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TSTB's 0.9G SPS Pico "Desktop Reef" *ONE YEAR OLD! WOO!*

thesmallerthebetter

By thesmallerthebetter,
in Pico Reef Journals

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RK_tek

RK_tek

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How is the pump performing? I'm guessing no maintenance issues yet. I did a search the other day on your old write up and saw that you were back, so I thought is stop in. Tank looks great.

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thesmallerthebetter

thesmallerthebetter

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How is the pump performing? I'm guessing no maintenance issues yet. I did a search the other day on your old write up and saw that you were back, so I thought is stop in. Tank looks great.

 

Its good to be back for sure

 

Pump is doing great, pushes the perfect amount of water for this tank. actually had the bearing go out in the old motor not that long ago and had to rebuild the dry side but other than the scramble for a new motor within the day no issues haha. the nicer motor should last far longer than the old one anyway.

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Reefkid88

Reefkid88

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This tank honestly,so aginst what everyone says about keeping a pico that small especially when its jam packed with sps !!! This tank never ceases to amaze me.

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theicepick

theicepick

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This tank looks really nice! I love the updates and progress shots!

 

Can you explain a little about the rock looking structure sticking out of rear left side of tank? What is that? Why did you put it there?

 

Also love the coral choices in this tank. People frequently overload things quickly and make it look ugly. I think you have a done a nice job organizing and placing corals so they will grow into each other well.

 

Thanks in advance.



Pics as promised (albeit a little late, crazy weekend):

 

I built the walls of the little planter up a bit with some rubble i had lying around and lined the "pot" with a bit of filter floss to keep the sand in. The sand is kept pretty wet since the pot is roughly 1/4 submerged. hopefully the pickleweed roots well over time. I also plan to add a bit of salty susan i have rooting at home in the coming week.

photo-2-1.jpg

photo-1-1.jpg

 

Also have a nice shipment of frags coming on Wednesday so thats exciting too! ill update with FTS when that all happens too

 

 

I am sorry, ignore my last post. I am seeing it now and I love it! Very cool :-) I do still want to know what the purpose is.

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thesmallerthebetter

thesmallerthebetter

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it has a red mangrove in it now, but its just for nutrient export. No room for a fuge on this tank and dont wish to add volume. i also used it to add another dimension to the system, im a huge fan of emergent rockwork and structures, both in planted and reef aquaria.

 

and im a plant nerd too....an excuse to keep halophytes is always welcome haha

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  • 5 weeks later...
thesmallerthebetter

thesmallerthebetter

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Time for the monthly update! This time is RED!

 

Finally decided it was time to add something ive wanted to put in here for a loooong time...my red fungia! this was grown from a pie slice frag off a decaying red that was donated to work. it has since formed a perfect little dime sized red baby! perfect for this tank

 

also with some help from a member on here ive also acquired a beautiful little orange fungia with blue tips to keep it company. same size as his red brother and every bit as AWSOME

 

had to move the frogspawn to the back wall to keep it off my pink lemonade and deepwater that were close to it.

 

also decided to try yet another red dragon frag in here (number 4 i think) but this time i went straight to the source and got a clipping from the originator so im certain this isnt just another wild colony that will RTN super easily...i hope.

 

mostly done with coral additions at this point i think, just time for filling in. (i know thats prolly not really true but meh haha)

 

Pics:

 

Red Fungia:

 

IMG_5632.jpg

IMG_5634.jpg

 

Orange Fungia:

 

IMG_5638.jpg

 

Red Dragon (im just in love with the white tips on this piece....i hope it makes it):

 

IMG_5610.jpg

 

Deepwater + Pink Lemonade (this deepwater is one of my favorite wild corals ever....seems hardy in here too, its exposed every water change!)

 

IMG_5649.jpg

 

Tyree Blue Flower Cap + Monti Setosa fighting:

 

IMG_5651.jpg

 

Micromussas + Monti Stellata:

 

IMG_5649.jpg

 

FTS (look how red that fungia is!):

 

IMG_5643.jpg

IMG_5642.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
thesmallerthebetter

thesmallerthebetter

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Change is in the air.......

 

Teaser of new equipment:

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/IMG_5737.jpg.html'>IMG_5737.jpg

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/IMG_5738.jpg.html'>IMG_5738.jpg

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/IMG_5736.jpg.html'>IMG_5736.jpg

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/IMG_5785.jpg.html'>IMG_5785.jpg

 

Hmmmm....what could be happening?!?!?!

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thesmallerthebetter

thesmallerthebetter

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no idea - is it going to be a frag container?

 

Its a container alright :P

 

So i got sick of the that build up on my exposed rockwork, and the fact that every mangrove i put in there just didnt make it, i suspect due to a lack of proper substrate to grow into.

 

SOOOO i ran to micheals and picked up one of those little acrylic display boxes. with a drill, some sand, some hydroponic media, 2 magnets and some polyester mat i made a little riparium planter for a black mangrove that ive been acclimating to leds and full strength salinity in another system. Its fully rooted to it should do well in here....if not idk what to do haha

 

Also broke the old back wall rock formation into two separate formations and attached them as well, gives me a couple more mounting spots to spread out the corals a bit, one of my caps hated being in the back so i moved it to the new shelf and hopefully it'll color back up, it was a purple rim when i acquired it.

 

Anyway, pics of the new get up and just of the tank in general:

 

Polyps

photo22-1.jpg

SPS

photo32-1.jpg

A. Valida? that growth is so weird tho and making me thing efflo?

IMG_5815-1.jpg

S. Guttatus

IMG_5814-1.jpg

A. Granulosa

IMG_5816-1.jpg

A. Walandii/Carduus

IMG_5812-1.jpg

"Abyssal Rainbow" Diaseris

photo12.jpg

FTS:

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/IMG_5811-1.jpg.html'>IMG_5811-1.jpg

Top Down:

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/photo2-2.jpg.html'>photo2-2.jpg

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.Newman.

.Newman.

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yea that's what i meant. looks like it grows like GSP and is a soft coral much like cloves, just looks different and is a completely different species. I like it :)

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thesmallerthebetter

thesmallerthebetter

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i love the stuff, it can be tricky for some to get to stay open or grow much at all, but in this tank its grows weedy. its time to frag it soon actually as its encroaching on my precious palys

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thesmallerthebetter

thesmallerthebetter

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How's the Red Dragon doing ?

marvelously!

 

i think getting a captive cutting direct from RR made a huge difference. a member of my staff swears its already growing but i dont believe him haha

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Reefkid88

Reefkid88

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Heck ya !!! That's why I was asking,it does looks like it's grown and the branches have gotten a smidge longer ( thumbs up )

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...
thesmallerthebetter

thesmallerthebetter

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So been a busy week at work with aquaculture releases and and a trade show last weekend. Good news is i got to pick up quite a few goodies from the trade show :) most didnt go into this tank but rather into grow out but some did :)

 

Recent additions:

 

Halley's Comet Palys (my name, they're a scarface morph with blue centers)

Utter Chaos Palys

Maryjane Palys (my all time favorite zoa...probably)

IceFire Echinata (try #3 on this one, if this doesnt make it im doing something else instead)

Tiny Orange/Blue Scoly (smaller than a pencil eraser)

 

 

Super stoked on the scoly. bought from an awesome guy who fragged a gorgeous neon orange with blue streaks scoly and this one failed to thrive, leading to it shrinking back to just the mouth. hes been feeding it and its recovered to a perfect TINY round little beastie. Looks better than amazing next to my baby red plate :)

 

In sadder news i lost my tabling deepwater, accidentally knocked it off the rock and onto the acans during a water change :( but even that has a silver lining as it opens up space for another SPS :)

 

Also continuing to get amazing growth on my "Purple Bonsai" that im not nearly certain is an efflo or solitaryensis, its full blown plating from three places now, no branches forming at all. very interesting.

 

oh, and finally getting purple coraline on the tank walls and the "Pump" after 8 months or so....very happy with that. always makes me feel more comfortable when there's calcification going on. :)

 

enough jabber....pics

 

Close Up FTS:

photo42.jpg

 

Top Down of Palys (Halley's Comets are right above the Utters):

photo52.jpg

photo32.jpg

 

Scoly! (You can kind of see the blue streaking starting to develop)

photo22.jpg

 

Top Down:

photo2-12.jpg

 

FTS:

photo2-1.jpg

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thesmallerthebetter

thesmallerthebetter

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Went in to work today to check on some frags i made this week and took the time to photograph the tank a bit....

 

Maryjanes:

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/photo2-12.jpg.html'>photo2-12.jpg

 

Halley's Comets: (center of pic)

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/photo3-32.jpg.html'>photo3-32.jpg

 

Utter Chaos:

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/photo5-12.jpg.html'>photo5-12.jpg

 

Wobbegong/WOW:

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/photo52.jpg.html'>photo52.jpg

 

Gold Mauls:

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/photo42-1.jpg.html'>photo42-1.jpg

 

Rastas:

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/photo3-12.jpg.html'>photo3-12.jpg

 

Also took the time to feed the baby scoly and took some shots of the process:

 

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/photo1-12.jpg.html'>photo1-12.jpg

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/photo2-22.jpg.html'>photo2-22.jpg

http://s635.photobucket.com/user/thesmallerthebetter/media/1G%20SPS%20Pico/photo3-22.jpg.html'>photo3-22.jpg

 

Thanks for looking ;)

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Reefkid88

Reefkid88

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Man oh man,those Zoa's and Paly's are gorgeous !!! I love seeing updates for this tank man,such an inspiration !!

 

Oh btw,how's the red dragon doing ? I thought I saw it in one of the pictures,but I'm not sure..

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