Moolelo Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Retired June 2017 Updated: March 3rd, 2017 February 27th, 2016 August 1st, 2014 May 24th, 2014 March 23rd, 2014 October 28, 2013 Aloha Nano Reef community! After the fateful passing of my dear fluval spec V tank, I had to hustle to set up a replacement. After a few LFS visits around the island, I had found the tank.Recent changes are bold.Equipment: Aquarium Masters 20 gallon long (30"x12"x12"), black silicone. DIY derimmed Vortech mp10 ES on Nutrient Transport Mode with tuned wave 75% Eheim Jager 50W Heater (only during colder months) Nanobox Duo w/ gooseneck + Storm 75W DIY LED array/cannon Petco Brooklyn Metal Stand DIY PVC Airstone Skimmer Vertebrates: 2x Goldstripe Maroon Clownfish Invertebrates: Cnidarians Many Sesere's Anemones, Gyractis sesere Psuedocorynactis corallimorph Various zoanthids from tide pools Molluscs Hawaiian Top Snails Hawaiian Turbo snails 2x Cerith Snails Knobby Snail, Modulus tectum Hawaiian Snakehead Cowrie, Cypraea caputophidii Money Cowries, Cypraea moneta 2x Grape Drupes, Morula uva Echinoderms Purple (use to be pink) needle spine urchin, Echinostrephus aciculatus Many micro brittle stars Dwarf Stars, Aquilonastra anomala Crustacea Halloween Hermit, Calcinus pictus Rosy Hermit, Calcinus laurentae Sponges/Tunicates Blue sponges - Haliclona sp. Water/Dosing: NSW: 5 gallon water change each week with ocean seawater from 1000ft offshore Oahu, Filtered....heavily Dosing 3ml Seachem Reef Fusion 1 & 2 (found reef level NSW is deficient when pumped in and using precise testing to calculate what needs to be up to spec. Reef fusion is a cheap way to achieve buffered levels) Feeding: New Life Spectrum pellet, Formula One pellet Frozen mysis and krill for larger invertebrates Leftover urchin, etc. eggs from lab. So tank is saved and there has not been any serious fatalities with the move. Lost about 5 electric pink polyps, but that may not be connected as I had just collected them the same week. Future plans are up in the air, but short term is to get a balanced natural tank running. First order of business is to get a wavemaker and then let the tank mature itself. Future livestock: Entertaining the idea of getting harlequin shrimp pair for some more action in the tank. Collecting starfish for food would not be a problem. In Hawai‘i we are limited on coral that is allowed, so maybe this will be a broad invertebrate focused tank (with fun macro algae) Though this was a forced upgrade it is for the best and gives me ample room to go out and discover more for my piece of the reef at home. Once equipment is finally settled, I can start the long process of letting the reef build itself. This tank will focus on natural dynamics with mostly organisms taking care of maintenance and the water. I will provide fresh ocean seawater weekly, the flow, the light, and a temperature buffer. Besides that I just sit back and watch things happen as the tanks develops through time. Link to comment
FishBrawler Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 How is livestock selection on the island? I am looking at going to college there for marine biology. Do you have good stores? Link to comment
Moolelo Posted October 15, 2013 Author Share Posted October 15, 2013 There are a few stores, but even at the best of stores you are talking about 1 or 2 tanks of inverts. Plenty fish though. Link to comment
Moolelo Posted October 28, 2013 Author Share Posted October 28, 2013 Added a red mangrove collected at the small mangrove estuary. It seems to be adapting to the tank, but impressed it into my skimmer tube and it broke one for the small side roots, and some lower leaves are yellowing. I am using a cree xte neutral white led with optics as a spotlight grow light, hopefully it will be enough. Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Fun tank! I think you'll need more light for the mangrove to form properly. Otherwise, it'll probably end up tall and lanky. Link to comment
Giga Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Fun tank! I think you'll need more light for the mangrove to form properly. Otherwise, it'll probably end up tall and lanky. Pretty cool I live there for 10 years about 10 years ago lol Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 I learned from the best! Link to comment
Moolelo Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 Updates based on my edits to the first post. Added vortech, mangrove, spotlight, diodes to array, sea cucumber, and zoas. Link to comment
Tochtli Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 How is livestock selection on the island? I am looking at going to college there for marine biology. Do you have good stores? University of California Santa Barbara or Berkely MarSci. Why? Mo'orea! Link to comment
Moolelo Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 Berkeley is a great school and I have done plenty collaboration there, but Mo'orea is not equal to Oahu marine research by location. To Fishbrawler: choose college based on opportunity, not only in school, but after. Just a warning, Mānoa has plenty of marine biology students. Link to comment
Moolelo Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 Update 2014: Been doing great and has lots of growth. I would love to show some pictures of this great growth, but a few circumstances led to a little Saturday project. First I had aiptasia and wasn't going to deal with them till I had to. Second the boss prefers the rimless look and wanted our tank like that. Instead of being sensible...I decided to use sodium hydroxide on my aiptasia friends and then completely drain the tank, with inverts and live rock stored in buckets. Then I derimmed the 20L. Never again. (my mp10 got quieter after the nice cleaning, but it hasn't been this quiet even brand new) Link to comment
Moolelo Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 Clowns and Red people eaters when we still had the Caulerpa racemosa nursery and Holothuria pervicax cucumber in background. Baeolidia salaamica traveling around and eating aiptasia. Link to comment
BilgePump Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 How do you like the derimmed 20L? I'm doing the same thing and debating on bracing the tank or not... Link to comment
Moolelo Posted March 29, 2014 Author Share Posted March 29, 2014 Love the tank derimmed. Seems to be plently sturdy with no brace, but I guess that will depend on glass thickness. The unfinished edge under the brace is the tell-tale part, I had minor nicks so I just have that pane as the back pane, but if it was anything more I would be more worried about glass strength in the long term. Link to comment
Moolelo Posted April 4, 2014 Author Share Posted April 4, 2014 My collector urchin is too big for the tank now and has returned to the ocean to clean real reefs with the state's urchin army. Working on a tiny project to get my echinoid fix. This is no collector urchin... Link to comment
Moolelo Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 Another echinoid project much further along, though not going in my home tank. And added a few lab raised specimens. Actually the leaf chiton I added was lab raised, this one I don't know where it came from? But if you can ID this chiton, please let me know. It is not a color morph I have ever seen commonly. Names of new additions are in first post along with any changes to current livestock. Link to comment
Moolelo Posted April 7, 2014 Author Share Posted April 7, 2014 B.salaamica eggs! Maybe more nudis soon. Though more likely mantis food, I took one little mantis out, but there is still loud snapping noise, and no more sand piles, probably a smasher mantis I have never seen. Also my unidentified chiton's shell was found in the grasp of a micro brittle star, with the animal eaten out. Lastly a bunch of zoas have taken to folding half their disk over or not opening at all. I can't figure out what is bothering them, with no outward signs, besides not opening completely. Link to comment
Moolelo Posted April 11, 2014 Author Share Posted April 11, 2014 Today found some interesting animals. Aiptasia eating pycnogonids! Link to comment
hypostatic Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Today found some interesting animals. Aiptasia eating pycnogonids! This eats aiptasia? Link to comment
Moolelo Posted April 12, 2014 Author Share Posted April 12, 2014 Oops, sorry I didn't realize how that reads out. That one is a purple spotted nudibranch (Chromodoris genus), the first picture is of the aiptasia eating sea spiders. The five orange ones below the middle anemone in distress. Link to comment
Moolelo Posted April 24, 2014 Author Share Posted April 24, 2014 These guys felt real natural and I was missing having an urchin for the time being. Don't mind the bubbles, those are just decorator crab food I've been saving... I also have plans to modify and upgrade light a bit. Moving to: 3x 25W Dimmable drivers Channel 1- 2x Cree XML Cool White 2x Nichia Neutral White 1x Cree XML2 Warm White Channel 2- Luxeon M Royal Blue 2x Cree XTE Royal Blue 2x Exotics Hyper Violet Channel 3- 2x Exotics Turquoise 2x Cool Blue 1x Deep Red Link to comment
Moolelo Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 Made a few additions reflected in top post and bouncing a few guys between work and home. At work I found this anemone, or so I think. Any ideas on ID? Link to comment
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