Keith's 75g Algae Box. (now with less algae!) (1 Viewer)

[Ulric]

So far my best luck has been Peppermint shrimp.

I've got 2 apstasia left that I know about. Took about a week, then they started to disappear after adding the peps.

 

[mike13oy]

Galveston Peps will take care of apstasia for you.. We will have peps collection coming up in June.

 

[Slayer311]

I think you will end up being much happier in the long run if you nurse your tank through its current issues. Algae isn't an end all, it can be taken care of quite easily as can the aptasia with some peps. The algae atm is your largest conscern and it sounds as though you are being very diligant in its removal. A good clean up crew, "about 1 blue leg hermit crab per gallon", couple emerald crabs, and half as many astrea/trochus snails as crabs and some sand sifting snails like nasarius or ceriths will be a HUGE help in exterminating the algae along with agressive skimming and frequent water changes. During a move you always stir up lots of detritus and inevitabally have some die off on your rocks / sand. So this is also going towards feeding the algae. Just stay the course and it should die off. Also as it dies off and leaves the gray dusting on the rocks, get a turkey baster and blow off the rocks, this can clog up the rock and reduce its ability to process water for nitrificationl.

 

[djreef]

I think you will end up being much happier in the long run if you nurse your tank through its current issues. Algae isn't an end all, it can be taken care of quite easily as can the aptasia with some peps. The algae atm is your largest conscern and it sounds as though you are being very diligant in its removal. A good clean up crew, "about 1 blue leg hermit crab per gallon", couple emerald crabs, and half as many astrea/trochus snails as crabs and some sand sifting snails like nasarius or ceriths will be a HUGE help in exterminating the algae along with agressive skimming and frequent water changes. During a move you always stir up lots of detritus and inevitabally have some die off on your rocks / sand. So this is also going towards feeding the algae. Just stay the course and it should die off. Also as it dies off and leaves the gray dusting on the rocks, get a turkey baster and blow off the rocks, this can clog up the rock and reduce its ability to process water for nitrificationl.

I can't believe you, of all people, didn't comment on the circulation. GYAH!

DJ

 

[Slayer311]

lol oops, my bad, circulation will help blow those rocks off too, however i didn't mention circulation BECAUSE, i noticed in the pics he has 2x maxijet mod kits running in what appears to be a 75ish gallon tank, more than enough flow assuming they are working properly

 

[kgk]

lol oops, my bad, circulation will help blow those rocks off too, however i didn't mention circulation BECAUSE, i noticed in the pics he has 2x maxijet mod kits running in what appears to be a 75ish gallon tank, more than enough flow assuming they are working properly

Thanks for the comments! You are correct about my pump setup. I don't quite like these pumps though - the water column coming out of them is pretty narrow. I am still playing with which directions to aim them so as to create some decent flow and not blow all of the sand off the bottom of the tank.

I plan on switching the 2 MaxiJets for a VorTech MP40w when I get some spare cash. These pumps are working fine for now, and I want to upgrade my skimmer first.

 

[Slayer311]

Definately agree with the skimmer upgrade, what skimmer are you using now? If you need some suggestions on skimmers let us know. I have done a ton of research on budget skimmers and have tried many of them. I can definately tell ya which ones to avoid and which are the best buy for the buck.

 

[Slayer311]

and isn't that crazy, noticed in your sig your name is Keith? well so is mine and I live in the woodlands as well..small world!!

 

[kgk]

Definately agree with the skimmer upgrade, what skimmer are you using now? If you need some suggestions on skimmers let us know. I have done a ton of research on budget skimmers and have tried many of them. I can definately tell ya which ones to avoid and which are the best buy for the buck.

I could definitely use skimmer suggestions. I currently have a Coralife Super Skimmer 65 hanging on the side of my sump. It's skimming "OK" I think, but I know something larger would work better.

I just changed my plumbing around some tonight - went from a submerged return pump (a Rio 14HL) to an external pump (Pan World 150PS). The whole reason to do that was to (1) get some extra flow over the Rio (2) do it on a budget - I got a good deal on the the used pump (3) give me extra room in the sump for an in-sump skimmer. So I hope I have room to do either a hang-on type or an in-sump. It's still not a very huge space though, with the outlet to the pump & a float valve for ATO.

The other thing I have read is that in-sump skimmers work best with a constant water level, meaning I either need to put it in the first chamber of the sump (what is now a refugium) or actually use the ATO system I have rigged up. I don't have a good place yet to stash a bucket of water to gravity feed the ATO.

 

[kgk]

and isn't that crazy, noticed in your sig your name is Keith? well so is mine and I live in the woodlands as well..small world!!

Yep, I'm Keith as well. You really don't meet another Keith very often.

 

[cliner]

You guys are full of yourself! JK Anyway, howz the pump workin out, got it pumpin yet?

 

[Slayer311]

In sump skimmers are definately your best bet, depending on the dimensions in your sump there are a lot of differant options. I just found an rs80 skimmer for my buddy for his first skimmer and it will outperform the CSS65 hands down, and it only cost $100. When it comes to skimmers you are often times just paying for a pump hooked up to a skimmer body that is about the same design as 90% of the rest of the market. Your first step would be to measure the available spacde you have in sump for your skimmer and determine how heavily stocked you want your tank to be. A couple small fish a few corals and your skimmer could be an average skimmer and be just fine. Plan on having a bit heavier stocked tank with lots of corals that you plan on feeding heavily and you will want your skimmer to be able to make up for the excess waste. You are definately right about needing a constant water level. You live close, you are welcome to come over and check out our setup to get some ideas. Having flooded the house a few times I have found a lot of things NOT to do lol.

Keith

 

[kgk]

You guys are full of yourself! JK Anyway, howz the pump workin out, got it pumpin yet?

It is plumbed in & working fine, although I had a slight mishap. Here's what happened ...

I decided to re-use the plumbing that was there, which meant a 3/4" ID hose from the tank bulkhead to the ouput of the pump. I used that stuff I got from you (the valve + the quick connect), and I got a threaded reducer + hose barb for the end. That part all worked fine. HOWEVER ...

I did not adjust the restrictor valve before I turned it on. It was wide open. I blew off the 90* elbow at the end of return PVC pipe in the overflow (I didn't think about it not being glued on, duh), and it shot water straight up in to the air. Luckily, most of the jet of water was hitting the bottom of the light fixture (and the T5s were off, and protected behind acrylic), so not much water got out of the tank and onto the walls and floor before I was able to turn of the power strip. If hadn't been for the light fixture, I think water may have hit the ceiling. Talk about feeling like an ********* ...

Live & learn. I definitely won't make any of those mistakes again.

I also think that pump is too big for the flow I can comfortably push with my current plumbing setup, especially the 3/4" return pipe in the overflow. The pump is also noisier than I had anticipated, but it grows on you ... I think I will use it for a while until I can figure out exactly which pump would work best. I am mostly attracted to (1) low power usage (averaged over flow, of course ... willing to burn power to get the "right" amount of flow) and (2) low noise. More thought is clearly needed here before I run off half-cocked again.

 

[djreef]

Talk about feeling like an *damsel* ...

More thought is clearly needed here before I run off half-cocked again.

WOW! The other Keith is into that kind of stuff, too!

Hey, I've never seen you two in the same place at the same time. Something's going on here.

DJ

 

[Slayer311]

Hey, I only flooded the house...twice...*&$$%#@! so what if the tank has been banished to the garage , least it got upgraded cause of it!!

 

[kgk]

Hey, I only flooded the house...twice...*&$$%#@! so what if the tank has been banished to the garage , least it got upgraded cause of it!!

How do you keep it cool in the summer? A chiller + some sort of window AC unit in the garage?

 

[Slayer311]

Yep chiller, and have an ac duct routed to the garage which is insulated as well. So when house ac is on, some ac gets redirected into the garage taking the bite off the heat.

 

[djreef]

It's actually kind of a cool setup.

Quoc keeps his tank in the garage.

DJ

 

[kgk]

I am going to destroy the wood floor in my office, I am sure of it - I have accepted it. I like having it behind me when I'm working ... better than a TV!

I am looking at a Poseidon PS3 for my tank - does anyone have any experience with those? From what I have read, they are the quietest external pump you can buy.

 

[RR-MAN]

It's actually kind of a cool setup.

Quoc keeps his tank in the garage.

DJ

Yeah but imagine that the chiller going on all day in the summer months when it’s almost 100 degrees in the garage. These days the cost of electricity consumption is a big issue for reefers.