Star's 15g contest tank

[star27624]

Current FTS (November 2010):

 

Tank: 15g 24"x12"x12" picked up used from craigslist

Light: 4x24W Nova extreme

Bulbs: Finnex Actinic

Current 10k

ATI Blue plus

ATI aqua blue special

Filter: AC 70

Powerhead: MP10

Heater: 75W stealth

Controller: AcJr (still figuring out how to use this)

Sand: 20lb caribsea figi pink

Rock: ~15lbs figi live rock and the ~5lbs of live rock formerly in my 3g picotope

 

Livestock:

Fish: 6-line wrasse

 

Invertebrates:

Nassarius snails

Assorted hitchhiking feather dusters

 

 

Anemones:

5 mini carpet anemones

7 maxi mini carpet anemones

1 rock flower anemones

 

 

Mushrooms:

3 Ricoridea Florida assorted colors

 

 

Gorgonians:

1 fat yellow gorg (no idea on sci name at this time. Got it at the CORA swap)

 

Macro Algae:

Red titan

Caulerpa (from got2envy forgot the name)

Blue scroll (from got2envy)

Misc. red algea hitchhiker from a coral frag.

Chaeto (in refugium)

Halimeda (Monile/Incrassata)

Mermaid's Fan

Mermaid's Shot Glass

Pencil Cap

Red Gracilaria

Pink galaxy

Flame Algae

Laurencia

Pink Spot ... (forgot the name)

Unknown brown/purple macro hitchhiker on a zoa frag (only reason I bought it)

 

 

 

The Beginning:

This tank is an upgrade from my 3g picotope that I have ran out of room in.

 

Pardon the odd angle. The tank will be turned once I move everything from the 3g tank to the left over.

 

I have 15 lbs of figi liverock cycled in a bucket waiting to go into this tank. I also have a 20lb bag of caribsea sand ready to go in. Just waiting on enough time to put it all together.

[animalmaster6]

Sweet!!

 

Adding you to the list

[star27624]

Making progress on this tank today. I just finished taking my 3g picotope down and fragging off the bubble algae that had invaded. I hope to have everything moved into this tank in the next few hours. Pictures later tonight. Back to work on getting this set up and running.

 

Just for fun.... Did you know that chickens will eat bubble algae? Wish there was some way to employ them in the tank and not just what I pick off and dump in the yard.

[animalmaster6]

That's Awesome!

[star27624]

Pictures of today's accomplishment.

 

FTS is in first post.

 

Side shot:

 

Random pics of some of the inhabitants:

 

 

 

[got2envy]

Hey macros!!!

 

looks like you had some work today haha

 

 

lookin good

[animalmaster6]

Sweet..

 

Did everything survive?

[star27624]

So far everything is doing well. I think I have a zoa colony partially upside down, but that is easily fixed once I turn lights on later. I saw all the motile inhabitants, but the pom pom crab last night. I know he's in there, so not worried about lack of sighting. The clown goby seemed to be enjoying exploring the new digs.

[animalmaster6]

Glad to hear everything is doing well.

[star27624]

The green clown goby found one of his rics finally, but of course went back into the rock when I got the camera out.

[animalmaster6]

haha I hate when that happens.

[star27624]

New goodies! Snails and macroalgaes from John @ reefcleaners.org

 

Acclimation Pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

All In!

Actinic FTS

 

Daylight FTS

 

Side shot

 

Random pics

 

 

 

 

 

That's all for now.

[got2envy]

lovely <3

 

nice bag 0' snails haha

[star27624]

Oh yeah, those were definitely bags full of snails. I will probably end up moving some over to my 29g BC. I was trying to get them out and in before my furry assistants could run off with the bags. I didn't think to get a picture of the one cat trying to take one of the bags, I just shooed her down from beside the tank.

 

I need to get some of the macros retrieved from the little caves in the LR where the flow pushed them, and organize the frags that are still pretty much just plopped on the sand. Put the rics back into a garden and the zoas in one area, then see where I might start placing the maxi mini carpet anemones once the tank has a bit longer to settle in from the upgrade.

[animalmaster6]

Cool stuff from John

[star27624]

Well I almost had heart failure with this tank a little while ago. I looked at the AcJr and it said that the tank temperature was 120!!!!!

 

I am looking at the tank and see that everything is fine, stick my hand in and the temperature is definitely not that high. Regular thermometer say that the tank is at 77, right where it is supposed to be.

 

I am puzzled that the temperature probe would be working fine, and now it has decided that everything is 120. I have restarted the brain, unplugged the probe and plugged it back in, and even tested it in another container of water. It goes right back to 120. So I guess I have to order new temperature probe. Ugh.

[star27624]

In my hunt for a new temperature probe, I found the solution to the probes annoying me by not staying where I put them in the tank.

 

 

This just became available on the 28th. Can't wait for it to arrive with the new temperature probe.

[animalmaster6]

120 Whoa!!

 

That's really weird

[star27624]

FTS:

 

Side shot:

[animalmaster6]

The tank is looking great!

[star27624]

Random pics:

Can you see me?

 

 

[animalmaster6]

That's very interesting I've never seen a Porcelain Crab go on the glass.

[star27624]

Me either, but I took advantage of it! They had only been in the tank maybe 5 minutes when I started taking pictures. I may not get another chance to get the cool shots with them again.

 

This was right after I got them all in.

[animalmaster6]

They look good even right when you put them in!

[star27624]

It was really cool watching them "swim" and the settle on the bottom. They have each taken a slightly different spot in the tank for now. The one is still in the culpera, the others have found different zoa frags.