rbeng's procrastination station

[rbengal]

Welp, I finally feel really good about my tank. Good enough to make a thread for it even!

 

Here's the breakdown:

 

5.5G AGA

PAR38 20,000K with 60 degree optics

AC mini (w/fuge and surface skimmer mods)

Mini-Jet 606

50W Stealth heater & Coralife digital thermometer

Also have access to a refractometer and YSI meter for OMG super accurate salinity readings.

 

~6lbs of LR

~5lbs of LS

 

For this tank I am also using filtered natural sea water. I have read many things on using NSW and decided that I would prefer to use it, even though I also have access to Instant Ocean salt. I am a grad student in a marine bio lab and have easy access to this water, which is taken from our Marine Lab.

 

Without further ado! my FTS.

 

It sure took a lot of scaping to get it the way I wanted it!

 

With PAR38 action

 

So far my hitchhikers, which includes (so far) a few serpulid worms, a couple of small brittle stars, and a Psuedocorynactis are doing very well even though the tank has been cycling.

 

Livestock plans

CUC - 3 dwarf ceriths, 2 nass (going hermitless)

3 Sexy Shrimp

1 pom pom crab

Possibly a crinoid squat lobster

 

Zoas, Palys, LPS, and maybe some SPS in the future, but these will be placed in the center of the spotlight on the tonga branch, with lower light requiring corals on the outsides.

 

I would really like to add a squat lobster to the shrimp and crab since it's something not everyone has, but would that be overstocking?

[rbengal]

Time for a quick update (since I am procrastinating).

 

I added a black background, just some matte posterboard from Michael's and I think it looks much cleaner now. Originally I was going to leave it, but all the cords back there just ruined it. I am thinking about painting the PVC that makes up the surface skimmer. Right now it sticks out pretty bad.

Changed the scape a teeny tiny bit again, but I swear I'll keep it this way! Maybe.

 

I'm getting some diatom growth now, but the tank has been up for about two weeks and is staying steady with Ammonia at 0.25 and no Nitrites or Nitrates. Is this weird? Is it because I'm feeding my corallimorph a small amount of brine shrimp?

 

Temp stays steady around 79 degrees and salinity at 1.025.

 

Here's my FTS:

[matt12]

your ammonia will eventually turn into nitrate. not weird at all, just part of the cycle....

[rbengal]

I know the cycle, I was just interested because my ammonia has been stuck at 0.25 for a little less than two weeks. I know that everything is variable time-wise, I was just wondering when my ammonia might switch to nitrites and nitrates instead of just staring at a .25 forever. The highest it's gone is .5 so there wasn't a high spike.

 

Also any input on the crinoid squat lobster? I'm very interested in these guys.

 

Edit: I spoke too soon! Ammonia seems to be at 0 today.

[anemone fan]

So you gonna post those zoa and CUC pics or what?

[rbengal]

I didn't take my camera in, but I'll get some pics tomorrow.

 

So update then..

 

Ammonia = 0

Nitrite = 0

Nitrate = 5

pH = 8.2

 

Added 3 ceriths and 1 nassarius

Also a small frag of zoas (not sure what kind)

 

I've also been noticing copepods on the glass!

 

So glad to have found the (sorta) lfs that I went to today. It's an hour away, but has such a great collection of all types of corals as well as fish and inverts. Will def. be going there a lot!

[rbengal]

Pics of the new zoa frag! No idea what kind they are.

 

[rbengal]

New inhabitants! Crummy cell phone pics abounds today since I didn't take my camera in.

 

These were sold to me as "Philly Peachy Palys", but on closer inspection there seems to be a couple heads of Palys and a couple heads of similar color patterned zoas. Cool either way! They are a peach color, with a more peachy florescence on the tentacles and there is also a spattering of green around the mouth.

 

A Money Cowrie..he didn't have his mantle covering his shell when I took this picture, but he often has the shell covered.

 

And, most importantly, SEXIES. There are 3 of them. One of them has hosted my other zoas, but the other two enjoy hanging out on the middle rock with their little butts just waving about.

 

I also got 3 mushroom corals of different colors, but at the moment they are pretty stressed and shriveled for some reason. Hoping they get better, but everything else in the tank seems great.

[rbengal]

Added a couple more things: a pagoda cup coral that I fell in love with at the lfs and a pom pom crab. Pom pom has both nems, but is currently very shy. It has been named Dr. Zoidberg

 

The pagoda was the smallest piece they had, but after getting it in the tank it looks pretty large. Definitely my favorite so far though. No doubt it'll need a good fragging in the future and I'm not looking forward to taking a dremel to it, but for now I'll just let it be awesome.

 

Pics ahoy!

 

FTS 10/3/10

 

 

[anemone fan]

update plz

[snookman03]

Looks great!!! How do you like the par 38?

[rbengal]

Thanks

 

I like the PAR38, everything seems to be doing really well with it. The first zoas I got have sprouted 4 or 5 new heads since I got them and the palys I got the week after have sprouted about 3 heads. I guess I can't really say if that's fast or not since this is my first tank. The orange mushroom is always fully extended when the light is on too.

 

The Pagoda is now in a different place, where the top is facing the light and the polyps are almost always fully extended. I got an orange ricordea and a small patch of zoas about a week ago. Zoas are orange with a grey skirt.

The pom pom crab was seen a couple of times today and she's carrying around a load of eggs..exciting!

I am backing off for a little bit due to needing money to like...buy food and stuff

[rbengal]

My tank is finally looking like it's not empty. New additions include a small head of branching hammer coral, a couple of candy cane heads, an acan, and a small rock with a small amount of GSP and some sort of encrusting small clove polyp. And I finally got a fish! Just a yellow clown goby. At first I was worried about him because he wasn't eating, but now he eats both live brine shrimp and frozen mysis like a champ! He spends most of his time on the left front corner of the glass.

 

Now for the most recent FTS (apologies for crummy quality).

[anemone fan]

Now for the most recent FTS (apologies for crummy quality).

 

This tank seems vaguely familiar. Except I don't remember a goby.

[evanski]

Nice...the par lamp really makes a difference!

[rbengal]

Thanks Evanski! It really does. Everything seems to be growing really well.

 

I had a scare about a week ago during Thanksgiving break. Came in one day and everything was all shriveled. Tested Ammonia and Trites and they were both very high. However, didn't look like anything had died, which was weird. Did a few water changes over a few days and everything looks almost as good as new. At least now I know everything in my tank is pretty hardy!

[Mr. Microscope]

Ohh! Nice tank. . BTW, those zoas with the orange skirts are Fire and Ice. The centers may get whiter and the skirts much brighter.

[rbengal]

Ohh thanks Mr. Microscope! It's cool to know their names even though I just buy the ones I like. These were my first though so I wasn't too worried about how fancy they were.

Now that you mention it though, the new heads are duller than the original ones. The orange skirts are much brighter. They are growing like crazy!

 

I seem to have a little flatworm problem now. I only see them on the glass, but I have no doubt they're on the rock too. They are all pretty small, but they worry me a little. Might get some of that flatworm stuff if it gets worse.

 

Edit: I think my next move might be a small SPS frag or two. Good idea? Bad idea? Comments? Any SPS will be glued to the middle rock.

[.Newman.]

I like the idea. pocillipora or tabling acro might look good on that rock.

[Mr. Microscope]

Flatworm eXit from Salifert worked for me. Just be careful and follow the directions.

 

For SPS, I'd suggest trying a birdsnest and see how it goes.

[rbengal]

Cool, thanks for the help and suggestions! Yeah, I was reading about the flatworm exit on another thread so I might look into doing that.

 

I have some pics now of tank-stuff! Here goes!

 

FTS 12/13

 

Above FTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr. Microscope]

Nice AOGs!

[rbengal]

AOG? I haven't heard that one yet.

 

Picked up some SPS today. Got a small frag of each Pocillopora and Montipora. Will post pics once I get some.

[Mr. Microscope]

AOGs

 

Can't wait to see your SPS.

[rbengal]

Ah, I see. See I have no idea what the names are! Haha