Mixed Emotions
So it has been a LONG time since my last update, been a little lazy. Thought it is time to let everyone know how it is going. This may get pretty long :rofl.
Will start with the Coral
I added a whole heap of SPS from the Meet a while ago, couldn't be worse timing on my part. As the next weekend I went away. I had to leave the tank in the hands of my Dad who has no clue about my tank (likes to think he does :P). I was nervous about it the whole time I was away but he kept assuring me that it was all looking spectacular. Little did I know I was going to be coming home to a white reef
. I have put this down to 3 issues.
1. The corals while I was away started to grow and hence started consuming alkalinity. It ended up dropping to a measly 5 DKH. I didn't realise at the time that this was the issue as I thought ah the doser is dosing so it can't be that. I later picked up the low Alk when I did my weekly test a couple of days later. This leads me onto number 2
2. The doser wasn't set up properly, I did not put the airline hose into the connection properly. This ended with it only working for the first couple of weeks (how long i was testing daily) not sure how long it actually didn't dose anything. Oopsy.
3. Finally I may have told my dad to feed a bit too much, at the time I was trying to raise my Nitrate. this raised the phosphate to over .8. This was completely my fault I should have not tried to change things while I was away. Big lesson learnt here...
I feel for next time I need to make sure EVERYTHING is running before I leave and then as I get home. Also need to get out of my head that equipment is working all the time. Things go wrong.. Also I should have not tried to change things while I was away. Big lesson learnt here...
FTS's of before i went away:
Now for the worst of the news, my two little clowns have both died, one fairly unknown about why, I feel as though it was stress from falling into the overflow and being caught and put back into the dt. as it died a couple of hours later. I think the other may of gone looking for her brother as she went into the overflow and down the pipe into the sump where she got chewed up by the skimmer. This was a huge loss as they where the first fish to the tank and I enjoyed watching them grow into the tank.
Currently I have a Scopas tang who is very fat, and eating everything I put into the tank. Has even started to eat my homemade food, will get back to that later. He/she is still shy but is getting better, also is starting to show the silver looking speckles all over its face. Looks amazing in person but can't quite get it to come through in the photo's.
I also added a nice little wrasse, apsolutly love he/she. Adds so much colour to the tank. Starting eating from day one and has found a nice little cave to sleep in. I only found it yesterday when he/she went into the weir and i put her back in, went straight to a small little cave. Not later he/she was swimming around as if nothing happened that night she slept there. So happy to have a wrasse in the tank!
The corals in my tank are all softies and the moment. These being a small frag of Zoa, couple of Mushrooms, a Leather (favourite in the tank at the moment), a Duncan (currently through issues) and Xenia which in growing like a weed in my fuge.
Going back to the Duncan, I am not sure as to what is happening. I have moved it to 3 different places thinking it was flow or lighting. Both seems to have made not difference. Only one head has opened up for quite some time.
Current Paramaters
Alk: 7.2 ( little bit low currently increasing back to 8, .1 every day)
Phos: .1 (little bit high but it slowly decreasing with the addition of phosphate minus)
Nitrate: 1 (is this too low for the Duncan maybe?)
Amm
Nitrite: 0
Sal: 1.025
It has left me stumped but if anyone could help that would be Awesome :)
Currently I am waiting for Dave to find me a group of 7 Randalls Anthias. It seems as though just as I was ready for them that they disappeared off the face of the earth! I know that I am able to get them at other places but I feel as though I would rather wait :). Also have decided that my Pac Sun isn't cutting it (Sam,Dom and Luke may not what is coming here), I am not enjoying my LEDs, they are producing far to much of a disco effect for my liking this has made me decide to swap over to a MH/T5 hybrid. My current plans are to swap over to 2 250w Metal Halides, both 20k Radiums. I am taking a rather DIY approach as I wont have the money for a proper unit. Will be buying the reflectors online, the ballasts at the hydroponic store and the bulbs at the one and only Deer Park. With the T5's I haven't got that much of an idea what I want to do, open to opinions here. Trying to keep the cost to a low if possible. Have seen plenty of units available recently, tick almost every box, 4 foot, 4 T5's 2 halides, however I am wanting single ended bulbs not double ended.
Also feel as though my tank is ready for Acro again, However all my plans have come to a grinding halt. This is due to being given the opportunity to play hockey for the Australian Wanderers in Europe. This means that I will be away from the 31st of December till mid January. Will be leaving the tank in the hands of my Dad (yet again). This time there wont be any corals in there that could bleach (easily anyway). Adding Acro again will only make it harder more him and I wish to save the stress while I am away. If you have any questions or have any suggestions they are more than appreciated.
The disco ball effect i am talking about ( worse in person) there are spots all over the tank where the light hasnt difused properly
Will finish off with an up to date FTS (please excuse the terrible photo's)
Will start with the Coral
I added a whole heap of SPS from the Meet a while ago, couldn't be worse timing on my part. As the next weekend I went away. I had to leave the tank in the hands of my Dad who has no clue about my tank (likes to think he does :P). I was nervous about it the whole time I was away but he kept assuring me that it was all looking spectacular. Little did I know I was going to be coming home to a white reef
. I have put this down to 3 issues.1. The corals while I was away started to grow and hence started consuming alkalinity. It ended up dropping to a measly 5 DKH. I didn't realise at the time that this was the issue as I thought ah the doser is dosing so it can't be that. I later picked up the low Alk when I did my weekly test a couple of days later. This leads me onto number 2
2. The doser wasn't set up properly, I did not put the airline hose into the connection properly. This ended with it only working for the first couple of weeks (how long i was testing daily) not sure how long it actually didn't dose anything. Oopsy.
3. Finally I may have told my dad to feed a bit too much, at the time I was trying to raise my Nitrate. this raised the phosphate to over .8. This was completely my fault I should have not tried to change things while I was away. Big lesson learnt here...
I feel for next time I need to make sure EVERYTHING is running before I leave and then as I get home. Also need to get out of my head that equipment is working all the time. Things go wrong.. Also I should have not tried to change things while I was away. Big lesson learnt here...
FTS's of before i went away:
Now for the worst of the news, my two little clowns have both died, one fairly unknown about why, I feel as though it was stress from falling into the overflow and being caught and put back into the dt. as it died a couple of hours later. I think the other may of gone looking for her brother as she went into the overflow and down the pipe into the sump where she got chewed up by the skimmer. This was a huge loss as they where the first fish to the tank and I enjoyed watching them grow into the tank.
Currently I have a Scopas tang who is very fat, and eating everything I put into the tank. Has even started to eat my homemade food, will get back to that later. He/she is still shy but is getting better, also is starting to show the silver looking speckles all over its face. Looks amazing in person but can't quite get it to come through in the photo's.
I also added a nice little wrasse, apsolutly love he/she. Adds so much colour to the tank. Starting eating from day one and has found a nice little cave to sleep in. I only found it yesterday when he/she went into the weir and i put her back in, went straight to a small little cave. Not later he/she was swimming around as if nothing happened that night she slept there. So happy to have a wrasse in the tank!
The corals in my tank are all softies and the moment. These being a small frag of Zoa, couple of Mushrooms, a Leather (favourite in the tank at the moment), a Duncan (currently through issues) and Xenia which in growing like a weed in my fuge.
Going back to the Duncan, I am not sure as to what is happening. I have moved it to 3 different places thinking it was flow or lighting. Both seems to have made not difference. Only one head has opened up for quite some time.
Current Paramaters
Alk: 7.2 ( little bit low currently increasing back to 8, .1 every day)
Phos: .1 (little bit high but it slowly decreasing with the addition of phosphate minus)
Nitrate: 1 (is this too low for the Duncan maybe?)
Amm
Nitrite: 0
Sal: 1.025
It has left me stumped but if anyone could help that would be Awesome :)
Currently I am waiting for Dave to find me a group of 7 Randalls Anthias. It seems as though just as I was ready for them that they disappeared off the face of the earth! I know that I am able to get them at other places but I feel as though I would rather wait :). Also have decided that my Pac Sun isn't cutting it (Sam,Dom and Luke may not what is coming here), I am not enjoying my LEDs, they are producing far to much of a disco effect for my liking this has made me decide to swap over to a MH/T5 hybrid. My current plans are to swap over to 2 250w Metal Halides, both 20k Radiums. I am taking a rather DIY approach as I wont have the money for a proper unit. Will be buying the reflectors online, the ballasts at the hydroponic store and the bulbs at the one and only Deer Park. With the T5's I haven't got that much of an idea what I want to do, open to opinions here. Trying to keep the cost to a low if possible. Have seen plenty of units available recently, tick almost every box, 4 foot, 4 T5's 2 halides, however I am wanting single ended bulbs not double ended.
Also feel as though my tank is ready for Acro again, However all my plans have come to a grinding halt. This is due to being given the opportunity to play hockey for the Australian Wanderers in Europe. This means that I will be away from the 31st of December till mid January. Will be leaving the tank in the hands of my Dad (yet again). This time there wont be any corals in there that could bleach (easily anyway). Adding Acro again will only make it harder more him and I wish to save the stress while I am away. If you have any questions or have any suggestions they are more than appreciated.
The disco ball effect i am talking about ( worse in person) there are spots all over the tank where the light hasnt difused properly
Will finish off with an up to date FTS (please excuse the terrible photo's)
