Aeridne's 10 Gallon

[Aeridne]

Oooooh! The new zoas sound sweet!!!

 

 

Yeah! they are almost all the way open! They are very vibrant! i'm happy with them for sure. Plus, the two frags were only 10 total, 5 bucks each. I bet they'll be open tomorrow all the way and i'll post a picture of them. The green ones look really nice above my hot pink shroom!!

 

My pep shrimp keeps stepping on them and they close up again for a few mins.. Maybe I should get rid of him? But wouldn't sexies step on my coral too? I dunno. Maybe they're closing because they're still being sensative to a new tank, so any pokage annoys them...?

 

I saw a new type of starfish? in my tank today. It doesn't move it's arms individually, it just kind of glides, maybe with little feet underneath it? Its in the shape of a star though, thats why I called it a star fish. It's gray black and white. Any ideas?

[Aeridne]

Alright, since most of the zoas opened, I decided to post pics tonight. I'm not sure I like my placement of the green and pink zoas (watermelons?) I thought it would be cool to grow them vertically, but I didn't take into account that the light source comes from above Duh. so I might have to move them. Maybe to the front left purple coraline rock so they have a nice little rock to grow on.

 

 

Here are the green on green ones, I really like their placement, I think that once they start growing, and once my pink shroom starts growing, it will be a nice little color contrast Also, I think it will also compliment the blue ric as well yay! Oh, i'm an art major, btw. So i'm funny about these things.

 

 

Here is my happy kenya tree. Though I have noticed that it doesn't have the snowflake-like bristles at the polyp ends... maybe they just haven't grown yet? or maybe it's really not a kenya tree but something similar..?

 

That's about it. I decided to get a little green in my tank because it was driving me nuts! Also, these frags were beautiful in my eyes and sooooo cheap! I know they are tiny, but I think I have enough patience to watch them grow and slowly take over

[Aeridne]

Update for today!

 

I decided to feed my ric a shrimp pellet It immediately closed up around it and started munching. I also put a tiny piece on my pink shroom, just to see if it would like it. It did. I closed up around it as well. Interesting.

 

^ the ric ate the whole piece I gave it.. You can still see it's mouth surrounding the last bit of food... What a piggy!

 

Things are looking good so far. Maybe that food will encourage the ric to grow and split. I think I might pick up some mysis shrimp for them too. I also saw some liquid food at the lfs that I might try. It states that it feeds pretty much everything in my tank, so it might be worth it. But it's $20 for a 4ozish bottle.. kind of steep.

 

next stocking ideas:

1) nass snail or ceirth

2) some more coral, perhaps a blue clove polyp or yellow something..

3)a yashi/goby pair

4) depending on ^ and bioload I might get a small clown goby or small damsel.

 

I was thinking about just getting a purple firefish and nothing else, fish wise, but I really don't want to have to worry about it being spooked and jumping out of my tank. As it is, if I get gobies I have to be careful.

[fiction101]

I really like my small yellow watchmen goby, they don't swim around and so they aren't at risk to jump. Only get blue cloves if you don't mind them spreading all over your tank, it's almost has bad as gsp.

[Aeridne]

I really like my small yellow watchmen goby, they don't swim around and so they aren't at risk to jump. Only get blue cloves if you don't mind them spreading all over your tank, it's almost has bad as gsp.

 

 

Yeah, yellow watchmen goby would be a good choice.

 

I was planning on getting gsp next But I don't mind them growing, I need to start filling out the space in my tank anyway. Maybe i'll think about it, and just get one, not both gps and blue cloves

[FallenMonkey]

If you go for a yellow watchman, they're really cool, put they will get bigger than Stonogobiops (yashias, draculas, high-fin red banded, etc). If I were you I would go for the yasha, they stay smaller and have a nicer color...IMO. Make sure you get a lid before you get any type of goby though, I had a little trima goby that jumped out right in front of me and my dog ran and ATE him before I could save him .

 

PS - Nice green zoas, I have the same ones in my 5.5g

[fiction101]

Yeah, yellow watchmen goby would be a good choice.

 

I was planning on getting gsp next But I don't mind them growing, I need to start filling out the space in my tank anyway. Maybe i'll think about it, and just get one, not both gps and blue cloves

 

Well it all depends on where you place it, I have two kinds of GSP growing side by side on the sand bed where it wont bother other corals.

[Aeridne]

If you go for a yellow watchman, they're really cool, put they will get bigger than Stonogobiops (yashias, draculas, high-fin red banded, etc). If I were you I would go for the yasha, they stay smaller and have a nicer color...IMO. Make sure you get a lid before you get any type of goby though, I had a little trima goby that jumped out right in front of me and my dog ran and ATE him before I could save him .

 

PS - Nice green zoas, I have the same ones in my 5.5g

 

 

my dog would snatch up a suicidal fish too!! Sorry you couldn't save him in time I will definitely look into getting a lid then.

 

Thanks! I love my zoas!! I hope they grow and try to take over part of that rock.

[Aeridne]

Well it all depends on where you place it, I have two kinds of GSP growing side by side on the sand bed where it wont bother other corals.

 

 

OO they can grow on the sandbed.. forgot about that. Yeah, I may get both then. I really want lots of color for my tank, but I want to plan carefully in order to get the most out of the small space I have.

 

I've thought about turning my 10g freshwater into a saltwater, because i've fallen in love with saltwater.. Maybe I should, I would just need a new light and a powerhead. (Plus all the saltwater sand/rock) Can you do HOB fuges for 10g tanks? Or would I need to do a sump? I have an ac30 on that tank and a 50watt heater. I'll probably wait on that until this winter, however, because i'm going out of the country for a few months and I wouldn't want my boyfriend, who knows nothing of fish tanks salt or fresh, to have to look after a nano and a pico with how fickle they can be... it's going to be tough enough to explain and demonstrate how to take care of my pico..

 

thanks for all the advice, it's been really helpful

[FallenMonkey]

Yea, you can definitely do a AC 110 Fuge mod for a 10g, the 110 is almost twice the size of an AC 70, but the 110s are pricey (around $80).

[justdewitt]

I have an AC70 fuge on my 10 gallon and it seems to be doing a pretty good job so far...

[Aeridne]

Ok, so the concensus so far is that I can do a HOB fuge on a 10g tank. Thats good to know, thanks guys! The ac110 sounds like it would provide major flow, meaning I might not have to get a powerhead, but the ac70 is very affordable.. I don't know, I guess I'll just have to wait and see if I really want to undertake another saltwater project.

 

What makes me want to is the fact that I can have a couple fish as well as corals. maybe a small/baby clown pair. At least until they get bigger and require more room. It's a lot to research and think about. I feel that there's a large difference between 3g and 10g... but maybe there isn't..

[FallenMonkey]

Ok, so the concensus so far is that I can do a HOB fuge on a 10g tank. Thats good to know, thanks guys! The ac110 sounds like it would provide major flow, meaning I might not have to get a powerhead, but the ac70 is very affordable.. I don't know, I guess I'll just have to wait and see if I really want to undertake another saltwater project.

 

What makes me want to is the fact that I can have a couple fish as well as corals. maybe a small/baby clown pair. At least until they get bigger and require more room. It's a lot to research and think about. I feel that there's a large difference between 3g and 10g... but maybe there isn't..

 

AC 70 and Koralia Nano would be a great combo.

 

As far as fish, http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=74703 is a great guide to look at since you're deciding on fish. I say definitely get a yasha/pistol pair, they are the most interesting thing I've ever seen in an aquarium.

[justdewitt]

I have the AC70 fuge on one side and the Korallia 1 on the other. Works good so far...

[Aeridne]

AC 70 and Koralia Nano would be a great combo.

 

As far as fish, http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=74703 is a great guide to look at since you're deciding on fish. I say definitely get a yasha/pistol pair, they are the most interesting thing I've ever seen in an aquarium.

 

 

Awesome, that does sound like a good combo. Thanks for the link, i'll definitely be browsing it. I think I will get the yasha/pistol pair for my 3g pico. Do you know if the pistol gets along with peppermint shrimp? If not, then I will get a different small fish, like a goby. I'm going to be looking into getting a glass lid made soon, so no worries, by the time I get a fish, I will most likely have a lid.

 

I have the AC70 fuge on one side and the Korallia 1 on the other. Works good so far...

 

 

That's good news! Thanks for the input! I'm seriously considering switching my fw into a sw now Doesn't seem like that difficult a switch. I'll probably do this in July or so. That's when i'll be back in the US.

 

I would need:

 

new light,

larger filter for fuge,

powerhead

salt water/rocks/sand.

 

Might have to save up for it

[Aeridne]

Today I went and bought two cerith snails, yay! They are already burrying themselves in my sand. Which I have to say, is messy on one side. But i'm sure they'll help clean it up

 

So now my CUC is:

 

1 tricolor hermit

2 astrea snails

2cerith snails

1 baby stomatella (sp?) hitchicker

6-8 brittle starfish hitchhikers

1-2 of those other starfish that I can't remember the name of. Its a semi-unwanted hitchiker that i'm not too concerned about.

 

I think that's it. Pretty good crew. I wish I had another crab, but my pep shrimp will help out so.. my tank should stay crystal clean.

 

My lfs has pistol shrimp! but no yashas....... So i'm forgoing the fish for now. But I think I do want a pistol shrimp yasha pair, and a yellow clown goby. That's it. I shouldn't have a problem with that bioload, and if I see a problem escalating, i'll take someone back.

 

I just caught my pep shrimp picking on one of my green zoas!!! Maybe I will have to take him back after all...

[Aeridne]

Update:

 

So, my new zoas are doing fine, I decided to move the red and green ones to the red rock centerpiece. I think they will all get light this way. Before, I had them vertically, but not all the polyps got light. I think the spot I put them will be fine, and it will look nice when they grow out. Only thing I can forsee that I might not like is that the red in the rock and the red in the center or the zoas are similar and they may blend too much, whereas I like contrast in color so you can really see everything.

 

My pep shrimp is really starting to pick at my kenya tree I like him a lot, but my spot feeding isn't working I guess. So I will be catching him and taking him back tomorrow. It might be an aggravating adventure, but I guess we'll see. Also, my hermit crab is way too big for my tank I feel. He keeps getting stuck in between my rocks. He moved into the new larger shell I brought for him, which is good, but at the same time, now he's a giant in among everything else. I think I might have to take him back as well and get some smaller hermits.

 

I'm sad about my shrimp!! Maybe I can replace him with some sexies.

 

I have a TON of tiny white bugs visible ont he glass of my tank walls. I think they're copepods. In which, this is a good thing. If not, then I don't know.

[Aeridne]

Pep shrimp offically gone I bet someone else will buy him, he is very very good at eating aipastia. I had to rescape to get the little guy out too... that was annoying. However, I put my center rock at a more vertical angle, which I like a lot more. It gives me a good sandbed in the front. SO I guess the outcome of rescaping was good.

 

So, since my tank levels are perfect and everything's happy, including my new snails, I bought myself a present to make up for Peppy. A little yellow clown goby. I just couln't help it, he was so cute. Plus, i've decided against going with the larger yellowtail damsel. I'm going to stick with my small goby (he's actually medium sized ) And possibly get three sexies and a green banded goby and be done with fish. I don't want to go with the yasha/pistol pair after all because I want sexies the most. And I decided on the clown goby. I don't want to overload the bioload.

 

As for coral, i'm just letting what I have grow, and if I see something I want, i'll get it. My hot pink shroom went form being the size of a nickel to a little bigger than a half dollar! it got large really fast. My ric has also gorwn larger. I have many new budding polyps on both my zoas. My other two shrooms seem to be doing fine. I believe the purple one is splitting. The green hairy one is hanging ten. Next thing on my list is some gsp for my sandbed or the front rock. However, I think I want some green or blue shrroms on the front rock. I'm sticking with softies for this tank. maybe I'll get one hard coral way later.

[FallenMonkey]

Aww, sorry you had to return your peppermint shrimp. So, is the clown goby eating? If you're having trouble feeding him, try some cyclopeeze, they'll usually go for that if they wont already eat frozen or flakes.

[iicongii]

this is a nice start off but the key is patience and everything in your tank will be happy later on. Just to know: i did and overloaded and my tank went in to failure mode. Well if you having problem adjusting the big piece of rock u can wrap in a towel and break it smaller so u can scrape it easier for your corals. Keep up the good progress.

[Aeridne]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

 

I haven't tried feeding my fish yet, I will try tomorrow. Right now he seems alright, still a little stunned I think. He's perching on my rocks which, to me, is strange because he wasn't doing that at the lfs. Then again, I wasn't watching him constantly at the lfs like I am now. I don't have anything in my tank that can spook him, so no worries there. Actually, just a moment ago, it looked like he was eating some of the copepods I have in my tank off a rock. I have hundreds of them, so it looks like he may have been snacking on them. So far, he really likes the branched rock on the right side of the tank. He just sits on the branches like a bird I really love the splash of yellow he adds to the tank.

 

I will take my time, no worries. I only got the fish because I was so sad about the shrimp, but i'm totally aware that these tanks typically need time to grow. I probably won't get another thing for my tank for another week. I may pick up some new coral when my light comes in. But that's about it. I definitely won't get anymore fish, etc. for at least another month. I'm more interested in letting my corals grow atm.

 

As for my large centerpiece, now that it's more vertical than before, I like it a lot more. Before, I didn't like it very much because it was taking up a lot of the sandbed, but the position it's in now seems to be working out. Thanks for the towel idea, that would be wise. If I were to break it up, I may not have thought of that.. heh

[Aeridne]

^ he's a natural born model.

 

Here is a fts:

^my kenya tree is POed. No idea why.

birds eye view:

^ my ric has gotten a lot bigger in the past week. Not sure if you can tell from my pics, but it really has grown quite a bit.

 

my hermit crab checking out the local property on the market:

 

I tried to take pictures of the copepods, obviously the white dots on the glass:

 

That's all folks

[Shack]

Just saying, in 5 gallon tanks, max amount of fish recommended is 1... unless you have a neon goby pair..... The green banded goby is awesome, and starts off small, but it does get larger, as your yellow clown will... Just take it into consideration that it might not be the best option to get another fish. However, some sexies would be awesome for the tank, as well as many other inverts

 

Nice tank by the way

[Aeridne]

Just saying, in 5 gallon tanks, max amount of fish recommended is 1... unless you have a neon goby pair..... The green banded goby is awesome, and starts off small, but it does get larger, as your yellow clown will... Just take it into consideration that it might not be the best option to get another fish. However, some sexies would be awesome for the tank, as well as many other inverts

 

Nice tank by the way

 

 

thanks!

 

Yeah, i'm really ok with just one fish. I probably wont end up getting the gbg in the end. I definitely will not overload the tank I really want some sexies!!! I want around 3. That should be a good number to have.

[Aeridne]

Aww, sorry you had to return your peppermint shrimp. So, is the clown goby eating? If you're having trouble feeding him, try some cyclopeeze, they'll usually go for that if they wont already eat frozen or flakes.

 

 

He ate today! frozen, and he gobbled it a lot of it up. I think he'll be fine, feeding wise. he's starting to perch on my hot pink shroom. The color combination it reminds me of the 80s haha