Some Progress

I'll try to keep it short. I have been relatively busy with midterms and school, so I haven't had time to really do much with the aquarium aside of maintenance. Here are some current pictures.

I still need more base rock as I rushed into the move. I feel that the rock work and coral are very random, and not necessarily in a good way.

I have added new tank inhabitants since I first set up the aquarium including a Percula Clownfish, ORA Yellow Line Goby, ORA Pink & Green Damicornis, Green Toadstool Leather (donated by Mr. RemsReef.com himself), Purple Montipora (from my BFFFFFFFFF), and an ORA Maxima Clam (under 2.5"). All is doing well except the Maxima Clam who didn't make it (FAIL).

A picture speaks at least one word, so "read" on below...

View from the left side.

View from the center: Someone is hungry... or trying to communicate with me.

AND... View from the right side.

How Much Turnover Per Hour?

How much "Turnover per hour?" - A question many hobbyists ponder. While we tend to focus on hard numbers, this video from Marine Depot's Video Series featuring Julian Sprung provides a more practical answer. I hope you enjoy.

Also, don't fret. I will post a personal aquarium update soon.

My DIY Sump

I installed my DIY 20 gallon long sump. Using a design from RemsReef.com as inspiration, I decided to try my hand at my first DIY (do it yourself) sump / glass project. My final product has some areas of opportunity, but so far, so good. There were no leaks from the baffles or aquarium, and the sump is doing its job well. I won't post detailed information on how I built it; if you want to see a professional make a DIY sump, I suggest www.RemsReef.com! He did a great job with his sump, and it came out looking very clean.

Anyways, here's my sump in action. I am very pleased that there is no annoying waterfall noise. I also have a large skimmer chamber to hold an internal protein skimmer down the road. The skimmer chamber is followed by 3 glass baffles that act as a bubble trap, hopefully reducing (possibly eliminating) micro bubbles from entering the display tank. Check out the picture below!

Julian Sprung - Two Little Fishies

It was a normal day like any other when I heard that Julian Sprung from Two Little Fishies was coming in today to visit. He was brought over to our work area, but I missed the introduction as I was on the phone. I mentioned how cool I thought it would be to meet him, and my boss brought me over to introduce us. I listened to the interview he was giving for Marine Depot (will be posted to Marine Depot's YouTube Channel), and it was definitely an educational experience listening to him describe his line of products and their proper use.

I brought two books he wrote, and we asked him to sign them. He very nicely autographed and signed my books, and he even drew a Clownfish for me. Julian was also nice enough to pose for a few photos. He was a very nice and brilliant man, and it was very cool meeting him. I posted some photos of the signatures below.

Make sure you check out everything and anything from Julian Sprung and Two Little Fishies! You can see the interview with Julian Sprung at: www.youtube.com/MarineDepotVideos.

Two Little Fishies PhosBan Reactor 150

My last entry was a little over the top with satire, but I was serious about my aggressive action plan to neutralize the Dinoflagellates that have developed in my aquarium.

One part of my action plan included the addition of GFO (granular ferric oxide) media. I added a Two Little Fishies PhosBan Reactor 150 to the setup. I was pretty excited to get home and set the reactor up. Upon opening the box of the reactor, I was impressed with the simplicity of the setup. The instructions in the box were detailed and easy to follow. The reactor had only a few pieces, and was no trouble to assemble.

I purchased a Maxi-Jet 600 to feed water to the reactor. The MaxiJet is a great little power head with seemingly endless possibilities, and I was impressed with all the attachments and adapters included with the pump. Maxi-Jet power heads are simply awesome, and I can’t stress that although many consider them old technology, they are strong pumps, they are extremely versatile, and they are very affordable.




A great benefit of the Two Little Fishies PhosBan reactor is the options you get with one reactor. The media reactor is flexible; you can use it for GFO, activated carbon, or even NPX Bio Plastics* (*with the addition of the screen adapter). The reactor is compatible with many pumps as long as you use the included ball valve to adjust the flow for the media you are using (you shouldn’t mix medias in one reactor). In fact, the Maxi-Jet I purchased is overpowered for this reactor, and it may come in handy if I choose to run carbon instead of GFO media. I wouldn’t mind purchasing another reactor for activated carbon as well, and I am itching to run NPX Bio Plastics in the future.

The installation of the reactor was simple. All you need to do is assemble the inner components and adjust the sponge, add the media (I’m using Two Little Fishies PhosBan), connect the tubes and pump, and plug it in. The process only took a few minutes, and now my fish system is ready to reap the benefits of a GFO media reactor. I used 1/2 inch clear vinyl tubing, and forced it onto the maxi-jet outlet (which is 5/8 inches). I heated some water in the microwave for two minutes, put the end of the tubing in the hot water for about a minute, and then slipped the tubing right over. The included hose clamp holds the tubing in place on the Maxi-jet. The reactor can be mounted on the back of an aquarium, outside a sump, or even inside a sump. I installed my reactor by hanging it on the edge of the sump, but with the reactor body sitting inside the sump. This is a simple precaution to prevent and overflows due to leaks in the reactor. I’d rather be safe than sorry.

The Two Little Fishies Phosban Reactor is versatile, easy to set up, and will provide many benefits to my aquarium and my aquarium's inhabitants. The reactor, with GFO media, is expected to keep phosphate levels at zero, and hopefully it can help me tackle this Dino problem. Until next time...

It's on... like Donkey Kong!

I am taking a break from destroying my tank at the moment and executing the battle plan.

I have been experiencing what I had assumed was a simple brown algae problem, but credible intelligence from my secret operatives (a.k.a. clever coworkers) suggests that my small "Algae Problem" (as I had oh so foolishly assumed) is not an algae problem at all. Oh no, it's much worse... It's an attack of The Dinoflagellates. Oh yes! I'm on to you "snotty" little guys and your rue! You can't fool me (for long). I won't stand by as you invade my reef tank!

SO TODAY- I DECLARE WAR ON THE DINO'S!


The evil Dino Empire shall perish at the hands of a very angry and determined hobyist! I might worry about posting my "secret" battle plan on the internet, but I trust my 3 readers won't tell... plus I'm pretty sure that there's no WIFI access in my aquarium.

The Battle Plan:
* Siphon out any brown "snot".
* Use activated carbon and GFO (going to need to purchase a TL Phosban reactor).
* Reduction of light or no-light periods.
* Moved my skimmer to display tank - I shortened the length of tubing and hopefully this will ensure my skimmer works a little better. Not impressed by the lackluster results I have seen while it has been on the sump.
* Water changes, because water changes cure all.
* Reduction in amount of food fed to coral / fish. My theory of "lots of food for me, so lots of food for you" has many holes. (There's a serious flaw in the logic there, but that's a different post and a different blog.) Also, I'll make sure I rinse any frozen food before it enters the aquarium. I'm THAT paranoid.

Well that's the battle plan. I'm sure I missed something, but I better get back to work. (P.S. Thank you for dealing with my war references.)