The new guy

[andrewq]

So Hello, im new to the forum and thought I would introduce myself. Ive been into saltwater tanks for about 3years now. I started with freshwater, moved on to high tech planted tanks, and now saltwater. My first tank was a 20long, then I downgraded to a 13gallon and a 6gallon fluval. I really liked the nano tanks, and they all did pretty well. My 6 gallon fluval got knocked over while cleaning recently, and I had to throw everything I could in my 13gallon. Fast forward 3 weeks, and my 13 gallon is now getting out of control. Xenia was growing quickly, and taking over the tank. So I decided to upgrade to something a little larger.

I now have a 33long tank, and its been up and running for about 2months now. I did speed cycle this tank with cured live rock, and live sand. I know people say not to speed cycle a tank, and to be patient. I had a small diatom bloom, but thats about it. Tank is doing well, and Im about to hook up my sump. Just waiting on one little piece to get here, and then its a go. Very excited to get the sump going. 1st time sumper here, lol!

I did build my own stand, and changed plans after the frame was built. My wife wanted a partition wall to show some separation from our living, and dining room. The stand was already 4 ft long, and I added an extra 2 feet. Wall is holding well, and I think I did pretty well. I did post my progress on another forum so someone of you may have seen the pictures already.


Coral cove hooked me up with some nice frags this weekend, and some invertrebrates. Thanks again! awesome store!
33gallon long tank

clownfish
damsel
serpeant starfish
pistol shrimp/yellow goby died after other tank broke
coral banded shrimp
peppermint shrimp x 2
sand shifting sea star
green emerald crab
various hermits and snails

various zoas
xenia
torch coral
frogspawn
hammer coral
green nepthea
nuclear green polyps
yellow polyps
jawbreaker mushrooms

[andrewq]

I havent taken any pictures of tank yet. My cell phone is horrible for pictures, and I will post some eventually. Thanks for looking

[usmcsgt]

Looking good, room dividing is pretty cool to do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[alton]

Looking good, and welcome to MAAST

[andrewq]

So im waiting on a bulkhead for my overflow, and then I can hook up the sump. On the backside of the stand I left it open, so I could do all the plumbing. Also cut holes to fit the output and input lines. The door will be hold with magnets for easy access. Im running a sunsun canister filter right now, and it sits in a bucket just in case it leaks. It did actually leak once, but I was able to fix issue. So should be putting the finishing touches in a couple days. Also tried to take decent shots of my corals. Some werent open all the way. Enjoy. Feedback is appreciated. 1st time using sump so if you seeing something wrong with it let me know.

[andrewq]

more pictures

[usmcsgt]

It's looking really good


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[quicksilverz]

We just recently started a 33Long build also. Would love to get some ideas off you if you have time.

[andrewq]

We just recently started a 33Long build also. Would love to get some ideas off you if you have time. Im always happy to exchange ideas!

[andrewq]

Can anyone recommend a good skimmer for a 33long tank. Im looking at the Reef ocotopus BH50. Reef octopus gets really good reviews, but if I could save a few $$$ that would be nice too. Its priced at $124.99 for the Reef octopus

[Dkray944]

I would go with that one.... Good skimmer goes a long way

[andrewq]

I would go with that one.... Good skimmer goes a long way Thanks for the reply. +1 on the Reef octopus

[andrewq]

So I just ordered my reef octopus skimmer. 2 more pieces of equipment 2 go. Just need a ATO and a media reactor. I also picked up this awesome sherman rbta about an hour ago. Looks amazing, and finally some different colors besides green and purple. Starting to look a nice reef tank!

[leliataylor]

You will love that skimmer. Small footprint, easy to clean, adjustable and will pull out a lot of skimmate. Tough to beat for the price. That BTA will look awesome in your tank. Do expect it to move around your tank until it finds the spot it wants. Have you got the tank plumbed into the Pro Flex sump? I have one that I have used on QT off and on for the last few years and they are easy to work with. Enjoy what you have created, tanks become captivating as they mature.

[andrewq]

You will love that skimmer. Small footprint, easy to clean, adjustable and will pull out a lot of skimmate. Tough to beat for the price. That BTA will look awesome in your tank. Do expect it to move around your tank until it finds the spot it wants. Have you got the tank plumbed into the Pro Flex sump? I have one that I have used on QT off and on for the last few years and they are easy to work with. Enjoy what you have created, tanks become captivating as they mature.

Very happy with the BTA, and it makes a big difference in my tanks appearance. I have alot of green and purple corals, and was wanting something in a different color. It does move alot, and ended up trying to fit behind my overflow box. Im going to rearrange one side of the tank, and give it its own rock structure. This BTA is huge, and looks like its splitting.........fingers crossed. If not I may try propagating it in the new future. My sump is up and running. Just looks a little funny with the tiny skimmer im running, and the heater was moved over next to the filter socks. Still have to organize wires too.

[alton]

If I am mistaken let me know but it looks like your heater is in your return section of your sump? It needs to be in a constant level section, otherwise if the water level gets too low it will get extremely hot and may explode.

[Justin]

If I am mistaken let me know but it looks like your heater is in your return section of your sump? It needs to be in a constant level section, otherwise if the water level gets too low it will get extremely hot and may explode.

Based on the picture, that heater will eventually crack or short on you. You need to keep you heater completely submerged or at least covered in water up to the turn dial to allow the water flowing through it to keep the heat circulating and not fixed around the heater. My suggestion is to put it in the overflow section where the socks are at or hidden behind rock work in the display tank. I have seen and read plenty of posts where heaters crap out on people due to the heater exposed to air instead of a constant flow to carry the heat away. Don't get me wrong, heaters can crap out on you even while submerged but no need to expedite the process if you don't need to.


One strategy that I like to use is incorporate two heaters in my setup. One in the sump that is the main heater and a backup in the overflow box of the DT. My reasoning is that for whatever reason the return fails and water is not pumped up into the DT while I am away, the DT will still have heat via the heater I have in the overflow box. It has happened to me before and I was lucky to have placed that secondary heater in the DT to keep my temp steady.

My key to keeping nems happy and fairly permanent in your tank is to offer them a hole or concave area to place their foot for protection and a gentle flow over the tentacles. I have done this with all of my nems in the past and currently, and they have all pretty much stayed within the same 3 inches of space. I have had some slight movement but that was when I altered the direction of a pump or the nem has split and a baby needs to get some space from the parent.

You look like you are well on your way to getting an awesome tank. Keep up the good work!

[andrewq]

If I am mistaken let me know but it looks like your heater is in your return section of your sump? It needs to be in a constant level section, otherwise if the water level gets too low it will get extremely hot and may explode.

I did actually remove the heater the same day. There was to much condensation on the glass and it didnt look right. I did actually put a cobalt slim heater in the section with the filter socks. Also added phosguard in one sock, and carbon next to the sponge. I should have clarified that in the picture, and thanks for the response. Definetly dont want to find out what happens when a heater explodes.

[andrewq]

Based on the picture, that heater will eventually crack or short on you. You need to keep you heater completely submerged or at least covered in water up to the turn dial to allow the water flowing through it to keep the heat circulating and not fixed around the heater. My suggestion is to put it in the overflow section where the socks are at or hidden behind rock work in the display tank. I have seen and read plenty of posts where heaters crap out on people due to the heater exposed to air instead of a constant flow to carry the heat away. Don't get me wrong, heaters can crap out on you even while submerged but no need to expedite the process if you don't need to.


One strategy that I like to use is incorporate two heaters in my setup. One in the sump that is the main heater and a backup in the overflow box of the DT. My reasoning is that for whatever reason the return fails and water is not pumped up into the DT while I am away, the DT will still have heat via the heater I have in the overflow box. It has happened to me before and I was lucky to have placed that secondary heater in the DT to keep my temp steady.

My key to keeping nems happy and fairly permanent in your tank is to offer them a hole or concave area to place their foot for protection and a gentle flow over the tentacles. I have done this with all of my nems in the past and currently, and they have all pretty much stayed within the same 3 inches of space. I have had some slight movement but that was when I altered the direction of a pump or the nem has split and a baby needs to get some space from the parent.

You look like you are well on your way to getting an awesome tank. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the advice, and I cant help but wonder if I went with the right size tank. With an anemone in my tank now, Im thinking of giving it is own rock structure away from all my other lps. A 55 gallon has the same length and width of my 33l, but taller. So it would fit perfect and be more room to play with. All of my equipment was built to accommodate a 55gallon tank, and Im seriously considering cycling a 55 gallon. All I would have to do is buy rocks, and sand. I have the 55 gallon at my parents house, and its just sitting there. I bought it brand new at petcos last $ per gallon sale. If I do decide to switch out the tanks can I cycle a new tank without lighting? Just heater and circulation pumps?

[Justin]

Welcome to the first stages of reef keeper-itis! The I wish I had a bigger tank blues!

Practically everyone in this hobby wishes they had a bigger tank to play with. I thought about it myself but then the logical side kicks in and I realize that anything bigger than my 135 setup would require more than a 10 gallon change for a 10% water change. I'm happy with my setup and I use Brute trash cans to do my water change. Each is about 25 gallons, so I changed every 2 weeks...roughly!

The challenge with reefing is trying to have enough rock for perches, frags and bio filtering but not to have too much where its just a rock pile. Just find a nice spot with gentle flow over the tentacles and decent lighting and the nem should be fine. Its easier to move everything out of the way of a nem instead of trying to move a nem that has attached its foot. Trust me from experience.

You will start another cycle when you move to another tank. It's inevitable as you are unsettling various zones in your tank to new spots in the new home. You can mitigate the cycle by doing the following:

Use new Sand
Situate the rock first and add all of the old water except for the last inch to half inch of the old tank water.
Add new water to acceptable new levels for the sump and DT
That should limit the cycling action of moving new tanks.

Cycling does not require lighting. In fact, lighting just exacerbates the situation because now you are giving the bad algae that exist in spore form or smaller level a food source. Cycling is really allowing your tank to create adequate populations of both nitryfying and Nitratfying (not sure if that is a word) bacteria in your tank. You can do this by easily feeding your new tank food like you would if it had actual fish in it. So a pinch of food or just a table shrimp wrapped in a filter sock will do the trick. You can buy Dr. Tim's One and only or similar product but for me, I like to do it the old fashioned way. Just make sure you measure your Nitrate and Nitrite levels before adding fish. You will first get a spike in Nitrite, and then it will go down meaning that nitrite bacteria have eaten the Nitrites and converted it to Nitrate. Then your Nitrates will spike and then go down, meaning you just had a bloom of Nitrate eating bacteria. From there, it is safe to add a couple of small fish and monitor the process again and wait for your current populations to explode and handle the loads that your new fish are adding to the balance that is your personal reef.

My reasoning is that the bacteria, which is supposed to be living, is somehow still alive after being bottled and shipped in various degree weather and sitting on shelf waiting for you to buy it. I doubt its still alive and you are better off just buying a small piece of live rock and putting it in a filter sock to trap any critters that come out of the rock but still allowing bacteria to spawn off the rock and into your system.

Just food for thought

[andrewq]

I definitely have reef keeper itis, lol. I think im going to cycle the 55, and make the switch probably in about 3-4months. Give it plenty of time to cycle properly, not really in a rush. Plus I have a couple other projects going on right now. Im in the middle of a stair case remodel, and Im a big fan of DIY. Im about 50% complete on the staircase. Were basically upgrading from carpet to wood stairs. I think i'll make my wife happy with the remodel 1st before I mention the new tank. Dont want to die young, lol. Couple full tank shots, and updated pic of sump. I apologize for the quality, but anyways enjoy.

I've actually got about 7 different zoas, and 4 different polyps in there. Cant see them due to the poor camera quality.

[Justin]

Nice, patience truly is a virtue in this hobby.

I'm in the middle of several projects in my home as well. We decided to rip out the carpets in our stairs and I've been meaning to head over Lumber Liquidaters and get a quote on wood stair flooring and install them. I also have a backyard to landscape and finish up my movie room crown moulding. I'm never at a loss for things to work on at my house.

[andrewq]

Nice, patience truly is a virtue in this hobby.

I'm in the middle of several projects in my home as well. We decided to rip out the carpets in our stairs and I've been meaning to head over Lumber Liquidaters and get a quote on wood stair flooring and install them. I also have a backyard to landscape and finish up my movie room crown moulding. I'm never at a loss for things to work on at my house.


Cool, so were both doing the staircase remodel. Some advice, stain the wood before screwing down. I have 4 children, and they dont seem to understand the phrase "keep off the stairs, because there wet". I had to remove stain, sand it down, remove boards, and re stain again. There presently drying in the garage. My first time staining wood, so I should have known better to stain the wood before screwing down.

I got all the wood I needed from Lowes. It was a little pricey, but beautiful wood. For threads we paid about $500, and the risers were cheap about $20.

[Justin]

Hmm did you get the bull nose treads?

[andrewq]

Dont think there bull nose threads. This is what they look. We had to buy stain, polyurethane, and a few other supplies.

[andrewq]

Few updates, my anemone is doing well and adjusted to my tank pretty quickly. My clown is hosting the anemone now, pretty cool to watch! Also picked up some pulsing xenia, and a magenta dottyback. I had been eye balling this purple fish for a while. Finally bought him this weekend. Lastly 55 is now cycling with rock!

Should I think about reinforcing my current stand to accommodate the 55? Its a difference of 243lbs

[Justin]

It can't hurt to do so. Did you build the stand our had it pre-built? I say this because most stands can accommodate the weight of the tank they are designed for. They may look flimsy but they should do the job. Still, it can't hurt to be a little cautious and reinforce the stand.

[andrewq]

It can't hurt to do so. Did you build the stand our had it pre-built? I say this because most stands can accommodate the weight of the tank they are designed for. They may look flimsy but they should do the job. Still, it can't hurt to be a little cautious and reinforce the stand.


I did build the stand myself. I used 4x4s instead of the normal 2x4s you see with most diy stands.

[andrewq]

I bought a samsung galaxy s7 edge. Great phone, and I've had my old one for about 3years. Anyways was playing with camera, and its pretty descent. Took a couple shots of my favorite corals, and new coral. Picked up a gba from coral cove the other day. Enjoy pictures!

[Justin]

Nice shots, that was from a Samsung, huh?

[andrewq]

Nice shots, that was from a Samsung, huh?
Yes sir! Theres a commercial with Lil wayne, and hes pouring champagne on the phone. Then he completely submerges the phone in a fish tank. I actually got on a chat with verizon wireless to confirm if this was actually possible. They said yes! So im curious to try some underwater shots, and if this phone will work underwater. If my phone gets damaged due to water verizon said they would replace for free. They also it can be submerged up to 1.5meters and for 30minutes. If submerged in saltwater the phone will have to be rinsed with freshwater, and it does not void warranty. Definetly gonna try this!

[andrewq]

So I have a 55 gallon tank, and need some help finding that one fish that just says wow in your tank. My tank is just about fully stocked, and need some help. I like the flame angels, but dont want him eating my corals...................help please!

In short im looking for a community fish who wont eat my corals. He'll be the last fish to go in the tank.

Current live stock
1 blue damsel
2 ocelaris clownfish
1 magenta dottyback
1 sailfin blenny
1 mckosker wrasse

Inverts
Serpent starfish
peppermint shrimp
coral banded shrimp
pistol shrimp
Green emerald crab
Red mithrax crab
and clean up crew

Corals
GSP
Pulsing xenia
Anthelia
Various mushrooms
Sherman bta
Green bta
Nuclear green polyps
Blue polyps
Yellow polps
Hammer coral
Torch coral
bubble coral
green nepthea leather
duncans

[Zack]

Have you looked into a Royal Gramma? By far one of my favorite fish.

[alton]

There is no such thing as a guaranteed reef safe fish. I had sold a purple tang once and then chowed down on the persons coral. All four of my flame Angels have been reef safe,but they love to graze all day long. My tanks have always had plenty of algae for them to do that. If you really want one place it in a QT tank for a month and add a few corals to see how it does. One word of caution they will be king of the tank in a few years

[andrewq]

There is no such thing as a guaranteed reef safe fish. I had sold a purple tang once and then chowed down on the persons coral. All four of my flame Angels have been reef safe,but they love to graze all day long. My tanks have always had plenty of algae for them to do that. If you really want one place it in a QT tank for a month and add a few corals to see how it does. One word of caution they will be king of the tank in a few years

I did finally decide on what to get. Im going with 1 yellow watchman goby, and 1 royal gramma.

[Justin]

Or you can go with a midas blenny or other mid water blenny. Right now you have a lot fish that hang out on the bottom except for the mccoskers. Get something that will populate the mid to upper part of your tank. Also note that mccoskers will fade in color a bit if he doesnt have a reason to flash. Conisder getting a female for him.

[andrewq]

Or you can go with a midas blenny or other mid water blenny. Right now you have a lot fish that hang out on the bottom except for the mccoskers. Get something that will populate the mid to upper part of your tank. Also note that mccoskers will fade in color a bit if he doesnt have a reason to flash. Conisder getting a female for him.

Midas blenny is a very nice looking fish, and the color im looking for, thanks for that! I agree with your statement about the bottom being occupied, and did not know the mccoskers fade. The yellow watchman is mainly for my pistol shrimp. I made this picture for reference, but yeah I do need something that swims in the mid to upper part of my tank.

[Justin]

Your welcome. Midas Blennies have a lot of personality and look great once they get older and stretch out. If you are looking for another Yellow fish, consider getting a yellow assessor. They are great little guys and are pretty chill for a reef. I picked up one from Fintique during their SW thursday sale and he is in my 40 breeder adding to the nutrients for my coral frags. If you are looking for more mid water fish, consider the following:

Cardinals- Bangaii (will breed in the tank), Pajama, gold stripes, red spots, practically any from the Cardinal family are great. For ideas, go to liveaquaria.com and check out the types that are commonly available. From there, either order them online or ask a local fish store to order them for you.
Forked Tail Blenny- I have one and she is awesome
dartfish- make sure you have a top. They can be really cool and have lots of color. Helferich dartfish are impressive
tangs- your tank will be a little small for these guys. I say minimum is a 4ft + tank for swimming room
Flasher wrasses- McCoskers is a flasher wrasse. If your guy is young enough, you can try to get another type of male like a carpenter. They will flash each other for dominance. If you have had your McCoskers for awhile, DON'T get another flasher
Other wrasses- Yellow Corris wrasse, 8 Line ( I don't like them for their aggression)
Fairy Wrasses- Hawaiian Flame Wrasse is a beautiful one

The next set are iffy because of care or aggression among themselves but because they are zooplanktavores, they tend to hang out on top of reefs and other fish look to them to see if the coast is clear or not:

Chromis- these can be fickle but if you feed pretty heavily and frequently, you can help avoid aggression over food territories
Anthias- I wouldn't normally recommend these unless you can feed quite a bit

[andrewq]

So I ended up getting a small yellow tang for cheap, and a green clown goby. I know the yellow tang will get too big for the tank eventually. Thats ok though, just means I get to get another fish when he outgrows or maybe a bigger tank. The green clown goby adapted pretty quickly to my tank, and is out and about. I owe that to my pistol shrimp, as he has made an extensive network of tunnels throughout my tank. Im happy with the green clown goby, and his colors are beautiful.

Im thinking about regularly producing brine shrimp in large quantities. I know my clown goby likes live brine shrimp, and im sure my other fish would benefit from it as well. I have the extra space in the last chamber to fit a 2 liter bottle, and placing it in the sump will keep the temperature stable. I ordered the brine shrimp eggs online, and im wondering how I could keep the brine shrimp alive long term? A couple 5 gallon buckets could generate some revenue, and it would ultimately go towards my tank. I work from home so I definitely have the time to do this. + The wife would be happy with the idea of not having to spend money out of my paycheck for fish stuff.

Ive read a couple ideas on keeping them alive long term. Some say they like dirty water, and some say the holding tanks require regular water changes? Anybody have experience with keeping brine shrimp alive long term.

Im just estimating but maybe $10 for a quart of brine shrimp............idk. Im always looking for ways to fund my addiction to fish tanks. I used to sell aquatic plants online, and did pretty well. I was selling pogostemon helferi or downoi for almost about $5 a plant. It did pretty well, but couldnt keep up with the demand. I guess I would start small with the brine shrimp. Its cheap to get started, and if enough people bought brine shrimp regularly I could upgrade to something larger in my garage. Maybe even sell to LFS.............

I attached a picture, and something like this could be constructed easily and for cheap.

[Justin]

Just be careful that the Tang doesn't become too aggressive with future additions. Tangs are great for algae but if they are kept in too confining a space, they can go a little "crazy." Hence why most people recommend a Tang for 100+ gallons or more. Part of the reason why I went with a 6ft tank instead of the typical 4ft dimension, was to offer my fish more horizontal swimming room to really stretch out.

Growing live food can be difficult at best. For a time I was rearing rotifers, phytoplankton and brine shrimp to offer my fish the best nutritional diet possible. The problem with Brine shrimp is that once they consume their egg yolks, all of the nutritional value is gone. They are pretty much just egg shells that float at that point. You can try to infuse some phytoplankton or Spirulina in the diet to up the nutritional value. I would just stick to brine shrimp nauplii for feeding your fish. They will love the squirming action the fry make and are great for finicky eaters.

[andrewq]

Just be careful that the Tang doesn't become too aggressive with future additions. Tangs are great for algae but if they are kept in too confining a space, they can go a little "crazy." Hence why most people recommend a Tang for 100+ gallons or more. Part of the reason why I went with a 6ft tank instead of the typical 4ft dimension, was to offer my fish more horizontal swimming room to really stretch out.

My yellow tang is the last addition to my tank, and so far he seems to be ok. I havent seen any aggression towards any other fish, and I have a couple good size caves that he likes to rotate between. Will keep an eye on him for sure...

Growing live food can be difficult at best. For a time I was rearing rotifers, phytoplankton and brine shrimp to offer my fish the best nutritional diet possible. The problem with Brine shrimp is that once they consume their egg yolks, all of the nutritional value is gone. They are pretty much just egg shells that float at that point. You can try to infuse some phytoplankton or Spirulina in the diet to up the nutritional value. I would just stick to brine shrimp nauplii for feeding your fish. They will love the squirming action the fry make and are great for finicky eaters.

Ive read alot of information on raising brine shrimp, and theres so many different opinions out there on what works best. With all the different opinions out there I did find a few things in common. For example: raising brine shrimp in large quantities is very time consuming, alot of work, and much harder. Brine shrimp for personal use is much simpler, and is what most people do. If raising brine shrimp to adult stages everyone feeds spirulina or phytoplankton to up there nutritional value. I think im gonna try raising some for personal use, and see how it goes. I think it would be fun, plus its not always easy to get live food sharing a car with the wife. Shes a manager at a furniture store, and her work is very demanding. I on the other hand, work from home and have all the time in the world..... :)

Could I use fish flakes that have spirulina in it? Or does it have to be pure spirulina?

[Justin]

I would go with the powdered form. The mouths on Brine Shrimp or like sieves that they squish the the algae through to feed. I read something about it on Advanced Aquaria. They pointed out that at the level these animals are at, the water acts more like a jelly and that they need the food dissolved into the water so that they can "capture and slice" portions of it to fit through the "sieves" in their mouths.

Best of luck on it. Keep us posted and show some pics of your setup when you can.

[celticstarb]

http://www.amazon.com/Nutricost-Spirulina-Powder-400-Grams/dp/B00WAPA2NS?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

This is what I use to raise brine shrimp. It's easiest to mix 1/8 tsp with 1 cup of water to make a stock solution. Then add just enough of the mixture to slightly tint the water in your culturing vessel. If you add the powder directly, it is too easy to add to much which will suffocate the brine shrimp.

Any powder spirulina will work, but make sure it's 100% without any fillers.

[andrewq]

279672796827969So check it out. I built a quick stand............i was bored, and i had everything in my garage. No money spent, yay! It took about 30 minutes, and i think im gonna paint it. Brine shrimp eggs will be here tomorrow, and i just need to go pick up another air pump. Enjoy picture!

[andrewq]

I would go with the powdered form. The mouths on Brine Shrimp or like sieves that they squish the the algae through to feed. I read something about it on Advanced Aquaria. They pointed out that at the level these animals are at, the water acts more like a jelly and that they need the food dissolved into the water so that they can "capture and slice" portions of it to fit through the "sieves" in their mouths.

Best of luck on it. Keep us posted and show some pics of your setup when you can.

I did end up buying some powdered spirulina online. Gonna check heb and gnc, maybe they have this stuff there.

[celticstarb]

Great looking stand! Should work great for you.

[Justin]

HEB and Whole Foods have Spirulina but I tried using it and didn't seem to work. Just by some Phyto from an LFS and use that instead. Basically the same stuff except better in my opinion. The build looks great, I built a similar one but it was two stores and also had space in the back for me to put 2 strip lights that had grow t8 or t12's in them to grow the phyto I was harvesting in. I had to buy a stronger air pump but it worked for awhile. I just got tired of the constant upkeep with rotifers and phyto. So now I'm just going to grow pods and feed with bought phyto. Every week I'll probably "cull" the culture and dump them straight into my sump to continue to breed. My goal is to have a swarming population similar to the one I had prior to my Alk crash and Fuge light burn out incident I had a couple months ago

[andrewq]

HEB and Whole Foods have Spirulina but I tried using it and didn't seem to work. Just by some Phyto from an LFS and use that instead. Basically the same stuff except better in my opinion. The build looks great, I built a similar one but it was two stores and also had space in the back for me to put 2 strip lights that had grow t8 or t12's in them to grow the phyto I was harvesting in. I had to buy a stronger air pump but it worked for awhile. I just got tired of the constant upkeep with rotifers and phyto. So now I'm just going to grow pods and feed with bought phyto. Every week I'll probably "cull" the culture and dump them straight into my sump to continue to breed. My goal is to have a swarming population similar to the one I had prior to my Alk crash and Fuge light burn out incident I had a couple months ago

I already picked up the spirulina from heb this morning. Should read this post....
......the spirulina i picked up said 100% pure organic spirulina.......idk if the fact that its produced organically is the problem? I do have have some phytoplankton already. Ill probably by some of the spirulina online. I did get the eggs in today, and there up and running.

[Justin]

Reach out to Josh Avila. I think his handle on here is EggOmelette. He makes some pretty good phtyo. Hannah also makes some good stuff as well at Coral Cove

[leliataylor]

Use a hand held blender to mix the powder in water, on high for about 3 minutes. This will make the particles small enough for the BS to consume them.

[andrewq]

So first batch of brine shrimp was a success, and I just fed them to my tank right away. Second batch has hatched, and in a separate container. I am feeding phytoplankton for now, until the spirulina gets here. Do I need to be running an airstone, if im trying to grow the babies out to adults?

[andrewq]

Your welcome. Midas Blennies have a lot of personality and look great once they get older and stretch out. If you are looking for another Yellow fish, consider getting a yellow assessor. They are great little guys and are pretty chill for a reef. I picked up one from Fintique during their SW thursday sale and he is in my 40 breeder adding to the nutrients for my coral frags.

I knew fintique sold saltwater fish, but never really looked. I used to go there all the time when I had my planted tank up......maybe its time to pay them a visit. How are there prices on saltwater compared to other stores?

[alton]

They get there stuff in the morning, place it on a table, give you 25% off and you take it in the bag it was shipped in. I did not realize they still did this.

[Zack]

They're a little on the pricier side and from what I've seen they usually get the generic stuff similar to a petco. Assorted zoas, toadstools, clowns etc.