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10/19/2017, 01:30 PM | #26 |
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I'm getting there. I have to close the wedge pipe all the way, and I was able to get the skimmer to skim wet. I want to get a balance and so I've been tinkering with it to try to get darker/drier skim, but it's not doing well. The sound is too loud, in my opinion, with the wedge + air requirements. There's a chance the Reefer 170's sump water level is just too low for it to run optimally. I'm doing a water change today and I'll use the water changed out to see if the water levels quiet it down. If not, I'm going to try replacing it with a NYOS Quantum 120 to see if that'll help with noise.
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10/19/2017, 01:49 PM | #27 |
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Today's the day:
Packing list: Free food! Awesome SA! I already prepped PE Mysis, ON Reef Flakes, but this is going to be great to add to the diversity. Damn, this is the scary part. I am always nervous. What you want: cutest damn ocellaris the world ever did see. What you don't want: DOA =( =( But the shipping box was awesome and no problems with delivery so should be good... First one out! WHEW! He's alive and f***ing beautiful. Next came the mocha caramel. He's not a misbar, just weird distortion from the double bags: I have a pair of mocha gladiators as well. The idea is that the female will be largest, though not by much, and there will be a quickly set hierarchy for minimal bickering. We'll see. Alpha male might be a tough one to assert: Fancy White aka Gladiator. Are you not entertained? |
10/19/2017, 01:56 PM | #28 |
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They all made it! Floating for temp. Sustainable Aquatics specifically says not to drip acclimate these guys. I am skeptical but they have quite the reputation and these guys are so healthy. So a quick float and I'll transfer (with fish net) to the display soon after.
All done floating, and added the Fancy White Extreme and the Vivid Fancy first. The Vivid Fancy is a bit larger than I was hoping for. I hope he doesn't become a problem. Fancy White Extreme is the smallest. These guys came together instantly. So funny that they just wanna group together. Cutest damn things ever. OK, I couldn't keep taking photos between each intro, so here are the rest of the photos. it's really hard to take a group photo of these clowns. It's a circus! I tried to label them, a few times. I'm actually not entirely sure which one is the fancy extreme white and the fancy white (aka gladiator). They're both amazing. I think the Extreme is a bit smaller. They do look slightly different, but not sure what is more extreme than the other. That's it for now! More photos once they settle down and I have more time (and patience) to get a good group photo and get good shots of each from the sides. |
10/19/2017, 05:51 PM | #29 |
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Quick unboxing video. I wish I was able to add a soundtrack or do some color corrections. I used iMovie, though if anyone has suggestions let me know:
https://youtu.be/joWXZgoJ67Q |
10/19/2017, 07:48 PM | #30 | |
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Quote:
This setup is really expensive and I wouldn't want to 'waste' it on one anemone that is insanely hard to keep. Also, 8 clownfish in that tank? Wouldn't they eventually kill each other? Honestly, I like the BTA'a idea way more! A whole tank filled with exotic bubbly bubble tips sounds more enticing. In the Reef Hobbyist Magazine, they covered an exotic BTA only tank. They had the craziest colors I've ever seen. Like purple/green and ice blue tips and stuff like that. Or yellow/red. BTW: May I ask why you chose the Maxspect Gyre? How is the flow pattern of this powerhead? I have one mp10 and can't get a nice flow pattern in my tank. Maybe I should consider another PH so I can use the mp10 for my nano I'm going to set up this weekend. |
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10/19/2017, 07:54 PM | #31 |
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I just double checked and everywhere online it says don't put more than 2 clownfish in a small tank and they need to be of the same species. Since you have 6 fish they might pair up so you have 3 pairs.
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10/19/2017, 07:55 PM | #32 | ||
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Do a search on clown harems! Yes, there is overwhelming evidence that pairs do best in a specific territory, and our non-ocean sized tanks are definitely small enough to be one entire territory. But, there are a handful of successes with "harems" or "groups" of 5+ that are all young and small, introduced at the same time. Usually, however, they're all from the same clutch of babies. In my case, I'm trying something a bit different, all being from different clutches (except the mocha gladiators). And also, I'm hoping that the mocha gladiators being a pair already will help the top spot (female) already be defined early so aggression for that position won't happen. The alpha male spot might not have a problem either, since the pair is already established. But regular squabbles should be fine. I'm very aware of the problems this can have, and I'm 100% ready to intervene when needed. I'm not going to be in denial of really poor behavior, and am ready for it. The upside is that I may be able to have quite a diverse group that accept a BTA host (though let's be real, they're going to host my damn gyre pump instead). Quote:
Well, a couple years ago the Gyre pump had a crazy sale, and I purchasd it. Fast forward a few years and I decided to go with that. I have two MP40s too from my last system, but the gyre has been great. One pump, massive water movement, no dead spots. It's less of "streams" of flow, and seems to actually move the water as a mass with some momentum. So far so good, though I don't have any SPS yet (gotta get BTAs, let them stop walking around so it's not complete genocide). But the water flow is pretty intense. I'm sticking with it for now, and have no indications or problems that I can see right now. |
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10/19/2017, 08:02 PM | #33 | |
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Quote:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1259398 smaller: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2601139 |
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10/19/2017, 08:38 PM | #34 | |
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I'll look into that more! By everywhere I meant all sources I usually obtain my information from. I didn't have success with more than two clowns either. What you said about the 'streams' of flow is exactly what's annoying me in my tank. I want ocean-like water movement and I think from what I can see on Youtube the Gyre does what you said - move 'masses' of water. It also agitates the surface at the same time. Might be worth a try! |
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10/19/2017, 09:17 PM | #35 | |
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But the gyre seems to get the momentum going well with more even flow. I'm actually playing with alternating modes right now (though the alternate flow speed is much less since the impellers are running backwards to their design, but it creates a bit of turbulence for awhile instead of a constant gyre). |
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10/19/2017, 10:26 PM | #36 | |
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Tank info: 120 gallon 48x30x20 high DT. Clownfish breeding rack in full swing: C-Quest Onyx, Bali Aquarich P1 Picasso + Rod's Onyx, wild percula + Rod's Onyx. |
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10/19/2017, 10:31 PM | #37 | |
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Tank info: 120 gallon 48x30x20 high DT. Clownfish breeding rack in full swing: C-Quest Onyx, Bali Aquarich P1 Picasso + Rod's Onyx, wild percula + Rod's Onyx. |
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10/19/2017, 10:33 PM | #38 |
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The tank is coming along nicely! And the photos continue to amaze me. The clowns are a nice pick up! I've got my eyes peeled for a magnifica for you.
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Tank info: 120 gallon 48x30x20 high DT. Clownfish breeding rack in full swing: C-Quest Onyx, Bali Aquarich P1 Picasso + Rod's Onyx, wild percula + Rod's Onyx. |
10/19/2017, 10:36 PM | #39 |
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Does the gyre stir up detritus? One dude on Youtube whose review I just watched said it creates dead spots and he doesn't have that problem with a vortex due to the even spread wall of water it pushes forward.
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10/19/2017, 10:41 PM | #40 |
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10/19/2017, 10:45 PM | #41 | |
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Deadspots will mostly be caused by your rockwork or other obstructions. Moving more water will help, either it be a gyre or not. My rockwork is pretty minimal, so I don't have any deadspots that I can tell. I have had mysis in the corners and behind the rock, even in the caves of rock, and they flow out pretty quick after I turn the gyres on. I was only feeding one small fish, so I could count the number of mysis that were left in the tank when my pumps were off. They were always accounted for when the pumps were on (and trapped in the dumb mesh of the gyre pump). My poor nassarius snails have nothing to eat, though secretly I spot feed them one mysis a day lol. My BTA finally ate two whole mysis yesterday, lol. I'll try again next week with mysis and probably some crushed raw shrimp. |
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10/21/2017, 04:41 PM | #42 |
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I'm leaning towards just getting a bunch of BTAs and hoping the ocellaris take to them later on. But, just in case a H. Magnifica pops up anytime that fits the bill, I have some tonga shelf rock. One piece is about 9" x 7", which I think would both fit my tank and a smaller magnifica. So I put a smooth layer of TLF aquastick putty to smooth out the surface. Once it cures, I have some small rock rubble pieces I can then attach this piece to my current rockwork to make a pedestal for a mag.
I also have that gigantic piece too, that's about 15" diagonal. It probably would just shade everything on one side of my tank, but I'm keeping it for any possible tank upgrades for the mag. |
10/21/2017, 05:36 PM | #43 |
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The setup is looking great! I hope everything works out for you. I just don’t understand why things are so much different when it comes to clownfish behavior in captivity. They are found in groups quite often in the wild and usually smaller babies join a resident group without a problem. While I have not done it personally, keeping a small group of 4-6 clowns would be quite natural. Yet there are more reports of failure than success. It’s such a paradox. It will take countless of success stories to change the general perception that keeping more than 2 clowns in one tank is not ok. Which is why I’m rooting for your success.
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10/21/2017, 09:54 PM | #44 | |
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10/25/2017, 11:31 AM | #45 |
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How is the Nyos breaking in?
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10/25/2017, 12:19 PM | #46 |
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Hey Matt,
Progress I guess. The amount of bubbles in the body is really great (especially compared to the Simplicity I was using). The skimmer cup has no skim yet, there doesn't seem to be enough bubbles to make it over the top into the collection area, but the cup middle (riser part) is pretty dirty. I have the water/bubbles stop right where the cup meets the body (as most people have recommended), but might raise it up so the bigger bubbles break over the top. Though I could just be more patient and wait it out. I currently have the air open all the way, and the wedge pipe is closed about 3/4 of the way up (using the threads as an indicator). |
10/25/2017, 04:13 PM | #47 | |
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Nice, sounds like it’s getting there. As you may know from my thread that you commented in, I was torn between the Nyos 120 and Simplicity 120. I went with the Simplicity just based off of some comments on here regarding both and also for the fact that replacement parts for the Simplicity appeared to be very available and cheaper. Now that my skimmer has broken in, I’m getting very dark skimmate, my tank is still really lightly stocked, but pretty happy with it. One thing that I’m not super happy about is the amount of micro bubbles it produces out of the wedge pipe. Not a super big deal as I’ve got a pretty good bubble trap, but hopefully those will calm down as time progresses. Now more importantly, how are the clowns doing? Do you plan to attempt to breed and raise fry? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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10/25/2017, 05:01 PM | #48 | |
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I was the same way with the Simplicity at first. It’s not bad at all, but I don’t think it fit my system well. The wedge pipe had to be 100% closed for it to come close to working, and the noise was just too much. The NYOS is not without noise, just a deeper hum. I like it better. The NYOS produces denser micro bubbles, but very little micro bubbles escape the body like the Simplicity. Never was an issue since the reefer bubble trap is great, but yes, way more. My skimmer chamber had little bubbles caught on everything. My Simplicity leaked bubbles out of the volute intake area mostly and the wedge pipe. I think Simplicity is still great for the price. NYOS slightly overpriced but still great. |
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10/25/2017, 05:03 PM | #49 |
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Not going to be breeding the fry. At least no plans. Just going to enjoy them! They’re all doing great. Gave away the Vivid Fancy and got another Fancy White Extreme and Fancy White Gladiator from the same clutches as the other two. All clowns are now super calm and non-aggressive. It’s great!
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11/01/2017, 05:12 PM | #50 |
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Building the base for the Magnifica's pedestal. Added a small rock to make the highest point, not a point. Tomorrow I will attach the final flat tonga shelf rock to the top of this:
There are plenty of contact points for the flat shelf rock to sit on that. I have the largest stick of reef epoxy to get this all to stay. Plan: Remove shelf rock from RO/DI tub tomorrow morning (it's been in there for a week now while I dose lanthanum chloride to pull as much phosphates out as possible) Rinse with a bunch of RO/DI and let dry for most of the day (12-ish hours) Use a whole stick of reef epoxy in big globs at the contact points, adding small dabs of cyanoacrylate (super glue gel) on the epoxy to help it cure when underwater Hold rock in place with my hand for about 30 seconds, hope the clowns don't nibble me too much By Friday, when the H. mag arrives, the epoxy should be all cured and holding tight |
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