Trinituner Reefers, Saltwater Aquarium Fish Keepers

[HondaB20B]

I don't stick with water change......... that creates real problems. 50gal every mth.
might slip by 1 wk but that's if I not around. If I don't, it really screws up my Cal/Alk readings along with other stuff. I see the difference in my fish and corals. Right now my bulbs due for a change. Corals slowing down in growth

[cck2]

Hi about 3 months ago i took a pice of coraline algae and i crush it up and sprinkle it all over my tank and i now notice these purple spots all over the rock is it the coraline and what to do now to keep it growing? Thanks

[HondaB20B]

You Buy a test kit for both Alk and Cal and try to keep it within specs by dosing something like Alk/Cal two part. You Cal should be within 400-460 ppm and your Alk 8-12dKH. If you have another small piece of rock you can do it again. Light is the key for coralline growth. This doesn't mean to increase your light period. Depends on what you have in your tank, your Alk/Cal levels will start to deplete due to the coralline absorbing it. The more coralline growth, the more it absorbs. Depends on your water change routine, it could be maintained. But only a test kit will be able to tell you that. In my case, Due to the amount of coralline and corals, I dose two part daily to maintain levels. Raj sells the 2part and it works very good. You wont need much........... a 1/2 gal of each might last you a few mths.

[greenlime100]

Any one use a gyre on there tank? Looking to add some more flow just torn between choosing a vortech or a gyre.

[HondaB20B]

Dgobo running one right now and can better answer that.................
Greenlime, If you going with the vortechs, which MP you going with..........the 40 or the 60?

[dgobo]

What's the size of your tank ? The gyre moves water like wow. I only ran mine for three days until I realized my prized torch did not like the extra flow. I have two mp40's and the one 150 gyre out flows them, so if you really want flow I've got mine up for sale. Lol

[greenlime100]

^sent a pm
My tank is 4' long and 2' wide and using 2 mp10 which I had from my previous tank. That together with the flow of my 2 returns is all I have but still seeing some dead spots. Thinking along the lines of using the gyre and tuning down/moving or even completely eliminating the vortechs.
Flow is okay I'd say at the moment but it defiantly needs more. Will move the return nozzles around this week before I make the final decision.
Thanks a lot for the feedback man

[HondaB20B]

Greenlime, you still have the orange back wrasse? How was it with your other wrasses and fishes.

[greenlime100]

Yup still got it. It's appears friendly and clam, never had a problem with it and any of my other fishes. It basically just does its own thing. Its also very active so its always swimming around. Nothing bad to say about that wrasse at all.

[HondaB20B]

OK cool thanks. You got any other wrasses with it? Just wanna know how it does with other wrasses but not the same kind.
Have to check Raj to see if he has any

[greenlime100]

I have it with one other wrasse and no problem

[HondaB20B]

^^^^^, that's the orange head?
Ok, Which other wrasse you have it with. I already have the solarensis wrasse and the orange head is very close in color also. Don't want any battles. The other wrasses are different so I not bothered.

[kyhamil]

I wish I had th money to make my tank look like this:shock:

[HondaB20B]

I wish I had th money to make my tank look like this:shock:

Like what.........................????

[kyhamil]

Covered in corals and under good lighting... and doh forget the awesome fish

[HondaB20B]

Honestly, rome wasn't built in a day.

It took me nearly 2 years to get and build up my 6ft. Every mth I would buy a piece of equipment. Skimmer one mth, the submersible pump the next, the lights came about 2mths after that and so it went. The tank took weeks to build while the stand was done. Other stuff was bought every mth after that. When the aquarium was put on it stayed there for mths before water even went in. All the electrical and plumbing was done late in the night slowly but surely cause I was working 12hr shifts.
I bought the 300lbs of live rock like 6mths before the tank was set up properly and had them in tubs outside. During this time it was cycling with a few fish and some black mollies. I eventually set up the tank and all the rock was used. Then things just started to grow.

[greenlime100]

Yup start slow and understand everything as you go along. I started with 2 T5 bulbs and ran those for almost a year, had my tank covered in brown algae after purchasing a faulty RODI unit from someone who did my service and well it goes without saying how much money I wasted behind him.
Eventually I learned and started doing stuff on my own with advise from Honda and Raj. Even now I need more flow but just waiting on some pay lol
I'll try and find a pic of of my first tank covered in algae.

Nothing good happens fast in a reef.


That pic I posted was the only other wrasse I have with the orange back fairy I can't remember the exact name but I think its a melanurus wrasse

[HondaB20B]

Yeah he had a few melanurus or Hoeven's wrasse. I end up taking one also, a solorensis and a yellow coris wrasse about a mth ago. They crazy all over the tank now. The coris under the sand for actually 10 days. all the others hid in the sand for max 2 days. They don't even bother my yellow banded possum wrasse.

[HondaB20B]

waiting to get a labouts fairy wrasse and a Exquisite Fairy Wrasse but I will have to order it and pay up front so he will keep it for me. His pardnah tony does come and see fish and just take

[kyhamil]

Black mollies? Isnt a molly a fresh water fish?

[HondaB20B]

mollies are brackish water...........I have 6 black mollies in my sump over 8 mths now

[kyhamil]

They ever lay eggs or any thing?

[HondaB20B]

mollies are live bearers,,,,,,,,,,,,lol
Molies live in rivers where salt and fresh water mix. That's why they always tell you to add salt when keeping mollies. They are great algae eaters in a saltwater tank. They keep most of my algae down in my sump. I had over 15 mollies live in one of my saltwater tubs for over 2 years. They lived great with my clownfish.
Yes they always making young ones in the sump ant the marine fighter eats them

[kyhamil]

Ok ok...so where can I get a few that acclimated already? I don't mind having a cpl if they live good with my clown... I have to go by raj and buy some clean up crews but I have to move my problem child...(blue damsel)

[HondaB20B]

you have to aclimatize them yourself. No one really keeps them in salt water.

[kyhamil]

Ok kool... id research how...

[HondaB20B]

you have to aclimatize them just like any other fish, just lots longer. Remember we talking
full salt water here. I drip them for all kinda 10-14hrs

[kyhamil]

14 hrs is enough? I was gonna ease them in over a week adding more salt... I havent gotten time to research it yet

[HondaB20B]

14 hrs is good for me.

[kyhamil]

How many do you have? And how long do they live and what are the benefits?