Gumbies R Us
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Probably the best idea haha
Deskmate Classic Build
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- Thread starter Sourdoh
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OP
OP
So update. Crab and blenny now friends apparently. Came back from work and found them next to eachother just hanging around, crab eating some mysis he found. Crab walked right past him afterwards, blenny unbothered. My guess was the crab was being defensive in all new surroundings. They seem perfectly fine now.
Also I'm gonna only post updates every monday now. Not much is gonna change from here on out so unless I get a huge algae bloom or something there won't be much to say.
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OP
OP
Okay I lied. Small update. I appear to have diatoms forming.
immo
Active Member
My $0.02 -
Ditch the dual nozzle, go for a single. I scaled an RFG to fit and printed.
Switch to a sicce micra+ 158gph.
Consider the penny wise schedule on a very long acclimation (60 days+). Or consider a messily a80.
I personally have two desk mates running kessils and absolutely love them. I also have an IM fusion 15 running a prime, and a fusion 20 running a prime. I really like the prime, but I feel the kessil provides a better spectrum and much simpler end user experience. I’m sure there will be people here advise against what I’m saying, and I’m not saying I’m the absolute best to listen to, I’m simply saying what has worked well for me. If you plan on sps at all, stay away from the kessil because it isn’t going to push the par, otherwise I would highly recommend it. Also no matter what consider a light shade. Didn’t think they made a difference until I put them side by side and I can say they are very well worth it.
Ditch the dual nozzle, go for a single. I scaled an RFG to fit and printed.
Switch to a sicce micra+ 158gph.
Consider the penny wise schedule on a very long acclimation (60 days+). Or consider a messily a80.
I personally have two desk mates running kessils and absolutely love them. I also have an IM fusion 15 running a prime, and a fusion 20 running a prime. I really like the prime, but I feel the kessil provides a better spectrum and much simpler end user experience. I’m sure there will be people here advise against what I’m saying, and I’m not saying I’m the absolute best to listen to, I’m simply saying what has worked well for me. If you plan on sps at all, stay away from the kessil because it isn’t going to push the par, otherwise I would highly recommend it. Also no matter what consider a light shade. Didn’t think they made a difference until I put them side by side and I can say they are very well worth it.
OP
OP
May I ask the reason for ditching the dual nozzle? Im open to going to single just curious the main benefit. I also was planning on upgrading the pump soon.
As far as the light I think I'm gonna stick with the AI. I've been very happy with the app and the spectrum it provides. I will say the shimmer on the kessil is something to desire but I am considering adding a few sps so I think the AI is my best bet. I have seen pennywise and I have contacted him. He is making me a custom version for lighting schedule.
immo
Active Member
For me, even with the sicce pump it doesn’t have enough flow to actually push the rfg to make it do what it’s supposed to. They’re rated for 160 gph plus. The sicce is 158 gph. With the single rfg (I’m not using a vca, but rather the original rfg) it actually looks like there is a wavemaker in the tank. Excellent random flow through the tank.
If you plan on running SPS then the prime is definitely for you. I prefer the kessil because I’m mostly lps and some softies. The only sps I have are leptos and some people don’t consider them sps but either way they prefer low light. Still enough light to keep my RFAs happy too. I never have algae problems, and haven’t since I set it up with dry rock and sand. Barely even a diatom bloom.
Just make sure you get the 158 gph sicce if you go with sicce. I bought a mighty jet for my fusion 15 and sized it up to see if I could run one on the Deskmate, and I know there’s a few people who have but the clearance is extremely tight, and I just wasn’t willing to go that route. Also anything more than the sicce and you’ll have to cut the overflow weir out.
Not trying to tell you what to do, just what has worked well for me. I’m no Lou Schiavo but I have found a lot of success in my Deskmate. Nonetheless consider a light shade for your prime, they actually make a difference and clean up the light the leds put out. I would suggest running the penny wise schedule (whichever one you go with, I run the dead lights) on a very long acclimation starting st a low percentage just to avoid algae as much as possible. It’s hard to get enough CUC in a tank this small that can keep up with much of a bloom.
OP
OP
No worries! I am new to this so I am taking in all the advice that I can. I see what youre saying about the rfg, and I did end up ordering the 158 gph sicce pump. Seems like the best fit for the tank. I will try the single outlet once that pump comes in tomorrow.
Pennywise sent me the file this morning so I am gonna start that schedule on acclimation mode today. 60 days and starting at much lower intensity.
I ran the big pump on mine with a dual nozzle for a couple weeks and hated it. Now I run a Sicce nano with a single nozzle and love it. I based my build own some of the ones I have seen around and they are way too overpowered in most categories. Flow, filtration, light etc.
I think the setup now is perfect. I basically did a tear down in my office and started from scratch. My pump was too powerful (IM Mini) and there was too much rockwork. Downside to that was it was reducing my water capacity. I also run the Kessil and love it. Have one on my fusion 20 as well and the corals love it.
immo
Active Member
I really love the kessil lights on these tanks, really feel like they were almost made specifically for these tanks. Then there's the simplicity, and I'm a simple minded guy, so...I ran the big pump on mine with a dual nozzle for a couple weeks and hated it. Now I run a Sicce nano with a single nozzle and love it. I based my build own some of the ones I have seen around and they are way too overpowered in most categories. Flow, filtration, light etc.
I think the setup now is perfect. I basically did a tear down in my office and started from scratch. My pump was too powerful (IM Mini) and there was too much rockwork. Downside to that was it was reducing my water capacity. I also run the Kessil and love it. Have one on my fusion 20 as well and the corals love it.
Loving this little tank !
OP
OP
Well I'm sad to report my first major screw up. The blenny has died and it was 100% preventable. I performed a water change today and during that process I greatly disturbed the sandbed. As a result I had an ammonia spike up to around .5. I feel like I also have overfed which led to a lot of ammonia being contained in the sandbed from uneaten food. Not to mention my procedure was sloppy for the water change this time around. His condition got worse and worse and I realised it too late. I'll spare the details but to put it lightly I am extremely upset with myself. Crab and snail appear to be doing fine as of right now. Feeling really discouraged.
I also believe it may have been stress from the water change as I added the new water very quickly by dumping it in. Again either way it could have been prevented. Hard lesson learned.
I also believe it may have been stress from the water change as I added the new water very quickly by dumping it in. Again either way it could have been prevented. Hard lesson learned.
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immo
Active Member
Some may not agree with this advice, but keeping some seachem prime around is a really good idea. It will detoxify ammonia for 48 hours. Small tanks need small feeding with little waste IMO.
Live and learn. Mistakes are one of the most successful forms of learning.
OP
OP
Live and learn for sure. It sucks but I know I’m not gonna make the same mistake again.
immo
Active Member
Seachem prime, worth keeping around. Another thing I use it for personally is for when I acclimate fish. Whenever I start the drip (my fish generally end up spending a pretty good amount of time in the bag) I throw some in the container. The ammonia in the bag turns toxic pretty rapidly after opening it. I can't remember exactly how the chemistry works, I just remember having read that. So I use the Seachem Prime to detoxify that ammonia quickly seeing as how I can't just remove that fish from the original water and put it directly in my clean water.
CoastalTownLayabout
Active Member
Sorry to hear about your blenny. Small new systems, especially dry rock starts, are fragile. Seemingly small actions can have big consequences.
Putting that in the rear view mirror, what’s the plan going forward?
Putting that in the rear view mirror, what’s the plan going forward?
OP
OP
I purchased ammonia remover although thinking about it longer I don’t think that’s the main thing that killed him. I do plan on getting another blenny but I need some time to get my confidence back with fish at least. Looking at it I’m wondering if it was because of the way I did the water change the parameters shifted very fast. Either way lesson learned. I won’t be getting corals for at least another month and half maybe two months which was the plan anyways.
Also update on snail and crab. Both doing just fine.
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CoastalTownLayabout
Active Member
What volume of water did you change? How are you mixing your new water, RO/DI? You may have mentioned this previously but I don’t recall seeing. Are you temp matching?
Honestly, I can’t recommend any utilitarian fish during early stages of this system. The real heavy lifting in smaller tanks is accomplished with a diverse population of scavenging micro fauna and small herbivorous snails.
A few small hardy soft corals would be a safer bet than fish and will likely contribute more to the system than fish, particularly if they’re attached to some live rock. Alternatively, some live rock rubble would also be beneficial.
My suggestion in the short to medium term is to work on developing the micro fauna in your system. This will promote the stability you are lacking atm.
Honestly, I can’t recommend any utilitarian fish during early stages of this system. The real heavy lifting in smaller tanks is accomplished with a diverse population of scavenging micro fauna and small herbivorous snails.
A few small hardy soft corals would be a safer bet than fish and will likely contribute more to the system than fish, particularly if they’re attached to some live rock. Alternatively, some live rock rubble would also be beneficial.
My suggestion in the short to medium term is to work on developing the micro fauna in your system. This will promote the stability you are lacking atm.
OP
OP
So it was roughly a 1.5-2gallon water change. I pick up RO/DI water from my LFS. As far as mixing saltwater I have a 5 gallon bucket that I stick a eheim heater and return pump in to circulate. Temp is always matched to tank temperature and I let it mix for about 3 hours. As far as time I know I should let it mix around 24 hours at least which is one of my screwups. Rushed through this change.
When I started the system I put live sand and Carib sea life rock. I have algae growing pretty consistently rn and water parameters have been solid for a week and a half now.
So you’re saying I should add mushrooms or something like that to the system? And when should I do that?
immo
Active Member
What salt are you using by chance? Not all salts require a 24 hour mixing time. It's unrelated, but a good lesson in not everything being what we think it is. I use coral pro salt in several of my tanks which actually requires a maximum mixing time of 4 hours. Also use red sea blue bucket, which is essentially indefinite. I don't think it could be the cause of the issue, but high alk salts could also impact pH, which could cause stress to your fish. I don't think (I want to reiterate that) it's the issue, but a possibility. High alk salts would be anything over 10 dkH in my book, coral pro, reef crystals, etc.
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