Jump to content
ReefCleaners.org

Snowy's 16 gallon - king feather duster lost his crown


Snowgrrl83

Recommended Posts

Hi Nano-reefers,

 

I'm a semi-newb. I recently purchased a CADlights 16 gallon tank. It is an AIO tank with back chambers. The lights are maxspect razor nano LEDs. I put this tank together last Weds. Nov 6, 2013. Saltwater, 15 lbs of aragonite and 3 lbs of live sand from my old tank and 18 lbs of LR from my old tank that have been cured and from my LFS.

 

Here is what i currently have in this new 18 gallon build.

 

Many zoa frags, 1 paly frag

Blue mushroom, green mushroom, red, striped and bubble mushrooms

Many ricordea florida

Many ricordea yumas

1 yellow finger gorgonian

1 branching hammer coral colony

1 candy cane colony

Many acans, many colours

1 pink birdsnest frag

1 pink millipora frag

1 green elkhorn montipora

2 blue unknown acroporas

1 bonsai acropora

1 Red Dragon deep water acropora

1 green slimer?

1 pocillopora

1 styllophora

1 montipora setosa

1 pink montipora digitata

1 "forest fire" montipora digitata

1 'fire orange' BTA

1 feather duster

2 red scarlet hermits

2 turbo snails

4 cerith snails

6 trochus snails

5 astrea snails

 

1 tiger pistol shrimp

1 yellow watchmen goby

1 royal gramma

1 gradeA Picasso clownfish

 

 

Chaeto macro algae and pods in the back chamber

 

Return pump (not sure what brand, but came with the cadlights tank) two koralia 1s. I've also added a Tunze 9002 nano skimmer to the overflow chamber.

I have a DIY Arduino-controlled ATO that was built with the help of my computer engineer husband and father-in-law. The Arduino is the fail-safe and it uses a float switch and a simple aqualifter pump to feed the tank.

 

I would like to get more mushrooms (floridas!).

Follow my tanks adventures!

 

FTS May 29, 2014

ABFCBD40-E748-4A5F-88AA-891764CB0E3A_zps

 

FTS April 26, 2014

3C66220C-375E-4433-A809-5719D01B54E5_zps

 

FTS March 25, 2014

A8B31991-288D-42A8-A445-3B0BE5366138_zps

 

FTS Feb 26, 2014

1BD540FF-3D09-49A1-97B3-1FFB74077BF6_zps

 

FTS Jan 29, 2014

FC8A5C9F-1584-434F-82E4-68C3B8C5CFB7_zps

 

FTS Dec 21, 2013

 

DDF9E7D9-C0BA-4E06-AEA6-67A7602FA023_zps

Link to comment
  • Replies 184
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Ammonia is at 0 today, nitrites 0, nitrates are between 0 and 5 ppm, pH 8.3, temp 77 F, alk 9.5 dKH, calcium 340 and phosphates are undetectable. I added a small amount of bio-cal as i believe my LPS candy cane and frogspawn are depleating it quickly. Inplan on adding 2 more trochus snails, 2 cerith snails and 2 ricordea mushrooms today. Just wondering about dipping rics. Should it be a freshwater dip or a revive dip?

 

Here is a photo of my tank this morning. I also added a fuge light and chaeto to the back. The light is a submersible halogen 10W from InTank Media. Seems pretty bright. I want to put a cover over the fuge area so the light doesn't radiate so much out of the top. I also have a small media bag of GFO and carbon in the back that will be placed on a 2 week rotation.

 

I noticed a small diatom bloom on my highest LR since yesterday. The diatoms have not seem to increase since yesterday... This is all part of my tank maturing nicely.

post-82266-0-91068800-1384442308_thumb.jpg

post-82266-0-02499400-1384442339_thumb.jpg

Link to comment

So yesterday, I went to the LFS, after doing some online research on prices. I went out and bought 2 trochus snails to add to the others, 2 cerith snails, 4 ricordea Florida (in various colors - orange, blue, pink and green) as well as 2 zoos frags. I placed the zoos higher and the rics lower. All of this ran me over 100$ and they are barely noticeable in the tank.... Man, it's got to cost a lot to fill up a small reef!!

 

I'm hoping to buy some cheaper frags tomorrow at someone's house that has frags for sale. Keeping fingers crossed.

 

I dipped my zoos and rics in Revive and some funny looking snails fell off one ric and all sorts of funny looking insects and fuzzy worm on one of the zoas. I hope they are pest free :S

Link to comment

I got a few more frags over the weekend for the tank :D this time I went to someone's hours and got an acan head, 2 zoas frags and a mushroom. Cost much less than the LFS. However, I got the mushroom off the plug and when I was placing it in the tank, it slipped and fell into a crevice in the LR. I got tweezers and tried to get it out but it shrivelled itself deeper in the crevice. I'm hoping it comes out on its own in a couple of days...

 

I have a bit if a diatom bloom which was expected. I'm going to go to the LFS later this week to get more CUC. I hope they have some trochus snails, a few turbos and maybe scarlet hermits. I had to take one of my old blue-legged hermits out yesterday because he is too much of a terrorist in my tank... Bugging smaller hermits, terrorizing snails and coral.

 

I'll post photos of the tank this afternoon! :D it's slowly coming along.

Link to comment

So here are a few pics - first, my zoas.

... Not sure how to embed pics...

 

And I can only upload up to 1MB so here is a pic of my first acan.

post-82266-0-12850000-1384785008_thumb.jpg

post-82266-0-27986900-1384785086_thumb.jpg

Link to comment

I just noticed that my fuge section has these nearly microscopic bugs swimming in it. Pods? I'm assuming they are a good thing?? What can I do to keep them alive? Will they feed on the chaeto?

Link to comment

 

 

 

All parameters look like they are in check. Maybe just the pH that is a little low...but its still morning so it may increase as the day goes on. I have an old branching hammer coral from my old tank that I've put in here...however, it has lots of tube-worm specimens on it. They spit out these spider-web things that are quite unsightly. I took my turkey baster a few times and sucked up all the webs but they keep coming back just as quickly. Any ideas what to do about this? They are growing right on my hammer coral and seem to be irritating it.

 

Nice build! The pods should be fine in the chateo. you really have nothing that will eat them yet. Looking good though.

 

Im sure my royal gramma won't mind the occasional pod going through the pump straight to his mouth on occasion ;) other than mandarins, what eats the pods?

 

Yesterday, i got rid of my giant blue-legged hermit and gave him to a reefer with a 200 gallons. His tank was pretty nice and perfect for my blue-legged terrorist. He won't be attacking my snails anymore and is in a better place :D

Link to comment
how do you get the sand and rock to stick to the side of your tank? :P

 

lookin good..

I think youre referencing my first shot after i added my LR and sand... Yup, it stayed milky white for a while in there. The sand still gets stirred up by my ywg and his pistol buddy..so i still get the occasional cloudy water.

 

So i looked up my annoying tube worms and they are in fact vermitid snails. Looks like the only way to get rid of them is to stick super glue down their tube.

Link to comment

try to find cerith snails, they live longer, and don't fall over to get attacked by hermits. I like the dwarf hermits too. I have 2 left handed hermits that are a pita! They are just too big..knock things over.



I just noticed that my fuge section has these nearly microscopic bugs swimming in it. Pods? I'm assuming they are a good thing?? What can I do to keep them alive? Will they feed on the chaeto?

 

Pods are a good thing, yes. They will eat detritus and feed your corals and some fish like mandarin even my clowns pick them off the rock occasionally

Link to comment

 

 

try to find cerith snails, they live longer, and don't fall over to get attacked by hermits. I like the dwarf hermits too. I have 2 left handed hermits that are a pita! They are just too big..knock things over. Pods are a good thing, yes. They will eat detritus and feed your corals and some fish like mandarin even my clowns pick them off the rock occasionally

So far most of my snails are trochus... I have a couple of cerith and one mexican turbo.... That hermit crab was huge and old... He was terrorizing my scarlet hermits (i just have 3 hermits), snails, and corals.... He thought he was king... He looked pretty wimpy when we put himin that 200 gallon though!!
Link to comment

Looks great, my lfs just got these in and they look so great with the super clear glass

Yup! The tank looks great. I would suggest that you wait for their new tank release if you were to get a CADlight mini though because their new models will be able to fit one of their skimmers in the back chambers.Im sort of scratching my head wondering which nano skimmer would fit in this 18 gallon cadlights mini....

 

So, I've been noticing an awful trend with my tank everyday. My water gets cloudy every day around 2-3 pm in the afternoon and then is clear again by the next morning. I figure it has something to do with my lights otherwise it wouldnt be so cyclic and predictable. Ive ruled out any light coming from windows since i closed all the blinds in the house today and still got a cloudy tank by mid-afternoon.Could it just be a new tank algae bloom? I dont remember diatoms causing cloudy water....could that be it? Please chime in!

 

See image of cloudy tank today at 3pm in link below

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=253239&d=1384981024

Link to comment

Well, I've been adding stuff (livestock) to my tank despite it not being really mature yet.

I had a number if specimens that came in from my old 20 gallon that i took down.

 

Here is what i currently have in this new 18 gallon build.

 

Approx 18 lbs of LR

4 zoa frags

1 blue mushroom, some green mushroom, 4 ricordea florida and 1 orange ric yuma

1 hammer coral with 10 heads, 1 with 1 head

3 candy cane frags... 1 with 4 heads, 1 with 2 heads and another with 3 heads

1 acan head

2 red scarlet hermits

2 turbo snails

2 cerith snails

6 trochus snails

5 astrea snails

 

1 tiger pistol shrimp

1 yellow watchmen goby

1 royal gramma

 

Chaeto and pods in the back chsmber

 

Return pump (not sure what brand, but came with the cadlights tank) a koralia 1 ... Should i put another koralia nano or koralia 1?

 

Im interested in getting clowns (picasso or snowflake) with an rbta....which ive had in the past and kept for years....they can get pricy

Or...

A green mandarin.... Which are finniky eaters but need to be fed lots....hummmmmm

 

I would also like to try keeping birdsnest coral as my first sps.... But i need to change salts instant ocean has such low calcium....problem is that i stillhave a huge bycket of that stuff.

Link to comment

Is he cool or what? He is just a juvenile. I got him from my LFS as a regular ocellaris clownfish.

He looks like a regular ocellaris on one side but looks like this on the other. Do you think this is considered a davinci clown? If so, what grade?

post-82266-0-12069500-1385312045_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
I think youre referencing my first shot after i added my LR and sand... Yup, it stayed milky white for a while in there. The sand still gets stirred up by my ywg and his pistol buddy..so i still get the occasional cloudy water.

 

So i looked up my annoying tube worms and they are in fact vermitid snails. Looks like the only way to get rid of them is to stick super glue down their tube.

no I'm referring to the sideways picture Lol
Link to comment

I'm going on vacation for 10 days! My 9 month old son and I are going to Florida! I've never been to florida, so I'm excited.

 

Unfortunately, hubby doesn't have enough vacation days to come with us :(

He will be babysitting the fish tank.

Hopefully he tops it up and doesn't overfeed.

I didn't ask him to do a WC....lol

 

I should invest in an ATO. ;)

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

Im back from Florida. My tank seems to be doing well, excepy my new clownfish won't eat anymore. :(

 

He also has stringy poop coming out of his bum. Any ideas? Other fish seem fine.

Link to comment

LOL...so, erm, I was going to take a FTS today.... and then when I woke up, I noticed that my acan frag was missing. I had placed it near the bottom of the tank and neglected to glue it down. Yup, my pistol shrimp must have ran away with it, so I spent the morning digging around the substrate trying to find it without any success. So my tank is a lil cloudy now (oopsy).

 

On the bright side, my clownfish is eating again. He seemed quite enthusiastic about eating last night too...good sign! FTS will have to wait until tomorrow or the day after.....soon enough :)

 

NOTE TO SELF: glue down all frags or they WILL go missing.

 

Update: After 30 mins with my hand digging around the substrate I FINALLY found the acan. He's now glued.

Link to comment

Got a few sps (4 frags - one pink birdsnest another millipora and the 2 others are still unknown) and some other macroalgae for my fuge! Got them from another local hobbyist :D

 

Here is a 1 month FTS! :)

 

 

 

post-82266-0-42662900-1386685407_thumb.jpg

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recommended Discussions


×
×
  • Create New...