Skadwick's 29biocube (Added many pictures)

[Skadwick]

Current FTS (June-8-2010)

 

After the major revamp (Mar-08-2010)

 

Starting FTS

 

Thread keeping up with my progression. Also for criticism/compliments and stuff like that

 

Equipment

biocube 29

HQI 150w Sundial MH (14k Artimus bulb)

Koralia 1

Koralia 2

$2 soapdish intank fuge

bakpak skimmer

running chemipure elite, Purigen, and Phosban.

visi-therm 100W heater

 

Livestock

Midas blenny

Fairy wrasse

Coral beauty

Green Clown Goby

Yellow watchman

Starrynight ACRO

pink birdsnest

various softies

yellow polyps and redsea xenia are taking over my tank!

branching frogspawn

bam-bam zoas!

 

R.I.P.

Firefish (KIA)

Sixline (crushed himself behind a powerhead)

 

More updates to come.

[Arkayology]

Looking good. There is a lot of real estate in there and I think you could use some reds, greens and blues to help give it some color. Some acans, Ricordias and shrooms would be good, some nice colorful zoas and some branching sps up top and you will be doing even better.

 

The Pseudochromis springeri would not be a bad choice, but it can get aggressive.

[Skadwick]

Thread describing my algae problem

 

Random pic I took a minute ago of some zoas I got a while back any idea on the name of these?

[Skadwick]

Skimmer came in. Looks like my other stuff wont be here untill Monday or Tuesday. The skimmer is working great and already producing skimmate and not making any bubbles in the tank like I thought it would. Currently have the pump for it in the tank and the outtake is in chamber 1, but once I hang my lights I plan on putting the pump in chamber one if it fits.

 

 

[Nanobuds]

awesome tank!

[redkneecoral]

your tank looks great. The water looks so clear.

You have lots of corals. I ove those xenias. I had always wanted that type of xenia. send some my way hahaha.

 

Great job.

[Skadwick]

Thanks for the comments

 

Skimmer is working amazingly....giving me a tea color skimmate, filling about 1/4" a day. Added a Midas blenny and Coral beauty. The Midas blenny just sits on my powerheads, but he is eating like a beast. My coral Beauty has not eaten and just sits in the back behind all my LR, but hes still looking fat and healthy so im not too worried yet (its been 5 days.) Took out all my old filter media added Chemipure Elite, Purigen, and Phosban. Also added a viso-therm heater which is keeping my tank right at 79-80. Bad redslime in the pictures as its been about a week since iv done a WC and sucked it up, but I have some water mixing now and plan on getting a lot of it out. Finalllly hung my MH, although its a little crooked . Also added a starrynight acro and pick birdsnest. finally mounted my frogspawn.

 

See first post for an updated FTS

 

Picturessss!!!!

 

best pic I could get of the coral beauty

 

hurr durr im a midas blenny

 

acro

 

Birdsnest

 

my white frogspawn..which contrary to my thoughts apparently isnt bleached?

 

Roscoe P. Coltrane helping me take pictures by chewing on a water bottle cap

[Kittysnax]

d'aaaaw you have a pit crew as well! (a housepet) LOL!

[SpringFever]

Doesn't that egg-crate on top block out a lot of light? I would switch to netting and let more light into your tank.

[Skadwick]

Doesn't that egg-crate on top block out a lot of light? I would switch to netting and let more light into your tank.

 

ehh, idk. Iv sat there looking at the light with it and without it, and I see little difference. If anything id say it just blocks a very small amount. Though, I do plan on making a nice top out of some net sometime in the nearfuture...its just not a huge priority right now.

 

d'aaaaw you have a pit crew as well! (a housepet) LOL!

 

xD 2 dogs and a 2yearold nephew

[Skadwick]

not surprisingly, I came home tonight to a dead angel... Will be contacting live aquaria tonight or tomorrow to see what they can do if anything. Blenny is still just sitting on my powerhead, but he is eating. Should I be worried about him?

[Kittysnax]

D:

 

I'm sorry about your angel! Is the blenny breathing hard? What were your params? /sad

[Skadwick]

D:

 

I'm sorry about your angel! Is the blenny breathing hard? What were your params? /sad

 

params are fine...nitrates are a little iffy being at around 10. And the blenny is breathing pretty normally...if anything maybe a little bit faster than my other fish but not much.

[Skadwick]

Tomorrow I will be completely redoing my tank. Plan so far is, keep 50% of the water in a rubbermaid with the fish and corals. I have 5 gallons or so mixing now to put the LR in. Ill have two 5 gallon buckets, one for moving rock outside to break up, the other for cleaning the rocks after. I will then mix fresh water in a 5gallon bucket to clean the rocks AGAIN. Replacing my sand with Fijipink then putting as much of my old water as I can in then replacing the rest with fresh salt water, putting all the rocks back in and reaquascaping. I will let that settle for as long as I can then put all the fish and corals back in. In the process I will be cleaning all my equipment also. Trading my huge yellow polyp and xenia colonies for some nice looking LR or some other corals.

 

I just want to get this done in a few hours with little to no lss of life if possible. Tell me if this looks ok, and or if there is anything I should change in my plan.

 

Oh and I have been rinsing my new sand for the past two days, letting it dry now

[Degener8]

Not sure why your letting the sand dry exactly but thorough rinsing will be good for when you start adding water. The plan looks solid I just hope the amount of work is not to ambitious for the few hours you said you wanted it done in.

Remember to reacclimate everything with the 50% or so new water your going to have. Take your time acclimating its near the end but not time to rush ..

 

GL on the cleanup

[Skadwick]

Drying sand because a friend was told to when he did his...but he was rinsing used sand and mine is new. And when I say a few hours I really just mean within a day. Ill start as early as I can and try to finish before going to sleep.

[redkneecoral]

I'll be looking forwardon seeing what you have changed around.

I see another Ga reefer, awesome

[Skadwick]

The re-do went well. So far nothing seems to be reacting negatively. Took out two big rocks and broke all the others up. sand bed is now about 2 inches deep...whole process took about 5 hours and I don't think I could be happier with the results. Found my firefish who has been missing for 3 weeks in the back chamber. I swear I looked back there with all the media etc out ad a flashlight and diddnt see him...I am guessing we killed him during the rinsing as he looked like he was still alive...fat and colorful with no chunks out of him or anything...O well atleast everything else is awesome

 

Blah blah blah PICS!!!

Too many pics and too lazy to make them smaller sorry if you have to break your neck looking at them

 

Grosssss (first 8 are all from last night)

 

mmm detritus

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lights were ####ting on my crappy camera

 

Then I busted out the good camera! (pics from today)

 

 

New cave for watchman....he went right to it

 

Future zoa garden

 

FTS's for last

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The remaining corals and rock im giving to friends

[redkneecoral]

i really like the rockwork change, more appealing to the eye IMO, especially the arch in the top center.

Coralsare looking good. IS the a kenya or a Toro tree. kinda hard for me to tell apart.

[Skadwick]

i really like the rockwork change, more appealing to the eye IMO, especially the arch in the top center.

Coralsare looking good. IS the a kenya or a Toro tree. kinda hard for me to tell apart.

 

Thanks

 

and im not sure what it is. I KNOW its not a normal kenya tree as it acts more like a toadstool...doesnt spread like weeds and moves to be more under the light which is cool. I havent looked into it much but what ever it is I like it.

[redkneecoral]

IMO I think it's an Taro tree, but I'm no expert on Iding.

Iether way, great looking tree. My kenya forever dropping branches lol. I gave them all away, don't want anymore trees other the one I have

[Jruberti]

new aquascape is awesome, your welcome

[Skadwick]

Cleaned and did a WC for the first time last night. It is soooooo much easier to clean now! Only thing is the top rock gets almost entirely exposed =/

[Skadwick]

Went to me no-so-local fish store today and spent the rest of my money Got a legit frogspawn (not like my white one which is growing heads like crazy lately) and some species of fairy wrasse. The wrasse is missing a pectoral fin, which I did not notice in the store. He swims fine and seemed to be health and happy, will he grow itback? Couldnt find him when I got back home tonight though, im assuming he just went to sleep in the sand early as my MH was off and my actinics were about to go out. Best pics I could get while they were acclimating.

 

 

 

Also, I came in possession of some pretty nice pieces of some nano LR..and I thought... I have a spare heater, PH, and hob filter... Why not go out and buy a 2.5 gallon? So I did. Used established rock, sand, and water so I figured parameters would be fine..sooooo I also got a clown goby for it today! also added a HoB filter with carbon and phosban along with a kenya tree and some yellow polyps. Looking for massive tips on my new pico, I went into it quick without much research. I will probably make a separate thread for it soon, but for now it will share!

 

[Skadwick]

Pictures!!!! Plan on mounting my SPS today finallly...the bottom was getting cluttered and the top half is to bare. Tell me what ya think Also, refer to the previous post.

 

Updated pico FTS

biocube time! What kind of wrasse is this? looks jsut like a yellowfin fairy, but is lacking the yellow fin. he is also missing a pectoral fin

new frogspawn

original frogspawn

The ever elusive clown goby

 

And lastly updated FTS. Also edited first post with this pic.