Gulp. I'm feeling really guilty right now -- even though the fish are doing well and water parameters are sustaining. What will trigger a change over time? Will one of those mini-skimmers give me more latitude?
What kind of test kits are you using? I can't Imagine 2lbs of LR being able to support 2 fish. I would highly recommend removing them. I know clowns don't move far, but 3 gallons is pretty cramped. And I wouldn't even put a Starry blenny in my 12g. I'd like to put one in my 20L but I'm still leaning against it. Also Xenia dieing is an indicator of poor water quality.
JustDavidP - Sorry "My Friend" <-- Just another reefing Italian.
your equipment will not cause the declinations, so to speak, but i imagine what they are taking out is not equal to what the are putting (the fish that is) and as the waste gets more concentrated in the water column, the more chance you hvae of something going wrong.
Im sorry, i dont mean to make you feel guilty (well maybe a bit) i just want to save you from having to flush your fish.
Also Xenia dieing is an indicator of poor water quality.
I would have to 100% disagree with you. Xenia is one of those corals that not much is known about. It does seem that they like dirtier water. I skim my 72 very wet with an efficient skimmer and I can't grow xenia. It does thive in the nano which has the dirtier water.
Yes, carbon may be why your xenia didn't survive. But do you really want xenia thriving in a 3g tank? I wouldn't.
As far as mini skimmers- it seems many people deem them worthless. I think water changes along with the carbon will keep your water clean. But just remember with your higher bioload, you need more water changes. There is the nano remora- if that fits your tank, you may try that, but I wouldn't buy anything less or smaller in size and try to get the same results.
__________________ Gwen - 2008 Atlanta Reef Club Board MACNA XX Committee 125g RR AGA "The Simple Reef Tank"
I agree xenia does like "Dirtier" water and maybe my statement was a little to general. But you are comparing a "Dirty" Sps 12g. To a 1 month old 3g gallon with 2 fish. I doubt you have 8 fish in your 12g.
Hello fellow reefers... The tank continues to prosper with no changes since my last post. the Clown and Blenny are dong great, and I'm getting a nice growth of coraline algae. The tank is a big hit in the office, which is a television newsroom and sort of wide open. (As opposed to cubicles)
The zoanthids are doing well also. I'm thinking of adding some sexy shrimp.
Yes. That's the reason for the screen name...
I'm at an NBC station in Virginia. Not sure How I can help the the TR -- but I always tell people about it!
changing a quarter / half the water every 3 days & your able to keep almost everything. even though you have the biological with the LR your aim is for dillution, not assimulation & conversion.
got to remember it is a nano or pico, so unless your going to monitor your additives on a dailey basis id suggest keeping the live stock a simple but elligant as possible. a hardy amem with your clown swinging in the currents would be a crowd pleaser, id step the wattage up a fraction though, i wouldn't go to much cause then you'll have heating issues. plus the beauty is liquid forms of additives that you cant go crazy with over dosing.
id suggest you keep safe guards in place in case of emergencies, like a 20l bucket with a sealable lid with a battery powered air pump feed though a hole in the lid in case you need to take the animals home for any reason. a spare power head & small heater & a large sealed bottle of water that you rotate periodicly for quick salt mix ups.
i'll start to built a pico next week so we can compare notes.
should be fun.
Yes. That's the reason for the screen name...
I'm at an NBC station in Virginia. Not sure How I can help the the TR -- but I always tell people about it!
I've got an office in Rosslyn... Maybe I'll see you down there
...your aim is for dillution, not assimulation & conversion.
... i'll start to built a pico next week so we can compare notes.
should be fun.
Veriann -- that's so cool that you are going to build a pico. I can't tell you how much fun this has been already. I keep the water under my desk as you suggest, but I don't have the other equipment. On the other hand my house is a short drive away. I've gotta claim newbie on your quote about assimulation etc. Can you put that in layman's terms. Thanks for the advice on the BTA. is 9 watts 50/50 enough light?
Dillution is by constantly diluting any build ups by way of water changes.
changing half the water doesn't actually mean your diluting you nitrate by half, so you have to be church dwelling man & do it religiously.
assimilation is providing the means to combat & convert your ammonia, nitrite & nitrates into less harmful toxic eliments an so on and so forth till your all your left with is nitrogen gas that floats to the surface venting to atmosphere. Basicly by you providing rocks, filter material, sand bed ect your providing surface area for bactera to grow, hence doing this job for you. so when we're talking little volumes of water, as with your tank, the water parameters can swing very quickly by something simple as over feeding or something leaching into the water ( or not related, but a stuck heater overheating) so having the bio-logical agents working hard in your system is just there to keep it stable enough to keep it alive & healthy. water changes are going to be your only realistic way of keeping toxic build -ups at low & safe levels. so to answer your question, assimulation is bactera assimulating the materials available & converting them into another form.
as for the lighting question it depends on the make & model of the lighting unit. 50/50 is a split between say one daylight bulb & one actinic bulb, so you get both colour spectrums. i dont know what lighting unit you have, but id suggest double your output straight away, nothing under 18w. even though its a nano keeping in mind heating issues, your got to keep the min lighting requirements for these animals, to which i'll be honest & say i dont know the min you can get away with. so others might be better equipt to answer that specific question.
Just another reefing Italian.
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