klarion Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 nah - the hermit crab had plenty of other shells to choose from, he s/he picked a live one! took about 2 days to fully clean out and the new shell and move in. well......that's life. I've caught up on all my tracked threads today and there is just so much carnage going on in the nano-reef world, including my tank as well. Unusually much......for just a couple of day's worth. Link to comment
c est ma Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Well he is still working on that snail as of this morning. He dragged it back into a corner. Last night a Pom Pom Crab joined the crowd looking to profit from the spoils. Oh, I thought he was taking another hermit's home... Are you sure that snail was truly healthy? Personally I think it's eau de death that attracts the whole crew like that. I think it has to be at least a failing snail before a hermit will show interest... But maybe my hermits are just model citizens...(or maybe I've had too many snails die... ). --Diane Link to comment
dapellegrini Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 nope - that was a living Cerith Snail raid Not sure if he was on his way out, but they both ( I had 2 in there) seemed healthy to me. I am thinking it was time for a shell change and that snail had the misfortune of having the preferred new shell. Otherwise, the HC has never bothered any thing else. Link to comment
dapellegrini Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 Well, that other snail is a Whelk - and after some quick reading up - they appear to be carnivores and the occassional snail killer. Otherwise they eat other dead things in your tank. They will also apparently go to town on clams. I am going to keep a close eye on these guys... Link to comment
klarion Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 nah - the hermit crab had plenty of other shells to choose from, he s/he picked a live one! took about 2 days to fully clean out and the new shell and move in. I think I'm going to have a similar issue because I've spotted my Red Legg trying to climb on top of a cerith snail. He just molted but is still in his original shell. And the cerith shell is smaller than the one he currently has. Also I've got 5 small Nassarius snails and spotted him trying to turn one of them over. So, I just pushed him away with a stick. oh, well... Link to comment
beastium Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 nice and clean how did you get so many amphipods? Link to comment
ajroy03 Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Amazing Tank!!! I was just wondering how you dealt with water loss and evaporation? how much do you loose per week and how much do you have to top off? I was thinking about making a tank this size drilled and with a mini overflow.. But that wouldn't work if I couldn't keep the water level up could I!? Again.. really great job keeping the style of ADA - Also do you think that a surface skimmer is even necessary on a tank this size? I know you are very meticulous with your water changes and may have a technique to eliminate the surface build up Link to comment
dapellegrini Posted April 28, 2008 Author Share Posted April 28, 2008 Sorry for the belated reply - I dunno how I ended up with so many amphipods, but it is a regular flea circus in there! As for water loss, I just have a gallon jug of RO/DI water and I do manual top-off's nearly every day. Drilled w/ a sump would be nice, but didn't fit my initial ambitions. No surface skimmer. For water changes, I empty about 1gallon (just enough to leave everything underwater) then add 1gallon new water, then repeat 7 times (my water mix bucket is 7gallons). Not sure how much water that really changes, but I stir things up and try and get as much gunk out each time. I do water changed each Sunday and sometimes on Wednesday, though not recently. I have also started dosing Bi-Ionic's to keep my Ca and kH as they seem to get sucked down REALLY fast. I use a little 1/2" hose with a 90-degree barb pushed into the end of it for siphoning. I set it just under the water surface and the first couple of 1gallon changes I take from the top. The siphon creates a whirlpool and sucks all of the grime from the top. Usually the top of the water looks great until I feed (Cylopeeze and/or DT's). I will post a full update soon! Link to comment
calireefer Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 Love the tank! I just found this thread and stayed up late reading it all. Could you tell me where you ordered the mini carpets? I can't find them anywhere. Merlin Link to comment
dapellegrini Posted May 16, 2008 Author Share Posted May 16, 2008 Some flash photos from last night after dark: I'll try to remember to get some shots tomorrow before lights out with a general update... Link to comment
dapellegrini Posted May 17, 2008 Author Share Posted May 17, 2008 Ok it seems like it has been a while since the last update. My maintenance routine seems to have settled in at 1 PWC per week using 7g of new water. Basically I remove 1-1.5g at a time and then add the new water and repeat until I am out of new water. I have a hose with a 90-degree barb on the end that I use to siphon from the surface of the water to remove the scum. I clean the glass with a nimble nano between water changes sometimes and otherwise use a razor blade to keep it clear and sparkling. My Rio 90 powerhead started to make a noise that I just couldn't fix with any amount of cleaning or messing around with, so I replaced it with a new one for $10. The new ones are grounded, which seems like a good idea. I also dose Bi-Ionic MG, and their 2-part kH/Ca system - about every other day. Also add a little bit of Fe for the macros. And I splurged on a Pinpoint Salinity Probe to replace or at least supplement my Refractometer. I was never able to fully figure out if my Sexy Shrimp and amphipods were killing my zoos or just eating the ill ones, but I believe I may have had a zoapox epidemic and so most of my zoas died... As a result I decided that I would add a couple of sexy shrimp back to the tank and forgo any further zoo purchases. Only other stocking change was that one of my 2 Pom Poms died some time back, for no apparent reason ... the other one is doing marvelously though (pics in my last post) So here is a more recent shot of the entire setup as it has evolved: and a "Let there be light" FTS: and a top-down: I haven't really been adding anything as of late, but am considering perhaps a few more SPS in the near future, maybe one more monticap of a different color. My Rics are doing very well. They are much more animated than I expected, some times puffed up, sometimes flatten out, sometime frilly, etc... But it is my little orange monti cap that continues to grow the fastest. I accidentally moved some rocks it was growing across and broke it, you can kind of see it here, but it is recovering from that nicely: One of my Porcelain crabs likes to hang out underneath because there is good flow around there: The Green-tip birdsnest is also doing good and holding its color just fine: Some of my macro algae has is doing well, others not so well. Seems this dragon's tongue red stuff is doing greet for instance, where my first big red macro is all but dead at this point. My little painter's brush trees shoot out new heads all the time in random places in the tank and the Calerpa (yes the DREADED) is quite easy to keep under control - just takes patience and regular maintenance. Link to comment
dapellegrini Posted May 17, 2008 Author Share Posted May 17, 2008 and this is the only stuff I really don't like... it seems to pick a spot and stay there, and it is not hard to trim back, but it is not the prettiest stuff: as compared to most of my rocks: and there a lot more feather dusters and other things that I rarely get to see along the backside of the tank: finally a couple of "what are these": is this brown/orange stuff Coralline? and what kind of a feather duster do you think this is? Link to comment
c est ma Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Wow, Dan, 3 outstanding photo updates! First of all, I very much enjoyed the flash shots--flash sure gives a clear pic. Especially striking shots of the Pseudocorynactis! And man, that sponge (as seen in a couple of your updates) has sure done beautifully for you. Sweet pom pom pics as well--it looks like she's carrying a lot of eggs! Your next set of shots show that your full tank is as stunning as or even more so than it's ever been. That's the nicest color on an orange monti cap I've ever seen! Nice of your porcelain to "hide in plain sight." As always, I just love the variety of macros you have and the gorgeous lines, colors, and textures they add to your tank! As to your questions in the last post, #1--I don't know, and #2--a very unusual one! (Feather duster, that is. ) Definitely one of the all-time prettiest tanks on the site! --Diane Link to comment
dapellegrini Posted May 17, 2008 Author Share Posted May 17, 2008 Thanks Diane I think this thread might be getting a little long for some folks... Link to comment
ajroy03 Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 No Way!! This Thread needs to keeeepppp goingggg My fav tank ^ P.S. Love the macros! Link to comment
SeeDemTails Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Sweet tank, I got my 5.5 going just recently. Link to comment
Matty1124 Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 dont stop this thread... i love it... love all your pics! Link to comment
c est ma Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 I think this thread might be getting a little long for some folks... I know what you're saying...seems to happen with all tank threads that, after a while, no one new shows up...and I don't know what the answer is. Except that I'm going to start recommending your thread to people I know would appreciate it! That's one reason I didn't even start a tank thread, till too many people started asking about one...And one reason I still like to post a thread or two in another forum now and then--just to hear from someone else! (Which, BTW, does not mean I'm not tremendously grateful to those who read my tank thread!) --Diane Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 Nice 5G. Love the natural look with all the macro and very colorful rock. Neat feather duster indeed. I am not sure what it is though Link to comment
dshnarw Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 WHOA BUDDY!!! I just stumbled in here...AWESOME TANK! Great pics, beautiful tank...I don't know where to start. I'll have to go back through and get caught up now. The brown is a type of coralline - it tends to form plates out from the liverock, like in your case. It's one of my favorite varieties. Link to comment
dapellegrini Posted May 18, 2008 Author Share Posted May 18, 2008 new people, new people Link to comment
TJ_Burton Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 new people, new people lol. Now you need to go look at the tanks in our sigs I only peeked into this thread because I saw Diane post! I figured it had to be worth while. Which it totally was! Link to comment
divecj5 Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 Yeah man, no need to stop this train rolling along. You have such an incredible little tank and your photography is top notch. There are plenty of LONG threads on here and, like Diane said, sometimes you just end up getting a usual cast of characters that follow a particular thread. I have my favorites, one of which is yours, that I subscribe to and then others I just pop in to check them out and post occasionally. Great work and keep up with the pictures....everyone loves pictures. Check out my thread when you get the chance....it's a long one but I've made sure to sprinkle in lots of pictures. Link to comment
Berkey Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 I am nooby here and well it took me three days of reading to finally get to the end of this one. But I have to say from reading on your experiences and also seeing the wonderful shots, your tank has given me a lot inspiration for starting on mine. I am getting ready to do a 5.5 gallon myself. I love the macros that you keep in your tank and corallines are just top notch, so much vibrant color. The rockwork is great to, like Diane has said a few times in here, it makes your tank look so much larger than a 5. I will keep coming back to this one for sure. So please keep the updates going. My next is to start and finish Diane's. Link to comment
tarajean0627 Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Fantastic tank!! I love the macro! Especially those Dr. Seuss trees! I have never seen those before and they just make the tank look like it is huge! LOL Keep up the good work and I can't wait to see more. Following your thread closely. Sarah Link to comment
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