CollegeNano Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hey everyone! I got my AP12 for Christmas and filled it up with LR about 4 days ago (now all of my readings are off the charts!). I'm really excited. So far I have upgraded the stock pump to a Maxijet 900, removed the bioballs and ceramic stuff, added a koralia nano, ~15 lbs of tahitian moon sand (kinda dirty at the moment!) and ~15 lbs of LR. I also made my own ATO from the DIY forum here (THANKS!). Here are some pics... New Pics Feb 2nd: New Coral Pics are up! April 21st: Some more updated coral pics showing growth! May 18 - 20th: Just got back from vacation. A few new shots after the move home from school. Birthday coral pictures as well. July 1st - Stuff in the tank is really growing. Put up some growth pics and some new corals! Also bought another clown August 1st - Put in some more new stuff and finished the tank stand! August 7th - Added some before and after pictures after the 14k to 20k bulb switch. New coral pictures as well August 16th - Tank moved back to school successful. New FTS pictures. September 25th - Two small $5 frags added, coral shots pg. 9 December 1st - New coral added, just in time to go abroad! pg. 9 FTS December 1, 2008 Front Link to comment
Gerber77 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Very nice dude.Use photobuckets IMG Code, copy/paste it into the reply section and it will come up. Link to comment
Gerber77 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Very Nice tank look awesome. Link to comment
CollegeNano Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 Thanks again Gerber. Sadly my tank isn't showing any hitchhiker life yet. I ordered the nano rock from Drs F&S which is pretty small, maybe too small to hold a lot of life? My PH is also too low (around 7.6-7.8) so I ordered PH buffer. Other than that everything is going well! Link to comment
Gerber77 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 What do you plan as far as stocking? Link to comment
CollegeNano Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 What do you plan as far as stocking? Well since my readings are still off the charts I haven't though much about it. Of course CUC will be first, I think different types of snails and a shrimp. I haven't decided on fish, I just know I don't really want a clown. Give me your advice (it's been good so far haha). Link to comment
Gerber77 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I personally like pom pom crabs, sexy shrimp, yellowhead jawfish, yellow watchman goby, among others. Id suggest reading this. Here Link to comment
CollegeNano Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 Yeah I think pom pom's are awesome. I read somewhere they can sting fish and other tank mates, have you had any problems? I have looked at the yellowhead jawfish as well, awesome fish. Of course I have looked into firefish, small gobies as well and a tailspot blenny, though I'm still not sure of which would work well for me. As for sexy shrimp, I think they are really good looking, but do they have special needs that other shrimp dont? Link to comment
Gerber77 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Sexies dont really need anything special but they are tiny and may pick at your corals (case by case). My pom pom never stung a thing. Those fish I named off the top of my head but do your research there are a ton of awesome looking nano fish. Link to comment
CollegeNano Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 Yeah, I think it may be better for my to look later so I don't get too anxious haha. I will definately get a pom pom since your experience hasn't been negative. I think they look awesome and are quite original looking. I have seen that fish thread you recommended, and will refer to it whenever it's fish buying time! Until then though, what would you recommend for CUC? I have read a lot of threads with hermit haters, so I was thinkin of keeping them out of the mix and just using snails and shrimp. *edit* I forgot to mention I'm a fan of the hi fin red banded goby (Blackray Shrimp Goby ) Link to comment
siwelk Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 is that the "sun tea jar" ATO? i want to try that for my 30g. im just having a hard time finding a suitable containter. id like it to be at least 5g. Link to comment
CollegeNano Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 is that the "sun tea jar" ATO? i want to try that for my 30g. im just having a hard time finding a suitable containter. id like it to be at least 5g. Hey Siwelk, it is similar, but not a sun tea jar and also, it is battery powered. It is a jar I bought from Walmart for 9 bucks. I had to screw holes in the top of it for the tubing (which I sealed with silicone). The battery pump was also purchased at Walmart for $5 in the fishing section (thanks to a helpful nanoreefers advice). If you need help with it I would be glad to assist you as I was quite lost when I started making it and figured it out by a little trial and error plus some good luck! Link to comment
CollegeNano Posted January 14, 2008 Author Share Posted January 14, 2008 Ok so I did some tests on my tank today and my PH is low around 7.8. I ordered some PH buffer but while I'm waiting will the low PH have a negative effect on my cycling tank? The rest of the readings are (from 2 test kits) Nitrate: 5-10ppm Nitrite: 5ppm + Ammonia: .25 - .50 ppm Link to comment
Shoot Me_I Explode Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Hey, good to see another local reefer. I also have a 12 gallon aquapod setup in early 06 and its been a blast to have and quite easy to move back and forth from home and college. What coral do you plan on stocking? Link to comment
TheUnfocusedOne Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 get a group of 3 tangs what could go wrong? but seriously dont Link to comment
CollegeNano Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Hey, good to see another local reefer. I also have a 12 gallon aquapod setup in early 06 and its been a blast to have and quite easy to move back and forth from home and college. What coral do you plan on stocking?Hey Shoot! You go to school around Raleigh? I was worried about moving back and forth (around a 2 hour commute for me!) which is partially the reason why I opted for a smaller tank. I am unsure exactly what corals I want I just know I want to focus on softies and easy care for a while since I'm so new and I don't want to dose much since I am in school and sometimes go a few days away from the tank! Any recommendations?get a group of 3 tangswhat could go wrong?but seriously dontI was gonna go with 2, I don't want one of them to feel left out. Link to comment
Shoot Me_I Explode Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I actually attend East Carolina but I'm from Raleigh and commute back every couple of weekends. If you want easy to care for corals I have some finger leather frags I can give you along with some mushrooms. Need to warn though, mushrooms are prolific, I started with 6 and now have 130+. Link to comment
CollegeNano Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 I actually attend East Carolina but I'm from Raleigh and commute back every couple of weekends. If you want easy to care for corals I have some finger leather frags I can give you along with some mushrooms. Need to warn though, mushrooms are prolific, I started with 6 and now have 130+. Hey that would be exciting! Give me a few more weeks for my tank to mature and I will PM you. Let me know prices and such as well Link to comment
spanko Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Looking real nice so far. In the ATO picture, where does that garden hose go? Is that your supply line for the top off water? If it is and it is tap water you need to rethink that. Do some searching on the site about tap water and it's adverse affects on marine systems. Link to comment
CollegeNano Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Looking real nice so far. In the ATO picture, where does that garden hose go? Is that your supply line for the top off water? If it is and it is tap water you need to rethink that. Do some searching on the site about tap water and it's adverse affects on marine systems. Hey spanko, that is actually just airline tubing. The tubing is longer than would fit on the screen but that piece goes from the air pump goes into the clear container and to pump air into it. It is distilled water stored in the container. Thanks for looking out Link to comment
spanko Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Great stuff bud, keep posting with pics please! Link to comment
CollegeNano Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Great stuff bud, keep posting with pics please! Thanks for being so positive! haha. I will post some more pics, no real changes to show. I add more when I get out of classes today around 5PM! (it's 11:30 AM here now) Link to comment
itswayner Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Check out Down Under Saltwater store in Garner if you're every out that way. Super nice staff and excellent prices on frags. Not sure what your planning for the tank, but I've gotten 5 dollar sps frags (2+inches) and a 20 dollar blasto frag (8-10 heads). Good job on the aquascaping. Link to comment
spanko Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Thanks again Gerber. Sadly my tank isn't showing any hitchhiker life yet. I ordered the nano rock from Drs F&S which is pretty small, maybe too small to hold a lot of life? My PH is also too low (around 7.6-7.8) so I ordered PH buffer. Other than that everything is going well! Believe me rock is never too small to hold a lot of life. As you get more familiar with the sit and start to read some other threads you will soon see that people have things appear in their tanks months and months after starting them that could only have some from the live rock. Things can be small and hide in places you don't even know are there, and one day they are big enough that you notice them. Link to comment
CollegeNano Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Check out Down Under Saltwater store in Garner if you're every out that way. Super nice staff and excellent prices on frags. Not sure what your planning for the tank, but I've gotten 5 dollar sps frags (2+inches) and a 20 dollar blasto frag (8-10 heads). Good job on the aquascaping. My friend at school shows me a few LFS's in Raleigh that seem really nice as well. Thanks for the advice! Link to comment
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