Jump to content
ReefCleaners.org

11g rimless shoebox...... Green Leaf 36X9X9


redfishsc

Recommended Posts

FTS: 5/20/2012

fts_may_2012.jpg

 

 

 

Tank: GLA, roughly 36"X9"X9".

 

Right now, it's been set up since Oct 1st (2011). No skimmer. No HOB. No carbon. Just two powerheads for water flow (see below). My theory is that as long as I feed gently, the soft corals will uptake the necessary nutrients. I have almost no algae issues in this tank, there may be 4-5 bubbles of bubble algae, and that's it. No hair algae, no bryopsis, no cyano that can be seen. Only the occasional diatom dusting that lasts for a day or two.

 

Lights: 6 warm white, 6 neutral white, and 12 royal blue (all Cree XPE, XPG, or Luxeon Rebel... a mix)

Driver-- 700mA Buckpuck, and one Meanwell ELN60-48, set at about 500mA.

Canopy--- plywood, stained dark walnut, suspended from wall using A-frame cleats.

 

 

Stand--- a custom book shelf which I keep next to my recliner. Just praying the tank never blows a seam.

 

Water flow--- MJ1200 with a large wide-fan spray attachment, and one MJ600 with oem-style flow deflector.

-------Controlled by Red Sea Wavemaster Pro (controls powerheads in my 45g planted cube as well).

 

 

Main issue..... hiding the ugly wires..... will probably put up a plywood false back for the wires to tuck behind.

IMG_0233.jpg

 

 

And yes, this is the beer bottle that I had in my Rock-Box Nano (see sig... tank from a few years ago). This is from a reef around Vanuatu, I believe-- a diver found it and shipped it to his buddy here in Raleigh, NC, who then immediately scrapped it at the local LFS, where I paid a whole $4 for it (and that was full of water weight lol).

 

 

IMG_0186-1.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • Replies 56
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Thanks!!!

 

I think my next reef will either be my 45g cube (23" cube) or another looooong......shallowwwww reef. I might even build it from plywood on all sides except the front, and make it like 8 feet long, 12" deep, 12" wide..... just can't do it in this apartment lol.

Link to comment

Was the bottle already encrusted like that from the ocean? It would be cool to see the actual process of that becoming fully encrusted in the tank.

 

Tank looks great. Most reefs I have dove have an occassional bottle.

Link to comment

Kev, it was encrusted from the reef, and had a HUGE vermitid worm on it, which I didn't recognize at first.... it would snot-string big coral colonies next to it. I finally plugged it up with epoxy and killed it.

 

 

 

I accidentally removed some of the original crusting from the next of the bottle when I was cleaning it from the last use (had a bryopsis infestation on it).

 

 

The bottle will make a perfect zoanthid substrate.

Link to comment

With any luck I'll be adding a 6-line wrasse or a possum wrasse today :D :D :D

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a few more pics......

 

P. grandis and a pipe organ coral on the right:

p_grandis.jpg

 

GSP and xenia

IMG_0252.jpg

 

silver xenia

IMG_0251.jpg

 

various zoas on the beer bottle... with more coming :D

IMG_0249.jpg

 

 

And my favorite pic. Anthelia with yellow fiji leather. This anthelia is just so totally beautiful in the water flow.

IMG_0253.jpg

Link to comment

BTW just edited the first post to emphasize that this tank has no man-made filtration on it whatsoever, unless you consider the LEDs a filter since they produce light that produces photosynthesis in the corals and algae lol.

 

 

Been this way for 3 months, and after the initial hair algae bloom, it's gone and the tank looks superb. Hopefully it will stay that way with monthly water changes :D.

Link to comment

Also made some adjustments to the lighting yesterday.

 

Now the thing has the following:

3 warm white, 3 neutral white, and 12 royal blue. Mostly Cree, a few Rebels.

 

All driven at about 700mA, around 8" from the surface.

 

 

This tank is GORGEOUS. I can't get the color right on my point-n-poop camera, so I did some PhotoScape editing and here is what I came up with. There is some oversaturated greens, like the hipoppus clam shell on the left (the algal dust on it), but honestly the corals that look insane green actually DO look like that.

 

 

IMG_0186-2.jpg

Link to comment

Six-line wrasse in the reef! Can't get a pic any better than this lol.

 

sixline.jpg

 

6line.jpg

 

A stunning Palythoa grandis from a local coral prop outfit. Had this for a couple months now, sprouting some young'uns.

grandis.jpg

 

 

A few pics of the clownfish, clown goby, and various corals hanging out at the beer bottle (naturally...lol).

IMG_0270.jpg

 

IMG_0260.jpg

 

IMG_0259.jpg

Link to comment

Well I haven't seen the clown goby in 3 days now. About 2 days after adding him, he developed a couple small patches of something that resembled a fungus, and wasn't eating.

 

The other 3 fish (clown, six-line wrasse, and neon goby) have no symptoms at all.

Link to comment

Finally getting the hang of this camera. It's so much more fun to use. I have to take wider- angle pics than I did with my other camera, and then crop them on Picasa, but it's so much more accurate.

 

 

Palythoa grandis, doing some nice budding. I absolutely love this coral.

pgrandis_budding.jpg

 

A crazy Montipora undata I got from a local reef wizard. In his tank it was tan with these insane nuclear green growth tips. In my tank, it turned purple/lavender, then brown, now it's green again with a slightly purple base. It's mounted to a dead acro skeleton that another SPS wizard gave me a while back that I'm just using a "live rock" lol.

montundat.jpg

 

 

Encrusting hydnophora from the Reef Farm in Raleigh NC. This is a growth-shot. I fragged off this small pinky-nail sized piece, and it's on a reef-putty frag plug that's holding a rare earth magnet, and stuck to the back wall of the tank. Hopefully it will encrust the glass. I have 3 of these frags in 3 different places, seeing where they do the best.

encr_hydnophora.jpg

 

 

Bambams (the flashy orange ones)..... but what are the ones on the left called? The green ones with yellow centers? Any ideas?

bambams_and_others.jpg

 

Reef Salad!

coral_salad.jpg

 

 

Finally........ two mysteries!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Anyone ever seen these before?

 

From the Fish Room in Raleigh, NC ($15 frag, decent price!). Red/orange with blue centers. The blue is WAY more blue in person.

myst_zoa.jpg

 

And this little beauty--- was a "mystery zoa" that Grace could't ID at the Reef Farm, so I bought the frag of zoas it was growing on (big green stardust-looking palys). It's pink on two sides, with a greenish stripe dividing it, with a green center. I sure hope it spreads quickly and they all look like this!!!

(BOTTOM RIGHT... other corals in the pic for size reference, on the left is pipe organ, in the back is a small ricordea).

pink_green_zoa_unusual.jpg

Link to comment

This is nice. I really like the natural appeal. Beer bottle is priceless. Your idea of the looooooong tank is cool and something I've thought about. Like 1 semi square tank to encompass a room. In wall. Maybe after I win the lottery!

Link to comment
This is nice. I really like the natural appeal. Beer bottle is priceless. Your idea of the looooooong tank is cool and something I've thought about. Like 1 semi square tank to encompass a room. In wall. Maybe after I win the lottery!

 

 

I'm a cabinet maker by trade and I could easily build a plywood tank (or acrylic for that matter) what would be about 12w and 12t, and 8-12 feet long. If I could do it where I live right now, I'd do it. It can be done piecemeal sitting in the garage over time if cost is an issue.

 

I would put two large return pumps on it, and have them shift directions twice a day just like a real tide.

Link to comment

Ah, new corals today. Will get photos once they open and color up in the next day or two.

 

Added:

 

Tubbs blues zoas

green branching hydnophora

Tyree green toadstool (very small frag)

Green encrusting Psammacora

blue anthelia (the short turf-looking stuff)

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

Added a Tiger goby. Elacatinus macrodon. I cannot believe I was able to get these pics of him, apparently I had some divine help getting these pics lol. He's not even 3/4" long.

 

tiger_goby3.jpg

 

tiger_goby2.jpg

 

tiger_goby1.jpg

Link to comment

Terrific looking tank--I'm taking it as inspiration. I just got a Greenleaf like this one. Working on the lighting, probably LED, and then going the route you have--all live rock, sand, and powerheads plus water changes.

 

How often/how much to you change out? Thanks in advance.

Link to comment
Terrific looking tank--I'm taking it as inspiration. I just got a Greenleaf like this one. Working on the lighting, probably LED, and then going the route you have--all live rock, sand, and powerheads plus water changes.

 

How often/how much to you change out? Thanks in advance.

 

 

I change the water religiously, every...... once... in....a...while lol.

 

Basically I change the water, 40%, once a month or so, but that may be changing soon because my nitrates are creeping up higher (oddly, I register 0.00 ppm phosphates on the Seachem low range kit, which is very unusual, it should be way higher if the nitrates are at 15ppm)

 

I'm not being lazy on the water changes, I'm actually trying to see just how necessary a water change is, in a "worst case scenario" in a packed tank full of all sorts of "noxious" corals like leathers and GSP.

 

I have the same tank also. I'll have to keep an eye on your thread.

 

PLEASE post a link in my thread--- of your thread, if you have one. You are the first human, I think, that I've met that has this tank size, and I love this tank!!

 

I'm normally a cube-person (I have a 45g planted cube also) but this small, narrow rimless has really grown on me. And the corals are doing well.

 

 

 

I really like this.

But then, you always do good tanks.

 

 

Thanks Weetie!!!!! I can't ever do a "normal" tank like a Biocube, it has to be something about three doors down from "normal".

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recommended Discussions


×
×
  • Create New...