RSM 250 - And it starts!

I get these bubbles every day forming on the rocks, is this nitrogen turning back into a gas state? i just wave it off the rocks every day when im giving the glass a clean.

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What's your nutrient levels like dizzy? That red looks like cyano to me :(
 
Tobes : with my tank being still so new I am fighting with different types of algae, I find that chemi pure elite has helped a lot! when i change out in April I think i will give seachem seagel a try as well.
 
Time for an update.

With running the RSM iv come across all its faults and upsides. Faults are that the back is an absolute ass-hole to clean, hence my decision to run a cannister. Now I know all you "HardKore" guys will have a nice flame session about this but Iv decided it works the best for me.

I was having massive issues with debris in the water, just floating round. RSM gives you a "micro filter" to run but you have to watch it so closely as it gets clogged so quickly which can lead to your return pump running dry and your skimmer not functioning properly due to water level changes, in other words you have to be standing by the tank if you plan to run the micro filter.

I visited my LFS Northlands Pets and traded the return pump i bought to run my new chiller (also from Northlands Pets - Thanks to Chris for such a great price on the chiller and cannister filter) i got the Tetra Tec EX 1200, this is the right pump size to run my new Hailea HC-250A chiller. i pulled the ceramic rings and bio balls out the cannister and replaced with some chemi pure elite and some phosban, i left the filter floss and carbon in.

The tank is already looking much clearer and im much happier with the way it is running with the cannister, it also means i can pull the terrible sponges out the back of the tank!

Now that im running my chiller the temp isnt all over the place anymore too which means I can start a proper coral collection!

just some bad pics taken with my cellphone, will take my big camera home tonight for some better images.

Maroon Clown
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New chiller!
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Full tank shot, I know its bare but a chiller is expensive.
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Other clown and a pyjama cardinal
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Goby, still doing well!
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Your tank is really looking GREAT:thumbup:!
With running the RSM iv come across all its faults and upsides. Faults are that the back is an absolute ass-hole to clean, hence my decision to run a cannister. Now I know all you "HardKore" guys will have a nice flame session about this but Iv decided it works the best for me.

There is no sure fire way to run a marine tank. Everyone has his/her own individual tank that he tinckered on to find the filter that suits him. There is nothing wrong with using a canister filter. The problem is the detrius settlement in it. This can be counter acted by cleaning it every few days or weeks. I have a sand filter on my tank (also against the so called marine rules) what I can clean every few weeks thus making my water crystel clear and making it able to get rid of all the detrius in a confined space.
 
I agree annoying, all of us need to find that spot where we are happy with what we do. All tanks differ regarding, stock, LR, filtering, skimmer etc.o yes find what works best for you and stick to it.
 
O yes without stepping on toes here, isnt your tank a little young to have some of these things in it. The sun coral wouldnt last long if the tank hasnt cycled properly, and even in a matured tanks they battle. The other thing have you sorted the cyano problem out yet, it tends to cover everything. That would harm some of the creatures living in the tank. This tank is like 2 maybe 3 months in the making. Slow down there dude, slow works better - we have all made the same mistakes. It is expensive to try things to fast, they die and you have to replace them. Just my opinion, But it is still your choice.
 
interesting to watch this build :)
 
Hi Max, I agree with you. Some bad advice from my not normal fish shop led to some of my purchases. I have however read up on care of my corals and fish and have found the right way to look after them, and obviously a way that works best for me.

I was very concerned about my sun coral but he opens up every night for his feeding, eh seems to like it when i clean the tank glass, obviously all the stuff that gets thrown up has something in it that he eats.
All my fish like pellet food, Im starting with a frozen mix this week though, ill do it every second day or so to get them used to it.

I have to date not lost a single fish or coral, in fact the complete opposite, Corals that have not been doing well in other tanks seem to flourish when in mine, I think its due to the good lighting from RSM.

All in all I have a healthy happy tank with 0 death which I think is pretty good going for a three month old tank.

Im also lucky to have a tank at work which was our "trial" tank so my family did our learning on this tank.

Ill dump some photos of the work tank in a bit.
 
Awesome thread and pics. One of the most interesting thread to follow. Great progress and I am learning from this thread, thanks.
 
Hi Max, I agree with you. Some bad advice from my not normal fish shop led to some of my purchases. I have however read up on care of my corals and fish and have found the right way to look after them, and obviously a way that works best for me.

I was very concerned about my sun coral but he opens up every night for his feeding, eh seems to like it when i clean the tank glass, obviously all the stuff that gets thrown up has something in it that he eats.
All my fish like pellet food, Im starting with a frozen mix this week though, ill do it every second day or so to get them used to it.

I have to date not lost a single fish or coral, in fact the complete opposite, Corals that have not been doing well in other tanks seem to flourish when in mine, I think its due to the good lighting from RSM.

All in all I have a healthy happy tank with 0 death which I think is pretty good going for a three month old tank.

Im also lucky to have a tank at work which was our "trial" tank so my family did our learning on this tank.

Ill dump some photos of the work tank in a bit.

If we all find masa before we start it would be wonderfull, but we dont. We start ie buy install and then we look for help, how ironic. Its like buying a new gadget ie tv, video machine - we first install battle our a.ss off and then we read the instructions :whistling: and i know cause i do exactly this. I used to blame my LFS too, look at all my replies i used to get seriously angry at what they sold me, BUT if i was better informed in the beginning i would have planned what i wanted and worked from there. Its like going to a doctor - you tell him what is wrong and he helps you according to what you say, same with the fish shop. We visit them and they merely help us buy stuff we require, maybe a bit more than we require but still we take it. So we are to blame in the long run. They wouldnt be having a business if they didnt sell us all these wonderfull things :whistling:, thats how they pay the rent etc. Might be unethical but it surely is business. Think of it this way - most people go on holiday in december, they wait an entire year to go on this wonderfull trip and what do they do. They spend all the hard earned cash on stuff you could have bought at your local R5 store, but because it is holiday and bought in Durban or coast its special regardless the price. Have a look at fleamarkets they are filled with a 100 toy shops and they all survive, why because they get support although the toys doesnt last further than the car. So return business the next time we visit to just buy something else, cause its only R5 or R10 and you keep the kids mouth shut. LOL. We are all human and it is human nature to spend some moola, in our case on our tanks. So if piet says this is a great product and he gets 10 people to back him that product will sell like sweat cake, why - word of mouth and we trust what others say. We arent getting any money from the supplier neither the factory to promote the stuff, we just do it on our own. Have a look at peoples cars, they stick all kinds of paid for stickers on the car to advertise a companies products. Get the point here, we spend money cause we think it is the correct thing. But because we dont find out more we tend to replace it down the line cause we didnt buy the actual required product in the first place. Hence blaming the upline where we bought it.

How do i prevent it, i make sure that what i want (not desire, impulse buying) not what my eyes tell me to buy, i look for it make sure that is exactly what i require and it will help my tank and then find out where i can buy this at the cheapest, lowest price at someone i can trust if something goes wrong. :1:

So sorry this is a little off topic but my thoughts. As this is what i do wrong. :whistling:
 
Update time again! Quite a few pics so ill do 10 per reply.

Yellow Cup Coral doing really well!
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I just moved these Green Star Polyps so that's why its not completely open.
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Lawnmower Blenny posing for a pic.
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Sun Coral open for his feed. I target feed 3 times a week with zoo plankton but he opens every night when I clean the glass.
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Saved this bit of coral from work, not sure what he is but he's growing at a rate of knots!
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Piece of a pin cushion that was fragged, also doing very well.
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LFS called it a Fire Coral but I don't think it is so an ID would be appreciated.
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Eddy the Urchin!
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DizzyG - your tank is starting out very nicely mate.

You say you have a canister filter - do you have a skimmer running at all?

That last coral looks like a carnation coral (dendronephtya/scleronephtya species). These corals are Non-photosynthetic, meaning that they cannot derive their food from zooxanthellae from within their body-cells.

This also means that you will HAVE to feed coral food, very often. These types of corals generically do not have a very long survival rate in our tanks.
 
One of my Maroon clowns.
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Very Photogenic
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Scopas Tang, he's the boss in the tank.
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"Engine Room" Still need to mount my power to the wall and neaten it up but its not looking terrible.
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Cheap bathroom shelves from the local hardware store makes storing things much easier / neater. I want to add another shelf to that door and one to the door by the chiller.
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Sun Coral, I think he is one of my fave cause like a cat you have to work for his love!
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Six Line Wrasse
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Cleaner Wrasse, quite possibly the tamest fish ever, While the fish in my tank are generally tame, they dont stress too much when i stick my arm in to clean / feed the cleaner actively comes and plays with me. he sits in my hand, its unbelievable. Ill get the GF to take some pics next time of just how tame he is. The clowns are getting the same too, swimming round my arm when its in the tank, but not to attack (I know what it feels like when a Maroon clown attacks you as we have one in the work tank)
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Rose coral, really beautiful under the moon lights but I think its pretty at any time. The GF likes it cause its PINK
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Blue Cheek Goby makes such a mess but I really do love him, loads of personality
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Harlequin Shrimp is also awesome
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Tequila the cat. Not interested in the fish at all.
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FTS, always looks bare. I think I need more rock.
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And the temp thanks to the chiller!!!
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DizzyG - your tank is starting out very nicely mate.

You say you have a canister filter - do you have a skimmer running at all?

That last coral looks like a carnation coral (dendronephtya/scleronephtya species). These corals are Non-photosynthetic, meaning that they cannot derive their food from zooxanthellae from within their body-cells.

This also means that you will HAVE to feed coral food, very often. These types of corals generically do not have a very long survival rate in our tanks.

Yes there is a skimmer, its in a compartment in the back, look up the Red Sea Max 250, IMO its a very good skimmer!
I target feed every second day as I said, I have been target feeding that new coral too so I guess it was a good idea to be doing it!
The coral seems very happy and opens WIDE in the evening, I thought he might be along the lines of Non-photosynthetic because he's never open when I get home from work at 4pm, he opens wide from about 6 or 7 and is closed again when I wake up in the morning.
 
I voted your thread as excellent because I can feel your passion for the hobby.
 
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