henryfdez's Aquapod 12!

[henryfdez]

Hey guys! Im new to nanoreef.com and thought I'd make a thread to share my new project. Its a second hand Aquapod 12 a friend of mine offered me..and well, like always, the aquarium bug bit me again and I couldnt help myself.

 

Tank Specs:

lighting- upgraded to two 32w bulbs. 1x 10,000K Dual Daylight and 1x 420nm/460nm Dual Actinic...that givs me a solid 64w to keep some cool stuff.

 

chambers- 1st=Floss and the pump which feeds the chiller (1/10hp CL-280) 2nd and 3rd chambers are empty for the moment but I already have Chemi-Pure and Purigen on hand to fill these. 4th chamber= Chiller return line and return pump(upgraded to MJ-900) for the main display.

 

Im planning on getting my live rock this weekend if all goes well...will post with more pics when I do the aquascape.

 

Any comments/suggestions are welcome...also any tips for clean up crew, stocking etc are welcome as well.

 

 

 

Right after adding sand

 

Lights!

 

 

Couple of pounds of dead rock I had

 

 

Full Setup

[henryfdez]

Update...I got my live rock today, also caught 20 nerites to have as my CUC...I put in 20 which may seem like alot but I only plan on having nerites as my clean up crew...no crabs or other snails. Although I did find a couple of small hitch-hiking crabs and a tiny urchin on the rocks. Nothing like diving for your own live rock! This is as live as it gets, 1 hr drive to the marina and then 15 minute boat ride to the reef.

 

Heres a shot of the aquascape, hope you guys like it!..water is still a bit cloudy from messing around with the rockwork.

 

[Lalani]

Jealous that you can pick up your own live rock. Nice start!

[henryfdez]

Hey guys...another picture update, the tank has cleared up great and everything seems to be going smoothly...How long do you guys think I should run the tank before adding livestock...Im not sure if theres even going to be a cycle since my rock pretty much went straight from the ocean to the tank..I can already see a bunch of copepods and other micro-swimming organisms buzzing around at night. Ive noticed I have some hitchhikers... a green emerald crab, couple of mini fan worms, a tiny urchin, and on some areas of rock I can see very very thin tentacle-like yellow strings coming out of the rocks...I believe these are some type of medusa worm or something around those lines. Also...I think I have either a mantis or a pistol shrimp..havent been able to see him clear enough to I.D him. But whatever it is, hes blowing sand from under one of the rocks and creating a type of burrow. He clicks from time to time so Im anxious to see what he is. (Crossing my fingers..hope its not a mantis!!!)

 

full tank:

 

from left:

 

from right:

[yoshii]

Jealous that you can pick up your own live rock. Nice start!

Same!!

 

 

That HH is most likely a pistol, since it makes a burrow and "clicks"

I bet you will find tons of interesting HHs on rock that live!

[henryfdez]

Update #3...Found some more hitchhikers..a small serpent star, a small anemone and also finally got a look at the mysterious clicker in the tank..................Its a pistol shrimp!! what a relief!...However, I dont know if I should leave him in there or what..any advice? Hes pretty small, I'd say 1" long.

 

Can you guys help me ID the anemone? I think its a sponge anemone.

 

 

Took some pics of the tank at night time...the LEDs I got from Measure Explorer are pretty sweet.

 

LED strip:

 

Here are the back chambers and also a shot of the tests I did today...everything seems stable

 

 

I think Im gonna get my first livestock tomorrow...not sure what to get yet..maybe the cleaner shrimp, firefish or goby...or maybe I'll get a frag..depends on what I like. Will post with pics if I do get anything.

[yoshii]

That's an Aiptasia, bad, get rid of it asap

 

That LED strip looks nice, very blue

 

It's hard to tell, what is the reading for the Ammonia? I think it's still too soon to add any livestock yet (besides the CUC))

[henryfdez]

Yeah, some of the colors on the results look weird on the picture...but everything was pretty much at 0..might wait out a couple more days anyways, just in case.

 

Are you 100% thats an aiptaisia?? The aiptasias Ive seen are usually alot more discolored..kind of more ghost-like and brown. This one has neat white markings on its tentacles and a sort of a blue/green center...Its disc is about 1/4" in diameter. Is there any other home remedy for getting rid of it besides using a syringe with lemon juice or w/e?

 

 

On a side note...I found a real mantis shrimp..this time in the rock at the right side of the tank..I managed to pull the rock out and flush him real quick. Glad I got that sucker out....The other shrimp which I thought was a mantis is 100% a pistol shrimp..I left him alone and hes doing fine. Do you think if I add a shrimp goby he would partner up? That would be awesome!

[coreystang]

Yeah, some of the colors on the results look weird on the picture...but everything was pretty much at 0..might wait out a couple more days anyways, just in case.

 

Are you 100% thats an aiptaisia?? The aiptasias Ive seen are usually alot more discolored..kind of more ghost-like and brown. This one has neat white markings on its tentacles and a sort of a blue/green center...Its disc is about 1/4" in diameter. Is there any other home remedy for getting rid of it besides using a syringe with lemon juice or w/e?

 

 

On a side note...I found a real mantis shrimp..this time in the rock at the right side of the tank..I managed to pull the rock out and flush him real quick. Glad I got that sucker out....The other shrimp which I thought was a mantis is 100% a pistol shrimp..I left him alone and hes doing fine. Do you think if I add a shrimp goby he would partner up? That would be awesome!

 

Wait you flushed to Mantis? Why would you do that to an awesome creature?

[henryfdez]

Wait you flushed to Mantis? Why would you do that to an awesome creature?

 

 

They are very smart and interesting creatures, but they dont belong in my tank! hahaha...I dont want to deal with dead/missing members of my CUC later on..or fish for that matter...it was only about 1/2 inch to an inch long so he wasnt that much of a threat YET.

 

Quick update...I injected the anemone with lemon juice..Im hoping that did the job, will check back 2morrow to see if shes still alive and re-inject if need be.

 

I found a really small chiton today..I was pretty happy to see one since I know they are rare and praised in reef aquariums. I also saw a weird worm coming out of a hole..looks like a bristleworm and it has me worried..ts grayish, and has a lot of legs one pair after the other all throughout its body. Its pretty damn long..but it doesnt come out all the way...it just comes out about an inch or two and then jolts back in reverse. What could it be???