25G ADA TANK 18X18X18" RIMLESS CUBE

[bear-hugs]

wow that is one awesome tank, i spent the last 2 hours reading this thread and now i have to close my eyes and let it moisten back haha.

 

frameless is the best way to go i love it! one of my main reason to choose framelss for my first reef tank.

[clifford513]

Awesome tank! I was showing it off at work today and 10 out of 10 juvenile delinquents and 3 of 3 officers agree

[rgrav]

SWEET

[PurpleUP]

Thanks for all the encouragement!@#! It makes spending 10+ hrs/day on the tank all worth while (although I spend 8 of those 10hrs staring at it, which is worth while in itself. hehe)

 

Some random top-down shots I took just now.

 

Purple firefish can almost pass for a sea snake.

 

"There's no food here, guys. I'm just takin photos." My clown jumped out today when I pulled my hand out of the water! It was flopping around the granite counter top. First time it happened. And I was told it was the firefish I had to worry about. Lucky I was there to put it back in. I think they are too people friendly. You can literally pick them up and out with your bare hands.

Open tops give a completely different perspective on a reef, but there are RISKS. Like crap falling in and fish flying out.

[SPS20]

Now that you have all your corals in there, the tank looks pleasantly "full". Give it a few months and it will have that "grown-in" look. As always, excellent work, purpleup!

 

The coral you asked for the ID of is Anthelia. It looks alot like my blue Anthelia, really. (look at my avatar. its a pic of my blue Anthelia) I think it might be the same stuff. If you have the Delbeek and Sprung book, take a look in it for pics of some outrageous color morphs of Anthelia. (volume 1, I think.) The reef aquarium business moves in "fads". Fist Acros, then Montis, then Zoas, and now Acans. The only reason some of the more colorful morphs of Anthelia haven't become collector's fads for outrageous prices is that it grows too fast, so you could never get away with charging $200.00 for a frag of it. Only in America do people have the balls to label a living thing "limited edition" and quadruple the price, just because they can. That and it doesn't ship terribly well. That stuff you have there is a much more interesting "ground cover" than GSP, and more easily controllable. I'm eventually going to try to get it to start spreading across the glass in my tank.

 

BTW, I think those mushrooms near the top might open a little further if you could somehow move them closer to the bottom. (Easier said than done, I realize. After I typed that I referred back to the pics and i'm not sure where else you could fit them. LOL) Of course, if you leave them there long enough, they will probably acclimate on their own.

 

- Josh

[GrandeGixxer]

Fish don't fly! :lol:

 

Your tank is looking amazing! Great work.

[sammy113]

Cool now I know that I have some anthelia too. not the blue one bu its the same thing. I love the new pics. Clowns are always begging for food lol

[SPS20]

I feel your pain regarding the open top. I have lost 2 Cherub angelfish from this tank, to jumping. I give up on that species, they obviously don't work well for a long shallow tank with no lid. I'm glad you were there to return him to his home, though I imagine he probably jumped because you (the big food-giving being) were there, and he got a little too excited. Clownfish kind of remind me of puppies with fins.

[pattykat99]

Hey GrandeGixxer,

Fish do fly, and they leap right out of tanks too! Unfortunately, my red firefish did earlier this week. That is one of the risks of having a topless tank

Randy, Your tank is STUNNING, I think you've heard this before

[supernip]

hows your clam, miss?

[PurpleUP]

hows your clam, miss?

 

What clam? That post must have been for Patty. I would like a mini Squamosa tho.

[SPS20]

I would like a mini Squamosa tho.

 

Just be sure you have somebody with a large tank to give/sell it to when it gets enormous. I don't think most people realize the valve (shell) in squamosas can grow to 15" when fully grown. And it happens faster than you think!

 

Having said that, i've been looking around the LFSes in my area for another clam, maybe a derasa or squamosa. My LFS will take it back in trade in a few years if it starts getting ridiculously large.

 

Tridacnids are just too cool to pass up. And they make excellent live filters to boot. A single clam can have a noticeable impact on the water quality in a small tank. Every reef tank I have ever set up has included tridacnids. I just feel a reef tank with none in it is somehow incomplete.

[c est ma]

Some random top-down shots I took just now.

 

Oh, man, I can get lost in that pic! It is just hypnotic!

 

So cool that you were able to ditch the maxi-jet & skimmer--your tank looks SO mimalist, now--I can't believe how much of the back is visible.

 

 

Who can tell me what this is called?

 

The coral you asked for the ID of is Anthelia. It looks alot like my blue Anthelia, really. (look at my avatar. its a pic of my blue Anthelia) I think it might be the same stuff. If you have the Delbeek and Sprung book, take a look in it for pics of some outrageous color morphs of Anthelia. (volume 1, I think.)

 

- Josh

 

Vol. 2, actually. Which brings up another topic...how do we distinguish amongst all the snow-flake like polyps? For instance, the pics you're thinking of are actually listed as Clavularia, if you're thinking of the pics on pp 170-171. As the text mentions, in Germany "the common name for this coral is Anthelia," and it seems like in some other places too...But in Sprung & Delbeek II they're even in different families, Clavularia in the Clavulariidae, and Anthelia in the Xeniidae. (And under Anthelia they list other similar-looking genera such as Cespitularia, Xenia, and Stereosoma...)

 

Well, here's one distinction, from Sprung's Corals: A Quick Reference Guide. Under Clavularia, he states:

 

"Anthelia spp have similar polyps, and the two genera are often confused. Anthelia deflates only and cannot retract its polyps the way Clavularia does. When Clavularia is closed one sees the round heads of each closed calyx." (p 146)

 

FWIW,

 

--Diane

[SPS20]

"Anthelia spp have similar polyps, and the two genera are often confused. Anthelia deflates only and cannot retract its polyps the way Clavularia does. When Clavularia is closed one sees the round heads of each closed calyx." (p 146)

 

Wow diane. Way to do your homework!

 

I don't own the delbeek and sprung books anymore. They were destroyed in a flood. (not related to an aquarium lol)

 

In that case, I think my coral is blue Clavularia, as I think I remember it it closes up rather than just deflating when disturbed. At least we now know how to tell the difference. Actually, now i'm not sure. I'll have to squirt my coral with my trusty baster, and see how it reacts.

 

PurpleUp, if you squirt your mystery coral with a turkey baster, does it close up or just deflate?

[PurpleUP]

Just be sure you have somebody with a large tank to give/sell it to when it gets enormous. I don't think most people realize the valve (shell) in squamosas can grow to 15" when fully grown. And it happens faster than you think!

 

Having said that, i've been looking around the LFSes in my area for another clam, maybe a derasa or squamosa. My LFS will take it back in trade in a few years if it starts getting ridiculously large.

 

Tridacnids are just too cool to pass up. And they make excellent live filters to boot. A single clam can have a noticeable impact on the water quality in a small tank. Every reef tank I have ever set up has included tridacnids. I just feel a reef tank with none in it is somehow incomplete.

 

Well, the master plan is to create a 200-250G in the entertainment nook of my living room - not sure of the exact specs. I figure it will take me a couple of years at most to save for the entire custom build. By then, how big do you figure a 3" squamosa clam will have grown? I'd like to adopt a baby clam and see it grow big enough to eat me. That is if *I* can live long enough.

[Left Coast DJ]

Hey PurpleUp - Now that you've had your Rapids sump system for a few weeks, what's your verdict?

[PurpleUP]

"Anthelia spp have similar polyps, and the two genera are often confused. Anthelia deflates only and cannot retract its polyps the way Clavularia does. When Clavularia is closed one sees the round heads of each closed calyx." (p 146)

 

Wow diane. Way to do your homework!

 

I don't own the delbeek and sprung books anymore. They were destroyed in a flood. (not related to an aquarium lol)

 

In that case, I think my coral is blue Clavularia, as I think I remember it it closes up rather than just deflating when disturbed. At least we now know how to tell the difference. Actually, now i'm not sure. I'll have to squirt my coral with my trusty baster, and see how it reacts.

 

PurpleUp, if you squirt your mystery coral with a turkey baster, does it close up or just deflate?

 

Sounds like I need to own that book. Is that like the holy bible of reefkeepers? I've always wondered about this coral, as it seems to behave differently than others. From what I've observed, the polyps become smaller - as if they shrink when they're disturbed. I'll have to pay closer attention to them in the morning, but they most certainly don't close like a zoanthid. I can tell you that much. I'll try to take a close-up pic of the polyps after a snail slimes across them. Notice, if you look closely at the pic, there are two types: a) the bright blue snow-flakey variety and the darker maroon with more rounded petals. They mix well though. The LFS in Sacramento said it was a "rare coral from Thailand." Not sure if I even believed it then, but I also saw the same coral at a competing LFS not too long ago. Anyhow, I'll try to get a snapshot of them closed and maybe you can help me better figure out what it is. But first, I'm ordering that delbeek and sprung book from Amazon.

[c est ma]

Purple,

 

I don't know if any one book is or could be the bible, as you put it, but I like this series. (I have not bought the 3rd volume yet because it sounds like it's more about the mechanics of tanks, and so far I'm not very deep into that area of the hobby...)

 

Vol 1 has a lot about coral biology, reef building and maintenance, and stony corals. Vol 2 is mostly softies & nems. Each volume has a wealth of info about coral biology, actually...

 

But you might be disappointed if you're looking for pics and descriptions of the latest coral fads--there's not a single Micromussa, for instance, no acans...

 

I think it just takes so long to produce a book, by the time it comes out it's a bit out-of-date...But the majority of the scientific info remains valuable--I refer to these books a lot.

 

Vol II:

http://www.amazon.com/Reef-Aquarium-Compre...5943&sr=8-3

 

Vol I:

http://www.amazon.com/Reef-Aquarium-Compre...d_bxgy_b_text_b

 

But actually, my description of the differences between the two genera came from this book (first link below), which is just coral pics & descriptions, and is also very handy, along with its companion volume on Inverts (where he puts the zoas and corallimorphs, BTW.) You might want to consider buying these books, instead. (The same thing holds true regarding the latest fads, though.)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Corals-Quick-Referen...d_sim_b_title_5

 

http://www.amazon.com/Invertebrates-Quick-...=pd_sim_b_img_7

 

--Diane

[PurpleUP]

Hey PurpleUp - Now that you've had your Rapids sump system for a few weeks, what's your verdict?

 

Is that Left Coast DJ as in Disc Jockey? I used to be a trickster DJ as a kid before I evolved into the techno rave movement in 1998. Ahhhh, Crazy memories... Anyhow, I've noticed you've been exploring methods of drilling ADA tanks. I saw the thread of the other guy's tank and I figured the bottom had to have been made of different glass. If you could only drill it, the bottom would be the ideal side to do it (no pun intended HAHA). If you are willing to risk it (and void your 5yr warranty), good luck. But if you're looking for the next best thing, I think the Rapids Pro might really be it. Trust me, if I had an issue with it, I would have flamed the manufacturer a thousand times in this thread. The only negative thing I have to say is that it's blue, but that's only because I prefer slick black. Suprisingly, the protein skimmer works! I give the skimmer about a 4 out of 10 in performance compared to what you can get for other stand alone products. Overall, I'd say it helped me achieve more than what I was hoping for out of this tank. In the beginning, I thought I was gonna have to settle for a HOB with ATO sensors, a heater, surface skimmer, thermometer all inside my display tank. With this filter, I only have to see the narrow overflow box and 2 Koralias. Come to think of it, if the back were drilled for an internal overflow, the plumbing/pvc would obstruct even more of the rear view. Another plus is that you don't have to turn the system off to clean the 3 wet/dry compartments. Use the 1st for floss, the 2nd for carbons, and the 3rd to submerse your heater. The containers slide up and out with ease. It's cool. You should try it. And if it doesn't work out, the experiment cost you less than 200 bucks.

[PurpleUP]

But actually, my description of the differences between the two genera came from this book (first link below), which is just coral pics & descriptions, and is also very handy, along with its companion volume on Inverts (where he puts the zoas and corallimorphs, BTW.) You might want to consider buying these books, instead. (The same thing holds true regarding the latest fads, though.)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Corals-Quick-Referen...d_sim_b_title_5

 

http://www.amazon.com/Invertebrates-Quick-...=pd_sim_b_img_7

 

--Diane

 

I might take you up on the 2nd option, Diane. With the money saved, I can buy another ORA frag. That's really what I need. A quick reference guide. Funny thing, fads for corals. LOL! Never knew fads in reefing existed before today. Maybe there'll be an ADA reef tank fad. Hmmm. So silly.

[liverpoolfcfan]

"There's no food here, guys. I'm just takin photos." My clown jumped out today when I pulled my hand out of the water! It was flopping around the granite counter top. First time it happened. And I was told it was the firefish I had to worry about. Lucky I was there to put it back in. I think they are too people friendly. You can literally pick them up and out with your bare hands.

Open tops give a completely different perspective on a reef, but there are RISKS. Like crap falling in and fish flying out.

 

My Clown isn't all that friendly but my chromis are everytime i go to feed they try and jump.

Also when i bought my first firefish me and my brother were playing on a video game while the firefish was acclimatising. I went back five minutes late my firefish wasn't in the bag He'd jumped out the bag into the tank and was staring at me from a hole in the rock. CRAZY i know

[supernip]

sorry Im late to the party but that blue polyp thing you have is a sansibia. I have a book you can use to ID it if you're in the sj/milpitas area

[Oregon]

Got this posted on RC? I seriously think you could contend for tank of the month.

[siwelk]

go for it! the guys over on RC would sh#t a brick if the TOTM was running a Rapids Pro system. ha

[PurpleUP]

sorry Im late to the party but that blue polyp thing you have is a sansibia. I have a book you can use to ID it if you're in the sj/milpitas area

 

Sansibia? In Google images, sansibia looks more like xenia. But there's one photo that resembles it. I don't think that's it though. These things don't really look or act like a xenia species. Is this what you were referring to? BTW: I'll be meeting someone in Milpitas, CA for a deal of blue tubs to go down on Sunday. Aquatic Gallery is the drop point. hehe. I'm gettin a kick out of trying to ID this coral. It's not the first time I tried. Thanks for your help.