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S11Steve said:
Sway said:
Bought more coral today. Went in for a mesh lid...
Went for my weekly 100l of RO top up water and took the missus with me. We very, very nearly left with a second hand 300l cube and a very friendly dog face puffer and clown trigger for £150....No lights, skimmer, pumps etc though, so another 2-300 would be needed. I just wish puffers and triggers wouldn't eat the other fish and clean up crew and would live happily together
I also spotted the reefled 50 light. Which doesn't glare thanks to the puck being recessed - the core reason I didn't want to upgrade my light. Which I now don't have as an excuse...
So, I can foresee the reefled plus mesh lid, plus reefloat ato - and probably a doser - shortly in my life.
I sold the idea of a nano marine to the Mrs as a cheap boredom killer for the office.
Oops.
100l of top up a week though. Amazing. I'm currently (with enclosed lid, which isn't helping temps) topping up manually about 1% of that.
Doing routine maintenance and cleaning this morning, I've found a hitch hiker that must have come in on some rock at some point in the past.
It's been a year since I've added any rock or a piece of coral that was attached to some rock, so I've no idea how this pipe fish has survived so long. It's about 3inches long so seems to have been thriving.
At least it wasn't a bobbit worm....
It's been a year since I've added any rock or a piece of coral that was attached to some rock, so I've no idea how this pipe fish has survived so long. It's about 3inches long so seems to have been thriving.
At least it wasn't a bobbit worm....
After some advice please. I’ve got a 145L tank running Occelaris 850 canister filter for almost 2 months now.
The water has never been crystal clear. It’s always at varying levels of milky-ness (cloudy white?).
It’s not too bad but again it’s never crystal clear.
Is it worth considering a new filter I.e fluval 407?
Will changing filter now harm the fish and plants already in the tank?
The water has never been crystal clear. It’s always at varying levels of milky-ness (cloudy white?).
It’s not too bad but again it’s never crystal clear.
Is it worth considering a new filter I.e fluval 407?
Will changing filter now harm the fish and plants already in the tank?
anxious_ant said:
After some advice please. I’ve got a 145L tank running Occelaris 850 canister filter for almost 2 months now.
The water has never been crystal clear. It’s always at varying levels of milky-ness (cloudy white?).
It’s not too bad but again it’s never crystal clear.
Is it worth considering a new filter I.e fluval 407?
Will changing filter now harm the fish and plants already in the tank?
If you can use the sponges and/or filter media from the old canister in the new one, it shouldn't be a problem as the nitrfying bacteria will already be established. Putting all new filter media in would only start the whole cycle again and harm whatever livestock you have currently.The water has never been crystal clear. It’s always at varying levels of milky-ness (cloudy white?).
It’s not too bad but again it’s never crystal clear.
Is it worth considering a new filter I.e fluval 407?
Will changing filter now harm the fish and plants already in the tank?
I'm not familiar with canister filters, besides a huge pond one that I had 15 years ago, but a Carbon filter may be worth looking at to take out the micro-particles that tend to cause cloudiness.
At two months old though, it will still be maturing, so another couple of weeks tolerance may resolve it.
As Steve said.
Carbon should do the job (a lot of canister filters permit you to put this in addition to the stock sponges/etc.).
If not, it could be a bacterial bloom which there are other approaches to resolve - but dissolved organics is probably the most likely cause which carbon will absorb.
Carbon should do the job (a lot of canister filters permit you to put this in addition to the stock sponges/etc.).
If not, it could be a bacterial bloom which there are other approaches to resolve - but dissolved organics is probably the most likely cause which carbon will absorb.
Office nano update...
Phosphate is creeping up (I'm overfeeding, I know it - but it's tricky with only one fish). Keeping an eye on it, and adding chemipure elite which hopefully isn't too harsh a phosphate remover.
As you can see - diatoms have started, which is great. Clean up crew is coming on Saturday now there's a food source.
Hammer is absolutely loving life. Massively inflated, great colours (especially under blues). Ricordea is starting to split into another. Zoas are still acclimating to tank/light.
Pick up a simply stunning rock flower anemone on sat too. Just couldn't resist - pics to follow.
Phosphate is creeping up (I'm overfeeding, I know it - but it's tricky with only one fish). Keeping an eye on it, and adding chemipure elite which hopefully isn't too harsh a phosphate remover.
As you can see - diatoms have started, which is great. Clean up crew is coming on Saturday now there's a food source.
Hammer is absolutely loving life. Massively inflated, great colours (especially under blues). Ricordea is starting to split into another. Zoas are still acclimating to tank/light.
Pick up a simply stunning rock flower anemone on sat too. Just couldn't resist - pics to follow.
Thanks Sway and Steve. I’ll do some research on carbon. I don’t think there is a spare media basket however might be able to wedge it in between the sponges. This would save me some money and minimise risk to the fishes already in tank. (I have 51 fishes in there)
I thought 1+ month would be enough to establish the aquarium but I’ll have to be patient and wait a bit more. Just a bit jealous at other pictures of crystal clear water aquariums
I thought 1+ month would be enough to establish the aquarium but I’ll have to be patient and wait a bit more. Just a bit jealous at other pictures of crystal clear water aquariums
anxious_ant said:
Thanks Sway and Steve. I’ll do some research on carbon. I don’t think there is a spare media basket however might be able to wedge it in between the sponges. This would save me some money and minimise risk to the fishes already in tank. (I have 51 fishes in there)
I thought 1+ month would be enough to establish the aquarium but I’ll have to be patient and wait a bit more. Just a bit jealous at other pictures of crystal clear water aquariums
Usually you can shove a small bag of carbon (it's potent stuff!) into an existing media basket. I thought 1+ month would be enough to establish the aquarium but I’ll have to be patient and wait a bit more. Just a bit jealous at other pictures of crystal clear water aquariums
Ours is coming along well, the plants (especially the midground ones) have grown nicely:
It's cycled well and the parameters are good, so yesterday we picked up half a dozen Harlequin Rasboras:
We still have high-pH water though, so I've replaced one of the rocks with some driftwood plated with Java Fern from a mature aquarium, hopefully that will help!
(After I planted it and took that photo, I moved around some of the Narrow Leafs from the rear left to the rear right, as the Java leaves would block them otherwise)
It's cycled well and the parameters are good, so yesterday we picked up half a dozen Harlequin Rasboras:
We still have high-pH water though, so I've replaced one of the rocks with some driftwood plated with Java Fern from a mature aquarium, hopefully that will help!
(After I planted it and took that photo, I moved around some of the Narrow Leafs from the rear left to the rear right, as the Java leaves would block them otherwise)
Edited by smithyithy on Sunday 26th July 18:21
Edited by smithyithy on Sunday 26th July 18:21
Edited by smithyithy on Sunday 26th July 18:22
Love harlequins - such a simple, yet stunning fish with perfect temperament.
Picked up the rock flower anemone yesterday, along with some clean up crew. Somehow, managed to not walk out with a fair amount more (there was a midas blenny batting it's eyelids at me, as well as a Randall's goby/tiger pistol shrimp - plus some stunning zoas and ricordea).
RFA is the oddest thing. A neutral buoyancy sack of blobby nothing jelly - yet it's somehow mobile and has a really rapid feeding response!
Fortunately, it seems to like a spot about 20mm from where I managed to place it - perfect!
Picked up the rock flower anemone yesterday, along with some clean up crew. Somehow, managed to not walk out with a fair amount more (there was a midas blenny batting it's eyelids at me, as well as a Randall's goby/tiger pistol shrimp - plus some stunning zoas and ricordea).
RFA is the oddest thing. A neutral buoyancy sack of blobby nothing jelly - yet it's somehow mobile and has a really rapid feeding response!
Fortunately, it seems to like a spot about 20mm from where I managed to place it - perfect!
Sway said:
Love harlequins - such a simple, yet stunning fish with perfect temperament.
They are cool little things, seem to be settling in well.Still piecing bits together for my other tank... Finally got the Chinese LED light working, eventually optingto just cut the power lead it came with, and wire in a UK plug. It works, and it's bloody bright!
That presents a couple of thoughts though... I've tried 2 different timer / dimmers from Amazon now and neither want to work with this light. Both work fine with the clip-on light on the other tank though (above), so I've kept the cheaper of the 2 for that tank, and returned the pricier one.
I can use one of those timer plug sockets instead, but because the light is so bright, I'm not keen on having it switch on and off so abruptly - not least because it might shock the fish... So I'm still on the hunt for a programmable dimmer that will play ball with this LED.
Additionally, I'm still undecided on whether I want to have a CO2 setup for this tank
I was in Maidenhead aquatics today in a local garden centre and was looking at some of the nano fish.
It's been a few years since I had a tropical freshwater tank, but after looking at Indian pea puffers today, I'm tempted again.
They also had loads of Galaxy Rasboras that looked stunning, but tiny.
Very personable and interactive little fish, and fairly easy to keep but they are very messy eaters.
It's been a few years since I had a tropical freshwater tank, but after looking at Indian pea puffers today, I'm tempted again.
They also had loads of Galaxy Rasboras that looked stunning, but tiny.
Very personable and interactive little fish, and fairly easy to keep but they are very messy eaters.
Not brackish, but they did well in water seeped in tannins from bog wood. Because they were messy eaters I had to water change at least once a week, as the tank was only 30l.
Algae growth was a problem due to the excess nutrients, and it was in early morning sun so got too much light 6 months of the year.
They are great fun to watch, especially when they had a treat of live bloodworms.
Algae growth was a problem due to the excess nutrients, and it was in early morning sun so got too much light 6 months of the year.
They are great fun to watch, especially when they had a treat of live bloodworms.
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