Eguld's ambitious 14G Biocube

[Boxelder]

Great looking tank. Your successes and failures will make mine even better, thanks.

[eguld]

Great looking tank. Your successes and failures will make mine even better, thanks.

 

Thanks if you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

 

BTW I just installed the 3.24 light upgrade and the extra light is quite nice.

[eguld]

I have just noticed a tiny snail in my tank!!!

 

What is kind of odd is the shape of its shell is unmistakably conic like a cerith snail but I have never had any cerith snails in my tank...

 

A few days ago I noticed a build up of detrius on my live rock so I used a turkey baster to move it around, relocated my extra power head, put my chemi-pure elite back in (i had kept it in water when it was no in the tank) and yesterday picked up:

- 4 left handed hermits (very small ones that will grow into my tank)

- 1 catseye snail

- 1 trochus? (not really important, since it died)

- 1 unknown carnivorous snail (as the LFS guy put it)

 

Also my anemone has doubled, the tentacles (theres probably a better word) are splitting all the time and since the lighting upgrade there is a very cool green glow on the tentacles.

 

On a sad note this marks about the 3 weeks to a month mark of when I last saw any of my 3 sexy shrimp. They were all just gone one day. I'm not too surprised they were hang out on top of the anemone, so I figure the anemone got hungry or pissed off and ate them all in one go.

 

BTW the starfish is still alive!

[asting]

I have just discovered that Nemo will chase a laser pointer like a cat.

oh... my... god...

I know what i want for christmas now

[eguld]

oh... my... god...

I know what i want for christmas now

 

Holy crap. You need a key just to turn it on, lol.

[eguld]

Updated picture, today (as you can see the anemone is getting huge):

[eguld]

It been awhile but here are some more pictures.

 

Everything has grown too much and I have had to split most of it.

 

I have pictures from before the removing of the pulsing xenia from the black back of my biocube and after (incase anyone is interested in seeing how I propagate Pulsing Xenia).

 

 

Here is a picture of my bali starfish and hitchhiker crab (that is awesome and eats red bubble algae!)

 

After pulling the Xenia off the back by slowly sliding my nail under its suction feet I place it in a container with a piece of live rock and give it a week to grab on. I make sure the container is in the fish net and keep it close to the lights.

 

Also a few nights ago i noticed a very thin long (6 inches roughly) black worm with white strips. But I think I will just leave him alone if I see him again since he hasn't caused an trouble as far as I'm aware.

[Arkayology]

Hah, that nem is taking over lol.

[eguld]

Hah, that nem is taking over lol.

 

Yeah the six line wrasse used to rule the tank until the anemone kept growing and now the clownfish own the tank. I am hoping to upgrade tanks relatively soon because I would feel like an ass getting rid of the anemone after the clownfish started hosting it.

[noved]

IMO established means at least 6 months. I think you should slow down a bit.

 

I may have missed this, but if you have not updated your lighting to metal halide your anemone will die. Your starfish will also most likely die.

 

You were saying?

 

I am just setting up my BC14 as well and you seem to have answered a few of my questions. I also wanted an anemone but I was told that the stock lighting was not enough. Yours seemed to be doing fine even before you added your light upgrade. But I see how big yours is and how it is taking over you tank. Its for that reason that I may decide not to get one. At least now I know what to expect. Nice work

[eguld]

I am just setting up my BC14 as well and you seem to have answered a few of my questions. I also wanted an anemone but I was told that the stock lighting was not enough. Yours seemed to be doing fine even before you added your light upgrade. But I see how big yours is and how it is taking over you tank. Its for that reason that I may decide not to get one. At least now I know what to expect. Nice work

 

I think it depends on the anemone as well (all the ones my LFS's seem to be less demanding anemones). You bring up a good point that in the 14g biocube its more an issue of space.

 

I am currently drooling over my next tank, which will likely be a red sea max 250d. Where my anemone will have lots of room and a psychedelic mandarin will be happy...

 

If you have any specific questions I would be happy to answer them.

 

Also, I didn't mention this but i moved my tank from my dorm on the 1st of May and managed to keep everything alive (so, it is do-able and a lot easier than expected!).

[QuickSilver525]

i just wanted to say BRAVO ur tank looks great and ur anemone beat all odds haha just goes to show ur doing something right my gbta started to outgrow my tank so i gave him to my friend the other day and he told me in just 2 days and being under some mh hes almost doubled in size from 3 to 6 inches. woot haha. but ya man keep the pics coming it looks great

[Euphyllia]

Are you running the stock lights? Beautiful anemone!

[eguld]

Are you running the stock lights? Beautiful anemone!

 

I was when I originally got the anemone but only because I was waiting on the nanocustoms 3.24 upgrade from https://www.nanotuners.com

 

Thank you

 

i just wanted to say BRAVO ur tank looks great and ur anemone beat all odds haha just goes to show ur doing something right my gbta started to outgrow my tank so i gave him to my friend the other day and he told me in just 2 days and being under some mh hes almost doubled in size from 3 to 6 inches. woot haha. but ya man keep the pics coming it looks great

 

Thanks! I love all the support people give on this site.

 

I will try and get some new pick up this week.

[eguld]

PICTURES!!!!

 

Here are some updated pictures. The glass is not very clean (my apologies) and there is a little cyano bacterial acting up (probably due to the auto-feeder over feeding) and the blinds do not work so there is some reflection. I spent a good 20mins camped out on the left side of the tank to get clownfish anemone pictures (I love my clownfish...).

 

[Chest Rockwell]

Nice tank. I'm surprised and impressed that you are successfully keeping an anemone under those lights. Your water quality must be excellent. I would suggest you keep track of how long you've been using your bulbs - once those PCs start to go, I'm guessing they will lose a lot of power quickly (that's if you don't plan on upgrading lighting at some point anyways).

 

I noticed above you mentioned you saw a black worm in your tank? Am I the only one here thinking that could be a eunicid? You should try to get a picture if you see it again. I'm not familiar with many black worms that inhabit reef tanks but I'm guessing it's not good.

[eguld]

Nice tank. I'm surprised and impressed that you are successfully keeping an anemone under those lights. Your water quality must be excellent. I would suggest you keep track of how long you've been using your bulbs - once those PCs start to go, I'm guessing they will lose a lot of power quickly (that's if you don't plan on upgrading lighting at some point anyways).

 

I noticed above you mentioned you saw a black worm in your tank? Am I the only one here thinking that could be a eunicid? You should try to get a picture if you see it again. I'm not familiar with many black worms that inhabit reef tanks but I'm guessing it's not good.

 

I did the 3.24 (if I remember correctly) it adds an extra 24w pc bulb, but the anemone was happy before (smaller but happy). It's funny you mention changing the bulbs, just realized last week and replaced them: it was almost at a year!

 

I just graduated and I am looking for a job then I plan on going bigger. I am thinking of getting a red sea max 250 but I might need bigger still for a mandarin.

 

I do water changes every 2-3 weeks but I change about 3-4 gallons each time (30-40% since my tank is in reality only like 10 gallons) and in my media tray I use filter floss on top and two sets of chaeto (I believe in a natural nitrate and phosphate removal mechanism, which is light only at night). Maybe those factors are keeping the water quality high.

 

The worm was much more earth worm looking than the eunicid and way less scary. I have never seen it again but yesterday I found a small worm under my mag cleaner that looked like a baby bristle worm so I put it in a bucket of salt water to see what it turns into (maybe a snack for my six line wrasse...).

[eguld]

And the tiny bristle worm was fed as a snack to my six line wrasse!

[eguld]

I took my brother to get his first fish (two perculas) and saw my dream tank (Red Sea Max 250) on sale for $999 with stand!

 

Apparently it was used as a demo unit for the Seattle trade show and has never even had water in it but the stand has lots of light scuff marks (doesn't bother me).

 

So I might be upgrading soon since my new tank is just sitting in my room (leak test happening tomorrow).

 

Also I am in the process of setting up a reservoir for my biocube that will be used for auto top off and for more convenient water changes. More details when I get it setup.

 

And pictures coming soon...

[eguld]

I have decided to upgrade to my new rsm 250 and will create a new thread for it.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=247981

[eguld]

[eguld]

Just made a quick little video using my phone 4...

 

[Spencerx]

Wow that last picture looks crowded! I like how you had a few large corals instead of a bunch of little frags like most people seem to have. Good luck with the new tank.

[eguld]

Wow that last picture looks crowded! I like how you had a few large corals instead of a bunch of little frags like most people seem to have. Good luck with the new tank.

 

Thanks. To be honest I like it too but I was going to add more coral until I put the anemone in and then I realized how big it got. Btw the Xenia gets ripped out every now and then and sold to the lfs and it can grow back in about 2 months (it's incredibly hardy).

[eguld]

My Clownfish laid eggs!!!!