Setting Up The 29g. Totally Psyched I Have Saltwater In My Living Room

[kj23502]

Thanks. Hopefully I'll be adding more rocks in a couple months. Need to arrive so they can be shipped and then need to be cured.

 

[kj23502]

Well as for the flatworms. There really aren't that many. I'm not going to take any other measures right now besides syphoning the ones I see and keep up good aquarium husbandry skills. If they become a giant problem then I'll take other actions.

Right now I'm over these:

http/www.yourreef.com/collectorcorallps.html

And these:

http/www.yourreef.com/collectorcoralzoanthids.html

Right now I'm chatting w/a lrc member that fragged his watermelon, devil's armor, and cat eye zoos. We'll see if I end up picking any up. They should be fine w/my 96w of light. Hope to finish the lighting upgrade by the end of July...gotta get workin on it

 

[kj23502]

Should be getting the corals tomorrow evening (Thurs). He's bringing up the ones I listed above with 4-5 polyps on each one except for that cat eye. He says the cat eye are the slowest growing and this frag only has one baby growth so far. (think he fragged them last month). They are $20 for each one. Will post pictures when I get them.

 

[TigerIssey]

Look very nice zoas, look forward to seeing the pics.

 

[kj23502]

I'll post pics for as much of the process as I can including acclimating and even before they open as well as after they open (hoping they will open..lol). I loved reading journals when I first researching and really believe I should post pictures of the whole process and not just of the best parts. That way new salty people get an overview of all of it.

 

[kj23502]

I'm mixing 4.5 gallons of saltwater right now in a 5 gallon bucket to do a water change. I have a maxi jet 1200 mixing it. It's about 295 gph. Can you imagine how that's swirling around Should mix it pretty fast

Testing my water and I hate the phosphate kit from Seachem. It always has a weird tinge to it. Every time. Will get a salifert.

TIP ALERT for newbs:

Buy coral dipping stuff a little while before you even think you're going to buy corals. I didn't think I'd buy any for awhile and then a guy in my fish group is selling these frags My local fish stores don't keep it in stock and so far no one has responded from my lrc as having extra that they could sell me. Bought some off ebay that they are speed shipping for me today.



I think the Seachem tests are old. My phosphate always looks funny. My nitrate test doesn't show up as a color that's on the color grid. Never even changes. I'm going to do an api nitrate test and see what that comes up as.

 

[kj23502]

Glad I checked my levels. Nitrate is near 40pmm and ph at 7.8. Ammonia (ran just because) is still a big fat 0.

 

[kj23502]

I invested in a 32g Brute trash can and 16 gallons of RO water(+ the 4 I already have mixing). I got scolded on RC for having my *trates so high But i've only done a handful of water changes since setup. Now that I'm going to have more things in this tank that REQUIRE good water quality, I'm sure I'll keep up on it. After all I don't want my zoo's to die, plus it's $20 worth of livestock plus I can frag them and sell them to my lfs for credit...maybe. I don't want my tank to be taken over by them so if nobody wants them locally then I'll take them to my lfs.

 

[kj23502]

New fish. ORA Picasso

 

[TigerIssey]

Very nice, I thought you had decided to wait for any more fish??

Beautiful pair

 

[ben1987]

nice clowns, interesting markings. Bet they werent cheap

 

[kj23502]

I was going to wait. But....a guy in my lrc wanted to buy some platinum picasso's from ORA and to do that he had to have his supplier place a minimum order. he ordered various extra fish in hopes that people in our group would buy the extras. I got them for $75 which is a steal. Half off the total it would've been with shipping. So that's how I ended up with them. Since they are ORA and not wild I'm not going to QT them. They should be fine

the opportunity arose and I just couldn't let it slip by

 

[TigerIssey]

Seems a brilliant opportunity to aquire the fish you were intending to buy anyway.

ORC is kind of your version of TMC isn't it.

Tank Bred I presume then, even better.

 

[kj23502]

http/www.orafarm.com/

Oceans, Reefs and Aquariums (ORA™) marine ornamental hatchery produces aquacultured saltwater fish, invertebrates and live aquarium foods for the marine aquarium hobby. We are the largest producer and seller of marine ornamentals in the world. The ORA™ hatchery complex is located at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI) in Ft. Pierce, Florida. ORA™ is the largest marine ornamental hatchery in North America and we are constantly developing new techniques to bring the finest captive bred specimens to environmentally conscientious aquarists throughout the world.

Aquacultured marine life is the only alternative to wild caught fish and invertebrates for aquariums. ORA™ farm-raised fish help you avoid the uncertainty of capture, handling, transport, and disease associated with wild caught fish. Our fish are raised in an aquarium environment from the time they are born and therefore are exceedingly hardy as aquarium inhabitants.

 

[bagu]

lovely clowns!

the markings look really nice aswell!