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Fish are still sulking in the garage, but not long to go before they can settle back in.
The glass box cleaned up very welll with lots of scraping and white vinegar. New egg crate to support the rock off the glass.
The sump didn't clean up quite so well, but it's behind doors so it it will do.
The frame and all new plumbing pipework arrived this morning and was done by early afternoon. I've left the protective film on while I'm lifting rock in.
The base layer of rock has been epoxyd together, 25kg of new dry coral sand across the bottom, and another 40kg of rinsed sand that came out on Friday.
I'm raising the water level slowly to make it easier to put the next layer of rock on top tomorrow night, then another layer the following night.
I'm getting an IBC of seawater delivered before the fish go back in at the weekend, providing there's no water spikes but everything has been keep warm and aerated at all times.
I've treated myself to a new pair of Maxspect Gyre wave makers too. There's not much wrong with the old Jecod tyres, but they look a bit scummy after 3 years use.
So far, so good!
The glass box cleaned up very welll with lots of scraping and white vinegar. New egg crate to support the rock off the glass.
The sump didn't clean up quite so well, but it's behind doors so it it will do.
The frame and all new plumbing pipework arrived this morning and was done by early afternoon. I've left the protective film on while I'm lifting rock in.
The base layer of rock has been epoxyd together, 25kg of new dry coral sand across the bottom, and another 40kg of rinsed sand that came out on Friday.
I'm raising the water level slowly to make it easier to put the next layer of rock on top tomorrow night, then another layer the following night.
I'm getting an IBC of seawater delivered before the fish go back in at the weekend, providing there's no water spikes but everything has been keep warm and aerated at all times.
I've treated myself to a new pair of Maxspect Gyre wave makers too. There's not much wrong with the old Jecod tyres, but they look a bit scummy after 3 years use.
So far, so good!
Still plodding away with ours. Got a few more plants in. Was looking rather nice. A new bit of spider wood to go in soon in place of the old plant from previous tank. Getting a bit of brown algae on the substrate which is annoying me but probably to be expected at this stage. Cycling is happening. At the point of nitrites fallen to 0.2ppm so fingers crossed not much longer to go before we can add some fish and think about getting the rest of the lounge back!
It's been a long weekend, but the fish are back where they belong.
Everything went smoothly with the rock-scaping, and so far there's no trace of ammonia so I've not suffered any drying out issues with the rock. The epoxy putty is supposed to be dark gray, but it's far from it. It will colour up with coraline eventually
Engineering Goby was the easiest to catch so he went in first. It's very rare that I see him in his entirety, it's usually just his head that comes out for food.
I've had to leave the clean up crew in the tub in the garage for now as I had a complete oversight on one crucial point. I didn't mark the top level of water when I filled the tub, and I didn't add any RO for evaporation, so the salinity went up to 1.033.
The gradual rise isn't an issue, but I've had to acclimate the fish before they went in for the salinity change, but the inverts will take a lot longer to get used to the drop. I've slowly drained 75l of RO into the tub over the course of the day, and it's 029 now. Another couple of of barrels over the next two days should make them easier to put back in.
I've not fitted the lights yet either, the fish can have a couple of chilled days to get used to their new surroundings. The Goby has plenty of caves and things to explore but is skulking at the back.
Clownfish have found a cave that they seem happy with, and Gordon is hungry as ever, so a bit of food and he's right at home already.
Overall, a job well done, and doing it over two weekends it wasn't stressful much.
Everything went smoothly with the rock-scaping, and so far there's no trace of ammonia so I've not suffered any drying out issues with the rock. The epoxy putty is supposed to be dark gray, but it's far from it. It will colour up with coraline eventually
Engineering Goby was the easiest to catch so he went in first. It's very rare that I see him in his entirety, it's usually just his head that comes out for food.
I've had to leave the clean up crew in the tub in the garage for now as I had a complete oversight on one crucial point. I didn't mark the top level of water when I filled the tub, and I didn't add any RO for evaporation, so the salinity went up to 1.033.
The gradual rise isn't an issue, but I've had to acclimate the fish before they went in for the salinity change, but the inverts will take a lot longer to get used to the drop. I've slowly drained 75l of RO into the tub over the course of the day, and it's 029 now. Another couple of of barrels over the next two days should make them easier to put back in.
I've not fitted the lights yet either, the fish can have a couple of chilled days to get used to their new surroundings. The Goby has plenty of caves and things to explore but is skulking at the back.
Clownfish have found a cave that they seem happy with, and Gordon is hungry as ever, so a bit of food and he's right at home already.
Overall, a job well done, and doing it over two weekends it wasn't stressful much.
Edited by S11Steve on Sunday 3rd October 23:49
Clean up crew and lights are installed, all that's left is to tidy up the wiring inside the cabinet, then slowly build up the community again.
Water levels are spot on, no nitrite and about 15ppm nitrate.
I'll keep an eye on them over the next week or two as I start feeding again. They've been on a diet whilst in the garage to keep waste levels down.
Water levels are spot on, no nitrite and about 15ppm nitrate.
I'll keep an eye on them over the next week or two as I start feeding again. They've been on a diet whilst in the garage to keep waste levels down.
Some very impressive tanks here!
This is mine, only 40 litres or so (maybe not even that), but well planted and looks after itself. Fish seem to do okay and there are a few shrimp to help keep it all tidy. Excuse the mess in the background but I've moved it to the window for winter.
Was wanting to ask, how long do people get out of a light bulb? Mine are old school tubes and they don't seem to last long at all. Also, something (or several things!) keep eating the plants. Snails shouldn't - in theory - and I can't imagine the fish are. Is this a common problem? Do I need to feed them more?
This is mine, only 40 litres or so (maybe not even that), but well planted and looks after itself. Fish seem to do okay and there are a few shrimp to help keep it all tidy. Excuse the mess in the background but I've moved it to the window for winter.
Was wanting to ask, how long do people get out of a light bulb? Mine are old school tubes and they don't seem to last long at all. Also, something (or several things!) keep eating the plants. Snails shouldn't - in theory - and I can't imagine the fish are. Is this a common problem? Do I need to feed them more?
Looks a healthy tank Condi. I have only 30 litres so by my standards it's also spacious!
I'm using LEDs now but when I used tubes I found they would work for years (3+) but of course the manufacturers recommend they are replaced more frequently than that as they supposedly degrade with use?
Snails would be the prime culprit for the damage to your plants in my opinion. Received wisdom says that most species of snail will only eat dead or dying vegetation and that nothing eats Java Fern, and yet the Ramshorn snails in my quarantine tank demolish any new growth. So far I have managed to avoid introducing them to the main tank. I have Malaysian Trumpet Snails in the main tank with a young Java Fern plant which they are leaving alone.
It's difficult to eradicate snails in a tank which houses shrimp because any pesticide which will kill snails will also kill shrimp.
Maybe the path of least resistance is to observe which plants the snails will eat and gradually replace them with plants which they hopefully won't?
I'm using LEDs now but when I used tubes I found they would work for years (3+) but of course the manufacturers recommend they are replaced more frequently than that as they supposedly degrade with use?
Snails would be the prime culprit for the damage to your plants in my opinion. Received wisdom says that most species of snail will only eat dead or dying vegetation and that nothing eats Java Fern, and yet the Ramshorn snails in my quarantine tank demolish any new growth. So far I have managed to avoid introducing them to the main tank. I have Malaysian Trumpet Snails in the main tank with a young Java Fern plant which they are leaving alone.
It's difficult to eradicate snails in a tank which houses shrimp because any pesticide which will kill snails will also kill shrimp.
Maybe the path of least resistance is to observe which plants the snails will eat and gradually replace them with plants which they hopefully won't?
Condi said:
Some very impressive tanks here!
Was wanting to ask, how long do people get out of a light bulb? Mine are old school tubes and they don't seem to last long at all. Also, something (or several things!) keep eating the plants. Snails shouldn't - in theory - and I can't imagine the fish are. Is this a common problem? Do I need to feed them more?
Lights are like car tyres - everyone has a favourite, and opinions will vary massively!Was wanting to ask, how long do people get out of a light bulb? Mine are old school tubes and they don't seem to last long at all. Also, something (or several things!) keep eating the plants. Snails shouldn't - in theory - and I can't imagine the fish are. Is this a common problem? Do I need to feed them more?
I started with cheap LEDs which lasted about 18 months before salt creep and water ingress made them unusable, and then went to a set of T5 fluorescent tubes.
These started to fade after 6 months, and although each tube was only £10 to replace - I had 6 of them, and at 6-8 months lifespan I wasn't happy - especially as they were only available mail order, and had a 1 in 4 breakage rate.
It's a tough environment for tubes to work in, regardless of size, but the balance is working out if it is worth swapping to a T5 or T8 LED tube or not, or just keep swapping bulbs if they are cheap and readily available,
Snails and fish will eat pretty much anything if they get a taste for it, I've not kept tropical for a few years, but I did consider plants to be "disposable" or slow acting treats. There are a few people on here who are far more adept at planted tanks that me though.
HustleRussell said:
Looks a healthy tank Condi.
Thank you, its very well established and seems to be happy. Although maybe a little too healthy at the moment - put 5 Malaysian Trumpet snails in there about 2 months ago, and took 15 out earlier today. No doubt there are more, but last thing I need is an explosion in the snail population! Will have a look at the types of plants things are eating. As for lighting, it seems complicated to change from T8 to LED, I would have expected someone to make a direct replacement but it doesn't seem to have happened yet.
Edited by Condi on Thursday 7th October 16:49
Condi said:
Thank you, its very well established and seems to be happy. Although maybe a little too healthy at the moment - put 5 Malaysian Trumpet snails in there about 2 months ago, and took 15 out earlier today. No doubt there are more, but last thing I need is an explosion in the snail population!
Will have a look at the types of plants things are eating. As for lighting, it seems complicated to change from T8 to LED, I would have expected someone to make a direct replacement but it doesn't seem to have happened yet.
The T8 LED tubes do exist, but are mainly for domestic or indutsrial use - replacing strip lights with LEDs like this for example - https://amzn.to/3Al8c2YWill have a look at the types of plants things are eating. As for lighting, it seems complicated to change from T8 to LED, I would have expected someone to make a direct replacement but it doesn't seem to have happened yet.
Edited by Condi on Thursday 7th October 16:49
There are quite a few direct replacement T5 tubes available though - https://amzn.to/3alMFfS
Again it may be better to get a new lighting system that faff around trying to swap bulbs from T8, which are dying out in popularity in the hobby.
Or similar to cycling, just buy a whole new tank. A new tank is always the correct answer,
Bonus points if it becomes a new tank in addition to the existing one., again, just like cycling...
Condi said:
Thank you, its very well established and seems to be happy. Although maybe a little too healthy at the moment - put 5 Malaysian Trumpet snails in there about 2 months ago, and took 15 out earlier today. No doubt there are more, but last thing I need is an explosion in the snail population!
Will have a look at the types of plants things are eating. As for lighting, it seems complicated to change from T8 to LED, I would have expected someone to make a direct replacement but it doesn't seem to have happened yet.
I can recommend these.Will have a look at the types of plants things are eating. As for lighting, it seems complicated to change from T8 to LED, I would have expected someone to make a direct replacement but it doesn't seem to have happened yet.
Edited by Condi on Thursday 7th October 16:49
https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fluval-aquasky-blueto...
come with 3 different mounting options one of which is mounting to a t5/8 fitting, I liked the ability to have things like dawn and dusk to fade in gradually like real life rather than the abrupt dark > Full noon brightness a fluorescent on a timer does.
Well. They are in. Been about a week so far and all seem happy. Still haven’t had time to get the lounge back to any sort of normal state mind! Busy few weeks. Only thing I think I’m not too happy about is the background. Finding it difficult to find something that works. Not sure I want to go without one. As the pipes and wires etc annoy me. But we are getting there. And the fish seem happy.
Been out of this thread a while - some cracking efforts...
My reef is looking a little sorry for itself - managed to clear dino/cyano with a tonne of effort, but lost some inhabitants along the way.
I've also moved home offices without moving tank, so it's not getting the same attention.
However, discussing options to shift things about with my better half, she turned around and asked why I don't just get the tank I really want and then migrate nano into it once up and running...
Found my dream 'off the peg' tank - D-d Reefpro 1200, second hand for the relative buttons they go for when available. So picking up this weekend - and it's no longer an office tank, it's a living room tank! Seems the Mrs has quietly been getting on board the marine train.
Gonna be a super slow build, I'm mental with work and can't justify spunking the tonne of cash I'll need to overall to get fully setup prior to Christmas - but there's nothing stopping me lighting one quarter with my existing light, moving the tiny amount of rock and livestock I've got, then build up over time.
My reef is looking a little sorry for itself - managed to clear dino/cyano with a tonne of effort, but lost some inhabitants along the way.
I've also moved home offices without moving tank, so it's not getting the same attention.
However, discussing options to shift things about with my better half, she turned around and asked why I don't just get the tank I really want and then migrate nano into it once up and running...
Found my dream 'off the peg' tank - D-d Reefpro 1200, second hand for the relative buttons they go for when available. So picking up this weekend - and it's no longer an office tank, it's a living room tank! Seems the Mrs has quietly been getting on board the marine train.
Gonna be a super slow build, I'm mental with work and can't justify spunking the tonne of cash I'll need to overall to get fully setup prior to Christmas - but there's nothing stopping me lighting one quarter with my existing light, moving the tiny amount of rock and livestock I've got, then build up over time.
Picked up my new dream reef tank today...
Bloody tight fitting it all into the back of a LWB VW Caddy!
Four year old system, seller was superb - the silicone is absolutely perfect for example.
Now the long journey building up the equipment purchases needed to get her setup. LFS is going to take all my existing livestock and give them a nice holiday until I'm ready to take them back for the new tank... It's going to be a few months, so hoping my corals grow a fair bit for free!
Bloody tight fitting it all into the back of a LWB VW Caddy!
Four year old system, seller was superb - the silicone is absolutely perfect for example.
Now the long journey building up the equipment purchases needed to get her setup. LFS is going to take all my existing livestock and give them a nice holiday until I'm ready to take them back for the new tank... It's going to be a few months, so hoping my corals grow a fair bit for free!
Cheers bud!
I'm taking this one super slow and steady... If I tot up everything except the lights () it's not too scary. It's the lighting I'm consciously ignoring for now, knowing there's loads to do before it even gets wet, let alone needing light.
It's a D-D 1200, so my perfect four foot length, but extra deep front to back and nice and shallow... I adore it - the build quality is just insane for a mass market tank, and got it for a bargain price.
Still not big enough for my dream fish!
I'm taking this one super slow and steady... If I tot up everything except the lights (
) it's not too scary. It's the lighting I'm consciously ignoring for now, knowing there's loads to do before it even gets wet, let alone needing light.It's a D-D 1200, so my perfect four foot length, but extra deep front to back and nice and shallow... I adore it - the build quality is just insane for a mass market tank, and got it for a bargain price.
Still not big enough for my dream fish!
Sway said:
Cheers bud!
I'm taking this one super slow and steady... If I tot up everything except the lights () it's not too scary. It's the lighting I'm consciously ignoring for now, knowing there's loads to do before it even gets wet, let alone needing light.
It's a D-D 1200, so my perfect four foot length, but extra deep front to back and nice and shallow... I adore it - the build quality is just insane for a mass market tank, and got it for a bargain price.
Still not big enough for my dream fish!
I worked in fish shops when I was younger and I always found the "deep" measurement quite odd. I always added front to back to avoid confusion. But to me deep is top to bottom…like a bath is deep or an ocean is deep. I always gave dimensions in front to back and top to bottom.I'm taking this one super slow and steady... If I tot up everything except the lights (
) it's not too scary. It's the lighting I'm consciously ignoring for now, knowing there's loads to do before it even gets wet, let alone needing light.It's a D-D 1200, so my perfect four foot length, but extra deep front to back and nice and shallow... I adore it - the build quality is just insane for a mass market tank, and got it for a bargain price.
Still not big enough for my dream fish!
Looking forward to seeing your tank setup and agree a reef tank should be shallow (top to bottom) and wide (front to back)
Got home together so my regular feed and quick check on my 4ft community tank set up to find a new fish appeared not unusual most days as get a few from my swordtails and platies but this was a baby hill stream Loach. Got 4 full sized in the tank as a bit of a clean up crew have notice what could be breading behaviour but didn't expect any fry to last.
Only seen one but only just caught it may be more in there. Anyone else have had a unexpected surprise with their tanks.
Only seen one but only just caught it may be more in there. Anyone else have had a unexpected surprise with their tanks.
MG CHRIS said:
Got home together so my regular feed and quick check on my 4ft community tank set up to find a new fish appeared not unusual most days as get a few from my swordtails and platies but this was a baby hill stream Loach. Got 4 full sized in the tank as a bit of a clean up crew have notice what could be breading behaviour but didn't expect any fry to last.
Only seen one but only just caught it may be more in there. Anyone else have had a unexpected surprise with their tanks.
My female stingray gave birth to one healthy female pup and one deformed male that died within 10 mins of birth…this was around 100 days of gestation. Then about 5 weeks later she gave birth to a huge and healthy extra female…i assume she popped early to eject the deformed one but it is not very common to have unexpected extra births.Only seen one but only just caught it may be more in there. Anyone else have had a unexpected surprise with their tanks.
Caddyshack said:
MG CHRIS said:
Got home together so my regular feed and quick check on my 4ft community tank set up to find a new fish appeared not unusual most days as get a few from my swordtails and platies but this was a baby hill stream Loach. Got 4 full sized in the tank as a bit of a clean up crew have notice what could be breading behaviour but didn't expect any fry to last.
Only seen one but only just caught it may be more in there. Anyone else have had a unexpected surprise with their tanks.
My female stingray gave birth to one healthy female pup and one deformed male that died within 10 mins of birth…this was around 100 days of gestation. Then about 5 weeks later she gave birth to a huge and healthy extra female…i assume she popped early to eject the deformed one but it is not very common to have unexpected extra births.Only seen one but only just caught it may be more in there. Anyone else have had a unexpected surprise with their tanks.
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