daisy's tank thread (a.k.a. the everlasting battle against aptasia...)

[daisy]

Thanks for all the kudos, Jim, Randy and Ziggy!

The amount of stuff that's still small is incredible - I can't wait to post pics as it grows!!! (my tank is already too small in my mind, but that will force me to be picky in what I buy and add from now on )

I'll be setting up a new tank in the kitchen, by the way - for zoanthids, rics and a few fish

 

[NYreefNoob]

tahl it looks really good, sorry couldnt have helped but i finally took my first vacation in 5 yr's on laborday weekend, the pump i told ya about needed a new volute, should have gotten back to you sooner on that. love the rock work though

 

[daisy]

Thanks, Rick! No problem on the pump - I got a new one from Jim n Russ - decided to go in-sump again... and so far, i have to say, it's pretty much silent!

But I have to figure out how to combat the microbubbles again! (argh)

I hope you had a great vacation! now that my tank is so sweet, I don't want to leave on vacation, though I know I'll feel differently when it's time to go... I hope!

 

[jejton]

I've found microbubbles to be caused by one of the following:
a.) new piping. If the pipes are new, give them time to slime up.
b.) water height is too low over the return pump's intake. Even if the pump is completely submerged, it can create a vortex, sucking air in with water. The air gets chopped up by the impeller and turned into microbubbles. Increase the depth of water in the return chamber or dial back the pump.
c.) a strong overflow landing directly on or near the pump. I had originally placed my phosban reactor in my skimmer chamber, which overflows through some teeth into the pump chamber, and if the flow is strong, the water lands falls six inches right over the pump, creating turbulence and bubbles. This is what happened when I changed the pump on my phosban reactor to a maxijet. I readjusted the setup a little so water didnt surge so fast onto the pump and the bubbles dissappeared right away.
d.) ( I doubt this applies here ) The sump's baffles are incorrectly installed, allowing bubbles to make it to the return pump.
e.) The flow through the baffles is too fast for all the bubbles to dissapate.
f.) There is an incomplete seal in the return plumbing, allowing air to be sucked in.

I think that should cover it.

 

[noelskii]

nice tank!

 

[KathyC]

Looks great Tahl - the aquascaping came out exactly as you'd planned!! Did you get the filter socks yet? If not, I can bring a few when I come back to pick up the tote of parts..maybe this weekend we can all get together again and see where the micro bubbles are coming from ?

I have a few pics from the day we were there..hopefully yours are better.

This was the old tank as we were tanking the sump/equipment apart while some people spent the day at Home Depot looking for parts that they never have in stock..lol Tahl has some drop dead beautiful corals tucked away in here!

 

[daisy]

some pics of my corals

 

[daisy]

a few more shots - side views - first one is from living room towards dining room, second is from dining room towards living room

 

[masterswimmer]

Tahl, looks like a million bucks. Congrats on a successful move.

swimmer

 

[daisy]

thanks, Russ! Hopefully you can come see in person sometime soon!

 

[reefman]

very nice tank thread. it shows how far you've come. great looking tank.

 

[reefs4life]

Wow Tahl! That's a really nice setup you got there. I see your sun coral is doing great...and you have to tell me where you got that porites rock with the x-mas tree worms I love that piece and I'm trying to get one because my mom really likes it too lol

 

[daisy]

the porites with christmas tree worms are from Chris Jury, who is on his way to Hawaii for five years and can't have a saltwater tank while he's there..... I'm "babysitting" them for him. I'm praying I can take good care of them while he's gone!

 

[marki24]

nice clean :tank:, its funny how most people have there magnafloat attached to the tank even when not in use (i do it as well) good luck with everything.

 

[daisy]

Thanks, Marki - I actually use the MagFloat to hold the seaweed for the yellow tang (named Telula by my daughters)

I also find that if it's not attached, I'll never use it (that was my MO years and years ago)

New thing - feeding more to see how fast I can get stuff to grow. I'm going to do my best to take monthly pics to watch for coral growth and general tank progress.

Big news is the tank that is evolving in my kitchen. Chris is leaving me with lots of equipment and a fish that may or may not nip at my corals. so I figured, why not set up a second tank?

So in the 20gal long for the kitchen tank will be a 250W double-ended MH, Koralia, Remora HOB skimmer, LR and so far, a coral beauty angel. I'll be putting mostly zoanthids in this tank, but there will be some other corals in there, too - pulsing xenia and perhaps Sanjay's Efflatounaria for starters. Pics to come and perhaps its own thread, too... For now it's going to be BB (only b/c I have everything but sand!).....

 

[jejton]

If you're only planning on going with zoas and fish, why the high end light? Why not use something that will cost cheaper to run ( in terms of electricity and heat ) ?

 

[daisy]

because the light is free (to me) and because I don't pay for electric (not directly, anyway...).

Because the other lights I have do not fit this tank

because it is already in my apartment

because it is very cool to have the option to put other stuff in that tank that will do really well under higher output lights (such as clams, which i can't have in my main tank)...

or.....

because i'm a bad, bad person who uses what is free to me and passes the cost of running it along to all the other people who live in my coop.....

 

[daisy]

and now for some pics of coral growth...

and some corals that i'm worried about after not being home for about 20 hours (I'm probably just worried about nothing....)

 

[daisy]

some more... cool colors on the trachyphilia, retracted porites, and happy scoly eating

 

[jrobbins]

great colors on the trachyphilia!