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Mr. Microscope's JBJ Picotope


Mr. Microscope

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Mr. Microscope

Tank taken down 2011.05.07

Thanks to all for your support! I couldn't have done it without my friends here on Nano-Reef and the Pico Forum. Cheers for now!

 

FTS 2011.04.08



FTS20110408sideB.jpg

  • Equipment
    3 gallon JBJ Picotope
    Hydor Pico Evo 180 Circulation Pump
    DIY LEDs, Cree XR-E's, 4x Royal Blue, 2x Neutral White, 1x Cool Blue
    AC70 Fuge with Chaeto, Marineland Stealth Pro 25W heater, Filter Floss
    Picotope Stock filter hung on side of AC70 dedicated to Chemi-Pure Elite
    Sybon Refractometer
    1L gravity fed ATO
    5 lbs LR, 1/2" LS
    Blackrockreef.com MR3-S frag rack

  • Current Stock
    CUC: 3 Scarlet Hermit Crabs, mini feather dusters, Asterinas, Brittle Stars, Colinista Snails
    Corals:
    Soft: Toadstool leather, Anthelia, GSP HH, Purple Cabbage Leather, pulsing xenia, kenya tree
    Zoanthids and Palythoa: Crown Royals, Green Implosions, Wham'n Watermelons, Zombie Eyes, Magicians, Inside Outs, Eye of Rah, Valentine's Day Massacre, Kedd's Reds, Organisms, Tub's Blues, Eye of the Storm, 24K zoas
    LPS: Neon green Trumpet
    SPS: Monti or Stylo

  • Previous Inhabitants in Picotope
    Softy: brown mushrooms, red mushroom, blue spotted mushroom, Papaya Cloves, Yumas
    Zoas/Palys: Neon Greens, Radioactive Dragon Eyes, Tub's Blue, King Midas, Fire and Ice, Green Lanterns, Day Trippers, AOGs, Purple Death, Pink and Golds, Mohawks (Variable Stars), button polyp HH, EZ's
    Large Polyp Stony: Green Goniopora, Trumpet Coral
    Small Polyp Stony: Birdsnest (Frog in a Blender), Pink Procillapora, Green Procillapora
    CUC: 2 Nerites, Stomatellas, Tonga Nassarius, Porcelain Crab, Bristle worms, Scarlet Hermit Crab, White Hermit Crab
    Fish:
    Yellow Clown Goby "Gobiodon" C.O.D.> Desk surfing
    Blue Damsel "Blue Lightning" C.O.D.> Unknown

  • Previously Used Equipment
    PAR38 20KK 80 degree optics, 18W Current Satellite PC, MiniJet 404 Circulation Pump, Hydor Koralia Nano powerhead, Hydor Theo 25W heater


Started 2009.10.31 Taken down 2011.05.07

 

Latest FTS and stuff in there above

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First thread entry below

 

 

Hello All,

 

So far I've found this forum to be incredibly inspiring. After several months of research and making purchases here and there, I finally set up my tank. This is my first stab at a SW. It's now day two. The rock I got from the LFS is amazing! Tons of purple coralline and lots of hitchhikers. I found a couple of hair worms and saw couple amphipods. Also, one of the pieces of LR has some kind of macro algae.

 

Here's the pics:

post-47492-1257181631_thumb.jpgpost-47492-1257181649_thumb.jpg

HH GSP Sorry, some are out of focus.

 

 

 

I'm really having fun with this. Thanks to all that inspired me and thanks in advance for the advice. :P

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I love the scape. I have the exact same purple macro. But I don't know what it's called. Glad you got it started. Where did you get your rock?

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Mr. Microscope
I love the scape. I have the exact same purple macro. But I don't know what it's called. Glad you got it started. Where did you get your rock?

 

Thanks!

Cool. Glad to know I'm not alone. I think I might have gotten green star polyp as a hitchhiker. I got the rock at the LFS. A place called New World Aquariums on 38th St.

Has that purple macro done anything interesting for you? Bad/good? Fast/slow?

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Nothing that I can tell. I am running chemipure and cheato in the fuge. So my water is crystal clear. I only have algea an isolated area. I do know that all the rocks that have the red macro on it don't have hair algea.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Mr. Microscope

My tank is 24 days old. There has been quite a lot of growth and new stuff. I found an asterina the other day and my hitchhiker green star polyps are coming along nicely. I threw in 2 ceriths, 2 nerites, and chaeto about a week ago. The algae is getting under control and very little sign of diatom buildup. My red flame macro algea has turned to the light and looks better than ever. Also, there are TONS of pods in there. The only bad news, my stomtalla varia died. I'm thinking I'll add some kind of zoas after the new year. Here's a FTS from today.

FTS20091124.jpg

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Mr. Microscope
Updates

 

??? huh? Yes, this is an update, but what are you saying? Should I edit this post somehow? Please specify. Thanks.

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Mr. Microscope
he was asking for an update. like "has anything changed?" or "how is it doing?"

 

Ah, thanks. Sorry, I'm a little dense.

 

Well, not much has changed in the last 6 days. I did, however, notice that my hydozoas (Thanks ID Thread!) have gotten much larger. I'm sure they'll be gone soon, so I'm enjoying them while I can.

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=216992

 

It was reported that one of my Nerites left the tank again. That punk! A friend was checking in on my tank while I was away for Thanksgiving. Luckily, he noticed and plopped him back in there for me.

 

I can't wait to add corals! It's tough, but I'll be going away for the holidays. So, I want to wait until I get back to add them. I'm biding my time and keeping up with parameter checking and water changes until then.. just letting my tank mature a little. My biggest holiday present will be coming back and finding that my tank hasn't crashed. Right now, I'm running a 1L ATO. A friend in the lab brought me a 7L tank that I might replace it with. I'm guessing that it would last for about three weeks instead of 3 days. But it might be tough to hook up. I don't think I can mount it to the wall, so I'll have to maybe prop it up on something.

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cheryl jordan
My tank is 24 days old. There has been quite a lot of growth and new stuff. I found an asterina the other day and my hitchhiker green star polyps are coming along nicely. I threw in 2 ceriths, 2 nerites, and chaeto about a week ago. The algae is getting under control and very little sign of diatom buildup. My red flame macro algea has turned to the light and looks better than ever. Also, there are TONS of pods in there. The only bad news, my stomtalla varia died. I'm thinking I'll add some kind of zoas after the new year. Here's a FTS from today.

Is that hair algae to the left side under the power head? Your tank seems to cycling nicely and I like the red micro algae alot. Before you get any corals other than softies I would get rid of the all the hair algae if that is infact what it is. Have a nice vacation. :)

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Mr. Microscope
Awesome. The nerites are tidal snails. So they will crawl out without a top. What are hydrozoas?

 

Hydrozoas are actually a kind of jellyfish, but in their early phase look like tiny flower corals. Check out page 4 here.

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...32956&st=60

Here's another link.

http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Hydrozoa

 

Cool stuff.

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Mr. Microscope
what type of corals are you planning on getting?

 

ps love the tank its so cool :D

 

 

Thanks! I'm planning to get some rare/colorful zoas. I figure with only 3 gallons to work with I can't mess around with the cheap stuff. I kind of like the purple mushrooms too, but I've heard they can take over a tank pretty fast. I could be convinced to get some ricordea. I'm a fan of frags. I like the idea of watching stuff grow and not taking too much directly from the ocean. My HH GSP has grown from 3 tiny polyps to a small colony since I started a month ago.

 

I'm open to other suggestions on corals, but keep in mind I have an 18W Current Satellite.

 

Also, not planning to do any fish. I'm considering a porcelain crab (no other crabs though).

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Mr. Microscope
Is that hair algae to the left side under the power head? Your tank seems to cycling nicely and I like the red micro algae alot. Before you get any corals other than softies I would get rid of the all the hair algae if that is infact what it is. Have a nice vacation. :)

 

Yes,

The algae has been slowly disappearing. I think the macro, fuge chaeto, and snails are helping. That rock on the right with the GSP on the bottom was covered to the top with the green stuff a few weeks ago. Now it's only in the middle and the top is bare again. Also, it was getting all over the glass and sand, but that's stopped too. I'm keeping up on water changes and keeping my fingers crossed that it goes away.

 

Why is it important to get rid of algae before getting corals? Will it grow on them? Thanks!

Link to comment
Yes,

The algae has been slowly disappearing. I think the macro, fuge chaeto, and snails are helping. That rock on the right with the GSP on the bottom was covered to the top with the green stuff a few weeks ago. Now it's only in the middle and the top is bare again. Also, it was getting all over the glass and sand, but that's stopped too. I'm keeping up on water changes and keeping my fingers crossed that it goes away.

 

Why is it important to get rid of algae before getting corals? Will it grow on them? Thanks!

 

no the algae means that that the water chemistry is not right once you get rid of the algae it means that the water is stable enough to put in corals. remember to go slow and also a fish might look cool to it just adds some movement to the tank that you dont get from corals

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Mr. Microscope
no the algae means that that the water chemistry is not right once you get rid of the algae it means that the water is stable enough to put in corals. remember to go slow and also a fish might look cool to it just adds some movement to the tank that you dont get from corals

 

I would absolutely love to have a clownfish, but my tank is too small for any fish other than one small goby. Fish will be too much of a bioload on my tank, and I'm not interested in gobies. I'm going for a vegetarian approach. My plan is to stick with photosynthetic corals, filter feeders, and snails. Maybe after my tank has matured for a year or so, I might consider a small coral that eats stuff.

 

Perhaps, some day I'll get a larger tank and do some fish.

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Mr. Microscope

New update:

 

I was sad to have lost my stomatella varia, it was huge and perhaps old (or at least I hope it died of old age). That was more than two weeks ago.

 

Well today, about an hour after the lights switched to moon, I noticed another little guy in there. It is really small! About a 10th the size of the first. I have no idea where it came from, but I'm just swimmingly happy that there's another one. I guess I can watch this one grow. I just hope the bigger snails don't pick on him. :)

post-47492-1259705700_thumb.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
Mr. Microscope

New update. Here is my latest FTS. 2009.12.16

 

FTS20091216.jpg

 

As you can see, all of the algae is gone! Also, I took a small cutting from my fuge chaeto and added it to the main display. I am hoping that this will help keep the pH from swinging too much. I am never around to test it at night, so I don't know if this will make any difference. It does, however, add a nice splash of color to the tank.

 

I'm going to start testing for Ca and Mg in the next few days and really get the tank ready for my first coral after the new year. Also, I am planning to eventually add a spotted porcelain crab (the purple kind).

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  • 3 weeks later...
Mr. Microscope
New update. Here is my latest FTS. 2009.12.16

 

FTS20091216.jpg

 

As you can see, all of the algae is gone! Also, I took a small cutting from my fuge chaeto and added it to the main display. I am hoping that this will help keep the pH from swinging too much. I am never around to test it at night, so I don't know if this will make any difference. It does, however, add a nice splash of color to the tank.

 

I'm going to start testing for Ca and Mg in the next few days and really get the tank ready for my first coral after the new year. Also, I am planning to eventually add a spotted porcelain crab (the purple kind).

 

Okay, so it's after the new year. I'll be getting my first corals soon. I've started testing for Ca. It's at about 330. I'll be raising that up.

 

Looking at other people's tanks, I realize that they tend to put corals on flat spots on their live rock. My rock, however, has mostly vertical features. I'm at somewhat of a loss as to where to start adding corals. I want to keep the rock with the GSP bare so that they can spread. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to put/mount a coral/frag? Are there any good examples of vertically oriented rock displays with corals out there? Should I rearrange the rock (I don't want to kill too many spiniods)?

 

Any suggestions or constructive criticism on my current rock-scaping would be greatly appreciated. I liked the scaping when I first started, but now I'm thinking that they are kinda just standing there like ducks in a row. Thanks in advance. I'm having a blast with this!

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