Please help. First ray into 360.

[armac]

To be honest with you guys, it seems like you are not very experienced, and you are having a difficult time coming to terms with it. For the sake of your rays, please slow down.

You said, earlier "Matt has been keeping fish since he was very small' but some of his questions sound like he is not that experienced.

"1. How do you keep driftwood from tea'ing your tank? Someone told me to boil it, but I don't have 3 cauldrons so... there goes that idea.

2. How do you make a PVC heater guard? (GX300 quartz heaters) I just got some pretty powerful heaters (although not by MFK standards; a diesel-powered heater might be for someone's "small" 30,000 gallon tank) and I don't want my rays to get teh burnination. I know you drill holes in it, but won't the heaters melt the pvc? Doesn't the PVC restrict the water flow over the heater, reducing it's ability to heat your tank?

3. How to you mount a powerhead in the tank? (It's a rio 2100). I'm going to eventually put it in the 5'x6' plywood tank for the under gravel gets, but I'd like to get some use out of it now."

And you say that "Turbostart isn't a gimmick- it is a mixture of very select strains of efficient aerobic bacteria.' but your tub is making amonia like crazy, it is not cycled.

Good luck with all the different directions you are going, I wish your rays the best.

 

[ashleysomething]

To be honest with you guys, it seems like you are not very experienced, and you are having a difficult time coming to terms with it. For the sake of your rays, please slow down.

You said, earlier "Matt has been keeping fish since he was very small' but some of his questions sound like he is not that experienced.

"1. How do you keep driftwood from tea'ing your tank? Someone told me to boil it, but I don't have 3 cauldrons so... there goes that idea.

2. How do you make a PVC heater guard? (GX300 quartz heaters) I just got some pretty powerful heaters (although not by MFK standards; a diesel-powered heater might be for someone's "small" 30,000 gallon tank) and I don't want my rays to get teh burnination. I know you drill holes in it, but won't the heaters melt the pvc? Doesn't the PVC restrict the water flow over the heater, reducing it's ability to heat your tank?

3. How to you mount a powerhead in the tank? (It's a rio 2100). I'm going to eventually put it in the 5'x6' plywood tank for the under gravel gets, but I'd like to get some use out of it now."

And you say that "Turbostart isn't a gimmick- it is a mixture of very select strains of efficient aerobic bacteria.' but your tub is making amonia like crazy, it is not cycled.

Good luck with all the different directions you are going, I wish your rays the best.

Contrary as always, Reverse. I wonder what emotion you were feeling when you were looking for those quotes.

Just because someone asks questions doesn't mean that they are inexperienced; everyone still has something to learn.

Do you think that every experienced aquarist has used driftwood before? Heater guards are something we made specifically for rays- again, nothing to do with general experience.

Thanks for your well-wishing, at least in writing. Best of luck to you, too, buddy.

P.S.- we don't post here to be picked at by you, but to learn. I don't think we are going to learn anything else from you in particular, so if you could not clutter our threads up with your nay-saying in the future, we would really appreciate it.

 

[Jamieishard]

your tank is amazing your rays are amazing and your dedication is amazing....these poeple dont see you run around like mad scientists or talk to you while your up all night doing water changes....nor do they watch as you dump your savings on sick rays that noone else would have touched in hopes of maybe at least being able to save one... and with the 4 sickies you have and all actually starting to look healthy and doing such a turn around i think you guys are doing perfect...at least your on here collecting info and researching and getting people opinions...figuring out what works for you.

i cant wait to see leland in there...

 

[Miles]

Of all people, I would be the one to rip on someone for extreme 'Liger' loving...

However, I have had lengthy chats with both Matt and Ashley, and there is one thing that separates them from most Liger hunters..

Comprehensibility.

They ask questions, they absorb answers, they have PASSION for these fish, just like the rest of us.. They aren't here to brag about their trophy rays with their cichlidiot friends.. They aren't here to spend big money on black rays and gloat. They aren't here demanding the answers to the most basic of questions...

They do there research, they ask detailed questions, they seek knowledge and advice. They came to the right place, correct?

We were all new at some point ... however, I don't ever remember bringing up lengthy in-depth conversations about aerobic bacterias and the maturation process of nitrosomonas in saline water.. especially in my first few months of raykeeping.. My questions were more like - What do they eat? ... What were your first fishkeeping questions like? Osmoregulation? Potamotrygon Identification? Nitrification?


Get off their freaking case.. they are trying, they are asking, they are DOING. They have invested large amounts of money into these animals they love and CARE for... which is better than some idiot coming on here asking what to feed his 55g tank, with an oscar, and a 'teacup'... Those are the people you VETS should be ripping on.

Did you buy a 360g in your first few months of raykeeping? Oh and you had those 500g stock tanks on order, too, I bet? .... Taking it 'slow' is just a learning curve.. they seem to pick things up quick. Remember that word, comprehensibility... you are all masters of it, right?

So lighten up a little, huh guys?

 

[ashleysomething]

As some have mentioned above as well, if Turbostart is really able to cycle a tank in a day as you seem to claim, then why is the ammonia still as high as it is, and why hasn't the cycle completed?

This was listed in a previous thread. Sorry that you missed it, African_Fever. The high salt concentrations probably retarded the development of the biomedia. Water tests showed both Nitrite and Nitrate production from fairly early on, but not at the levels required. Hence, the water changes and such.

Finding something you love and running with it is great, as long as you're not jumping into a shark tank during a feeding frenzy (wow, sharks, I love sharks, yaaayyy!). My point is to just slow down and take your time, this hobby isn't meant to be stressful, it's meant to be relaxing. I can't imagine how much of a PITA changing so much water every day is, and how it will wear you of the fun in the hobby. KISS

Your analogy with the shark tank appears, to any casual observer, just condescending. I'm going to go ahead and just take it as well-meant advice to try and save us a headache in the future, but if you want someone to recieve your words in good spirit mockery isn't always the best method of delivery. Everyone has their own pace at which they enjoy things, just as they keep fish for their own reasons. Raykeeping, originally, was an experiment to someone. Mind you, it probably didn't end well, but our experiments are with slight variations in salt concentration, dietary items, substrate choice, etc. Thanks for the advice, and best of luck to you.

 

[rook45]

No offense but I've been reading through your threads recently and I have to agree that some of your questions remind me of noob questions I hear at the LFS all day long. So I'll tell you like I tell the people at the LFS, take your time and don't rush anything. It takes 4-6 weeks for a tank to properly cycle. If you rush your fish die and you get turned off from the hobby and quit. Take your time and you will love the hobby.
The truth of the matter is that 150 tub is going to take forever to cycle with all the water changing but I understand it has to be done because you took the nose dive approach at ray keeping. My advise would be keep up the water changing in the 150 and cycle the 360 properly and it will be smooth sailing from there. Good luck

 

[ashleysomething]

Of all people, I would be the one to rip on someone for extreme 'Liger' loving...

However, I have had lengthy chats with both Matt and Ashley, and there is one thing that separates them from most Liger hunters..

Comprehensibility.

They ask questions, they absorb answers, they have PASSION for these fish, just like the rest of us.. They aren't here to brag about their trophy rays with their cichlidiot friends.. They aren't here to spend big money on black rays and gloat. They aren't here demanding the answers to the most basic of questions...

They do there research, they ask detailed questions, they seek knowledge and advice. They came to the right place, correct?

We were all new at some point ... however, I don't ever remember bringing up lengthy in-depth conversations about aerobic bacterias and the maturation process of nitrosomonas in saline water.. especially in my first few months of raykeeping.. My questions were more like - What do they eat? ... What were your first fishkeeping questions like? Osmoregulation? Potamotrygon Identification? Nitrification?


Get off their freaking case.. they are trying, they are asking, they are DOING. They have invested large amounts of money into these animals they love and CARE for... which is better than some idiot coming on here asking what to feed his 55g tank, with an oscar, and a 'teacup'... Those are the people you VETS should be ripping on.

Did you buy a 360g in your first few months of raykeeping? Oh and you had those 500g stock tanks on order, too, I bet? .... Taking it 'slow' is just a learning curve.. they seem to pick things up quick. Remember that word, comprehensibility... you are all masters of it, right?

So lighten up a little, huh guys?

Miles, if we didn't have anything to learn from your awesome love for rays and know-how for their husbandry, I'm sure we would be more than glad to learn from your patience and understanding. Thanks.

 

[FishDog]

Back to the matter at hand, I had a qt tank that did the same thing as your 150 is doing now. The culprit ended up being that my bio media was under sized for the amount of water I had. I had plenty of recirculation and mechanical filtration but the tank was bare bottom so I had nothing extra in the tank to help the filters. I would take more scrubbies from your establised 125 and put into the 150 and take the ones from the 150 and put them into the 125 say a half and half swap. Leave the 360 running with some cycling fish in it until it is ready and then add the rays. Water changes will partially dilute the ammonia but will not take it away and the more water changes the longer the cycling process takes.

 

[Miles]

PS. Get a fluidized bed!!

 

[armac]

Quote:
Originally Posted by reverse
With only a month or two experience, are you comfortable giving out advice?


"Sometimes I like you so much because we think so much alike.."

Was this your post Miles? now you seem to think otherwise...........and I am disheartened.

And BTW the link for my post above is like you, it does not work.