New 12Gal Nano DX

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CAPSLOCK

Elite Fish
#41
Jul 19, 2004
3,682
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48
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Cape Cod
#41
Your rocks look awesome. It costs almost twice as much over here... it's almost $10/lb if you don't get a whole bunch.

I just wanted to say that you can get hermits, they won't cause any problems. They're really fun to watch, and they're cute. As long as you have extra shells lying around for them when they need to change shells, they won't go after snails or each other or anything.
 

Masta_Cheef

Masta_Cheef

Large Fish
#42
Jun 15, 2005
315
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36
Mesa, AZ
#42
OCCFan023 said:
...I turned the heater down until the tank stabalzed at a point I liked. Has worked well for me and havent hadany temp fluxuations. I have my heater set about 72-71 now and it stays at my desired 75-76
Click to expand...

The only problem I have with that is I don't have a heater. >_< It's just skyrocketing the temperature up higher than it ever was before. The only thing that's changed in that tank is the fact that there's LR in it now. I guess I'll have to leave the hood door open or something.. There's not much else I can do to cool it off. I guess I'll just have to keep a close eye on it. What else can I do? Could I move it to a better ventilated area of my room? Would that make any difference? Right now, lights off, hood open, it's at about 83°F. >_< What's going on?
 

S

shwnicus

Large Fish
#43
Feb 22, 2006
100
0
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Kirkwood, MO
#43
an area with good ventilation is good. evaporative cooling is still the most efficient cooling method on earth, and an open tank is a prime example. you still want a heater to control drastic changes in temperature. but if your tank is sitting where no air is moving, the temp will continue to rise. I've heard of people just turning a cieling fan on low, things like that can really help if you dont want ot move it. good luck!
 

Masta_Cheef

Masta_Cheef

Large Fish
#44
Jun 15, 2005
315
0
0
36
Mesa, AZ
#44
shwnicus said:
an area with good ventilation is good. evaporative cooling is still the most efficient cooling method on earth, and an open tank is a prime example. you still want a heater to control drastic changes in temperature. but if your tank is sitting where no air is moving, the temp will continue to rise. I've heard of people just turning a cieling fan on low, things like that can really help if you dont want ot move it. good luck!
Click to expand...


Now the only problem with THAT is that if I go open top, well, there go the lights. The ceiling fan is on, and so is another fan in my room. I'm still debating on what to do. It's not making sense that it's so hot when I haven't installed anything or changed the lighting schedule at all. All I've done is added LR >< To top it all off, there's algae growing all over the rocks and on the substrate, so I'd really like to get a clean up crew soon, but I'm not going to risk their lives till I can find out what the problem is.
 

Masta_Cheef

Masta_Cheef

Large Fish
#46
Jun 15, 2005
315
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36
Mesa, AZ
#46
That's a good point. I felt the pump and it didn't feel any warmer than it did before, but I don't have time to do a thorough inspection. I'll do that when I get home. I hope the thing isn't anchored to the bottom of the cube, because that's going to be a p.i.t.a. to look at. I'll check it when I get back from school. Should I flush it with some regular tap water to try and clean anything out, along with a q-tip or something try and clean the inside?

How sensative are snails and hermits to temperature and SG fluctuations? Can they withstand maybe a .02 difference in salinity and maybe 3°F difference? :p There's green hair algae all over the top of the rocks now. Also, can anyone tell me how to get fine sediment particles to settle? There's always a fine cloud of debris flowing through in the direction of the powerhead. Maybe the aragonite is too fine, or there's bits and pieces of die-off still floating? I have a surface skimmer on the thing, but they're far too fine to be captured.

Hood open, lights ON
Time: 7:40am
Temp: 83.9°F
SG: 1.026
 

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Masta_Cheef

Masta_Cheef

Large Fish
#48
Jun 15, 2005
315
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Mesa, AZ
#48
Well, I took the pump out no prob. Cleaned it out nice and well. No avail. Temps are still high.

I called my good LFS, and he told me something I hadn't even thought of. He said that I was introducing the same amount of heat into a lower volume of water. He also said to leave the door open and point a fan at the hood, but I've been doing that. Maybe I have to move the fan closer to the cube? I'm not sure what else I can do.. =\ He said that for a YWG and a pistol shrimp, he wouldn't recommend anything above 82° long-term. Other than these few things, am I screwed, or will I have to come up with an alternative solution?

What about taking out some of my sand bed? Would that help? More water volume to distribute more heat = cooler temperatures. I've got about 3" right now. It might be able to make a difference.
 

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Masta_Cheef

Masta_Cheef

Large Fish
#49
Jun 15, 2005
315
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36
Mesa, AZ
#49
3:45pm:
Well, I took out about a good inch or so of the sand bed, and it dropped the temperature 2°, down to a good respectable 80. I've also got a fan blowing on it, so it's usually around 79 now. Only problem is; I can't remember how I had the LR set up, and my pics weren't of much help. I got it back SORTA what it was, but nothing like when I first put it in. Oh well...

7:30
After the temps remained stable for about 3 hours, I went out and got 3 blue-legged hermits! They're awesome! I acclimated them in 3 seperate dixie cups, and used a pipette for about 45 mins to drop individually into each cup. I named them "Rufus" (the biggest one), "Jethro" (the middle one), and "Mordecai" (the littlest one). I thought it was kinda funny. Anyways, I just put them in around 8:45 and it's 9:25 now. All seems to be going fine. I'm going out on friday to pick up some nassarius snails and a few astrea snails. What are everyone's thoughts on getting a conch? Will it work or, or will it be a no-go?
 

A

aresgod

Superstar Fish
#50
Jan 14, 2004
1,987
2
0
mass
Visit site
#50
well you are in AZ, and temps are rising there this time of year...I assume you have AC. No one out there doesnt, I am also confused as to why you cant remove the top to help with temp exchange.
 

Masta_Cheef

Masta_Cheef

Large Fish
#52
Jun 15, 2005
315
0
0
36
Mesa, AZ
#52
The thing is, it's not a problem of the time of day. The house remains a constant temperature. It's the lights. The lights are so close to the surface of the water, heat transfers instantly to it. I'm not sure I could sleep with that monster on right next to my bed and all, either ;)
 

Masta_Cheef

Masta_Cheef

Large Fish
#54
Jun 15, 2005
315
0
0
36
Mesa, AZ
#54
Well, I solved the overheating problem, and got two nassarius snails, along with three astrea snails today. I put them in and they seem to be doing fine. I also watched my hermits swap shells. They're weird-looking without a shell.
 

Masta_Cheef

Masta_Cheef

Large Fish
#56
Jun 15, 2005
315
0
0
36
Mesa, AZ
#56
Yes, that's the store. We go there pretty often 'cause it's closer than AquaTouch, though I like both.

I thought about getting something else to take care of the hair algae everywhere, but haven't decided what. There's pods crawling all over the tank too, which I guess is a sign that I'm doing something right.
 

Masta_Cheef

Masta_Cheef

Large Fish
#57
Jun 15, 2005
315
0
0
36
Mesa, AZ
#57
Okay, got some shots of the algae. Sorry for all the little buggers on the glass. They're everywhere... =\






One of the astrea snails

Personally, I kinda like the algae. It gives some character. I don't like the pods though, because they crowd my view. There's hundreds all along the sand, the glass, the LR, the back wall, everywhere.....

What should I get next? I was thinking of a turbo snail, or a bigger hermit like an electric.
 

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