Sandcruiser's 3G Eclipse

[.Newman.]

there will be algae for them to feed on lol, snails will cause more algae to grow. they make waste, algae makes use of that waste way before you can take care of it with a water change, so snails will eventually provide their own algae

[d9hp]

Sweet tank! I like little tanks like that, they seem so much bigger than they are when they're done right (like yours!)

 

*Just saw you're from Menlo Park. I just moved back to NC from Sunnyvale. I went through there all the time on the train. South bay is beautiful....but damn expensive!

 

Following along...

[sandcruiser]

did a serious re-scaping today.

 

the big rock in the tank was just that, too big. So I got it out and attacked it with a hammer and chisel until about half of it was gone. Then replaced it and moved some stuff around. I like the result.

 

Of course, everyone is pretty upset in the tank right now-- lots of silt stirred up and some epoxy and superglue got put into play, which always seems to anger the crits. but in the end, I prefer the new look.

 

I put most of the fragments and another rock into the sump. Overall, I still have around 8lbs of rock, I'd guess, with 5 in the tank and 3 in the sump. More or less.

 

Hopefully tomorrow I get my order from reefcleaners, and have to figure out where everything fits into the new structure.

 

What I *should* do is build a better refugium that also drains into the sump, where I can put my extra LR and some new chaeto. But I'll probably settle for making some sort of divider within the bucket.

 

without further preamble, here is the most recent FTS. All comments are very welcome. Please excuse the sad-looking inverts, I'll post another image tomorrow when they perk up again.

[yoshii]

Nice! More open space, I think it makes the tank look bigger

[.Newman.]

how is the maiden's hair macro doing? seems to be going white or dusty?

[sandcruiser]

the maiden's hair is doing great-- it just had a lot of grime on it from me stirring things up.

 

 

I got my reefcleaners order yesterday! Fast! Sent Wed, arrived Friday at midday.

Everything looked great in the bags. He sent me almost 20 nerite snails, which is a bit more than I ordered. If anyone wants some nerites, I could probably ship 5 of them in a priority envelope, with some padding to keep 'em from being crushed.

 

Here's my newest FTS-- lots of new Macros!! I'm pleased.

 

 

Stuff looks even better now after sitting overnight and all day. I think that there was a little bit of die-off from shipping, so I did a 1gal water change today, just in case.

 

I also added a yellow-tail damsel yesterday. Just needed some movement and more color. It seems like it has adjusted well- it eats voraciously and spends all day picking 'pods off of the rocks.

 

I also picked up a sump from a store in San Jose that is changing locations. Aquarium Showrooms, on 10th Street, is downsizing to a new location and has a bunch of used equipment on sale. 55gallon tanks for $75, for example. I picked up a big sump (formerly wet/dry filter) that is 26"x12"x16" for $20. It will be my new sump. Funny- nearly 20g sump for my 3g tank. About 7 gal will be my 'fuge. But that's all another thread, some other time.

 

 

 

 

**I forgot to mention that I also threw some chaeto in the sump, and there is some more halimeda and some maiden's hair in the sump as well.

 

once I move everything over to the new sump, I'll start trying to propagate the really pretty red sheet macro that is growing in my display, and probably some other macro clippings as well.

[.Newman.]

i am a big fan of maidens hair algae. im glad to see it doing well in your tank!

[sandcruiser]

Thanks!

I'll try to grab another FTS tomorrow, maybe some close-ups.

The display is looking good. Seeing a bit of gunk in the sump from all the new algae-- I think I'll change another gallon of water just to be safe.

 

all in all, I'm enjoying the tank very much right now. The grab-bag of macros from reefcleaners really dressed things up with some color and texture.

 

Coming soon: 7g refugium, 7gal sump. Also adding a skimmer. It's a semi-custom once was a wet/dry filter thing. Bye Bye 5gal bucket sump (it was a great sump, but lousy refugium as it is opaque).

 

just have to let the solvent dry on the new divisions that I added. Super-duper booty fab. But I think it'll work. Lots of triangles, because it was raining and I didn't want to work outdoors! So I just used the random chunks of plexi that I already had cut from another aborted project. It makes for curious angles.

 

I'm stoked on the idea of a 7g 'fuge and 7g sump to support my 3g display! I plan to pull the devil-hermit crab out and into the 'fuge, and add another goby/shrimp combo to the display. Once it all settles down.

[sandcruiser]

I've got a frag started in the sump already

when I get the new sump/'fuge up, I'll start a new frag of GSP and maidenhair for you.

 

 

 

i am a big fan of maidens hair algae. im glad to see it doing well in your tank!

[2k2f4i]

Could I get a shot of your lighting setup? I have the same tank sitting int he closet and I would love to do a pico build. PS VERY NICE JOB!

 

Thanks!

John

[sandcruiser]

I'll snap a photo later; the lighting is simple. I just pit a 10kK bulb in the stock fixture, and an 18 watt 50/50 pc bulb behind it. I zip tied the bulb into place aand cit an aluminum can open as a reflector. Booty fab. But it makes light. I have some less to install but havent put them in yet. I may swap the stock bulb out and add two cw 1w and two rb 1w leds instead.... eventually.

[sandcruiser]

New Pics!

 

I've added a cute little yellowtail damsel. Cheap, but gives me some much-wanted movement and nice blue color. It has really made an impact on my 'pod population But I suppose that was inevitable. It might also be nibbling on my favorite red algae, but the algae appears to be growing much faster than the damsel is nipping, so it's all good.

 

 

I also snapped a shot of my What the Heck is This? Tunicate? Some sort of coralimorph? Sponge? Molten Lava? It is fabulously beautiful, whatever it is. Deep silver-purple with neon orange spots.

 

 

Here is my favorite red macro. If anyone cares to guess at an ID, I'd love to know. It is deeper maroon in reality, but the pic is a little over-exposed and I'm not inclined to fiddle with it right now.

 

 

Here is another hitchiker algae. Small, red. Seems like coralline is crowing on it, which is a little odd since the coralline doesn't grow all that well on my rocks.

 

And here is a nice, but soft, shot of the shroom that I fragged a little while ago.... growing well, but I the mouth seems seriously off-center. It is also in a fairly high-current spot, which I thought would bother it, but it seems to be 'happy' there.

 

and finally for this post, the hermit. I've got a love/hate relationship with this one. It forces me to glue down everything, and generally wreaks havoc... but also does a solid job of cleaning and adds some pleasant movement to the aquarium. Of course, as I post this I look over to see that it has just knocked over the coral that I tried to epoxy down earlier today.

 

FWIW: "PC Plumbing Epoxy" doesn't harden very quickly. Seems to take several hours. that's nice in that it gives you time to work with it. but lousy in that if your hermit crab gets into stuff after you epoxy it down, you may end up with things epoxied into the "wrong" place.

[evanski]

I had a bunch of that red fan-shaped macro in my 29 Nanocube. Not sure what is was, but it is pretty and grows FAST!

[yoshii]

I love those red macros!

 

Cute damsel too I love mine, very active

[.Newman.]

nice shots! that mystery blob is a type of macro.

[sandcruiser]

mystery-blob=macro? awesome!!

 

There are at least two of them growing now. I plan to cut one in half to propagate it, soon.

 

Yoshi: I'll have some of the red macro to share sooner or later.

We're moving in December, so when I tear down/setup the tank I'll be sure to make at least 1 frag of the macro.

 

I'm also setting up my new 'fuge/sump this weekend (maybe) which will open up some space for fragging stuff and growing out macros.

 

I'm really happy with the diversity of macro algae that I've got going right now. I think it looks nice and know that the macros are actually enhancing my water quality as they remove nutrients. win-win!

 

the damsel is peppy; for sure. I miss my goby/shrimp pair. After the move I plan to get another goby/shrimp pair. I know it's only a 3g. But I've now got about 7 gallons of 'fuge that are about to come online and another 7g of sump space, and I'm adding a skimmer, so I figure that the tank should be able to support the needs of 2 fish and a shrimp. Time will tell.

 

Here's a current FTS:

[Wiilio]

What's that macro you have in the middle? I got some of it today.

 

Or if it's not the exact same thing it looks almost the same.

[sandcruiser]

I think that the green in the center is a type of Halimeda.

If you check out reefcleaners.org, that is where I got it.

 

It seems to have suffered a very little bit of die-off, but is now growing again and getting darker green.

 

The branching red was a bit of a trick to get to stay put, so I rubber-banded it to a rock and buried the rock. Problem seems to be solved for now.

 

 

What's that macro you have in the middle? I got some of it today.

 

Or if it's not the exact same thing it looks almost the same.

[sandcruiser]

quick update:

 

I added my sump. It was a hassle, but all is done now.

 

I was impatient, and didn't really give the water time to warm up enough, so my overall tank temp dropped down to about 76 (from near-80). I decided to just run a lower overall temp for winter anyway, so I left it at 77-78 to reduce the yo-yo effect. So far, everyone looks like they are okay, but the damsel is showing a little stress-- it doesn't swim around as bravely as before.

 

The hermit got the boot also-- down in the sump/fuge now

 

I'll post pics later, and some more story. But gotta run to work.

[sandcruiser]

I'm still lagging on posting photos

but the new sump is up and running well. big.

my hermit got the heave-ho and is now a sump denizen. I just got sick of finding stuff knocked over in the main tank.

unfortunately, I think that the hermit is protesting the move by destroying my chaeto. I can't tell if he eats it, but he does tear it into bits, which is pretty annoying. I have only a golf-ball sized chunk now, when I had a baseball last week.

 

it might not be just the hermit: with the larger sump, the chaeto gets less light. Also, my other macros are all growing really well, which makes me wonder if the chaeto is simply out-competed for nutrients.

 

time will tell

 

i'm eager to move (end of month) so that I can start stocking more into the tank. I think a little more feeding will mean that the hermit is less prone to attacking the chaeto. that, and perhaps once the sand bed in the sump matures a bit more, traps some detritus, and builds up a host of critters. As things stand now I suspect that there are precious few free nutrients for hair algae or whatever else the crab should be eating, so it has little choice but to eat the chaeto.

 

I'm also planning to upgrade to a different tank at some point. the 3g is cute and I like it, but the eclipse is pretty soft plastic; there are scratches. it is also very difficult for me to keep the front glass clean because of the contents (frogspawn is almost touches the front now) and the corraline doesn't come off easily. I don't like a speckled view of my aquarium.

 

So my next tank will be glass.

[thevidon]

I'm still lagging on posting photos

but the new sump is up and running well. big.

my hermit got the heave-ho and is now a sump denizen. I just got sick of finding stuff knocked over in the main tank.

unfortunately, I think that the hermit is protesting the move by destroying my chaeto. I can't tell if he eats it, but he does tear it into bits, which is pretty annoying. I have only a golf-ball sized chunk now, when I had a baseball last week.

 

it might not be just the hermit: with the larger sump, the chaeto gets less light. Also, my other macros are all growing really well, which makes me wonder if the chaeto is simply out-competed for nutrients.

 

time will tell

 

i'm eager to move (end of month) so that I can start stocking more into the tank. I think a little more feeding will mean that the hermit is less prone to attacking the chaeto. that, and perhaps once the sand bed in the sump matures a bit more, traps some detritus, and builds up a host of critters. As things stand now I suspect that there are precious few free nutrients for hair algae or whatever else the crab should be eating, so it has little choice but to eat the chaeto.

 

I'm also planning to upgrade to a different tank at some point. the 3g is cute and I like it, but the eclipse is pretty soft plastic; there are scratches. it is also very difficult for me to keep the front glass clean because of the contents (frogspawn is almost touches the front now) and the corraline doesn't come off easily. I don't like a speckled view of my aquarium.

 

So my next tank will be glass.

 

I have seen the same thing in my tank as I add more macros. I think that Chaeto is one of the weaker macros in terms of nutrient uptake. Mine is barely holding steady while I have other macros growing at a serious rate. In my fuge I have chaeto competing with caulerpa mexicana and it is losing badly.

 

Does everyone use chaeto as the main fuge macro because of 'going sexual' issue? It can't be because it is a strong nutrient sponge.

 

 

On a seperate note, that is an insanely large sump/fuge for a pico and I almost feel like it's 'cheating' a bit. Maybe it's just me........

[sandcruiser]

haha!

yes, it is sort of "cheating"

but .... since nobody else is hurt by it, I don't feel so bad.

 

I've always thought that a sump should be as large as the tank. When aesthetics are removed, it is cheap and easy to get a big volume of water, which adds stability like nothing else can do.

 

Back to chaeto: the "good" news is that the there are bits of chaeto all over my sump from the hermit's destruction of same. If they grow, more's the better. But I suspect that they are losing out to something else.

 

For the first time in my life I'm wishing I had a nitrate and/or phosphate test kit. Maybe I'll visit the LFS tomorrow to have them test it.

 

Regardless, I don't have any particular devotion to chaeto. It isn't pretty enough to put in my display (for my tastes) so if it fails.... I'll get over it.

 

My Halimeda is going NUTS this week. I have three stalks that have grown more than an inch, each.

But I do wonder if the chaeto is suffering from light deprivation. It is now nearly a foot away from a 3w LED. It used to be 6 inches away. that's a big dropoff in lighting.

 

 

 

I have seen the same thing in my tank as I add more macros. I think that Chaeto is one of the weaker macros in terms of nutrient uptake. Mine is barely holding steady while I have other macros growing at a serious rate. In my fuge I have chaeto competing with caulerpa mexicana and it is losing badly.

 

Does everyone use chaeto as the main fuge macro because of 'going sexual' issue? It can't be because it is a strong nutrient sponge.

 

 

On a seperate note, that is an insanely large sump/fuge for a pico and I almost feel like it's 'cheating' a bit. Maybe it's just me........

[sandcruiser]

 

here's the latest growth

the macro in the foreground: those two new "stems" were less than 1/8" tall last week. Now.... an inch? pretty close, anyway

 

the lumpy red macro on the right is also growing very well.

[will46r]

Is a 3g too small for a damsel? I'm not arguing, I'm just curious because I thought they required a larger tank.

[.Newman.]

when they're young it may not be too small. people keep them around a year in tanks like this w/o problems. eventually they do get stunted and then problems develop but not if the owner move them out to a larger tank in time Its the same with other fish. you can have a stunted 2" swordtail in a 10 gal tank, but you can have one thrive in a 40 gal thats 2.5-4".