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msscha's 24 gallon office cube


msscha

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What is the coral in front of the zoas?

That is tube coral -- Cladacora Arbuscula -- I got several clump as hitchhikers on my LR. When it arrived, it was encrusted with red coralline algae -- all of that is now gone, and the clumps have been attacked by crabs, which accounts for about 1/2 of them dying. However, a few clumps are still doing well, and one even dropped (or spawned) a baby clump which has since been buried by Rain. I have no idea if it's still alive. I haven't found it for sale anywhere, and I'm not sure that it would be a popular tank species. It isn't particularly dramatic, though it is nice to watch when the single polyps are extended.

 

I'd like to chime in on this. I recently had the same dilemma about what to put in my chambers. A good piece of advice I read was to find a tank you like and copy that person's method. So just this week, I put a filter/polishing pad in chamber one, then chemi-pure elit and purigen, then I have the heater and pump in the last. I have plans to add chaeto but don't have a light for it yet. It's nice that you have a built in light! Definitely take advantage of that. Good luck!

+1 on the built in light. My cheato is in the tank, stuffed into a back corner where the peppermint shrimp and goby seem especially fond of it. I can see how nice a lit back area would be, though.

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:blush: I used to have fantasies about being a mermaid until I had a saltwater tank. A tad too dangerous to support fantasy now. Think I'll stick with my wish to be reincarnated as an iguana on the Galapagos islands, hissing at things that get too close to my rock.

:P

 

That tube coral is cool and unique.

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so scubaethan and msscha....do you guys use the black foam squares at all? Mine has two of them, and I do have one in my first chamber (I don't have any Chaeto yet) to help get rid of "junk" in the water since I just set it up. But those square foam chunks are darn near impossible to pull OUT of that rear chamber..they fit so tight. I hate it!!

 

Anyway, this is my plan....I am going to go with Chaeto in the first chamber, since it has it's own dedicated light over the top of it...then in the second I am going to to do some filer floss, and then a bag of Chemipure..and then the 3rd and final chamber is just my heater and return pump. How's that sound?

 

One more question....in those 3 rear chambers, are the water levels ALL suppose to be the same? Mine are all the same from the looks of it.

 

Dan

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so scubaethan and msscha....do you guys use the black foam squares at all? Mine has two of them, and I do have one in my first chamber (I don't have any Chaeto yet) to help get rid of "junk" in the water since I just set it up. But those square foam chunks are darn near impossible to pull OUT of that rear chamber..they fit so tight. I hate it!!

 

Anyway, this is my plan....I am going to go with Chaeto in the first chamber, since it has it's own dedicated light over the top of it...then in the second I am going to to do some filer floss, and then a bag of Chemipure..and then the 3rd and final chamber is just my heater and return pump. How's that sound?

 

One more question....in those 3 rear chambers, are the water levels ALL suppose to be the same? Mine are all the same from the looks of it.

 

Dan

Hi, Dan!

 

My levels are somewhat different, too. It depends on if there's a false floor, media, etc. I think your plan sounds great! I took the foam filter out of my system as well and replaced it with the chemi-pure elite. The foam also slows water flow some which is not a good thing. The filter floss should do the trick. There are people who clean their floss every day -- I think it depends on what is going on in the tank. I don't use it b/c the carbon filter has filter media on it, so I figure that's enough. Lookin' forward to seeing your tank as you get it set up!

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so scubaethan and msscha....do you guys use the black foam squares at all? Mine has two of them, and I do have one in my first chamber (I don't have any Chaeto yet) to help get rid of "junk" in the water since I just set it up. But those square foam chunks are darn near impossible to pull OUT of that rear chamber..they fit so tight. I hate it!!

 

Anyway, this is my plan....I am going to go with Chaeto in the first chamber, since it has it's own dedicated light over the top of it...then in the second I am going to to do some filer floss, and then a bag of Chemipure..and then the 3rd and final chamber is just my heater and return pump. How's that sound?

 

One more question....in those 3 rear chambers, are the water levels ALL suppose to be the same? Mine are all the same from the looks of it.

 

Dan

 

Mine came with a big piece of sponge and I used it for the first couple of months but I just bought this:

http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaMaxx_Filter...IFMMEPM-vi.html

 

It is awesome. I got the smallest pureflo style. I cut a small piece the size of the chamber and built a little stand for it to sit on out of egg crate (light diffuser) I got at Home Depot for $12. After the first 3 days it was brown and icky. I just threw it away but you can machine wash and reuse them. That pad should last me a long time, and it was only $2.99!

 

Filter floss sounds pretty popular too. Your plan sounds good.

 

I actually have four chambers in the back and the water level progressively lowers so that the last chamber is only about half full. But it also depends on the level I put this at: http://www.marinedepot.com/JBJ_Nano_Cube_M...-FIAQNC-vi.html

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msscha, I looked back through your first page and can't get over how much color you have with the corraline algae, macro algae, sponges, and coral. It looks so natural. I must have missed it, what lights you are using?

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msscha, I looked back through your first page and can't get over how much color you have with the corraline algae, macro algae, sponges, and coral. It looks so natural. I must have missed it, what lights you are using?

Totally standard lights that came with the (oceanic) BC 14 -- 2 10,000 K cfls, 2 blue actinic, + the 2 standard moon glow LEDs. I see how some people get lighting that is just insane, and when I have more time, I will study lighting and make some changes. For right now, I'm a happy camper.

 

So, just wanted to say how very happy I am at NR, where there is no talk of politics. Absolutely freaking lovely. I finished reading the 2003 article on EAM yesterday. I'll write up a summary with some quotes and post the link to request the pdf. It was actually really interesting, and I'm now considering a number of follow-up reads I'd like to pursue.

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I started off on the standard lights as well with great results. I only changed to LED cause I had to replace the bulbs and fans when I set the tank back up... it didn't cost much more to upgrade.

 

EAM?

 

I love Nano Reef as well. Started off on another forum and everyone seemed to be in competition and "knew everything." The people here are so nice and help you within your constraints (time/money).

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I started off on the standard lights as well with great results. I only changed to LED cause I had to replace the bulbs and fans when I set the tank back up... it didn't cost much more to upgrade.

 

EAM?

 

I love Nano Reef as well. Started off on another forum and everyone seemed to be in competition and "knew everything." The people here are so nice and help you within your constraints (time/money).

 

NR is good though it was difficult at times to get questions answered. So be sure to stick around and help people out!

 

Msscha, tank is looking good! My pistol is currently moving sand as I type with goober the goby standing guard.

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EAM?

EAM = epilithic algal matrix. I had to look "epilithic" up -- it means "on or attached to rock". The question came up when I was researching care for the rainfordi goby. He'd been alive and happy at the lfs for many weeks, and when I brought him home, wanted to keep him that way. Everywhere I looked, people called the fish an "herbivore" b/c in the wild, it is seen eating algae. I have no filamentous algae in my tank, so asked on the "pest management" forum how I might responsibly cultivate some. Brandon57 (I think the last 2 numbers are correct, though I may be off -- he's member 137 or thereabouts!) answered that allegedly herbivorous fish were not always that way, and that many algae eaters where actually dining on the EAM. So, I requested the original article he referenced from the author, and it turns out to have been a really fascinating read. Stomach analysis showed that quite a few of the fish that have been labeled "herbivores" are more probably "detrivores" -- that is, fish that eat detritus. That sounds disgusting, but in the fishy world, detritus is made of all kinds of stuff, much of it in the micro-fauna realm, and is very high in nutrition content. The algae-picking, rock-picking, sand-sifting gobies and blennies we all like so much are not necessarily eating the algae itself, but really siphoning the detritus. As long as the tank produces sufficient detritus, or similar kinds of food, the tank doesn't have to sport filamentous algae. My next task is to figure out how to create sufficient detritus in the tank when my fish -- the rainfordi goby -- isn't likely to eat seaweed. Nor is its mouth shaped correctly for snatching food out of the water column (mouth shape is one possible indicator of a fish's food type).

 

Hmm. That was a longish reply. When I have time at the end of the week, I'd like to post some of the quotes and my interpretations of what they mean for tank-keeping. It would be interesting to see if other people read the information in the same way.

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NR is good though it was difficult at times to get questions answered. So be sure to stick around and help people out!

 

Msscha, tank is looking good! My pistol is currently moving sand as I type with goober the goby standing guard.

I have recently begun answering people in some threads when I felt like I could say something reasonably intelligent that wouldn't steer them wrong. I do understand now why some of the older members get frustrated. I learned a lot from reading the sticky threads in the Beginner's forum and searching the web and NR for users' experiences with different things. I do wish people would do that! It won't make all the questions go away, but it would avoid some of the general "Hey, I'm starting a tank, what should I do first?" type of queries. When I started considering this seriously, the lfs where I got my tank put a book in my hand and said if I was willing to pay for this and read it, then I could think seriously about investing the $400 it took to get the tank set up. Since I work for $$, the $20 and 5 hours time was worth the investment. I do appreciate the new folk who say "I've been lurking here for weeks/months, and finally got started". I did the same, across several different forums. I still check those other ones out occasionally, but this was the one whose community I liked the most!

 

Thanks on the tank compliment! I wonder what is going to happen in my little eco-system when the pistol, who I'll name Rogue, and Rain the sand-sifting-goby, start competing for sand bed territory.

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Got to spend a couple of hours at the office today -- I was kind of jonesing to see the tank, so I'm glad. It's interesting to see what happens when the lights go out. The trumpet and shrooms close up pretty quickly, the rics less so. The tubipora is still hanging out, as is the leather. Some cool bit of somethin' is showing up gooey-green on a frag with some smallish mushrooms and a few last clove polyps. I think it's a sponge of some kind. Has that shiny/rubbery look during the day, though the color is pretty gray/brown, not very distinct from the frag.Haven't seen the pistol about, but wasn't looking, either. That sucker hides if at all possible. I have no idea what it eats -- I'm assuming the same sort of detrivorous diet as the other shrimp.

 

Must go get valentines now. Yuck.

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That is tube coral -- Cladacora Arbuscula -- I got several clump as hitchhikers on my LR.

In all my years of reefing I've never gotten that as a HH. I think it's so pretty!!!!! I don't think I've ever seen it for sale either.

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I have recently begun answering people in some threads when I felt like I could say something reasonably intelligent that wouldn't steer them wrong. I do understand now why some of the older members get frustrated. I learned a lot from reading the sticky threads in the Beginner's forum and searching the web and NR for users' experiences with different things. I do wish people would do that! It won't make all the questions go away, but it would avoid some of the general "Hey, I'm starting a tank, what should I do first?" type of queries. When I started considering this seriously, the lfs where I got my tank put a book in my hand and said if I was willing to pay for this and read it, then I could think seriously about investing the $400 it took to get the tank set up. Since I work for $$, the $20 and 5 hours time was worth the investment. I do appreciate the new folk who say "I've been lurking here for weeks/months, and finally got started". I did the same, across several different forums. I still check those other ones out occasionally, but this was the one whose community I liked the most!

 

Thanks on the tank compliment! I wonder what is going to happen in my little eco-system when the pistol, who I'll name Rogue, and Rain the sand-sifting-goby, start competing for sand bed territory.

 

I agree. I read for about 5 months before starting my tank. And yes, reading the sticky's would answer many questions for those starting out.

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In all my years of reefing I've never gotten that as a HH. I think it's so pretty!!!!! I don't think I've ever seen it for sale either.

I haven't seen them much on the new LR, either. Love the quote from ScubaEthan!

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Enjoyed reading your research paper about EAM lol. But seriously, I find this stuff so interesting. Never thought about them getting detritus that collects in the algae vs. just eating the algae. Maybe it's both! That would an omnivore... cause I assume detritus eating animals are carnivores? Anyway... super cool stuff.

 

I do appreciate the new folk who say "I've been lurking here for weeks/months, and finally got started".

 

Thanks on the tank compliment! I wonder what is going to happen in my little eco-system when the pistol, who I'll name Rogue, and Rain the sand-sifting-goby, start competing for sand bed territory.

Me too! Unfortunately I just didn't find this site until after I started. I had a very slow start to the hobby while in college. But better than being too fast. The articles in the library of NR are great too.

Love the names!

 

Got to spend a couple of hours at the office today -- I was kind of jonesing to see the tank, so I'm glad. It's interesting to see what happens when the lights go out.

 

Must go get valentines now. Yuck.

Does that mean your tank is at your office? I love looking at my tank at night.

Aw, I hope your Valentine's Day wasn't too yucky.

 

Love the quote from ScubaEthan!

:blush::D

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Enjoyed reading your research paper about EAM lol. But seriously, I find this stuff so interesting. Never thought about them getting detritus that collects in the algae vs. just eating the algae. Maybe it's both! That would an omnivore... cause I assume detritus eating animals are carnivores? Anyway... super cool stuff.

Hmm, detrivores and carnivores -- not the same thing. Carnivores eat live meat; detrivores eat detritus, which contains biological organisms, but not the big ones that were swimming around before they became lunch. An omnivore will eat "everything" but it seems in the animal kingdom that kind of eater is fairly rare. What this article seems to be getting at is that what were previously classified as herbivores b/c they "ate" plants are not really eating much plant material, but other stuff. In any case, I made it into the lfs today and they've got an awesome selection of acans and blastos with burgundy ruffs. So very cool. I'm going back on Friday to purchase, along with a flat rock onto which I am moving the acans -- the current piece of top rock is getting moved to create the macro corner in the back. Yeah!

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Favorite word ever! Still remember this from ecology in college 15 years ago:

 

Coprophagis: "a species that feasts on the feces of other species"

 

SOOOO MUCH FUN TO SAY OUT LOUD!

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Favorite word ever! Still remember this from ecology in college 15 years ago:

 

Coprophagis: "a species that feasts on the feces of other species"

 

SOOOO MUCH FUN TO SAY OUT LOUD!

:D

 

:( not so smiley news: Came into work this morning to find my peppermint shrimp had died. If it were bigger, I would have de-shelled it and fed it to the nassarius. It was odd to me b/c the nassarius were not out at all. Despite water changes, my nitrates are still very high: staying at 40 ppm. The coral all appear to be doing okay, though. Maybe it was just Dr. Pepper's time? I don't know what to think. He just molted a week ago, so I"m figuring it's the out of control nitrates. I am going to dose with microbacter for a few days and decrease feeding. I wonder if the sand-sifting could be messing with the anaerobic bacteria in the sand bed? :unsure:

Edited by msscha
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So sorry to hear about the mr. shrimp :( You probably found it fairly soon after it died so he didnt have a chance to start decomposing and draw the attention of the snails.

 

I hope everything else is doing ok.

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So sorry to hear about the mr. shrimp :( You probably found it fairly soon after it died so he didnt have a chance to start decomposing and draw the attention of the snails.

 

I hope everything else is doing ok.

Oddly enough, everything seems fine. I see no signs of stress with corals or fish. Quite the contrary, in fact. Nitrates are difficult: some nitrate level is good for corals, but too much is bad for inverts. I guess I'll see what the fire shrimp does!

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Sorry about your shrimp! Did you mention before that you run the bioballs in the back chamber? If so, I'm sure you've heard the term "nitrate factory" in reference to those balls. Just a thought as to where the nitrates could be coming from....if you indeed do use them.

 

Keeping my fingers crossed that the other inverts will be safe :happy:

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Sorry about your shrimp! Did you mention before that you run the bioballs in the back chamber? If so, I'm sure you've heard the term "nitrate factory" in reference to those balls. Just a thought as to where the nitrates could be coming from....if you indeed do use them.

 

Keeping my fingers crossed that the other inverts will be safe :happy:

Yes, I did mention that. I'm just about ready to get rid of them, or start cleaning 1/2 of the allotment every month or so. I don't have a light in the back, otherwise I'd set up a bunch of macro, and I don't think I need more rock (especially since I am getting a new piece of rock tomorrow -- flat, for the top, so I can create an acan forest up there without losing the yellow ball, tube coral and macro! It's a man-made piece of rock, so doesn't really look like the limestone, but it is already nicely purpled with coralline, so should match well). Why should the bioballs be a nitrate factory? I'll have to look this up. Maybe I'll just stick the chem-pure back there instead. Taking out the balls would also increase the amount of water in the tank, another helpful move.

 

Sigh. I know peppermints aren't long lived and I'm not particularly devastated, but I did like him a lot!

 

Update: Hmm -- I just read on wetwebmedia that sometimes, fire shrimp are known to take other shrimp out -- I specifically asked about this at the lfs and was told that territoriality was unlikely. Perhaps in a small tank that just wasn't the case? I did note that the fire shrimp immediately took up residence in the favored cave spot the peppermint usually occupied. Could simply be my system is too small. Makes me leery of also investing in a gold-banded cleaner shrimp!

Edited by msscha
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Hmm, detrivores and carnivores -- not the same thing. Carnivores eat live meat; detrivores eat detritus, which contains biological organisms, but not the big ones that were swimming around before they became lunch.

Ah so vegan fish would not be detrivores :P

 

I love blastos...can't wait to see what you get :)

Me too! I love blastos and want some acans.

 

Favorite word ever! Still remember this from ecology in college 15 years ago:

 

Coprophagis: "a species that feasts on the feces of other species"

 

SOOOO MUCH FUN TO SAY OUT LOUD!

:lol:

 

:( not so smiley news: Came into work this morning to find my peppermint shrimp had died. If it were bigger, I would have de-shelled it and fed it to the nassarius.

:o

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