And in the beginning

[klarion]

This is a really cool concept. I like unusual tanks that offer something different. Like you said, more than a pile of rocks. The christmas tree worms are also awesome. I would love to see more close ups of tiny life in your biotope. Can I call it that? I guess so...

[spanko]

A little busy right now runnning in an out of town but let me see what I can get some pics of and I will post them. Thank you for the kind words and looking at the thread.

[scottyreef]

You are being watched as well spanko

[spanko]

Okay how about some updates. Things are going well. I have finally found a foxface small enough to go into the tank for now. He is decimating the Caulerpa, what an eating machine he is. I will keep him for a while, got him on Good Friday, and see how much of this he can get gone. Then before he gets too big it is back to the LFS for credit. I will keep an eye on the Caulepa and when, because I believe it will, it starts to come back I will find another small on to do it all over again. Also am trying a Crocea. Corals are growing water parameters are staying very good and sump in back of tank doing well. Okay here are some pics.

 

 

FTS1

 

FTS2

 

New fabricated screen top

 

Home made drip tray with phosphate pad, carbon pad, in second chamber with stealth heater, Chaeto, Azoo palm light, bag of Purigen and Chemipure Elite under drip tray.

 

Top down shot of Crocea

 

Top down of Neon Goby over tabling Acro

 

Straight on of Crocea.

[scottyreef]

looking good hope your foxface gets rid of all Caulerpa. i hate that crap. a while back i went to a fish store they actully sold Caulerpa and bubble alage for profit and back then about 8 years ago i almost bought some. i am glad now i was a poor college student

[c est ma]

Henry, it looks more spectacular than ever! That is one of the most gorgeous tanks I've ever seen. I understand where Scotty's coming from, but aesthetically the "right amount" (which is about now, I'd say) of Caulerpa really adds a beautiful color & richness to your tank. May the rotating fish scheme continue to work for you!

 

Tell me again just how clean those bare edges stay. They look very nice.

 

Is your hawkfish as reclusive as ever? Ever see your pom pom?

 

You monti caps are stunning!

 

Post all the pics you want!

 

--Diane

[spanko]

Thank you Scotty and diane. The Hawk is out more, and I say that only because I can see him lurking in the rocks at the bottom front sometimes. The pom-pom comes out from time to time to give a show. His nems are growing and he is as colorful as ever. If you look close enough you can see 4 of the 5 fish in the first FTS, the Talbot's Damsel, the green Chromis, the Neon goby and the Foxface. It is neat to watch the Fox go over to the Gobies station to get cleaned. He does this quite often now and his fins stand up in all directions while it is happening. It is like someone getting a massage I guess, he loves it. going bare bottom and stagint the rocks to form the flat help to keep the glass edges cleaner. That plus the Nimble Nano magnet cleaner which was one of the best cleaning buys I have made.

 

As always thank you for looking and your comments.

[Nick's Reef]

Tanks looking great as usual spanko. Also that must be awesome to see the neon goby clean the foxface!

[spanko]

Okay here it is 2 weeks after adding the crocea. All has been well until I get home tonight. The clam is upside down. I pick it up and the shell is part way open but is not moving open or closed. The flesh inside is snot.

Water parameters

ammonia undetectable

nitrite undetectable

nitrate undetectable

phosphate undetectable

calcium 500

magnisium 1400

alkalinity 4.0

temperature 80 degress

Sg 1.025

ligting 150 MH HQI sunpod

flow from sump (biocube 29 gallon) 350 gph across the bottom in two directions from locline assembly.

In tank 1 Koralia 2 at 600 gph pointed from top back right to mid front left.

In tank 1 Koarlia 1 at 400 gph pointed from top back left to top front right.

Clam was placed at the top of the reef flat about 12 inches under the MH.

 

That is it. I will not try another clam in this setup. Previously in the original setup I have a Deresa that did well for about three to four months until I redid the tank for the reef flat and I traded into the LFS for credit. Had growth at outer edges of shell and looked good sitting on the sand unde 144 watts of pc lighting. Since putting on the MH I have tried a Maxima that turned to snot after about 3 weeks and this is the second Crocea, both of which have gone the same way as the Maxima.

I check real good this time looking for pyramidellid snails and did not see any.

One blue green Chromis

One Talbot's Damsel

One Neon Goby

One Geometric Pygmy Hawkfish

One FoxFace

One Emerald Crab

One PomPom Crab

Asst snails and hermits

 

 

Anybody have any idea why????????

[lakshwadeep]

how is your alkalinity 4.0? Is it in dKH?

[spanko]

meq/L

[lakshwadeep]

some articles:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_4/V4I...GotTridacna.htm

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i3/clam_care/clam_care.htm

 

check out all these FAQs (maybe predatory flatworms?).

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tridacdisfaqs.htm

[spanko]

I am beginning to think flow. Even though the flow was not blowing the mantle around the flow in my tank is fairly intense. It was not that intense with the Deresa.

[Nick's Reef]

That stinks that you lost the crocea spanko. They're such beautiful creatures and if I had the lighting (and know how) I'd definatly have a nice turquise one. Hope you find out what the problem is. Based on m little knowledge of clams I'd say it was the flow. At my lfs the owner is very knowledgeable and has been reefing for god knows how long and he's got a super high flow sps tank on the counter at the store and he LOVES clams but he won't dare put one in that tank due to the amount of flow (Mag 5 and 2 korilia 4s in a 37 gal.).

[spanko]

Thank you for the replies everyone. Yeah it was such a nice one too. Like I say I will not put another one in this setup.

[divecj5]

Sorry to hear about the clam taking a turn for the worse Henry. Sounds like you are pretty much spot on with all of your parameters so all I can think of would be light or flow. Did it ever try and move out of the spot that it was in or was it did it always seem pretty happy where it was? What seems weird is that from what it sounds like, it was pretty much perfectly happy for about a month and then all of a sudden this.

 

Do you think one of the fish or snails flipped it? Since your parameters looked good, just trying to think of other things. With the SPS that you have flourishing in you tank, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to keep a clam.

[spanko]

Thanx everyone for the concern and information. Yeah Dive I don't know what it is with this setup I have. Like I said the Deresa in the other setup was fine. All I can point to right now is the flow. The clam was just as you see it in the pics above until I found it upside down. I wonder if it was trying to move, flipped and could not right itself. Oh well just one of the creatures I will not attempt to keep in this setup again.

[c est ma]

Aw, crum, Henry, so sorry to hear that! Your conditions sound excellent.

 

--Diane

[spanko]

Sorry for updating so soon. I have returned the Foxface to the LFS as it has accomplished the task I got it for. CAULERPA DESTRUCTION. I will now be looking for another smaller Foxface or other rabbitfish because I know even though I cannot see any Caulerpa now, there are still those tiny runner anchors in the rock and it will come back.

So in having to catch the Foxface I had to remove the rockwork which gave me the opportunity to rescape. Here are some new pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for looking.

[Nick's Reef]

Loooking good. I also have a few questons about the geometric hawk. Are they finicky eaters and if so what should you feed them to get started? Also would one be ok with my pair of Yashas? I'm just asking beacause I want to get one and wanted to make shure he'd be ok.

[spanko]

Hey Nick. I would be guessing if I had to tell you if they are finicky eaters or not as I do not normally see mine eat at all. I have seen him eat cyclopeeze once or twice but he is probably eating pods and things he finds in the rockwork more than anything. He is very reclusive and does not come out often. That being said he is eating because he is growing and is fat and very aware when I do see him. Now he may be more reclusive in my tank because of the amount of flow I have and he may be wanting to stay out of it and in the rockwork. Again a guess on my part.

Can't answer about the addition of one with your Yasha's either. I have a Neon Goby in my tank and have not seen any aggression either way.

 

I am sorry I cannot be more help here, but don't want to steer you wrong with an answer that I am not sure of.

 

I love my little geometric and am so happy when he does show himself.

[Nick's Reef]

Thanks, I can't find much on the net about them and I knew you had one. I'd think he'd be ok with the yashas myself as they only attack my clowns (which I'm getting rid of because they allow the Yashas to get no food at all.). I have quite a few pods and he and the Yashas would be the only fish. My lfs had one in their display for quite awhile and he was fine with a jawfish and always hung upsidedown under this one ledge. I'll have to ask the owner of the lfs what he thinks and if he says it's ok i'll give it a shot.

[spanko]

I checked two compatibility charts and both said that Hawkfish and Gobies are compatible. Of course you know Nick that each and every fish has it's own personality and we take our chances but conventional wisdom seems to think they will be okay. Do get some more opinions if you can though.

[divecj5]

Wow Henry. Your tank really looks like it is coming together nicely and continues to get better and better. From the looks of it, you are getting some really nice growth on all of your stonies. What type of Digi is that in the first picture? I have been on a real Monti kick lately (as you can tell by my thread) and always trying to keep an eye out for nice ones.

[spanko]

Not sure on the Digi. Got it for a steal from a LFS and it is just starting to show some orange polyp coloration so I am hoping to see it turn into something nice.