Author Topic: I’ve gone to the dark side! (Read 7111 times) 43 replies

Matt · « **Reply #20 on:** February 23, 2021, 05:22:06 PM »

Well I meant to send the above update yesterday evening and found it when I came on to post just now so unedited it got sent. Still eating well and getting used to the wavemaker now and feeling much more confident overall and seeing more of it which is great. Next step will be to increase the wave maker to normal operating flow (tomorrow) and I’ll leave it on a low flow setting tonight rather than turning it off as I have been doing.

I received the final piece of my macroalgae puzzle in the post today. Codium. Its very seaweedy looking, I really like it. And it’s hardier than the last one that isn’t doing so well!!

Still got my nitrite reading but it’s stable so still not worrying!!

Oh and the snails behaved a bit better last night

just One bit of fixing to do!

Littlefish · « **Reply #21 on:** February 23, 2021, 08:32:41 PM »

The colours on the gramma are amazing.
Your new macroalgae is quite funky too.

fcmf · « **Reply #22 on:** February 23, 2021, 08:45:26 PM »

Royal Gramma is gorgeous.

The snails' antics have amused me.

Matt · « **Reply #23 on:** February 24, 2021, 09:09:49 PM »

Blue Ochtodes looking worse again today unfortunately - I’m almost at the point of calling it quits with it BUT I now have zero nitrite

Marginal rise in nitrate as might be expected given the bacteria have now caught up on converting the nitrite but not a huge leap and I can see visible growth in my botrocladyia and caulerpa (my largest pieces of macroalgae) over the last couple of days too so I’m hopeful that nitrate will start to come down too. I received and added some macroalgae ferts today too so my hope is that they will start to tackle that problem (I call it a problem but I know a big water change will get me back into a good place too... In fact I might do just that in the coming days.

I have reserved a hi fin banded goby for collection this time next week when I hope to get a couple of hardy corals too. I was surprised and pleased that they could be added so soon. Pulsing Xenia which actively opens and closes over a few seconds over and over again adding some great movement to the tank. And a finger leather coral. Which is a ‘softie’ (an easy type of coral) but looks like a reef building hard coral (much less hardy) which I can add now and won’t cause me to have to closely monitor my KH.

Made the somewhat stupid error of forgetting to switch the heater back after working on the tank yesterday evening and woke up at 4am having remembered (!?) and went and turned it back on - temperature had only dropped to 22 C - phew!! I’ve only ever done that once before in many many years of fishkeeping - a sign of the times I suspect!!

Littlefish · « **Reply #24 on:** February 25, 2021, 06:43:27 AM »

I'm looking forward to seeing lots of pics of your new arrivals. The goby looks gorgeous, and I can't wait to see it in your tank.

This may have to be my "tank by proxy" too.

Matt · « **Reply #25 on:** February 25, 2021, 07:52:39 PM »

Tanks by proxy fully supported!!

Well I don’t know if the ferts I dosed are totally to blame but the Botryocladia is now growing and the ‘grapes’ are expanding (photo below). I suspect it is partly ferts and partly it has now had time to adjust to the tank. The blue Ochtodes continues to deteriorate.

I did manage to find time for that water change earlier - changing probably just shy of 40% and my nitrates are now under 20, but only just. I was keen to do the water change because I have noticed I am started to get the inevitable diatoms. As such I have also reduce lighting duration temporarily too. I did see my banded trochus having a munch on this earlier though.

Not much to report other than this and I’m not sure if there will be for a while - I’m not planning on going to the fish shop in any rush as the weather here is turning consistently dry now for a while - I’ll let the tank settle and enjoy what I can of the sunshine! That said I may be about to receive some hardy fast growing corals in the post....I’ll keep you posted

fcmf · « **Reply #26 on:** February 27, 2021, 03:32:26 PM »

Quote from: Matt on February 24, 2021, 09:09:49 PM

Made the somewhat stupid error of forgetting to switch the heater back after working on the tank yesterday evening and woke up at 4am having remembered (!?) and went and turned it back on - temperature had only dropped to 22 C - phew!!

I've done that too - I once woke at a similar time, convinced of something I'd omitted in a piece of work; got up to check and I was completely correct. Mr FCMF has often woken up with the solution to something he couldn't figure out during the daytime. If/when sleeping, I assume the brain must go over the day's activities and remember or work out certain things.

Matt · « **Reply #27 on:** March 01, 2021, 10:14:22 PM »

Not much left now but I think the Blue Ochtodes die off has ceased (fingers crossed). Not very blue yet and probably not going to go very blue any time soon and I’m keeping lighting low at the moment to limit diatom growth. I’m definitely in stage 4 of the cycling process with the diatoms (see: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/cycle-process-and-stages.284898/), not looking forward to the cyano bacteria hair algae to come either!
Nitrates still up at around 18ppm so still stable but no improvement just yet.

Going to try and go pick up an astrea snail (because it will eat both diatoms and hair algae as well) or a saltwater nerite (yes same “order” as freshwater - I don’t know if order is the right word but you know what I mean) snail soon (which can right itself unlike the astrea but won’t eat hair algae). Not convinced my cerith spends much time on the rockwork as it like to bury itself in the sand. I don’t want to overstock with snails in the long term though.

Fattening up diet for the royal gramma seems to be going well - visibly looking fatter (or at least fuller!) already... also getting more and more confident and exploring more of the tank, feeding from the surface etc as the days pass. Not convinced I need my wave maker any more powerful than quarter setting for now (might change as corals go in and start baffling the flow) as it appears to be constantly fighting it and food doesn’t really settle already.

Codium has started to open up (it’s has fuzzy hairy bits now!) which shows its happy in the tank too which is great/weird to see. The Botryocladia grapes continue to grow too.

I think I’ve come up with a genius was to add the filter floss to the filter section. You can get media baskets to fits I to the end section with the return pump and heater but they are nearly £50. I then found for £20 a 3D printed little basket that clips on to the baffles like a car phone holder or fragrance might clip to a car vent. I’ve since realised I should be able to cut a piece the aquarium came with (which I wasn’t using) to serve the same purpose and it will be hidden so if there is any roughness to my work it shouldn’t matter... super not helpful photo showing not very well what I mean

I’ve got a couple of hardy corals being posted on Wednesday to hopefully arrive Thursday. Pulsing Xenia and Green Star Polyp. Excited!!! Final photos showing full tank and where I plan to place the Xenia (red) on a piece of isolated rockwork (it’s spreads like a weed apparently) and move the codium to - and where I want to place the green star polyps - like a little carpeting plant (that would be my perspective having my planted tank background lol). And another photo showing a the tank I got the idea from!!

fcmf · « **Reply #28 on:** March 02, 2021, 07:34:50 PM »

Enjoying your updates, admiring your tank and especially the royal gramma.

If you got a couple of nerites, you might be able to start a breeding project in a saltwater tank too.

Matt · « **Reply #29 on:** March 02, 2021, 07:54:05 PM »

Im sticking to one of each snail so I don’t get any breeding! I don’t want a repeat of freshwater pest snails!!!...

Matt · « **Reply #30 on:** March 03, 2021, 10:51:42 AM »

Completed the filter floss mod

Matt · « **Reply #31 on:** March 08, 2021, 06:03:32 PM »

I got a saltwater nerite yesterday on a quick scoot past the fish shop which involved the breefest of stops too of course

. Seems to be doing a good job of tackling the green algae. (Can’t get the photo to post right now... will add later)

I also received a few days ago the green star polyp coral which is renowned for being a bit grumpy at times when there is a change in the tank or it’s position etc is now staring to expand (the polyps will get longer yet) and look good. It’s photographed here next to my blue Ochtodes. Still not blue but definately settled and definately no longer dieing off!

The other macroalgae is all growing well, some species are faster growing than others of course and the Caulerpa Serrulata has even had its first trim to remove the bits covered in algae from the beginning - so now I have a pristine plant/macro.

The Xenia looks no different from when I first introduced it... yet. Hoping another couple of days and it will have settled - no obvious signs of it not being happy other than it still being shrunk up. A couple of small bits have disintegrated but that’s no totally unusual I don’t believe. This stuff is hard as nails I’m told and a weed in most tanks so I’m not too concerned yet! The photo shows the little drag things they came on (disc with a rod at the bottom)

I’ve been offered to preorder some Australian live rock. This is basically Australian coral reef - there is of course very tight permitting indeed around its collection and will have been collected sustainably but there are very few opportunities to do so and likely there will be fewer in future. It’s likely this is a once in a lifetime opportunity in fact and so I’m wondering about converting my freshwater shrimp tank to a marine inverts and macro algae tank and getting some of this stuff. It would be an instantly matured tank, will come with freebie corals and macroalgae and looks so natural compared to the artificial flourecscent reefs I referred to earlier in the thread. It’s a mere £22 a kilo BUT I am very temptedt!!

Got off the water test press: my nitrates have started to drop

*i think! Ok so one test doesn’t really prove anything but I’ll keep an eye on things over the next couple of days and if the trend continues then I’ll do a big water change on wednesday evening and will be getting my next fish - a hi fin goby (pairs with a pistol shrimp and guards it’s burrow) . Week to be honest I’ll be getting the fish regardless of it comes in in the Tuesday evening Maidenhead delivery for me - I’ve got it reserved

but if my nitrates are stable/ on a downward trend then this probably means I can get more corals and shrimp soon which is very exciting!!

Matt · « **Reply #32 on:** March 09, 2021, 10:19:05 PM »

Ok well the Xenia unfortunately didn’t make it, it became detached overnight and I found it in an area of low flow and it disintegrated when I went near it. There was one tiny polyp left on the frag plug and I moved the plug to a spot in the rear of the scape just in case but I doubt there will be a successful outcome.

My nitrates have definitely reduced though from previous levels - about 16 ppm now (I did do a 10% water change tonight but they were down from the previous 22 ppm about 5 days ago before I did the change). This is excellent timing for picking up the hi fin goby on Thursday. I might get a finger leather coral too... we shall see. It’s a softie coral (easy to care for) but looks like a reef building branching coral

fcmf · « **Reply #33 on:** March 10, 2021, 01:37:21 PM »

Good to read of your update and see your photos, @Matt - but sorry that the xenia didn't survive. Looking forward to seeing your hi-fin goby and the new coral if/once you get them.

Matt · « **Reply #34 on:** March 20, 2021, 10:26:04 AM »

Well overdue an update on this: I’m doing a part time university course and had an assignment due, that plus extra tank care associated with the start up phase, having a toddler blah blah, life basically got in the way!!

I added the hi fin goby and pistol shrimp (these pair up and the goby inhabits the shrimps burrow and helps feed it and protect it), x4 types of macroalgae I got as a freebie - Caulerpa Prolifera (Wow that stuff grows fast!!, I also really like its looks), Gracilaria Hayi (similar to the Mammillaris), Gracilaria Tikvahiae (I must say I think this stuff is really pretty, a much finer texture/more delicate looking plant thank the others) and Cryptonemia Crenulata (really nice spikey edges to the leaves) - some more Green Star Polyp and Xenia also got as a freebie (I did really well thanks to a new “hobby friend”) , a colt coral and three sexy shrimp.

The pistol shrimp (Randall’s) decided to head straight for the filter section so was quickly rescued and was seen digging later that evening. The hi fin goby went a similar way after a period of lookin quite stressed then once rescued and rescued again, found its shrimp friend and instantly settled in.

The sexy shrimp are amazing little characters shaking their booties to communicate with each other as they do

I have however lost the royal gramma

it is a rather gruesome tail but needless to say it went downhill very quickly and unexpectedly and I have had a number of conversations with saltwater people and we are yet to explain what happened other than the fish was weak and it’s a marine tank, unexpected things happen (the marine hobby is a lot less ‘understood’ than the freshwater - lots more unexpectedness and unidentifiable pests etc.) I treated the tank with an antibacterial med (filtration and invert safe) which I have subsequently removed with carbon.

I did discover by chance through sharing a photo of one such unidentified item (which in now know to be a paly coral - not an attractive one and one that can literally kill you due to paly toxin... great! This is a coral type I was not going to introduce despite most being super colourful... hit the jackpot there

) in the background to this photo though a aptasia could be seen - I had thought this was a feather duster worm but am glad it was spotted because aptasia (like a mini anemone) quickly become an issue - as a result I bought a peppermint shrimp who has swiftly dealt with them before they got to plague proportions.

So overall the tank now seems to have little life in it as the goby and pistol shrimp naturally hides, just the sexy shrimp to keep me entertained at the moment!!!

I’ve added a little more dry rock on the left and right hand sides of the scape to get a better triangle shape going which currently looks a bit odd as the contrast with the more mature darker rock is currently quite extreme. Photoshopping it and making it darker shows a better result and I’m happy with the adjustment. I’ve also hidden the wavemaker behind the rock work and removed the flow splitter output thingy of the filter pump for a cleaner look in the tank (hated seeing all that stuff in there - possibly a freshwater hangover!)

(Posting now then will add photos momentarily)

Matt · « **Reply #35 on:** March 20, 2021, 10:34:08 AM »

More photos

Littlefish · « **Reply #36 on:** March 20, 2021, 12:38:48 PM »

Sorry to hear that you lost the royal gramma @Matt

You did mention that it was quite thin when you got it, so perhaps it was a weak specimen.
Still disappointing though.

Your tank is looking great and I love your goby & shrimp combo. They look so cute together.

I have a leaning towards what I tend to think of a "grumpy fish", which often involved anything with a wide or down-turned mouth, and all gobies are in that category.

Glad to heat that you found some time in your very full/hectic life to post some pics. I don't know where you find the energy to keep on top of so much.

Matt · « **Reply #37 on:** March 20, 2021, 01:18:51 PM »

Thanks @Littlefish it helps that I’m only currently working 3 days a week due to being part time furloughed!!

I should clarify the shrimp in the photo with the goby is not the pistol shrimp but the peppermint shrimp.

I don’t have a photo of the pistol shrimp unfortunately. It is a Randall’s Pistol which is white and red striped (in the same stripe direction as the goby). It is so-called because one of its claws is modified to shoot a jet of water with such velocity it creates very high temperatures and a flash of light. I’ve seen the flash and heard the click.

fcmf · « **Reply #38 on:** March 20, 2021, 04:05:14 PM »

I'm also impressed at how you're managing to juggle so much - well done!
Also very sorry to read about the lovely royal gramma.
Otherwise, photos look great, and loving your updates (even although some of it feels like a different world from freshwater keeping).

Matt · « **Reply #39 on:** March 25, 2021, 09:28:18 PM »

Just got 2 clownfish *D

Also picked up a couple of money cowrie which I’m finding fascinating too. These are the shells that used to get traded as money and we commonly find on the beach. These snails have a ‘skin’ they extend over the top of their shell which is colourful and spikey!

Happy to see with just the goby as the sole fish in the tank for a bit that my nitrates came down from around 17 to around 13 ppm over a week.

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I’ve Gone To The Dark Side!

I’ve Gone To The Dark Side!

Author Topic: I’ve gone to the dark side! (Read 7111 times) 43 replies

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