old reef question

caesura · 08-13-2003, 06:55 PM

Hi Folks,new here, been reading for a while. I have an old 75g reef probably 1994-1995. Due to several non-tank
issues the tank had to be moved to the basement. All the corals, clam, and a couple of fish went back to lfs. I
kept the live rock (about 150lbs) and a few shrooms. The tank has been sitting in my basement for the past 3
years being neglected. I have been doing nothing but topping it off with tap water and a squirt of chlorine
remover whenever the pump would make noise. I am wondering if the rock will still be OK or not. Will the rock be
a sink for metals and other bad things? Can a tank without a DSB suffer OTS? Also, If I were to keep half of the
rock in the display and move half of it to a sump would it still have the same effects on the system? I would like
to try a clam and sps tank this time.

Thanks, Bill

Casey · 08-13-2003, 08:51 PM

Hi Welcome glad ya found us

Geoff · 08-13-2003, 09:06 PM

Welcome to TRT!!!!

if you still have mushrooms alive than your LR is still good. i would get a couple of pounds of new good LR just to replenish any critters that may have not made it in the 3 years. is the tank a bare bottom? what kind of lights are on it? tell us a little more about the tank.

G~

caesura · 08-14-2003, 07:18 AM

Thanks for the welcome guys. Yes the mushrooms are still alive. However there are no longer just a few there are a hundred or more and have spread everywhere in the tank. A couple of pounds of new rock would probably do the tank good as well as be a way for me to get rid of some of the shrooms. The tank is an oceanic 75g rr with a drilled 20g long for a sump. For lighting I have 2 175w 10k mh and 2 40w no actinics. The no lights have been the only thing running for the past 3 years on a 12hour cycle. An Iwaki 40rlt provides circulation as well as power for the berlin skimmer. There are currently 2 mj 1200s to supplement flow in the display.

I have changed all the lamps. Still only running the NO's on a 12hour cycle. Fired the mh for a couple of hours to test. I have new filters in my Kent Maxima 50 and have done three large water changes (30 gallon). My test kits are old but I used them anyway with these results.

were

PH 8.0
Alk 5.0
Calcium 500
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate off scale 200+

After several large water changes over the past few weeks.
My water is currently.

PH 8.2
Alk 6.0
Calcium 450
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 200-

I recently purchased 2 scwd's from premium aquatics thinking about a future closed loop with the iwaki 40. I also have an etss 800 skimmer that I would like to get going. I am thinking about trying to do some larger water changes to speed things along in the water quality. I thought about 100% change but I am afraid of the effects it will have on the critters in the rock.

tdwyatt · 08-14-2003, 07:32 AM

more later: The rock is like a sponge, slowly releasing the nitrate that has been saturating the tank for some time, both good and bad. It will take several more big water changes (read as 50% every week) for a bit to bring the nitrate down. Might try to do a huge (>90%) but it will make whatever is left in the tank prolly pout for a few weeks.

In the meantime, set up the skimmer and get it going. Carbon will hel as well.

This has great potential as a clam set up!

caesura · 08-14-2003, 07:55 AM

Yes the tank is bare bottomed. I tried the crushed coral (lfs called it live sand) thing years ago with no luck. I put it in had algae problems almost immediately and removed it. I am currently running hydrocarbon2 in the sump (about a 1/2liter) I have 2 bags and rotate them every couple of days. I need to get a pump for the skimmer. The etss website says to use an iwaki 55rlt. Are there any other pumps that will run this thing?

Geoff · 08-14-2003, 09:11 AM

silly question, hope i am not insulting you. are you sure you have hundreds of mushrooms, and not hundreds of aiptasia or mojano? i wish i could get shrooms to reproduce that well in my tanks. if they are shrooms you will need to get them used to the mh's slowly.

you have a lot of potential in that tank without a whole lot of effort.

i was looking around at the pump specs. they are going to be tough to find a cheaper alternative. apparantly the skimmer needs a very high pressure rated pump. it will be tough to find a pump that can pump nearly 27' with a flow of a little over 1000gph at 0.

G~

caesura · 08-14-2003, 09:35 AM

Not an insult good question. I think they are mushrooms definately not aiptasia. Don't know what mojano is. I will have to slowly start the mh. I have turned them on for a couple of hours and the mushrooms retreat to the rock. I will try to attach a pic of the tank taken on 8/11/2003.

Geoff · 08-14-2003, 10:38 AM

them are shrooms.

wowsers. they will not like the light much. if you can they would be best put under ledges. if you can make a large bridge of LR in the tank you can place the shrooms under it and in any other darker areas. with that many shrooms you could trade them in at most LFS for critters you really want.

tank is not nearly as bad as i was invisioning it. not a big fan of the branching LR. it seems to take up a lot of room without being usefull. it looks like you have a lot of LR not really doing anything but filling space. if you can get a couple of big pieces to make ledges that would open up the tank a lot.

G~

Buzz_Hog · 08-14-2003, 11:13 AM

WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I sure wish I could grow shrooms like that... You definately have some trading power with them at the LFS... For the tan k being as old as it is and as neglected as you claim, it looks pretty ****ed good!!!

Can't wait to see some pics of what it looks like when you start really maintaining it again...

And Welcome to TRT!!!!!!!!!

Ray1214 · 08-14-2003, 01:22 PM

Dang Hoss, and exactly why do you want to get rid of these shrooms. They are gorgeous. I would definatly like to work a thermos trade with you for some of the orange ones and the bright red ones.

Ray

Casey · 08-14-2003, 02:30 PM

wowee he has the shroom thangy down right!

caesura · 08-14-2003, 07:31 PM

I think the photo is a little deceptive. It was taken after doing alot of work on the tank. I have been trying to rid the rock of algae. I have pulled as much of it as I can. I cleaned the glass a couple of times now. I siphoned all the silt out and have been blowing off the rocks with a power head when doing water changes. When I bought the shrooms the lfs told me that they would be very aggressive towards other corals and to keep them seperated. Does anyone know if they really are? If they aren't that aggressive maybe I will keep them. I do like the idea of a large bridge. Maybe I will do that and put the excess rock in the sump.

Buzz_Hog · 08-14-2003, 07:35 PM

I've never known mushrooms to be a problem to other corals...

I'd say to keep them... They look great in the tank!!!

caesura · 08-14-2003, 07:40 PM

Thanks Buzz. I think I will keep them. At least most of them.