HammerLover Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 Hey everyone! Finally finished my cycle so I added a couple of frags and corals last night Here is the Jar's specs: -2 gallon cookie jar -Unused plastic salad bowl, cutted to fit as a lid (works well but its not aesthetically appealing) -dual airpump (more flow and bubbles, much better right?) -LED aquazonic light for 10 gallons (the lights is perfect for 5 gals actually kinda insufficient for a 10) taped some whites. Now i have 12 blues, 2 reds 2 whites (the blues are smaller bulbs so they are many) -liverock and sand from my tank that just retired (i had to sundry the sand and LR for a week and wash them before using them) -reefcrystals as saltmix Corals: -baby elegance coral -tiny green yuma hitchhiker -a small frag of whammin watermelons and green bay packer zoas -orange acan Plans: I decided to make this LPS and soft coral dominated. Although SPS is in mind, Im going to add just a few frags for accent :^) I also wanted this jar to thrive and last like Maritza and Brandon's pico jars/vases. Planned corals soon Hammer coral or frogspawn or both Open brain or cyarina Donut coral Xenia (will add next week) More zoas and palys More yuma ricordeas Gsp or clove polyps After a few months perhaps a digitata or green slimer acro. Pics to follow 6 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 8, 2016 Author Share Posted October 8, 2016 Elegance love <3 its only $2.5 so I cant let it go. Its still not fully open because last night its very pissed with my harsh dippingAnd here is my orange acan :3 6 Quote Link to comment
brandon429 Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 Two dollars wow That frag would have been fifty at my lfs The bowl is sharp and healthy and properly balanced nice job 2 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 9, 2016 Author Share Posted October 9, 2016 Two dollars wow That frag would have been fifty at my lfs The bowl is sharp and healthy and properly balanced nice job Thanks Brandon! This jar is only a week old only. Corals in our country is much cheaper though but that elegance is on sale haha 1 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 9, 2016 Author Share Posted October 9, 2016 Here is the FJS (Full jar shot)I accidentally deleted the post, so im reposting it 4 Quote Link to comment
cessnabird Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Hammer, your Cookie Jar Reef looks great! I love the open scape and almost lagoon like concept. Nice deal on the corals. That is another great thing about micro-reefs, smaller frags mean less money per frag, and more frags for the mini-reef. It's a great cycle. 1 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 10, 2016 Author Share Posted October 10, 2016 Hammer, your Cookie Jar Reef looks great! I love the open scape and almost lagoon like concept. Nice deal on the corals. That is another great thing about micro-reefs, smaller frags mean less money per frag, and more frags for the mini-reef. It's a great cycle. Thanks! Cant wait for this little setup to mature as well ^^ just added a little more livrock. Will post updates this weekend 1 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 12, 2016 Author Share Posted October 12, 2016 Ive added a little more rock so I can accommodate more corals. Also I use my old wavemaker's magnet to create one floating rock island Just got some gsp and a small cyarina coming this weekend with a freebie of small zoa colony. Can't wait! 2 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 16, 2016 Author Share Posted October 16, 2016 Update pic of the jar 7 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 16, 2016 Author Share Posted October 16, 2016 Jar had minor diatoms but its eventually cleared away by the hermit crab. New additions: -5 heads clove polyps -green star polyps (note itty bits of heads poking in the pic) -small colony of green bay packers -small colony of purple wild micro zoas -2 heads of people eater-ish zoa -2 heads unknown yellow zoa + 1 head whammin watermelon -hermit crab that hitch hiked from the gsp A few months I'll add some sexy shrimps and sps Comments and suggestions are welcome! 2 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 18, 2016 Author Share Posted October 18, 2016 Maritza (aka Mary) suggested to give my jar a name, so I named her Teto. For a short info about the name, I like doing UTAU/Vocaloid and japanese songs so I named my jar to my favorite UTAU singer: Teto Kasane Anyways, the tank is already void of diatoms and I fed my acans with blended shrimp + scallops. Ill feed the elegance at the jar's one month mark. I wont feed corals much to avoid them getting way too big in a short time, just enough to sustain their needs and to keep them happy This weekend our local LFS had lots of new stuff coming. I haven't got a cyarina because the small ones are all bought, the ones left are as big as baseball... way to big so Im hoping there are smaller ones coming. And also our LFS had a purple tip elegance coming! As well as yellow ones! OMG I NEED TO CONTROL MYSELF when the jar turns 1 month Ill post an update video Stay tuned for pics and updates this weekend and happy reefing everone 4 Quote Link to comment
Deleted User 9 Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Peace HammerLover. The Teto is look GREAT!! Diatoms over with and now, maintenance and keeping a sharp eye for any signs of trouble, discomfort, or Nuisance Algae, if any. Keep it clean and make sure when you make the water changes that you're at the same S.G. and Temp. If you have a pH test kit, check this also just to make sure that you're salt is mixing properly and your Jar Reef is at least on the safe level. Otherwise Corals will have a hard time Calcifying at a too low pH. Also, be patient!!! Don't purchase anymore Corals. Let these few nice pieces settle and make a home in your Jar Reef. It's better to have a few nice Healthy Corals, than to have a bunch of Unhealthy Corals. Let the Teto age..Very important!! In the meantime, you continue studying Reef keeping, the Corals you're keeping, and growing in Knowledge, Experience. It's looking Fantastic...! Thanks for the Kind Words. Much Success and Happiness. Blessings All. P.S. Background....It will keep eyes on the Corals and in the Reef, not through it. Once you put the background, you will see the Colors off the Acans, Elegance, GSP, etc.. Right now, the open back makes the eyes concentrate on the wall, wires, tubing, etc.. 2 Quote Link to comment
reeferbrownies Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 love vase reefs, took a family trip to China this summer and corals and fish were sooo cheap 2 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 18, 2016 Author Share Posted October 18, 2016 Peace HammerLover. The Teto is look GREAT!! Diatoms over with and now, maintenance and keeping a sharp eye for any signs of trouble, discomfort, or Nuisance Algae, if any. Keep it clean and make sure when you make the water changes that you're at the same S.G. and Temp. If you have a pH test kit, check this also just to make sure that you're salt is mixing properly and your Jar Reef is at least on the safe level. Otherwise Corals will have a hard time Calcifying at a too low pH. Also, be patient!!! Don't purchase anymore Corals. Let these few nice pieces settle and make a home in your Jar Reef. It's better to have a few nice Healthy Corals, than to have a bunch of Unhealthy Corals. Let the Teto age..Very important!! In the meantime, you continue studying Reef keeping, the Corals you're keeping, and growing in Knowledge, Experience. It's looking Fantastic...! Thanks for the Kind Words. Much Success and Happiness. Blessings All. P.S. Background....It will keep eyes on the Corals and in the Reef, not through it. Once you put the background, you will see the Colors off the Acans, Elegance, GSP, etc.. Right now, the open back makes the eyes concentrate on the wall, wires, tubing, etc.. Thanks! Yes I really really need to control myself!!! Its hard when corals are cheap since our country is one of the main supplier of maricultured frags aside from Indonesia! When my jar hits one month I'll add one tiny LPS, perhaps a small wall hammer (slow growing than branchingones) or perhaps at 2-3 months Ill add a small coral/frag a week when my system is much more balance and mature. I was thinking of starting a shrimp bowl beside my little jar, but that's another project I also use a 5 gallon container used in water dispenser. I mix the salt for 3 days using a wavemaker and let it settle for a week before using it in my tank so it will have matching temps. The pH are also fine as well. My salinity is 1.025, using a swing arm hydrometer. Judging from my corals they seem to like reef crystals and 100% wc Oops, forgot to add Ive got a nice black cartolina looking thingy that looks good for the jar the wires and wall do look ugly haha. Im going to put it as well I'll post updates again this weekend love vase reefs, took a family trip to China this summer and corals and fish were sooo cheap Even in our country! You can buy corals here for as low as $2.5 when its actually $50 in the LFS at other country. That's why I need to control myself! 3 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 Update pics!!! I wasnt gonna add anymore corals but a local reefer quitted and gave me a frag of his elegance coral. He loves it so much so he gave me a portion of it, since we are close friends as well. He also gave me 2 heads of beautiful ricordea yumas. Aside from that no new additions, but I had another diatom outbreak!! Cleaned the tank and rocks so the rockscape was a bit different, i added some snails to clean parts of the jar I can't reach. The snails will stay for a week Here is a topside view of the jar, new elegance is purple brown-ish, beside te green one 4 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 New ricordeas! Crappy phone pic but its very pwetty! Gsp macro crappy phone shot 3 Quote Link to comment
brandon429 Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 I'm very impressed here this is great job 1 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 24, 2016 Author Share Posted October 24, 2016 Here's a pic Ive taken this weekend ))Damn the jar is already looking nice in here!!! Plus the diatoms have faded so the jar is crystal clear.However Ive found some sneaky aiptasias growing at hidden spot of the tank. Pulled out all my rocks, corals and ive got to spot treat and monitor the rocks till no aiptasia is left The jar had a minor reset but at least its aiptasia free. The gsp was closed and moody but the elegance opened a bit. The acans were always open no matter what haha 1 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 24, 2016 Author Share Posted October 24, 2016 Here's the latest FJS Water is kind of cloudy due to the reset and corals dont look particularly happy I will rearrange the corals on the sandbed once things are settled I kinda like this new rockscape, looks like a mountain. Plus the space on the back can occupy a small hammer or frogspawn Hahaha but for now no more corals 1 Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 24, 2016 Author Share Posted October 24, 2016 I'm very impressed here this is great jobThanks Brandon! Im still bummed by the aiptasias but once this jar has fully settled it will be carefree, easy and pretty. But not as expensive compared to larger setups BTW this is my expenses for maintenance: -150 php/ 3 dollars for reefcrystals (good for 10 gal) -25 php/ 0.6 dollars per 5 gallon jug of RODI (in one month I used almost 10 gallons of water so I use 50 php/1.2 dollar for water a month) SO THE FINAL EXPENSE IS 200 php/4.2 dollars A MONTH!!!! Very budget friendly for broke college students like me~ Quote Link to comment
sam_the_reefer Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Thanks Brandon! Im still bummed by the aiptasias but once this jar has fully settled it will be carefree, easy and pretty. But not as expensive compared to larger setups BTW this is my expenses for maintenance: -150 php/ 3 dollars for reefcrystals (good for 10 gal) -25 php/ 0.6 dollars per 5 gallon jug of RODI (in one month I used almost 10 gallons of water so I use 50 php/1.2 dollar for water a month) SO THE FINAL EXPENSE IS 200 php/4.2 dollars A MONTH!!!! Very budget friendly for broke college students like me~ Haha, yeah. The light is the most expensive piece of equipment in our part of the world. Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 25, 2016 Author Share Posted October 25, 2016 Haha, yeah. The light is the most expensive piece of equipment in our part of the world. Hahaha yeah forgot about that Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted October 28, 2016 Author Share Posted October 28, 2016 Hey guys just to update everyone The jar is approaching its one month anniversary, since this jar is born on Oct 1 And to celebrate Ive got some implosion palys that will add some nice large green polyps in the jar plus Ive got a free baby octospawn! Love it! They are coming this weekend so yay! 2 Quote Link to comment
ABC Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Sounds fun, congrats on one month can't wait for the new pictures. Quote Link to comment
HammerLover Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 The one month anniversary turned out pretty bad, but the jar is still kicking and alive, been very busy during the sembreak on college due to enrollment. First incident, my hermit crab mish decided to eat my star polyps and chewed a portion of the elegance coral (purple one) and its now banished back to the LFS Purple elegance coral that was damaged had a bit of brown jelly and recession and is now recovering back in the LFS, the green one was also sent back to the LFS since I realized that elegance were not a long term coral in the jar unless i'll frag it every few months or so. I traded them for torches and they are willing to keep it until my tank is ready. The whole jar was fairly stressed on the occurences and to add, a colony of hydroids was GROWING UNDERNEATH the rocks. Took them out and burned them with a lighter and superglued them. And after that lil bro accidentally spilled water in my airpump and it broke. All LFS are close on Nov 1 due to the holiday and I dont have cash now to buy stuff, luckily I used my wavemaker that I used in mixing my saltwater mix to be used temporarily in the jar. The stat polyps survived as well as the zoas and acans despite the rough ride. I decided to put my corals temporarily in adoption after this so I can do a cycle again using dry base rock and sand. I really wanted the jar to be free of pest. I seeded the tank again with sand from an established tank, and I WILL ALWAYS DIP CORALS NO MATTER WHAT EVEN IF IT WILL DAMAGE THE CORAL A BIT Moral lesson learned. Will post updates this weekend Quote Link to comment
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