the fan. I've seen a couple of the damsels picking at it occasionally so that is probably why I haven't had much success with it. The corals have come out a tad more but not much. I tested the nitrate right before the water change and just barely did. The color is the exact same in both tubes. So my only conclusion is there must be another nitrate factory in the tank. My thinking is there is a layer of sediment/ sand in my sump. I only put a tiny amount of sand when I started it up. I also see tiny tiny bugs swimming around in there. Could this layer of sediment just be waste and tons of nitrates? I'll post a picture. Thanks
Edited by Hottsauce23 - April 20 2016 at 2:39pm
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: April 20 2016 at 3:27pm |
Nope, Nitrates do not create sediment or waste. That is a healthy sand bed, supporting bugs like Copepods, Amphipods and those little swimmers called Mysid Shrimp. I wouldn't touch it. See the worm tunnels next to the glass. Lot's of good animals in there doing their cleanup job. Sounds like bigger rocks are needed to hold the Macro in place in the display. Yes, Damsels eat algae. FWIW, it's not a fan, it's called a powerhead and the thing that spins to push the water is a propeller. If there is something creating Nitrates, it is probably where the water drains into the sump. How is that set up? May we see a pic? May we see a pic of the display as it is now? I would like to see a full frame pic of the left side and another of the right side. I may be coming your way in the next few days. I'll text to see when we can meet up. Aloha, Mark
Edited by Mark Peterson - April 20 2016 at 3:49pm
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: April 21 2016 at 4:38pm |
Update: Everything is looking soooo much better than what I saw in the image posted in the OP. No Frogspawn skeleton is showing and the anemone looks like an anemone. Alk 9.2 dKH, Ca <290 ppm, and Mg 1340 ppm. No need to check N compounds. I can see that everything is fine. The Nitrate test kit must be bad/old. Calcium needs to be dosed heavily and Alk will need to be dosed moderately as the Ca level rises. We checked SG with a Refractometer and found it to be currently 1.020. It can be raised to 1.025 by topping off with salt water in place of RO water. The fish are acting normal, eating algae and doing the things that fish do. This tank is headed for the Aloha, Mark
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Hottsauce23
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Posted: April 21 2016 at 5:07pm |
Thanks for all the help Mark :) I owe ya one. Any specific products you recommend to raise calcium and magnesium? Thanks
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: April 21 2016 at 7:21pm |
Mg is well within range. What I recommend is what a lot of us here use. The chemicals and how to do it is discussed in the Reefkeeping Tips thread linked below. It may surprise you that it's so simple and so inexpensive. Aloha, Mark
Edited by Mark Peterson - April 21 2016 at 7:30pm
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Hottsauce23
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Posted: April 23 2016 at 12:39pm |
So a couple additional questions are what you might suggest for a test kit. The cheaper the better. Also what things would be most important for me to test. Nitrate? Calcium? If there isn't a test kit that has all the ones i should test for most often I can always buy them separately. Thanks.
Also has anyone had experience with Blue Linckia Starfish or Green Mandarins? I am potentially intrerested in getting them but I hear Blue Linckia may be difficult to care for and Green Mandarins don't come out much?
Edited by Hottsauce23 - April 23 2016 at 1:03pm
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: April 25 2016 at 3:28pm |
Because we can tell whether the N pollution is a problem just by looking at the coral and the tank in general, the most important tests that we use are Alk, Ca and Mg.
The best three test kits for the money also happen to be the least expensive. It's the Red Sea Reef Foundation(Alk,Ca,Mg). On Amazon right now it's $51.33 with free shipping. A really good thing about it is that the refills are about $15 so we don't have to buy the whole thing again when all we need is more Alk tests. See if this link works: http://www.amazon.com/Red-Sea-Reef-Foundation-Test/dp/B004FUJ5NE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461617125&sr=8-1&keywords=red+sea+test+kit+pro I would not get any Stars at all right now in that tank. Here is a recent thread about Blue Linkia. http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=79684 Mandarins need live food and plenty of it. Feel free to search the many discussions that have been posted here about this topic too. The live food I'm speaking of is that growing in the system. Buying live food is prohibitively expensive. With all the Damsels and the recent week of no feeding, there are very few live bugs in the display tank. I would not recommend a Mandarin in that tank. In fact, that size of tank is the bare minimum size that could reasonably support a Mandarin's live food needs. BTW, If you are looking for ideas for your next fish, consider the Clownfishes(of course), the Blennies, the Cardinals, the Wrasses, the Pygmy & Dwarf Angelfish, the Rabbitfishes and the Tangs. Remember the Assessor that Ross was so proud of and how cool it was hanging upside down under the huge Blue Wall Hammer Coral? That fish along with the Royal Gramma or the Pseudochomis would also do well as a next fish. Aloha, Mark
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