[DJ_drew]

Hey guys heres my post and progress of what im doing!
ive been talking to a few of you and no one has seen it yet so here goes

its nothing special but im on a budget
lol

its from day one where i get my tank and then build my own stand and get it all up and running

next up is the skimmer and DIY hood!

Heres the link to the Photo bucket album!

let me know what you think and what i can do to improve!

Drew

[DJ_drew]

DJ_dru_2008 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

[unclejed]

You're getting there Andrew my man! It's fun! Makes me almost want to start out all over again.

[Bonneville08]

Hi Andrew,
Just a couple of thoughts:
That clam looks extraordinarily malnourished, it may already be too late
Before the refractometer police catch on to you I would advise regular soaking of the hydrometer with white vineger to keep the Calcium Carbonate off of the float. It has to be pristine and micro bubble free to stay accurate.
The work looks very good so far,
Good luck

[DJ_drew]

haha i dont think the clam is alive my gf got it from the LFS when i bought some of the LR there wasnt anything in it
so i highly doubt its able to be saved or even alive
lol

[DJ_drew]

well heres a quick update for you guys!!

i went out today and caved and spent a bunch of money
lol
bought a 220g skimmer for my sump and i also bought a blue tang for the GF and a foxface for me!

for some reason they dont seem to wanna eat the algae i bought for them they seem content with the shrimp i feed the rest of the tank!
it took the foxface a day to get acclimated to the tank
i have two domino damsels and they like to think they are the kings of the reef but as soon as the tang started taking over the foxface fell right in behind him
lol
its funny to see
ill have some pics up again tommorow!

Drew

[WhatReef]

its is a coralife skimmer?
Also have you tried feeding them leaf lettuce that was i feed my tangs (its cheaper and they like it better than that stuff you buy at the fish store)
Also Damsels are aggresive fish, perhaps its time to trade them in for some store credit if you can catch them lol just kidding but personally I would lol

But your tank looks like its coming alond good keep up the good work.

[DJ_drew]

yeah i think it is a coral life skimmer 220g
and ive also been thinking about taking the damsels back because they have been pissing me off
lol
but you're right catching them is a different story unless they get stupid and trap themselves in the clam again
lol

[WhatReef]

yeah i hav the same skimmer it works great as an in sump skimmer as long as you keep the water level the same at all times, lol yes the damsels you might have to take everything out of the tank just to catch them or you can buy a fish trap but they are very smart and very fast fish

[DJ_drew]

they arent that smart
lol
the big one who is the mean one goes into the clam and sits there while i clean the tank i just have to close the clam and hes screwed its kind of funny to see, seeing as they are so quick but not that bright
lol

[WhatReef]

hmm well maybe you should send them my way im sure my eel or the anemone would love to snack on them lol

[DJ_drew]

hahaha remind me not to get an eel for my tank
lol
dont want my fishes to get eaten
lol
do anemones actually eat fish??
i thought clowns lived in them?

i may sound like an idiot here but oh well
lol

[WhatReef]

lol indeed you sound like an idiot there lol jk, only clowns have a bound with anemones in which they use the anemone to protect them from other fish who cannot touch anemones with out being stung so its like a safe house for them i think sailfin blennys can also touch certain things with out being harmed like mushroom cup corals which i think eat fish. you'd have to research that a lil more im not 100%

oh anemones can eat fish just depends on the fish size and the anemone size fish can be stung though i have seen it first hand and if they get stung often times they will starve to death depending on the percentage of the body thats stung, usually under 10% they will survive anything higher the fish may not eat inturn they die.

[DJ_drew]

ok so i somewhat knew what i was talking about!
lol
i have to get some new pics up on here soon i got some new fish and my skimmer to show off
lol

[WhatReef]

lol nice yes you should get some pics up I try to post tons of my 180 build cause i know how much people like seeing pics and i will be posting some of my skimmer once i have it in the sump and running.

that skimmer you bought is big for a 75 gallon! but if you ever go bigger you will never have to upgrade thats why i bought that skimmer as well cause i knew one day i would go big but never bigger than 220 but who knows if i win the lottery i would deffinitly get a huge tank with white tip reef sharks but thats just me dreaming. lol cant wait to see the pics.

[DJ_drew]

hahaha no kidding i go to big al's all the time to see the sharks!!!
so sick!!
im glad i bought a huge skimmer its working like crazy right now so much crap being pulled out of the water its awesome!

[WhatReef]

yeah thats pretty sweet man, one day when i hit the jack pot i hope to have a 500-800 gallong tank with white tip sharks just like big al's lol where ar eyou from anyways Andrew? and yes the skimmer is most likely working awesome on your 75 just make sure you aren't shining any light on it or algae will grow on it and you will have to clean it more often than you want to, also the bubble trap box where the return line goes into should be clean often as i found needs to be but i think i might just do away with that box thing altogether once i get the skimmer in the sump as the baffles in there with stop the bubbles from getting into the display tank but you may wanna keep it or use a filter sock which is easyier to clean but im sure you will figure it out over time.

[DJ_drew]

im actually from vancouver
and i know what you mean the big als sharks are insane!
i think my next tank i buy is gonna be a 250 -300 gal tank when i move into my own place so excited!

heres a question for ya
why would a foxface change colours alot?
i know its a defense mech but it seems like hes doing it alot more often then he should...

[WhatReef]

he is most likly stressed thats a sign of strees, if you "scare" your fish that will happen, perhaps there something thats scaring it, could be anything malfunctioning pump could be a shawdow of another fish or maybe its been stung by a coral Im not sure it may be sick maybe just take a look at the fish check its gills eyes fins for anything out of the ordinary i know there is a rare bug that can live underneath the fishes skin and it sucks the fishes blood and eventually kills the fish so if you see any weird bumps on the fishes body of fins let me know or take a picture would be even better but its most like just something scaring your fish, how new is the fish and what other fish do you have in with it? Also if you don't have enough rock work for it to hide itself this will cause alot of stress as fish need a safe zone where they can hide and feel safe if you don't have a good rock structure for the fish this is most likely your problem.

[DJ_drew]

ok i know i donthave alot of rock and im getting more
i think i figured it out
the damsels!!
i hate these *******s!
im gonna take them back to the LFS the keep buggin him

[WhatReef]

that makes sense especially if the damsels were in the tank before him, they are very aggressive and territorial fish and will most likely sttack him so yes get rid of them

[unclejed]

Use a fish trap for the Damsels.

[WhatReef]

yeah use a trap or if you dont have alot in your tank now just take out the rock, whatever you find easyier just make sure to starve the fish for a day or two before setting trap. If you dont have one i think there around $30 I have one and i used it once so if you can save some money by taking the rock out thats what i would do if you dont have alot in there already anyways you'll figure it out cheers.

[DJ_drew]

well i got one of the *******s out
lol
took me over an hour after i took out the LR!!!
those guys are quick and they dont get tired very easily
lol
but i also put more rock in the tank and the fish are lovin it!

[WhatReef]

nice (note to self never buy damsels lol) nah there ok but they tend to pick on any other fish you have in the tank so its good that you got them out, I find alot of local fish shops will try and sell newbies damsels fish but i suppose they are alright for starting out in the hobby and there not very expensive so their you have it