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Worried I may have screwed up


mdelawter

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Ok, so here's the deal.

 

My tank has been setup now for just over two months. I've been reading up on caring for a BTA, doing my due diligence so to speak. I though I was ready to take on the care of one of these critters and bought one a few days ago. In additional resources that I have read since the purchase, I found that several people recommend that you wait 6 months before putting a nem into a new tank. I'm hoping that I didn't just give the little guy a death sentence.

 

The parameters on my tank have been stable for the past four weeks: as of this past weekend Sg is steady at between 1.024 and 1.025, Ammonia = 0 ppm, Nitrate = 0.25 ppm, Nitrite = 0 ppm, Calcium is 440, Alkalinity is 11. Tank has been through at least one full nitrogen cycle.

 

So far he seems ok. His behavior has been typical of what I have read online. I acclimated him to my tank for 2 hours with drip method, gently placed him into the tank in a spot that would allow him to move where he wanted, and he has put himself into a spot where he isn't getting much light, and I have read in several places that this can be normal behavior until he gets used to the lights.

 

Is there anything I can do to help make sure that he adjusts well to the tank? I don't think I should be doing daily tank checks and adjustments as that might stress him too much. I also don't want to do a typical water change (8%) that I have been doing for fear of making a severe change to calcium and alkalinity (I'm in limestone country and the water here is very hard). If I do a water change, should I start with distilled water? I don't have the money for a RO system yet. Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

 

Other tank stats:

60 gal cube

Aqualife CF500 pump

Hydor Koralia Evolution Powerhead 550 gph

2 Aquasun LED HO 24" light fixtures (three modules each, 4-1 watt 6500K white, 2-1/2 watt 465 Nm Blue per module)

Backpak 2 protein skimmer

Live rock and live sand base, total weight between the two is currently ~ 90-100 lbs

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What water did you use to fill the tank and do your water changes during the initial cycle?

 

Do you have any fish or inverts?

 

How much is your skimmer pulling out compared to when you started?

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Tap water with conditioner, and have continued with that for the changes so far. I have two damsels and one FP clownfish, 9 CUC snails and 8 hermit crabs

 

Skimmer pulled out around four ounces about every three to four days at the beginning, I now get 1 to 5 ounces per day.

 

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It is not the amount the skimmer is pulling out as much as the color of the water it is pulling out.

 

You need to save up and get a RODI unit asap. IMO the nem will not fair well with tap water. If you have just fish only, tap water may work, but you may still have algae and other problems.

 

It is better to wait until you can afford to buy the proper basic equipment before jumping in this hobby. And a RODI unit is a important basic piece of equipment. Otherwise you will get very frustrated and get out of the hobby soon after starting.

 

As far as your light, I don't think they will be strong enough either to keep a nem happy. LED light need to be 3 watts ea not 1 watt.

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I bought a cheap one from PA for about the same price and it works wonders. I learned the hard way as well purchasing rodi water from uncle bills which had a very high tds in my opinion. So bad that I fought hair algae for literally 6-8 months AFTER purchasing the unit simply because I think alot of that crap was stuck in the live rock which leached out. Get an RODI, you won't regret it.

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Okay first take a deep breath. First if doing a water change before the RODI arrives get filtered water from somewhere. Second leave the anemone alone, until it is settled. Observe it and see how it does. Is it fully open or shrunken, how is the coloration, etc. If it isn't doing well give it to your buddy. DO NOT wait until it is practically dead.

 

You are on the right track with the RODI system for sure.

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A large 40 can can be your saltwater mixing station and two 5 gallon water bottles your fresh water top off. I made the jump to a spectrapure five stage dual tds and my water is perfect. Use the five gallon jugs for top off and the 35-45 galling for the water changes. Your tank will live you.

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RO water from wal-mart better than tap water Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

He'll find out quickly like I did, toting 3-4 5gallon bottles to and from wally world is a pita and will provide good motivation to get a RODI system

 

I ended up with a Spectrapure MaxCap Standard 90-GPD RO/DI System and I couldn't be happier.

 

I have a 22 gallon tote ($6.00 on sale from Walmart) that I make water for my top off water. I've added a bulkhead 3 inches from the bottom for the line to the pump in the sump. Then I have another 22 gallon tote to mix saltwater for my water changes.

 

 

I bought a cheap one from PA for about the same price and it works wonders. I learned the hard way as well purchasing rodi water from uncle bills which had a very high tds in my opinion. So bad that I fought hair algae for literally 6-8 months AFTER purchasing the unit simply because I think alot of that crap was stuck in the live rock which leached out. Get an RODI, you won't regret it.

 

I think my rock too had been leaching crap from the 3 months of initial setup, when I used tap water that I had dechlorinated. There is just so much crap in our water, sometimes it scares me when I see the prefilter color change from white to a rust color inside 2 months.

 

I've been in a war with Hair Algae, trust me, it's not fun and it will make you so frustrated to the point where you will want to quit the hobby.

 

Take your time and do it right. Don't rush into it. I know that is easier said than done, but in the end you will have a better appreciation of your efforts if you have more patience than you think you have or want. I know it's not easy to see a bare tank when you have invested so much, but imagine for a moment when you have a few hundred dollars wrapped up in frags and lose them all because of something you didn't do early on. I know, I did that and this HA war I'm waging is NOT fun and it's expensive. I think I may have finally gotten to the end of it, but it is seriously not fun.

 

Look for my posts, see what I've been through this last year. A good RODI system or RODI water IS essential for success.

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Okay first take a deep breath. First if doing a water change before the RODI arrives get filtered water from somewhere. Second leave the anemone alone, until it is settled. Observe it and see how it does. Is it fully open or shrunken, how is the coloration, etc. If it isn't doing well give it to your buddy. DO NOT wait until it is practically dead.

 

You are on the right track with the RODI system for sure.

 

Now that, I am at least doing correctly. I acclimated him for two hours, placed him in and then left him alone. He found a place on the back of my rock island to attach. Color still looks good, nice shade of green and a tan foot, and from what I can see, he is fully open. I just did an 8% change this past weekend and unless there is anything screwie with the chemistry prior to the RO/DI arrival, I'll hold off on the next change.

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You will be happier with the RODI with the inline tds and pressure gauge. There are many ways to hook them up also. BRS(bulk reef supply) has great how to videos on their website. I have used them a lot to find out how to do some things as well as ask on here. We have a great bunch of knowledgeable people!

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RO/DI is ordered and should be here in two days. Thanks all for the input! I'll keep my eye on the nem and if he shows any signs of change from his current state, he's off to another tank until I can properly host him.

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Update on the nem: It has been a week since I got him. He was out in the open yesterday and looked great. Offered a silver side and he took it right away. This morning he is flat, which I understand is part of his digestive cycle. Color still looks good, so far so good. RODI will be here Monday so I will start working on water changes after it arrives.

 

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I know each reefer has thier opinions but I have never fed my nems. The clowns that host one of them will occasionally take food to the nem and feed it but a good water flow and lights will keep your nems healthy and happy and they will be fine. I'm told feeding speeds in thier growth and can cause splits but I started with two and now have five.

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On the nem, they'll live off light only. I very very rarely have fed my nems. The right light will give it all it's food it needs but if you want it to explode in growth or split feeding will help give additional energy. If you want it to maintain it's size and not grow as fast, hold off on the feeding IMO.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Feed him at least once a week at a minimum. I feed my 12" Rose Bubble two Silversides a week. If you change your water flow and or lighting expect it to relocate. A host would be ideal but I have successfully kept them without one. Make sure its not in contact with your corals as the will burn each other.

 

Reefing ain't easy but somebody has to do it!

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  • 5 months later...

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