Super CatPig's 16G BiOrb

[Super CatPig]

FTS 3/11/14

Latest pics

 

 

 

CORAL

shrooms

cloves

 

INVERTS

ceriths

 

EQUIPTMENT

Fluval 206

Hydor Koralia 425

PAR 38

other things that I will list later if I remember

 

------------------------------------------------------

My BiOrb arrived in the mail yesterday YAY! I am really excited to set this oversized fish bowl up but that will have to hold as I figure out how/what I plan on doing to this weird tank. I cant find crap online about how people have modded these things. Right now it's just hanging out until I set up a stand.

 

 

I know I want to get rid of the light, plug up the air hose and get rid of the under gravel filter (I hate those things)! So anyway my original thoughts were to just add a heater, power head, PAR38, live rock, macro, and softies. I really think I should have some carbon/filter floss in the mix though. A HOB is out of the question with the weird shape. And I have no experience with sumps, drilling, or weird DIY stuff. And I am terrified of breaking the tank.

 

Other ideas:

1) Underwater filter. Been looking at Fluval U Series (U2 model) What I don't like about it is I will have to find a way to hide it. I think I could hide it though. But I wonder how well it works. Dimensions: 3" x 3-1/2" x 8" high, 105GPH

 

2) Canister filter. I've never had one of these but I think I can just run some filter floss, carbon, (and maybe GFO ?) in the chambers. Not sure what to look for. But my thoughts are it wouldn't be too hard to clean since it is external. I'm thinking of having someone drill two holes in the top of the tank since I will not be filling it all the way to the top to run hoses and keep clutter down. Or better yet cut a box shape out of the top of the back to run ALL cords/tubes.

 

3) Sump. I've never had one of these either. I've been spoiled by my BioCube back chambers. Main drawback to this is I get SOOOO OO FRE AKIN CONFUSED when reading about sumps. I'm really not sure it's worth what is left of my brain power. I have to take a xanex just thinking about it! I decided long ago that they work through magic not science and to stop thinking about it before it causes brain bubbles.. If I got one I would buy one already made and get someone to drill my tank for me and hopefully make someone else set it up and never touch it ever ever EVER! Not sure how cheap this would be either

 

Other than that I bought a PAR38 and fixture.

 

And I got some stinky live rock..

 

I will be setting this up very slowly...

And I keep telling myself that I will be OK with that.LOL

 

Ideas, Thoughts, Suggestions, Name Calling - are all welcome.

[Lalani]

[gena]

That tank is AWESOME!!!!! I may get one someday and fill it with fantail goldfish. I can't wait to see what you do with yours.

[Super CatPig]

That tank is AWESOME!!!!! I may get one someday and fill it with fantail goldfish. I can't wait to see what you do with yours.

It's really a fun shape but comes with its problems LOL. I'll figure it out eventually, Lalani has been a great help and inspiration.

I have a confession, I always wanted you to start a cold water reef entitled "Some Like it Cold". I don't expect you to do this with a circle tank but if you do I will donate one bag of expired frozen peas (that have been sitting in my freezer for like 5 years) to place on top of the tank for temperature control. Maybe just float em in the tank. I think they are petrified by now anyway. It would be fun to watch the powerhead shoot em everywhere like a giant green snow globe. I think I'm off topic. I got my light bulb today.

[eTrain]

I'm assuming its acrylic? I would try to find a way to drill the bottom right in the center under the filter tube and use it as a stand pipe. Drill your rock and make a pillar in the middle to hide it.

[Super CatPig]

I'm assuming its acrylic? I would try to find a way to drill the bottom right in the center under the filter tube and use it as a stand pipe. Drill your rock and make a pillar in the middle to hide it.

Yea it's acrylic. I realize drilling is the best way to go and I really do try to understand how it works.. I'm starting to read up on sumps again. The whole system just completely confuses me. I feel like anyone with a sump should have very very wet floors and very very angry landlords. I'd like to avoid both.

[gena]

It's really a fun shape but comes with its problems LOL. I'll figure it out eventually, Lalani has been a great help and inspiration.

I have a confession, I always wanted you to start a cold water reef entitled "Some Like it Cold". I don't expect you to do this with a circle tank but if you do I will donate one bag of expired frozen peas (that have been sitting in my freezer for like 5 years) to place on top of the tank for temperature control. Maybe just float em in the tank. I think they are petrified by now anyway. It would be fun to watch the powerhead shoot em everywhere like a giant green snow globe. I think I'm off topic. I got my light bulb today.

 

I'll keep that in mind, in case I ever do a cold water reef.

[eTrain]

Are you building the stand? I just think it would be awesome if it was drilled and setup center room for a full 360 view. No wires or junk hanging in the tank. Just super clean.

[Roshan8768]

Are you building the stand? I just think it would be awesome if it was drilled and setup center room for a full 360 view. No wires or junk hanging in the tank. Just super clean.

This would be awesome! As someone mentioned above drilling the bottom and having a standpipe is probably your best bet.

[Super CatPig]

Are you building the stand? I just think it would be awesome if it was drilled and setup center room for a full 360 view. No wires or junk hanging in the tank. Just super clean.

 

Oh I'm not building the stand.. that I am aware of LOL.. but i might poke holes in it. That sounds bada$$ but I'm sorry to say that I have decided to not go with a sump. It's just too much for me to think about right now with work and personal life. I'm still reading and watching videos on them though. I'm a little too worried about leaky problems as well while at my apartment. I'm a chronic worrier and I have flooded the basement a few times in the past with other fish tank fiascos my landlord kind of looks at me funny when asking if I know anything about the water in the basement. I know nothing! Dont tell on me!!! Some day when I have my own leaky basement I will make a sump I promise

I do have a friend that has some kind of weird cutting equipment connected to his computer. I'm going to visit with him soon and bring the tank and bounce some ideas around but it will probably just be a very minimal way of getting all the cords and any tubes come out the back instead of the top so it doesnt get really tight at the top and block all the light. I realize this will look ugly so I am thinking of trying to cover up that area with rock or coraline or maybe some coral or something simple. I love those ideas you guys have though but sorry I'm a pansy!

 

I did find my old BRS media reactor. I may use that for carbon. Though I've always considered it to be a PITA and awkward.

 

In other news, my girlfriends freshwater platys wont stop making babies. They are sex fiends! I collect them all and put them in one of those cheap plastic breeding boxes in my free time.

 

Other things I have noticed about platies:

1. They are stupid fat fatties
2. They poop 24/7
3. They do not respond when I call them by their names.

I am hoping to train the young ones to do back flips out of the water for flake food. I assume I will be able to do this because their fragile eggshell minds are still young and fresh and open to learning new things.

[llama roadkill]

 

[*]They do not respond when I call them by their names.

 

 

You trained them wrong.

[Super CatPig]

You trained them wrong.

I should have used blood worms!

[llama roadkill]

I should have used blood worms!

 

I used narcotics. Fish narcotics. AKA flakes. That stuff will make you go mad.

 

Oh, and they're names aren't pronounced. They are silent. Deaf people names. I just walk up to the tank and they come to me. They obviously love me.

[glennr1978]

My BiOrb arrived in the mail yesterday YAY! I am really excited to set this oversized fish bowl up but that will have to hold as I figure out how/what I plan on doing to this weird tank. I cant find crap online about how people have modded these things. Right now it's just hanging out until I set up a stand.

 

 

I know I want to get rid of the light, plug up the air hose and get rid of the under gravel filter (I hate those things)! So anyway my original thoughts were to just add a heater, power head, PAR38, live rock, macro, and softies. I really think I should have some carbon/filter floss in the mix though. A HOB is out of the question with the weird shape. And I have no experience with sumps, drilling, or weird DIY stuff. And I am terrified of breaking the tank.

 

Other ideas:

1) Underwater filter. Been looking at Fluval U Series (U2 model) What I don't like about it is I will have to find a way to hide it. I think I could hide it though. But I wonder how well it works. Dimensions: 3" x 3-1/2" x 8" high, 105GPH

 

2) Canister filter. I've never had one of these but I think I can just run some filter floss, carbon, (and maybe GFO ?) in the chambers. Not sure what to look for. But my thoughts are it wouldn't be too hard to clean since it is external. I'm thinking of having someone drill two holes in the top of the tank since I will not be filling it all the way to the top to run hoses and keep clutter down. Or better yet cut a box shape out of the top of the back to run ALL cords/tubes.

 

3) Sump. I've never had one of these either. I've been spoiled by my BioCube back chambers. Main drawback to this is I get SOOOO OO FRE AKIN CONFUSED when reading about sumps. I'm really not sure it's worth what is left of my brain power. I have to take a xanex just thinking about it! I decided long ago that they work through magic not science and to stop thinking about it before it causes brain bubbles.. If I got one I would buy one already made and get someone to drill my tank for me and hopefully make someone else set it up and never touch it ever ever EVER! Not sure how cheap this would be either

 

Other than that I bought a PAR38 and fixture.

 

And I got some stinky live rock..

 

I will be setting this up very slowly...

And I keep telling myself that I will be OK with that.LOL

 

Ideas, Thoughts, Suggestions, Name Calling - are all welcome.

 

That thing is COOL! What's the capacity? It's hard to tell just how big it is from the pic. Depending on what you plan to keep in there you may be able to get away with just using biological filtration and doing frequent water changes. That would keep it looking clean without any clutter from pipes or various equipment. It definitely looks like a fun yet challenging build. You have my attention!!

[Lalani]

Update plz

[Super CatPig]

IKR i take forever! I proposed to my girlfriend in December and I have been trying to take things slower than slow because money needs to be spent on the big day..

 

So not much has happened. Its been almost 4 months and I still don't have water in it! But I have been messing with it and slowly buying equipment. Heres how it sits today.

 

 

 

 

The stand was a an old sewing machine table. it was only 35 bucks an Antique mall. I kinda liked the way it looked dispite the scratches and such.. so I dropped the sewing machine out of it, stuck a RKL in and I bought a Fluval 206 for filtration. I liked how it comes apart much easier than my media reactor.

 

 

 

I didn't like how clunky the hoses looked going above the tank.. So I drilled it a couple days ago and kind of made the holes about 1/8th to 1/16th inches bigger than I meant to.. they were pretty loose.. I eh.. never used a dremel or a hole saw before LOL. Fortunately it doesn't need to be water tight so I just I blobbed a bunch of aquarium seal over it. Hopefully that's fine. I really dont know.

 

 

 

So anyway at least the tank is clean for my FTS!!!

 

[Lalani]

Congrats on the engagement!

Get water in that thing already

[Super CatPig]

Get water in that thing already

 

Well I suck at taking pictures especially with all the blue in these LEDs LOL.. buuuut.. Good News!

 

 

FTS

 

 

 

Right Side

 

 

 

Left Side

 

 

 

These hitched in on a dead LPS skeleton I found in the live rock bin. There are a couple other corals that hiched in. I have a lot of hitchhikers which I'm excited about however there are some of those pesky brown flatworms as well as aiptasia. I'm not going to use Flatworm Exit unless I really have to. I would like to keep as much of the detrivores alive as possible.. I've been syphoning them out and doing more water changes. I'll be happy if I can keep them in check at least. and Ive been abusing my aiptasia by injecting it with a calcium solution.

 

 

 

Got this mushroom rock for $20. It was supposed to be $50 but they put it in the wrong section! Theres a nice variety and one of them already floated off to another rock. i <3 shrooms.

 

 

Things I still need to sort out:

 

Where to hang a light right now its just sitting in front of the tank. My girlfriend got really upset when I told her I was thinking of hanging one from the ceiling

 

I added a few ceriths to munch on some of the algae growing and I plan on adding some trochus and maybe 3 nassarius snails. It isn't easy getting my hands through the top of this tank so I want snails that can right themselves.

 

Not sure how long to leave my light on I've never had a Par38 before also I've gotta add a fan so I can start using my RKL

 

And does anyone know if this crab is reef safe? Hes been chasing me around my apartment.

 

[Super CatPig]

used a mic stand for the light. It's fine for now. only 20 bucks anyway.

 

Can't decide on fish. Thinking of having just one small goby. I don't really want a large bioload. Thinking of a neon goby, clown goby, catalina goby, watchman goby, or greenbanded goby.. no idea LOL anyway I like a fish with personality and don't really know much about the behavior of any of these.. Thoughts?

[Lalani]

Yellow clown gobies have a ton of personality

[Super CatPig]

Yellow clown gobies have a ton of personality

I actually was on my way to pick up a neon goby from a LFS where I normally get fish but they all looked like they had ich. In fact every goby they had looked kind of rough. They've been having shipment problems. Checked out another couple LFS in my area. And couldn't resist the clown goby. I also remember yours looking so cool in your previous biorb build. Had him for a couple days now. He likes to hang out on the codium I bought and was eating yesterday.

 

I'll try to get some pics up soon but I'm kind of terrible with photographs in this tank - my lights make it look wayyyy more blue than it actually is. Maybe I'll just color correct them to match reality.

[Lalani]

Nice! Glad you got one that started eating quickly.

No problem with post processing photos, its almost necessary for a lot of tanks.

[Super CatPig]

Unfortunatly that November the tank crashed after a flatworm outbreak. After trying a nudibranch I tried FWE.. it would work kind of but then they would come back strong as ever. After one attempt i guess too many dead little worms polluted the water and it all went downhill.. I never even got a good picture of the tank. The only survivors were my toadstool, some inverts, and some shrooms they all got put in the biocube and are still around. RIP bubble. I may take it out again one day but wow flatworms are freakin tough little buggers. I hope I never have to deal with them again.

 

EL FIN.