25G ADA TANK 18X18X18" RIMLESS CUBE

[c est ma]

Aw, crum, I may need to add some other links to my "Pseudocorynactis" file...the ones that say that they take a long time to grow into problem size, and many keep them in their tank for several years before they're a threat to fish...

 

Oh, well, who'd miss it with all that other beauty!! All those pics are out of this world. I esp. like the "one big happy family" one!

 

What is your feeding regimen? How are your maintenance needs--demanding? Pretty easy to keep up with...? (Siphoning, glass cleaning, etc....)

 

BTW, that "caveman" sounds and looks as if it might be a cerianthid (tube anemone)?

 

--Diane

[neoboi]

how have you kept any of your fish from going counter/kitchen floor surfing?

 

also: can you recommend a good central valley LFS (hopefully a reasonable drive from modesto)

 

edit: i forgot a word!

[PurpleUP]

Aw, crum, I may need to add some other links to my "Pseudocorynactis" file...the ones that say that they take a long time to grow into problem size, and many keep them in their tank for several years before they're a threat to fish...

 

No problem at all, I've learned from past mistakes not to let any critter get past me without a positive ID. Learned my lesson from zoanthid eating nudibranchs to flatworms. Good looks can clearly be deceiving in reef world.

 

Oh, well, who'd miss it with all that other beauty!! All those pics are out of this world. I esp. like the "one big happy family" one!

 

What is your feeding regimen? How are your maintenance needs--demanding? Pretty easy to keep up with...? (Siphoning, glass cleaning, etc....)

 

BTW, that "caveman" sounds and looks as if it might be a cerianthid (tube anemone)?

 

--Diane

 

I feed Mysis Shrimp once every other day and direct feed my brain twice per week. On days I don't feed, I add DT's live phytoplankton. Still trying to determine my dosing routine, so I've been testing water params for alkalinity, pH, and Calcium at least twice per day. BTW: I work from home as a mortgage broker for 3 days out of the week, so it's easier to keep up. I dose purple up gradually day as it's a relatively new setup, supplementing with Kent Marine superbuffer dKH and Turbo Calcium. I can already tell that I will have problems with too high pH due to heavy calc/alk demands of my corals. Looking to try B-Ionic 2 part for daily dosing via a automated dosing pump.

 

As far as maintenance goes, I clean 3 sides of the glass EVERY DAY with a Kent Glass cleaner on a 2' extension. Fish breaks, that's the secret. It's truly therapy actually, since I don't leave the home for lunch that often. This is easy b/c aquascaping doesn't touch glass on any side. Only the pumps and overflow make it somewhat difficult to clean the back, which I clean once per week. 3 gallons of DI water changes are done routinely every Friday or Sat.

 

Yeah, it's definitely a tube anemone. I've had it for a year now. Still don't know what or if it eats though! I've got some reading up to do.

[pattykat99]

Beutiful pics Randy!! i noticed your new tank has a bluer hue than the 14g, Do you think it might be due to the new light?

[PurpleUP]

Beutiful pics Randy!! i noticed your new tank has a bluer hue than the 14g, Do you think it might be due to the new light?

 

Thanks Patty! I'm still deciding on where to put your blue tubs. I expect that they would be bluer than blue, especially with this 20K light - just not as blue as solo actinics. But yes, the lighting definitely contributes to the overall blue hue. Through the naked eye, it doesn't look as blue once you get adjusted to eat. It definitely pulls the colors out though.

[reefdan]

Yeah, it's definitely a tube anemone. I've had it for a year now. Still don't know what or if it eats though! I've got some reading up to do.

 

tube anemones will eat anything they can pull from the water column. my friend used to feed his bits of silversides. i believe they're non-photosynthetic.

 

be careful feeding them too much or they'll get big and their stingers will murder your other corals. they're very powerful.

 

also, be careful not to touch those stingers w/ your bare hands. your hand will swell for days regardless of whether you're predisposed to anemone sensitivity.

 

with that said, i think tubes are beautiful. i hear it's impossible to determine age -regardless of size. so that thing you are staring at could be 100+ years old!

[PurpleUP]

how have you kept any of your fish from going counter/kitchen floor surfing?

 

also: can you recommend a good central valley LFS (hopefully a reasonable drive from modesto)

 

edit: i forgot a word!

 

There have been MANY advisories about jumping firefish, and I do admit having lost one before in another tank. So far so good with these guys here. I've been watching their behavioral patterns, and so far this purple firefish hasn't shown any interest in darting up and out.

 

You may want to check out Exotic Aquarium in Sacramento off of Highway 5 and 47th St. HUGE store with a large variety of SPS and steady incoming shipments. I'd go there all the time if it weren't 40+ miles from where I live. If you're looking to buy SPS, it's definitely worth the drive.

[PurpleUP]

tube anemones will eat anything they can pull from the water column. my friend used to feed his bits of silversides. i believe they're non-photosynthetic.

 

be careful feeding them too much or they'll get big and their stingers will murder your other corals. they're very powerful.

 

also, be careful not to touch those stingers w/ your bare hands. your hand will swell for days regardless of whether you're predisposed to anemone sensitivity.

 

with that said, i think tubes are beautiful. i hear it's impossible to determine age -regardless of size. so that thing you are staring at could be 100+ years old!

 

 

Thanks for the advice. Very interesting about it's age. I'll try to feed him some silverside later today. I thought they were partially photosynthetic, so I pulled him out from the cave yesterday. If it doesn't require any light whatsoever, I might just as well put him back in, but that would make it more difficult to feed. I know I'm not treating this guy like I should b/c it's tentacles used to be 3" long with a brighter neon green center. I'll start with the food and take it from there. Check out this pic. Snapped it just now.

 

This can't be comfortable.

[PurpleUP]

Thanks for the advice. Very interesting about it's age. I'll try to feed him some silverside later today. I thought they were partially photosynthetic, so I pulled him out from the cave yesterday. If it doesn't require any light whatsoever, I might just as well put him back in, but that would make it more difficult to feed. I know I'm not treating this guy like I should b/c it's tentacles used to be 3" long with a brighter neon green center. I'll start with the food and take it from there. Check out this pic. Snapped it just now.

 

This can't be comfortable.

 

REEFDAN, you were right. IT EATS. I stuck 3 pieces of mysis shrimp in it's tentacles and it closed up on them FAST. I'm such a noob. I wonder how this anemone was able to survive UNFED for the past year. It's gotta be photosynthetic too. I feed so sparingly that there are hardly any scraps for it to pick up. I'm gonna stuff it's face for a little while until it shows some better health.

[PurpleUP]

Hey, what's this black slug? I know I've seen a pic of one around NR sometime ago. It's been in my 10G quarantine tank for the past 6mos now. Looks kinda cool and I'd like to add it to this ADA so long as it won't wreak havoc. Also, it's got a slit down it's back. Thinking it might have been sliced by a rock perhaps.

Nevermind. I found out what it is, and it likes to eat bird's nest corals so no thanks.

[PurpleUP]

Couldn't resist buying a couple of captive raised SPS frags from ORA at Exotic Aquarium in Sacramento, CA. My fish guy explained these were captive raised for 7 generations. The black plugs have "ORA" embossed on them, whatever that's worth.

 

Green Polyped Bird's Nest $40

 

Rosco's Blue Green Acropora $50

[GrandeGixxer]

Nice, ORA frags are very nice, but pretty pricy. Do you have a reef club in your area that you can trade with other people?

[PurpleUP]

Nice, ORA frags are very nice, but pretty pricy. Do you have a reef club in your area that you can trade with other people?

 

Very pricey indeed. I'm part of NCNRS, but we're a new organization and I haven't met with anyone to trade, YET.

[neoboi]

There have been MANY advisories about jumping firefish, and I do admit having lost one before in another tank. So far so good with these guys here. I've been watching their behavioral patterns, and so far this purple firefish hasn't shown any interest in darting up and out.

 

You may want to check out Exotic Aquarium in Sacramento off of Highway 5 and 47th St. HUGE store with a large variety of SPS and steady incoming shipments. I'd go there all the time if it weren't 40+ miles from where I live. If you're looking to buy SPS, it's definitely worth the drive.

 

do u think any stock i get will make it the 90-100minute drive from my place in modesto to sacramento?

 

i would hate to go make some sort of investment (being a broke a$$ emt sure makes anything more than $5 or $10 an investment) and have the stock or coral die or be damaged before i even get it home...

[PurpleUP]

do u think any stock i get will make it the 90-100minute drive from my place in modesto to sacramento?

 

i would hate to go make some sort of investment (being a broke a$$ emt sure makes anything more than $5 or $10 an investment) and have the stock or coral die or be damaged before i even get it home...

 

I'm sure all of it will make it. A 2hr drive should be quick enough. Remember, internet orders can take up to 48hrs for stock to reach your door. Maybe keep the car heater running @ 76º on your way home. The ORA frags I bought from there yesterday were higher priced than their wild caught stuff. You can actually get large colonies of SPS for $50-60 there. I'd call them first and ask when they expect to receive their new shipment of corals, since you may visit them only once in a great while. If you decide to buy anything there, PM me with shots of your new stuff!

[the gzaa]

did you order the cube off of the ada site? oh and how much did u pay for that coco worm?

[PurpleUP]

did you order the cube off of the ada site? oh and how much did u pay for that coco worm?

 

At first, I ordered it from www.adana-usa.com, but it arrived with a scratch on the glass. Packaging was excellent though, and it came quickly. The store in San Francisco was nice enough to replace it, so I drove down there and picked up this cube. I can't remember how much I paid for the coco worm. From what I recall, maybe $69? The store owner sold me by saying it could live up to 150 years. So far he's right. I've had it for 9 months now, in 3 different tanks.

 

Couldn't resist posting this new FTS while I'm in here.

 

Firefish slithers from the cave...

[PurpleUP]

RAPIDS PRO UPDATE

 

The Rapids Pro has been running for 2-3 wks now, and so far it's lived up to my expectations. Just like the ads promised, it hasn't overflown once. The protein skimmer was my absolute greatest concern at first, but once it was dialed in I haven't had to tweak it. It's been skimming ever since with it's original stock pump and air stone - NOT high performance skimming, but at least the darn thing works. I am very pleased to say that I've been able to adjust the height of the overflow just low enough that it's now able to take in water from the top surface. NO MORE NEED FOR THE ADD-ON SURFACE SKIMMER AND MJ600 THAT POWERED IT. I've got plenty more space inside the tank now. So much more that I added a Koralia Nano to the mix. See pics.

 

LEFT There's much more visibility to the rear of the tank, where I can now grow swirling Monti Caps.

 

LEFT REAR CORNER

 

REAR

 

TOP REAR

[wdawg]

Hey, what's this black slug? I know I've seen a pic of one around NR sometime ago. It's been in my 10G quarantine tank for the past 6mos now. Looks kinda cool and I'd like to add it to this ADA so long as it won't wreak havoc. Also, it's got a slit down it's back. Thinking it might have been sliced by a rock perhaps.

Nevermind. I found out what it is, and it likes to eat bird's nest corals so no thanks.

 

PurpleUP, can you tell me what this slug is called?

Also where did you find information about it eating Bird's Nest Corals?

 

Thanks in advance.

[PurpleUP]

PurpleUP, can you tell me what this slug is called?

Also where did you find information about it eating Bird's Nest Corals?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

It's called a Scutus, or elephant slug. More information can be found here. I can't locate where another forum had specifically mentioned it eating bird's nests. General consensus is that it's an algae grazer, but I wouldn't want to take chances.

[wdawg]

It's called a Scutus, or elephant slug. More information can be found here. I can't locate where another forum had specifically mentioned it eating bird's nests. General consensus is that it's an algae grazer, but I wouldn't want to take chances.

 

 

Thanks Purple. I have 1 and have always wondered if it was reef safe.

Mine also has the slit on it's back. I haven't seen it harm any of my corals, so I assumed it was safe.

I'm glad I saw this post. I was considering a birds nest colony as my next purchase

 

O, btw... Your tank is AWESOME. Very very nice setup and coral selection.

[SPS20]

What make/model of MH bulb are you using? It will be time for me to change my bulbs soon, so I wonder what bulbs other people are using. I like the color of the bulb you are using.

[PurpleUP]

Maintenance, Dosing, Feeding, Temp, Salinity Etc. LOG

 

This week I decided to monitor my params extremely closely and keep log of my findings in a simple spreadsheet. At first, I was thinking about buying a Neptune AquaController, Calcium Reactor, CO2 injector, etc, but since I work from home most of the time I thought the extra gadgets would be a redundant waste of cash. I figure after a couple of steady months, my dosing routine will become more constant, which will allow me to simply dose without much need for testing/logging. For those interested in what I do for this tank:

 

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY TANK MONITOR LOG IN REAL-TIME

*but you have to have a Google account or email address to see it.

[PurpleUP]

What make/model of MH bulb are you using? It will be time for me to change my bulbs soon, so I wonder what bulbs other people are using. I like the color of the bulb you are using.

 

Aqua Medic AB. It's bluer in real-life. My camera just can't capture the full effect.

[PurpleUP]

Who can tell me what this is called?

 

You can barely see it growing onto the red shroom rock here.

 

I'm trying to propagate it on the other side of my tank. It'd be nice to have this growing all over.