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My First Saltwater Tank - 12G Aquapod


smarcus3

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My reef tank was started on 9/12/08. After talking to my LFS for a few hours, I decided to go with a 12 Gallon Aquapod. That first day I picked up my tank, gravel substrate, and LR. I immediately rushed home and started to set up my tank. Having throughly rinsed the gravel I threw it in the bottom of the tank and arranged the LR. I was very excited to look at my very expensive rocks.

 

Here are some pics of the cycling and first day of my tank:

 

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After 1 week on 9/17/08 my tank was finally reading all zeros for nitrite and nitrate so I added my cleaning crew which consisted red and blue hermit crabs, 4 snails, and one emerald crab. It was finally nice to get something living in the tank instead of just having to look at LR with a few feather dusters (hitch hikers) growing on it.

 

Here are a few pics of them taken on 9-19-08:

 

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I will keep trying to catch up to the current pictures, just please be patient. It looks much better now. :-)

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I seriously hope that green thing in the front isn't a piece of SPS... If so not only will it not survive in your tank under stock lighting, but it absolutely won't survive for sure on the bottom in the sand...

 

With that said, you have a nice start so far, good luck!!

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I seriously hope that green thing in the front isn't a piece of SPS... If so not only will it not survive in your tank under stock lighting, but it absolutely won't survive for sure on the bottom in the sand...

 

With that said, you have a nice start so far, good luck!!

 

no its a dead piece i was given by my LFS. It is actually smashed now in order to have more little pieces of rock. I did not how it looked out of place

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Now on 9/22/08 I went to my LFS are was told that some mushrooms were a good choice for me to start with because they were hardy and didn’t require much light or current. So I went with four different mushroom polyps that were not attached to any LR or plug because I wanted to save money. I was told that I could just glue them onto LR and they would stick. BUT this was not the case and because of this only 2 out of the 4 are still stuck to the LR and another one is really bunched up. Hopefully it will open up. I also picked up a pair of Blue Green Chromis fish that are about an inch long each. They look really nice under the tank’s lighting and change from blue to green depending on how the light hits them.

 

Here are some pics:

 

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So you still have two mushrooms not attached? it won't be a problem if you don't If you search around, you will find a lot of ways to attach them. One way is to wrap some mesh around the rock or rubble and the shroom. After a while it will attach itself.

 

thank is looking good!

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So you still have two mushrooms not attached? it won't be a problem if you don't If you search around, you will find a lot of ways to attach them. One way is to wrap some mesh around the rock or rubble and the shroom. After a while it will attach itself.

 

thank is looking good!

 

one is now attached to some gravel and one is inbetween 2 pieces of LR at the bottom of my tank, but I can really get to it easily and not sure what to do.

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Now I wanted to add some real coral to my tank, but did not want to pay some outrageous price for it. On 9/27/08 I found another LFS that had some frags of two different kinds of soft corals for 10 dollars and I bought one of each. They are a small zoanthid colony of 11 polyps and a small colt coral. After acclimating each of these they opened up completely after only two hours which really amazed me. Here are a few photos showing them open up over those two hours.

 

Photos:

 

Zoanthid Colony

 

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Colt Coral

 

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Tank

 

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On 10/2/08 I decided to get a fire fish because they just looked so pretty and weren't a hundred dollars so I wouldn't cry forever if one died on me since this was my first saltwater tank. Another factor is that they are peaceful so it wouldn't terrorize my 2 blue green chromis fish.

 

Heres a pic of the fire fish:

 

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Here is a pic of the tank:

 

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Before I even start to say what I got 10/5/08 I would like to say I already know that it was tooo early and my LFS tricked me. Don't say I was stupid anymore. I know.

 

Well, I walked into to the fish store during lunch and I saw this beautiful BTA. I have been thinking about getting one for a little bit now and already did some research before walking into my LFS. As soon as I saw it I had to get it, so thats what I did after I talked for a little while about the requirements needed for a BTA. They said that it should do fine in my tank, and I said, "ok."

 

Here's a bunch of photos of my BTA:

 

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20 days old and 3 fish and bta? way to fast! be careful and patient or u will be sorry later! goodluck

 

lmao! :lol:

 

yeah I know. It's a learning experience.

 

Here is some photos of my tank taken on 10/16/08. As you see the LR is in its final position hopefully and the BTA has found its permanent home after moving slightly from its original place. Sorry for the stupid looking water bottle in the photo, but thats where my annoying mushroom is staying for the time being.

 

Hope you enjoy them:

 

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Finally caught up to present time, YES.

 

So today my tank has slowly been losing heat, I guess b/c it is starting to slowly but surly get colder outside. When I got back from work today the tank was 74 degrees. So I panicked and drove like a crazy man to my LFS and bought a 50 watt heater to get the temp back up to 77-78 degrees. I got a marineland one that has an on/off indicator light, a temperature dial to set the temperature, and is accurate to 1 degree for 20 bucks. I set it in the back of the tank and let it sit there for 30 minutes so it wouldn't scatter. Then I turned it on to get the temp back to what it normally is.

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dont listen 2 a word your lfs has told you. he is out to take your money and he is doin a fine job so far. is that stock lighting?

 

Thats what I have learned, I no longer trust them at all. I go there. Look what they have. Go home. Research about it. Then buy if its a good fit for me.

 

And yes its stock lighting, but everything in the tank seems to be doing really well and growing.

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Thats what I have learned, I no longer trust them at all. I go there. Look what they have. Go home. Research about it. Then buy if its a good fit for me.

 

And yes its stock lighting, but everything in the tank seems to be doing really well and growing.

cool take it slow and enjoy. Alot of good peeps on here that can help just have 2 ask! :)

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cool take it slow and enjoy. Alot of good peeps on here that can help just have 2 ask! :)

 

yeah. I am done putting stuff in it for a while. I like how it looks b/c it actually looks alive and you can see grow in 2 weeks time or so which is pretty cool.

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I can only find one of my Blue Green Chromis fish tonight after just seeing the pair about 30 minutes ago. Is it possible that my BTA decided to eat it?

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It's possible. Also with the BTA you won't be able to keep much of anything else in the tank. BTAs really shouldn't be kept in a tank of your size unless it's the only thing you plan to keep. I agree that you did too much WAY too fast. Definitely slow it down a few notches and enjoy the tank in the meantime. Take it slow and have fun. Above all, don't listen to your LFS like mentioned above. ;)

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It's possible. Also with the BTA you won't be able to keep much of anything else in the tank. BTAs really shouldn't be kept in a tank of your size unless it's the only thing you plan to keep. I agree that you did too much WAY too fast. Definitely slow it down a few notches and enjoy the tank in the meantime. Take it slow and have fun. Above all, don't listen to your LFS like mentioned above. ;)

 

yep yep I completely agree with all your statements above.

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i just wanted to give you a little info on anemones. this is not a bash. but despite what people say, and even though it attached itsel for now. it will let go and walk at somepoint. if you add any other coral there is a chance it will sting the coral and kill it. next the stock lighting is not quite enough to keep it happy. the tenticals will stretch long and slim trying to get to the light. they also grow very large. but if you are going to keep it long term, you have to feed it. pieces of shrinp, silver sides even mysis directly in the center. good luck and go slow. you not the first one to put one in a small system like this but iv seen it a lot and at some point it will take over the tank. welcome to the hobby and nano reef.

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i just wanted to give you a little info on anemones. this is not a bash. but despite what people say, and even though it attached itsel for now. it will let go and walk at somepoint. if you add any other coral there is a chance it will sting the coral and kill it. next the stock lighting is not quite enough to keep it happy. the tenticals will stretch long and slim trying to get to the light. they also grow very large. but if you are going to keep it long term, you have to feed it. pieces of shrinp, silver sides even mysis directly in the center. good luck and go slow. you not the first one to put one in a small system like this but iv seen it a lot and at some point it will take over the tank. welcome to the hobby and nano reef.

 

thanks for the info. Right now I am feeding it once every 2 or three days. How often should I feed it?

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