Deb's 60 Gallon build -ReefKeepr Lite up and running

I posted on Reef Discussion about the Mandarins eating Rod's Food but I didn't get it on video. I set up some food on the corner and got lucky with this video. They both came over and got some food. I thought for a minute she was going to choke.



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_zLm95bQvU&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
 
Thank you for your comments.

I do find myself a tad concerned, though. A while back I was trying to figure out how to catch and trim back the heavy bristle worm population. It was to the point where sections of the tubipora weren't coming out. Every time I fed the fish all you would see is worms peeking out from the rocks, and inside the tubipora. And while now the tubipora is completely expanded I'm noticing I don't see any bristleworms. I mean a few here and there but nowhere near the population there was before. So in part the voracious appetite of the mandarins has me wondering if whatever has affected the bristleworm population has also affected the pod population. I'm also noticing the snails are having a bit of a rough time. It's hard to explain. But I find them on their side. I turn them over...and over and over for a few days several times a day...the same one or two. And they don't try to turn over. They barely suction on to the glass. It's just weird. But they're not dying. Tests are fine... still tweaking dosing so I've been testing almost every day but at least 4x week. I can't keep macro algae in the sump... just stupid hair algae smothers it. Changed lighting from LED to 2x18W T5HO 10K...with/without filter sock. Dosing liquid phosphate remover.. reading 10/9 @ .0

Other than those quirky issues everything seems fine.
 
I have sluggish snail's when I crank up magnesium, the mexican turbo's really don't like it. Are you running higher mg by chance??

Cheers,
 
@bimmerzs wrote:
I have sluggish snail's when I crank up magnesium said:
I'm unsure of the Mg reading as of right now... I normally test this tank monthly. However, I've been pretty swamped work wise and now checking my last reading I logged it on August 20th and the reading was 1440. This tank being 100% soft corals/LPS calcium and Mg don't dissipate as quickly. That said, I'm sure it doesn't have a high Mg reading at this point...probably somewhere around 1320 to 1350 based on history usage. The snails I'm having issues with are astrea. The nerites are fine...shrimp molting and fine. So appearance wise everything seems to be okay. It's just those subtle issues that make me wonder if something else is awry. Bristleworms are not easy to get rid of so when you see tons of them every time food hits the tank then suddenly they're all gone you have to wonder.
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I think I figured out what is happening with my snails and why there might not be pods. I ended up with a splinter under my nail yesterday that left a sensitive wound. I just stuck my hand in the display tank to distribute food and got shocked. After going around and cutting everything off and going one by one I found the only part of the tank I was getting shocked was the display and after disconnecting the Vortech didn't get shocked...it is the only electrical item in the display. I am going to clean the Vortech and then retest everything again. But I would never suspect being shocked by a Vortech with the main electrical portion outside the tank. It doesn't make sense to me. But clearly after testing all my other tanks with that finger something in this tank is leaking electricity. I would also think that electricity could be conducted between the sump and the display tank. Anybody ever here of issues like that with Vortechs?

The other items are a Tunze skimmer (pump 1 year old), Jaeger heater (less than 6 months old), Mag 5 (2-3 months old).
 
@DFW wrote:
Then why did you stop getting shocked when you unplugged the Vortech? David said:
I've actually <u>not </u>found the problem. This morning when I went to feed the fish I got a rude awakening. [smilie=sadsmile.gif] I went and bought a multimeter trying to see what's going on. At this point I've unplugged a heater and when I still got shocked took a Current USA 2x18W T5 fixture off the sump. I noticed there was water bubbling up from the pipe into the refugium and some was getting on the rim and getting a bit of the metal body on the light wet. At this point I've just been using my finger and I haven't been shocked the last couple hours. So I'm going to try using the volt meter now reconnecting those two items again. The only two items running right now are the Mag 5 and the MP10.
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I don't know beans about electricity, but I ran across a comment where someone thought that the big magnets on the Vortechs could make a little electricity in the tank, even with the electric motor on the outside of the tank. I have no way to verify that. I did email that question to Vortech yesterday. Maybe they will respond.

David
 
@DFW wrote:
I don't know beans about electricity said:
I hadn't read that anywhere, but would be nice to know. I look forward to seeing what they say.

Whatever is causing the electricity is not steady but goes on and off. And actually using the voltmeter when I had the heater turned off and on...when the heater went off the voltmeter spiked upwards, and with the heater back on the reading dropped. And everything that I've been testing is plugged into a Chauvet power panel. I don't know if i have a faulty meter or not. The T5 light I use that just sits on the edge of the sump frame I tested the metal body on that and one minute I'd get a reading of only in one particular spot near the cord, then when I'd pull the leads off and put them back on I wouldn't get a reading. But finger testing I'm getting the same thing sometimes I'll get shocked, sometimes not. But at least now it's a much milder tingle that getting the fire knocked out of me like before. And the shock every time is only in the display not the sump below.
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I just got this email:

David,
There is no direct way current can get into a tank from our product. However from the sounds of it, it might be best to make sure a ground probe is being used in the aquarium.

Best,
Brett
---
Brett Johnson
Service Manager
EcoTech Marine
P: 610-954-8480
F: 888-500-2907
brett.johnson@ecotechmarine.com
www.ecotechmarine.com

From the sound of this, there can be an indirect way of current getting in the tank from their product.

David
 
I guess the wording is such it can be taken a couple different ways, and possibly misunderstood. The use of "However" is what makes it questionable. Since he says in the beginning their product has no way of direct current going into the tank I'm thinking he's simply offering a solution for the safety of the inhabitants that a ground probe should be used. Like he's not just saying, no it's not our product, bye... he's trying to help.

Thank you so much for posting that.
 
I found my Watchman Goby dead this morning. I knew something was up...he stopped eating two days ago. I tried everything. He was active still, but started breathing labored yesterday. I purchased him from Blue Zoo 9/10/11 and they only had a "large" available. The chances with purchasing a large fish is there's no telling how old the fish is. He was 5 inches long and fat. He was finicky so I fed him chunks of fish (grouper, dolphin, snapper), scallops, shrimp, krill...which he scarfed down. Inspection revealed nothing. All the other animals look fine so maybe I just cared for the fish in his last months of life...at least that's what I'd like to think.
 
One of the dartfish went blind about a week or so ago. I recognized those symptoms and immediately scooped him into a critter cage and put him in the sump with a Hydor pico pump inside for circulation. I've been taking him out every other day to get him to eat but today was the first time he figured out the "routine" and started stirring the bottom and blindly scooping up food. So now I'll start doing this every morning. I'm treating the water and food with Selcon. The other two dartfish are fine.
 
Picture update time.


Comparing a previous picture I can't believe how large that tubipora's gotten since I started this tank.
[attachment=0]IMAG1182.jpg[/attachment]
 
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