rocksmom Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Not bryopsis, it looks like a feather. I don't think it's anything snail-related either. Someone else might be able to positively ID, but I wouldn't worry so much. Just remove what you can manually. Can't believe your cycle progressed so quickly. Link to comment
Apexlaxfrog Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Kinda looks like Chaeto to me... But I had similar looking 'runners' appear in my tank a few weeks ago after adding a new frag. Turns out, the frag had a transparent colony of Tunicates that started migrating around my tank. They send out clear-ish runners (almost identical to Bryopsis) that they use to colonize/move around, AFAIK. Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 Day 7. Wow, If i figured right this is the shortest cycle that i've had. Oh i've heard of very short and even non existant cycles but my tank can now clear 1.5 ppm Ammonia within 24 hrs (How can this be?) I started with zero readings on the big 3 tests and after adding Ammonia every other day, the Ammonia level and Nitrites went up and then back down to zero and now the Nitrates have risen to 50 ppm all in 6 days and using Salifet testers. This is exactly what i expected but over 2 or 3 weeks and not 6 days. Anyway, i'm still going to let the tank cycle until i see diatoms before adding a CUC. I finally got the NanoBox all dialed in and i'm using a pretty conservative setting to begin with and then ramp up slowly after adding coral and observing it for a while. I know this isn't the lighting forum but i'm starting with these settings. Blues 120 Whites 60 Do these sound conservative to you NanoBox users? I plan for this tank to be a mixed Reef tank with Zoas covering the low, flat, right portion of the rock and a Ric garden on the sand just below the center cave/arch. I want to get GSP growing on the back wall and my Torch near the left rear corner of the tank and my Green Hammer in the right front. I will eventually place some SPS frags on the upper portions of the rock and then fill the rest of the rock with whatever looks good at the time. As far as fish and inverts go, i'll have only one fish (my false Percula "Nemo") catchy name huh?? My grandaughter McKenzie named him. Other than a standard CUC, I'd like to add an emerald crab from Reefcleaners (guaranteed to eat bubble algae) and a couple small brittle or serpent stars. I've always run CPE and floss in the back chambers as well as Seachems "DeNitrate" as needed. I usually add Chaeto for nutrient export but i think i'll try Red Mangroves in the chamber where the PicO 2.0 skimmer would go (dont plan on using one at this time). WOW, sorry i got so long winded tonight but more pics and less talk tomorrow. Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 15, 2014 Author Share Posted September 15, 2014 Day 14 Well the cycle was completed several days ago (at least according to the readings) so i added my False Percula Nemo (It was my grandaughter who gave him that cheezy name, not me). In the last few days he has been doing well and the Ammonia and Nitrites remain at zero. I also added 4 dwarf ceriths and will add more snails when diatoms appear. I'm keeping the tank between 78.4 and 79 F using a Hydor 25w heater in the sump area. I plan on adding a few corals each day or 2 from my quarantine tank and then purchasing more as needed (or should i say as wanted). I built a DIY ATO that works great but have to adjust the drops every couple days just to stay accurate. I finally have PhotoBucket working (sort of) so here are some recent pics. And here is the infamous NEMO. After i got this tank all cycled and added some life, I decided that i needed a very small secondary tank to use as a holding/quarantine tank that i could also aquascape in addition to using it as a quarantine tank (Come on AVIATOR, cut the crap. You know you just want an excuse to start another tank). Boy, does my alter ego know me or what? Anyway, I pulled out an old JBJ Picotope to use and i'll start a thread on the "Pico" subforum. I thought i'd go ahead and post some preliminary pics. Catch Y'all later bye. And always remember one thing. when life becomes overwhelming and things are going all wrong just hunker down and try to --------------- Link to comment
rocksmom Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Oh come on, now I have to move in my fish. Can't let you win. Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 15, 2014 Author Share Posted September 15, 2014 Is win based on whoever doesn't crash their tank first??? because i am an expert at that. LOL, Link to comment
rocksmom Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 I'm just making up the rules as I go along! Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 16, 2014 Author Share Posted September 16, 2014 I'm just making up the rules as I go along! This is scary, that sounds exactly like my wife. Link to comment
lecroj Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Your tank looks great. How much did it cost? The nanobox light looks perfect with it also. Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 16, 2014 Author Share Posted September 16, 2014 The tank is the new "PicO Aquariums" 5 gal AIO. They are a little pricey at 179.00 but Chris hand builds the best tanks out there bar none. You can check the pricing on the NanoBox Mini Tide on "NanoBoxreefs.com" Of course there is the cost of rock, sand, etc, etc but in the end I have spent more on this tank than any others i've had. I wanted everything about this little Pico to be the best it can be. (didn't i hear a slogan something like that on an Army commercial?) Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 17, 2014 Author Share Posted September 17, 2014 Day 16 I decided to add coral from its holding tank today and i took some pics. I'm going to ask my stepdaughter if i can use her camera from now on to get rid of these terrible cell phone pics but i have to ask her to show me how to use it so it may be a few days. Water parameters are good and i added about 6 dwarf Ceriths, a nassarius, and a couple of astraea turbo snails. I'd really like a pet crab but am not into hermits. I thought about an Emerald crab which would eat bubble algae if i get it (knock on wood) but then again, i like the look of Porcelain crabs too. any suggestions? I may decide to add a "PicO Aquariums" 2.0 protein skimmer but i'm waiting till someone reviews it because it's brand new on the market and i'm a little skeptical of the need for a protein skimmer in a Pico sized tank. Night time shot using flash light Ooooppssss thats yours truly in my Extra 300S unlimited class aerobatic aircraft. Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 20, 2014 Author Share Posted September 20, 2014 Day 18 Well, I knew the honeymoon wouldn't last forever and today i found 3 small Aptasia on one of my frags. I guess it's not as bad as it seems because the Aptasia are on the side of the plug and not on the coral proper and luckily i had not glued the frag down yet. I've had good luck in the past putting a flame to the little devils but this time, they were too close to polyps so i squirted them with vinegar instead. I hope it works and i put the frag back into the tank in a place where i can monitor it easily. The only thing that really bothers me is that i have no idea where the Aptasia came from? I have had the frag for several months now and it's been in my quarantine tank waiting for a home with no signs of Aptasia till now. I sure could use suggestions on what type crab would be good for this tank (Emerald, Porcelin, or Pom pom) I like the looks of the Porcelan but the Emerald might come in handy for bubble algae. I guess a 5 gal is too small for both right? Link to comment
Newyreefer Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Im very jealous of you in the extra mate!!!!! Yea a vinegar injection is a good start, or you could try a pep shrimp.... Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 20, 2014 Author Share Posted September 20, 2014 Im very jealous of you in the extra mate!!!!! Yea a vinegar injection is a good start, or you could try a pep shrimp.... Thanks, I wish that were me recently but unfortunately it was 21yrs ago. Boy do i miss those days. Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 21, 2014 Author Share Posted September 21, 2014 Day 19 Pretty uneventful day. Haven't seen any Aptasia return yet and i'm glad of that. I changed out the Koralia Nano 240 i was using to supplement flow for a Rio 90. The 240 was blowing my LPSs so much they looked like Palm trees in a hurricane Haha. The 90 creates good flow and i can point it up towards the water surface using the elbow which gives good surface agitation. The 240 always seemed to sag down towards the bottom and beat up the Torch and Hammer too much. I haven't seen much in the way of Diatoms yet but at least the Cyano that was hanging on the glass has sort of resolved itself. I still can't decide between adding a Porcelain Crab or an Emerald Crab. Could someone help me out on the benefits and downside of each variety? Does anyone have experience with both varieties in the same small tank? Catch Y'all later. Link to comment
Fishstiks Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 I have never had an emerald, but I have read they can trash your zoas. I have a pom pom in my 5 gallon spec v at work. He is a great crab for a tank this size, but, he is very very shy and I dont get to see him much. He does let me hand feed him with the tongs, but he goes straight back to his cave to eat it. When he does come out, he waves his little pom poms around like he is lookin' to start some trouble! Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 Day 20 Last night i was putting my tank to bed for the night when i noticed something on a frag plug (and NO, my tank and i dont sleep together although my wife would like to accuse me of that). I discovered 3 small oval shaped spots on the side of one of my frag plugs in the tank and when i enlarged the photo i took, i could see they were tiny critters of some sort on the plug. I took the frag out of the tank and scraped them off (with some difficulty) and returned the frag to the tank. I posted pics on the ID sub forum but have so far gotten no replies. Could someone help me out and try to ID these and let me know if they are something i should be concerned about. Thanks very much: AVIATOR. Catch Y'all later. http://minus.com/i/QO1atWq3u2Fu Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Day 21 Well it looks like i'm not getting much help in identifying those spots on my frag plug so i thought I'd visit my LFS to see if they could ID the photos NOT. I guess i'll just forget about them until they show up again somewhere else. In the meantime, I decided to go ahead and get a Porcelain crab while there. I took "Cleo" home and drip acclimated her over an hour and added her to the tank. I figured she would go into hiding for a while so i took a photo of her in the acclimation container for posterities sake and i was right. As soon as she hit the sand, she found a hole in the rock and disappeared. http://s513.photobucket.com/user/fsuggs50/media/20140922_215010_zpsc591a23a.jpg.html'> Link to comment
kimberbee Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Sorry you weren't able to get any help with and ID on those little critters. That's a cute crab, good thing you snagged a picture when you did! Link to comment
Apexlaxfrog Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Day 20 Last night i was putting my tank to bed for the night when i noticed something on a frag plug (and NO, my tank and i dont sleep together although my wife would like to accuse me of that). I discovered 3 small oval shaped spots on the side of one of my frag plugs in the tank and when i enlarged the photo i took, i could see they were tiny critters of some sort on the plug. I took the frag out of the tank and scraped them off (with some difficulty) and returned the frag to the tank. I posted pics on the ID sub forum but have so far gotten no replies. Could someone help me out and try to ID these and let me know if they are something i should be concerned about. Thanks very much: AVIATOR. Catch Y'all later. http://minus.com/i/QO1atWq3u2Fu It kind of looks like... but hard to tell from the pic... genus Isopoda? Hopefully not, but it's a guess lol. I'd see if wetwebmedia.com has some pics/info that shows/describes your unknown organism... Did anything ever develop regarding the previous unknown ID? Link to comment
rocksmom Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Cute crab! How big is he/she? Nothing for size reference in the pic. I got my fish and TWO pom pom crabs moved into mine today. Take that. Link to comment
aviator300 Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Cute crab! How big is he/she? Nothing for size reference in the pic. I got my fish and TWO pom pom crabs moved into mine today. Take that. about a half inch claw to claw. Just like a woman, must get ahead, so let me tell you something !!! Thats perfectly alright with me. Link to comment
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