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Cswan's Spec V | Get Rid of the Shrimp?


cswan19

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Update:

(Still Dirty) FTS August 2, 2015

 

 

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Equipment/Filtration:

 


- Fluval Spec V
- Cobalt Neo-Therm Heater
- Hydor Koralia 240gph Powerhead

- InTank Surface Skimmer (currently not running)
- 2 lb. Live Rock
- 7 lb. Live Sand (Nature's Ocean)
- 4 lb. Dry Rock
- Chemi-Pure Blue
- 2 Little Fishies NanoMag
- ATC Refractometer

- Current USA Orbit Marine LED Lighting System

- Apex Jr. Aquarium Controller

  • Temperature Module
  • Display Unit

 

 

Livestock:

 


CUC

- 1 Nassarius Snail
- 1 Margarita Snail
- 1 Halloween Hermit Crab

- 15 Blue Leg Hermit Crab

- 2 Turbo Snails

- 2 Mexican Turbo Snails

- 2 Baby Trochus Snails

Fish/Other Inverts

- Tiger Pistol Shrimp (Eddy)

- Six-Line Wrasse (Loki)

Coral

 

Softies:

- Green/Blue Ricordea Florida

- Blue/Purple Ricordea Florida

- Rainbow Ricordea Florida

- Pulsing Xenia

- Gobstopper Palythoa

- Eagle Eye/Watermelon Zoanthids

- Green Star Polyps

- Radioactive Dragon Eye zoanthids

- Blue and orange zoanthids

- Orange Bam bam zoanthids

- Magician Palythoas

- Blue Zoanthids

- Various Peach Zoanthids

- Captain America Palythoas

- Green Implosion Palythoas

- Electric Blue mushroom

- Green Striped mushroom

- Red and Blue Spotted Mushroom

- Gold Hypnotic clove polyps

- Blue Clove Polyps

 

LPS:

- Green Trumpet Coral

- Orange Acan Coral

- Green Plate Coral

- Red and Green Blastomussa Coral

- Green and Purple Blastomussa Coral

- Rainbow Acan Coral

- 2 Green Acan Corals

- Red Acan Coral

- Blue and Purple Acan Coral

 

SPS:

 

-Hydnophora

- Acropora

 

 

 

Original First Post:

 

 

 

 

Hey guys, I've been surfing and lurking this forum for some time now doing my best to read and learn. I decided to make an account as I am starting a reef tank up soon, still waiting for my tank to arrive in the mail right now though.

 

I have had a saltwater tank before but it was an unexpected gift a while back and I knew NOTHING about how to keep them and ultimately don't have it anymore. I'm currently a college student studying to become a marine biologist and just really appreciate the raw beauty of the ocean and fish in general. As a surfer in Florida I spend a lot of time in the ocean, and am totally in love with it. Anyway I don't have a lot of room to start up a big tank right now so I've decided on a nano tank. Anyway, enough introduction haha

 

 

These are what I hope/plan to do with my tank:

 

Equipment -

 

-Marineland Visi-Therm Heater

-Hydor Koralia Nano

-Some kind of upgraded lighting (have not decided yet) - I may try and DIY upgrade the stock light fixture or may just buy one.

-Media Basket

 

Livestock -

 

- 1 Emerald Crab

- 1 Clown

- 2 Blue Legs

- 1 or 2 Trochus Snail

 

Eventually (like a few months from now) I would like to start with some corals like maybe some zoas, mushrooms or hammer corals or frogspawn. I want to read and learn EVERYTHING I can about corals and the specific types of corals before I work with them.

 

also I am planning to add live Fiji Rock and live sand. I still cannot decided what sand though. I am torn between Natures Ocean Live Aragonite Sand that is white or Live Black sand by Natures Ocean that I believe is Hawaiian I would get Natures Ocean because I read it is one of the Black Sand brands that do not have magnetic properties, and I wouldn't want to worry about scratching the glass if it got stuck in my magnetic cleaner. What do you guys think I should do? If I got black I would try and find lighter live rock so the tank wouldn't be so dark. I've just seen some really amazing black sand nano's here on the forums that just really made my jaw drop.

 

Hopefully my tank will come soon and I can start setup and cycling! I'm excited! Any tips, suggestions, opinions or really any feedback and welcome are appreciated. :)

 

 

 

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Welcome! Where's the pics!!!

 

Haha coming soon! I am still eagerly awaiting my tank to come in the mail. I will be posting pics as soon as it arrives!

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My tank finally arrived!! I still have some stuff I have to pick up like a heater and live rock but I should be setting it up this weekend to start cycling. How often should I be doing tests on the water through the cycle? How often should I test after cycling?

 

Also here are some pics, not too exciting but I'll post them anyway haha. So excited!

 

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More updates to come soon!

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My tank finally arrived!! I still have some stuff I have to pick up like a heater and live rock but I should be setting it up this weekend to start cycling. How often should I be doing tests on the water through the cycle? How often should I test after cycling?

 

Also here are some pics, not too exciting but I'll post them anyway haha. So excited

 

More updates to come soon!

 

 

Awesome man!! I love the Fluval so much, such an awesome tank!

Can't wait to see this progress! Get some sand and rock in there, haha!!

 

I may pick up another small frag tonight on my way home! :D

 

Maybe my clowns this weekend too!

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NanoClown

Sounds like youre off to a great start,

Looking forward to seeing how your tank turns out

Happy reefing! ;)

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Awesome man!! I love the Fluval so much, such an awesome tank!

Can't wait to see this progress! Get some sand and rock in there, haha!!

 

I may pick up another small frag tonight on my way home! :D

 

Maybe my clowns this weekend too!

 

Awesome Thanks! If you do pick up a frag make sure to post pictures! I've read through your whole thread and love following it! I decided on the fluval cause of your thread. Also I plan on putting a clown in here eventually so I'd love to see yours if you get some. :)

 

Sounds like youre off to a great start,

Looking forward to seeing how your tank turns out

Happy reefing! ;)

 

Thanks, still learning everyday but reading, reading, reading as much as I can on NR. Great place for learning, super excited to see this thing move along. gotta be patient though :rolleyes:

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Hey guys, I set up my tank today. I may still change the aquascape though, not sure how much I like it. What do you guys think about it? I'd love some feedback. :D

 

Also I have yet to get a heater, I think I am going to order one from the internet. I was going to get a 25w but a 50w is the same price. Will a 50w be too much heat for a 5 gallon tank? Also will my tank be okay without a heater for a week or so since there aren't any fish in it right now during the cycle?

 

Also when should I test my parameters? And how often should I test them through and after the cycle?

 

FTS daylights:

 

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FTS Lunar lights: (sorry about how blue it is in the picture, not sure how to adjust it)

 

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Dry Rock

 

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Live Rock (already has some coraline algae on it! :) )

 

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Should I be worried about this stringy looking algae? Or is it normal?

 

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Do you think my sand bed is too deep?

 

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Thanks guys

 

 

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another Spec! it's a Spec invasion!

 

what do u plan on stocking?

 

Haha, specs are great little tanks imo

 

I'm not 100% sure yet but I thinking:

 

- 1 or 2 Emerald Crab

- 1 Clown

- 2 Blue Legs

- 1 or 2 Trochus Snail

- possibly a fighting conch

- Possibly some kind of goby, maybe small cave transparent? (id have to more research on this though first)

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Looks great! All these new Specs, mine included, it's gonna be cool seeing them all progress.

 

Where's the thread mate!!! C'mon!!!!

 

Haha, specs are great little tanks imo

 

I'm not 100% sure yet but I thinking:

 

- 1 or 2 Emerald Crab

- 1 Clown

- 2 Blue Legs

- 1 or 2 Trochus Snail

- possibly a fighting conch

- Possibly some kind of goby, maybe small cave transparent? (id have to more research on this though first)

 

Looks great so far dude! Bringing back memories from back when I had the stock light haha!

Now it looks like I've got some crazy UFO science stuff in my room when you look at my window outside hahah!!,

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Haha thanks! I'll be upgrading my light eventually, I'm leaning towards the Current USA Orbit light system, gotta wait to make some more money first though lol

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Haha thanks! I'll be upgrading my light eventually, I'm leaning towards the Current USA Orbit light system, gotta wait to make some more money first though lol

your tank looks nice!!.. i recently bought the current USA orbit light, its pretty amazing!!

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Hey guys, just did my first water testing!

 

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Parameters:

 

pH: 8.0

Ammonia: 0-2.5 ppm

Nitrite: 0ppm

Nitrate: 5-10ppm

Salinity: about 1.022 (Does this seem kind of low?)

I couldn't test the water temp because I accidentally dropped my glass thermometer and it shattered, so I have to get a new one, I might go digital.

 

Do these parameters mean my cycle is starting, my ammonia doesn't really seem to be spiking... what do you think?

 

I also ordered a surface skimmer from InTank because I've got this weird film going on.

 

14103404092_c8f59dafd4_z.jpg

 

Thanks for your feedback guys!

 

 



your tank looks nice!!.. i recently bought the current USA orbit light, its pretty amazing!!

 

Thanks :) Yeah I've yet to hear bad things about it.

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Good start! What are you thinking in terms of filtration?

 

I'll be ordering the mini jet 606 here pretty soon from InTank. I'm also thinking of making a media basket out of egg crate and using purigen and chemi pure elite. Any other recommendations?

 

1.022 is kinda low. You want to be at 1.025 or so. But you are using a Hydrometer which can be inaccurate.

 

I can't really afford a refractometer right now after paying for my summer college classes lol. I was surprised it was so low since I use pre-mixed salt water...? What would you recommend doing to bring it up? I don't have any salt on hand.

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I am a big fan of the InTank media basket. Well made and works very well with floss, CEP, and Purigen.

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ninjamyst

I'll be ordering the mini jet 606 here pretty soon from InTank. I'm also thinking of making a media basket out of egg crate and using purigen and chemi pure elite. Any other recommendations?

 

 

I can't really afford a refractometer right now after paying for my summer college classes lol. I was surprised it was so low since I use pre-mixed salt water...? What would you recommend doing to bring it up? I don't have any salt on hand.

 

A refractometer is $25 =P. Skip a few beers at the bar to make up for it. I wouldn't do anything right now. Are you planning on using premix water long term?

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A refractometer is $25 =P. Skip a few beers at the bar to make up for it. I wouldn't do anything right now. Are you planning on using premix water long term?

Oh really? I was thinking they were $75-100. :o I may pick one up then. I was planning on using it for quite a while, my LFS sells it pretty cheap and its just a lot easier. haha :rolleyes:

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what are you going to use to refill the tank for evaporation?

 

Right now, just distilled water from the grocery store.

 

I'm gonna get a HOB Gravity ATO system, or make one!

 

I plan to eventually get a Tunze Nano Osmolator ato system in the future, just seems like it will be so much easier haha

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Is it okay to put your hands in the tank? I got a bit more dry rock and I'd like to redo my aquascape or add to it. Will it be okay to put my hands in there to do it? Also I may pick up some putty/epoxy stuff to secure the rocks a bit more. Can I use this stuff in the water or do I have to take the rocks out to epoxy it? Thanks guys :)

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