lljdma06 Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Haha, I wanna see the pest algae. I'll send you my teeny majano, which I have dubbed "mojito", when my 8g is done cycling. Sorry about the light. Llj Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Remember, he's in SC, there's a hurricane a blowin'! He'll do the update I'm sure. Link to comment
Monochrome5 Posted September 12, 2011 Author Share Posted September 12, 2011 Oh what the last two weeks have brought to this tank... Huge news coming soon! But now I'm tired (and slightly drunk) so pictures/update/(spoiler alert)new crab in the morning! Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Haha, perhaps more than slightly drunk as it's well past morning & still no update. Just teasing... Would this big update happen to involve a certain package received in the mail?? Link to comment
Monochrome5 Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 MASSIVE UPDATE TIME!!!! WOOOOOOOHOOOO!!! Sorry it took so long... internet was down. Still very flaky, but we'll see how this goes... NO MORE FLUVAL SPEC!)(&@!)(*&@!)(*!@)(*!@! I know... I know. What happened? Well here we go... The light issue was driving me insane. Two clip on lights died over this tank. Bad ju-ju I guess. So I went to the LFS and asked what they may have for over the tank. Long story short, unless I suspended a light from the ceiling I was S.O.L. So I asked about upgrading the tank to something else. They don't get many small tanks in at my LFS, and ordering one was more then I wanted to spend. So they took me to their "junkyard" - a room roughly the size of my living room filled to the gills (*ahem*) with old used aquarium gadgets. I went crazy rummaging through pumps of every shape and size, old glass heaters, filters of every kind, and more old aquariums then I've ever seen in one room. I found one I liked - a black rimmed AGA 5g tank. The seals looked fresh, and despite a thick layer of dust and grime the tank appeared unscratched. So I grabbed it as my starting point. It was then time to address water movement. I didn't really want a powerhead in this tank, as powerheads + anemones generally equal slice and dice. So I went with a HOB filter that will be used for water flow. What kind of filter, you ask? AC20? No. Maybe a 50 or even a 70? Not a chance. I found a 14" wide, dual waterfall Whisper filter that's churning out a massive 500GPH. Oh. Hell. Yes. When I asked about a price, the LFS just gave everything to me. Can't argue with free. So I set the tank up two weeks ago and have had it running smoothly. The filter is for waterflow purposes only. No filtration (not even floss). It does, however, house a small 50W heater. lljdma06 hooked my up with a 24W PC fixture which, after some creative tom-foolery (I flipped the legs around backwards), fits perfectly over the tank. Plenty of light for a pest tank and with readily available bulbs to boot! The transition happened last Thursday and went very smoothly! I added a LOT of LR rubble to the sand to keep it down. 500GPH on a 5g tank means a ton of flow, and without the rubble to break the current it would be everywhere (or at least in a giant pile). I moved the finger leather I had in my BC29 into this tank because it was a pest. Always sliming and irritating corals (and myself). Now it's off on its own having a lot of fun in the ultra high flow. These things love flow. Now, I know what you're thinking (again). What about Melvin? Good question. Unfortunately, Melvin is no longer with me. He's a burrowing crab, and they need sand that stays put to burrow in. This tank just wouldn't work for him. So I released him back into Charleston Harbor where I got him in the first place. It was sad to see him go, but it was best for him in the long run. Will life go on post Melvin? Fear not, loyal readers! My friend Shayne recently set up a new tank and came across a rather interesting find in his live rock... A juvenile blue stone crab!! These things are deadly. Jet black claws, beady red eyes... a true killing machine! Naturally, I had to have it. He was more than happy to get it out of his tank. May I introduce you to Stonewall Jackson, the blue stone crab!! Lurking... Like a boss. And finally, it wouldn't be a pest tank without anemones! And boy are they getting big! As you can see from the last pic, the mystery nem is just as mysterious as ever. And he still loves eating aiptasia. Crazy fella. Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 That was a yummy, yummy update. I am satisfied... For now. Stonewall Jackson is a neat name. Hmmm. The light looks good. Oooo, one more question, what are you gonna do with the spec? Link to comment
enigma70x7 Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 That nem looks very similar to a Warty Rock Anemone http://reefscavengers.com/rockanem.html Link to comment
Monochrome5 Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 That was a yummy, yummy update. I am satisfied... For now. Stonewall Jackson is a neat name. Hmmm. The light looks good. Oooo, one more question, what are you gonna do with the spec? Just sold it about an hour ago to a guy from work. Gonna help him start a pico! Link to comment
castiel Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Very cool, I love the waterfall HOB! Link to comment
Monochrome5 Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 That nem looks very similar to a Warty Rock Anemone http://reefscavengers.com/rockanem.html HOLY ####. YOU NAILED IT!!! I've been trying to figure that out FOREVER! The description is spot on - rarely moves, low light, filter feeds on just about everything (including aiptasia). It even has a "warty" column. Perfect ID. You deserve a high five! Link to comment
Monochrome5 Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 PS: Please ignore the fact that the tank is sitting on my kitchen table. I'm currently shopping for a stand of some kind. Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 You will not be judged. with the candles in stones, it actually gives a kind of Rainforest cafe vibe. Link to comment
Islandoftiki Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 How did I not see this thread sooner? Awesome tank. I love it. My pest tank is as much fun or more fun as my main display tank. I think actually get more enjoyment from the pest tank. It has 10x the diversity of life than any other tank I've ever seen. Great job on this tank. Keep it up! Link to comment
Monochrome5 Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 How did I not see this thread sooner? Awesome tank. I love it. My pest tank is as much fun or more fun as my main display tank. I think actually get more enjoyment from the pest tank. It has 10x the diversity of life than any other tank I've ever seen. Great job on this tank. Keep it up! Haha. This tank was a blast. Had it for a year and a half or so. Started as the SPEC, then on to a 5 gallon, then finally retired when I moved. It was just a blast. Tons of life that you don't normally see because of the stigma behind "aquarium pests". Link to comment
Mr. Microscope Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Holy crap! SoOOOO excited to read this update!!!! Can't wait to see this new pest tank blossom. Love that crab BTW. Good luck! Link to comment
Dr.Brain Coral Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I am thinking of doing a tank just like this with the same tank and was wondering if you would be willing to send anemones like the ones you have in your tank to me if I did do a tnk like this? Link to comment
AbeHeinkel Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Since it's a pest tank, there is some kind of pink cotton candy-like algae that would look awesome in there. Haha. Look it up and see what I'm talking about. Really cool idea fr a tank btw. Very different. Link to comment
1891Bro Posted April 15, 2017 Share Posted April 15, 2017 Whatever happened to mr. Microscope? Link to comment
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