Webpages of our tanks are up
 

Our new website is up. While some of the new pages don't yet have photos, there is a lot of stuff to see on others:

http://www.lostmymarblz.com

Take care!

Really cool, Beverly! I especially like the small mammal set-up and the 'passionate pair'. :lol:

Well sounds like the hex is well on its way to be a great sight! I can't wait to see the pictures.

Yeah, the hex is coming along nicely. On our website I state we have a 175w 6500k halide on it - but not just yet. We're still using the puny light that came with the tank and stand. Good thing the hex is surrounded by windows and is getting natural light. The halide's been ordered, but we're not sure when it'll get here. In the meantime, I think the sps and lps corals will be just fine.

There are six fish in the tank, but they're mostly hiding all the time. The spotted hawkfish comes out from time to time, the anthias is a total hider, but we know it's hole ;-) The two skunk clowns just hover in the same spot at the back of the tank. I'd have thought these two would spend more time roaming the reef. DH, Chris, thought we should get another 4 skunk clowns, but I think they'd all hover at the back. Sheesh! Besides, six fish in a 42g is about right. I suspected the yellow clown goby would hide and it does, so no surprise there. But the spotted goby, whose body is sort of transluscent seems to like it out in the open, at the front on the sandbed. So unless a person really looks around the tank, it looks like we have no fish :-(

The decorator crab is the coolest of everyone in the reef. He's already got a good collection of fuzzy green algae on his legs. He's very visible and doesn't spend his day hidden. Man, I think he's on the adventure of his life trying to get all the good stuff on him so he blends in better. He/she's got character, that's for sure.

Just wait, Trevor. You're rock'll be cured in a few short weeks and then you'll have a blast with your credit card. With a tank your size, the lfs will just love you :-)

I thought you just bought that tank Beverly? You have all that stuff in there already? :confused:

Ya that is what I am worried about, there are still a lot of things that I need ... a 2nd or 3rd powerhead mabie some more lights?? I also would like to get some more rock, move things around abit. Then I would love to get some frags and a flame angel, mabie a regal tang?? Really I just want to see something move in the tank.

I have put some better images up on my web page or you can see small verisons in the pictures form. :arrow:

Yeah, bought the tank, stand and single light fixture as a unit last Saturday. Like you said, it didn't take long ;-)

We bought local rock that was already cured, so why not get some fish and corals, oh, and a decorator crab and snails, too. One of the lfs was having a sale this weekend on corals and fish, so we thought we'd go for it. With the rock already cured, why the heck not??!? Gotta love the decorator crab who's already picked off the rock all the good chunks of fuzzy green algae. While the fish seem timid yet, the crab's out and about like he/she owns the place.

The tank is surrounded by windows in our dining area, and DH changed chairs so he can watch the fish while he eats. It's kinda cool for him to be so interested. Well, he should be interested, the lucky guy's paying for it ;-)

Depending on the kind of powerhead, you could probably use two in a 135. Depending, too, on the lights you currently have and what you want to grow, you'll probably upgrade there. This hobby ain't cheap, that's for sure. If you're a DIY-er, you'll probably save some money there.

Yeah, move your rock around as much as you like while it cures. Visit a few lfs (like AI) that have tanks set up to get an idea how you'd like your rock to look. See what suits you before buying more. Arranging the rock differently may give you what you want with what you already have.

You're gonna need more than a few frags to get that tank as great as you want. But frags are definitely a good way to begin.

Add tangs at the end. They can be somewhat aggressive and may do serious damage to fish added after them. Flame angels and their kin can sometimes go after corals, but they are beautiful fish. A lot of people do keep dwarf angels in their reefs with little or no problem though.

One of the pictures on your site that asks if it's a sponge, it looks more like some kind of coral polyps, but not so much like sponge. The other sponge question photo looks like the skeleton of a dead sps or lps coral.

HTH.

Wow I can't believe you just put 6 fish and corals into a newly setup tank in less than a week and are now giving advice to a newbie. How totally irresponsible.

Christy

I hope I am wrong, but that sounds like a recipe for disaster. :eek:

Totaly agree. :confused:

Clinton

I guess if this was my first reef, I would totally agree with you. But it's not. We've had three years of reefkeeping experience with everything from a 5 gal to a 180. We just happened to have been in the process of moving for the past year or so and had to get out of the hobby during that time. I know I don't have all the answers, but I've got a few of them and what I have I share.

If I thought that we'd be harming our new fish or corals in any way, I would not have gone ahead with what we did. Based on my experience, and the fact that the rock was cured with test kits confirming it, I have every confidence that our hex will do just fine.

Heck, I read how people do water changes only every month and clean their filtration systems, if they have them in their setups, every few months and they're giving advice or comments. I do daily and weekly maintenance on all our current reefs, and did so with our past setups too.

I wouldn't necessarily advise anyone else to do what we did because I don't know the specifics of their systems or their maintenance regime. But I know what's going on in our reefs because I'm a little on the anal side and I pay very close attention to them.

For example, we have a two week old 2.5 nano with curing rock, a small chunk of halimeda, and a 2 1/2" sandbed in it. Ammonia levels are now at 0 ppm, but nitrite levels are still over 5 ppm. Not until nitrite is at 0 ppm and I've done a 50% or greater water change will corals or one tiny fish only go into that little tank. And I'm dying to see more than just rock in there!

With that said, I hope you have a better understanding of where I'm coming from and that you have a nice evening :-)

I've had cured live rock too. Perfect parameters after four days.

Then....a dying sponge or two.... :eek:

There is no way on this earth I would be talking about introducing that kind of bioload to an immature system, especially when new people might follow just that same recipe with disasterous results.

Quite frankly, no I still don't get it.

How is it you are cycling a 2.5 gallon nano yet you don't have to cycle the larger tank? And then you put 6 fish in it to boot! And as for the test kit readings, I wouldn't imagine you'd have alot of ammonia buildup let alone nitrite and nitrate after only a week.

And you have a lovely evening too

Christy :)

If you've had these prior setups you should know better than anyone that a tank can spike or cycle for up to three weeks. I don't get it either.

Clinton

Ok, maybe I'm confused about this cycling thing but from what I understand, if you use liverock that has already been cured in a new tank, then a cycling might not occur.

See http://reefs.org/library/newbiehelp.htm#curing

Quotes

"If you start a tank with cured live rock (if truly cured and lacks large clumps of plant or sponge or the like material), then no cycle may be witnessed. If livestock is added slowly, the bacterial populations increase on demand without stressing the system."

So it won't surprise me if there aren't any spikes since where would the sudden ammonia come from for a spike to occur? The reason for adding livestock slowly to a new tank with cured live rock is not because an ammonia spike is guaranteed to occur, but because there may not be enough bacteria on the rocks to handle the bioload. But then again, maybe there is in this case? We don't know that since we don't know where the rock came from. I wouldn't be surprised if everything goes fine.

frightening...

Geez, I didn't think I'd have to put on my flame-proof panties before posting to this board.

However, if my tank tanks, you guys'll be the first to know so I can hear all your I told you so's.

Just tested the hex to make sure the fish and I would sleep tight and not let the bedbugs bite. Ammonia 0 ppm, nitrite 0 ppm. And I'll keep testing just in case I have to do a few large water changes, which I'm prepared for btw.

Enough for tonight, however ..... ZZZZZZZZ

We all trust you to tell us Beverly. :cool:

I think you missed the point totally. If you have experience in the hobby, would you recommend this course of action to a newbie?

I think that the key here is that everyone must figure out there comfort level and know what they are dealing with in there tank. Every tank is different. Beverly at no time told me or anyone else to do what she is doing, she just offered her idea's and experiance in the subject to help others enjoy the hobie to the fullest.

I have read many peoples posts as well as several other web sites, books and mags. People everyware have different experiances, successes and mistakes, I think that here we have to say this is one persons experiances and take it at face value then do as you see best suited for your enviroment.

I will not add what Bev has but I don't have the same situation that she does nor the experiance. I know my tank and that is what is important.

I thank Beverly for all the help that she has offered me and many others on this board.

Good night to all... the 3rd period of the hockey game is coming on, see you tomorow. :sleeping:

No, I wouldn't recommend doing so to a newbie or to anyone else because I don't know their setup, their testing or maintenance regime, or anything about them. But I do know myself, my experience and the way I maintain my reefs, and I'm satisfied with what we did.

I think folks are judging me on what they think is going on in the 42, but they don't really know because they don't know me and they aren't here.

Again, short of being that other person and knowing absolutely everything about a particular reef setup, I wouldn't recommend it.

So what you're saying is that the information you posted on your website is completely false and you never did any of that?

Geez, lady, now you're just trolling. Lighten up, eh?

Oh thanks for calling me a troll, that was nice. I'm done with this.

Good luck with your tank.

Christy :)

Indeed yes, this board is not noted for kindness. Flames fly unhindered here. People will flame their best friends without any qualms it seems. Some very good people have left this board because of dumb and insensitive remarks. Humour is totally misunderstood, because a number of folks totally miss the point when an attempt at humour is made. Bad advice is often handed out freely. But if you can put up with all that, things are not bad here. :2gunfire:

Personally,

I wouldn't suggest putting 6 fish let alone any corals into a tank less than a month old. Even if it was fully cured rock. The sand can still cause a spike. Each fish you add will cause a spike. You probably won't loss anything, but the chance is there. And at the prices of most saltwater fish and corals, that is an expensive chance.

But I guess I am not the person to be giving any real advice as I just bought an Achilles Tang for my 90 Gallon which would make my tank a 2 tang tank and I will probably get flamed for this.

But good luck and let us know how everything goes.

BTW, my poilcy is leave well enough alone. I haven't done a water change in over 3 months and my tank blossoms everyday. I am overdue for one now. But I believe that 15-20% every 3 months is fine. Assuming your parameters are holding stable.

So treat you tank as you will and hopefully it works for you.

Well, I'm not going anywhere, flames or no flames. I'm a big girl, or at least an old one, and I can take as good as I can give ;-)

The nay-sayers to our stocking the 42 so quickly have made a few good points and I don't begrudge that at all. We may indeed have been hasty in adding livestock, and if we were wrong I'll fess up to it.

One post suggested a spike may occur in about three weeks. Well, as anal as I am, I'll be watching for it pretty diligently and if it occurs, I know how to deal with it and be public about it - wearing my flame-proof panties and all ;-D

Take care, and thanks for the heads up about flames and general human nature on this board :-)

Just want to ask for my own curiousity what in the new sand could cause a spike?

Spikes occur when a lot of dead things start decomposing like dead stuff on uncured live rock. Now, if the liverock being transferred into a new tank comes from a tank with a heavy bioload, that rock already has more bacteria then necessary for the new tank. Even if the rock contains just the right balance of bacteria, would a few new small fish in 42 gallons cause a significant spike? I've never experienced a spike before (and I add stuff quite quickly) so that's why I'm asking.

Now don't be rediculous. Everything can cause a spike. I did not say it would cause enough of a spike to kill anything. But a spike is a spike even if it doesn't wind up doing anything to your tank. Any live sand can cause a spike. That is why I said it could cause a spike. The fish definately will, but the sand might depending on how 'live ' it is.

Or am I wrong here? ;)

Just asking for an explanation that's all. Of course, anything that dies produces ammonia (not necessarily a spike if the nitrification process is quick). So why does new sand cause spikes? Don't flame me for asking a question please. Thanks.

I did not flame you. I was defending my position. I guess the problem with message boards is that one person method of writing seems totally appropriate to themselves but totally rude to someone else. I have this problem in my department all the time. One of my employees always sends out emails to the market stating certain things, however she does it in such a fashion as to completely mock the people she is sending the message to. Well, she doesn't mean it so I think when in doubt do not take anything personally unless they come out and say "The following is written to flame you" :)

My "Don't be rediculous" came from Perfect strangers. Anyone here old enough for that sitcom. It was supposed to be a humourous start. Oh well! Failed there.

Oh, and I don't think new sand would cause a spike.

Chris

Let me tell you right off that I'm not trying to flame you, but I'd like to offer an opinion. Okay?

There are many parameters that we don't typically test for such as calcium, magnesium, phosphate, silicates, and a whole whack of trace elements. The only way to make sure these are replenished is with frequent and regular water changes, imo. That's why I do weekly 10-15% water changes. I guess I'm a follower of the "a little at a time but on a timely basis" sort of thinker when it comes to w/c because there's no way in h*ll I'm going to be doing all that testing all the time. It's just way easier to change some water once a week than to test for all that stuff in the three very different tanks we have.

Yup. Good point. Everyone does things differently because we all have very different and unique reef setups.

Take care, and I hope you don't take my remarks as a flame, but as one opinion among many.

Can I play here too?? Sam, I agree....not sure how new sand will cause a spike. Also, if enough cured rock is placed in a 42g tank, I would feel adding fish to be a relatively safe act. I might not add 6, but I would have to see the tank/rock/etc to determine that.
I would also not add corals this soon, even with cured rock, although I think with proper knowledgeable monitoring, problems can be avoided.

Beverly, the people here are not so much flaming you, they're just passionate about caring about little fishies!
I agree that it is your tank and it's your decision what you'll put in it and when. You seem to have a plan in place to watch for problems and hopefully you won't have any. I think it is entirely likely you'll be OK. But please understand where the emotion comes from...it isn't hostility, it's concern for you, your tank, and the livestock in it. I think it's great so many people care.
Good luck!!

Beverly,

I agree with you 100%. I asked "Why do we do water chages?" a while back and they said to replenish your elements that your animals use up. Well if it isn't to remove deitrus (The sand bed should never be vacuumed) Then I am going to try with the old leave it alone method. My mineral replacement is very minimal for those three months as all I add back into the system is what is leaked out of the system in the form of salt creep. Very little, but still something. (I actually encourage salt creep) Now my setup is only going on 9 months, but I have never had anything die (Except a fish and overflow problem) Oh and of course a BTA I put in way to early. My soft corals get fragged quite often, snails reproduce like mad, and only recently had an issue with a Frogspawn coral. So other LPS are doing awesome.

I guess we find out in a few more years, how my experiment actually hold up.

That's cool. Didn't catch the association with Perfect Strangers. Never heard of that show so thought you were calling my post ridiculous.


Beverly, I for one would love to get updated if you ever see an ammonia spike of any sort. Would be good to know.

IMO, spikes occur when there is insufficient nitrifying bacteria to deal with fish waste, left over food, and stuff that's dying whether it's on rock or in the sandbed. The more "live" a sandbed is, the less likely a spike will occur because it'll be loaded with bacteria. That is, unless something in the sandbed is dying which the existing bacteria is unable to cope with. Does that make sense?

I think there would still be die off when you add live sand to a new system. That is why people say you can just add live sand to a new system to get the cycling started because there would be enough die off from the critters in the sand to start the bacteria process. Also, everytime you add a fish, you now no longer have enough bacteria to cope with the extra fish so a spike will occur again. By adding a lot of fish at the same time your spike will be more pronounced. The higher the spike, the greater the chance for stress and dead fish.

To remove detritus, I have a prefilter on my Hagen 802 powerhead and gently turkey baste the sandbed and live rock to get as much detritus into the water column as possible. I call the procedure "storming" as in what a bad day at sea might do to a natural reef. Anyway, once the tank clears, I remove the prefilter, take out the foam and rinse the living heck out of it. You'd be surprised how much crud is exported that way.

As a matter of fact, since our reef is so new and loaded with livestock already, I'm storming the 42 a couple of times a day. The foams come out pretty dirty so I know I'm reducing, though not totally eliminating, the chances of spikes of any kind.

What mineral replacements do you add back to your tank as your salinity rises? I add just enough RO water, which should have very little trace elements, to bring the salinity back down to what I consider normal which is about 1.025 at 78 F.

Well, I noticed that the greater amount of salt creep, the greater amount of new salt I can add back into the tank. My tank therefore always stays at 1.024. at exactly the same water volume. Top off water is all RO water.

The live sand would also come with nitrfying bacteria, so there may not be as big a spike as one might expect. Or there could be a larger spike too, depending on the system. If there was cured live rock in the tank, or an established sump or refugium, or even some macro-algae which lives off ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and phosphate - another byproduct of die-off - the spike would probably be smaller and may not be noticed at all.

BTW, we started the 42 with about 3" of sugar-sized Aragamax, which isn't live. Then we added salted, 78 F. RO water. Our RO unit doesn't remove all the ammonia from the tapwater here (which uses chloramine - a mixture of chlorine and 1 ppm+ ammonia that is more stable than chlorine alone). So when I added the RO to the sandbed, then tested it after the tank was almost full, there was no ammonia or nitrite in it. The sand had become live enough with bacteria in 3 days to deal with the ammonia and nitrite in the RO water. (Didn't test for nitrate, though.)

I'd have to say it would depend on the individual reef system, but in theory, I agree with you.