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StellaBlue's da Vinci Cube - RETIRED


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I figured I'd start a tank page/thread!

 

FTS 10/7/2015

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FTS 7/9/2015

 

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FTS 5/15/2015

 

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FTS 3/31/2015

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First day - setting up the rockscape and adding sand

 

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Day two once the water cleared, but before LR was added

 

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Tank on 2-10-2015

 

 

Anyway, here are the beginning stats:

 

Equipment:

Tank: Coralife BioCube 29

Sand: 20-30 lbs Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Aragonite

Rock: 15 lbs dry rock, 3 lbs live rock, 2 lb uncured full of crazy life rock

Filtration: InTank media basket in rear chamber 2

Fuge: InTank fuge basket in rear chamber 2

Heater: Eheim 100W

Pump: Stock MJ 1200

Powerhead: Koralia 425 x 2

Flow: Hydor Flo

Skimmer: Tunze 9001

ATO: Tunze osmolator

Lights: Stock NanoBox retro kit

Crazy air pump/filtration sponge combo that we got duped into "needing" that is going to go once I'm sure the clowns are fully comfortable

 

Current Livestock:

Fish:

2 DaVinci Clowns - Vit and Mona

2 ORA Hybrid Cleaner Gobies

 

Invertebrate:

1 Hawaiian Feather Duster and tons of hitchhiker ones

10 9 Banded Trochus Snails

15 Nassarius snails (the small ones)

6 Nerite snails

2 Astrea Snails

2 Spiny Star snails

15 Dwarf Cerith snails (plus more babies than I can currently count)

20 Dwarf Planaxis

2 Scarlet Reef Hermits

2 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp

1 Hitchhiker limpet

1 large and 1 small hitchhiker bright orange tunicates

Orangish encrusting hitchhiker sponge

Lots of mini brittle stars

1 Peppermint Shrimp

2 Stubborn Scary Crab Hitchhikers that seem to avoid trapping really well - Down to 1! finally caught on on 4/1 - and that's no April Fool's joke!

 

Coral Stock:

1 Toadstool Leather

1 Finger Leather

1 Neon Green trumpet

1 Unknown trumpet-like thing - Traded

1 Taylor's Tree

Green Star Polyp frag

Orange Skirt Paly frag

Jasmine Frag

Maze brain frag (I think) - traded (it was a merulina)

Red and green brain frag - traded

ORA Pink Stylo frag

ORA Mint Pavona

ORA Red Sea Xenia frag (supposedly white) - moved to monster tank

Assorted zoas - gobstopper, blue pinwheels, a lot of unknown

Nuclear green palys

Orange digitata

Blue digitata

Sour Apple birds nest

Bud Bomber poci

Duncan

Darth Maul porites

Sunset monti (encrusting)

Various acans

Blue mushrooms

Orange ricordea florida

Orange ricordea yuma

 

Macro Algae:

Chateo in fuge basket - removed fuge basket when installing skimmer

Halameda on live rock

Some sort of reddish/purple thing on live rock

 

Feeding and Dosing:

 

Fish:

AM: few NLS small fish pellets, or NLS algae pellets or NLS Thera-a

PM: Small chunk of Rod's original blend or 1/4 cube of frozen Hikari mysis

 

Coral and Filter Feeders:

Every other day, either Reef Roids, Reef Chili, or 4 ML of Brightwell PhytoChrom, Brightwell Zooplankton, Brightwell Microvore or 1/2 scoop of Two Little Fishies PhytoPlan

 

Dosing:

1.5 ML each of Red Sea Reef Energy A&B daily (I just started this the week of 3/16/15 and seem to be seeing a difference in PE and color) - changed to every other day in April

 

Calcium and Alk - 5 ML daily

 

Magnesium as needed

 

Parameters and Maintenance Schedule:

 

Water Parameters:

SG: 1.024

Ph: 7.8-8.1

Ammonia: 0

Nitrites: 0

Nitrates: < 8

Kh: 9-11 (trying to stabilize and keep around 9)

Calcium: 400 - 420

Magnesium: 1300

Phosphates: 0

 

Water Changes:

4 gallons weekly, will probably up to 5. Right now, I'm using Catalina real ocean water. I like the fact that it is natural, purified ocean water rather than synthetic and I also like the ease of pre-packaged water. I do heat the water up to temp and test all parameters before adding to my tank. I haven't noticed any inconsistencies with the batches, so I'm happy with this right now (and I know some are completely against using packaged water)

 

In process of switching to Red Sea Coral Pro

 

Cleaning and such:

Stir sand bed every other day, various areas

Blow off rocks and such as needed

Scrape glass as needed (I need to get better about keeping up with this as the coralline is starting to creep up on me)

Filter floss: change out every third day - sits on top shelf of media basket in chamber 2

 

Planned Corals:

Not sure yet on this, since this is my first reef tank, I'm looking to start out slow and with some easy ones

 

Since I decided to go crazy last week, I'm not sure I stuck to the add corals slowly mantra.

 

More as I figure this out!

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I am planning on two clowns (pictured in signature), a goby/pistol combo and possibly 3 chromis if the bioload isn't too much. I'm new to this, so with the corals I'm not sure yet. I'm looking to start out with the easy guys and then work my way up!

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Well, found another &*^# aiptasia today. It was on one of my favorite shaped rocks. Luckily it was right near the top and easy to remove the rock. There was no crevice this time for it to retract into. I took a syringe (we have some from allergy shots for our Bichon, Stella), filled it with white distilled vinegar and injected the crap out of it. The thing fell off, so I rinsed the rock and put it back in the tank. Hopefully that is the last one, but I'm thinking I'm dreaming. Two in four days.

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Oh they're such a pain! It seems like people are having success with a specific species of peppermint shrimp from liveaquaria.com (I don't recall which offhand) so you might want to get one in there sooner than later to keep them in check - the shrimp won't go for any that are "too big".

 

The main problem is that by the time there is one in your tank big enough for you to notice, there are a dozen that are too small to see yet.

 

This is why my new tank is all dry rock and frags get QTd first - my last tank got destroyed by aiptasia. It's good you're being so proactive though, you may well beat it before they become an infestation!

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I started out with the easy corals and found after 6 months I didn't favor them as much. I think finding corals that you really like and doing some research and asking a few questions on here might be a better bet. Just stay away from sps till you are sure your ready for that jump.

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Ok, one more post! I took a photo of the hidden cup corals that are on one of the live rocks I added initially to the tank. They seem to be doing really well and I've spotted what I think are a few new ones just developing. They're really fun to watch.

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The main problem is that by the time there is one in your tank big enough for you to notice, there are a dozen that are too small to see yet.

 

This is why my new tank is all dry rock and frags get QTd first - my last tank got destroyed by aiptasia. It's good you're being so proactive though, you may well beat it before they become an infestation!

 

OMG to dozen(s). And double OMG to your tank that got destroyed by the suckers. I'm going to start researching peppermint shrimp right now. Now I'm second-guessing my choice to do dry and live. I kinda wish I went with the all dry like you mention.

I started out with the easy corals and found after 6 months I didn't favor them as much. I think finding corals that you really like and doing some research and asking a few questions on here might be a better bet. Just stay away from sps till you are sure your ready for that jump.

This is good advice. I've started the research process and I will definitely stick with it. After a few observations of bad advice from my LFS, I am going to be much more proactive in my own research BEFORE just taking what they say as truth.

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Oh man. Found another aiptasia. this time on a piece of sea lettuce. I had ordered a nitrate busting package from saltwaterfish.com in anticipation of my fuge basket. I had it all sitting behind the rock and moved it over to the fuge when I got it. I'm wondering if the aiptasia came in on the seaweed.

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Oh man. Found another aiptasia. this time on a piece of sea lettuce. I had ordered a nitrate busting package from saltwaterfish.com in anticipation of my fuge basket. I had it all sitting behind the rock and moved it over to the fuge when I got it. I'm wondering if the aiptasia came in on the seaweed.

 

I would think he just walked over to the algae.. they probably came on the LR, where did you get that batch?

 

Mine came in on a frag initially that was mounted on some LR. Live and learn!

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Oh good point. I got it at the LFS near here. They mentioned they dip all their stuff, but maybe the aiptasia make it through dipping. I am DEFINITELY getting peppermints. Found the species you mentioned on LA, I think I'll get three. I'm having trouble figuring out how many to get for my BC 29. Is three overkill?

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This may be weird, but I LOVE watching the snails. First, the nassarius were my favorites - I love how they bury themselves in the sand with their little trunks coming out. Now the banded trochus are my favorites. These guys MOTOR around the tank and keep things pretty clean. Honestly - these guys are constantly on the move. They are so much fun to watch, they have a crazy twist motion when they need to dislodge something from their shells and they are really fast at righting themselves if they fall.

 

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Love this photo of Vit and Mona. I will say, these guys are more entertaining than the snails.

 

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When my wife first saw a nassarius she figured out I had to have some. They'er pretty cool

I agree! And they really are doing a good job keeping the sand bed clean for me. Their trunks/snorkels are cool.

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I had a scarlet hermit as a hitchhiker! He didn't make it longer than a few days though. I think he was in some chaeto I had shipped from Saltwaterfish.com so I didn't properly acclimate him. I had ordered two more so he wouldn't be lonely when I ordered the trochus snails and those two are doing well. Feel bad for the first guy!

 

They are fun to watch when they're active. I find mine mostly, well, hermit. I get nervous thinking they died in some corner and then I see them walking around.

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I have a weird question. I need to change around some of my rockscape today (removing a sponge filter and bubbler I got talked into and don't need). The two clowns come to the surface anytime I open any part of the tank thinking I'm going to feed them. Are they going to jump out if I open the full top rather than the little door at the front? Am I being overly worried for nothing? I wanted to hold off on changing up the scape until they were comfortable with their surroundings and I'd say they're comfortable.

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I have a weird question. I need to change around some of my rockscape today (removing a sponge filter and bubbler I got talked into and don't need). The two clowns come to the surface anytime I open any part of the tank thinking I'm going to feed them. Are they going to jump out if I open the full top rather than the little door at the front? Am I being overly worried for nothing? I wanted to hold off on changing up the scape until they were comfortable with their surroundings and I'd say they're comfortable.

Well ive never had mine jump and my tank has been uncovered for years i dont think clowns will jump out of a tank. Now one thing they will do is bite the crap out of your hand just pray your dont bite mine eat my hand alive when i put it in the water.

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Whats your coral stocking plans?

 

 

 

I think I want to start out with a toadstool and a frogspawn. I really love the xenias, but not sure as I've read about how aggressively they spread. Beyond that, I'm still learning about them! But I really love the toadstools and frogspawns. I really enjoyed looking at all of your corals!

Whats your coral stocking plans?

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Cencalfishguy56

My Xenia doesn't grow all that fast, faster than everything else but not not like some people say lol and get a peppermint shrimp had one and it knocked out my aptasia over night lol

My Xenia doesn't grow all that fast, faster than everything else but not not like some people say lol and get a peppermint shrimp had one and it knocked out my aptasia over night lol

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