# Recifal or FO?



## aquatic-life

*Reef or FO?*

Good evening everyone 
I keep freshwater aquariums since many years,but now I would like to begin with the saltwater world.I will set up a 400L.
After reading many articles,i noticed that there is 2 kinds of saltwater aquarium : 
reef or FO
I love reef cause i was always fascinated by the corals.....
but the main reason why i want to start a saltwater aquarium is because I love all these perfectly drawn colorful fish..

According to my researches,reef aquarium can only hold very few fish :
i read that 2 fish for 100L.
And FO aquariums only hold fish,no corals..
i am really confused,is there no middle choice ? 
I don't want to end up with a "coral" aquarium and i don't want either to have only fish in an aquarium.. that will make it very poor..
I don't know..

I will appreciate any help or any articles links that can help me.


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## coralbandit

I'll assume "recifal" is reef in french,and FO is fish only?
Many keep more than a few fish in reef tanks ,but they must be reef friendly and the more fish you desire(I have many) the "more simple"(less demanding) the corals should be.There is yet another type of marine aquarium we call FOWLR;fish only with live rock.These systems allow non reef safe fish but no carals but have the benefit of live rock for filtration.
Many confuse litres and gallons so 400L is only about 100 gl.You could have several(more than 4) fish and simple corals without issue.Most who really want corals go with sump filters fed via overflow extraction and a decent protien skimmer(very important IMO).You will need almost every test kit available for marine tanks to keep corals.
ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,calcium,pH,kH,phosphate are a must.Magnesium is recommended.For the best results with corals RO/DI water is also recommended.


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## aquatic-life

Evening!
Yeah true  Recifal is reef and FO is fish only,sorry i am french educated more than english..
Anyway.. mmm if FO aquarium how many fish can the aquarium hold?( i know it depends on the species.. but just to get an idea..)

And in FO will it be only fish and gravel? 

Thanks again!


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## coralbandit

Can't say how many fish ,but definately more than with corals.Fish do not require the water quality that corals due.You could have "live rock" and crushed coral in with fish only.With fish only you are not limited to "reef/coral" safe fish.


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## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot for your answers  
I think i am going to make a reef one..
Here are some of the fish that are okay to place in a reef tank according to a site,
can someone limit me the choices?and the number of each specie? i am just trying to get the idea if the reed aquarium wil be the good choice to take..
Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)
Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus) 
Wartskin Angler (Antennarius maculatus) 
Spotted Mandarin (Synchiropus picturatus) 
Dispar Anthias (Pseudanthias dispar) 
and a couple of the famous clown fish of course 

and the invertebrates for the bottom of the aquarium.
Too much for a 100gal. ? 

Thanks a lot guys!


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## coralbandit

Can't say about angler from experience, but seems like a predator(could be wrong).
The butterfly will eliminate any featherdusters as he will enjoy eating them right up!
Seems like decent fish list,and I DO have a copperbanded butterfly in my 75gl reef,just no featherdusters anymore(all moved to safer tank!)


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## aquatic-life

Thanks again for all your help coralbandit!!

One more question.. To save some money I am planning to build the aquarium myself,i tried to search on google for some articles,but i didn't find..
I think it is the same thing like building freshwater aquariums,with 2 holes in the bottom of the aquarium??(do you have an idea about the diameter of these holes and the place of them?)

Thank you in advanced!


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## coralbandit

Many drill holes up neartop if they don't get "pre drilled tanks".
Aquarium Overflow 1800 GPH Overflow Box - Bulk Reef Supply
Her's the skimmer box.
BRS, bulk reef supply has diamond hole bits and bulk heads to match holes.
Go for 1-1 1/4 " drains(2 would be best) and 3/4- 1" returns(again two are best).
Enjoy the build and post a thread on how it is going!


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## aquatic-life

Hello 
Thank you again!! 
I am having some trouble visualising the thing,
Is there any post that was posted? To make the things clear? 
Of course i will make a post  
Do you advice me to buy a reef aquarium? Or it is worth it to build it myself?and it's
Not that difficult ?


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## coralbandit

I would buy the aquarium.Aqueon makes "mega flow" tanks with built in overflows.
Aqueon » Pre-Drilled Aquariums | Products
If you want to drill and build then here is a link;
How to Drill and Aquarium and install an Internal Overflow - Bulk Reef Supply


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## aquatic-life

Hello,
how are you today?
thank you for the links,but I have again one more question :goldfish:
all the aquarium that I saw in the pet stores,have 2 holes,each one in the back corner of the aquarium,i think one where the water will go to the sump and the other where the pump will pump the water back to the aquarium.
Why did you advise me to make 2 holes in each corner? or I misunderstood something? 
Thanks a lot for your help


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## coralbandit

If you are going to drill your own holes I would not put them on the bottom.I would locate them near top in overflow box.Two drains is safest and with overflow box you won't flow any faster than pump returns water to tank.Two returns one on each end is to help avoid dead spots,but not necessary depending on how much flow you want.
The BRS hole drilling video shows where drain holes go and how to install the oveflow box.


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## aquatic-life

Hello!  thanks a lot for your help! 
But i just want to be sure about the place of the holes,to begin with the aquarium,like that? 



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Thanks a lot for the link it is really helpful !!

As for the flow,i don't know :S what are the benefits and the inconvenience of it 
thanks again!


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## coralbandit

I would drill the 2 drain holes on back to fit in overflow box(got to have overflow box IMO).I would drill the returns near top next to corners on back.
I would not drill holes on bottom as they could leak and if they did they would not stop leaking until tank was empty!
I'll try to find a good link for you.
Like this;
AOL Search


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## aquatic-life

I would really like to thank you for all your help,all your patience to help a beginner. Thanks a lot!

Here we go : i think it is correct this time : 

with the 2 drain holes in the middle of the back glass of the aquarium.(sorry not in the middle in the pic)



One more question : 
As for skimmers,i read that for a reef aquarium i need for a 400Liters, a skimmer for 800Liters,correct?
I tried to see some skimmer brands in my country here what i found: 
dymax
vertex 
aqua metic
deltec

Some are very expensive like vertex,and some are cheap like dymax,I would like to have a good skimmer from the beginning. 

Thanks a lot again!!


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## coralbandit

Now you got it!Probly also expensive but the deltec are good skimmers.I'll see if I can find any of the others you listed.


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## aquatic-life

Yeyy!! hehe
Thank you 

I tried to google some reviews about these brands: aqua metic,lots of negative reviews
deltec and vertex as you said are the best..but the only negative side is that they are very expensive..


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## aquatic-life

One more question,if possible,
For a 400L. reef aquarium does the skimmer have to be for a 800Liters aquarium?(skimmer needed : volume X 2(this is what I read in articles) 
Thanks again and again! =))


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## coralbandit

Double the volume of water is recommended,but a good skimmer rated higher than tank volume is better than a cheap skimmer rated much higher.Can you get E shopps where you are? they're ok.
It is best to get the best skimmer you can,nobody wants to replace expensive equipment.
The dymax and aqua medic didn't rank real good and both looked crappy to me.
What country are you in ,France? I'll search what is available in your area and give my opinion.


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## aquatic-life

Hello!  
i hope you are doing fine today 
Actually I am from Lebanon,tomorrow i will make a tour on all the pet stores,and get all the prices and brands and will be back here to get some feedbacks  
Thanks a lot!!


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## aquatic-life

Hello  
I found a new brand called : reef octopus acording to the buyer it is a good skimmer quality/price. I searched a bit about reviews seems a good skimmer. What do you think? 
Have a nice day!


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## coralbandit

Reef octopus are good skimmers.


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## aquatic-life

Great! I think i will get one of them thank you 


And one more question,when i will fill the aquarium and i want to put the light above the aquarium,can i to avoid evaporation cover the aquarium with a glass? Or it will affect the light that the corals need? 

Thanks again! )


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## coralbandit

A full glass cover will probly cause issue with the pH as co2 will not be able to out gas effeciently.I have glass over the back of my tanks to keep fish from jumping out(with canopy surrounding the 3 visable sides.
A screen cover will work reall good to keep jumpers in and allow light and out gassing of co2.
DIY Aquarium Screen Tops - Bulk Reef Supply


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## aquatic-life

Hello,
how are you today? 
Thanks a lot for the link,I checked it.
Oh ! i have good news! a pet store will make me the aquarium,with the skimmer(deltec for 800L.) with sump and the live rocks for 800$,good price,no?

I have a question concerning the lighting,since my aquarium will be 60cm deep,and it is a reef aquarium,i want to use HQI lighting,can I use them only? or i have to add with them the blue tube neon light?(t5)

Have a nice day!!  thanks a lot!!


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## coralbandit

HQI's are fine as long as you are prepared to deal with the heat(if it becomes an issue) and they are of proper temp(10,000K at least.).Anything from 10K through 20 K is fine and the higher the K (kelvin) the more blue the white will appear.
You may still want actinic(430NM) bulbs to be your sunrise/sunset featured.I think during the "daylight" cycled theHQI will provide all spectrums necessary.


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## aquatic-life

Thank you  !!


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## aquatic-life

I think i will go for : 
HQI :2 x 250w + 2 x 39w t5 actinic


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## aquatic-life

Hey!! it's me again!
all the project is getting closer.. i have sold my freshwater aquarium,got some space for the new one!!
on the 4th of october the person who will make my aquarium will come back to the country,so i will probably go and talk to him on the 5th or 6th.

But i have a question in mind...
my aquarium will be a 120x60x60 : If i want to see which fish i can add to the aquarium : should i refer to the volume of the aquarium only? so 430L. ?? or i should refer to the volume of the aquarium+sump?? around 500L.??
Thanks a lot! 
have a nice day!


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## coralbandit

You should account for volume of aquarium MINUS your rock and substrate!So a 110 g (aprox) will only hold 80-90 gallons of water.Possibly some would count the sump,but I would not for the fish as they will have no gain from it.When figuring your trace supplements you will need to count the sump into your math of total gallons/litres.
I'm phsyched for you! I hope all goes well and you are doing excellent research ,and asking very good questions.


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## aquatic-life

Thank you so much for your help,I am doing as many research as possible,to begin correctly  

Because the aquarium will be in my bedroom,do you think the skimmer,overflow and all the filtration system will make so many noise?It will make some noise that's sure.. but will it be enough to disturb sleeping?(i will tell to the builder of my aquarium that i want to put it in my bedroom,so he will build the less noise system possible.)

What do you think of surrounding all the sump chamber by Styrofoam? will it be worth it to decrease the noise?

thanks a lot coralbandit,you should sign on my aquarium as the principal helper hehe


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## coralbandit

There will be some noise but there is some decently quiet equipment.I use submersible pumps and hang them or use a type of mesh to keep them from touching anything in filter and creating vibrations(noise).
You should be able to sleep through it with out problem.Most of my tanks are in rooms next my bedroom and I can hear them at night when all is quiet ,but it's not the end of the world.


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## aquatic-life

Hello! 
I hope you had a great week-end and having a great evening! 
As the realization of the aquarium approaches i am thinking of the placement of the Live rocks,is it okay to place them like that? or should i cover all the back of my aquarium?



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maybe i will put some corals in the middle...
What do you think? I will welcome any other ideas 

for the lighting,I checked on ebay that some HQI halogen costs : 20-30$,the one that i found near me is 100$.
Is a 30$ HQI has a good quality? is it a good idea to save money by buying them? or i should get the 100$ ones?
I mean for my freshwater aquarium,UV tubes, SERA UV tube costs 40$,i got some others at 10$ the second time,and i didn't notice any real change neither in the lighting colors nor the growth of the aquatic plants.

Thank you!


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## coralbandit

I can see no problem with the rocks as you would like.
If the HQI halogen are 10K at least they should be fine.Make sure you know what temp(K{kelvin}) they are.Anything from 10-20 K is good for reef.The higher the K the more of a blue(not strong blue like actinics) you will see mixed in with crisp white.
Link the lights you're looking at if you can?


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## aquatic-life

Great for the live rocks! 
Some examples :

Superreef 10000K HQI Metal Halide 250W Watt Double Ended FC2 10K | eBay

250 Watts Metal Halide Bulb HQI 22K 20K 15K 14k 13K 12K 10K 250W FC2 de Aquarium | eBay

70 150 250W Watt MH Double Ended HQI Aquarium Coral Reef Bulb 10000 14000 20000K | eBay 

Thanks again!


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## coralbandit

All bulbs look good!They HQI MH(metal halide),not halogen(this is what concerned me.)The one with multiple choices(#2,I think) would be great as you could get the higher temp ratings(14-20K).I use LEDS now but really liked my 14K MH I used.
Are you going to make your own fixture?If so make sure you add cooling fans to the unit as the lights will make some heat(an amount that may warm tank too much).Also mount/locate ballst as far from tank as possible(like in another room or basement if possible as they will definately generate a lot of heat.


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## aquatic-life

That's great! I will purchase 2 of them.
For the best coloring and growth of corals,what do you advice me to get? 2x14k? or is it possible to get let's say one 12k and the other 14?
Yes i will try do my own fixture,they must heat too much.. ok i will make sure to add fans 
But luckily that I live in an area where we don't have hot days,so i think it will help a bit.

Corabandit,I was wondering my tank will be 120x60x60 as 432liters,they say 1w for 1w,isn't it too much,2 x 250w (HQI) + 2 x 39w t5? it will make a 578w in total.


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## coralbandit

I wouldn't really count the [email protected] as they are actinic.5 watts per gallon is right upthere ,close to maximum,but you should be fine. I had two 250's on my 75G before the LEDS and my leds are brighter!
I'm sure if the ballast allowed you could go with two different temps,but it would probly be better looking to keep them the same(go 14K!).The bulbs will need to be replaced every year or two so if you desire a different look just order a different temp.I had replacements always on hand so as to not have issues if a bulb died and the time it took to order and receive new ones,so you could order 4 bulbs ,2 of one temp and 2 of another and see what you like best($$$).


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## aquatic-life

Deall so I will go for the 14k,but bad news  the seller is out of stock for the 14k hqi hehe
I will check the two others,or i go for 13k? I prefer that you decide,since i don't know how a 14k or a 13k will look. lol
Thanks a lot!!


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## coralbandit

Not a big difference between 13 and 14K.My leds are 12k and look fine to me.Anything 10K and up will do well for the corals and such.The reason you need stronger light in saltwater than fresh is because of all the salt.If you think about the salt being solid(like before you dissolve it in water) then you can realise that there will be a solid(light cutting)material in your water.Many don't think of the fact that salt is solid and although it is dissolved in water it is still there.Cutting(reducing) how deep the light can penatrate into the water to feed the corals.All corals keepers in the hobby get are from "tropical" places where they receive 12hrs of sunlight a day everyday(weather pending) so marine aquariums are not like lakes in northern or extreme southern areas.
They get good "strong " light and our tanks need that also.


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## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot for these precious information.. I will go for the 13k 
Thanks again! have a nice day!


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## aquatic-life

Hello again!  hehe
coralbandit,what do you think of these? getting 2 of them,instead of the 2 hqi?
Aquarium Reef LED Lamp 30W 12000K White 250W Metal Halide Alternative Light | eBay


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## coralbandit

They look good.Reasonably priced and meet the criteria for leds.I have seen them but don't know about them.I would give them a try.You're going to save a lot of $ on electricity and avoid the overheating issues.Not mention the savings $ on ballast and fans and all the labor of any DIY project.


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## aquatic-life

Deal! 2 are enough for my case,true? 
according to the description _Aquarium Reef LED Lamp 30W 12000K White (250W Metal Halide alternative Light)_ so each one count like a 250W HQI.
I hope they will be as good as hoped,will keep you posted about my experience with them once i receive and use them.
Thanks a lot for all your help! )


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## coralbandit

2 should be ample.Definately let us all know what you think of them as they are very well priced for leds which scares most away from buying them.


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## aquatic-life

Good evening!
Today I begun by cleaning the table where the aquarium will be placed.
First i will rub it and then i will paint it against rust,and finally i will paint it black.
For the floor below the aquarium,this is where the sump will be placed.I will close all the open areas with wood,and I am thinking to glue,a styrofoam layer inside each piece of wood,to hope to isolate the sound of the sump a bit..



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## aquatic-life

Hello 
Today i went to the pet store,the aquarium builder came back,and my aquarium should be ready,middle next week. 
He will offer me with the price he gave me: 30kg of live rocks,is it enough?(aqua dimensions: 120x60x60) (I don't think so)

As you told me,he said that HQI will make a lot of heat.. he adviced me to go or to LED or to T5 lighting.Led,i think it is too expensive for me.. 
If I go to T5 tubes.How many should i have,let's say I only want to keep soft corals.
(In saltwater aquarium,I am always amazed by the shadow of the water moving in the bottom of the aquarium.Will it be present with all light types? T5 specially?)

Thanks a lot!


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## coralbandit

You could easily go as high as 7-8 watts per gallon.If you choose T5 make sure they are HO(High output),and you get some actinics.
30 kg is aprox 2/3 of what you should go with unless the rock is very light wieght,I think.


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## aquatic-life

Good evening!!
mmm.. Yes I see..
I made some calculation,if i have to change the tubes each year,it is cheaper for me in all the ways to buy a led ramp.
I am talking about this one i found it in my pet store for 500$.
It is a 16000K. Maxspect Razor R420R LED

Maxspect Razor R420R LED Light Fixture

According to the brochure : it is a 160w and it covers 400w in metal halide. (if we count 1w/1L. I think it should be fine.)
The only thing is that it is 70cm,according to him it will be a good one for my aquarium. But i better ask your opinion,a professional opinion.
Thanks a lot!


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## coralbandit

The maxspect razors are pretty good lights.The only problem may be its legnth.Possibly you go with it and see if it is enough light,and if more is needed a second one could be added.They would overlapp each other a little,but that's not really an issue.With one one you may have enough "spread" to completely light the sides of your tank.
I've had pretty good luck with theses in fusion(50/50) ,diamond white,and super blue.The lights are awesome,but I have had a few transformers fail(I have alot of these).As you mentioned about the flourescents if you really count the cost of replacing bulbs every year even the blown transformers cost less.


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## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot for your answer! I will go for it.
For budget purposes..Can I keep the aquarium without lights in the cycling process??? I mean,when i fill it and put the live rocks,should I light the tank? or can I keep it without lighting?(according to some researches it is possible)

Thank you !!


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## coralbandit

You don't need the light to cycle,but it will help the rock if it is live (live rock) or also will bring on the diatoms(brown algae which will show up and then die within a month or so) before you plan on stocking.


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## aquatic-life

mmm... the aquarium won't be in a dark room,do you think the daylight would be enough?
I don't want to face problem because of it.Like having brown algae in the future..

Thanks a lot for your help!!


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## coralbandit

Hard to say? If the tank gets some sunlight that may work for now and may be a problem in the future?


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## aquatic-life

mmm..I don't know if I got what you mean.
But the aquarium won't be exposed to direct sunlight,just daylight in a room that contains 2 windows and a balcony.

The aquarium will be finished on Thursday!!! 
we dealed on a reef octopus skimmer,because of the highly priced deltec skimmer.. according to the net it is a good and silent skimmer,hopefully! I will get the reef octopus DW 200 protein skimmer.


I will make sure to buy all the essential tests to begin,no2,ph,do you have an idea of what are the left tests that are essential to have???

I didn't decide yet if i am going to cycle the aquarium with,or without the light :/
I hope you are having a good week's beginning! 
Thank you so much!


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## coralbandit

The basic test for a reef tank are; ammonia ,nitrite(only useful during cycling hopefully),NitrAte,pH,kH,phosphates and calcium.Some will test for magnesium also.
The list of other things to be tested could be large but most are not common;iodine,strontium,molybenium,iron.
The kH,calcium are very important along with the nitrate and pH for average reef keepers.


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## aquatic-life

Thank you!  i will get them all !
My aquarium should be ready tomorrow..
just to sum up is that all i need for the moment for the aquarium and the sump?
live rocks
skimmer
return pump
coral sand
lighting system.

Do I need a phosphate remover since the beginning?? what about the wave maker?

Thanks a lot!!


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## Reefing Madness

.


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## aquatic-life

Hello 
Thank you for your reply! 

I have one more question,if possible..
for the return pump,I tried to google a bit to know the dimension of the return pump for my reef,but i couldn't find any rule..
My aquarium will be a 468L. with a 162L. sump.

Do you know anything about atman return pump?very noisy?(my reef will be placed in my bedroom.

Thanks a lot!! 
Evening!


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## coralbandit

When concern about noise is an issue I would go with a submerged pump.I use mag drives(danner) and RM is big on quiet ones.
Looking for 4000L per hour at least.


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## aquatic-life

thank you!


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## aquatic-life

Hello!! 
I hope you are doing great,as me 
Today I received my aquarium,here are some pictures..
the aquarium,it lies on his backcannot carry it tonight 3 floors up,tomorrow hopefully)


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the sump:




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and the gravel.. is it a good one? i paid 60$ for 30kg.
on the bag it is written : 
NATURAL COLOR
Gravels collected from pure natural environment 
for garden and aquarium
salt water and freshwater water suitable
//
aquarium gravel for fresh and saltwater
premiun ph maintain proper
made in china



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Thank you!


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## coralbandit

Tank and filter look very nice.
I'm unsure of gravel ,but odds are it will work well,most use live sand or crushed coral.If it says it's ok for marine than it should be fine.I like crushed coral myself.


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## aquatic-life

Hello...
I have bad news :/ I hope it is not that bad...and it will not be the cause to throw away my aquarium....
While getting my aquarium up to the 3rd floor,one of the man who was holding it,hit the bottom corner of the aquarium to the wall.. a small crack resulted..I don't know what to do.. 
the crack is about 7cm.in the front bottom corner of the aquarium,the bottom of the aquarium is a 12mm glass,plus a 12mm glass over it, it didn't reach the aquarium it is only between the 2 glasses,untouchable from the inside,and from the outside,the crack is between the glasses,only the bottom of the crack from the outside is reachable.
Here are some pictures: 
I don't know but i think it is a chip more than a crack.. 



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this is how i planned to fix it: 
I will put as much silicon as possible,from the inside then I am thinking to place 2 cube of glasses inside the aquarium,and glue them to the glass.and from the outside i will have some aluminium corner for all the aquarium with will hold also the 2 glasses together..



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the crack is about 7cm from bottom to top..


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## coralbandit

In some pics it looks bad!In some of the others maybe ok?
I would see if the builder was still around an show him pics.Maybe you'll be ok.
What a shame eitherway.


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## aquatic-life

Yes.. really it's a shame.. All my mood turned bad after this accident..
It doesn't look that bad for me,i think it looks more "catastrophic" becaue of the flash i used on most of the pictures... I will contact the builder tomorrow and ask his opinion,I also posted a topic on a forum related to construction...maybe they can give me a hand also..
Do you think my method to fix it is good enough??


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## coralbandit

I have a hard time saying on that.If the builder thinks you ideas(sound ok to me)are good then you well may have saved an otherwise bad situation.


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## aquatic-life

I took a video of the chip,maybe it will look clearer,and more real than the pictures..
chip/crack,can i save my tank? - YouTube


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## aquatic-life

Does anyone have an idea,if i want to take off the affected 2 sides,can I only take them off,and glue 2 new sides? or i should destroy all my aquarium and rebuilt it from 0 ? :S


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## Goby

We've used numerous double-glass bottom aquariums with similar chips and not had a problem. We purposely bought them that way discounted. If the impact didn't damage any of the seal you're likely fine. Definitely add some additional seal inside the tank over the injury. In the future, never allow this tank to be twisted when it's moved and make sure it's installed on a perfectly level floor. But honestly, more often than not chips like that are superficial and don't take away from the structural integrity of the tank. There are other common tank injuries that will appear much less threatening asthetically, when in fact they've caused a total structural loss. 

I realize this is disappointing but consider moving forward as planned. Don't disassemble anything at this point. If a problem presents itself, deal with it then. Since this tank is double-bottomed a sudden burst and spill isn't going to be an issue. Not to mention it's double braced. That's a nice tank and its bottom layer of glass did what it was suppose to do yesterday- protect and reinforce. 

You deserve to enjoy your new aquarium. Put the chip to the wall, fill it, keep an eye on it, and then forget about it.


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## aquatic-life

Hello Goby,thank you for your reply 

I just contacted the builder.. he told me we should change the front glass..to avoid any catastrophe..
So since this reef aquarium will stay for a long time,for the piece of mind i will do it..
I will replace the affected glass, the front glass.
I will do it myself
Of course I need special silicon for aquariums and then I need to clean all the boundaries of the glasses where the new one should stick. And it should be okay,no?
what do you think?

Thanks a lot guys!


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## coralbandit

Get glass,silicone and cleaner from the builder(or at least ask him what brand to use.)Then you should have a very good chance of repairing this.
Good luck!


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## aquatic-life

Hello 
better even,I have called the builder,i won't do it he will do it,he will come to my place and fix it,better i though 

thank you!


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## coralbandit

Now your talking!!!!!*W


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## aquatic-life

Hehe!! thanks a lot coralbandit for supporting me throughout all this project..
Hopefully no more problems  
hehe have a nice week-end!


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## Goby

aquatic-life said:


> Hello
> better even,I have called the builder,i won't do it he will do it,he will come to my place and fix it,better i though
> 
> thank you!


Now that's customer service!


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## aquatic-life

hehe it is 
Good evening! 
I am still waiting for the call of the builder,in these few days to come and fix my aquarium.
I have a small question,while watching some video on youtube i found this coral that i found really beautiful,does someone know its name to get more information about it please? I know that it is a lps but nothing more..



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thanks a lot!  i hope you had a wonderful sunday


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## coralbandit

Looks like some type of scoly(scolymia).They are beautiful!


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## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot 
indeed..beautiful!
Here is the link if you want to check it up :
Fauna Marin LPS Coral Feeding - YouTube

thanks again!


----------



## Goby

A wellso brain coral? Scientific name _tachy_something


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## aquatic-life

Good evening 
Sorry about my long absence.. but been in the middle of my midterms,I finished them for the moment!  and well done!! 
As for my aquarium,glass fixed. got my return pump(DYMAX: 5000l/h,the smaller one is only 2500l/h)

But I am still stuck with the expensive lighting... I am thinking again to buy from ebay..
As professionals what do you think of these? as i understood it has 14white 12k and 6 actinic blue right?

New 60W LED Aquarium Fish Tank Coral Reef Flood Light 14WHITE 12000K 6BLUE 460nm | eBay

I will get two of them for my (120x60x65)
What do you think?

Thanks a lot!! Once the lighting is resolved I will fill my aquarium,already paid and reserved my live rocks


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## coralbandit

They look ok.I myself have not used them.They seem well priced and proper wattage and temp. of bulbs.I'd give em a try but possibly be prepared to buy maybe 2 more in the future to get more light.$100 isn't that much to at least see if they are a good start.


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## tike

Those light will not work for a 400 L tank. Also the spectrum of lighting won't show off the corals well at all. With a tank that big you will have to spend a little for your lighting. Three of these would work. Evergrow Dimmable Full Spectrum D120 120W LED Light for Reef Saltwater Aquarium | eBay


I run simular lights and I love them! You could also just buy 2 but you would have some shaded areas.


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## aquatic-life

Yeah.. You are right.. 
Economising on the lighting seems to be a bad idea.
I will buy 2 maxspect razor 160w each. But as a beginning i will buy one and then buy the second one.they will cost me 450$each
The one that you posted don't deliver to my country i'm too far..
Thanks a lot  !


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## aquatic-life

Good evening ! 
I wanted to give an information about the glass change,maybe someday in the future by reading this topic,it could save someone from a catastrophe...
Once we pressed a bit with a cuter to remove the silicon the corner of the cracked glass entirely cracked...I could not imagine with all the pressure of the water..
So I really advice once your aquarium has a crack,to change the glass.. to avoid any chances of inundation 



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EDIT: 
and here's the skimmer :

Reef Octopus NW 200:


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## aquatic-life

Good evening! 
Before filling the aquarium I would like to put a layer of Styrofoam 1cm between the table and the aquarium.
I saw that some advice to place one under the aquarium and others don't.. what do you think??

Thanks a lot! I hope you are having a great week!!


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## coralbandit

Many use foam or some kind of pad without problem.
It can't hurt any!


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## aquatic-life

Hey! 
How are you?
I hope you are having a great week-end!! 
Here everything is fine,getting ready to fill my tank.But a "silly" question..
this is the sump that was made by the pet store for my reef aquarium:



I really don't know how to use it.. 
where should I place the skimmer? the return pump?(the return pump must be in the second chamber,but which one is the second? )
I mean in which chamber should the water of the aquarium arrive to the sump?

Thank you in advanced !


----------



## coralbandit

Doen't look like it will make much of a difference.I would put return pump in chamber 2(the bigger) so you will have more water to evaporate before needing to top off.The skimmer could go in either,but if you can get in #1 and return it in #2 then you know you are recycling needlessly.
One more thing;when you fill the sump make sure to add water to both sides in even increments so as to not have all the pressure of one side full and the other empty.If you fill just #1 and let it overflow to fill #2 it may break the bond on the baffle(ask me how I know?)


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## aquatic-life

Thank you for the advices!!
Oh!! I will be careful when filling it.. 
I might have known the answer,you got that accident :S

Have a nice week-end coralbandit!


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## aquatic-life

Hey ! 
I hope you are doing fine.
Still working on my tank lol,
to cover the silicone of the aquarium,i thought to put aluminium joints on the boundaries of the aquarium(I don't know if you understood what i mean),1 it will make it look better,and will make the tank stronger.
For the sides no problem.
But for the bottom,one side of the aluminium will go under the aquarium.Will it be a problem to have aluminium on the bottom glass?In fact I am afraid that now the tank will lay on the aluminium not on the tank,even if the aluminium is ~1mm thick and i placed a Styrofoam under the tank/
What do you think?will it be okay?because i didn't find any aluminium without a 90 degrees corner.

here is a picture of what I mean:



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Thanks a lot!!


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## coralbandit

Placing the aluminum should be no problem.Even without the foam it will help to distribute the weight like many of our tanks with their plastic frames.Most of our store bought tanks have plastic frame that holds glass upto 1/2" off the stand.So I think you'll be fine.If it had been on all joints in the beginning you may have avoided your accident?


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## aquatic-life

Hello 
Great!!  You really are the most active member on this forum,thanks a lot for all your help! It is really kind from you 
Yes.. :/ If I had the frames before the accident I would have avoided it.....
Here is a picture of the aquarium,just took it 


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Nothing special to show but it is good to see the aquarium in good condition again 
you can see my bed through the reflexion of the glass,it is that near  I hope this tank won't be too noisy lol 
Oh and between,I was checking for live rocks in the pet stores.. all the pet stores keep them in unlighted aquarium..(usually they are placed in hudge sumps,under big aquariums) Won't it be the same if I bring them and place them in my tank?? that way I will run my cycle for more time.. Still have 100$ to get to have the led set hehe.
Thanks again coralbandit!  have a nice day(if it is a day in your country) Here it is 1:13AM


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## coralbandit

6:00 pm in New York(USA).You a night owl!The rock should be fine without light in your tank.It's mostly bacteria and smaller life that come with live rock(very seldom any good corals),but sometimes some sponge growth.You'd be getting ahead of the game if you can "cure" it for a month or so,as many live rock (uncured) will have some die off until it settles in to your tank(about a month).So I see no harm in getting rock before light.You will want filter up and running though.


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## aquatic-life

hehe yeah I usually don't sleep early. 
Deal!! 
No problem for the filtration and the skimmer,got them all,what is only missing in my installation is the lighting.

So I will run all the system except the lighting(that I will have very soon).And I will make sure not to place the gravel now,I will wait till the rocks are cured  (I will cure them in my tank)
I will read articles about curing live rocks.
Thanks a lot coralbandit!  Evening!!


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## aquatic-life

Hello 
I hope you are having a great great great week-end's beginning!!  
As for me tomorrow i am going to get my 600L. RO water,and the salt.and the live rocks.
I have a few questions that come to my mind..
my sump is still empty,I only have in it the skimmer and the return pump,
-Shouldn't I add any filtration accessories? 
-I will mix tomorrow the RO and the salt and once all the salt is dissolved I will place the live rock in the water.
-but which test do I need to check that my parameters are corrects?(salinity..?)I surely need,ph, no2, no3,but what instrument do I need for my salinity measurement( hydrometer?)and what are the results that I should have?

Thanks a lot  
Evening!


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## coralbandit

Your looking for 1.020-1.024 for specific gravity (27-33 salinity ppt).I use a digital meter($$$),but a hydrometer will be fine.
Adding a sponge or two(however many it takes) to make all water flow through them will help alot and will seed with the bacteria as long as you don't rinse it out in plain water.
PH should be 8-8.4(8.2-8.3 )being best.
Have great weekend and ENJOY!,You're getting very close!


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## aquatic-life

Deal!! Thanks a lot!! 
Yeah it feels like its getting closer,hehe finally!!
Thanks again! have a nice week-end  Will surely update you tomorrow.
Will go to sleep now 1:15am here.
Evening!!


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## aquatic-life

Good evening! 
I just filled my aquarium and placed my live rocks for the time being in the sump.Tomorrow I will place them in the aquarium.
But I was surprised,when I filled to tank I found that between the extreme left and the extreme right corners of the aquarium,the water level differs by 0.5cm! :O
I don't understand how this could happen! Before this aquarium I had a 120cm length freshwater aquarium,and never noticed this.. the old aquarium and this one lies on the same stand.
What's wrong? Is it possible that the salt caused this? it is not yet totally dissolved,I just added it.. I don't know a matter of pression?.. 
I am completely lost here..


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## coralbandit

.5 cm shouldn't be a big deal but it probly is really off level.The salt will have no effect on the water being level(water always finds it own level and is perfect).Possibly you could drain tank and shim up the stand on the one side?I wouldn't just change the tank though if you're going to level it do the stand on the floor.


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## aquatic-life

Good evening 
thank you for your reply,
is it essential to level it you think?I just checked closely it is less than 5mm I will need to empty all the water of the tank and the sump and remove the live rock..to level it 
_
I wouldn't just change the tank though if you're going to level it do the stand on the floor._

Sorry but i didn't understand what do you mean by this :/
thanks a lot!! I will post pictures in a few minutes to show you the installation


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## coralbandit

You're probly ok the way it is.I meant don't put something under the aqurium(on top of the stand) level the stand with something on the floor to raise the one side of the whole set up if you choose.


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## aquatic-life

Hey! sorry for the delay..
Just finished cleaning and doing the final touches for today.. 
Here's a picture,nothing special,in the sump i added 20kg to my reserved live rocks,so I got today 30+20kg live rocks,as you told me I need more than 30kg.
For the LR in the sump,it is because my aquarium still till today needed final touches before filling it,so i filled the sump waited 7h and placed the LR in it,tomorrow,24h will have past after the aquarium was filled,so I will put them in the aquarium,and place everything in its place in the sump..
As for the cover on the sump,it is because I am still using silicone to glue the sump "chamber"(close it) and I don't want any chemical products of silicone to reach the water of the sump.


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That's all for tonight  I'll better go to sleep now it is 1:00am and tomorrow need to wake up at 7.
Good night!


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## aquatic-life

Hey Tom! I hope you are doing fine today! 
I have placed the live rocks in the main tank,and i would really like to have your opinion, I will post pictures as soon as the water become clearer. 



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For the sump.. I placed the skimmer,I placed the return pump and some small live rocks left...
But here I am lost  
skimmer part:
Is it okay that the skimmer is emerged to that point??
I think the water that comes out of the skimmer(1) should go to the second chamber,but I don't have any pipe that is that large,will it be okay to turn it on till tomorrow without pipe?(Tomorrow I will get a valid pipe for the dimension of the output of the skimmer)

According to the sheet I should have an 8.6" water level to fix with the gate valve.So I measure 8.6inches from the bottom of the skimmer and this will be the water level?that's it?
But once the skimmer is turned on.. It is impossible to see the water level everything that you can see are bubbles..
P.S.: As you can notice,the sump chamber is not completely closed yet,I still have to stick the left part,and for the front 2 pieces of wood that would be the doors of the sump.
Thanks a lot!!  
evening!


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## coralbandit

You should be alright with the skimmer in the sump.You may have to control the pump(slow it down) but that shouldn't cause trouble.You don't have to return the skimmer to section 2 if it is diffacult.If you have to bring a drain pipe over the baffle and it is above the output of the skimmer it may slow the skimmer down even more.On my 120 reef the skimmer was hooked up to intake at the end of sump and return in the beginning(kind of seemed backwards),but it functions fine and do to large holes drilled in sump(acrylic) for it, I can't change it.
The water level will probly end up being the depth of the water in the sump,I don't think that can be changed(and actually think it will be a little higher).
Just try to only have foam (skimmate) in the neck of the skimmer,and it should work well.Protien skimmers can be very finicky so make adjustments (a little at a time) and give it plenty of time to adjust(hours).Pay close attention until you know it is running well(they can overflow the scum cup easily and quickly).Make sure you have time to observe it after you turn it on.
Looking Good!


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## aquatic-life

thanks a lot for your answer!  
I just tried to apply what you told me.. once I turned on the skimmer,a strange sound is coming from the pump,it is like hitting something.. and very few flow(none) is getting out of the pump.. skimmer is not working as a result!
what the hell did just happened? :S
If the pump is broken I will take it tomorrow to the pet store from where I got it.. 
What do you think?


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## coralbandit

If you can take the pump apart to see the impellar you should check to make sure it is not broken or has something stuck in it.If you can un attach the pump from skimmer you can see if the pump will run in the sump.Sometimes things get clogged in pumps(in the impellar).


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## aquatic-life

Yeah i can detach it. Did it still not working even in sump ,open it nothing inside of it.. 

anyway it has one year warantee on the pump..
I think the best way is to take it and ask for a new one..
What do you think?


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## coralbandit

Yeah get new one if it isn't working.
But with it open and plugged in try to spin the impellar with your hand.Maybe even take the impellar out and reinstall it,just to see and practice with it.But if you get it to work and unplug it and it doesn't start again definately return it to store.


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## aquatic-life

Good evening! 
Today I went to the pet store,and showed him the pump,he tried it and it worked! He told me it must be an electricity power problem,I tried it again and it worked.. anyway he told me try it for a couple of week,if it still causes problem bring it again. 
The skimmer is working right now,suffering to regulate it..but it is normal for the first week according to some lectures.

But I still have a small problem.. the overflow,is still making an annoying sound of aspiration,on the edges of the overflow in the aquarium.. I placed a bag of balls that will reduce the sound of the flow of the water,but still on the surface it is making sound(aspiration),if I add more will it make the noise disappear?
Also I have a problem with the pipe that take the water from the overflow to the sump,it seems the pipe is too big for my return pump,I always have air inside it,making also some noises,do you think I can close half of the pipe to reduce the air presence in it??
Here is a video of my overflow and the pipe I am talking about 
Overflow and pipe sound - YouTube

Thanks a lot!!  
Evening


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## coralbandit

The noise may get less as the filter breaks in.Kind of like the skimmer.These thing will change in the first week or so as they break in or get "seasoned" by the water.
The video playeds for less than full time then quit on me ,but it looks like the flow is very fast leaving the overflow so you may be able to close the pipe alitt;e if you can?
When I had over flow boxes I always kept a folded towel on top of it to reduce the noise.
There will be some noise no matter what I think.My drilled tanks are quieter but I still hear a little water flow and such.


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## aquatic-life

Hello 
I will try tomorrow to put something on the entry of the pipe in the over flow box,to reduce the flow,yes indeed it is very fast,I think the pipe is too large.
Thanks for the tip of the folded towel  I'll try it.
I do understand that some noise will remain,but it is still very loud for the moment,from the aquarium the overflow,and from the sump the sound of the bubbles coming out from the large pipe(that i will try to put something on its entry),I hope to fix them in the coming days..
As for the sound of the return pump and the skimmer they are still acceptable  
Thanks a lot Tom for your help! Evening!


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom 
how are you today? I hope you had a good week  Here's the week-end! yeyy! hehe

So today I was looking at my live rocks,and i noticed "corals" on them? for now I discovered 2.. these are pictures of the first one:
is it possible? I heard that live rocks can bring some animals with them,but never read about corals...
Is it still alive? 


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the second one,what is that? any idea?


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this one i am not sure about if it is algea or something else..



and the third one:



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Thanks a lot!


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## coralbandit

the first picture is aptasia; a pest of an anenomes that will multiply like CRAZY.There is store sold aptasia killers like "Aptasia X".It's your choice whether you kill it or not.Some use lemon juice,and others will have sucess with peppermint shrimp on the small ones.
The second picture looks like some kind of sea cucumber? Definately let that hang around and see what it is.
The algae could be "chaeto" which is good and many fill their filters with it (macro algae,good for eating nitrates).
And the last pic is aptasia again.
Very Nice,all in all! Hope you're enjoying.
Thank God It's Friday(TGIF)!


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## aquatic-life

Good morning! 
Okk I will eliminate them today,using lemon juice the easiest to get for me.. I hope it will work.
For the cucumber,
Today it moved clearer pictures:




And for the skimmer Oh My God,it is driving me crazy!! I opened the valve to the max,and skimmer is overflowing a bit once every 10min,and then bubbles go down,all over again..If I close the valve a bit it is worse,cause the bubble go higher,I can't get them any lower since I opened the valve to the maximum.
Thanks a lot!


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## coralbandit

2 of my protien skimmers only had output control.I installed a ball valve on the pump into the skimmer which has proven to be one of my best "modifications".I can now make adjustments to intput/output/and air(through the venturi).
A simple ball valve on the input pump line will help,especially since your water level may be higher then skimmer desires being in the sump.
I use a syringe with hard air line to inject stuff into tanks.You will have to sneak up on the aptasia.Try to get the lemon juice right on them.


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## aquatic-life

Seems the skimmer,for the first time is skimming if we can say.. no more overflow,I begun to see yellow stuff in bubble for the first time accumulating in the cup.
Indeed,my sump doesn't let the skimmer to be in less water approx. half of it is in the water..
If it will overflow again,I will use your method for sure  thank you 

As for today also found a new animal,a starfish i think : here's a picture:



EDIT: for the aipstasia,I read that I can inject lemon juice into the mouth,what do you think? inject in it or on it?


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## coralbandit

That would be a brittle or serpant star!Good deal ,a scavenger often not seen.I have a few LARGE ones that I rarely see.You've gotten some good hitchikers with your rock which is a good sign of rock quality!
As mentioned before the protien skimmer will take a while(week maybe) to break in and will then run more consistent.


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## aquatic-life

That's a good news for the live rocks 
Yeah it looks like it loves hiding cause I saw it a couple of seconds and then she went back into the rocks..


Here is some picture of the live rocks setup: 
If you think there is something to be changed,let me know  please.
For the sand,how much should I wait before adding it??



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And here's the sump:


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Have a nice day!!


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## coralbandit

Looks really good!I would think you can add sand when ever you want.it shouln't cause any trouble or have much effect.It will give a few more hiding spots for pods and other hitchikers you haven't seen yet(I'll bet they're in there!).


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## aquatic-life

Great!  I will clean it with water before adding it.
Thanks for the setup! 
hehe hopefully they will be safe for the aquarium.I will let you know when something pops up
Thank you very much Tom for your time and help,I do really appreciate it


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## aquatic-life

As you said! one more animal showed up few minutes ago.. I catched it,if it was toxic to remove it,safe to put it back,but when I catch it he trapped himself between the meshes..

worm? - YouTube

he moves like snakes,I found him swimming on the surface of the water,not on the bottom nor on the rocks
He's small,with a white heah,and it seems all his body is surrounded but things that moves with him while swimming.. the rest of the body is red/orange..

any ideas?

Evening!!


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## coralbandit

Looks like a bristleworm.Some worry about them but they are scavengers and usaully everyone has some.Just be worried if you see them come out during feeding time(means there are to many and they are eating all you overfeed).Otherwise another hitchiker.


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## aquatic-life

Yeah looks like a bristoleworm! 
Thanks a lot for your help 
hehe yeah as you said another hitchiker
Good night and sweet dreams here it is 2:03am better go to sleep now 
nighty!


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## aquatic-life

Good evening 
I hope you had a great week-end! Here studying for my midterms all week-end long :/

I was thinking about a thing.. Since my tank is not lighted,and since I have no corals yet..
Is it possible to put some halogen projector over the tank??(white one,that we used to put them in the garden)
Will be beneficial for the live rocks? or algae problems will explode,and even live rocks needs between 12-20000k lights?
Of course I won't keep them! just to keep my live rocks at their high potential.

I hope to get my led by Christmas hopefully!

Thanks a lot!  Evening!


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## coralbandit

You could try them.Not sure the rock really needs any light.It may promote algae issues .I think the rocks will be fine till you get your LEDs,but if you just want to veiw stuff any light won't hurt for a short time.


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## aquatic-life

I am just looking to enhance the well being of the live rocks,if they do fine till I'll get the LED,perfect! I will keep the tank as it is 
Anyway the tank is not in a dark room,next to it there is 2 windows...
Few hours ago I saw a small shrimp,1cm but dead,and 2 other brittle or serpant star I recognized that they are not the same star,because they vary in size,some are bigger-smaller,but all white and tiny
Thanks a lot Tom!  
Good night,I'll better go to sleep,I have uni tomorrow from 8am
Have a nice week in advanced!


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## aquatic-life

Good evening! 
Well more and more hitchiker as you predicted.. Snails(maybe Limpets,and a dead Stomatella Varia)worms(a brown worm..),amphipod, also eggs! from 1 mm and found an egg that is 0.5cm(diameter) unfortunately I don't think they will hatch..

As for the new one,no clues :/

It got my attention,because it is growing these spiky stuff are getting taller:



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Any clues? a sponge?

Thanks in advanced! 
Evening!


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## coralbandit

No clue ,but very cool!Part of the fun,you got to watch and see?


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## aquatic-life

hehe! gonna keep an eye on it  and post any evolution of that thing.
Thanks a lot for your reply,I hope you are doing well!!


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## aquatic-life

And one more hitchiker! 
crabs.. its color is like the color of the live rocks,if he wasn't moving couldn't notice him.. very small around 2cm..
and a fast snail..!Today I knew that snails can run lol
These stuff like to play during the night..



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## aquatic-life

Here are some closure pictures of the "alien"

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## coralbandit

Although answered for Oliver yesterday in PM(while site was down?) I believe this is white coraline algae(for everyone else following).


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## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot! 

2 more creatures appeared today in my tank..

I think this one is a tube worm,cause there is something inside moving..inside the rigid tube,but never got out..

















As for these tiny little "Corals?" they are not each one alone,many tubes together,soft,with a head surrounded by small tentacles..I think I should wait for them to grow 










It's amazing how many stuff these live rocks brought to the tank..


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## aquatic-life

And few minutes ago! Also a Collinista


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## aquatic-life

Hello 
Today I washed my gravel,and tomorrow I am going to add it.
But I have a question,my live rocks,since there arrival left a "kind" of sand on the bottom of the aquarium,should I remove them? or it is okay to cover them with the gravel?
I though to do my best to clean the most of them and then add the gravel,what do you think?
Thanks a lot!! I hope you are having great holidays!!


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## coralbandit

Leave it .This will continue to happen with live rock.Little bugs(some maybe not so little) will be tunneling and chewing on rock.My urchin appears to poop sand!Got no way to be sure ,but it is what it looks like.All the sand will settle to bottom of larger crushed coral/gravel and you will probly never notice it.


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## aquatic-life

Hello 
Thanks a lot for your reply 
Here is the result:
its thickness is between : 1-2 inches



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I got many many other hitchhikers.. But they are small,impossible to take pictures,they come out in middle of the night... 
like: long thin tentacles getting out from live rocks,white worms on the glasses,brown worms,red worms,small "shrimps?",snails small and big ones.. and other stuff jumping everywhere lol. And I also found some hydroids :/

I will get the cleaning team on monday.. how many hermit crabs should I get for my 120gall?
Should I get snails also?

Thanks a lot!!  Evening and have a very nice week-end!


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## coralbandit

I'm no fan of hermit crabs.They usaully turn into pest and climb all over coral.If you get some go for small so they can get into nooks and crevices.They will also need extra shells to move into as they grow.Snails are good for algae and some are more focused on extra food.A mix of different kinds would be best to me.Don't get so many you can't keep track of them,as one or two dead snails(unfound) can send a good tank into a spin.If the hermits turn out to be pest (they did for me) they be placed in the sump and still perform clean up job.Mine ,along with pencil urchin ended up in sump(pencil urchin started eating soft corals after 6 months of no problems!)
Tank looks great!


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## aquatic-life

Good evening 
Deal !! 
So I won't get any hermit crabs,and if I got some I will just let them clean before adding any corals,and after it i won't risk it,I will place them in my sump..

today found about 5 worms like this one : 
one of these:



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Tomorrow the pet store will receive a new shipment,I will make sure to pass by and get some snails 
I was thinking to get a linckia sea star,what do you think?

Thanks a lot!! Evening!


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## coralbandit

Bristle worm;scavenger(don't touch with fingers).
If you think you can provide for the linckia then go for it!Off hand I'm not sure what they eat,although most stars like clams.
The long white worm you described before are probly "spaghetti" worms and stay mostly in rock,you just get to see their arms sticking out.
Sounds like you got some really good live rock with all the good stuff!
Besides possibly picking on algae,cleaner,peppermint and coralbanded shrimp make good cleaners and are very intersting to watch,but they won't eat any algae.The peppermint are said to eat small aptasia(the pesty little anenome).Only 1 coralbanded though unless you can get mated pair.


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## aquatic-life

Hello!!
First Happy New year!!
Yesterday I got the cleaning team,and 2 peppermint shrimps,I didn't find coralbanded,hopefully next time.
And I got a black brittle sea star,but since I introduced it to my tank(it took 3h) when I got back to my room and check her,she was upside down,I mean her mouth was not laying on the gravel,but she was lying on the other side..
I turned her,and this morning back again,she turned.
I tried to feed her today,she catches some food,but she didn't eat them,she is just holding them with her tentacles.
Maybe she needs time to get familiar with my tank,but this turning upside down is not helping..
HAPPY NEW YEAR TOM! AND EVERYONE!! I HOPE 2014 WILL BRING ONLY JOY AND HAPPINESS AND LUCK THIS YEAR!

EDIT: She seems good for the moment  she re-turned on the right side,and also tended some of her tentacles during the day to catch some food,and now she is lying on the correct side on a live rock! Yess!!


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## coralbandit

What are you feeding the star?Can't say I know off hand what is correct,but even if you are offering proper food ,often new additions may take some time before they eat.Good luck and happy new years to you to Oliver!


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## aquatic-life

I tried to feed her some of the food of my freshwater fish,that work also for saltwater according to the cover,it is a gel food:
Tetra Fresh Delica Bloodworm, Brineshrimp & Daphnia | Swell UK

and just saw it back again she is laying on the wrong side.. As you said She might need time to adapt,I hope it is not a health problem.
Today we had lunch on the beach,and on my surprise I found hermit crabs!(in the water)
So I got some of them.. and though to identify them.. If this species of hermit crabs is okay to do with reef aquarium I will place them now and in case they attack my corals: as you said direction sump!or back to the sea .But do you have any idea what these could be?
They come from the Mediterranean sea..
Here are some pictures: 




































And also 2 others "snails"? They have the exactly same shell as the hermit crabs above,but with a body of a snail,any idea??(I think they are the original animal that live in these shells)


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I tried to search for identification,but nothing to what I have
Evening!  Thanks a lot for the wishes!


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## coralbandit

Can't say I know about different kinds of hermit(usaully listed by color in the US{we're not so smart or motivated!}),but I do believe you are correct in thinking the snails originally owned the shells.Hermits don't grow shells like snails,they steal them from snails or find shells from dead snails.Give them a chance as they are good to help cycle your tank.How cool to able to go to the ocean (I love the ocean) and find something and bring it home.As a youth(and still today)I go to Maine(Wells Beach) and really enjoy searching for hermits ,urchins and stars,but they are all cold water fish up there so I don't ever get to keep them.
For food for the star I would see if there is a frozen clam food at store,or maybe you could even find clams(you'll have to dig) and see if they are more accepted.Most reef keepers frown on any dried or packaged foods(besides frozen) and many still thaw the frozen and then rinse it in clean water before adding to tank as they often contain phosphates.Many(if not all) dry/gel foods will also have the PO4.


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## aquatic-life

Deal 
So I will give them a chance,and in case they misbehave---> sump hehe.
It is really cool.. to go and search in nature for stuff that you can bring home.I am in love too with the Ocean world.. It is really amazing.
Thanks for the food advises! I will get some clams as soon as possible 
Thank you for everything!!I'll go to bed now it is already 1:07am,good night Tom and sweet dreams!


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## Johnnycat

I just want to say I've enjoyed this thread. You really got great live rock!

One question for the pros - Oliver has mentioned getting a coral banded soon but has two peppermint shrimp. My local fish store warns against adding a coral banded to a tank with peppermint shrimp - he says the coral banded shrimp *MAY* eat the peppermint shrimp (no guarantees). I just thought I'd avoid a potential problem and not mix the two. 

Sorry to interrupt the thread - it's looking good!


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## coralbandit

Coralbanded are brutes and may cause trouble with anything they catch and can whip!I have 2 cleaners,2 fire and 1 coralbanded in my 75.They are all original(for last 2 years).They look and act tough,and may be .They are not as fast as many other shrimp when the time comes to flee.It is recommended to only have 1 coralbanded,the others you can load up on,BUT I had to buy 4 fire shrimp to get my two as they were bagged together(2 in one bag) both times and both times one had killed the other(was in the deathlock),before I got home.When I let my LFS know that they were like ????
When I ever buy any more shrimp(I have for other tanks) I make them bag each one in its own bag,they don't seem to mind but look at me like ????
If your tank is big enough and you have enough cover the shrimps should be fine together.I'm sure there are many links saying if you have a coralbanded that all other shrimp are at risk,it is probly true,but not often a problem.
Glad to hear from someone else on this thread,sure would like if al had more input then just me(I really don't know it all,just want to help).


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## aquatic-life

Johnnycat said:


> I just want to say I've enjoyed this thread. You really got great live rock!
> 
> One question for the pros - Oliver has mentioned getting a coral banded soon but has two peppermint shrimp. My local fish store warns against adding a coral banded to a tank with peppermint shrimp - he says the coral banded shrimp *MAY* eat the peppermint shrimp (no guarantees). I just thought I'd avoid a potential problem and not mix the two.
> 
> Sorry to interrupt the thread - it's looking good!


Thank you Johnny for your message 
If this threat is good it is because of the valuable advises of Tom,that I really do appreciate...*thumbsup thanx


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## aquatic-life

Hello 
I hope you are having a great day 
Today I found a new hitchhiker a crab,who knows what's next,an eel? lol
but fortunately or unfortunately found dead on the gravel.. I did some tests to see if something is wrong that might killed him,but nothing my
no2=0 mg/l
no3=10mg/l

here's a picture of him(about 4cm):



Uploaded with ImageShack.us


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## Johnnycat

Porcelain crab, maybe? 

I think since you are still cycling, there is nothing to worry about at the moment. You can expect some die off while cycling - water quality changes, shock from transport and so on.


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## coralbandit

Not a porcelain crab(they have no claws as they sweep the water for very fine particulate with their feathered replacement for claws{filter feeder}).
Looks like common crab(common to whereever the rock came from).
I agree that it is no big deal (it dying) as often shipping and all the rough handling of live rock causes these things to happen.It does look like he survived a good while though,as he was not really decomposed.It probly would have turned out to be a pest and had been nearly impossible to catch without tearing tank apart.
I'm supised you haven't found some type of mantis shrimp yet.They may not be real common and maybe I have bad luck(or LR supplier) but I ended up pulling out 2 or 3 from 90lbs of LR.Makes me nervous about ever adding anymore LR though.


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom 

Oh so thank God he's dead..
no,I didn't find any mantis shrimp yet.. who knows maybe there is but their turn didn't come yet lol..

Thanks a lot! for your answer! and have a nice week-end!!


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## coralbandit

Sometimes you can hear the mantis shrimp in your tank.That's right HEAR them!They usaully make some kind of "snapping" noise.So if when everything is quiet you think you hear snapping,or popping(like loaches eating snails) you need to look hard.2 I actually saw during feeding time,the last one I never would have known or it would have taken much longer to detect,but I did hear him.I could even tell what end of the tank he was in.1 I caught, the other two I removed the rock and placed in bucket until they came out.1 didn't ever come out so I poked and prodded with pointy thin stick until he fled his hole.They weren't super fancy colored(like some) but pretty cool to see.I brought them back to the LFS and they actually sold them!
I do have 2 porcelain crabs ,they are very cool and no trouble,but they hide so much and well they are not often seen.


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## aquatic-life

I never heard some kind of "snapping" in my tank,and the tank is close to my bed,I hope there is no mantis shrimp,but I will pay attention from now on (Y).
Indeed! They are really cool to see,(I checked them on Google and YouTube,how they look and specially their famous boxing procedure and intensity.. pretty cool!)
Thanks a lot for the advises  
Have a nice WeEk-EnD!!

EDIT: concerning the ophiure star she keeps hiding behind the rocks,but I am keeping an eye on her,using the flash light of my cell phone to locate her,she is alive,since she is moving..


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## aquatic-life

heyy again!!

I just found a new anemone"?"
it is 100% like this one but lying on a LR,an aptesia??



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Evening


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## coralbandit

I don't think it is aptasia ,but can't say what it is.


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## aquatic-life

Hello!! 
Long time didn't post..
How are you Tom?how is everything?
Nothing new happened and didn't get anything new..

For my lighting : still without lighting.. the only affordable led I can get are out of stock in my country(maxspect razor),I should wait for the new shipment ~couple months..

So till they arrive,I decided to buy a metal halide fixture for gardens(250w),and place it over my aquarium,because in my opinion if I want to begin placing fish into my tank it should be have lights..
But will it be okay to put bulbs that have not a spectrum between 10-20000k?
For the corals,I won't add any before having the right lighting..
I am thinking to get a couple of clown fish in the first place.


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## coralbandit

You should be ok with whatever light fo fish(they don't care and most don't even prefer light).The ballast for a mh light will run any bulb in the same wattege so you could search for a light bulb seperate if you wanted(in the right spectrum).To save money you really would be fine with even a regular flourescent fixture and proper bulbs till you can get your razor(they are pretty slick lights!).
I have been well,thanks for asking and breeding my apistos and german rams like I was a pro!Not really ,but I am having great success,so between watching my reefs and growing nice little fish I still really love my hobby.I just got a fox face and purple queen anthias(think it is really a bartlets anthias) for my 120g reef I got from NJ in trade for my last 25 german rams!
Stay parient as it is the best way to go about things with fish and wait for the lights you want,the maxspect are supposed to be very good lights and I have seen them in person(very nice).


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## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot Tom!
Nice!! My best part in this hobby is succeeding in breeding the fish!
Take good care of your fox face and your purple queen anthias or bartlets anthias lol
Patient.. patient.. the golden keyword of this hobby!!

Cheers my friend!! 
Evening!


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## aquatic-life

Hello everyone!! How are you?! How are you Tom? 
sorry for my absence.. but my university midterms and finals took approx all my time.. And since the more a reef tank is left to cycle the better it is.. so yes! I didn't add yet any fish! hahaha I don't know how! lol
For the time being I am in my inter semester break 
Today asking about the maxpect razor led,that are out of stock.My lfs gave me one of his T5 set for free to use till the arrival of the led!! it is a 150cm t5 set,with 6 T5 tubes 2 blues and the others seems around ~13000k(each 80W)
So now that my tank is lighted I would like to add my first fish,maybe some soft corals also?or it is too early to talk about corals?

To begin with fish I am thinking to begin with a couple of clown fish,what do you think?I would like to add an anemone also..but with a reef,anemone are not that recommended ;/ what about a carpet one?that will only move on the sand?(I won't place corals on the sand)will it be safe?or should I forgot anemone in a reef tank?
I would really like to get the perfect symbiotic relation clown<>anemone..Also for an anemone does it need a more stable tank? too early for mine?
Excited,too much!  ,but I should go slowly with my cycle.. hehe
for info my aquarium is turning since 12-11-2013
As for the hitchhikers.. caught 3 more crabs! small/medium ones,going from 1cm to 5cm,I didn't want to kill them,so I moved them to my sump..and no more aiptasia!  Peppermint shrimps are great! 
Oh and also I got some algae going on...on my gravel and live rocks.. But I think it is normal,for a new tank..

Here is a pic of the aquarium:



Thanks a lot! Evening!!


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## coralbandit

Wow your tank looks great!Carpet anenome will usually stay where you put them if they can get their "foot"(base) in the sand(mine has never moved).Whether a clown will host in the nem is up in the air.My clowns in the 120g are all over their nem.My clowns in the 75 have never gone in the nem!
May want to wait for your good lights as nems feed on light more than anything.I know many feed their nems "real food" but I have never!Soft corals should be fine(at least some).Leathers are the least demanding it would seem.
Check out mushrooms as they really dig less light than almost anything in reefs and come in many colors.I have super red,super blue and metallic green.
Good to hear from you,hope all went well with school!Enjoy your break!


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## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot!  I really appreciate your feedback on my tank.
Deal for the anemone,so leave it for after,I will just add for the moment a couple of clown fish...A matter of luck it seems.. or they stick to it or not.. 
Okkay! for the mushrooms! I will begin with them!  
Thanks a lot!!  Everything is great @ uni got 4 As and 1 B+ ..
I hope you are having good days also! 
Evening!


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## coralbandit

Many articles say anenomes should only be added to "mature" systems at least 6 months to 1 year old.They really won't tolerate flucuations in water or any poor quality issues.
4 A's and a B+! Very good!I'm sure your smarter then me!


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## aquatic-life

Hehe!
I am not sure that I am smarter than you,being an encyclopedia in the reef world...
All my respect,I wish one day I could be as good as you into reefing information!And this is just a small piece of what I know about you.. hehe

So it is really early to think about anemone.. let's try to forget it for a while!  haha
Oh and what about the Phosphate Reactor is it necessary for any corals? or I can postpone it a bit?
And while choosing 2 clown fish,is there a problem if I chose the biggest 2 in size? I mean what if I fall on 2 females? cause the females are bigger than males.. 
Thanks again Tom!


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## coralbandit

Clown fish can change sex if they want to .So if one female decides to become a male it will happen.The females are bigger like you said.
Phosphates can effect the growth of corals and calcification,so it is important to keep them very low.
There are severalways to battle phosphates; GFO in a reactor,phosban/phosgaurd in a reactor and actually liquid phosphate removers.I have to check on the name of the one product ,but it is used in spas and such and claimed to very effective.
As long as you have test kit to check on po4 and it is low you don't need reactor yet.
Many ways to introduce po4; usaully through water,easily dealt with by using ro/di and more commonly in the food we offer our fish.Many soak/thaw food in ro water and rinse it to remove po4(it is a very common preservative in flake,pellet and frozen).


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## aquatic-life

Deal!! thanks a lot! 
Tom,one more question please..if you don't mind..
If I want to introduce a couple of clownfish,can a add with it some firefish(how many if yes?)??
or is it too much to begin with?(for my cycle I mean)
and with a quarantine tank? before adding them?
Thanks a lot!


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## coralbandit

You'd be fine with fire fish also.You need a cover for them as they are jumpers!Many do DIY screen covers as glass lids can cause pH problems(they reduce outgassing and increase co2 lowering the pH).
A QT tank is always a good idea iif you have one.


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## aquatic-life

Good Morning Tom!
Great!! Deal for the cover!
I'll begin by adding 2,hopefully not 2 from the same sex..
For the QT tank,can I use this method? :
I just fill it and run a filter in it,and I would suggest to treat with a general disinfectant(specially for the ich one..) in case they have anything and then transfer them to my main tank.
What do you think?
Have a nice day Tom!! Hold on the week-end is here! yeyy hehe


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## coralbandit

You can medicate the qt if you want.Keep fish in it for 2-3 weeks.Keep up on testing so you know if you need to change water.
Filter yes ,but not from main tank(all equipment seperate in case of infection).
DIY Aquarium Screen Tops - Bulk Reef Supply


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## aquatic-life

Deal! Thanks a lot!


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom 
How are you?
Well today I was thinking about the overall population of my tank and what can I add as fish..
But you know it is not like freshwater fish.. In freshwater "world" there are plenty of sites that give a full biography and care sheet about the fish,I am finding difficulties finding like these for the saltwater fish..Is there any site that is that good? or I just need to search more and more?
Do you have any species that you advice me to add to my tank?
Hope you are having a great great week-end!


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## coralbandit

Good morning Oliver!
This link has some info and alot of fish I think;
List of marine aquarium fish species - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Myself,I have to have a marine betta,and a pair of mandarins in every tank.Clownfish are also high on my list.
My 75 has some questionable fish,mostly angels.I would think hard about them,they are very pretty but known nippers of coral.Lots of people like tangs and my 75 has a blue hippo,and a type of yellow tang(both pretty common).Tangs always seem to be the most likely to get or bring in ich.They are like a magnet for it.
I also end up with a royal gramma in atleast one of my tanks(can only have one).
Hawks fish don't bother anyone but sit("perch") whereever they want,but I still have 2 in my 120(long nose hawk and flame).
Without angels or tangs an algae eater may still be needed or adds some decent behaviour.I have recently(last year or so) come to enjoy my fox face.
Many enjoy anthias and keep them in harems of 1 male and 3-4 females.I don't agree with this strategy.The anthias also changes sex very easily like clowns and often the dominant female will target the male and it is only a matter of time before the girls kill him!So I run with only 1 anthias usaully a male.They are a fish that needs frequent feedings for longevity.
In my 29 I have barnacle blennies and although they hide in the rock almost constantly during feeding time they dart out and are very funny.


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## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot for your help Tom! 
I think I will begin with clowns and anthias and maybe add a Bicolor pseudochromis,madarins too early for my tank it seems..And for the tang I prefer to have a UV system to help prevent against ich.
Yesterday I checked this couple of clownfish at my LFS,guess how much are they?










700$ !(the couple)
They can go very expensive...
Between is it possible to add different clownfish in the same tank?a couple of picasso,with a couple of clarkii?or with a snowflake couple?..

Have a nice sunday in advanced!!


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## coralbandit

Best to stay with one kind of clowns.Some have had maore than on kind but they are few.
The Pseudo may not be the best fish either.They can be very tough.Gramma loretto(royal gramma) close to same coloring and a great fish in the reef.Like a friendly dog that barks alot but never bites.


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## aquatic-life

That's unfortunate for the clowns,they are many different patterns that are very beautiful!
Hehe! deal so I'll go for the Gramma loretto!
Thanks again Tom!  Eveningg


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## Johnnycat

Oscellaris (false percs) clownfish come in several different colors, though - you could have a couple different colored clowns and it would give you some variety.


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## aquatic-life

Hey guys!
Hii Tom! how are you?
Since the day I placed the lighting,I have algae that are growing fast!
This evening when I got back,I was surprised by the rate of the spreading of the algae! 
Is it normal to have this "booming"?
2 days ago,very very few algae was noticeable on the gravel
This is a picture of the gravel :









What do you think??

P.S.: I don't have a wavemaker in my tank,can it be the cause?

EVeNiNg! I hope you are having a nice monday!


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## coralbandit

Looks like diatoms.They are common and often eat themselves out of house and home.They should exhaust their food supply in a couple weeks.Do you have a PO4 test kit(phosphate)?PO4 needs to be very low.


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## aquatic-life

No I don't have a PO4 test,I will buy one tomorrow...with my couple of clown fish..
Do you advice me to buy also some snails?
the ones I got with the hermit crabs and the peppermint shrimps died.. few days after.. I don't know why..
Will they help cleaning the algae problem?
Thank you Tom!!


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## coralbandit

Most stuff wil notl eat diatoms and even if something did prefer them they will not last long enough to be a good food source.possibly some sand sifting(burrowing) snails will help to stir up the gravel/sand.


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## aquatic-life

Deeeal!! Thanks a lot )


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## aquatic-life

Good Evening! 
How are you Tom? How is your week going??
Today I got a couple of clownfish,small around 5 cm each.. I hope they won't take very long to grow 
I will try to post pictures of them soon,but for the moment I have turned off the tank,so I don't stress them.. I acclimated them for 2 hours,I hope they are diseases free,and will hold!
It is the only fish I added today,no firefish were commanded in this LFS,Hopefully in the second store that will have an arrival on friday 
Evening!


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## coralbandit

*W
Here's to "first fish!"


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## aquatic-life

Hehehe!!:fish5::fish5:
The future male of this couple will be named Tom! 
Because really as much as I will keep saying thank you,it won't be enough,cause without you I wouldn't be where I am today with my reef!*thumbsup thanxThanks a lot!! You are really a great person! Who I really appreciate all your help and your guidance for me..

_EDIT: wrong smilie_


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## aquatic-life

Hello!
Here they are!
What do you think?


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## coralbandit

Very NICE! They seem to enjoy each others company.That's always a good sign!


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## aquatic-life

Thank you Tom!! Yeah,they actually don't separate!
For the algae in the tank,on my gravel,it seems I am getting hair algae,I can see them moving with the current..


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## coralbandit

How long are lights on?No more than 12 hrs,but less will be no problem.Without corals you could easily have them on only when you like.
Have we gotten the PO4 test kit yet?


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## aquatic-life

Lights are on for less than 10h. 
At the LFS where I went yesterday, they didn't have the PO4 test.. I will try to get it as soon as possible as you told me to see where am I with my PO4.
Here is a live picture of my tank :
P.S.: For the sera thing,it is a internal filter,that I placed just to make some additional current,it is a 1200L/h


hébergeur d images gratuit


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## coralbandit

Tank looks great,be patient as we all have diatoms and algae before.Just don't let it get out of control.


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## Johnnycat

Beautiful fish and nice tank! You are coming along nicely.


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## aquatic-life

Deal Tom! I will get my PO4 test as soon as possible.
Thank you Johnny!!


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## aquatic-life

Good evening!
I hope you will have a great week-end! 
So since my clowns are in my tank since 2 days,today I tried to feed them,with the food I bought, Tetra Marine Mini Aquarium Granules 45g - Kettering Koi

I also tried,tetra freshtamin,which is a jelly combination of worms,artemia... 
And all what they did,they tasted it(the both of the food) and spit them out of their mouths.. 
What do you think I should do? try again tomorrow?or get some other food?


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## coralbandit

I try to use only frozen foods for fish.Most everything will eat frozen mysis shrimp and they are more nutritous than brine shrimp.One frozen food called "formula One" was designed specifically to bring clowns into breeding condition and is a great food,BUT there seems to be 2 kinds of formula one.One in the flats has like a hamburger consistency,while if purchased in cubes it seems to more of a frozen gel food?I look for the flats but can't always find them.I mainly feed mysis shrimp every feeding and then something else for variety.
The "dry" flakes or pellets are going to have more perservatives(phosphates) in them leading to trouble besides picky fish.
Look for something frozen.
Nutramar Ova is another quality frozen food for small fish and corals.


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom 
How are you? Having a nice sunday? I hope 
I was googling since 2 days about firefish and how many to get and if it is possible to mix the red firefish and the purple one.
I found that some say that you should keep only one,others think you need to keep an odd number,and some others say that you can even mix the 2 species together.. 
I am a bit confused.. What do you think Tom?? Any experience or idea about the famous firefish? 
Thank you!


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## coralbandit

I had all three different ones together.Their is common,purple and Helfichi{most expensive}.I also unfortunately still only use a partial(1/2) cover on my tank!For the most part fish can't jump out since I have a canopy of wood around 3 sides of top,but it is the fire fish and wrasses that eventually find their way out! Saddest part of losing beautiful peaceful fish is the Helfrichi was the first one out!
I do not have fire fish now(possibly in the future if I build screen top).They were great peaceful and beautiful fish.I had 3 common(They go on sale here for $8.99),1 purple(usaully around $30-40) and 1 Helfrichi($90) and they were very interesting.I don't think they really fought,but more chased/schoaled with each other.Keeper is to blame for why they didn't last as long as they should have.Same hard lesson on wrasses!
Make sure you have your cover, and mix em up if you want,as many as you want!


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## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot!!  
Wow! the Helfichi are really beautiful and rare,never seen any of them.. and expensive also!

Thanks again Tom! Have a nice week in advanced!


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## aquatic-life

Good morning..
Today seems a bad day for me..
I woke up turned on the lights of my aquarium.. No clowns 
I searched for them in the tank nothing..
I found them both in the overflow box.. Laying on their back.. One of them still alive,but not in a good form.. and the other is dead.. 
I really don't understand how they get aspirated by the overflow box.. The spaces of my overflow are not that big they are smaller than the size of the fish... Today I will place some screen on the entry of it


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## Johnnycat

That has happened to me before. Sorry for your loss. It's amazing how fish can find their way into tight spaces.


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## aquatic-life

Yeah.. That's strange poor little fish :/
I will let you know about the left one how he is once i get home


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## coralbandit

I too have unfortunately lost fish to overflows.And more than once it really seemed like they should not have fit.Since one was alive we at least don't need to wonder if they died and then got sucked into the overflow.
If you have hardware/home improvement stores look for a simple roof gutter gaurd that is plastic with decent sized holes.It comes in a roll and is pretty cheap.Sometimes it is just a learning curve for fish to stay away from overflow.That is too bad for your loss,but I hope the other recovers.


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## aquatic-life

Hey Tom!
Thank you for your reply.
Deal for the overflow! Thank you for your idea I will fix it.
When I got home,the fish was swimming strangely but now everything seem to be fine.. 
He also ate few hours ago..
I will keep an eye on him.. He has some small wound on his body..
I will try to get him a partner as soon as possible,as I read it is better to add 2 clowns together to avoid fights..
Evening!


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## aquatic-life

Good evening 
I hope you are doing fine 
I bought a piece of screen to place it on the entry of my overflow to avoid the disaster that I had 2 days ago.. 
I tried to find something far from metal..
I only found this which was given under the name of: made of "fiber"
Can I use it in the water??No harm for the fish?
what do you think?


Télécharger des photos
Thanks a lot in advanced!!
Evening Tom!


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## coralbandit

That may work.The real question is how easy it will be to clean and re use?
Are there craft stores where you are?Many have used a "needle point fabric" which is a hard,but flexible plastic type material with different sized holes.
If it gives you trouble or you can't find anything else just PM me your info and I'll ship some stuff to you for the cost of shipping only.I've got all sorts of stuff that would work for you.
How is the surviving clownfish?
They all swim funny sometimes,sort of like a dog wagging their tail.


----------



## aquatic-life

Oh yeah they do swim in a funny way hah.
I don't know what to say about my second clown.. I woke up this morning and found him in the sump.. dead.. It's my fault.. I didn't fix the overflow as fast as possible..he was trapped in the pipe that drives the water from the aquarium to the sump.. with my studies and projects..I feel bad for this one because that one was my mistake.
Anyway,deall so I won't use it! you are right.. they will be difficult to clean..and remove it and place it again.. wow :S
Thanks a lot Tom for being always very helpful I really don't know how to thank you..
I used a method inspired by your post :
What do you think?? I cut a plastic Tupperware cover into long "thin ruler" lines and fixed them perpendicular to the spaces of my overflow to reduce the gap,and attached them with some elastic that were unused when I had my dental braces, lol they really work perfect perfectly!!,I kept only less than 5mm in each gap..No more fish inside the overflow hopefully!
What do you think? 


image gratuite à télécharger


hébergeur images


Tomorrow New arrival at a LFS,gonna get a new couple of clowns and some firefish!  Can't wait..


----------



## coralbandit

That will probly work better than the screen.
It is no problem to send you stuff if you want,I have all sorts of stuff from years and years of trying to get it right.
See how what you did works and let me know.


----------



## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot Tom! 
I will check at craft stores if I can find what are you talking about,I saw of them in the past.. 

Thanks a lot again!
Evening!


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello!! 
How are you ? Having a nice week-end ? 
As for the LFS arrival :/ bad news.. A catastroph happen,they forgot the fish 24h in Qatar,so when they arrived,the LFS didn't accept to take them,he estimated that 1/2 of them will be dead.. so he sent them back to the company..

Today I got a wave maker 1200gph,phosphate test,a new clown,and a purple firefish..
All these came from a friend that uninstalled his small saltwater aquarium..
The wave maker 1200gph is a reef octopus one,I got it for only 10$ idem for the test I paid 10$,it was used once,for the clown I paid 3$ and for the purple firefish 10$. I got them all for great prices I think. 
The purple firefish,disappeared once I placed him in the tank.. Hidden in the rocks I suppose
For the clown I will see what to do.. But i had to take it because if not he would have probably throw it :/ he really hates saltwater aquariums now.. Because it didn't work for him..Plans for this clown: If I found nice clowns at my LFS,I will give them my clown and take a couple.. or add a second one..
I tested for phosphate and the result is : 0 no traces of phosphate... 

Have a nice saturday!!!


----------



## Johnnycat

I don't think you would have to gee yours to the LFS and get a pair unless you just didn't like this one. I would think that getting one new clown from LFS would make a pair. My clowns were not a matched pair at the LFS, but it didn't take long to become a matched pair once they got into my tank. 

I think you got real bargains!


----------



## aquatic-life

This one is beautiful no problem with him,do you think I can get an adult sized one?
So the adult will be a female,and this one a male..the male I have is a small one 3cm only.. I would like to have an adult sized one if possible
Hehe yeah a real bargains today!! 
thank you Johnny!


----------



## coralbandit

If you can find one the same species it should be no problem.Although color doesn't make them a different species in my years I have found the meanest clowns to be black.I do have two black clowns in the 120 I got from NJ,and they are certainly peaceful,but way back I remember a black sebae just towing new fish right into the anenome or a cave!The two blacks I have now are percs I think?
I really couldn't believe my eyes with the black sebae!In like 20 seconds I would watch him devastate a $40 fish.I swore I would never get a black one again!But who knows,fish have to have some personality,or behavior traits and maybe he was just a really tough fish?
I would try a larger clown of the same species as the one you have now is becomming more familiar with your tank and "claiming territory".Clown fish aren't very territorial,but the new one will be "less comfortable" so being bigger is a good thing.


----------



## aquatic-life

Deall!! Thank you so so much for your replies!!
I really appreciate them! 
EVENING!


----------



## aquatic-life

One more questions :$
I saw at the pet store a Condylactis gigantea coral, do you think I can add it? or it is too early for me or for my lighting setting?
My lighting setup are 6t5 each one 80w(145cm) 3 actinic blue and 3 other between 12-15k

edit :Sorry guys! I though it was a coral.. not an anemone.. still to early for an anemone.. 
Thank you again!


----------



## coralbandit

Anenomes are tough.I don't want to say no,but many really go by the 1 year rule;that is having your tank established for 1 year before nems.I tried one in my 75(not a condy),at around 6 months and it disappeared to a ark corner and died quickly.My water was all good,but who knows?
Also I'm not sure but I think clowns will not host in condys(if they are Atlantic then NO).
I certainly don't want to discourage you,and if you can afford the loss(all fish and corals die so the money is gone when you leave the store),then go for it.Your lighting should work.Nems really feed on light,they are photosynthetic,and I never target feed any of mine.


----------



## aquatic-life

I saw a coral that is really very very similar to this anemone,I though it was an anemone but the lfs told me that it is a coral I forgot the name...
You are right.. For the anemone,I will wait for the 1 year rule it is better in my opinion 

Thanks a lot lot lot! really!!  have a nice week-end Tom!


----------



## aquatic-life

This is what I saw 
After some research on google :
a Long Tentacle Plate Coral or a torch coral,to early for them too 
evening !!


----------



## aquatic-life

And my firefish came out today! 
he is going back to his hidding place,but he is spending some time out..


herbergeur d image


image a telecharger gratuitement


----------



## coralbandit

aquatic-life said:


> This is what I saw
> After some research on google :
> a Long Tentacle Plate Coral or a torch coral,to early for them too
> evening !!


Heliofungia actiniformis,often mistaken for a condy anenome;


Plate Coral, Long Tentacle
I've never kept any plate corals.But this one species is a little different from most staying open during the day.It is semi photosynthetic(feeds on light),but also excepts "target feedings".
You will probly find a lot more info searching under species name?
The fire fish looks GREAT!


----------



## aquatic-life

I will try to search for information abou it tonight once I get home  i will let you know 

Thanks a lot!!  for the firefish  
I fed them also,frozen food,lobster eggs.they both ate
Have a nice sunday!!!!!


----------



## aquatic-life

Good evening! 
So finally my lfs got a new collection of saltwater fish,nothing special,didn't find any fire fish.. what I got is 4 cardinal and a partner for Tom(my clown):



(the new one is on the front)


hebergeur d images

The cardinals keep hiding and seem afraid.. 
I should think of doing my first water change,didn't do any since the beginning of my tank


----------



## coralbandit

Both very pretty fish!
I have 2 of those cardinals left from 4 in my 120.I read in breeding they are very tough on each other and the fry will eat each other,so I'm not sure if the 2 left are a pair or if they were just too tough for the other two.I only even found one of the two that are missing(dead) in my filter!Yea after a couple of months he/she still managed to get into the overflow,or maybe he was chased?They never seemed aggresive towards each other that I saw?
The water change is up to you and how your water test.I haven't had to change water in my 120 this year yet,it always test 0 nitrates and I buff once a month for calcium and KH.


----------



## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot! 
My water seems clean,I will test it tomorrow to check my water..
Strange for your cardinals.. 
Well I have a bad news,one of the 4 cardinals was hiding alone.. I found it behind some live rocks,very thin,loosing stability,but doesn't show any sign of disease.. I think he didn't survive the 2 acclimations in the same day+the travelling days to arrive to my LFS..
I hope he will make it,but I don't think so..
I tried to feed everyone,everyone is eating except the cardinals,I tried brine shrimps,lobster eggs,nothing..
BUT It came to my mind that I still have lots of blood worms in my culture outside,I used them for my freshwater aquarium fish,and surprisingly they jumped on the food,to eat them all! Still gonna need to figure out a way to make them accept the frozen food


----------



## aquatic-life

Good evening!!  
How are you tonight??
I hope you will have a great week-end!
The cardinal fish has been found dead today,he got thin and lost his stability since yesterday..
Tonight also,a second cardinal is having the same case as the one that died... :S

I tested my water :
no2=0
no3=~0
phosphate=0

the 3 of the active ones ate yesterday blood worms,but today one of the 3 is getting thinner and swim away from the group..
A problem of acclimation??


----------



## coralbandit

The more I read on these guys the less I think having more than 2 and less than a large #(like 10+) is possible.I read some interesting threads of people who couldn't even keep 4 in a 150g!They also say it is very diffacult to get a female,but who knows how they figured this as sexxing is almost impossible?Maybe whoever is breeding them has an upper hand on this ,as I can tell the sex of my GBR,but would be lost if I had to guess in the LFS?
I'm just hoping my 2 stay "friendly" towards each other as I have now gone through 10 counting the first 6 I lost due to ich!They are a beautiful fish,and don't bother any other fish ,but like I said reading indicated they are aggressive towards "conspecifics"(each other).


----------



## aquatic-life

The second cardinal is dead :/
I really can't understand what is going on with these fish lol you may be right..
So 2 left! :/ 

Tom,As I calculated,I maybe cannot afford to get a led set at the moment,if I want to keep some corals,with a t5 set for the moment,and then I will get the led :what Wattage should I have if I want to get a t5 set? my aquarium is 120cm,so I can place 120cm,54W t5s..
Thanks a lot!! I will make some researches on cardinals tonight to see if I find anything about these guys! As you said very beautiful,but what is happening is strange and feeding them seem not easy..


----------



## coralbandit

any T5 HO(high output) should work well for easy corals.Leathers,mushrooms and softies should do fine.
The cardinals are a challenge for more then you and I.Search "Kaudern's Cardinals" and you'll see.Lots of good input on "reef sites".Mine do eat mysis shrimp(frozen).Basically all I feed my 120 is 1 cube of mysis a day.sometimes I offer other frozen food,but they prefer the mysis more than anything else.


----------



## aquatic-life

Deal!!
I will get tomorrow some mysis shrimp frozen food!  
Thanks for the keywords I will search for information 
Have a nice week-end Tom!!


----------



## aquatic-life

Evening!
How are you today Today Tom? Had a nice week-end? I hope! 
All is well,for now all the fish are good.
But I have a doubt that my wave maker is bothering the fish.. cause once the wave maker is on,the fish doesn't really swim.. they all stay in a corner.. the cardinal behind live rocks..
once the wave maker is turned off they swim all over the aquarium and the cardinal goes out..
Do you think the wave maker is bothering the fish? it is a 1200gph and I place it on one of the sides of the tank,directed from the bottom to the top of the water

Thank you so much!
Evening Tom!


----------



## coralbandit

Try pointing it at the nearest side of tank.You will still get good circulation,but won't blow fish around if it bounces off the glass.Mine are aimed from side of tank to front glass,not even to the middle of front.


----------



## aquatic-life

Good evening Tom! 
How are you !? Having a nice week-end?

Here midterms and exams begun,so lots of stuff to study and to catch..
Thank you for the wavemaker tip! IT worked!! 

a couple of weeks ago I found this on my live rock,and was so small to take picture of it,today it has grown 3x its size,and is growing like a tree(i mean many branches) it has a pinkish color.. 
I took every possible picture that make the "thing" as much visible as possible:


hebergement d image


herbergeur d image


hebergeur dimage

Any idea? A sponge? or algae? or maybe a coral(a dream lol )

Thank a lot Tom!! 
I hope you are having great days!


----------



## coralbandit

Glad to hear fish are enjoying the waves instead of getting washed away!
That looks like the same type of calcerous algea(macro algae) that is in picture,but green?Check you calcium level.I have same green thing in my 120(I never checked into what it is,but do know it is a calcerous plant,so lack of color could be calcium low?)
Looking for 360-420 for calcium.


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello Tom ! 
Thanks a lot for the info!
I should buy a Ca test,I don't have one,I will let you know 

Thanks a lot!!


----------



## coralbandit

Yea get a Ca test.Even without corals live rock can suck up a lot of calcium.My 75 eats it and KH every week.Test your Kh also as it usaully runs with Ph and if Kh is low so is ph usaully.The Kh will lose much more ,but the Ph usaully drops some with it.My 75 gets dosed to 11 Kh and is 7 in one week!


----------



## aquatic-life

Deal! 
Thanks a lot!  
Will get Ca and kH 
Thanks again Tom!
Evening!


----------



## aquatic-life

Oh and between! The cardinals are eating!  Finallyy!


----------



## Reefing Madness

Melevsreef.com - Neomeris annulata


----------



## aquatic-life

Good morning !! 
How are you?
I have a great news! I will get the maxspect razor r420 160w,next week! 
Finally!! 
I hope that it will be enough for the time being.. but I think I should get a second maxspect razor,smaller than 160w,no?or this 160w will be enough?

Have a fantastic day!


----------



## coralbandit

I would just go with the 1 before getting a second unit.You want to watch and make sure you don't get algae growing like crazy.


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello Tom! 
Thank you for your reply! 
Deal! 
Between,with my t5 currently,I do have some growing green "hairy algae" not too much but not too little also.. 
Anyway I think they are still acceptable,and hopefully they will disappear soon..

Have a nice day!!


----------



## aquatic-life

Here are some pictures taken few minutes ago,about the places that have a growth of green hairy algae..


hebergeur dimage


hebergeur dimage


hébergement gratuit d'images

I hope it didn't cross the limits..I am armed with patience,since I believe that in the beginning of each tank,a small boom of algae is inevitable.


----------



## sephnroth

I love this thread, i'm learning so much and I havnt even left my desk! I almost feel like its my aquarium after reading all this! lol

The cardinals I wonderful  Now I want salt water.. when I have the money one day I will try for a reef definitely! I already have three tropical tanks.. the wife will kill me..


----------



## aquatic-life

Good morning! 
How are you??
I hope you are having a great week.
I have a problem since many days..in my reef..
My firefish keeps hidding in his hole and rarely comes out..
Today I found one of my clowns sitting in the bottom and breathing faster than the normal rate.. But nothing on his body..nothing at all checked both side,even with a flash light.. nothing .On the other hand my second clown that looks very healthy I really don't know if he has spots on his back but they are very very small... (Ich? :/)If ich in saltwater is the same as the freshwater,well this is not ich an ich parasite is bigger .
If this is the size of ich,well my clown doesn't have this at all:
It is more a white powder that he has.. that you can only see when he is under direct shinning lights

(this is a google image)

hébergement gratuit
I also tried to find the fire fish and could see only his head,and breathing also faster than normal..

I tested my water,everything is fine.
Seems ich in saltwater has nothing to do with the easily treated ich in the freshwater aquarium...
But I am not sure even if I have ich..

Any ideas?? If my tired clown is dying of ich let's say,why his body is perfectly clean?
I placed a bubbler in my sump to oxygenate the water more..
Thanks a lot! have a nice day!

EDIT: 
Here are some picture of the clown fish(the healthy one) that is the only fish that shows something on its bodychek on his back,before the dorsal fin..)


----------



## coralbandit

Marine ich is brutal.If the tank is still mostly coral free you could go Hyposalinity to help.I don't see anything in the pic,but sometimes ich will show on one fish and still kill others.Hyposalinity is a med free treatment that is proven.Another method for curing ich in marine is to move fish to a new clean tank everyday.The idea behind this is to remove the fish from the disease.2 tanks,one gets cleaned and filled everyday.It is alot of work.
When I had ich I pulled the surviving fish to a qt and treated with copper.I kept all fish out of infected tank for over a month.Ich has to have a host.So if you can take fish out of infected tank the ich will die eventually.You just need to treat the fish in a seperate tank(or two).I'll look for links for you Oliver.


----------



## coralbandit

Hyposalinity. A Cure for Ich - The Reef Tank
Marine Ich - Myths and Facts
The second link is definately the most information on different treatments.I believe they call the multiple tank idea "tranfer method"


----------



## aquatic-life

Good evening Tom! 
Thanks a lot for the links and your reply!
The thing is that I am not sure that I have ich in my tank.. And I am 90% sure that the thing on my healthy clown is not ich parasites..
I think I should wait to see any visible proof on any fish having ich and then I think I will use the method you used,I will transfer the fish to a qt tank treat them,and keep the tank empty(no fish)

I will wait a couple of days,and see what happens before opening this project that might not be necessary.. What do you think Tom?

Thank you so much for always before here to help me!


----------



## coralbandit

Definately wait till you feel you know what you are up against.I didn't see anything in picture of clown that looked bad.Sometimes our first symptoms are behavior.Just watch them closely,and wait till we know what is wrong.


----------



## aquatic-life

Deal! Thanks a lot!!
I will let you know about any evolution 
Thanks again Tom!


----------



## Reefing Madness

Brooklynella


----------



## aquatic-life

Thank you Reefind madness! for your link,actually I really don't know what I have,if I do have something..
Anyway today good news,no evolution but I saw my firefish he seems fine,no trace of any parasite in my aquarium till now..

One of my clown is dead this morning..(the one that was not healthy..) he lost equilibrium and did swim upside down the last hours.. I don't know what might caused this,let's hope it is nothing contagious,like a parasite.

Thank you guys for always being helpful!
Cheers!


----------



## Reefing Madness

Marine Velvet Disease


----------



## aquatic-life

It could be this also! 
Thank you reefing madness ) !!
Well thank you till now everything is normal,not any sign of any disease or unhealthy fish..

Have a nice week guys! and thank you!!


----------



## aquatic-life

Good evening guys!
I think I am on the safe side! 
No signs of any disease of strange "thing" in my tank..
The death of my clown remains a mystery till now.
I hope you are allll having a great great week-end!


----------



## sephnroth

Keep us up to date


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello sephnroth,
sure I will !  
Have a nice week-end! and Tom also cheers!!


----------



## aquatic-life

Good morning ! 
Having a nice sunday?
Well today I did what I wanted to do a couple of weeks ago.I finished my first midterms yesterday,so I have some free time.
This morning I cleaned the whole aquarium from the ******* hairy algae.First I use my hand to clean the maximum quantity of hairy algae,and then I used a tooth brush to clean the rest of the algae on the live rocks..Hopefully they won't come back as they were before.
The water doesn't look clean at all at the moment..neither the smell. But with the wave maker and the filtration+skimmer the water is getting clearer and clearer each hour..
I will post a picture once the water is clear again hopefully.


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello Guys!! 
How are you? Tom how are you? 
I just wanted to say Hi !

I am still waiting for my leds which should be here on Saturday.
Once I have my lighting replaced by leds,I will add some mushrooms also to begin with corals 
And going to add some new fish!tangs maybe?

I am also thinking to build a refugium. Lots of projects but moving a bit slowly!! I am still a student,I don't work so it is a bit difficult to cover all the cost of a reef aquarium in a small period of time. But things are moving!!  
Evening!!


----------



## coralbandit

Good to hear fro you Oliver!
I hope your light comes in this weekend also!It is always fun to add new and improved equipment!
My 120 from NJ has sand and calurpae in the sump(a refugium by any other name) and this tank runs better than all my others ,so the refugium sounds like a good idea.
Always fun planning ,and best to be patient and do things correct.You have been very good with this so far.ENJOY your weekend!


----------



## aquatic-life

Good evening! How are you ? 
I got some finally good news about my lighting!
I got the maxspect razor 420 160w.
I still didn't decide if I should keep a moon light during the night or to set a full darkness period..
This is the moonlight for the maxspect razor,but isn't it too strong? 


heberger une image

Thank you  I hope you are having a fantastic week-end!


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## coralbandit

I run moonlights at night.They never seem to bother anything.Some of the super fancy lights dim the moon lights to emulate full moon to no moon at night(changing intensity and duration at night through out the month).


----------



## aquatic-life

Good evening Tom!
How was your monday?  I hope you had a fantastic week's beginning.

I was at the pet store and I saw a black ribbon eel:

What do you think of getting it? I might struggle to feed him but in the end he should eat lol. 
I will get with him a couple of guppies,hopefully he will eat them..





They asked 50$ for it 
I know it is not an easy eel to keep,because he is difficult to feed.but he is really beautiful and is reef safe according to my researches.In the end he should eat 

But I would like to have your advice guys.
Thank you in advanced!
EVENING!


----------



## coralbandit

Also known as a blue ribbon eel these are extremely diffacult to keep.Usaully for very experienced keepers it is feeding that is the end of the eel.
For the average keeper the eel usaully escapes(tries to escape) and dies in the process.The tank MUST be sealed very tightly and even find a way to keep him out of your overflow!
I have managed my snowflake for over a year I think?and he has grown well and eats anything.
I researched the blue/black ribbon shortly after getting my snowflake and found no one who claimed long term success.
Also they are reef safe in that they will not eat any corals ,but they are known to knock stuff(your rocks/coral) all around being a nuiscance in the reef tank.My eel is in a FOWLR with 2 lionfish and a beautifal Minautus grouper.
If he eats in the LFS then you could consider it,but if you can't actually see it eat I wouldn't get it(will only lead to heartache!).
Very cool fish,I really wanted one in my FOWLR,but resisted.


----------



## aquatic-life

Yeah you are right if he is not eating better not take the risk.. 
I called the pet store and asked them about this eel if it is eating,they told me he should be eating artemia when feeding the clown(in the same aquariums) because he has been there for a month and a half and seems very healthy and far from starvation..
from my personal experience when I saw it it is really active and healthy,not thin. can he survive a month and a half and stay that healthy if he was not eating?
Anyway I will ask him tomorrow to feed him in front of me.. I'll see what to do..


----------



## coralbandit

Do you still have your clowns? If you do I would strongly consider that the eel may eat them?The ribbon eels strongly prefer fish,where the other morays will happily accept shrimp,but I have seen my moray catch a swordtail or two when he is hungry.


----------



## aquatic-life

Yeah you are right.. mmmm
But the clowns I have are much bigger than the mouth of the eel I saw.
Maybe if well fed he won't touch the fish??you are right he feeds on fish..
I will try to get advice from people who kept this eel.
I will let you know about everything! 
Thank you so much Tom for your help!


----------



## aquatic-life

I passed on for adding this fish.. As you said he might eat my small fish,and is difficult to keep. Anyway i went to the LFS and we tried to feed him many time using freshwater fish but poor fish he didn't notice a thing or tried to eat it .. I saw him few days ago and this morning after seeing him he seemed thinner fade and less energetic..
So I didn't get it. And as you told me Tom maybe also it is better not to have any eel in a reef aquarium


----------



## coralbandit

I think you made the right choice.The ribbon eel is one of the fish that makes the list of fish that should not be sold.Its overall record of being successfully kept is very low.Now there are other eels,and although a snowflake moray is not as colorful as a ribbon they are very easy to keep and still just as if not more interesting in behavior.I trained mine to eat frozen food in less than 2 weeks.He has grown like mad and is active when he sees me(always hungry).But I don't keep him in a reef tank he is in a FOWLR.


----------



## aquatic-life

Better to forget an eel in a reef tank maybe later a specific tank
Thanks a lot tom! And good morning!! here it is 2:50PM! 
Have a nice day my friend!


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello!!
How are you guys?  I hope you are having a great great week-end!! 

Today I found a new hitch hicker in my tank.. I don't know exactly what it might be.. I am visiting at the moment some sites to find an identification,to decide whether to keep it or remove it ?


hébergeur images


hébergement gratuit

Thank you so much in advanced! and have a nice sunday!


----------



## coralbandit

Looks like a nuiscance nudibranch
Reeffarmers Articles
Could possibly eat corals when you get some?


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello Tom! 
Thank you so much for your reply!
Yeah it looks like a nudibranch..
Removed! 
Thank you and have a nice day!!


----------



## coralbandit

I had a whole bunch that arrived on some Green Star Polyps(one of my favorite easy corals).They really ,I mean REALLY looked like the polyps of my GSP.Then I saw them off the coral!They totally camoflauged their arrival on the coral(even looked like GOOD NEW growth!),but when they went off the coral I finally spotted them for what they were!
It took me over a month or two to get them all!I think I got them all?I do still have 3 GSP in tank that look great.
Here's my thread on the NUDI!With some good pics of it.
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f31/help-id-64602.html


----------



## aquatic-life

Good evening! 
How are you Tom? everyone?

I am thinking that it is time to add some new fish.. But I don't know what to add..
I was thinking of tangs but seem they perform better with a UV system+ they need to be added last.. as an idea I am thinking of a yellow tang and maybe a blue powder tang(blue tang too small for my 120g?)

any other option,if I am searching for something a bit bigger in size than clowns and cardinals.. 

I hope you are all having great great week!!


----------



## coralbandit

There would be no tang too small for your tank.Some are known to swim over 25 miles in a single day.The UV is a good idea when adding tangs but won't gaurantee they are ich free.Be VERY PICKY when choosing tangs and add them all at the same time if possible.
If you can find a marine betta They are awesome fish.
Most angels can be pickers but there are some nice ones that may be worth the risk.Generally the dwarfs are considered safer with corals.
Wrasse can be very interesting,make sure to get reef safe wrasse and have a cover on tank as they are jumpers.


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello Tom! 
I was checking the post here,I though that i replied.. but it seems the post didn't show :S 

sorry for my english,I meant that my tank is too small for a blue tang,sorry.. :/

Wow! marine betta fish are really beautiful never saw of these here.. I asked my best lfs that receives shipments he told me that : 

_Hi Oliver, hope all is well As for the betta it's one of my favorite fish and few people appreciate it , I'm always trying to order it, but the ratio to receive it is always 1/4. I'll keep you posted whenever_

So hopefully they will get it soon!! 

My reef is doing fine! Actually the ugly hairy algae is "completely" disappearing after adding some cleaning crews,having the leds,lighting only 8h per day,and turning my gravel,more oxygen using a bubbler(form my freshwater aquariums,placed in the sump)
I don't know if all this helped but let's hope they won't return 
here is a couple of pictures taken few seconds ago: 


Hébergeur d'images


hebergeur image

There are black spots on my blue background+coraline(purple spots) They are very hard to remove.. 

I know that my tank is moving slowly,the tank is still quite empty... he is born 7 months ago and still empty lol
not a single coral,Guinness world records? 
Tuesday my lfs is having a new arrival of corals if I am not late in preparing for my exams I will surely pass! to get some mushroom maybe and xenia? I am going to chose basics corals to begin with.
Actually the problem right now is that finals,midterms and projects are all happening together.. It is really a mess.I am not taking a summer semester so once I finish this semester things are gonna change that's for sure!! I need to fix the sound of my overflow,build a refugium maybe,also gonna have some reactors


I just wanted to say hey!! I hope you are having a great week-end Tom! I am studying circuits if you wanna join(I don't advice you..   )


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## coralbandit

Tank loks great!You are doing the right thing going slow.
Yes your tank is a little tight(small) for most Tangs to be really happy.
The marine betta is one of my favorite fish(I have 3 right now!).They are one fish that is considered almost disease resisitant(another great reason to have one).
If you can get your hands on "pulsing xenia" then definately get it as it is literally becomming extinct in the wild!Probly will not be available much longer unless propogated by aquarist.
Have a great weekend Oliver and GOOD LUCK ON ALL YOUR TEST!


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## aquatic-life

Hello 
I hope you are having a great week!
Finally I bough my first corals!! Here what I chose :


téléchargement de photos

According to my research this one should be a Ultra Green Frogspawn Coral


The white one according to my lfs is a plate anemone,it is a coral but it is called like that because it looks like an anemone.


hebergement d image

And this orange last one.. I don't have any identification.. it is still closed.. maybe a sun coral??



I am acclimating them and they will be introduced.
The plate anemone will stay on the sand as for the Ultra Green Frogspawn Coral I think on the sand also?? And for the orange coral,maybe on the live rocks..?

Have a nice day!


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## aquatic-life

Coral in the tank! 
It's really great finally I got my first corals!
The plate and the frogspawn corals do really glow under blue light.. 
Very beautiful! I am going to share some picture.
The sun coral is still closed..


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## Reefing Madness

The Sun Coral is a NPS Coral and needs to be fed, it doesn't need sun light.
Aquarium Corals: A Look at the Sun Corals — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog


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## aquatic-life

Thank you for the info!! I read all the article


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## aquatic-life

Here are some pictures:
under moon light(maxspect razor)


hébergeur image gratuit


Télécharger des photos



hébergeur d images gratuit

They seem still unconformable in my tank.. They are not opening like I saw then in the LFS.and the sun coral not opening yet.. but moving I can see the polyp getting further deeper and going back to the top,but not going out I didn't see yet any tentacles

EDIT: Is it possible?!
I just saw one peppermint shrimp over my plate coral,and eating something white from it,could it be eating the coral?!
Aren't peppermint shrimps reef safe?


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## coralbandit

Peppermint shrimp are not supposed to eat corals but they are known tho eat aptasia ,so I guess an appealing coral is not out of the question.
The sun coral(contrary to its name) should be in the shade(a cave of some sort),like RM said it is NOT photo synthetic and needs no light,but does require feeding.
The other two corals look good and depending on what light they were under at LFS starting them on the bottom of tank is best so they can acclimate to the light(your light is very powerful).


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## aquatic-life

Hey Tom how are you?!
Thanks a lot for your reply Tom!
Light are still 40% max during the day..
and both of them on the sand
Oh for the sun coral ouch! I have place it under the light on the upper part of my tank,I though more light or less light won't affect it if it does not make photosynthesis,I will find for it a better place!

I saw yesterday also a green leather coral,I am thinking to get it tomorrow.. before it is sold out
Addictive these corals are! haha 

Have a nice week-end! For me I just finished studying.Tomorrow at 10:30am I have an ODE exam yep on saturday :/ hehe 
Cheers!


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## coralbandit

The leather is a good easy coral that can eventually be moved high in tank closer to light.It is best to start almost all on bottom and move them up as they acclimate to your lighting.
Good luck on your test tomorrow!


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## aquatic-life

Deal! Thank you again!
I should do well,I am well prepared.thanks for the luck


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## aquatic-life

Good morning!!
I hope you are all having a great week-end!!
Well done for my exam.
And today my corals are opening wide more than yesterday!! 

But I have noticed something on my plate coral,there is an area on it where the tentacles are "dry" but all the other part looks healthy I don't know if this is new or it was there at the LFS.
Anything to worry?? It is not clear on the picture,due to the angle of the camera 


heberger image

The plate coral look very healthy wide open but there is that zone that is quite empty.

Thank you so much ! have a nice week-end!


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## coralbandit

Everything I have read says to feed it to help it recover.Mysis shrimp or other meaty foods should be offered.Also read that even if it appears to die completely to leave the skelton in tank as very often new little babies will come from it in months to follow.
It is possible the damage could be from another coral stinging it so make sure it is not near anything else.
I "searched" ;"dead spot on plate coral" and found several links to post on reef forums.


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom! 
No near coral to the plate coral 
Deal!! Thank you so much! I will try to make also my research using the keyword you gave me : dead spot on plate coral.
Thank you Tom! 
Have a nice Sunday!!


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## aquatic-life

Hello guys!! 
Just wanted to update you,the corals are doing well,the sun coral still struggling to feed it,But I am succeeding to feed it,but I didn't 1/4 of the tentacles yet..

Have a nice week!!


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## aquatic-life

Good evening!! 
I just want to ask about Tom,are you okay? It has been a while I didn't hear about you..

I hope there is nothing wrong..


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## coralbandit

All good ,just working 14 hour days 110 miles away from home(one way) so I'm out early ,home late and dog tired!
Hope you did good on all your test and the tank is well.


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## aquatic-life

Ouch,everything is good here!  
Good luck with all your work! and your tired dog.. 

have a nice week Tom!
Cheers


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## aquatic-life

It has been a while I didn't post any news for my reef,my apologies.. 
Going through finals,I can't wait to reach my summer vacation on the 27 of june!!

The sun coral is doing better! But still not opening at all like these photos of google.. maybe its specie does not open that much?



I also got 5 chromis,4 are schooling but unfortunately they seem they have decide to turn over the 5th he is afraid of joining them.. and spend the day on the sand,looks healthy but stays at the bottom..
and a couple of red firefish! 

For corals,I got many!
First a ear elephant mushroom coral :

heberger une image

this one still need an identification:


hebergement d image




and a sea pen,which I am struggling with.. I placed him in a 8" PVC tube the first day it was perfect,he stood up and everything.. the second morning I found him in the middle of the tank between the other corals,stuck.I took it back place it back in the pvc but now,he is not standing up anymore it is opening.. but it is not standing..

Sunday(I got it on Saturday):

téléchargement de photos

Since yesterday :


herbergeur d image


Finally I got some zoas.. But it seems I did a bad purchase.. I didn't notice that the colony was in bad health.. I tried to dip it and everything and the polyps still not extending fully..I also noticed these 2 days that I have some melting on some polyps.. there is a corner of healthy polyps I wish I could break the LR and keep the healthy part of it and get rid of all the other part..


hebergeur gratuit


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## coralbandit

Tank looks good!
Coral #2 looks like a type of leather(devils hand).
You can crack live rock if you really want to with the zoas.


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## aquatic-life

Thank you!

I will try to crack the LR of the zoas tonight,once I finish studying..

Thank you for the identification I will check it  but as you said definitely a leather..
The only problem left is with this sea pen.. I think it won't hold for long..
Lesson learned never buy again stuff that you don't know.. But what I though was that I was sure it was a soft coral,and soft corals are known to be easy to keep,it was the only reason I got it.. I didn't know it was a sea pen,that are animals very hard to keep..

Thank you Tom for your reply!
I hope you are having a great week!!


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## aquatic-life

And here's a picture of the tank taken few minutes ago.I hope you like it. nothing important still lots of coral missing! and fish also lol.. but I feel like it is beginning to look like a reef tank 
sorry for the front glass.. It should be cleaned specially the lower part..


photo libre

If you have any advice(coral places...),to let it look better I am an advice taker lol
The coral places I didn't think about it yet,I put everything on the sand to acclimate with the lighting and then I will maybe place some on the LR.


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## Reefing Madness

2nd pic is of a Capnella coral


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## aquatic-life

Thank you reefing madness for the 2nd identification lol 
But I don't know I searched for both,and I didn't find my coral.. kenya tree have more thinner ends,and the devil hand also not quite the same.. Maybe Capnella coral have many species in it..

I have a bad news tonight.. with all my finals going on and the rush of time,and stress..
I think I have discovered ich in my tank! On my couple of firefish..
I hope it is not ich and it won't explode soon..
Cause I really don't have time this week to transfer all the population to a QT tank
I mean I need to build a QT tank then remove all my LR display to catch the fish... 
I hope it is a false alarm! The firefish look fine! eating,no breathing fast.. it is only when I got close to them today and I looked really carefully,I saw some "ich?" I am not sure and I hope it is not ich..
I will let you know.. I will keep an eye on my DT and the other fish


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## coralbandit

Madness is usaully $$ on his info ,but I didn't think it looked like kenya tree either(I have many).
Don't sweat the ich even though it is way worse in saltwater than fw.
It can only really effect the fish so that is the biggest loss you can sustain.
A QT and getting fish into it will be the best thing once you are fairly sure it is ich.
None of the corals,live rock or any inverts can or will support the ich parasite,so once fish are out it is only a 1 or 2 month fishless treatment and you'll be back in business.
Add NO MEDS to your DT.None of the corals,inverts or live rock will be effected so don't worry about them.
In the marine world ich is a fish only thing(like freshwater) ,but can have a life cycle of up to a year!It is killed when their is no fish to support it.


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## Reefing Madness

Capnella Coral


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## aquatic-life

Thank you guys for your replies!

The spots that appeared yesterday,they were not the day before.Today completely disappeared. Either my firefish are kings of ich and got rid of them that fast or it is something else.. Because I can see my clown sometimes following them,the fins of one of the firefish look bitten..
Anyway I will keep an eye on the tank! And I hope it was not ich and ich won't show..

In both cases lesson learned no fish will be ever introduced in my tank before QT it.

I will keep you updated if anything shows up..


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## aquatic-life

It seems I AM really lucky.. 

Nothing more and no sign of ich.. 
I don't know what these white spots were..


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## aquatic-life

I think I am on the side.. nothing showed yet! 

yeyy!


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## aquatic-life

Heyy!!
First I finished uni! Summer vacation until september!! Gonna move and lots of plans for my reef. 
First I need to set up a QT tank,the 2 firefish are dead..I don't know why.. bu they both lost their tails,white stuff on their body and died.. 
I am thankful that first it wasn't ich,and not any other disease that can contaminate my whole tank.. all my tank is doing great,no presence of any sign of disease.

I have just fragged my xenia that was on the base of my leather,I found a white crab on the leather that obviously explains the bits on the leather body.. I quickly got rid of it..

hebergeur image

Now I am thinking to move into adding tangs,Tom I need your advice if possible,what do you advice me to do with tangs??As I understood I should introduce them all together.. I will QT them for sure before.But what do you think is a good population of tang in my tank? only one?maybe a yellow tang and a purple tang? It seems blue powder tangs are not suitable for my 120g? 

Moreover I would have problem in the future if I want to add more fish?like firefish or anything,if already the tangs are there?

Have a nice week Tom! and everyone! !


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## coralbandit

For the most part the tangs will only fight with each other(why you add them all together).
The purple tang is a tough fish(one of the tougher tangs).I would think you could have two tangs safely in the 120.I don't think the powder blues/browns get any bigger than the purple or yellow so the choice is yours IMO.
I would definately QT and even treat them while in QT.If they get along in the QT then they should be fine in the DT.
I got ich in my 120 when I added a second tang to my already happy powder blue.They fought within 1 minute and didn't stop for over a week,by then they both had ich from stress.Niether survived.


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## Reefing Madness

coralbandit said:


> For the most part the tangs will only fight with each other(why you add them all together).
> The purple tang is a tough fish(one of the tougher tangs).I would think you could have two tangs safely in the 120.I don't think the powder blues/browns get any bigger than the purple or yellow so the choice is yours IMO.
> I would definately QT and even treat them while in QT.If they get along in the QT then they should be fine in the DT.
> I got ich in my 120 when* I added a second tang to my already happy powder blue.They fought within 1 minute and didn't stop for over a week,by then they both had ich from stress.Niether survived*.


Thats why you add them all at the same time. If not, you move the entire aquascape around so that the tennants don't know their own territory when you do add more Tangs.


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## aquatic-life

Thank you guys so much for your help!!
Today I got some new corals! well yeah I got the coral madness disease lol I cannot check a new coral arrival without getting few lol

For this one a kenya tree?? EDIT: Still laying on its side.. I hope it will stand soon

heberger une image

and this one : EDIT: Torch coral


hébergeur d image gratuit

as for the last one Xenia?I don't know which types,but I hope it will pulse,the only purpose I got it lol,at the LFS it was placed in a high flow area,and It was not pulsing,hopefully it will in my tank EDIT: I think it is Anthelia


hebergement image


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## aquatic-life

Picture of the anthelia today


photo libre


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## aquatic-life

Good evening! 
I have a small question:
Any idea of what the coral in the white circle is?



A leather coral?


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## coralbandit

I'll guess it is a cladiella species.More commonly known as Colt coral?


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## aquatic-life

Thank you Tom!


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom How are you?
I hope you are having a great great week!
My tank looks really fine everything is doing great..
But I am searching and asking since weeks about adding tangs,I decided I will have a blue hippo and a yellow tang.
But I would really love to have your opinion on this one,if my reef is doing fine today it is because of your help,you think it will be safe if I add the blue tang,and then,maybe a month later add the yellow one? Since blue are not as aggressive as the yellow tangs..

Or should I add them together to avoid fights?

Thank you so much!


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## coralbandit

In my 75 reef I have a hippo and yellow(actually Phillipene) tang.I did not add them at the same time.The hippo was first,and the Phillipene came many months later(maybe even a year).The hippo is a much more peaceful tang than many others.I think it is always safer to add both at the same time but I had no trouble with the two fish .Maybe I got lucky and I will add there are a good amount of fish in the 75,it is mostly fish only now as I have moved all but mushrooms to my 120.They have been together now for well over a year without problems.


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## Reefing Madness

Hey Tom, isn't the Philippene Tang actually a Yellow Shoulder Tang, or Mimic Tang in juvenile stage?


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## coralbandit

Reefing Madness said:


> Hey Tom, isn't the Philippene Tang actually a Yellow Shoulder Tang, or Mimic Tang in juvenile stage?


He actually could be a mimic tang? He was yellow as a juvi but is a dull brown now.While young the only notable difference between him and a true yellow was it's nose.Mine having a much shorter nose than the true yellow.


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## aquatic-life

Helloooo 
My reef is doing well,just wanted to bring some news..
My clowns seems that they hosted the elephant ear mushroom coral.. And yesterday one of the two clowns were eaten by this coral.. and the second one still didn't understand.... he stays in it..
Any idea for what coral can host clown without damaging each others?? I don't feel like adding an anemone now.
edit: hah the mushroom just threw the clownfish out from its mouth.. dead of course.. :/


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## coralbandit

*o2
I have never seen a mushroom eat any fish.My elephant ear got so big it split into 3 and still never got anything!
I would wonder if the clownfish was ill perhaps before the mushroom got him?Are we even sure it is a mushroom?I guess that shouldn't matter as I think clowns can "host" in almost whatever they want or at least should know better?My clowns in my 75 never went to any nem I added but always hosted near magnet or pump(they're funny little fish).They will host where they want ,I found it impossible to influence them at all!
*pc


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## aquatic-life

Yeah it is a elephant ear mushroom! It waited until the clowns felt asleep inside of it and it closed slowly,forming a balloon all over the fish,and hop! never open again! and silly clowns they don't know what is happening,it was healthy few hours before it was inside the mouth of the mushroom,but the mushroom played intelligently it waited till the night were the clowns were sleeping inside of it and closed slowly,lucky the other one escaped.

Maybe because my elephant ear is big size since I got it? when it expand it reaches around 20cm diameter minimum


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## aquatic-life

Check the other silly clown.. I guarantee you a couple of days and he will be eaten,the mushroom should have enough of eating and spitting clowns for a few days.. after that the turn of this one will come.. they are really funny,it is like the mushroom is their bed last time I succeeded opening the coral to save this one,I kept hitting the coral on its side when it was forming a balloon and then opening the center of it using a stick.. and the clown was free again,yesterday I didn't notice until it was too late.. 


upload gif from url


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## coralbandit

I really can't believe they don't have any sense.Sorry to say this is kind of funny(it was your money not mine and that helps!),but I just wouldn't believe it if it wasn't you or you didn't show pics!
Hopefully Reefing Madness will jump in and help explain what is going on?


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## aquatic-life

yeah it is kind of funny,the mushroom close slowly not that fast,it is difficult to trap fish.
But since the clowns are spending the day in it,it keeps trying to close and hold them inside,well it succeeded during the night were they were not active in the mushroom lol poor clowns.. I would imagine if I had those expensive clown eaten by my mushroom I would cut it in half to release the fish lol 

I hope I won't be obliged to remove it from my tank,it is really a beautiful coral

EDIT: this is the left clown sleeping in the mushroom,for sure yesterday night the other one was sleeping inside when the coral closed at it


upload an image


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## aquatic-life

The second clown has been eaten by the mushroom... 

How are you guys?!
Having a nice week? 
All my corals are doing great! but I have a small problem with my frogspawn coral.. I don't know it is not thriving and expanding like before since 2 days.I looked closely today and found some very small transparent snails on its base,my first reaction is take the coral out and dip it(it wasn't dipped when I bought it).Anyway back to the water.it is expanding a bit, better than before,but never like last week let's say... And I even noticed
maybe a corner were there is no more tentacles? Any idea? I tested my water everything is fine
phosphate 0
nitrate 0
nitrite 0
salinity 1.025

here's a couple of pictures :it was thriving and then nothing happened and it is not opening like before anymore.. :/ I hope there is nothing important.. all the other corals are doing great in the tank zoa hammer coral leather anthelia mushroom..


post image



free image host


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## Reefing Madness

I'd say your water is to clean for LPS, I'd bump up the Nitrates a bit, that outta make everything in your tank look a bit better right off the bat.


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## aquatic-life

That was always my my problem.I might come from my very small population of fish I have only now 6 small fish in my DT.
Last time I tried to turn off my skimmer for a while algae came all over the tank,I don't know if it is related..
Any idea how to have a source of nitrate? Shall I add a sponge in my pump?they always advice not place any kind of sponges in a reef it could be a nitrate source

Thank you reefing madness for your reply!have a nice day!!


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## Reefing Madness

You could try feeding your coral and your fish more. Run your skimmer for 15 hours then off for a bit, like run it on a timer so its not running 24/7.


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## aquatic-life

Thanks for the advice I will,I do have a timer I will branch it to my skimmer
I will try to feed more also 
Thanks again


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## coralbandit

Sorry to hear about the second clown
Glad to hear from RM


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## aquatic-life

I placed a timer for my skimmer and from midnight till 7:00am the skimmer is turned off.

My frogspawn is still not showing any good sign.. it is just spending most of the day with the tentacles most retracted,and I noticed today a second piece of its tentacles on the gravel.. all the others corals are doing great..that's a strange thing.


My leather coral is now shedding for its second time since I got it. and is on its final stage,it is shedding its outter layer and opening again slowly,but the bottom of it since I got it was always kind of "dirty",and I never wanted to touch it saying that if it is healthy like that let's keep it like this... but you think I should give her a hand a clean her base?? to avoid any disease in the future? this is a couple of pictures of her base:


free image upload


image upload free

I hope you are having a greattt week-end!


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## coralbandit

The most I would do is aim some water flow to the base.I have "cleaned' leathers without issue(always very gently), but I don't really think it was necessary.
Hope you are having a great weekend and summer vacation(it's summer over there right?).


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## aquatic-life

I will try to manage some flow for its base.
Yeah! Having a nice week-end! And a relaxing and great summer vacation! At the beach,spending time with my family and hanging out with some friends.. I hope you are having also a great summer!  how was your week-end? 
I am still waiting for my lfs for the new arrival to get my tangs hopefully!
I will let you know I also need to find a solution for my mushroom coral and clowns that seems to love it,i am thinking to get an anemone but maybe a bit early for my tank,not yet a year old.


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## aquatic-life

Hello! 
Today I got some new corals! 
But I really don't know the exact name for them..


for this one a brain coral? but it does not have that circular shape of a brain coral.. it is more a plate for its shape..
EDIT: Brain Coral, Favites,i think

I paid 80$ for this one,i hope it's worth it,it has great colors!

upload a gif






for this one still I sitll have no clue,but an LPS I suppose


how to print screen on pc

and I got also a christmas tree


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## coralbandit

Both look nice.
I think first is a Favia sp.
The second could be favites sp.
Watch the dark(necrotic) spot on #2
$80 is well within reason to a store you can look at stuff first.
There are some different kinds of brains!


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## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot for the information Tom! 
for the #2 I don't think it is a favites sp., each white spot is like a small zoa polyp but in the picture they were closed because the picture was taken once the coral was introduced. I will post some clearer pic tomorrow 
Tom to the rescue hehe! thanks again!
I am not that worried about that dark spot,I think I know its origin it is because of the big tongs they use,to catch stuff in a deep aquarium .the lfs used to place the coral in and out of the tank,it is a deep tank where the coral was,so in order to place to coral in and out of the tank they had to catch the coral and damage some of the polyps.. the size of the dark spot fits perfectly the size of tong base.

I hope you are having a greatt summer week-end!


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## aquatic-life

Here is a clearer pic I just took : it shows a bit the polyp side I am talking about


free upload image


upload images


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## coralbandit

Very Nice. 
#2 could be a Goniopara?AKA flower pot coral.
TGIF Oliver!Even if everyday is Christmas,Fridays are still special!


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## aquatic-life

Maybe a Goniopara,not sure... it doesn't look that similar,I will wait for it to expand,or easier I will ask the LFS he told me the name when I asked him about it,but you know I am still not that familiar with corals,lol when he told me the name I was like ok an LPS I will get it haha,it sounds to me like a different language.But I am learning..I am learning.. hah

Oh yes! Friday,everyone love friday!  Have a fantastic week-end Tom! 
Cheers!


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom! How are you today? 
I asked the LFS today : you are right it is a red sea goniopora

I did some researches yesterday it seems that they don't do well in tanks.. I tried to find information about white ones,didn't find anything. Also in the description of these corals colors that were specified are green yellow red.. But never a white one i am still trying to get some information about them,maybe I can be lucky into maintaining it. 

Have a nice weekend Tom!


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## aquatic-life

Here are some pictures of the coral tonight,it was 3/4 closed,I tried to feed it a bit of mysis shrimp that I tried to "decompose" in order to suit the small mouths,once mysis shrimp were around the coral,the coral opened 3/4 of it.
I think it is a positive sign,I really don't know if they ate,but they did open when I placed mysis shrimp all over them...
Is there are food product that is suited to such corals and small polyps?(any product I mean)

Here are some pictures : of the new corals


how to take a screen shot


upload pic


free upload


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## coralbandit

I'm not sure what brands you can get ,but I use some of these Kent products;
Kent Marine » Coral Nutrition | Products | Nutrition
Your want to try to add Phyto plankton,and any other "microscopic" food that can stay suspended in the water column.
I didn't read this link yet(but I will),but I trust this source;
Culture your own Phytoplankton | Melev's Reef
You may not even need to find supplier if you could culture your own!
The Goniopara is a photosynthectic coral I believe so the feedings are more a "supplement" as the main food for them is LIGHT,and the basic traces(CA,KH,strontium,magnesium).
From your pictures it does look very much like the average goniopora I see at LFS.
I hope you do well with it,it is not known to be the most diffacult here?


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## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot for the links! I will read them tonight  something to do hehe!
and thanks for the KENT product link!
When I did some readings about the goniopora the difficulty in it is keeping it alive for more than 6months,they usually die after 6months(this is what most articles said,I hope it is not that true). I hope I will succeed into keeping it healthy beyond 6months.

Thanks a lot for your reply! I do really appreciate it 
I hope you are having a fantastic Sunday!


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## coralbandit

I may be wrong and you may be right!
Is goniopora that tough - Reef Central Online Community
This link is full of good info from people with G and one of the post actually mentioned "Selcon" which definately would be a product I recommend.
Selcon ? American Marine Inc
There is a lot more info on selcon with other links but I chose this one so you knew what I was talking about.It is what I feed my live bbs for fry and add to food for fish in marine tanks.It definately get some credit for the successful rehab of the sailfin tang from NJ that came with bad HLH infection.It can be used to soak fish food in(corals will still get some) or just add a couple drops to flow of tank for any filter feeder.


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## aquatic-life

I hope that I am wrong lol 
Thanks a lot Tom for your help! I will read them all now 

Thanks again!! Evening!


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## aquatic-life

Good evening Tom,
How are you tonight?
Today I bought KENT marine ZooPlex to feed my goniopora but it didn't respond to it.. I will try again tomorrow.
Tom,I am a bit confused about this coral.. All the pictures of goniopora on google,the flesh of the coral is different than mine,the flesh in the google picture is really different for example:
Here is a normal goniopora flesh:


20mb image hosting

Here is mine when closed:


how to print screen on pc

also the neck of the polyps of goniopora are really long,unlike mine,they are really short.. 

Could it be that my coral is dying? bleaching?(white color) or is it another specie of goniopora?

Also I noticed that the coral extend x2 more when the lights are off,I found this confusing..

Thank you so much! I hope you are having a great week!


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## coralbandit

I would try to offer feedings while the coral is extended.If this is at night then feed at night.I wouldn't expect to see results "quickly".It would be nice to see the coral react to feedings, but the offering of proper feeding(without noticeable reaction) is still important.
I do use the kent zooplex and ChromaMax.I have gone above and beyond recommended doses with both also.The ChromaMax say 1 drop per 50G but I have added 15-20 drops to my 120g at one time.I kind of think this is why my anenome split in my 120.
This coral is still new to you so be patient,and pay attention.I hope it starts to feed for you.


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## aquatic-life

Thank you Tom for all these precious information 
I will keep you updated


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## coralbandit

If they all lived with just "learned info"(the education we all seek) we would all have full aquariums!I feel safe saying we have all lost certain fish or corals.Fishkeeping is one of the things that winning or losing really doesn't matter.It is what is learned and shared over time(a lifetime{ours or the animals we so admire})that is what is important.Gaining important info or "appreciation" for diffacult species takes time and as many different "views" as possible!Hope your enjoying your tank and the summer Oliver!
I'm not sure if you ever saw this thread;
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f18/tank-birthday-40-years-11547.html


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## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot Tom for these words,you are absolutely right..
I have been into keeping fish for 8years,but this is my first months into keeping saltwater animals.
In freshwater everything is so easier and clearer,you can get all the information you want,lots of articles,and clear maintenance norms.
It is not at all the same in the reef world,so many question marks on lots of stuff,still.and each one has its own experience,which is challenging,I like it,but difficult also.I am trying to make as much as readings as I can to elaborate my knowledge.
I am enjoying my tank so much!I never blamed myself for jumping into reefing.and my summer also is doing great!Thanks for asking.
And a big part why I am enjoying my tank is because of you.Lots of people helped me thru the way,but no one helped me and was friendly to me as much as you are.You were always near and offered me help as soon as I asked for it,all this in the most friendly way.. Thank you so much! It is really nice to know that people like you still exist,and you can meet them on the web.

I will check the topic never saw it! 
How is your summer Tom? doing fine?and what about your tanks?
Evening!!


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## coralbandit

aquatic-life said:


> How is your summer Tom? doing fine?and what about your tanks?
> Evening!!


My summer has turned out well!Busy in the beginning with lots of travel time but more laid back now .I like time off in summer like a kid on summer vacation(but I'll be 50 this winter!).
Eitherway my 120 from NJ rocks the world better than any reef I ever had!I will probly end up combing my other 2 reefs with it and only having it and my other 120 (FOWLR) as far as salt goes.
I'm really trying to get better breeding the German Blue Rams and apisto c.
More tanks are needed and an extra 200g(almost) will help.
I really like my 120 fowlr and have to say way less is needed without corals!This tank is as close to maintenance free as any tank I ever owned.
It is funny how marine aquariums(definately more complicated) can be managed easier with equipment and such then some FW tanks.
It has been in the 50-40's (f) at night here though,can't help but know autumn and winter will arrive!The days are as close to perfect as possible!


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## aquatic-life

Glade you are enjoying your days Tom!_
I like time off in summer like a kid on summer vacation(but I'll be 50 this winter!)._

Hehe indeed! I also like to spend some time off during summer! it is the most relaxing thing.Age is nothing more than numbers  

You have lots of projects! Do you have any threat were you are posting,for example your breeding or your projects??

Cheers Tom!!


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## coralbandit

aquatic-life said:


> Hehe indeed! I also like to spend some time off during summer! it is the most relaxing thing.Age is nothing more than numbers
> 
> You have lots of projects! Do you have any threat were you are posting,for example your breeding or your projects??
> 
> Cheers Tom!!



http://www.aquariumforum.com/f86/gbr-breeding-journal-51097.html
This is my thread on the breeding the GBR.
This has been the most fun and best challenge I have had in many years!
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/co2-gods-have-smiled-60009.html
I started this thread a year or so ago.I really learned a lot about pressurised co2 and am enjoying a wonderfully planted 180g!


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom!  How are you? how is your week going? the weekend is here!! Friday who doesn't love friday lol.
Here are some picture of my 80g planted tank : (unfortunately I had to sell it to set up my reef)


image hosting more than 5mb

And this is my 20g. first planted tank,this was my first aquarium when I started keeping fish:


gif upload

And also this is some of my own raised halfmoon fighter fish pictures,unfortunately to begin with my reef I needed to stop all others project for place purposes and financial purposes also,all the installation was in my room lol :


































 

Some of my halfmoon/from thailand and from my own breedings :


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## coralbandit

Those are great looking tanks and bettas!
I'm lucky to have room and time to take care of all(almost 1,000 gallons) of my tanks.
I enjoy my reefs but they are something if you get good you don't mess with.Even a good running FW tank can be messed with and Im not all that good breeding my GBR that I keep messing with them anytime I can think of what to try next!
It really looks like you were very sucessful with your planted tanks and your betta breeding!VERY NICE!


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## aquatic-life

I have been into FW tanks since 2005,when I was 11 year old only,at the end I felt bored about FW(less than a year ago..) and wanted to dive into saltwater,even though there is infinitely many things left to do in FW.I never tried breeding GBR,if you need any help breeding betta,I will be more than happy to help you,they are really beautiful fish! and not that difficult to breed.
I have imported 120 halfmoon during 2 successive summers, and I bred the one I wanted and sold the rest.

All I can say we can put the condition for the fish to breed but we can never force them too.. which means MAXIMUM of patience and trials.

I hope you are going to have a greaaatt week-end!


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## aquatic-life

Tom,back to reefing loll hah

It just turned into my mind into getting a copperbanded butterfly fish,I made some researches.Their problem is that they are difficult to feed.Otherwise some says that it may eat corals,and surely feather duster(non in my tank )

Are you with or against adding one? they are so beautiful,I can qt him till he eats,hopefully..

Thank you Tom! I really appreciate your help I hope one day I will be able to pay you back in some way 
Evening!


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## coralbandit

I had one that lasted a couple years in my 75g reef.A great fish if you can get it to eat.Mine ate mysis and frozen prawn.He was the reason I had to pull my featherdusters out and start the 29g slow reef.I actually saw him waiting for the feather duster to open and then just tearing it up!
A beautiful fish that bothered nothing else in my tank!

He can be seen here when my tank was young and full!


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## aquatic-life

Perfect!  I will let you know when I found a healthy one 

Thank you Tom!!


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## aquatic-life

I don't know why,but the picture didn't show up yesterday! I just saw it,very nice tank! I love it!!


----------



## Reefing Madness

Holy crap Tom, that CBB is bigger than your Blue Hippo. WOW. Mines not quite that big yet.


----------



## big b

whats that purple one between the yellow one and the butter fly fish.


----------



## coralbandit

The purple one was a "lunar" or maybe tri color Wrasse.
My reef has canopy around front and both sides,open in the back.With 6+" of cover in back(to cover overflow) over the tank. He still managed to jump out and find his way to the bottom of the stand.
Sadly this tank does not look anywhere near the same now,BUT my 120 from NJ ROCKS!


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## aquatic-life

Hello ! 
I hope you are having a greatt week-end!!
2 days ago I got new fish for my reef,nothing so special,didn't find copperband butterfly fish this time.
I got 3 clarkii clownfish,I got a big one(a female,i think) and 2 small ones,hopefully someone will turn into a male a couple with my female.


posted image


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And a fairy wrasse,He keeps laying at the bottom of the QT tank,never swims around,and hide between the rocks.... rarely move,but I succeeded into feeding him yesterday.I hope he is okay.


photo uploading


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## coralbandit

They look great!
Wrasses can be nervous fish.They really like to hide so it is not unusaull.
Everyone I have had (3) has jumped out of my tank!I probly should have built a screen cover?


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom! 

Thanks! (Y) 
Deal so it should be normal for him to hide like that,specially he is still new.I will get a lid for my qt take,I have one I will cover the qt,thanks for the tip (Y)

Tom,I have another problem,from my stupidity lol,you warned me,but I didn't take it so seriously.I was searching since long time ago for a Royal Gramma,but never found one,but I always found the bicolor dottyback,that you told me,better go for the royal gramma,less aggressive.. WELL after a few times seing the dottyback and no trace for the royal gramma I got it(the dottyback)! and place it in my reef,nothing wrong the first weeks,but then.. its true behavior rose.He killed all my firefish,doesn't hesistate to bit any fish that come too close to him. I need to remove it before adding any fish to the DT.
I have been trying lots of stuff to catch it but 0 success.. I tried the bottle trap,I even tried to fish him using fishing material,nothing,he is too smart for all of these.. Once he got it he goes and hide in the huge rock-work...(Each trap was tried after keeping the aquarium for 3-4days without food)

I think the only solution is unfortunately to remove all my rocks to catch him..
But if I do so how much time can I keep them out of the water? should I fear a new cycle?
an ammonia spike?

Thanks a lot Tom! and have a fantastic week-end!


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## coralbandit

The live rock can be in the air for long enough to catch the fish,maybe even a nhour without problems(longer if kept dampwith wet newspaper/or towels?)
None of your corals should even be exposed to air again.If they have to come out place container in tank and them into it with water covering them all the time.
That's a shame the dotty won't behave.They are a pretty fish.


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## aquatic-life

Yeah a shame,but lesson learned.

I am also thinking to change my aquascape a bit,I don't like too much that wall full of LR on the back of my reef..I am trying to photoshop how the new aquascape is going to be.. I will show it to you of course once done  

If I am willing to have a lighter LR design,is it a problem if I remove some of the LR and place them in the sump? for the life and the cycle of tank I mean any danger? 
Edit: here is a pic of the dottyback with the giant mushroom,or the clown eater just to show
You its size 

post img
Thank you Tom!


----------



## coralbandit

Too bad that mushroom won't get him for you!It looks huge!
Moving the live rock to sump will cause no trouble for the tank.
Try to get that calurpae into the sump alsnce it gets going in the tank it will be nothing but trouble(ask me how I know?)
It took me about 2 months to kill the invasive species of calurpae racemorsa with h202,but I finally got it out of the tank and is now only in the sump.
The bicolor dotty back is one of the worst IMO!He's going to be a handful to catch.


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## aquatic-life

Perfect! 
For the calurpae it's
Too bad i don't know from where it has shown...
It is all over my tank now! Every week I remove lots of them.. I am hoping that when i introduce tangs it might help,or maybe I introduce a foxface?


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## coralbandit

Love the foxface!A good algae eater not as territorial as tangs.


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## aquatic-life

Yeah 100% true! )

Now task #1 get rid of the dottyback lol

Thanks a lot Tom!  Have a great week-end!!!


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## aquatic-life

Good evening Tom,how are you today?how's your Sunday going?

Yesterday my wave maker stopped working,I tried to fix it but nothing.. even when I plugged it in no more sound,so I need a new one.
But I saw the new ad for the maxspect riptide,will it be possible to keep my tank without it until I get it?or it is a necessary to have my new wavemaker as soon as possible?If I should get one,I will get one this week.
For the time being I only have the flow of the powerhead from my sump 1200g/h.
Thanks a lot Tom for all your help


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## coralbandit

ou should be good if you want to wait.
Check out the Jeboa wavemakers;
jebao parts - BuyCheapr.com
They really are working out great for me.They are as good as the tunze for $600 for under $100!
I haven't seen the mazspect yet.


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## aquatic-life

I will check the jebao they look great!Thanks 
For the one that I had it was a reef-octopus,in the last couple of months sometimes it stopped working,and it will work again when I push the inside of it.
Thank you Tom I will let you know! 
_There is something wrong with the alignments of my message,I had to delete it and paste it again in a new one._


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## aquatic-life

HELLOOOOOOOOOO
I succeeded! into catching the dottyback! let's not say catching,fishing lol
She is doing like nothing happened,it has also eaten.. it will spend few days in the sump before going back to the LFS 
Moral of the day: never never place a fish that is known to cause problem and listen to Tom's advice hehe


image upload no size limit

I hope you are having a great Monday!


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## coralbandit

Good deal getting him out!
I have found the fish that last the longest are the ones you wanted gone.Maybe it is just perception?
Eitherway good deal on getting him out especially before adding new fish for him to stress.
I am really suprised they can't get you a royal gramma(gramma loretto).


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## aquatic-life

I love the dottyback he is really a great fish with a great personality but he already killed me 3 firefish,so I don't want to risk new fish with him anymore.
haha not really,It is the only fish I wanted out. because he is really annoying the other fish AND SO AGGRESSIVE.I do love to have old fish in my tanks,you know when the fish are in your tank for a long time they are not stressing anymore,they are more calm and used to the tank,they are relaxed,show themselves,show their beauty..
I still have 2 cardinals that are living perfectly in my reef(I think they are a couple) they and the dottyback were among the first fish added to my reef,I hope I will succeed into keeping them for a long time.

and I have 3 chromis also.

since the beginning I has lost many fish..
First I lost my first clown couple absorbed and killed by the overflow box,then the second couple was killed by my mushroom.

There were also the first purple firefish,that since I got it was hurt,in fact a friend gave it to me and in order to catch him he accidentally injured him,he lived for a month and after it I noticed the harmed part got red again and he died..

I also lost 3 cardinals,I got 5 in the beginning only 2 are left.after reading I shouldn't have purchased that much..

what elseeee mmm

the firefish! I got 3 and were killed by my dottyback,and it was the time that I was confused that they had ich,remember?

That's a lot in my opinion :/ 

I asked so many times for a royal gramma,and what they said : in the next shipment hopefully..and for the marine fish,it is a rare fish they sent it rarely.


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## coralbandit

Anthias are another good reef fish.There are many kinds and different approaches to keeping them.
I have enjoyed the best sucess with a fathead anthius kept alone.Many like the harem approach but like the clowns anthias change sex when they want or even just to gain superiority.And often with 3-4 females one is always just waiting to be the next male if it can(with the other females help) kill the male!
A simple looking fish but attractive up close.
Aquarium Fish: Fathead Anthias (Serranocirrhitus latus) Watanabe, 1949 — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog
I to have gone through more then my fair share of fish in trying to establish my tank.


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## aquatic-life

Anthias is also a beautiful fish! But I am bit scared they are scaled as difficult and should be fed 3x / day in order for them to thrive.
So you think for anthias it is better to keep one alone?

Unfortunately the fish market here is not as big as in your country this is something for sure.. There is only 3 big LFS that import fish,I check all the arrivals at each one,they usually get 1 per month.
Thursday when I purchased the clarkii and the wrasse,I found Bartlett's Anthias,they were tagged 20$ for each fish.
and I saw also lyretail anthias,this is for the anthias never saw other species like fathead anthias. I will keep an eye on anthias.
Is it possible to keep for example many male anthias each from a species? 

For the moment I already enjoyed adding many corals,I will focus a bit on adding fish,for the moment I am searching for these,when Iwill find any I will get it,of course not all together my wallet is screaming lol:
-marine betta fish 
-copperband butterfly fish
-foxface for my algae problem(of course I will keep it is also a beautiful fish)
-firefish
-anthias!
-Yellow Prawn Goby ,and its shrimp,unfortunately never saw the shrimp that correspond to the symbiotic relationship with the goby.
I am scared of tangs a bit for the moment,I will keep them for the end,if I still have some space for them


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## coralbandit

I do think 1 anthias is better.
I don't think you can mix species,especially males.
You have a great list of fish to work on.
The marine betta is my alltime favorite.I have 3! I actually have 2 in my 75 which they say is very diffacult to achieve.
The anthias like bartlets or lyre may be more diffacult then the fathead.This is why I mentioned him.I have tried several bartlets or purple queens and a couple lyre or square.They never seem to last long.My fathead is a couple years old and hppier alone then with another(he killed 2 others in first year!)
It is good to hear from you on the FW threads.I appreciate your help!


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## aquatic-life

Deal I will try to search for a male a fathead hopefully..
Thanks for the your opnion on the list  and everyone is going into quarantine even if I don't like the long process hehe
here is a pic of the reef right now:
the tank is quiet empty haha only 3 chromis 2 cardinals and 1 blenny x) also the corals placement is not finalized yet.But I keep them all at the bottom as you advised me to let them acclimate to my lighting first 


pic host


As you can see I have some plants growing,I don't know from where they came.. they weren't visible in the first months they only begun growing a couple of month ago,maybe arrived with corals? but I dip and checked each one before adding it.
Cheers Tom! and Thankk you!

EDIT some more pictures :

from the QT :
the clown are doing very well,I don't think they are sick or have any disease but I will wait.. before adding them:


pictures upload

the wrasse just stays at the bottom like this all day long.. he makes a few turn but join the bottom right away.. I hope he is okay:


adult photo hosting

Hello from the DT :


windows screen capture


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## aquatic-life

Good evening Tom!
Well I have a bad news..couple of days ago I begun to see small spots on the clowns and then they transformed into a "mucus" to then transform to brown stuff on the clown.. 
I though of the clown disease..I used sera costapur to treat it it contains : malachite green oxalate,formaldehyde.


image upload no compression

The clown fish is unfortunaltey dead..the one in the picture.
I still have 2: 1 that is refusing to eat and showing sign and the other one is healthy..
But the wrasse in the same tank,doesn't show any sign of disease! very healthy.
For the clown that begun to refuse eating I made a freshwater dip for him for 7min.ALL the parasite on his body disappeared.I will wait till tomorrow morning to check if something shows up again..
Tom I was thinking,if the bath is killing all the parasite on the fish what about doing a dip,and then transfer the fish to a completely new water? But I suppose I cannot guarantee the death of all the parasite on the fish..


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## coralbandit

Sorry to hear about the clown,but atleast the QT is earning its keep.
The dip fresh water after is a great idea!I'll link you to "how to cure marine ich"(and I realise this isnot ich probly but the method to cure is a sure fire method to win.
Your idea is method 3 in the treatment section called "transfer method".The whole idea is to change tank and water every day therefore disposing of the parasite.
Give it a read and see if it is close to your idea?
Marine Ich - Myths and Facts


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## aquatic-life

hey Tom!
Yeah AT least the QT did it work!
Thanks a lot for the link I will check it right now! 
Have a nice week-end Tom!
Cheerrssssss


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## aquatic-life

Good morning Tom!
I just checked the clown today and again a slim coat of velvet on its
Body and some small spots.. I am thinking of oodinium maybe.. This afternoon i will do a freshwater bath again 


But what is weird is that the wrasse is untouched!He is really healthy! swims all the way in the tank not a single sign of disease,or a sign of any parasite on its! I am thinking to move it to the dt.. or it will be a game in the fire?


Thank you so much Tom ! I hope you are having a greaaaat weekend!


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## coralbandit

The wrasse is probly creating a serious slime coat every night for sleeping?This along with less stress(we have no control it is on fish sometimes) could be why wrasse shows no signs.
Unfortunately also Oodinium(marine velvet) is just another parasite that hides/attacks in the gills first,often not being visable.
Velvet is very similiar to marine ich in diffaculty to kill and some similiarities in the life cycle.
It is not so simple to cure as it can survive unnoticed on a healthy fish for quite some time.It is noted that it is NOT important to differientiate between Oodinium and Brooklynella(although they are different) as successful treatment is the same.
I link you to Oodinium;Marine Oodinium Disease | Brooklynella & Amyloodinium Ocellatum
This is good link.
My best advice having a QT is get copper test kit and copper for meds!
The formulin and others just don't pack the punch in marine they do in FW>


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom! 
mmm I don't know if fairy wrasse do this,but I should be something like this for it not getting sick.
Deal I will pass to copper treatment.But before I do,copper is known to annoy fish,if the wrasse looks healthy do you advice me to get him also into the copper treatment?

Thanks a lot Tom!  I really appreciate your help!!


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## coralbandit

Since they are both in QT I would treat the wrasse also.The issue(Oodinium/velvet{even ich}) hides very well in the gills so it just doesn't seem safe not to treat him.
Enjoy your weekend Oliver!


----------



## aquatic-life

Copper treatment mode : ON
Hopefully it will work! 
Thank you Tom! you too have a fantastic week-end!


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## aquatic-life

Good morning Tom,how are
You? I hope you are doing great! 
Well things are not going well with my qt tank... After I added the copper treatment carefully the next morning all fish were dead :/ something went wrong,i checked the dosing and it was correct.
Anyway glade i had the qt and my dt is safe  
On the other hand i have a good news,do you remember the kenya tree that i got and from the beginning it didn't stand and finally died? Well yesterday I was looking at my dt i found a 5cm kenya tree in the back of my tank! Doing greeAtt!! I will try to take a picture 

One more thing i have a new hitchhiker.. I don't know what it is but it is forming small colonies in my tanks in 3 spots.i don't think they are hydroids i still have very few and are different to what these are,these are purple here is some picture from the top,other angle pictures are not clear at all


image hosting over 10mb


capture


upload a picture


screen shots

Maybe :
Pachyclavularia
Thanks a lott!!


----------



## coralbandit

Hey Oliver how is it going?
I'm not sure what I'm looking at in the picture?Is the subject the polyps in the middle right of picture?


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom  
I'm fine ! Thank you how are you?

Yeah that's it on the left side of the zoas colony the polyps.sorry i wanted to highlight them but my laptop screen is broken so i am sticking with my phone this week lol 
Thank you Tom!

Maybe a crop will help:


Thanks againn cheerss


----------



## coralbandit

The polyps look very similiar to flower pot coral (goniopora)or even a Xenia?
Much like the kenya tree they can spread if conditions are good for them!


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello Tom,How are you? how is your week going?!
Today I got a couple of new fish!
A butterfly copperband and a foxface,in the QT for a couple of weeks,this time no tap water,I used RO,I have asked and heard that my tap water around here contains a low dose of Bleach! Poor clowns and wrasse..
The butterfly looks fine,but the foxface looks terrified,he has all his tails opened,and black in color,sitting in the corner,was yellow and active and the LFS that received a new arrival yesterday.
Patience! I will let you know,and still no sign of marine betta fish.. they seem pretty rare to get over here..Even when commanded.
Have a nice Day!


----------



## coralbandit

The foxface transport horribly!I've yet to see one that didn't look like it was on deaths door after shipping!
Hopefully he will color up and enjoy your tank.


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## aquatic-life

The foxface is gradually getting better! His yellow color returned for a while.Tomorrow morning he should be fine I think..

I am not only enjoying my tank..I noticed it has became an addiction xp 
I hope you are having great days Tom! specially with your GBR breedings projects.Waiting to hear some news.
Evening!!


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## aquatic-life

Here they are today:
I tried to feed them but they are still scared,they are blind in front of the food,and they do swim fast to hide in a corner of the qt,I will try again tomorrow morning 
No sign of any disease and they seem very active and behaving normally when I am not too close to the tank:


herbergeur d image


----------



## Reefing Madness

Cloves
Clove Polyp, Clavularia sp. Species Profile, Care Instructions, Feeding and more.  ::  Aquarium Domain.com


----------



## coralbandit

Hey nice fish!!!!!
QT is tough and presents many challenges.Often fish for our DT don't fit well in QT.
The idea(I know you know all this Oliver) is to keep the new seperate from the old till safe.You can however add old to the new with no risk and only added benefits.
NOW IS THE TIME to pull the macro algae(calurpae) from your DT and "offer" it to the fish in the QT.Both will appreciate and benefit from this.
The butterfly(a good looker!) will pick pods... off the plants(they're there!),and the fox face (a GREAT fish)will probly enjoy eating the calurpae itself!
Good luck with both!
I'm going to read RM's link now!


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## aquatic-life

Thanks RM for the link! I will check it and read it also! 
Tom,you are absolutely right,they really seem not to like this "naked" small tank(20g)
specially the foxface.. he is an 8 inches! there is no corner for him to hide.. he is bigger than everything in the tank.
I think if he shows no sign of any disease and still active I will not wait more than a week in the QT to transfer him to the DT,he doesn't look comfortable at all in it,but I don't have any bigger tank to set it up for QT.what do you think?
The copperband doesn't seem that much annoyed,he swims peacefully in the QT,he is only about 3.5inches
GREAT IDEA for the algae! I will do it right away

Thank you so much Tom!

EDIT: Thank you RM! for the link,but after searching a bit more on google image I felt on this : Cervera sp.
and i think 99% that's it


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## Reefing Madness

Yea, Cloves.
Knopia Polyp Rock


----------



## aquatic-life

Good morning guys! 
RM how are you? thanks for the identification,you are right they are Cloves,thank you for the identification! 
This morning,SURPRISE
I have the foxface with white spots..on his body and his pectorals :/ few minutes later,they all disappeared,well i think all of them did..
and now he got them back a bit when stressed and they are disappearing once again..
I have read somewhere that foxface can develop spots when they are stressed,and they will disappear once everything is normal.
He is stressed in this small qt for him.. he didn't eat yet..and just swim all day long in the corner behind the filter against the glass.. this tank doesn't suit him at all.. I am thinking to transfer him to the DT tonight,but I am afraid of spreading disease into it..I am thinking before transfering it to do a freshwater bath for him,what do you think?will it help to wipe ich if there was any on his body?or it will stress it too much? better not to do it..?What would you do if you were in my place?
Thanks a lot!!
this is some of the spots that appear when he is stressed:
on his body,pectorals...

free image hosting

I hope you are all having a great week-end!

The butterfly copper-band I succeeded into feeding him a couple of bloodworms yeyy!! lol


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## coralbandit

Maybe if you wrap the sides of the QT so they can't see out it would stress them less?
The fox face is easy to stress no doubt about it.
Whether to move him to DT is up to you.
The spots really could just be stress and not an infection.


----------



## Reefing Madness

Might just be Lymphocystis, and easily cured by just leaving him in good water conditions, and feeding well.


----------



## aquatic-life

Thank you guys for your replies!!
In fact i already wraped the sides of the qt the 3 sides,i kept the front to keep an eye on the fish..
I hope it is Lymphocystis! 
But I am afraid a bit because when the foxface turned back to normal I did see 4 white spots on his face and a spot in-on his eye that were never here before ,they are different than the spots that appear when stressed.. I am getting really unlucky these days on chosing fish.I'll wait till tomorrow and check if there is any new sign,and I will decide what to do.
I don't have a good feeling for putting the foxface in the DT
Thanks again guys! I hope you are having a great we! 
Cheerrs!


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## aquatic-life

Good evening! 
I just came back from a dinner,and checked the fish,I kept the light on in the QT,...unfortunately the copperband has developed a couple of white spots also on tails and 1 on the body..Ich is here in my opinion there is no doubt anymore I immediately did a water change and begun treating with sera costapur,I don't want to lose in any way any fish anymore..
I think this time it should work,I did some research and found success with this product for marine ich.
the product is designed for Cryptocaryon irritans but in QT only;not for invertebrates and corals. 
_"
Water conditioner against Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (pathogen causing white spot disease) and other single celled skin parasites such as Ichthyobodo necator, Chilodonella, Trichodina, Brooklynella and Cryptocaryon irritans (the latter ones in marine water) as well as against infections by fungi (mycoses). The aquarium should be darkened during treatment. For use in fresh and marine water

Attention: cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes) and invertebrates do not tolerate the treatment!
"_
sera GmbH - Products - sera costapur
Last time for the clarkii it was something else the white spots were smaller and forming kind of a mucus coat,and it is enough to think they were in a water that contains bleach x( 

I am crossing my fingers! I am also raising my temperature to reach 28degrees C (82.4F).To accelerate the life cycle of the parasite.
I will also re-read the link that you always give me for marine ich hehe 

DAMN reefing is not an easy stuff at all lol.But I keep my morale up up up
Have a nice week-enddd!!!


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## coralbandit

DON"T raise temp unless the med says to.
Marine ich can hold out(even do better) up to 90f!
Good luck with treatment.Often its effectivenness is related to how quickly you attack the infection.Lets hope your ahead of things this time!


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## coralbandit

***ICH: HOW TO TREAT: Marine ICH(cryptocaryon irritans) - Reef Central Online Community
second post has THE ONLY 3 ways to kill marine ich.
Hypo salinity would be the easiest and safest,with the transfer method being second.
I know I recommended copper and I have some and have used it myself,but if you can't accurately dose and test it should definately be avoided.
I would try the hypo maybe with watered down med if it seemed necessary after a couple of days?


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello Tom! I hope you are having a great Sunday!
I prefer to keep copper away,since I used it last time and all the fish died in few hours.. I will keep it as a last shot.I was not able to dose it correctly as it seems
I will go for hypo salinity as you said.But for now the costapur treatment from sera is doing well!(hopefully,I cannot judge yet,it has been in the tank for a bit more than 24h)

The butterfly lost some white spots that were on the pectorals,and no new white spots today.
For the foxface also few parasites are gone,and no new ones I am actually happy that no new parasites showed on both fish.A couple of black spots appeared(on the foxface),when I woke up this morning
but they diminished tonight.. I hope the treatment is working.
The foxface is eating the algae,that you told me to place them,spitting some of them but eating some as well, also ate 2 bloodworms and a small piece of mysis.
They seem not bothered from the treatment or from the disease.
They are doing well! I will keep watching in case I see the parasite taking over again,I will go into hypo salnity.
I don't know if it will work because the links that you sent me says that copper only is effective against marine ich..
But I searched a bit in the "french" world,and they have lots of articles saying that formal. is used to cure marine ich.
I will let you know for sure!  I hope everything is on my side and I won't wake up tomorrow to discover bad surprises.

Thank you Tom! for always being here to help I really appreciate it!


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## aquatic-life

Good morning! 
Today everything seems also better  no new white spots and the old spots are disapearing.
Saturday I sent a question to SERA to know if costapur is effective on marine ich today they answered: 

Hello,

From a year now I have a new REEF tank.I bought new fish that are in a quarantine tank alone..And they have marine ich...
I want to ask you if using sera COSTAPUR is a good choice to heal them?
___
it is, but you will need to treat the fish in a quarantine tank since costapur is not tolerated by most invertebrates.

Best regards,
Dr. Bodo Schnell
sera GmbH
Borsigstr. 49
52525 Heinsberg
Germany

For now it seems it is working,i am crossing my fingers


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## aquatic-life

Hello!  how are you Tom?
Everything is doing fine over here.. the foxface is eating algae,but the copperband is not accepting to eat any kind of food.. I can't wait till the treatment end to transfer it to my DT where he will surely pick on rocks 
They are still in QT tank,no more white spots visible on the foxface,just one more spot on the copper band on its pectoral..

I hope you are having a great week Tom! Back to uni on Friday :/ 

EVENING!


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## coralbandit

aquatic-life said:


> Hello!  how are you Tom?
> 
> I hope you are having a great week Tom! Back to uni on Friday :/
> 
> EVENING!


Summer has passed to fast once again.I washed and prepared my winter(all black) coats,vest and bibs(layered coveralls) this weekend!
The Autumn really is my favorite time of year,but I work too hard and enjoy little about/during the winter.
Do any of your LFS carry pods?They are live in the bottle to feed picky fish.I'll post a link of what we have.
Otherwise if you have enough maybe bring LR to the butterfly?Adding some to the QT from the DT may offer him some food.When the fish are safe to add to DT then the LR can go back with them to "regenerate".
These are the pods we have;
Tigger-Pods | Reef Nutrition - Premium Coral, Fish and Invertebrate Feeds for the Marine Ornamental Industry
There are many different kinds when you look under products.


----------



## aquatic-life

You are absolutely right summer once again passed really fast! 
Still here the weather is great,it is still hot during the day around 28-30degrees..But it won't last long you can feel it.You are right I should think into rearranging my winter closet soon..  

It is really unfortunate,I never saw any kind of live food,including pods in any LFS,sometimes saw some tubifex,but a while ago.You know maybe I missed them,because the way they are packed doesn't look like live food,I will check again in the LFS
I am not that encouraged to add LR from my DT because I am not sure If I can put them back,since I am using sera costapur,a medicine that is not good to use with invertebrates,so if I place a liverock,since I am using a non invertebrates medicine,all hitchhikers(most of them) will die... no?
That is why I can't wait till this treatment ends! to put it into my DT,the treatment will end on Saturday.I hope here to Saturday I won't spot any more spots anymore and I will take the risk to transfer them.. 
The foxface seems really healthy,but I will wait till the end of the treatment to transfer it,he is supporting kind of well the small tank volume..

Thank you Tom!


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## coralbandit

The LR very well may die or have some issue with the meds,but IMO the rock and most of what was in it would regenerate.As long as there is no residual med the LR would just become re occupied from the rest of good rock around it.
Might just be best to wait till saturday and transfer as your plan,instead of risk LR.
The pods and stuff would be in a refridgerator.They last longer stored cool and dark.


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## aquatic-life

Thanks a lot for your reply! Oh if they should be in a refrigerator,so I don't think they have.. never saw that in their refrigerator.
I will wait till saturday and see what will happen,If no transfer will be made I will place a live rock from my DT.
I will let you know for sure!!
Thank you so much Tom!!


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## aquatic-life

Hell Tom! 
Today i made a decision,i don't know,i may suffer from the results,i am going to transfer the fish tonight,the copperband is not eating,i sacrificed a live rock from my dt and he is not touching it at all...not eating will make him weaker every day more and more,and maybe he won't have the power to fight the new stress in the DT cause he is getting thinner.He is still behaving normaly but for whn? 
so i am going to transfer them maybe he will eat by seing the other fish in the DT eating.. Or he will find other stuff to eat I cannot count on the foxface with him in the qt tank to make him eat cz he is barely eating algae when he sees them in front of his mouth.(the foxface)
What do you think? 

I hope you are having a great day !!


----------



## coralbandit

If you feel the fish are going to get weaker then it is time to move them.
I only QT AFTER an issue(IKNOW,IKNOW!),but seriously!
I have almost 1,000g and don't have a "large enough" QT myself.
How in the world am I going to QT a fish that most say (when grown) shouldn't be in my DT ,in an even smaller QT?
Move them if you think you should.You see the fish,you know best.
The advanced training in aquiring fish is to SERIOUSLY look over the whole store,the fish on system you are interested in and every fish in the tank you will purchase from.
If you can say all fish look good then get what interest you and add to tank!
Most fish have had "a lot of stress" in catch /and or shipping.The quicker we can comfort them the better the odds.
I know there is a whole other side to this.


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello Tom! Yeah.. I think they had enough in the qt tank.. The copperband in a tank were it impossible to find food,or to feel safe to eat.
As for the foxface,the qt is too small for him as you said,the DT suits him as a min,how did a place it i a 20g?!  hah

The foxface didn't even stress when i transfered him few seconds later he got his yellow color back! 
For the copperband,he is picking on rocks,but since he wasn't clean 100% of ich i made a freshwater dip,all visible ich were killed,they disapeared.

I am still at uni I will let you know when I come back home to see what happened with the fish. 

Thanks Tom!


----------



## aquatic-life

Hellooo! Back home! 

The fish are doing fine! The foxface doesn't hesitate to make tours in the tank with full yellow coloration,but do still prefer to stay in his cave..No signs of white spots on this one..

The copperband is spending more time swimming in the tank,looking for food on the live rock,and he seems doing fine he is picking stuff from the LR.But unfortunately he still have few spots on his pectorals..Nothing urgent for the moment..

I am thinking tomorrow to visit my LFS and buy a couple of feather duster for my copperband they are for 5$ only,what do you think? Just to reinforce the copperband that probably didn't eat a good meal since weeks..

Thank you Tom!!  AND have a greatt week-end! Uni was fine today,But I figured out that this semester is harder than last semesters,engineering 3rd year,lots of stuff to study.. :/ But that's okay I will do my best!


----------



## aquatic-life

They are still friends.. lol


hébergeur images


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## aquatic-life

Today: More white spots on the copperband,and also some white spots on the foxface...

The good news is that the foxface is really eating a lot!! He ate lottss of algae! all day long eating algae a real algae hoover!
The copperband is also picking on the liverock like a chicken all day long.. I also killed one small oyster that was on my zoa colony,he seems interested in it but can't reach the flesh inside of it,and I can't open it totally since it is attached to the colony and some zoas are growing on it..
I will get some oyster tonight from the market hopefully she will eat them!

For the white spots I am a bit worried for my tank... I hope my healthy fish are strong enough in case they will be attacked.. 
I read some articles that affirm that everyone has ich in their tank,and if your fish are healthy ich will stay in its dormant stage..
Only time will tell..


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello!! 
how are you Tom? having a nice week-end?
I just want to bring some news..
For the copperband: I tried to feed him live clams that I bought,but he didn't touch them,frozen mussels,he touched them a bit but not that much.. But live mussels which were attached to my zoas colony interested him and I had 2,I opened them both and fed him he ate them,I should look for live mussels for now.

For the foxface: He is more afraid in the tank then the copperband,I think it is because of its adult size.. But day after day he is hidding less and less 

Here is a picture of the fish,and the tank:




image a telecharger gratuitement


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello Tom, how are you? 
Today I went to the LFS to get my Ca and kH tested,i noticed that my coraline is disapearing and maybe it is realted to the lost of my coral lately?
Ca is good (450) but alk is very low.. the LFS was surprised how low it is.. He gave me an additive to use it from SERA,but I am not totally convinced that it is the right one,since its name has nothing to do with kH,I told him,he told me that's the one,he showed me another one from SERA that was for Ca.in other way he was sure that it is the right one,and I trust him he never gave me something just to sell,but still.. Better be sure before adding anything
the name of the product is :
*sera marin COMPONENT 2 Ca pH-Buffer*.
But in the description of the product it says to keep testing the kH,this is the description of the product:
_"Stabilizes the pH system in marine water aquariums.Use the sera kH-Test kit to conveniently check the carbonate hardness. Combined application provided, sera marin 1 and 2 are balanced according to the optimal pH value in saltwater and stabilize the natural buffer system in reef aquariums."_

What do you think? Do I miss a point? And is it correct? it is the right additive for kH? if not to return it back to the LFS. Thank you so much!

Thank you so much! And I hope you are going to pass a fantastic week-end!


----------



## coralbandit

Happy Friday Oliver!
The product looks to be what you want from what I saw.It says to balance with part 1,but if your Ca is good then you will just be balancing.
sera GmbH - Products - sera marin COMPONENT 2 Ca pH-Buffer
If your Ca stays ok then you don't need the part 1.If it drops then you need both.
My tanks go through the Kh stiff pretty quick.


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello ! 
I begun adding small doses of the product,I added a teaspoon yesterday and I am going to add tomorrow half a spoon and the day after half a spoon also.. in the end of the week I will get my water tested again at my LFS,or I need to get seriously a test kit as fast as possible.

Thank you so much Tom for always helping me here is a picture of my copperband doing very well! :




The foxface is doing better.. but he is still afraid and stressed easily.. It is a matter of patience I suppose..


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## coralbandit

You should really have your own test.Think about how you have invested and still want to invest.
CA,pH,kH are very important test.
If I didn't own my own test I would never know how different a tank can be.My 29 needs nothing,my 75 need kH and Ca every week.
Butterfly looks good!


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## aquatic-life

Good evening Tom!
You are right,I will get the test kit tuesday,I have uni monday/wednesday/Friday so it will be for tuesday.

Thank you so much! I hope you are having a great week-end!! CHEERS!


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## aquatic-life

Hello,how are you Tom? I have been dosing kh since few days,and my long tentacle seem a bit better.I have better expansion than before..the long tentacles stopped loosing tentacles I only lost half a head but the other half head that is still here doesn't seem to healthy.. these are few picture: 


image gratuite à télécharger


hebergeur d image


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## aquatic-life

Good evening Tom!
Well I have some weird news lol
I have change the aquaspace of my reef!
I will post some pics tomorrow... Hopefully you will like it(be honest lol)
I hope I won't have a new cycle :S I cleaned all the sediments in the water using my sock filter and some wavemaker to blow everything out of the DT,hopefully nothing will happen! The water is clear again..


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom! 
Here's a picture!
What do you think?Be honest lol
I also got 3 squareback anthias and a couple of clownfish from a reefer that turned down his reef. 


hébergement gratuit

Have a great sunday!


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## coralbandit

Tank looks GREAT!
Lots of space for swimming and circulation and plenty of caves and line of sight breaks.
Is your new clown already in the mushroom?
You might just get a nem if this keeps up.
I see everybody but the copperbanded?Is he still in there?


----------



## aquatic-life

Yes that's true.. my clowns are hosting the torch coral and the mushroom back again :/ I don't know what to do other than get a nem.. I will wait for the new arrival of my LFS to hopefully get a bubble tip anemone,the easiest to take care of. I see carpet anemone,but they are not that easy..as I read.

For the copperband hehe he is okay! he is just not in this picture he spent the whole day picking at rocks lol

One more thing,the mushroom,do you think there is a better place for it in the tank? i don't know where to place it..

Have a nice sunday Tom!


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## coralbandit

Mushroom looks good where it is.They can actually move like nems so if it wasn't happy it would climb or lower itself I think.


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## aquatic-life

Good evening Tom! 
I just wanted to bring some news for the tank..
I have a bad news also.. the copperband buttterfly died tonight.. it has stopped eating 4 days ago refused eating swimming in a corner of a tank.. during these 4 days it did get slim in an not normal way..today she was very very very slim... and died..

For the good news I think my cardinal bangaii is holding eggs in its mouth.. he has a big mouth stopped eating completely a week ago.I will keep an eye on him! 

Tom have a greaaaat WE!! TGIF!


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## coralbandit

Sorry to hear about the CB.They can be tough and the one you got looked large.Usaully younger fish adapt better.
The cardinals are a tough fish to raise, but you may be the one to do well.
They breed easy(why they are a popular fish now),but the fry are very much like bettas!
The fry are known to very canabalistic, especially if they have a size advantage over their sibling!They are greedy feeders.Odds are the filter will get most but enjoy and watch it happen.Quite impressive!


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## aquatic-life

Good morning Tom! 
Yeah.. I will try CB again only if I find small specimens..
I will keep you updated for the cardinals! I will keep watching the male!

Have a great week-end Tom!


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## aquatic-life

Good evening Tom! 
I have a good news! I have now cardinals babies! I succeeded into catching the male and releasing the fry in the hatchery  

The fry is eating freshly hatched brine shrimp,and they seem hardy!


hebergeur gratuit


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## coralbandit

Wow !You got it going on!
I should be getting more advice from you!


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## aquatic-life

Thanks Tom!! 
No It is impossible to reach your knowledge!
I hope you are having a great great week!


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## aquatic-life

Hello!!  Long time didn't post! How are you Tom?!
I have again changed my aquascape to maximize the place for the corals. 
Hopefully this is the final one! A professional did it for me,we also changed stuff in the sump:


herbergeur d image


Hébergeur d'images


Télécharger des photos


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## coralbandit

Tank looks very nice!
Still have cardinal babies?I see the net in a pic?


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## aquatic-life

Thanks for the comment! 
I had a problem 6 days ago... A storm shown and my tank stayed 6h without electricity my temperature dropped from 26degrees C to 22 degrees C,result: ICH and some coral look not comfortable..I lost he majority of the fry.. I still have 5 only :/
As for the big fish,all were untouched of ich except my foxface that is dealing very well with the white spots..but unfortunaltey one female anthias has been severely attacked stopped eating and I lost it this evening..
Hopefully next time I will have more luck!And I am thinking to get an APS system in case I have again a problem of electricity,the temperature is a most to maintain in my opinion..


----------



## coralbandit

sorry to hear about storm.The foxface are fairly delicate but he is big so hopefully he pulls through.The anthias can be finicky also so no real suprise about her.
I do have a generator for power outages,that I use to make heat for house and run many other things with,including fish tanks and refrigerator.Losing power can be very expensive if you have a tank.


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom  
How are you? 
Yeah.. As you said the storm can cause lots of damages for tanks,specially when the temperature drops.

I only lost one anthias and all the others look great! The foxface has no more white spots.but now i am concerned a bit about what will
Happen when i add new fish to the tank,specially tangs.
I also got finally! My RO unit! I already made 200L and i am preparing a 100L water change.my tank is 13 months now and I have done in total a max of 120L water replacement(in total) which i think is too little... Now that I have my RO system I won't worry again about how to get ro water.

Have a great week!!


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom!
How are you? 
I am here to post some news:animated_fish_swimm

First I added some algae in my refugium to help lower my nitrate:


hébergeur image gratuit

for the display tank,


heberger image

everything is doing fine! But I noticed after buying my missing test kits that my parameters were in a mess! Ca above 900 and an undetectable kH,I begun dosing as I cited before,I then transferred to powder kH the liquid ones didn't have any effect I needed a lot to raise it. After a couple of weeks I succeeded into getting the kH into his rightful place about 8,and I am still dosing kH every week because my Ca is still high,but thankfully not as much as before,as lowering the Ca my kH is also being lowered that's why I am dosing frequently kH.
As a result my torch coral is doing great!! I never imagined that I could save it!


hebergeur gratuit

I also added a couple of new corals a trachyphyllia and a plate coral :
they are doing great!


image a telecharger gratuitement


hebergeur dimage

I am planning to remove the leather on the right of the tank,it is really a large one! and not that much of a beauty.. I am also planning to remove the elephant ear mushroom or to place it in a corner it is also so big for the place where it is right now,it is killing the geometry(?) of the tank aquascaping.

I am planning to begin some SPS very soon just waiting to get my Ca into its place! a matter of 1-2weeks.


For the fish side,I didn't lose any fish except the female anthias that was attacked by ich due to the cutoff of electricity otherwise everyone is doing great! I added 4 wrasses I honestly don't know the exact name of them.. but between them I have fairy wrasses and a cleaner wrasse.
I also added a yellow hogfish.
Here is a picture that reunite the 3 new fish(there is still 2 wrasses hiding) the yellow one is the hogfish the pink one is the fairy wrasse and the other one is the cleaner wrasse,I know the last one won't live for long time :/ ..


hébergement gratuit d'images


téléchargement de photos

During christmas holiday I want to clean a bit the background of my tank and re-check the placement of the corals,the upper bridge will be reserved for SPS only

in 2015 I hope I will be able to begin with SPS and add more LPS scoly,hammer,more euphyllia and a bubble tip anemone.As for the fish side I am going to add tangs soon.:fish10:*w3

I hope you are all having a warm season! and enjoying christmas! Merry christmas everyone! Wish you all the best! Enjoy the holiday!


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## coralbandit

Merry Christmas to you to Oliver!
Your tank looks great!You are doing so well with it .
We have a semi new member here "treliantf" who has an 8 year old cleaner wrasse!
He should have some valuable info keeping yours healthy.
Enjoy break from uni!


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello Tom! 
Thank you so much! I will try to contact him! 

Thank you!  if my aquarium is looking good right now it is because of your continuous help! 

Merry Christmas!


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello Tom! 
First Happy New Year!!
Today I got this BTA as a gift  it is a small one but i like the color!


Hébergeur d'images


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## aquatic-life

hellooo 
my new corals :

Hébergeur d'images

a pic i took at the LFS:


hébergeur image gratuit

this leather a great metallic green one i paid 30$ for this one :

image gratuite à télécharger


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## coralbandit

Both the elegance and leathers are BEAUTIFUL!


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## aquatic-life

Thank you Tom! 
I hope you are having a greaaat week! Here next week my finals.


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom!
How are you?
Today I got this damaged coral for a very cheap price 10$,i don't know if I can save it,I suppose it is a brain,do you think I can rescue it? any tip to do so??
Here is a picture:


herbergeur d image


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## coralbandit

You are brave to buy a damaged coral.
I can't say if they(the coral) could carry a contagious bacteria/fungas ,but I never brought any back after tissue damage like that.
Good luck.
There are "coral dips" that may help?


----------



## aquatic-life

Hello Tom  
I dipped the coral,and it is placed in a low flow area. 
I tried to feed him this morning before lights goes on in oder that its tentacles are out.but unfortunately no tentacles out.. I tried to place food on its mouth and the shrimp(aaa!!) always find a way to take corals food. So i used the bottle method and covered the coral and placed food on its mouth and waited.. 10min later the center of the coral opened and it ate the food  A good start? Hopefully! 
I got my new bangai cardinal fry yesterday  i will post pictures tonight
Have a greaaaaat weekend Tom! And thank you for your help!


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## coralbandit

Getting the coral to eat is a good thing!
Do you have" selcon"?
It is a good marine "vitamin" that be added to tank or soaked into food.
American Marine Selcon Fish Food Booster Additives/Supplements
Enjoy your weekend Oliver!


----------



## aquatic-life

I searched for selcon before here in the lebanese market but nothing.. I read that it is a good product for feeding fries,corals... unfortunately it is unfound here.I will try to check to see if they can ship it to Lebanon.

Thank you for your help Tom! 
Have a greatttt week-end!!


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## aquatic-life

This morning it ate faster than yesterday no need for the bottle,here it is :


image gratuite

it looks a bit bleached,so I placed it in a low lighted area for now.
Have a greatttt Sunday!


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## aquatic-life

the small cardinals:


hebergeur d image


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## aquatic-life

Hello Tom!  
Long time didn't post! hehe..
First the trachyphyllia is recovering very well!! I will take a picture of it tomorrow.
Here is few updates of my tank! I got my first sps few days ago!


hebergeur gratuit


heberger image


image gratuite à télécharger


image gratuite

And the view of the tank overall: I also got a small powder blue tang that is luckily very healthy! no white spots.


hébergeur images


Télécharger des photos

Still need lots of coral to fill my tank but it's moving ! 
I hope you are having a great week Tom!


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## coralbandit

Your tank looks great!
You are doing so well with it!
Hope all is well with you and at uni.


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## aquatic-life

Thank you so much Tom!!
yes everything is good here! Got my easter vacation from yesterday till the 14th of april.Have some exams to study for but that's okay 

What about you? I hope you are having great days! 
Happy Easter by the way!

Here is the trachy this morning 


hébergeur image gratuit


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## aquatic-life

Some new pictures of the tank.small changes and additions.

image url upload


free image hosting


adult photo sharing


image hosting over 10mb


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## coralbandit

Your tank looks so GREAT Oliver!
Very nice of you to share pics and check in.
I hope all is well with you!
The corals in picture 2 look INCREDIBLE!!!(all of them do)


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## aquatic-life

Good evening guys!!
I hope you had a merry Christmas!
some updates from my tank


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## Summer

beautiful!


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