Sad, and depressing times ;(

cee

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
3,060
Reaction score
922
Location
out there
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

Brew12

Electrical Gru
View Badges
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
22,488
Reaction score
61,061
Location
Decatur, AL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Why is everyone just assuming he has no flow? He has 2 Aqua Clear filters on his tank that are producing flow.

The question then becomes does he have enough flow. The only way to know that is know which model of filters the OP has.

So, do you know the model and flow rates of your filters?
 
OP
OP
Joshua Hurst

Joshua Hurst

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 22, 2016
Messages
1,371
Reaction score
386
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Before what sells? the health of your tank is at risk Several on here have tried to explain that to you. You must add flow to the tank for long term success.
So in the short term I have no money, and the only means I have of getting money is selling the power head; so I'm not going to use it more than I have to. If any coral looks even the slightest bit sad; I'll put the power head back in.
 
OP
OP
Joshua Hurst

Joshua Hurst

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 22, 2016
Messages
1,371
Reaction score
386
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Why is everyone just assuming he has no flow? He has 2 Aqua Clear filters on his tank that are producing flow.

The question then becomes does he have enough flow. The only way to know that is know which model of filters the OP has.

So, do you know the model and flow rates of your filters?
I have 2 aqua clear 70's
 

Brew12

Electrical Gru
View Badges
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
22,488
Reaction score
61,061
Location
Decatur, AL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have 2 aqua clear 70's
Those filters are rated to 300gph each. With 2 of them that gives you around 10x tank volume which is low. The flow shape will also be less then ideal. As a short term solution you can place anything that needs higher flow closer to the filters. You should have areas near the filter intakes where even higher flow requiring species should do fine imo.

It would be a good longer term solution to get one or two small power heads to get better flow distribution through the tank.
 

Willz

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 10, 2012
Messages
1,035
Reaction score
904
Location
Roanoke VA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So in the short term I have no money, and the only means I have of getting money is selling the power head; so I'm not going to use it more than I have to. If any coral looks even the slightest bit sad; I'll put the power head back in.

I would think a better plan would be to sell all the corals and the clam. Then get the equipment you need to keep the coral alive with the money you make and to have a reserve of cash on hand. Then buy one soft coral. Keep it alive for a while, then buy one LPS. Keep it alive for a while, etc.... Clams would be the last thing you add after everything else (e.g. two years down the road when someone donates you a doser or calcium Rx). But, again, don't buy any corals until you have a reserve of cash on hand that will be left even after the coral purchase. Money fixes most problems that come up with this hobby.

Two AC70 aren't going to give anything SW the kind of flow it needs. They are HOB filters that provide laminar, non alternating, non random flow. Your tank is basically a fresh water set up with better lighting. Keep it FOWLR.
 

jcdeng

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Messages
1,478
Reaction score
434
Location
NYC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think your clam is affected by the carbon, being that they are filter feeding. IME with carbon, even if you rinse it multiple times, can still leak fine carbon dust into the tank. Its been a long time since I put any carbon into my tank, and that time the z&ps reacted poorly right after I drop the carbon bag in and recovered when I removed it.

Just putting it out there. Good luck!
 

Reefrookie220

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 18, 2015
Messages
2,444
Reaction score
1,138
Location
Tennessee
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Two AC70 aren't going to give anything SW the kind of flow it needs. They are HOB filters that provide laminar, non alternating, non random flow. Your tank is basically a fresh water set up with better lighting. Keep it FOWLR.

This.

While they do"provide flow" it is essentially surface agitation-which is needed- the "600gph" from the 2 of them is negligible.

The rw15 does move some serious water, but you could adjust your rock work and coral placement to compensate for the "excessive strength"

Again if it were my tank, I wouldn't go as far as selling all my stock but all my purchases from this point forward would be equipment related until my setup was where I wanted it for the inhabitants I planned for.

To me, long term success comes from planning with this hobby reguardless of prices.

Most build threads here on this plethora of reefing knowledge include a fish list, coral list, and an equipment list. Which are commented on by those with experience, and changed accordingly.

Trust me brother, I started my venture into this the same way you are. "Man that's awesome! How much?" Only to find after research and help from here and some club members answering midnight emergencies (@CastAway) (@parroki) (@Ole Man) that I should have thought my decision through and bought what I needed to take care of what I wanted to keep.

I lost a few grand my self, the learning curve is expensive.

Impatience and impulse buys are the devil's advocate lol.

Just make sure you heed the advice given, it's free. Take it slow, gather equipment and knowledge... At the end of the day your generation and one after you are the future of our hobby.
 

saltyfilmfolks

Lights! Camera! Reef!
View Badges
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
28,739
Reaction score
40,950
Location
California
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I would think a better plan would be to sell all the corals and the clam. Then get the equipment you need to keep the coral alive with the money you make and to have a reserve of cash on hand. Then buy one soft coral. Keep it alive for a while, then buy one LPS. Keep it alive for a while, etc.... Clams would be the last thing you add after everything else (e.g. two years down the road when someone donates you a doser or calcium Rx). But, again, don't buy any corals until you have a reserve of cash on hand that will be left even after the coral purchase. Money fixes most problems that come up with this hobby.

Two AC70 aren't going to give anything SW the kind of flow it needs. They are HOB filters that provide laminar, non alternating, non random flow. Your tank is basically a fresh water set up with better lighting. Keep it FOWLR.
well, I guess all that stuff I kept in all those tanks for all those years was actually all dead. thats too bad. My squamosa that has grown so well in the non sumped aquaclear non auto dosed 30 gal over there is then clearly a zombie.

I do find ingenuity and good research is better than money.

@Joshua Hurst Make sure you have enough light for that guy, thats huge. and maybe look into a powerhead.. Keep up on on the wc.

this
Trust me brother, I started my venture into this the same way you are. "Man that's awesome! How much?" Only to find after research and help from here and some club members answering midnight emergencies
and this.
Take it slow, gather equipment and knowledge... At the end of the day your generation and one after you are the future of our hobby.
+1
 

saltyfilmfolks

Lights! Camera! Reef!
View Badges
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
28,739
Reaction score
40,950
Location
California
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
One more point @Joshua Hurst and I'll leave it be,

Remember the help you get from guys like @seaplane , and pay it forward. It's what makes this hobby and this community as amazing it is.
amen. The biggest success I've had and gotten the largest rewards were from the reefers code.
 

Valkyrie

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 15, 2014
Messages
440
Reaction score
442
Location
Washington State
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Every time I go to my lrs, my husband asks, "do you see anything you want?" My answer is always a breathless "Everything."
But I don't have the knowledge or experience yet (or space, LOL) and since he's only just gotten interested he's a year behind me.

The fish I want the most is a copperband butterfly. Every time I see one I pine. But everything I read says I'm not ready yet. So I keep going with the idea that eventually, I'll have one and with luck and knowledge I won't kill it. Because, you see...these tiny sea creatures that we put in a glass box, don't just die. We kill them. We kill them with ignorance or we're a cog in that wheel from it's birth to its capture, transport and demise.

No matter how much it frustrates us when we're chided for our impatience, they're not wrong.

Gather knowledge.
Gather equipment.
Get more knowledge.
Get some clean up crew.
Get some more knowledge. Watch your aquarium. A LOT. Not just parameter testing, but sit...quietly...and watch. Make sure you visit several times a day and see how different things are at different times.
A clown fish, a damsel.
More knowledge.
Watch.
 

Brian Mountain

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 30, 2015
Messages
310
Reaction score
262
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Lots of advice and opinions from this group and a lot of it will vary based on their experience. Sometimes it's hard to know exactly what to take and what to store away for later, but one thing that EVERY successful reefer has told me is to be patient and go slow. The only reef that looks good fast is either a fake one or one that will crash tomorrow.

I bet there might be a few folks willing to rent frags, etc. from you to then "sell" back to you at cost or free for a frag pending what it is.

Good luck!
 

Willz

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 10, 2012
Messages
1,035
Reaction score
904
Location
Roanoke VA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I dunno, I think the only way I learn is through having to live with my poor choices. When folks bail me out and there are no consequences there is no real incentive to change or learn from my mistakes. Glad for the animals sake that someone gave him a hand-out. Worried that this is a pattern of behavior being established early that will be hard to break later. I'm not sure I have too much sympathy for someone who wants to participate in an expensive hobby, but treats the forum like a digital alms house.
 

Brian Mountain

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 30, 2015
Messages
310
Reaction score
262
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I dunno, I think the only way I learn is through having to live with my poor choices. When folks bail me out and there are no consequences there is no real incentive to change or learn from my mistakes. Glad for the animals sake that someone gave him a hand-out. Worried that this is a pattern of behavior being established early that will be hard to break later. I'm not sure I have too much sympathy for someone who wants to participate in an expensive hobby, but treats the forum like a digital alms house.
Think you have to give advice and a chance then time will tell.
 
Back
Top