another new member ...

[conrad]

Hi Melody -- I do water changes every week. I have an IO bucket that says it made 200g. It's bigger than a 5g bucket, but I'm not really sure of its capacity. I make water in that, drain a nearly full 5g bucket's worth from the 29 and replace it, and use the rest to change water in the 5.5. I'm not sure how much I change in that, but I'd guess a bit more than a gallon. It's probably about a quarter or maybe even a third of the water in the tank -- there just ain't much water in it with more than 15 lbs LS and 9 lbs LR, a heater, and a powerhead! I have enough extra water from the IO bucket to refill the skimmer after cleaning it.

--cn

 

[conrad]

Yay, found my goby!

The serpent star swaps ends of the tank every few days. He was just doing it a little while ago and one of his arms must have chased the goby out of his hiding spot. He was in the same hiding spot he used in the back of the tank under the rock his first couple of days in the tank. Odd though, he'd been perching on the rock for the past couple of weeks and not hiding.

Anyway, glad he's still with me. Cute little bugger.

--cn

 

[dedfish]

Conrad,

First off welcome! If Ryan's light is the one I am thinking of it's the same light I have on my 20L and it does real well. CustomSeaLife went out of business, but I believe some people from that CSL started Current USA. Their Orbit light is virtually the same thing aside from the legs are a little different. Looks like this:

One of the reasons I bought the light was that a bunch of people at nano-reef.com have had luck retro fitting this light with small MH lamps and it seemed like for a 20L or even a 29 as you have this would be a good way to go. Food for thought.

 

[conrad]

Thanks dedfish!

Yeah, that's the light that someone in NH was selling that I thought looked perfect. I'd have snapped it up if it were closer. If the older CSL one is similar and Ryan is just down the street, I'm very interested. My only concern is whether it has legs that will work on an AGA 29g. I suspect so, but it would be nice to know for sure.

Piscevore, email me a price on your light if you see this.

I read that DIY thread. Looked like a pretty good way to upgrade to MH in the future. Nice to know. Thanks for the link!

--cn

 

[NateHanson]

I guess lively did mean on the upper end of stocking. I wouldn't say overstocked though. I just wouldn't add any other fish. The fact that your nitrates are pretty reasonable attests to the fact that you have a manageable fish load. IMO 20ppm isn't enough to really bother any of your livestock. That's a good water change regime too. Better than most of us I think (about 20%/week). I'd expect a refugium would help with the nitrates, if that doesn't get them to single digits you might have to try reducing your fishload by one or two.

I think you're right about the variety of things you will be able to keep with NO lighting. I'd say any flat mushroom, yellow colonial polyps, maybe some zoas, to name a few. I believe our former president, Moe Kirby (moe_K), is setting up an NO softy tank right now. You might consult with him about what he's planning.

Nate

 

[conrad]

Thanks Nate, that's what I thought you meant. Yeah, I wasn't planning on any more fish. Everything has a home, but I don't see too many more obvious homes left that wouldn't cause territorial crowding. There are certainly more holes for barnacle blennies, but I think one of those is enough.

Glad to hear my thoughts on the nitrates weren't out of line. I think a refugium will probably do the trick. Also, I've been feeding somewhat heavily, mostly because I've been trying to see how well the skimmer works. I'm not exactly blown away by its performance so far.

I'd love to try zoas, but so far everybody has said no, I can't have those. I suspect they'd work up high on my rocks in the 29g, but of course I don't want to harm the poor creatures by trying if I'm wrong. I think the real solution though is to get Ryan's light. Still, it would be interesting to know what can be done with the existing lighting setup.

Again, thanks for the helpful advice!

--cn

 

[Piscevore]

-Hey Conrad, I'm around all afternooon today if you are down for a beer. There is a -place up the road I've been eyeing for a while... 617-784-2002

As for the light --->

http://bostonreefers.org/forums/showpost.php?p=100432&postcount=1

 

[conrad]

Hey Piscevore, sorry I missed you today. I did see your other post about the light and replied to it this morning, but then I was out most of the day. I'm definitely interested in your light. I've just been catching up here after a rough week and see you had some unwanted excitement. I've got pretty much nothing going on tomorrow (today, Sunday) other than water changes, but I know you're probably running around sorting out new tank things. Give me a call at 617 429 8982 when you have a chance and I can help you pay for that new tank.

And I'm down for a beer anytime.

--cn