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Na mo‘olelo o ko‘akā (Mo‘olelo's 20L) (RETIRED)


Moolelo

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When changing water I noticed all the algae looked like snot floating, more like a mucus net than algae. It also beaded up with air bubbles. I have a few ideas about what it is, but any ideas?

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you can try siphoning it out with some small tubing like airline through a filter sock into a bucket, then return the water once done.

also , my urchin really mow down most algae in the tank, and I had lots for a while.

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Love the looks of what you've got going on here. I like that this has all of the local Hawaiian livestock. I will be following along.

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Love the looks of what you've got going on here. I like that this has all of the local Hawaiian livestock. I will be following along.

Thanks! Coral reefs are about the communities of animals, not just coral and fish. So I really try to bring that balance into my tank. But without filter I run into balance issues, guess I overfed lately and things are out of balance.

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My juvenile Echinothrix Diadema is really starting to get settled in! Yes he is out of focus in the background, but this was a nicer looking picture.

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Also a photo of my resident Echinometra oblonga. Love this urchin, he always reaches to you with his spines (not quite what he is doing, but I can dream).

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  • 2 weeks later...

We have a jumper ladies and gentlemen! Doesn't fit the typical jumper profile, but plopped down to ground shortly after this. Luckily the speed of this fellow resulted in a quick rescue (and a long laugh).

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Yes it is my sand cleaning cucumber. Apparently he no longer wants to work for me. Lucky for him, he can take a bucket trip straight back to the ocean tanks today.

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  • 3 months later...

A few updates of my favorite echinoderm critters.

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Echinothrix diadema is growing so big and starting to get that beautiful blue color under strong white light.

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The Holothuria is becoming a heffer, not sure how I have been cleaning the sand more to keep up appearances.

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And here are some hilarious bubble snails I removed and returned to the ocean. Not sure how they got in my tank and so big (they are very specific eaters), but they will be much happier now.

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wow, that top one is incredible. It's gorgeous.

Thank you he is quite the handsome devil. Great urchin to show people that associate them only with stings. He has such beautiful geometric patterns and vivid color.

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Aloha and Merry Christmas everyone (or Season's Greetings)! I will have to wait till after Christmas, but anyone know of best way to deal with broken rotor blade on vortech mp10? I was standing right by the tank when a snail climbed right into the front part of pump cage (trochus, so only part of him got in) and heard a terrible noise. Took the wetside off and the blade was completely sheared off (thankfully only 1). Luckily still works okay, just keeping in 2 notches higher and no special mode until I can fix it. Think it will be fine like this for another week or so? No one seems to ship vortech parts out here so I need to check LFS. Any places that ship to Hawaii?

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  • 3 months later...

New full tank shot as soon as I get around to it.

 

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Green Hippolyte sp. shrimp found in caulerpa algae beds. Now living in my halimeda clumps.

 

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Keohea File Clam, Limaria keohea. Now living in my live rock.

 

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Plocamopherus maculatus nudibranch. Swims with lateral flexion and is bioluminescent. (not in tank)

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CronicReefer

Wow those are some nice additions there, I've never seen a shrimp like that before. I'd love to see the light show on one of those nudibranch. Too bad you don't have it in your tank.

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A-03-11--Thor20paschalis_zps9kzbhz2e.jpg

-photo credit goes to Cory Pittman (not my photo, near impossible to photo my shrimp in tank)

 

I added a shrimp just like this about a year ago thinking it was a juvenile with an adult saron shrimp. I was identifying something using John Hoovers website and saw this and instantly recognized my shrimp.

So first post now recognizes my Thor paschalis.

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  • 11 months later...

After keeping this 20 gallon long running for a few years (rocks and fish from a year before that), I began to neglect the routine and things got overgrown fast. I needed a fresh start and to build my community from the ground up. After a complete cleaning (don't worry rock and animals all went to marine lab seatables), only the fish remained while I went from new sand to new rock to barebottom (giving time for things to cycle and colonize). Now 6 months later I have finally re-added my Hawaiian soft corals and a few inverts to begin building the reef again.

Currently the tank is exactly as you see in the my first post full tank shot update, just the few rocks and the fish's ornaments. I plan to remove the filter (only has caulerpa in it, was using carbon for fish only) and add an in tank skimmer (Hydor Slim Skim nano?). Between this and the Vortech pump, I should have the flow and aeration (filtration too!) that I need to replicate the kind of habitats that I have collected these animals from.

If anyone has any ideas on how to run a bare-bottom tank that I seem to have missed here, give me a clue! I have seem people do starboard bottoms? What about some type of frosted glass to match my back panel? How would I fit this?

I really like the idea from both a maintenance and biological perspective. Thinking back on it, putting sand into a "reef" environment is a little odd, when all the environments I collect these animals from and observe have little to no sand and mainly rock, coral, and gravel. I don't mean to bring up that age old argument, just pondering why this became something so correlated with reef aquariums? (don't get me wrong, sand looks good)

 

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Post Script: Ornaments seem tabo to most reef tanks, but in my defense the lady picked them out for her fish while we were cycling new rock and they became quite attached. I am attempting to work them into the aquascape (will get better as things grow out and color up more). And come on, anyone diving knows how little bits of man-made stuff end up incorporated into reef ecosystems!


Oh and if anyone ever reads these posts, is there a best orientation in a 20 long for the mp10 pump and the in tank overflow skimmer? Pump on one side, skimmer opposite, or both in one corner to isolate equipment and maintain flow?

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Added back a few residents. My favorite urchin, purple needle-spine; my original easter Thor genus shrimp, lacking its original red markings now; my alternative pom pom crab, hairy narrow band crab.25426376061_c692c649d5_b.jpg

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What a pretty urchin!!!!! I like the dark shade of green in the middle.

Thank you. Been with me for awhile and has even changed shade quite a bit from light pink to this deep purple. Though pretty disappointing as far as algae eaters go.

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I'll be curious to see how my pin cushions change if any, over time. They're the size of a thumb fingernail at the moment.

I also really like the white/yellow design on the clowns. Just so pretty with that extra white around the yellow.

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  • 11 months later...

I just found your thread, it's very interesting! 

 

I'm experimenting with bare bottom for the first time in my new 30g tank. I used textured spray paint on the outside of the bottom glass. I like how it turned out, although since it's light colored, the algae tends to grow on it just as fast as it does on the sides.

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3 hours ago, teenyreef said:

I just found your thread, it's very interesting! 

 

I'm experimenting with bare bottom for the first time in my new 30g tank. I used textured spray paint on the outside of the bottom glass. I like how it turned out, although since it's light colored, the algae tends to grow on it just as fast as it does on the sides.

It has been about a year now and I've stuck with bare glass. I just vacuum it and brush anything attached and excess CCA off. It mostly stays just cocaine patches and bare glass, I don't think I ever get algae on my glass?

Just aiptasia!

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