Laura's 15 Gallon *rimmed*

[Coastie]

I know it isn't but it looks like the head of a clove....

 

It took me a second to figure out what the 2nd picture was haha...

 

Im posting pictures myself!

[JerseyChick]

more of my 8 legged hikers

[JerseyChick]

and more 8 legged hikers

 

was given to a local fish store to put in sump

[Coastie]

Hey BTW I am in the market for a powerhead now. Thinking of going with the koralia nano. what did you use?

[JerseyChick]

So... I have begun the daydreaming phase for the 2011 coral extravaganza.

 

I hope to eventually stock some duncans, a frogspawn, a clam of some sort (probably some type of maxima mutation) some mushrooms not sure what color I wanna do tho, and maybe something orange or yellow that doesnt require target feeding. (I hope to incorporate at least one time the good ol ROY G BIV into my tank) and when the tank turns around 6 or 7 months old I do want some type of dark pink/red bta

 

 

 

Coastie ~ I am not happy with the flow on my tank yet so I am holding off on recommending anything.

[sandcruiser]

the tank looks great.

I'm not sold on the blue vinyl background, but if you like it.... who cares what I think?

 

that rock is a great basis on which to build your tank!

 

For your cycle-- to maximize your hitchhiker's chances you might consider doing a small water change every week. You've got plenty of time for the cycle to complete. Changing some water out will help reduce mortality.

 

Also, I would add some light. If any of your hitchers are photosynthetic, they'll have a rough time going 2 months without lights.

[Coastie]

So... I have begun the daydreaming phase for the 2011 coral extravaganza.

 

I hope to eventually stock some duncans, a frogspawn, a clam of some sort (probably some type of maxima mutation) some mushrooms not sure what color I wanna do tho, and maybe something orange or yellow that doesnt require target feeding. (I hope to incorporate at least one time the good ol ROY G BIV into my tank) and when the tank turns around 6 or 7 months old I do want some type of dark pink/red bta

 

 

 

Coastie ~ I am not happy with the flow on my tank yet so I am holding off on recommending anything.

 

Well what do you have so I know to avoid it? I am going to be usinga an AC70 fuge so I am uncertain how much flow will be added from that at the moment.

[augustus007]

Hitch Hiker Update

 

~ smallest urchin I have ever seen ( half the size of a nickel )

~ tiny tannish pink hairy crab with large brown claw ~ EDIT - now have counted 2

~ small green crab with hairy legs and two lateral brown stripes down body

~ a gazillion small whitish clear crabs <2mm across that seem to have hairy legs and two darker white lateral stripes down the shell)

~ what appears to be a bumble bee snail?

~ small green batch of eggs (40+) of some sort ( full cluster is a little larger than the size of a pencil eraser when you look down on it, and it is "sticky" as sand gets easily attached)

~ bivalve that looks like an oyster

~ bivalve that looks like your typicall bivalve

~ red feather dusters

~ large slimy looking worm <-- I believe it is a peanut worm. approximately 4 inches long and half centimeter in girth

~ the most goergous mojano's I have ever seen (kinda wanna keep them actually - for now they are staying because it makes me happy when I look in there and see the beautiful reddish tentacles with the neon green lines that go from the yellowish mouth 3/4 of the way to tentacle tip)

~ afew tiny aiptasia (which will be elimiated tonite 11/20/10 via insulin syringe and lemon juice *who says being diabetic doesn't have advantages)

My guess it's uncured rock?

[JerseyChick]

Well what do you have so I know to avoid it? I am going to be usinga an AC70 fuge so I am uncertain how much flow will be added from that at the moment.

 

 

I have a Koralia 1 on the upper right side pointed toward the middle of tank for surface breakage and circulation and still have very little movement on the left side where the ac30 currently is running.

 

I wanna add more to the right side for a criss cross flow but I am not really worrying about it at the moment, maybe towards mid December I will care a lil more / put deeper thought into it.

 

The AC70 is a great idea for a refugium. I may have to look into that ( was playing around with some ideas on where I could pull it off and how ~ i mean i have an available 5.5gallon but ehh I am still in the find the things with mouths on the rock and take picture phase. I enjoy this part a LOT)

[Coastie]

just convert the 5.5 into a refugium/ skimmer area and use the return pump to your 15g for the additional flow!

[dhraakoxr]

here's that pretty lil *unknown* hiker again and the eggbound female rock crab from my tank

 

Hey that hitchhiker on the left could be a Majano Anemone. I had something very very similiar to that in my BC14. Although pretty, they can cause problems much like Aptasia.

 

http://www.knowledgegalaxy.net/majano_anem...no_anemone.html

 

This was what mine looked like:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...st&id=83777

[JerseyChick]

just found ~ small green pistol shrimp (less than an inch)

 

 

I am kinda fearing a mantis tho (with all the wonderfuls I have found so far there is probably one in here too)

[Coastie]

I wouldn't fear it! If you do have one trade it to a LFS! They sell them for a bunch of money here. A free pistol shrimp is AWESOME! Get that guy a goby when your cycle is finished!

[JerseyChick]

When I mean small pistol shrimp I mean literally from the tip of its big claw to the back of its shrimpy tail... maybe an inch if I am generous in measuring.

 

This guy/gal (IMO) is my favorite invert find in this tank so far, I do have a picture but it is only of its large claw, the lil guy/gal has a teeny hole in the rock it is very protective of. i mean I turkey basted water on the hole for a second and it looked like it was having a shrimpy seizure trying to attack the blasted water)

 

**note I normally do not harass my hitch hikers, was squeezing the bulb blowing it gently to get a lil movement and possibly come out of the hole for a quick photo op.

 

I am the hitch hiker paparazzi

[Coastie]

OOooohhhhh if you do find a mantis it is even more reason to start that 5.5 as a sump/fuge!

[JerseyChick]

I have an 11 inch eel/engineer goby I was debating transferring to this tank at cycle completion, however I fear Boogaloo (pistols new name is Boogaloo) would mearly become a midday snack.

[Coastie]

1) boogaloo is an awesome name... you have clearly set the bar high for my future fish names. I just bought a clown for my 25 and named him flip.

 

2) I dont know about the eel but I doubt the goby would be an issue.

 

Im telling you that 5.5 is calling for sump duty!

[JerseyChick]

Here is Boogaloo's claw (sorry i couldn't get more but the dude is the size of a large "pod" LOL & Here is a picture of my Engineer goby (also called by some an eel goby) It's an older picture but note the size in comparison to the 4.5 inch thermometer and add an inch and a half to the body size

 

Oh and my other fish (in the 14BC are... meatball ~ true percula clown : paco ~ fridmani psuedochromis : and the engineer/eel goby is guido)

 

 

I am trying to design an acrylic clip on refugium the length of the tank by 6 inches deep to house the skimmer, heater, live rock rubble and chaeto in segmented areas to my specs... with the sole purpose in mind of not being below the tank and risking the chance of a valve seal gone bad and 2/3 my tank water on the floor while I am at work. Also to share lighting from my sunpod to save a little electricity.

[JerseyChick]

I actually like the background despite the mixed opinions...

 

Here is my cycling tank and the "corner placement in my office" I think the background fits in well

 

also added the skimmer in since some one in there likes pooping on my sand at night. Sunpod needs to be modded a little. I have it resting on the glass cover since the stupid legs dont expand far enough to mount it.

[Coastie]

Im currently trying to figure out some way to hide my heater and other various stuff without making it an eyesore. I think I am just going to continue with my plan to use my AC70 fuge. :/

[JBM]

Im currently trying to figure out some way to hide my heater and other various stuff without making it an eyesore. I think I am just going to continue with my plan to use my AC70 fuge. :/

 

 

this is what i did

[JerseyChick]

Im currently trying to figure out some way to hide my heater and other various stuff without making it an eyesore. I think I am just going to continue with my plan to use my AC70 fuge. :/

 

 

Where's my eyesore? Is it really that bad??? Be brutal ~ please but just no swear words at me.. K?

[JBM]

ditch the suction cup thermometer & go buy this

 

http://www.entirelypets.com/coralifetherm....r:referralID=NA

[JerseyChick]

Ok.. that looks good, I just use the suction cup one while i cycle so it's in my face a little more. I also just ordered an aquaclear 110 from amazon, to be utilized as my sump/fuge. Dimensions seem IDEAL for what I wanna do. (13 1/2"L X 6 3/4"W X 9"H with 4" of its width behind the tank)

 

Looks like I am headed back to the glass shop to get a custom cover (as I did with my biocube) the standardized 24 inch by aqueon isn't gonna cut it with that sump/filter

[Coastie]

you're covering a rimless tank?

 

Anyhow those coralife thermometers are awesome... Petsmart usually sells them for like 10$

 

An AC110 is going to be HUGE on the back of that thing! I'd be worried that much water hanging off a rimless tank would pull that piece of glass. Make sure you brace that thing up!

 

 

.... damnit now I have to get myself one of those thermometers. BTW your flow issues will be solved with that AC110.

 

Keep up the good work!