Wednesday 18th April.
Been a while since I had the time to sit and write in here so here's a quick catch-up.
Good news. The onslaught of algae has been held in check by the simple removal of light. I've turned off, and left off, the main lighting in the tank for several days now and the algae, though still there, is back to something that looks like a mess rather than a disaster. Advice from my new friends at fishkeeping.co.uk suggests this is fine and will sort itself out over time as the tank cycles.
More good news. Have spotted, in the new darkened tank (lit on by blue LED) 4 snail-like creatures (though they move fast for snails and have large mouths and long feelers) and any number of tiny shrimp (2-3 mm max) scuttling about in the algae "field".
Bad news. The anemone that hitch-hiked in is looking very sick. I have no idea what I can do to help it. I'll try putting the light on a bit to see if that helps.
More bad news. I have no idea whether the tank is cycling or not (or even if it's finished cycling). The readings are all stable and low and I'm feeding in tropical fish food to provide bacteria but no movement. Surely it cannot have already finished. VERY reluctant to add life until I am sure.
Sadly - when I add something, it is likely to eat everything I already have (i.e. mini shrimps)
Last night's readings.
Ammonia : 0.1 (stable)
NO3/Nitrate : 5 (stable)
NO2/Nitrite : 0.1 (stable)
PH : 8.4 (Stable).
Have to find out about the anemone - must try to work out how to feed it (perhaps that's the problem).
Brown Algae
Sunday 8th April 2007. Happy Easter.
Small patch of brown algae noticed on substrate.
By evening this had become a major attack covering large amount of substrate and quite a few areas on glass too.
Again my thanks to Fishkeeping.co.uk where Caz was able to put my mind at rest within a few minutes of my posting the concern. Thanks Caz.
Fed tank some "snow" mid afternoon.
Readings taken tonight.
Ammonia : 0.1 (slightly up on yesterday)
NO3/Nitrate : 5 (slightly down on yesterday)
NO2/Nitrite : 0.1 (Stable)
PH : Odd colour returned, almost purple. Assume about 8.5 (Stable).
Hitch-hiking anenome is looking even less well. Intend to stop the "snow for a few days and return to tropical fish food as ammonia source to see of that helps or not.
Small patch of brown algae noticed on substrate.
By evening this had become a major attack covering large amount of substrate and quite a few areas on glass too.
Again my thanks to Fishkeeping.co.uk where Caz was able to put my mind at rest within a few minutes of my posting the concern. Thanks Caz.
Fed tank some "snow" mid afternoon.
Readings taken tonight.
Ammonia : 0.1 (slightly up on yesterday)
NO3/Nitrate : 5 (slightly down on yesterday)
NO2/Nitrite : 0.1 (Stable)
PH : Odd colour returned, almost purple. Assume about 8.5 (Stable).
Hitch-hiking anenome is looking even less well. Intend to stop the "snow for a few days and return to tropical fish food as ammonia source to see of that helps or not.
It's snowing
Saturday 7th April 2007.
Local Fish Shop (and they are pretty good generally) suggests tank might need some "snow" to feed inhabitants. Decided to buy some even though I am not convinced. The "snow" mimics plankton (apparently). Hoped this might buck up the anenome. Made sure I fed some near to it.
Red tube worm thing leapt into action extending long spiders-webs into water and lapping up snow.
Ran water tests today (before snow).
Ammonia : 0 (zero) - a slight worry perhaps.
NO2/Nitrite : 10
NO3/Nitrate : 0.1
PH : 8.4
Now I need to find out if this is OK.
Local Fish Shop (and they are pretty good generally) suggests tank might need some "snow" to feed inhabitants. Decided to buy some even though I am not convinced. The "snow" mimics plankton (apparently). Hoped this might buck up the anenome. Made sure I fed some near to it.
Red tube worm thing leapt into action extending long spiders-webs into water and lapping up snow.
Ran water tests today (before snow).
Ammonia : 0 (zero) - a slight worry perhaps.
NO2/Nitrite : 10
NO3/Nitrate : 0.1
PH : 8.4
Now I need to find out if this is OK.
Trundling along
Friday 6th April.
After some more excellent advice from the fishkeeping forum, I've started to add a little tropical food to the tank each night to act as an ammonia source (thanks "Coralline").
Each night I notice some new form of tiny life in the tank. Tiny snails, tiny shrimp-like creatures (very pale and very timid).
Today I bought myself a Hagen/Nutrafin Master Test Kit. My LFS had them marked up at £60 but were actually selling them for £40 (which is only a couple of quid more than I could get them from Ebay and I got it same day). I was suspicious of "best before dates" but they are fine. I like the kit - very simple and safe to use. Much better than a hundred small card boxes with individual test kits.
My only slight concern is the "anemone" (if that's what it is). It seems a bit lifeless to me. Nothing concrete, just looks a bit limp.
After some more excellent advice from the fishkeeping forum, I've started to add a little tropical food to the tank each night to act as an ammonia source (thanks "Coralline").
Each night I notice some new form of tiny life in the tank. Tiny snails, tiny shrimp-like creatures (very pale and very timid).
Today I bought myself a Hagen/Nutrafin Master Test Kit. My LFS had them marked up at £60 but were actually selling them for £40 (which is only a couple of quid more than I could get them from Ebay and I got it same day). I was suspicious of "best before dates" but they are fine. I like the kit - very simple and safe to use. Much better than a hundred small card boxes with individual test kits.
My only slight concern is the "anemone" (if that's what it is). It seems a bit lifeless to me. Nothing concrete, just looks a bit limp.
Skimmer Solved
Tuesday 3rd April (Update)
The skimmer had produced not a single bubble. Problem solved by removing the large wad of foam and straightening the air hose. A million bubbles filled the tank but I'm told by loads of people this will clear in time and is nothing to worry about.
In fact, all the bubbles seem to have attracted some of the flora/fauna to extend long tendrils which are like spiders webs.
This is a pic (not very professionally taken) of the tank as it stands now. It's not as crowded in reality as it looks.
It's life Jim but ...
Last night, my daughter announced she had seen something move in the new tank. I immediately jumped up and spent the next few minutes staring at the spot she described. Just as I was about to give up and tell her she had imagined it, a small piece of rock (well that’s what it looked like) started to move. Slowly and with no obvious legs, it slid up the lump of rock it was on and headed for some shadow. It’s about the size of a dried pea, though flatter. It is coloured exactly like the rock – probably covered in tiny algae (I’m guessing here). For the purposes of this blog, until I know better, I will call them tiny rock creatures. They remind me of tiny versions of the creature the original Star Trek crew found in a mine. It was made of silicon or rock or something and the good old doctor had to repair it with, what looked like, Polyfilla.
Of course, I spent the next hour sat staring at every inch of the tank in the hope of finding more life and I was well rewarded. Not only did I find another of the tiny rock (coloured differently from the first but still very like the rock it was on) I also found the most amazing hair/fan structure which I first took to be algae until it vanished suddenly. As I watched it slowly re-appeared and then after a minute or two, vanished again. It was snapping back into something (it’s in an area that’s difficult to see clearly). I don’t have any idea what it is but I have a feeling I’ve seen something similar somewhere in all the books and websites I’ve been looking through so I’m going to try and identify it. My next task is to decide whether I want to move the rock so it’s more visible – probably not (yet). It’s very fine in structure, about the size of a 50p piece when fully extended, white with brown tips to the fans. I am struggling to get a photograph of it but if I manage, I’ll post it.
I’ve also found something which might be (depending on how good my Google searching is) a Serpulid feather duster or perhaps a Vermetid. It’s a red tube which at some point in the past has curled around. It now looks like a letter “d”, the vertical has a mass of tiny “hairs” inside the opening of the tube which occasionally come out for a feel around (waving around) and then snap back inside the tube.
A mass of miniscule hair like fans (which I am assuming is some form of algae is sprouting up all over the rock. I hope they continue to do so, without taking over the place.
Some good advice from my new-found friends at fishkeeping.co.uk about my skimmer. Seems my initial fears may be correct. It should be producing a froth of bubbles and isn’t. Tonight’s job is to take it apart (hopefully) and try to see what is wrong with it.
Of course, I spent the next hour sat staring at every inch of the tank in the hope of finding more life and I was well rewarded. Not only did I find another of the tiny rock (coloured differently from the first but still very like the rock it was on) I also found the most amazing hair/fan structure which I first took to be algae until it vanished suddenly. As I watched it slowly re-appeared and then after a minute or two, vanished again. It was snapping back into something (it’s in an area that’s difficult to see clearly). I don’t have any idea what it is but I have a feeling I’ve seen something similar somewhere in all the books and websites I’ve been looking through so I’m going to try and identify it. My next task is to decide whether I want to move the rock so it’s more visible – probably not (yet). It’s very fine in structure, about the size of a 50p piece when fully extended, white with brown tips to the fans. I am struggling to get a photograph of it but if I manage, I’ll post it.
I’ve also found something which might be (depending on how good my Google searching is) a Serpulid feather duster or perhaps a Vermetid. It’s a red tube which at some point in the past has curled around. It now looks like a letter “d”, the vertical has a mass of tiny “hairs” inside the opening of the tube which occasionally come out for a feel around (waving around) and then snap back inside the tube.
A mass of miniscule hair like fans (which I am assuming is some form of algae is sprouting up all over the rock. I hope they continue to do so, without taking over the place.
Some good advice from my new-found friends at fishkeeping.co.uk about my skimmer. Seems my initial fears may be correct. It should be producing a froth of bubbles and isn’t. Tonight’s job is to take it apart (hopefully) and try to see what is wrong with it.
A new source of information
Monday 2nd April 2007.
Have found an excellent forum with loads of info on the ORCA tanks.
For my later reference and for anybody reading this …
http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/newbb/viewforum.php?forum=16
I intend, later, to ask a series of questions in this forum and hope that someone will have the answers for me. All that I have read there has been helpful and friendly to newbies like myself. Great news for me.
Have found an excellent forum with loads of info on the ORCA tanks.
For my later reference and for anybody reading this …
http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/modules/newbb/viewforum.php?forum=16
I intend, later, to ask a series of questions in this forum and hope that someone will have the answers for me. All that I have read there has been helpful and friendly to newbies like myself. Great news for me.
What does rock eat ?
Later on Saturday 31st March 2007.
The rock is in place (and yes I did remember to remove some water from the tank first). It looks great. Already making the tank look pretty good. As well as some large bubbles of algae (about the size of wine gums) and my polyp-like freebie, I have discovered some form of tube-creature has hitched a ride. The tube is solid and filled with hundreds of “hairs” a few of which extend from time to time (slowly) and then after a few seconds they SNAP back in. I intend to try and identify these creatures in the near future and can only hope that hey survive transplantation to my tank.
I confess I am really delighted with all this. A real bonus to have a couple of occupants already. It now occurs to me that these new tank-mates may be hungry – what on earth do they eat? Surely I’ll have to add something to the tank for them.
I need to do some investigation.
The rock is in place (and yes I did remember to remove some water from the tank first). It looks great. Already making the tank look pretty good. As well as some large bubbles of algae (about the size of wine gums) and my polyp-like freebie, I have discovered some form of tube-creature has hitched a ride. The tube is solid and filled with hundreds of “hairs” a few of which extend from time to time (slowly) and then after a few seconds they SNAP back in. I intend to try and identify these creatures in the near future and can only hope that hey survive transplantation to my tank.
I confess I am really delighted with all this. A real bonus to have a couple of occupants already. It now occurs to me that these new tank-mates may be hungry – what on earth do they eat? Surely I’ll have to add something to the tank for them.
I need to do some investigation.
Live Rock !!
Saturday 31st March 2007.
I haven’t tested my tank water yet. I’m working on the assumption (which I hope is valid) that since all I have put in is RO water, marine salt and some substrate, I am unlikely to have problems with ammonia, nitrates, etc.
I spoke the people at the shop and they were in agreement. It is time to get some live rock. As luck would have it, they have a display model of the TL450 in the shop so I can gauge what amount of rock I “need”. I finally select some good looking lumps (one has a very nice looking hitch-hiker which I’ve yet to identify but looks a bit polyp like to my untrained eye). It’s all plumped onto the scales and it’s a bit over 6 kilos. Sounds fine to me. Luckily I had done some homework and was ready for the cost of “a few bits of rock”. Almost £70 in this case. A gentle enquiry led to a 10% discount (which was nice) as I had bought the tank from them a week earlier.
The advice they offered was to get the rock into my tank, watch it for a week, test the water then start adding something a bit more mobile. A crab or two perhaps. I’m nervous of this step and will probably leave it longer but we’ll see.
So the family and our new “pet rocks” set off home to get them into their new home.
I haven’t tested my tank water yet. I’m working on the assumption (which I hope is valid) that since all I have put in is RO water, marine salt and some substrate, I am unlikely to have problems with ammonia, nitrates, etc.
I spoke the people at the shop and they were in agreement. It is time to get some live rock. As luck would have it, they have a display model of the TL450 in the shop so I can gauge what amount of rock I “need”. I finally select some good looking lumps (one has a very nice looking hitch-hiker which I’ve yet to identify but looks a bit polyp like to my untrained eye). It’s all plumped onto the scales and it’s a bit over 6 kilos. Sounds fine to me. Luckily I had done some homework and was ready for the cost of “a few bits of rock”. Almost £70 in this case. A gentle enquiry led to a 10% discount (which was nice) as I had bought the tank from them a week earlier.
The advice they offered was to get the rock into my tank, watch it for a week, test the water then start adding something a bit more mobile. A crab or two perhaps. I’m nervous of this step and will probably leave it longer but we’ll see.
So the family and our new “pet rocks” set off home to get them into their new home.
A few niggles but generally delighted
Friday 30th March 2007.
The tank has been up and running for almost a week now. I am pretty pleased with it, though I know I have a long way to go. A couple of things are niggling at me about it’s design though which I’ll record here for posterity. None of them have put me off having the tank, I simply record them for the information of anyone considering buying an ORCA TL4550 (or perhaps for the information of the designers of these aquariums for future consideration).
First, the power leads. There are four of them. Four wires leave the lid at various points and only by some careful delving about did I figure out what was what. This allowed me to label the various plugs for future use. On top of that, the lead I decided was the pump did not reach to the floor (once the tank was on the stand). All the other did so why scrimp on a bit of wire. I’ll not worry too much about this just yet but it’s an irritation.
Second, the lights. I love the lighting, a choice of bright and clear or “night time” blue LED. I like the way they’ve built the switches into the overall design of the lid. What I don’t like is the fact that both appear to be powered by the same plug. This will make it impossible for me to automate the lighting using a timer. Not the end of the world but a pain.
Thirdly the skimmer. I’ve never had one before and the “instructions” (as I detailed in my previous post) are all but useless. I expected to see a froth of bubbles at the top of it but I have nothing. There is a small tube sitting on the sponge to the right of the skimmer unit which I am guessing will be an air inlet to allow the creation of bubbles but I cannot see how to “open” it. More fiddling required (and perhaps a call to the shop in case they know).
Final gripe, the lid is a clever design, basically allowing a tilt or slide opening. Tilt is as per any normal tank, the “slide” option allows the lid to slide down the back of the tank opening up the top of the tank completely. Brilliant, except for the condensation. No matter which way I open it, water dribbles from the lid all over the floor. It would be simple to fix with something to block the flow of droplets back along the lid allowing the condensation to fall back into the tank. It’s on my list of things to do but it would have been better if it had been part of the initial design.
Despite these niggles, I am still mightily pleased my new purchase.
Some good news. My hydrometer/thermometer reports perfect salinity (after a couple of small top-ups of marine salt) and temperature so I now feel ready to add some rock. This will be a new thing for me … LIVE rock. I’ve read as much as I can about it and will head to the shops tomorrow with my new-found knowledge, and my credit card (it isn’t cheap).
The tank has been up and running for almost a week now. I am pretty pleased with it, though I know I have a long way to go. A couple of things are niggling at me about it’s design though which I’ll record here for posterity. None of them have put me off having the tank, I simply record them for the information of anyone considering buying an ORCA TL4550 (or perhaps for the information of the designers of these aquariums for future consideration).
First, the power leads. There are four of them. Four wires leave the lid at various points and only by some careful delving about did I figure out what was what. This allowed me to label the various plugs for future use. On top of that, the lead I decided was the pump did not reach to the floor (once the tank was on the stand). All the other did so why scrimp on a bit of wire. I’ll not worry too much about this just yet but it’s an irritation.
Second, the lights. I love the lighting, a choice of bright and clear or “night time” blue LED. I like the way they’ve built the switches into the overall design of the lid. What I don’t like is the fact that both appear to be powered by the same plug. This will make it impossible for me to automate the lighting using a timer. Not the end of the world but a pain.
Thirdly the skimmer. I’ve never had one before and the “instructions” (as I detailed in my previous post) are all but useless. I expected to see a froth of bubbles at the top of it but I have nothing. There is a small tube sitting on the sponge to the right of the skimmer unit which I am guessing will be an air inlet to allow the creation of bubbles but I cannot see how to “open” it. More fiddling required (and perhaps a call to the shop in case they know).
Final gripe, the lid is a clever design, basically allowing a tilt or slide opening. Tilt is as per any normal tank, the “slide” option allows the lid to slide down the back of the tank opening up the top of the tank completely. Brilliant, except for the condensation. No matter which way I open it, water dribbles from the lid all over the floor. It would be simple to fix with something to block the flow of droplets back along the lid allowing the condensation to fall back into the tank. It’s on my list of things to do but it would have been better if it had been part of the initial design.
Despite these niggles, I am still mightily pleased my new purchase.
Some good news. My hydrometer/thermometer reports perfect salinity (after a couple of small top-ups of marine salt) and temperature so I now feel ready to add some rock. This will be a new thing for me … LIVE rock. I’ve read as much as I can about it and will head to the shops tomorrow with my new-found knowledge, and my credit card (it isn’t cheap).
It begins
Sunday 25th March 2007.
Thanks to a handy cash bonus I received, I finally took the plunge and decided to buy myself a (small) aquarium in which I hope to build and keep a mini-reef. I've had a couple of tropical tanks for a number of years (currently running two, one of 190L and one of 55L) so I'm not a total novice though everything I've read suggests the marine tank will be much less forgiving than I am perhaps used to.
After a bit of thought, I plumped for an ORCA 450TL. A nice looking tank with pretty much everything contained within it making it much more acceptable to my wife. It also had a pleasing appearance - a bit like something out of the TV series STARGATE.
When I bought the tank, I also collected a few items the guy at the shop said were important - namely a hydrometer/thermometer, marine salt, substrate and 60L of RO water.
Got home and spent a happy hour or two deciding EXACTLY where the tank should be placed in our lounge, not as easy as I thought it might be. Having successfuly found "the perfect spot", I cleaned the tank with a new cloth and some of the RO water and then sat down to read the instructions (unlike me) to be absolutely certain I did everything right.
Anyone who has purchased one of these tanks will know the frustration I now felt as I attempted to translate the "English" into something meaningful. After a time (it seemed like hours) I finally came to the conclusion that the "instructions" were all but useless and I would have to rely on the little experience I had and some common sense. This blog is, in no small part, a result of the lack of any instructions. I want to be able to look back and see what I did when and perhaps pass on what I learn (good AND bad) to others.
So, I checked that all the flter parts appeared to be in roughly the right places, filled it with 55L+ of RO water, added the substrate, added the salt, set the heater to 25 degrees and sat back. I already like it but confess I was nervous that I may have made a terrible mistake somewhere along the way.
All seemed well as the week progressed. perhaps it was OK after all.
Thanks to a handy cash bonus I received, I finally took the plunge and decided to buy myself a (small) aquarium in which I hope to build and keep a mini-reef. I've had a couple of tropical tanks for a number of years (currently running two, one of 190L and one of 55L) so I'm not a total novice though everything I've read suggests the marine tank will be much less forgiving than I am perhaps used to.
After a bit of thought, I plumped for an ORCA 450TL. A nice looking tank with pretty much everything contained within it making it much more acceptable to my wife. It also had a pleasing appearance - a bit like something out of the TV series STARGATE.
When I bought the tank, I also collected a few items the guy at the shop said were important - namely a hydrometer/thermometer, marine salt, substrate and 60L of RO water.
Got home and spent a happy hour or two deciding EXACTLY where the tank should be placed in our lounge, not as easy as I thought it might be. Having successfuly found "the perfect spot", I cleaned the tank with a new cloth and some of the RO water and then sat down to read the instructions (unlike me) to be absolutely certain I did everything right.
Anyone who has purchased one of these tanks will know the frustration I now felt as I attempted to translate the "English" into something meaningful. After a time (it seemed like hours) I finally came to the conclusion that the "instructions" were all but useless and I would have to rely on the little experience I had and some common sense. This blog is, in no small part, a result of the lack of any instructions. I want to be able to look back and see what I did when and perhaps pass on what I learn (good AND bad) to others.
So, I checked that all the flter parts appeared to be in roughly the right places, filled it with 55L+ of RO water, added the substrate, added the salt, set the heater to 25 degrees and sat back. I already like it but confess I was nervous that I may have made a terrible mistake somewhere along the way.
All seemed well as the week progressed. perhaps it was OK after all.
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