Perseverance Reef

[Fishy888]

I just tested the sump’s phosphorus levels and I got 97 ppb. That’s 0.297 ppm of phosphates. The sump is only 30 gallons though. In 75 gallons it would be 0.1188. I think we’re good at this point to add some pods and the like in there. The chaeto has grown some and is a dark green color. I need to get some decent light over it. My old lights were great for my xenia but for the chaeto they were likely overdone.

Now I need to figure out if the circulation pump I’m using in the sump is the reason I got the shock of a lifetime. I got shocked last night though, and since I use a turkey baster to draw sample water I didn’t get a shock today. I’m going to unplug the pump and see if I’m right before long.

If it weren’t for Dory (All the kids in the apartment complex will be calling the hippo tang Dory, and my wife’s been calling it Dory soooooo….. let’s hope it’s not a male lol) I’d put all the rock in the DT and let the pods and other critters colonize the rock in the DT. The tang will need plenty of swimming space so I don’t want to overdo the rock. When I get my 125 then I’ll put all the rock in there.

In some ways the 75 is just a bigger “holding tank” than what they were in before. I’ve been planning how to handle the upgrade. I’ll have to expand the stand to be able to accommodate the new tank unless a miracle happens and a stand comes with it at an affordable price. I hate to say it but I might have to build a whole new stand really since I want 2x6 construction. This is going to literally weigh half a ton. 1250 lbs I estimate. Water weighs 8.5 lbs per gallon but with sand, rock, livestock, the added salt, and the weight of the tank itself, not even counting the stand. It’s likely 10 lbs per gallon if not more. I’m going to crunch the numbers based on a lb per gallon of LR and of sand. I don’t think I’ll use quite that much rock but it’ll be close.

 

[Fishy888]

My nem was starting to scare me a bit today. It looked like a barrel with tentacles sticking out of the top of it. I fed it and the food was gone in no time. I gave it a bit more and it looks like this now.

I’ll take it. I also got to see some brittle stars hanging out in the rocks, quite literally. One was in a rock I haven’t seen any in before.

This is another win. I need all I can get.

I also fed the duncans tonight. This image was taken right after they gulped their food down.

My nem was happier under the halide in my old system, but it’s only because the lamps need to be replaced in the T5 fixture. Since I’m likely getting a bigger tank (125 minimum) in just a few weeks I’m probably going to use the halide I have over the nem. I’ll look for two more high bay luminaires. Having seen how well the reflector performed over my 90 I can’t justify going any other way. I want to mount them higher if I can this time however. I also want to find some 250 watt ballasts although I’ll use 400 watt ballasts if need be; especially since I want to run the blue color like my T5s put out.

 

[Fishy888]

The anemone looks much better today than it did most of yesterday. The Kenya tree also seems more extended than yesterday. My animals are looking good today.

Speaking of which my friend’s tangs are eating both frozen and nori. All of them have survived thus far, and Dory is doing great. She showed me a picture of her yellow tang and he’s regained quite a bit of color. The filefish and puffer look great too. Most of the rest of the fish were in the rocks hunkering down for the night last night.

Hopefully this weekend or early next week I’ll be able to pick up my hippo tang. I STILL haven’t gotten the water change done yet. After we run tomorrow’s errands though I should have time to get more water made and to get it mixed. I want the water change done before Dory comes home. It’s bad enough that a few weeks after she goes into the 75 she’s going to be transferred to a whole new tank yet again. I don’t want to add the stress of a water change on top of that. Granted it’ll only be a partial water change but still.

I’ve drawn up plans for a stand for the new tank. Since there are two or three 125s close by for a good price that don’t already have stands I’m going to just go ahead and build a new stand. I mean for $35 bucks I’ll have a much sturdier frame than on the pre-fabricated stands and I’ll save $100 bucks. Eventually I’ll end up spending that when I skin the stand and add doors but it’ll last much longer than the pre-fabricated stands and look great doing it.

I’m mulling the idea of using the 75 as my sump but I’m worried that if I use the pre-drilled holes in the 75 that the vibrations from water crashing through the drain as well as the from the return pump might crack the glass. Maybe I’m just being paranoid though as I know others have successfully done it.

 

[fishguy242]

Just plug the holes in 75 ,come in over top .

 

[tbrown]

If they PM you on that skimmer, it's the one I run on my 125.

 

[Mschmidt]

TLDR: Kathy ended having to cancel her appointment, I cleaned the glass. My nem and especially the duncans look excellent, like they do just before a growth spurt, and I’ve revealed the mystery fish but you’ll have to read that part at least.
/TLDR

For those I tagged in this post please scroll down to the last paragraph or two if you don’t want to read yet another whole book. I really appreciate all your help.

Kathy ended up having to cancel her appointment yesterday and is waiting for them to reschedule her. She didn’t sleep well at all, something I completely understand. She’s been through a lot this month.

Everything’s looking good at Perseverance Reef. I was beginning to think all my brittle stars were dead but I saw one hanging an arm or two out of a rock last night. I haven’t seen any of my asterinas in the DT since setting it up. I hope I still have one or two left in there. The good news is I have two in my lifeboat tank. They’re the more attractive kind of the two I had. I still liked the white and gray ones though. At least they’re not exactly hard to come by.

There was a noticeable amount of algae on the glass tonight so I cleaned it. I didn’t target feed yesterday but the nem and the duncans are looking good. The fluorescence in the duncans is orders of magnitude better than before I started the target feeding regimen. My duncans’ polyps were open widely as well just like they get when starting a growth spurt. Here’s to hoping.

The nem looks good too but since it can’t eat as much as the duncans can it’ll take longer to see the same gains the duncans have to this point. More lighting will help. Which brings me to the next topic….

The fish I’m about to bring home, assuming all goes well, will absolutely need a larger tank. Getting the larger tank will cost about twice what the overflow would cost but it’ll be worth it. Since Kathy’s as excited as I am about this fish, being a big fan herself of “Finding Nemo”, and with her being fully aware of what size tank this fish is going to need, I pretty much have license to start searching for said larger tank.

Well now that I just pretty much revealed what fish I’m getting, there is a backstory. The person who’s selling the fish claims that the fish has a “defect” that has kept it small. It’s been in a 75 gallon tank for years according to them but looks good otherwise. I’m assuming that the “defect” is that it’s been stunted. I’ve read from some that hippo tangs won’t grow any larger even when provided with a larger tank. Even if that’s true I don’t want the fish to be tortured.

Everything I’ve ever read on these majestic creatures cites that hippos need an absolute minimum of 6 feet and preferably 8 feet of length. Thus, this is my plan. If I do indeed get this fish I’m going to get a 125 or better yet a 180. I’m going to see if the fish starts growing again. If it starts growing again, an outcome I’d hope for, I’ll have to rehome it or get an even larger tank. If it’s true that a stunted hippo tang won’t grow much if at all in an appropriately large tank then I’d still want it in a minimum of a 6 foot tank.

@fishguy242, @EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal, @tbrown, @Lost in the Sauce, @F i s h y, @Petcrazyson, @Mschmidt, @Bleigh, have you ever heard of a defect or disease that keeps hippo tangs from growing larger than a silver dollar? I’ve seen a super short video of the fish, and it doesn’t look deformed to me, it doesn’t have ich or HLLE. In the 30 second clip I saw of it in its current 75 gallon tank it isn’t swimming weirdly and it’s not bullying or being bullied by any of the fish in there with it.

My friend, who’s buying all these fishes including the hippo tang, has a larger tank with far larger and more aggressive fish and she thinks it’ll do well in my system. I’d have to keep it in the 75 for now but I’ll be on the hunt for a larger tank even before I get the tang. My friend is going to QT it for me since she has the setup to do so. If worst comes to worst the tang will be in the 75 for a month or two after it gets here but be sure that if I take this fish on I WILL get it in a larger tank within a couple of months. It helps my case that Kathy’s this excited about the hippo tang. My current tank would become the new sump when I upgrade and if it comes with a stand I’d have to modify it so I could run the sump in it, especially if I end up getting a 125.

not sure I'm the one to tag in this, but you seem to have gotten actionable feedback. sorry it took so long, for some reason I missed the notifications. had to check the watched threads tab.

Less wurds, moar pickturs!

Yes, all on purpose. I feel like the mass of people I speak too, (outside of those I actually know...) are 5 yr olds who were given a keyboard. So now, if I ever plan on replying to some random thread, I will pretend I am talking to a 5 yr old and prep myself for a tantrum of the ages.

bold of you to assume I'm 5.

 

[Goaway]

Just plug the holes in 75 ,come in over top .

They do make cap stuff for that. I forget the names, but i bet @Projects with Sam remembers.

 

[Goaway]

bold of you to assume I'm 5.

If only you seen some fish threads I've replied too. They go off like a toddler being denied cookies and candy.

 

[fishguy242]

They do make cap stuff for that. I forget the names, but i bet @Projects with Sam remembers.

just a pvc plug in bulkhead is all it is...

 

[Goaway]

just a pvc plug in bulkhead is all it is...

You cant expect me to remember that!

 

[Projects with Sam]

You cant expect me to remember that!

I wouldnt worry about vibrations cracking the glass; that being said, if you were to remove the bulkheads and silicone a piece of glass over them you'd get some structural support. If the bulkheads can remain on the tank when its on a flat surface (doesnt need holes below it for the bulkheads) then the easiest solution (and reversible) would be as said, just screw-in some end-caps and call it a day.

 

[Mschmidt]

If only you seen some fish threads I've replied too. They go off like a toddler being denied cookies and candy.

good thing I don't know enough to get in the middle of those threads.

 

[Fishy888]

Well there’s a good chance I’m going be upgrading sooner rather than later. Much, much sooner in fact. The upgrade is almost twice as big as I was originally planning, yet half the price. I’m likely getting a 220. It’s about an hour away and it’s likely going down on Sunday.

Now I just need to Shanghai someone of a couple of someones to help row that boat of a tank into the van and into the apartment. Thankfully no stairs involved from what I’ve gathered. There are definitely none here save a slight 4 inch curb but if we drive up onto it that’ll take care of that.

I’ve accepted his offer and originally I was going to get it tomorrow but we have to babysit tomorrow and before that we have to take a friend of ours to do some errands. Hopefully he’ll be ok with me coming on Sunday. If he’s ok with Sunday then it’s game on!

I’m excited and nervous at the same time. I’ll have to wait a bit to fill it but just getting it home will be amazing. Thankfully the floor is concrete and level. This thing is literally 2 1/2 of my 90 gallon cubes! I’ll have to get a stand built which will happen pretty quickly. Here is a picture of the tank. Someone drilled a bunch of holes in it. My guess is that they had dual overflows and a closed loop or it was a coast to coast overflow and a closed loop but I’m probably wrong. If any of you know what kind of overflow I should be using on this please let me know.

 

[tbrown]

I'd say I'm on the way but I won't be there until after you get it loaded into the apartment - just in time for dinner?

 

[Fishy888]

I'd say I'm on the way but I won't be there until after you get it loaded into the apartment - just in time for dinner?

Yeah come on by… just catch the red eye on out here.

 

[Goaway]

Well there’s a good chance I’m going be upgrading sooner rather than later. Much, much sooner in fact. The upgrade is almost twice as big as I was originally planning, yet half the price. I’m likely getting a 220. It’s about an hour away and it’s likely going down on Sunday.

Now I just need to Shanghai someone of a couple of someones to help row that boat of a tank into the van and into the apartment. Thankfully no stairs involved from what I’ve gathered. There are definitely none here save a slight 4 inch curb but if we drive up onto it that’ll take care of that.

I’ve accepted his offer and originally I was going to get it tomorrow but we have to babysit tomorrow and before that we have to take a friend of ours to do some errands. Hopefully he’ll be ok with me coming on Sunday. If he’s ok with Sunday then it’s game on!

I’m excited and nervous at the same time. I’ll have to wait a bit to fill it but just getting it home will be amazing. Thankfully the floor is concrete and level. This thing is literally 2 1/2 of my 90 gallon cubes! I’ll have to get a stand built which will happen pretty quickly. Here is a picture of the tank. Someone drilled a bunch of holes in it. My guess is that they had dual overflows and a closed loop or it was a coast to coast overflow and a closed loop but I’m probably wrong. If any of you know what kind of overflow I should be using on this please let me know.

Possitive that was drilled for a closed loop system. You'd need to close off the lower holes to make it usable for a sump. Otherwise you risk serious issues overflowing the sump.

 

[Goaway]

Adding, you can add a sump... but.. working the closed loop is something you'll have to look onto if its what you'd like to do.

Adding a closed loop isn't difficult. Not sure the best ideal pump is.

Figuring out your overflow box is another step.

This tanks going to be an interesting project if you get it.

 

[Projects with Sam]

Adding, you can add a sump... but.. working the closed loop is something you'll have to look onto if its what you'd like to do.

Adding a closed loop isn't difficult. Not sure the best ideal pump is.

Figuring out your overflow box is another step.

This tanks going to be an interesting project if you get it.

The closed loop seems like a really cool idea to me. Basically a hardcore powerhead if you add a DC pump.
I believe the EcoTech Vectras can run the same modes as the MPs but I'n sure there are other pumps out there that will run modes.
Come to think of it, I think I had a Jebao return pump on my Chilid tank that had a sine mode and a random mode. A couple random flow nozzles *cough ParlaNoz3Qtr cough* and some loc-line and you're in business.

 

[tbrown]

 

[Projects with Sam]

lol. I havent even put them up on the page yet or it woulda been a link. I just like the name