Nano Sapiens 12g - Ye Olde Mixed Reef

[markalot]

Thanks for the kind words, Christine

 

Speaking of Blastos, I've been having these visions of a second Blasto dominated tank (must resist...must resist...)

 

Must make one!

 

It's funny, I had assumed you already won TOTM. Man, glad someone was paying attention! 5 years is just a huge accomplishment, and something I always try and look for with the older TOTM. So many people take theirs down soon after the win.

[buddythelion]

Thanks for the kind words, Christine

 

Speaking of Blastos, I've been having these visions of a second Blasto dominated tank (must resist...must resist...)

I can help you with that.

[Kfmmartin19]

Congrats on TOTM!

 

Do you run anything in the back chambers besides heaters?

[Nano sapiens]

Must make one!

 

It's funny, I had assumed you already won TOTM. Man, glad someone was paying attention! 5 years is just a huge accomplishment, and something I always try and look for with the older TOTM. So many people take theirs down soon after the win.

 

You are not the only one who thinks that this tank was featured already, but this was the first time. I was actually quite surprised since there are so many very nice tanks out there that deserve to be featured.

 

I've really enjoyed this 12g tank and all the 'cast of characters' therein. My enjoyment from the hobby is in providing a healthy environment for the animals and observing the interactions and changes over time. I don't have any plans to take it down or 'upgrade' to something larger, so barring any major mishaps you should be seeing it around for a good while longer.

 

I can help you with that.

 

If I set up another one for Blastos, I know where to find you

 

Congrats on TOTM! Do you run anything in the back chambers besides heaters?

 

Nope, just a thermometer and the return pump. I like a 'free-slow' system which keeps food suspended in the water column as long as possible.

[Deleted User 4]

Must make one!

 

It's funny, I had assumed you already won TOTM. Man, glad someone was paying attention! 5 years is just a huge accomplishment, and something I always try and look for with the older TOTM. So many people take theirs down soon after the win.

 

See, I wasn't the only one who thought nanosapien already had won totm...lol

[metrokat]

And once more: congratulations on TOTM. Your wonderful slice of the ocean always looks so calm and inviting.

[jball1125]

Woohoo congrats brother!

[Nano sapiens]

See, I wasn't the only one who thought nanosapien already had won totm...lol

 

Yeah, 'Buddythelion' thought so, too

 

And once more: congratulations on TOTM. Your wonderful slice of the ocean always looks so calm and inviting.

 

Thanks, Kat. It's certainly a great stress reliever

 

Woohoo congrats brother!

 

Hey Jball1125,

 

Thanks!

[Deleted User 4]

That was an awesome video you provided as well.

[Nano sapiens]

That was an awesome video you provided as well.

 

My son made that video one afternoon with his iPhone using a simple MicroSoft Media editing program. I think it came out quite nicely considering it's just a phone.

[Leatherneck3755]

I just read this entire thread. Totally rethinking how I am going to run my JBJ 12Gallon LED. I get caught up with the "toys" and different filtration methods. The whole reason NR became my priamry source of information was because of the simple minimalistic ways tanks are viewed and presented here. This tank is giving me confidence to continue with the initial plan I had in mind of natural filtration. Beautiful tank and congrats on the TOTM.

[Nano sapiens]

I just read this entire thread. Totally rethinking how I am going to run my JBJ 12Gallon LED. I get caught up with the "toys" and different filtration methods. The whole reason NR became my priamry source of information was because of the simple minimalistic ways tanks are viewed and presented here. This tank is giving me confidence to continue with the initial plan I had in mind of natural filtration. Beautiful tank and congrats on the TOTM.

 

Thank you. And congrats on getting through all the thread pages

 

The mind set when running a natural system could be described as a more 'holistic' approach.. It may sound cliche, but it's more about understanding and working with the natural cycles to keep the 'ecosystem in glass box' in balance.

 

The thing is, while I run a 'natural' type system, I understand that all the 'toys' are a big draw for many people. I'm all for whatever makes the hobby interesting for the individual. I don't 'preach on the pulpit' for one type of system over another, only try to explain why certain problems occur and how to resolve them.

 

Looking forward to seeing how your 12g progresses!

[Nano sapiens]

Lighting Update: In most tanks there are indicator species that can be used to determine lighting spectrum and/or intensity issues. In my case, Blastomussa wellsi are the lowest light corals in the tank and I appear to have discovered their light intensity/duration limit (indicated by tissue deflation and ejection of zooanthellae after the lighting cycle is complete). I dialed back 5% and shortened the daily duration from 8 to 7.5 hours and they are now recovered and back to their original puffy appearance. Out of curiosity I measured PAR at current light levels and these Blastos are receiving 130 PAR (meter read x 5 x 15%) at their location on the sand bed in a corner. On top of that, PUR is assumed to quite high due to the more complete spectrum. Typically, these corals are known to do well at levels of around 30 - 60 PAR, so these guys are troopers for doing as well as they have at these higher levels.

 

Since there are no lower light areas where I can place these Blastos without being damaged by Rics, I've reached the practical lighting limit of this tank in it's present configuration at 45% of the DIY LED strip. Highest reading for a coral in the tank is 241 PAR for the 'Ultra Blue' Montipora digitata at the branch tips.

 

SPS (Acropora): Both the Green A. millepora (166 PAR) and A. Granulosa (144 PAR) have shown good encrusting growth, but no new branches. Of the two Red Planet frags, the one in lower light (110 PAR) with lower flow has a nice green base (to be expected at this light level), and has encrusting well. The other is in high light (190 PAR)/higher flow, but is oddly colored (a mixture of colors, predominately cyan) and has hardly grown at all.

 

SPS Other: Pavona varians (161 PAR), Pavona Maldivensis (205 PAR), Sunset Montipora (140 PAR), Montipora setosa (195 PAR)

 

LPS: Both Lobophyllia and the A. bowerbanki (110 PAR). A. lordhowensis (80 PAR), Leptastrea (165 PAR)

 

Ricordia: Most are receiving between 110 - 135 PAR and some 'trumpeting' is noticeable as they jockey for space/light. Of interest is that a former lower light R. yuma (fluorescent orange on a purple base) that would hide from 90 PAR is displaying no negative reaction to the increased spectrum and somewhat higher light levels.

 

On the fishy-front, my large black and white misbar is 'hosting' the underside, not the top, of the Ric garden. She dives right in and I don't see her as much unless its feeding time. Possible pre-curser to egg laying?

[Nano sapiens]

Well, this is exciting!

 

The Clownfish pair are acting even more oddly than usual. They are both preoccupied with one large LR that is completely covered with Rics. They dive right in around the bases of these Rics and they'll stay in there for extended periods unless they think they are going to be fed. Its so thick with Rics that I can't see exactly what is going on. Oddly, they are not very territorial or protective of this piece of LR rock. My best guess is that this is pre-spawning behavior involving a through cleaning of the rock surface. I expect that if and when they do lay eggs, the female would become very aggressive while the male tends the clutch.

 

Hmmm, I wonder what the young would look like being a cross of a Black/White Misbar and a regular type orange Ocelaris?

[metrokat]

I hope yours are quicker than my pair. They cleaned the rock for 6 months before I noticed they had spawned. I wonder if I was just not paying attention or had my head in a paper bag and they spawned before I noticed they spawned. I don't normally look to the sides of the tank and on a bare rock.

[Nano sapiens]

I'll have to keep my eye out for eggs, but I can't see much with all the Rics in the way. Maybe I'll see the larvae floating around...

[Leatherneck3755]

So, I started my first reef tank this week; only had a fowlr tank Fifteen years ago. It's a JBJ nano cube 12gallon LED pro. I have my brs reef saver rocks in an old ten gallon curing for the next four weeks. While I wait, I am trying to figure out how to attach a DIY ato like yours to the return section. The JBJ cube has a lid on it and the rear section is glass, not acrylic. I don't wanna drill, I would rather cut the top of the lid and mount the water storage. Maybe a little vinyl tubing and flow knob attached to the end of the stainless steel nipple? The nipple will not reach the water line. I'm gonna have to reach for it. Ever had any experience with the jbj's? Thanks for the inspiration.

[Nano sapiens]

JBJs, no, I don't have any experience with them. You can run a short piece of tubing from the stainless steel spout (some have tried to go a few feet and it didn't work). You shouldn't need a flow valve since the system will keep your tank water level at wherever the tubing end is fully submerged in the tank water.

[Leatherneck3755]

Thanks for the replies!!!! The tubing may only be a few inches. The knob would be for when I open the lid, so the entire contents wouldn't be expelled when I clean or feed, or stare intensley at the water. Hahahaha. I'm taking pictures as I go and prob will make a thread once the rock is cured and I cycle the tank. My wife asked for a canon eos 3ti camera recently. I usually would tell her to pound sand, then I thought about nano-reef. Camera purchased. Hahaha.

[adinsxq]

This is very good.

[Nano sapiens]

This is very good.

 

Thanks!

[Nano sapiens]

A new PAR map of the front corals @ 50% intensity from the DIY LED string:

 

 

Left side detail shot: The green Acro 'sombrero' was purchased as a Red Planet and started out as a mini-fragment spire about a year ago and has since spread out to the size of a quarter. Base is bright green, which I actually like, but there is a hint of red, too and the polyps are rusty red. I've had severe difficulties with this particular coral for quite a while, so seeing this modest progress makes me a happy camper. The red/orange Palys ('Valentines'?) I got from 'Buddytheliion' on the left did nothing but survive as tiny polyps for the last 1-1/2 years, but have now come into their own as I dialed up the full-spectrum lighting. Besides getting huge (nearly 1" across), they are producing little ones. The A. ganulosa (lower right) is a bit of a mystery as it darkened up a bit, even under higher lighting. However, it has encrusted well so I'm hoping to see some side branches forming one day. The Acans took a beating recently when the Rics reached up to 'tickle' them, but after loping off a Ric head or two they are recovering nicely. The Sunset Monti is a steamroller. I had to drastically scrape back the green A. millepora (extreme right) which was surprisingly easy to do since the encrustation is very thin. This coral decimates the Millepora, so I'll have to restrict it to a small area. I broke off a couple branches of the purple-blue M. digitata while cleaning, but the new ones seen in this photo formed a week or two later. The prolific grouping of Palys in the middle are similar to 'Magicians' (P. grandis?) which are cultivars from Drs. Foster & Smith.

 

 

Here's a partial top-down view. The Acans came from tiny polys that pulled through to form the colonies seen here and the size of the Valentines Palys is more clear here:

 

 

Top down view of the devastation left by the A. millepora (upper left) on the M. undata (all the bare rock was encrusted by the Milli). Happily, the Undata is recovering well and is even starting to show some nice red-purple pigments. The small green Acro is another Red Planet micro frag that started out as just a few polyps. It has had the misfortune of being knocked off the rock twice and spending a few nights in the SB. But, it's coming back. The Zoas on the left are 'Speckled Fire and Ice' which had a run in with Zoa Pox and were down to a single polyp a few months ago, but they are recovering nicely. The Leptastrea has colored up beautifully and growing fast, so I'll need to start trimming it, too.

 

 

This is a closeup of what will hopefully be a pink Yuma one day (it's parent is pink), but is currently reddish-orange. What's interesting with this one is that it morphology is very different from any other Yuma in my tank (such as the bright orange one lower down in this pic). It has the tendency to inflate which may, or may not, be related to the amount and duration of light. None of my other Yumas receiving similar lighting react in this fashion. I'm beginning to suspect that the 'Yuma' type mushrooms need to be the subject of DNA analysis to determine if they really are 'all the same':

 

[jball1125]

Dude the colors are popping, looking awesome!

[Nano sapiens]

On that third pic I had to use my hand as a shade to eliminate most of the LED reflection (you can see the outline of the bottom of my hand). Pops a lot more without my hand there, but the LEDs are too distracting.

 

The DIY LED strip has had two major effects. One is that it imparts a more natural sunlight look without washing out the colors. I've done a good amount of snorkeling in shallow reef waters and this lighting produces a somewhat similar effect. Second, the increase in spectrum and intensity is promoting the production of new and intensified coral pigmentation.

[buddythelion]

I like this tank. I see my corals in it.