antsypants Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Hey NanoReef! I hear you guys are friendly My name's Anthony, I'm 18, and I love fish. I plan on studying marine biology so I decided I might as well get into saltwater aquariums (I have a bit of freshwater experience). I received the tank around June, 2013, did a boatload of research including a rigorous readthrough of El Fab's pico and began cycling in August. Now onto the fun stuff!Current FTS: 6/12/2016Parameters: (8/12/15):Temp: 78Salinity: 1.024pH: 8.0NH3: 0NO2: 0NO3: 10PO4: 0.03Ca: 400Alk: 119 Equipment: 3 Gal JBJ PicotopeCoral Compulsion Par30Coralife Power CenterAC70 Fuge w/foam, filter floss, & Chemipure25W Hydor Theo Heater~1.5 lbs Live Rock ~1/2 in. Caribsea Seagrade Aragonite Sand Livestock: Fish/Inverts: Nano conch (Columbellidae) Nassarius snail (Nassarius sp.) Corals: Green star polyps (Briareium sp.) Waving hand (Xenia sp.) Zoas (Zoanthus sp.) Macroalgae: Caulerpa (Caulerpa cupressoides, prolifera) Barbata (Cymopolia barbata) Halimeda (Halimeda opuntia) Halymenia (Halymenia elongata) Monthly (Sort of) FTS: September, 2013 (Setup in June)October, 2013November, 2013December, 2013January, 2014February, 2014March, 2014April, 2014May, 2014June, 2014July, 2014August, 2014September, 2014October, 2014November, 2014December, 2014January, 2015February, 2015 March, 2015 May, 2015 June, 2015 July, 2015 August, 2015 September, 2015 May, 2016 June, 2016 Thanks for looking,Anthony Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 You're off to a great start. Link to comment
antsypants Posted September 11, 2013 Author Share Posted September 11, 2013 thank you! Link to comment
antsypants Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 So I've been unsatisfied with the rockwork lately, and changed it up a bit. I got some dry rock from the LFS (and picked up 2 little kenya trees for $5 at the same time ) anyways, the basic design is going to be kind of this crescent moon shape but I'm not sure how it's gonna turn out. Everything's a bit annoyed but they oughta be fine lol. Eventually, the mushroom rock will be taken out and maybe clear up some space. Unfortunately, I've nowhere to put it atm and it's got a couple of really cool, tiny, red feather dusters (coco worms?) on it, which I'd really like to keep. Any ideas? hehe Anyways, here are some pictures FTS, still a bit cloudy One of the new kenya's. Waiting for it to attach. The other is in a tough spot to photograph, so I'll wait til it opens up An old but amusing picture of my pompom crab making an appearance waving a leg. the xenia in the back has since healed I'll be back with more soon! Quick question though, I've begun to notice thin tunnels(?) in my sandbed? Looks kind of like the work of worms. Should I be worried? -Anthony Link to comment
antsypants Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 Bad news. > One of the kenya trees completely disintegrated! I'm talking branches and polyps falling out, melting, shriveling. I can't even get a good picture of it, all that's left is the base and a few strands of the stem. The other kenya is turning brown and giving off this slime, and I don't think that one's going to make it either. To make matters worse, the chemicals they let out caused my xenia to close up. I'm not talking closed up like when resting, I mean the polyps aren't pulsing. I don't know what to do. I've already thrown in some activated carbon but aside from that... Anybody? The intact kenya http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/antsypants77/media/IMG_0943_zps11cd249d.jpg.html'> Closed up xenia http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/antsypants77/media/IMG_0942_zps25a49f7e.jpg.html'> Xenia before the kenya http://s1361.photobucket.com/user/antsypants77/media/IMG_0823_zps1c645b84.jpg.html'> Well hopefully, the xenia recovers. I guess I'll have to try the kenya later. As for everything else, everyone seems fine. If anyone can chime in, please do. Thanks, Anthony Link to comment
Mike Savage Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Welcome Anthony, I love that Pom Pom Crab! Link to comment
antsypants Posted September 18, 2013 Author Share Posted September 18, 2013 thanks! he/she is doing great Link to comment
jestep Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 I had this problem in my 28 a few years ago. It was so bad that all of the xenia completely died even after I put it on the other side of the tank. I hindsight I'm glad I found the only way to kill xenia as it was going to get out of hand. Link to comment
antsypants Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 I had this problem in my 28 a few years ago. It was so bad that all of the xenia completely died even after I put it on the other side of the tank. I hindsight I'm glad I found the only way to kill xenia as it was going to get out of hand. Haha yeah I've seen tanks overgrown with it. Mine was rather docile though so I was rather sad to see it go :/ On another note, I know it's been awhile since my last update, busy with college apps ._. but I haven't been neglecting my tank In fact, I updated the lighting to a SolarFlare LED 15W, and it looks pretty incredible. I also made some additions to the livestock, but unfortunately, lost a few great guys as well. Both the cerith snails kicked it, one of the turbo snails died, and I was really upset to find that my peppermint shrimp passed overnight. I'm not too sure what happened, I think it may have died while molting though because I found scraps of its shell leftover... I'll really miss him, he added a lot of movement. Otherwise though, everything looks great. Some pictures of the current tank: FTS Couple glove polyps I picked up New Kenya Tree Piece of the large brown ricordea mushroom that broke off and started growing another mushroom! And a free chunk of goniopora hehe. Hope it grows in fast. Funny story. I bought these black widow zoas for $30. Forgot to ask the man what the price was o___e thought it'd be 10-15. Didn't want to seem rude so I just gave him a very weak smile. They do look quite nice though. GSP with the blue LED's on The Glove Polyps Cool looking mushrooms And finally, FTS with the blue's on The right side of the tank isn't done yet but I hope to finish it soon. Otherwise thanks for reading, any comments you've got, please tell me! -Anthony Link to comment
Gramophone Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Looks great! Sorry about your losses. Did you test the water to see if you could find a cause? Link to comment
antsypants Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 Looks great! Sorry about your losses. Did you test the water to see if you could find a cause? Thanks! At this point I'm blaming nitrates as the cause for the snail's death as I'm having trouble lowering it as it goes between 0-5ppm and 5-10ppm every now and then but I'm not sure. The other snails and inverts seem to be doing just fine though. As for the shrimp I feel that he may have had an issue molting and my nass finished him off... Link to comment
Gramophone Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Inverts are pretty sensitive to parameter swings. Does your temperature fluctuate at all? Did you drip acclimate your shrimp? Link to comment
antsypants Posted November 12, 2013 Author Share Posted November 12, 2013 Yep, everybody was dripped. Temperature stays between 79-80 degrees Link to comment
gogo Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 hey antsy, i'd let your tank go for a while to let everything settle down and grow a bit... cloves and kenyan love a little nitrate...you'll see them grow fast....let your algaes cycle for a while. looks good....i like your light...are you using the picotope filter? Link to comment
antsypants Posted November 12, 2013 Author Share Posted November 12, 2013 Thanks, yeah I'm taking a break from stocking and just kicking back for now. No I'm not using it actually, I replaced it with a modded AC70, adds a lot more flow to the tank. As for algae, I've got a lot of green stuff growing on the glass, is that what you mean? Either way, I've tried scraping it off but stuff is tough lol. Should I go get an algae scraper or just let it grow for now? Link to comment
gogo Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Thanks, yeah I'm taking a break from stocking and just kicking back for now. No I'm not using it actually, I replaced it with a modded AC70, adds a lot more flow to the tank. As for algae, I've got a lot of green stuff growing on the glass, is that what you mean? Either way, I've tried scraping it off but stuff is tough lol. Should I go get an algae scraper or just let it grow for now? i would scrape what you want to remove and do a water change....inverts only is easy to maintain a low nitrates and algae free dt... i use a 'toothbrush on a stick' that i've made, a couple of them actually, to scrub glass and the odd rock....i also use a hyperdermic needle glued to the end of a stick for scraping that hard to get chlorella off of the glass...it scratches glass if you use it too hard. i haven't worried about those little scratches though. they're unnoticeable when the tank is full of water... with a pico, 50% water changes are easy and cheap, i suggest a gravity drip over a few hours. when you've removed most of your algae, and done a good wc, then you'll see that algae cycles diminishing, and your microfauna increasing... what and when are you feeding? Link to comment
antsypants Posted November 14, 2013 Author Share Posted November 14, 2013 A toothbrush'll do it?? xD I gotta try that hahah I'm feeding mysis/coral food every now and then, maybe three times a week. I just cut off a small chunk off of the cube, melt it in tankwater, turn off the filter and pour in a little at a time. Link to comment
Eclipse Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 Following! Just curious, what colleges are you thinking of? Because I'm really interested in marine biology too but a lot of research has told me to major in biology first and then specialize later on, which is why this whole college thing is quite bothersome too >_> Link to comment
antsypants Posted November 14, 2013 Author Share Posted November 14, 2013 I'm in Cali so I'm thinking of UCSD or UCSB but I'm not sure. If all else fails I might go out of state and study in Washington. Puget Sound is all sorts of fun But yeah, bio is more general so you've got more options and maybe majoring in marine biology isn't the highest paying job but (and yes this sounds naive) I think I'd just have so much fun doing field work. It's like getting paid for doing things I did as a child x) Link to comment
Eclipse Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I'm in Cali so I'm thinking of UCSD or UCSB but I'm not sure. If all else fails I might go out of state and study in Washington. Puget Sound is all sorts of fun But yeah, bio is more general so you've got more options and maybe majoring in marine biology isn't the highest paying job but (and yes this sounds naive) I think I'd just have so much fun doing field work. It's like getting paid for doing things I did as a child x) I was considering those schools too, but it might be a bit more difficult for me since I'm all the way in New York. I'm sure I'd enjoy it more than just plain old biology, that's for certain. Link to comment
antsypants Posted November 14, 2013 Author Share Posted November 14, 2013 Yep, same here. If you do decide to hit up the west coast though, lemme know! Link to comment
antsypants Posted December 1, 2013 Author Share Posted December 1, 2013 Well, I'm back with an update. I've basically been taking it easy, cleaning the tank, changing water, making sure everything stays constant. Unfortunately, with the cold weather settling in (really Cali? xD) the temperature's been swinging from 80 to 76 Luckily, everybody seems to be doing alright. I didn't add any new corals but I did restock my CUC a bit. 1 astrea and 1 nass just weren't cutting it anymore. Anyways, I did some 'remodeling', not really, but let me know what you think A new astrea I got from Amazing Reefs and Aquariums. He's got a little commensalism (symbiosis?) going on with that feather duster on his shell hehe. Not sure what to name him... Dustin maybe? Hahh. I also got two replacement ceriths, hopefully they last longer than the others. ANYWAYS, I did lose a glove polyp .-. It started looking emaciated, way skinnier than the remaining one I'm posting here. I pulled off what I think was a parasite on the stem but it didn't get much better and well I dunno, didn't make it :/ At least the baby xenia is doing better I'm starting to understand how people consider it a weed now though hahah. It's small now but it's growing...fast. (sorry for blurry shot, best I could do given its location) Aaaand here's an FTS w/white lights And one with blue light. Looks the same as last time .-. Also, thought you guys might like this. I was at Ali's and he's got a clownfish with a dollar sign on it! It's pretty awesome haha, I took this pic with my non-smart phone so it's pretty bad but. I think his name was Buck OH. Happy b-lated Thanksgivings guys hope you had a good time! Link to comment
yoowicked Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 OMG............... one in a million! Link to comment
antsypants Posted December 1, 2013 Author Share Posted December 1, 2013 OMG............... one in a million! hahaha right?? Exactly what I said! Link to comment
melson Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Any plans to put a fish in the pico being that you are a marine biologist in the making? Link to comment
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