Hello all, sorry I haven’t been around. School has been kicking my butt and I had a test on the night of the last meeting so I couldn’t come :-(" . My tank has been doing very well. The nass. snails that Shawn gave me have started breeding like wildfire so no I also have little babies all over! The bicolor looks fantastic and the newest tank mate, McCoskers Flasher Wrasse, is doing fantastic! The next addition will probably be a cleaner shrimp.
1st Question, I have what looks like a film on the top of my water. That is something that can be fixed with a protein skimmer correct? If so then I gotta tell my mom because that is going to be one of my x-mas presents. I’m picking between the redsea prizm skimmer and a seaclone 100. Which would be better? Take into account that I have an Aquapod and the back chamber is tiny. I know I read that the seaclone is a hang on but the article about the prizm doesn’t say anything.
2nd question, I’m obviously going to be a bit worried about my tank during the time that I have winter break. I would leave my tank the 18th or 19th and not see it until the 4th or 5th of January! I obviously am a bit nervous about leaving my nice livestock alone in that tank where there is no way that someone could come in to check on them. The buildings will be locked so there is no way to have someone to check on the tank. I was wandering if it was plausible to take the live rock that does not have coral on it and the fish and take them home with me to put into a 10 gallon I already have here. There would be old water, live rock, and no sand. Would this be doable or would I be signing a death sentence to my fish? The only light I have for the 10 is a fluorescent light which is why I would not bring corals. If this is not a good idea, does anyone have any other ideas other than moving the entire system, because it isn’t really worth it for 2 weeks. It is a lot of work and I haven’t moved it with everything yet and I don’t plan on it until I have to move it.
The film can be removed by a protein skimmer, but it can also be dissipated by breaking up the surface tension (point a power head towards the top of the water). I haven’t used either of the skimmers you mention, but have not heard anything good about the Seaclone (OK, maybe 1 thing, I think Ken uses one).
I would not try to move the fish, although would work in principal, moving is very stressful for fish and I don’t see moving them twice in 2 weeks as being beneficial to them.
I would do a significant water change right before you leave (within 24 hours), pick up an automatic feeder. I don’t know how they work, never owned one, but see if you can find something that will feed every 3 days (even if it means leaving chambers empty). This will provide enough food for the fish, and will keep waste down to a minimum that 2-3 weeks without a water change will not be catastrophic.
I agree with C but you also need to check if they turn out the electricity during the holidays. When I was in school they would do it with random buildings to save money.
I agree with C but you also need to check if they turn out the electricity during the holidays. When I was in school they would do it with random buildings to save money. Also check to see if they turn off the heat.
That would suck.
The autofeeder is the way to go for feeding, but what do you do with top off? How much water do you normally evaporate over two weeks?
Oh, i know its a little pricey, but you should look into the tunze nanoskimmer for your tank. Its the best skimmer out there for a nano, i will be upgrading my stock skimmer to a tunze in two weeks. The good thing is even though it will cost you $150, tunze products have a very high resale value. So if you ever get out of the hobby, you will probably be able to get more for you skimmer than even your tank. Not a bad investment IMO.
Well they won’t turn off the electricity, they leave it on so appliances like fridges and fishtanks can keep running, we do have to unplug everything else in the dorms though. And I agree with everything Cdangel said.
P.s. long time no talk everyone, I’ve been pretty busy as well, haven’t had too much time for myself lately. But plan on getting on more once things slow down currently at home trying to give as much tlc as possible to the tank before I have to go again
I’m pretty sure they don’t turn off the towers because now that I think about it… there might be kids who stay there. Since they are functional apartments, kids can live in there all year round.
I have an automatic feeder. it is a Fishmate and it feeds in premeasured amounts (I love it to death!) I have an automatic top off already for the tank! So that should be fine. I also have some chemi pure and some purigen. I was planning on if I had to leave the tank there, I was going to do a larger water change and then put in either bag to help just in case. Would that work?
Ok so seaclone is a no probably, tunze nanoskimmer is a maybe. Any one heard anything about prizm skimmers?
I would +1 the seaclone being a POS. I bought one for my first 29g and I think it produced about 1 cup of skimmate the whole time I used it (about 3 months).
The SeaClown is far and away better than the prizm. Even the superduper model really sucks, I had one and threw it away. The seaclone can be modified to a point that it will pull some skimmate, but there are better options in the same price range. Look for an aquaC remora, they used to be all the rage, you could pick up a used one on ReefCentral for $50.
My tanks got a little neglected come end of the semester as well. Completly understand that. Make sure you or you’re roomate doesn’t turn the heat down too far the day before or up too high. Try not to touch the thermostat for a couple days if possible to keep things consistant. Make sure there is plenty of water in the top off and that you’re top off parts are functioning properly. Might try using the auto feeder for a week before going on vacation, just so you’re sure it’s running smoothly.
Hey that was the McCoskers you got from Premium right? I was wondering how it was doing.
Good to hear from you guys. Good luck the next couple weeks in classes.
Acanthastrea are fantastic looking coral but some may not be aware how aggressive they are.
quoting Sara M. from WWM
“Acanthastrea has a reputation for actually dissolving and digesting any neighbor within reach of its mesenterial filaments (which are extendable stomachs)”
