Description:
This is just my regular nanoreef, that I based off the mathematical ratio pi. I plan to keep this as simple as possible with the equipment I already have. It's my 3 polyp project because I want to grow everything from a maximum of 3 polyps/specimen. In the event that I cannot secure 3 polyps or less, I will allow myself a max of 5 polyps or I don't add it at all. If it's something like sps, my restriction will be 1 square inch. I did not go with 1 polyp because the time it takes to establish later additions would take too long and I wont be able to see any appreciable growth. Ideally, I will only add specimens that are 1 polyp or stalk.

Algae is the exception to my stocking rule

Tank:
16x12x12, about 7gal net

Light

2x32watt PC


Filtration:
LR, Carbon, filter pad, 1-3gal WC twice a week

Flow:
2x mj1200
1xminijet 404 feeding cooler


Temperature:
Titan 150 chiller

Water
catalina natural seawater


LR/LS
approx. 5lb estes ultrareef beige sand, approx. 10lb LR

Livestock:
Xenniid

Additional Notes:
Sorry about the picture, it was with my camera phone while I cleaned stuff out

Click to view attachment

You score points for procrastination in my book.

sounds like a cool idea....... keep us posted

Wow good luck! Nips in the competition..... it seems like everyone is figting a losing battle... LOL

PS. Wheres my Hoek?!

if I can ever get a hold of you oogie, I'd find you that hoeksemai.


thanks for the comments everyone. I'm currently contemplating putting an angler into the tank. We got in 3 rather uncommon specimens; a 1in white wartskin, a 1in tuberculated angler (looks like you coughed up a bloody tumor), and a 0.5in!!!! neon yellow painted angler.


It's that or something else. pictures will be up soon

edit:

Here's a fts from today, 10-22-06. Please disregard the livestock, I'm still working on the rockscape. Notice how clean the sand is, Im very impressed with the estes ultrareef stuff and highly recommend it. Pictures with measurements and stuff are to come.
Click to view attachment

heck yes go with an angler!!!! im considering one for a future project, and would love to see how you go about it! besides, they are sweet freakin fish!

I see that people have not started stocking yet. I guess Im ahead on growth >=D

Pics this weekend

nice tank! take some decent pix w/a real camera, not your phone!

Here's how my tank has been developing. The livestock isn't all done yet but some of the organisms have begun to grow onto the rockwork and it's going to be a pain to get rid of them. I suppose I should leave some things to nature, and leave them there.

In the fts, you can see the clauvaria already starting to grow onto the wall. I've had them for about 2 weeks at the most. The anthelia needs to be fragged out to 3 polyps and the zoanthids, mushrooms are not part of the project. The xenia on the left side, is an extremely prolific species that i wanted to add, but does not seem to being doing well as of the moment. It's still acclimating to this system (3 days in tank), and I will only use a stalk or two at the most. Im hesitant to use it at all.

The two roses are there and theres nothing I wanna do about them. It's too bad my pictures look so flat, you can't really get the full affect of how my rock is stacked. I'm glad I used very "textured" rock and theres an overall 3D shape to it. My rockwork is about finalize and I'm really please with the way it came out.

Below are my measurements as well. I havent really test for anything, I just know the tank runs at 23 degrees C, and is currently fishless. I feed the roses ( the one positioned lower just finished reforming a mouth,, it wasn't fully healed when I first got it) a few times a week and if a guppie gets loose, I get a PO4 spike. Subsequently, I get a cyano break out. It's never gotten out of hand though, and goes away on its own in a week's time. Im starting to get a jellyfish, flatworm problem as well but it's nothing drastic. I estimate the total population of both to be less than 100 specimens, with the former taking up most of the number.

Also, I'm starting to get coralline growth. woot!~ Coralline sometimes takes a while to establish itself onto acrylic but I'm finally there.

My project might not be anything fancy, but I like it.


Love,
Nips

Hey those BTAs look familiar ! Great looking setup!

is that blue macro or sponge? i saw it in your gallery and adin said it was macro so i just agreed.

looking at that bigger shot it looks like it could be something else (still too branchy to be anything but macro but i figure i'd ask). very nice.

stan: Yes, now that I think about it; they vaguely resemble the ones I saw in your tank. But just vaguely.

Ironically, I found a thread about you. Here it is:
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=100899

Tiny: It's a photosynthetic something. Im going to call it an algae but it's probably just some sort of protist. It's very plant like, and grows very quickly.

Nice macro...I just picked up some myself. FYI it's Ochtodes sp. commonly called Blue ball. Anthony Calfo's book has a pic of it that looks just like yours.

wow, those RBTA's are amazing! I wish people around my area would have some like that! I really like that macro too, its very blue!

those RBTAs look very good! but aren't you worry about them going on a killing spree to the Acros?

Went on vacation for 5 days, so tank sat there with no lights. Theres all around stress but everything is recovering.

I hate zoanthids but work got in some really nice variations and I was able to make out with a huge stash. Pics when I wake up

I♥thebtas

Wow! your tank looks great. I love the aquascaping! It has "Zen" like feeling to it, [RACISM]the way only asian people can accomplish! [/RACISM]

Haha, anyways everything looks wonderful!

Looks great Nip! Can't wait to see it in a month! BTA's are fantastic.

supernip! i want a BTA mind selling me one local? lol

December 31,2006

Update:

Added: Yasha goby+ Randall's pistol shrimp
Pair of Rod's Onyx
Green polyp toadstool
Neon green Nepthea tree
Green Clauvaria sp.
Blue Sansibia sp.
Blue w/ red polyp M. Digitata

Planned additions:
Blue Xenia (Cespitularia sp.)
Green w/ orange Clauvaria


News:
Everything seems to be growing in well, as I have reenacted my policy of multiple water changes a week. For the last 2 weeks, I have done 2-3 [1gal] WC/week. The coralline and everything has starting to grow in really nicely.

The yasha goby+ symbiont was bought for a cool $15. The goby was about dead when the LFS got it in so I got it for free with purchase of symbiotic shrimp. I gave it a 15 min. FW dip and all seems fine. Although, when my [new] 1/2in digitata frag got lost in the rockwork, I panicked and caused a cave in. I have not seen the pair again since then [12/29] but assume they are okay.

The addition of the chiller and approx. 45-50 degree F ambient air has allowed my tank to run a stable 25 degrees C. I have also removed the mother colonies of Anthelia sp. and Xenia sp. but they have grown well into the tank. With regards to the Zoanthids, I never planned on having them in the tank as I hate that whole genera/family. However, I'm just going to roll with it because it does add much needed flare to my otherwise drab color scheme.

Ironically, the only thing that hasn't been growing for me is Xenia umbrellata, which has remained a single stalk for the last month and a half.

Speaking of bad-ish news, I am still having a little bit of a Cyano problem. The damn microbes seem to multiply so rapidly that anytime I have a photo period of more than 6hr, I seem to have some. It isn't a huge problem and the water changes have really kept their population in check. However, they are inhibiting my macro's true color from showing as they reside mostly on there. A change of carbon/phosphate media will take care of it.

Hopefully, I will update more consistent/frequently. I am confident that my tank will very well grown in comes march or whenever the end of the contest is.

Below are my update pictures taken 12/29. I will update more pictures later on. Please pardon the scratches on the [acrylic] tank. They are the bane of my reef keeping existence.



Gratuitous shot of my new pink leaf fish, Taenianotus triacanthus.

awesome new fish!

^Damn no kidding.

Those are cool fish, after a while they got a little boring IMO I kept 2 in a 12g.
I have never come across a pink one, just adverage yellow ones..
Is he in your 10g with your clownfish?

suuweeet!

One sexy little tank.

Very nice. Love the Rodonyx and bta's. do they host both? or just one?

super nice. your tank is looking really good. If you dont mind me asking what did that leaf fish run ya? Is it agressive?

I've kept them before. They're not the most exciting fish but I've always loved them. They look like the dinosaurs I used to draw as a kid, that somehow popped out of the pictures. This is my second pink one. My first turned yellow, but this one seems to have no sign of doing such. They've been my most successful saltwater fish to date actually.

And nope, he isn't in that tank. He's in a larger display that used to be home to the A. perculas



Yeah they host both, along with hosting the zoanthids and the anthelia



My rockwork looks more bulky after the quick fix. Im kind of disappointed, and I think I've used too much rock again. I hope it won't be this bad when it grows in.

As for the leaf fish, he was marked at 100 but since no one wanted him I got him close to cost a week later (reads a little less than half). He isn't aggressive at all. They make great nano fishes, especially if you have a squarish tank.

8 more days to stock the tank. Now things get interesting

blue macro?

wow, that leaf fish is tight! where do i get me one of those!?!?!?! great work on the tank!

Dang! Tank is lookin sweet! Looks like the cover picture for a foreign tank.