Saltine's BC29- First SW Tank.

[SaltineSage]

Update time. And what a doozey it is.

 

Parameters:

Ammonia: 0

Nitrate: ... 0? Maybe 1? Maybe 2? Maybe 3? :unsure: :unsure:

Nitrite: 0

pH: 8.0 (down from 8.2)

 

Now here's the fun stuff. I've got a lovely little carpeting of byropsis. It's attempting to root on everything... there are little "seedlings" of it on my glass. Unacceptable. I've ordered some Kent M Magnesium.**Warning, nuclear launch detected!**

 

Here's a great macro of the top of my Tonga branch:

 

And as I am still unemployed (maybe saltwater wasn't the best hobby to pick up... but hey, it's consumed every waking moment I've had for the past month... )... Some voices beamed down from thousands of lightyears away said I need a QT. And in this QT, there must be a place for their ship to land. Dutifully I listened.

 

Here's a full pic of my QT... I went with some awesome backing from Petsmart. Classy.

 

I need a new project....

 

Edit: Oh, and with 2 fish tanks, a humidifier and an Aerogarden hydroponic garden running in my 12'8' office... the humidity is 20%. Wisconsin is the devil.

[SaltineSage]

Calculated out the cost of my BC29 per month. Oy. Turns out the total energy cost is of $7.24 to keep my cube up and runn'n. That's assuming my heater only runs 2 hours out of the day. No easy way to get a great estimate on that as far as I know due to room temp/hard to tell when it's on.

 

So I used this equation: Watt * HR of opperation / 1,000 * Price per KWH in cents [9.409]

Fairly certain that's the one... feel free to check my math, I suck pretty badly at equations

 

Here's the spread sheet:

Object: Wt | HR | KWH | Cost at $.09409

MT Blue Actinic 34 12 0.408 0.03838872

MT Moon LED 3 24 0.072 0.00677448

MT Main Light 38 10 0.38 0.0357542

MT Pump 11 24 0.264 0.02483976

MT Heater 140 2 0.28 0.0263452

MT K2 8 24 0.192 0.01806528

MT K Nano 3 24 0.072 0.00677448

MT Fuge Light 11 24 0.264 0.02483976

Subtotal: .18 cents a day

total w/ fees: .24 cents

x30 = $7.24ish

 

 

 

It also costs me $.02 an hour to run my computer...

 

Time to scrap my gaming PC for an iPad!

 

(And that table looked a hell of a lot better int he editing box... sorry!)

[blister]

that seems pretty reasonable, i think...

[SaltineSage]

Crabs. Crabs are frick'n awesome little critters. I'm originally from Baltimore Maryland, so I am going to have to resist the urge to grab the mallet.

 

I am fairly certain that is the international sign for "You're mine, sucker"... scrappy little dude, I am hoping he gets nice n' fat like his tank-mate on the Byropsis.

 

He looks wrinkly and hairy... But right when I put him in the tank he sat down in a field of byropsis and started munching.

 

Current plans are to nuke the tank with Kent Magnesium(the crabs will be okay, all threads have said no negative impact to their live-stock- I am also going to raise it slowly, since they just got settled in), and pluck it out by hand.

 

And I've just learned that the other option is drying out my LR and starting over. This too will be entertained once the Kent M approach is deemed a success or failure.

 

Oh, and here's the Byropsis after just a few days in the sun:

 

And here are my fields of byropsis...

[SaltineSage]

Because you care, I shall share my revelation tonight.

 

Don't scrub LR free of byropsis in Wisconsin, in the dead of winter, in a small apartment if you have a girlfriend, and want to keep her around.

 

I had been scrubbing for about 30 minutes, took out some of the top seeder rocks that were coated with byropsis and gave 'em a good scrubbing. Pulled out one that was just nasty, had some moss/algae stuff that was dried on when I bought it... scrubbed that stuff off and my girlfriend locked herself in the bedroom after giving me a good hollaring about gagging to death in her own home. Byropsis doesn't smell like flowers either.

 

But the rocks are scrubbed, magnesium seems to be working- the byropsis has gotten dark and doesn't seem to be spreading onto the glass as much. The Emerald Crabs are mowing diligently, I think one is working on a topiary garden on his side of the tank. Very skilled work.

[googoomas]

Looking awesome! Bet your getting excited...

[SaltineSage]

Byropsis got nuked out by the Magnesium treatment and 2 Emerald Crabs.

 

Now I have some GHA, but the Emeralds are keeping the lawn mowed pretty well.

 

[SaltineSage]

Snaaaails! Lots and lots of snails. Interesting interaction with my emerald crab. He/she/it (it can express itself however it wishes) came out of hiding, and poked my Nerite snails with its claws. Didn't seem to be "on the attack" looked more like curious poking, they've been the only two living creatures in my fish tank for a week and a half.

 

So I took a page out of Blister's play book and dumped my snails (after 15min acclimation) into the center of my sand bed. Pretty much turned into a snail orgy.

 

48 Dwarf Cerith's

12 Large Nerite

12 Florida Cerith

7 Nassarius

2 Tiny Blue Hermits in Dwarf Cerith Shells

 

[mbarton2010]

lots of snails!!!!!!!!!!!

[SaltineSage]

So, I am fairly certain my snails are plotting to take over the world. Now I know there are some crazy conspiracy theorists who have claimed their snails are building space ships/beacons... but hear me out on this one.

 

I was watching the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in my living room, and next door in my office, a majority of my Dwarf Cerith snails were flocking to the front of my tank- this was while the lights were on in the tank and room...

 

What better recon than watching the Olympics? I'm going to be sleeping with one eye open and a Pico full of hungry hermit crabs next to my bed.

 

Proof of the snail's secret plan!

 

 

(And yes, I will eventually move that horridly ugly ammonia detector.)

[violinist]

Holy #### that's a lot of snails.

[mbarton2010]

LOL!

[SaltineSage]

Holy #### that's a lot of snails.

 

Yeah, I ordered 50 Dwarf Cerith's from John... and it feels as though I got like 100... lots of empty shells came along too. But yeah, I think I now have a Snail Tank. No room for fish. Snails only. They're working on polishing my LR to a gleaming marble finish.

 

Edit: Every time I look over at my aquarium I have the urge to play "Flight of the Valkyrie" as the Dwarf's work on the glass. Looks like they're working on attack maneuvers ... more evidence to my original theory of world domination.

[bluefunelement]

A. Where in Baltimore?

B. Can you get time lapse FTS with the snails?

[SaltineSage]

A. Where in Baltimore?

B. Can you get time lapse FTS with the snails?

 

Baltimore Suburbs.

 

I should set up a time lapse... I may have to.

[blister]

WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! WE WANT A TIME LAPSE! heh. i hate not knowing why i keep killing poor innocent creatures.

[SaltineSage]

Time lapse will come in time.

 

 

And my awesome red macro algae that I got from John has just been pulled into my Emerald Crab's hidey spot... so that's the end of that Macro algae. I was sort of hoping that they'd eat the Nori I bought them on Saturday... but the only thing that's touched that has been the Nassarius snails? Just sliming it up, not sure if they were trying to eat it.

[SaltineSage]

Too lazy to do time lapse, but I reworked my powerheads.

 

I finally got it so my sand isn't blowing around like dust in the wind. Not sure how long I'll keep this set up, I'm not seeing as much flow as I'd like on the right side... but maybe that'll lend itself to some low flow LPS/Softies later.

 

Some interesting pics...

 

I was afraid my emerald crabs would start to starve, as the snails have eaten *everything* in the tank. So I bought a feeding frenzy clip (not a fan), and then I just rubberbanded some nori to a rock and put it down out of the way. The crab grabbed the rubberband and hauled the rock over so he could munch away in private. It was really cool to watch.

 

My nerites are plotting something that will not end well.

 

And finally, Morty the Dwarf Cerith says "All Clear" and "Left Hand Yellow"

 

[violinist]

Lol, snail Twister.

 

They sure did polish up the sandbed. Pearly white!

[Kittysnax]

All I have yto say is this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you! LOL I have thoroughly(?) enjoyed reading your thread! Subscribed ^_^

[SaltineSage]

Making his grand-stand first-time appearance online. Allow me with much further adieu to introduce a fish of tiny proportions. A fellow on my local reefing forum decided to liquidate his baby Ocellaris Clowns before going out of town. $10 for a baby 1/2" Clown. LFS sells them for $19, and often times there are fish act'n a little oddly in their tanks. So, I figured I'd invest in a local reefer.

 

Guy had a beautiful tank set up, and a little spawner set up in his basement. Always fun following a stranger you've met online down to his basement. I highly recommend this. Because they take you to cute fish. His spawn tank was alive and hopp'n. He had some fry from December, cute little sperm-looking fellows! 5 lil guys from October, and my guy, born in August. The first fish he was able to raise from a batch. I went with the largest, because the other guys were way too small and I was afraid they'd get sucked into my filter floss. This guy has almost found his way into the filter once... had to do a full shut down and herded him to the other side of the tank.

 

Please stand for MR. T Rex.

 

 

Edit1: And yes, that is a large Nerite snail, or half of one in the top picture. And a Dwarf Cerith below him. He's a tiny little menace.

 

The guy I bought the fish from told me as I was leaving that he had named the fish Rex. And to honor his naming, I added my own little twist. T Rex has been terrorizing colonies of copepods. His nickname, as dubbed by my girlfriend is "Flutter Butt."

 

Edit2: And I'm fairly sure he rode the short-bus in his spawn tank... he's spent the last 6 hours swimming furiously at the glass. I thought he was eating the copepods, which he was... but now I'm just starting to think I got one of them special Clowns folks' have talked about... he's finally tiring out though.

[SaltineSage]

Is it okay to beat my clown fish? Bastard keeps hanging out in the way way back of the tank with his reflection. He could at least hang out with his reflection in the front of the tank so I don't feel like my tank is empty (sans ~100 snails).

 

My cleaner shrimp came out to play a little... hoping he warms up to the tank and gives me some color/movement.

[plainrt]

looks good.Are you on madison area reef?are you going to the swap this weekend?

[SaltineSage]

looks good.Are you on madison area reef?are you going to the swap this weekend?

 

I do post on MARS, but I don't really have a tank thread or anything- I post as Saltine.

 

And I might hit the frag swap, depends on if I blow my frag money on food this week

[SaltineSage]

So, T Rex was really bumming me out. He wasn't eating any of the flakes I put in, and was really bothering me with the way he was swimming towards his reflection. So what did I do? PANIC! OH GOD PANIC! BUY BUY BUY! ... I went to the LFS and got a very vibrant Ocellaris they have had for the past 1-2 weeks. He's a misbar, so I can tell which turns female later on His name is Speedy.... Nice and gender neutral.

 

So I had planned on doing a FW dip on him before introducing him, but I couldn't get the pH right so I decided to risk it (QT tank is still working out some kinks- the clay pots are clouding the water...). So I gave 'em a nice long acclimation and let him loose in the tank. In about 20 minutes he found T Rex, and they've been hanging out ever since. T Rex isn't quite the swimmer the newcomer is, so he plays a lot of catch up, and sometimes runs to his back corner when left alone.

 

Here's the new guy:

 

I also got a stick of Cyclop-eez, I think T Rex actually took a few nibbles. Finally.

 

And while hanging out with my tank watching the new fish, I got to see some pretty cool stuff. One of my hermits changed shells at the front of the tank- very cool. I found feather dusters on the backs of my Nerites (I had always wondered what those white "growths" were on them). And my Emerald Crab did a brief streaking run: