evolved's 190g Reef: Wrasse Retreat (Updated 2/6, Pg 33)

I have been meaning to ask. Since the transfer and adding the new sand, have you had any issues with any types of nuisance algaes at all or on the sandbed specifically?

 

^ Id like to know too

 

Thank you kindly. More pictures will surely be coming, once I get some quality time to play with this thing.

Thanks John.

You're too kind, but thank you. Maybe I'm my worst critic, but the tank isn't quite at the level I'd like it to be just yet. I'll try to get better in the photography department.

More than anything, it's just nice to have feedback from someone who really appreciates what you've accomplished.

As for the hospitality; any time. Give me a shout next time you two head back. Thanks again.

Thank you.

I still have some on Matt's computer I need to put on Photobucket. Some good ones of fish are in there.

Not at all. Not sure if that's because it was "live sand", or if it's due to the setup of this tank.

This time around, I've really got the flow right in this guy; there's very minimal low-flow spots and nearly everything ends up into the overflow sooner or later. The first couple water changes, I attempted to siphon the little bit of sand I have, but after I minimally broke a few things and knocked some others off plugs, I quickly decided I wasn't willing to get this angry twice a month. So I've been using the baster to stir up the little bit of settlement I get on the surface of the sandbed at each water change (every 2-3 weeks), but there's really not much that get's kicked up. I'm also sold on running filter socks, as this is the first setup I've had them on. I'm amazed at how clean everything stays with them and sucking out crap from the sump is no longer necessary at every water change. Sure, maintaining them (changing and cleaning) is a bit of a pain, but I'll gladly accept that duty with the results I'm seeing. My skimmer doesn't pull out nearly what it used to, even though I feed more now.

I did have some hair algae grow on a few rocks about a month after the setup, but this was the same crap I had in the last tank. It was growing in the spots I had scrubbed off during the transfer. I'm certain it was only growing due to whatever junk was leaching out of the rock. So after it grew for a month, it all died off. I have virtually zero algae now in the DT, and I don't even have but a handful of snails (trochus). I do have at least a couple dozen orange and black hermits, a couple urchins, and the abalone however, so they might be doing a sufficient job.

But here's what I'm certain of: whatever was plaguing me in the old tank is gone now. I don't know what the cause was, but it was certainly one or more of three things: the old 3" sandbed, elevated trace elements from my salt mix (using good old plain Instant Ocean now), or a poor quality RO membrane and DI resins. The latter I feel a bit silly about as Spectrapure is about 10 minutes away from me. I should be slapped for not using their stuff all along. I also know the sandbed certainly wasn't helping - it was pretty nasty when I tore down the tank and I don't know how old it really was - 3 years to me but I reused it from the person I bought the tank from. Yes, I did rinse it, but ultimately it may have been very old. So three big lessons learned the hard way there.

3 months into this tank now, and things are settling in. I suspect 2-3 more months, and things will really be taking off.

 

Thanks for that update and all the details. I am buying a 4x2x2 starphire with eurobracing in March, and I'm debating on whether to go ahead and switch everything over, or not. I am planning on buying a house about a year from March so it would be broken down in just 12 months anyways, and my tank is doing so well, not a speck of algae anywhere in months, and minus my acros, everything else is thriving. I am almost reluctant to have to break down the scape with all those encrusted corals, knowing it wont go back the same way, especially since I dont want any rock touching the glass anywhere. Much less now that all my acros are pest free, if I move them back to the DT, just to have to break them off again....Ugghh....such great problems to have.

 

If I was you and the house buying was certain, I'd wait. No sense in messing with a good thing you've got going, plus it'll be so much easier to set up that new tank in the new house, then move everything over to it.

Having moved from one tank to another tank across the room, I couldn't imagine trying to move the tank at the same time.

 

Yeah. When I bought my house, I had a couple months in both houses, so I set a tank up in the new house and started cycling. Then I transferred all fish one day, and corals another. Then finished with the remaining equipment on a third day. The more you can plan your move, the easier and smoother it will go.

 

This. I think everybody should watch their tank very closely and make sure this is happening. I had my powerheads arranged in a way that was blowing stuff away from the overflow faster than it could be sucked down. It's these little things over time that make a big difference.

 

After speaking with a couple of more folks today, and seeing you guys responses, I'm definitely going to wait. Thanks for the input

 

How about a photo dump from the rest of the "good" photos captured at the end of October?

Looking through these last night, I am a bit amazed how things have changed/grown/improved in 3 months. It never ceases to amaze me how you don't notice changes until you look at photos months apart.

Anyhow, you're gonna see a little GHA fuzz on the rocks here; that's totally gone now. Actually a bit worried about my urchins starving...

So this should give a good lead-in to some new photos - hopefully I can do this Sunday. There's this thing on TV that day with the hilarious new commercials, so playing with the camera in-between commercials sounds perfect! ;D

Less typey, more lookey. Questions welcomed. These were all shot in RAW; I've touched nothing. Colors are a bit shifted in some.

 

Around the tank photos: