Monochrome5 Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Wait til you get my package. It's big... That's what he said? Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted August 6, 2011 Author Share Posted August 6, 2011 Hi everybody! Sorry it's been a little while. First, I ordered my bucket of Redsea Coral pro Salt and two 30lb bags of Caribsea Aragamax (the sugar sand). I ordered something else too, but that's a surprise. Order shipped yesterday, so I'll get it sometime next week. Second, big must do projects... 1. Install the RO/DI unit 2. Clean out the tank, still is a FW setup 3. Clean it and get it ready for SW 4. Find cotainers for RO and SW storage Third, I have an updated stock list. I got another book the Marine fish guide by Scott Michael. Two species intrigued me, the cherub angelfish and members of the genus Apogon. But...lol... The tank is potentially going to be entered in some planted tank competitions, so I don't really want an angel messing around eating my scape initially. :What I may do is after the competition shoot, swap out one chalk bass from the group and add the angel. It would go in last anyway regardless... So an updated stock list... Fish Serranus tortugarum - Chalk bass, a shoal of 5. A member of the genus Apogon (either lachneri or maculatus) When the photo shoot is done perhaps... Centropyge argi So six fish total, but may have 5 chalk bass initially then trade one in for the angel when the time comes. Sessile inverts Corallimorphs - Ricordea florida Discosoma sanctithomae Discosoma neglecta Motile inverts Cleaner shrimp Lysmata grabhami Lysmata wurdemanni Snails Turbo sp Ceriths sp. Cittarium pica - possibly, need to keep my tank at around 76. That's the home temp now. Sea slugs Elysia crispata (needs algae Bryopsis, Derbesia, and possibley Halimeda, advanced species)- May add this after the competition shoot. Macro algae & Vascular Plants Macro algae - If it's marked in bold, it's heavily favored for the scape. I do have to take into account availability, though. I prefer green and brown with a focal point of a red species. Halimeda sp Halimeda discoidea Halimeda opuntia - I prefer the look of this species. Chondria sp. Gelidium Sp Ochtodes sp Dictyota sp Sea grass - Halodule wrightii The problem section.... The crabs. Still struggling to find a centerpiece crab from the Caribbean. Crabs - I'm just going to list a bunch of them. Crabs are hit and miss, I know. Mithrax sculptus - Potentially problematic with the macro algae. Potentially predatory... Bleh... Majidae species - decorator crabs. Was told that the smaller Caribbean species may be cool, but the lit says "not reef safe" I tend to believe the lit.. Stenorhynchus seticornis - Arrowline crabs, kill bristleworms (bw can devistate macro tanks, so maybe I want this), can also be agressive. bleh... Crabs are so crabby. I've seen them in a bunch of macro scapes, though. Petrolisthes sp. - Porcelain crabs - the most peaceful of the group. Can have a small group of these. Chalk bass may pick on them. Clibanarius tricolor - Blue legged hermit - I can't mix hermit species, I know, so I thought I'd list them all again. Paguristes cadenati - Scarlet hermit crab I have a feeling my quarantine is going to turn into a crab tank. The crabs, shrimp, and snails, comprise my CUC, so I've got to sort that out. Lord knows what I'll get in my LR. I'm not optimistic about that. Thanks for looking. llj Link to comment
castiel Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Can't wait to see this start to come into action! Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 Can't wait to see this start to come into action! Neither can I! I'm getting closer, though... I am sooooooo sore. Drained the 36g yesterday. Cleaned it really carefully and dried it. Drained, only need to remove the substrate... 5 years of sand and muck. :crazy: After about 2 hours with a garden hose, sponge, and rinse repeat, rinse repeat. Explains why I cannot move my arms today. I'm not a big person, this was very hard work. You've all seen me, I'm very girly girly! My RO/DI is a crazy RO/DI. Makes a lot of water... Needed a place to store it... Well, I've got this tank here... With one CF on... Just actinics... Sweet... Daylights & Actinics. May play with a 50/50 I've got lying around. I'm liking the cooler look. I hooked up the powerheads to keep the water moving. I don't like the look of the Marineland and will get another larger Koralia. I like the look of the Koralia, but I want more power. So off to my lfs to remedy the issue. I like the idea of three. I'm just waiting for the salt and sand from Marine depot. Should come this week. Then I order my LR. I think I'll be using Sea life inc. Video for you... Thanks for looking, it's starting to come together. Patience is a virtue. llj Link to comment
DK_Reef Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Patience is a virtue. Nice pics! So true ^^^ Link to comment
forrestp38829 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Looks like a solid plan. It will be awesome. Also, Verdi FTW! Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 Looks like a solid plan. It will be awesome.Also, Verdi FTW! I love Verdi. I sing Verdi... Well anyway... Guess what I got... Two 30lb bags of Aragonite Aragamax sand (sugar sized grains...) I think I'll need a third bag. I forgot I now have two tanks and I want a 4" sandbed in the 36g... Sigh... I also got my salt. Went with RedSea Coral Pro Salt. More RO/DI water is being made, so I'll have more than enough water to begin mixing salt and practicing using my Refractometer. Starting to come together... Need to look into ordering my LR. Will be doing some shopping around this weekend. I like Sea Life Inc as they are right in Tavernier about a 90 minute drive. So even if I have to ship it, it won't take long at all. llj Link to comment
Monochrome5 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Sugar sized sand!!! Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! That's a sandstorm waiting to happen Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Sugar sized sand!!! Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! That's a sandstorm waiting to happen We'll find out, wont we then? It was about 50/50 for and against, ultimately the needs of the seagrass outweighed potential sand storms. First risk of the system... On the flip side, it may be that I don't need the flow that I think I do, seeing that this is indeed a planted system. They are usually at 10x rather than 20x. I'll play with powerhead positioning for sure. Link to comment
yoshii Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I got that same sand, it looks nice, but it does gets blow around alot And omgsh I rinsed it soooo many times, but still tons of dust in the tank when I put it in Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 I got that same sand, it looks nice, but it does gets blow around alot And omgsh I rinsed it soooo many times, but still tons of dust in the tank when I put it in I'll just have to plant more seagrass. Link to comment
Deep Stops Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 I'll just have to plant more seagrass. It will be fine. You probably won't need very much water movement. Oolite is very interesting sediment. I mix it with fiji pink. This makes it similar to sand from Eluethera in the Bahamas. But if this is a planted/macro tank, I think you picked the right sand. Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 It will be fine. You probably won't need very much water movement. Oolite is very interesting sediment. I mix it with fiji pink. This makes it similar to sand from Eluethera in the Bahamas. But if this is a planted/macro tank, I think you picked the right sand. I think so too. I've filled up the 36g with RO water. I'll then be salting it in the tank. The best option for me and such a large volume of water. Don't freak, I won't be adding the salt all at once, only about a 1/4 at a time, then waiting three hours, then another portion of salt with heavy agitation going on. But it's easier than having 36g of 5 gallon buckets running at the same time. Then I add my LR, then I add my sand. I may be able to add my seagrass, but not sure I want to do anything until the cycling is done. Then the CUC, then the seagrass & macros, then the focal inverts, then some corals and fish. I purchased a different sand for the other two little tanks so I think I'll have enough sand for the 36g for a 4" bed. llj Link to comment
DK_Reef Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Yeah I had sugar sand too but I am taking it out there is two huge 6 inch sand dunes on each side of my tank and it is all over the rocks. Useless for me since I won't have any macro. Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 Yeah I had sugar sand too but I am taking it out there is two huge 6 inch sand dunes on each side of my tank and it is all over the rocks. Useless for me since I won't have any macro. Yes, I don't have the flow that most reefers have, so the flying sand isn't so much of an issue... Well, I picked up my LR... I initially purchased 40lbs of this Haitian rock from my favorite lfs, which I love. It's porous and full of holes and it's LR that does not smell. I repeat, does not smell. But I second-guessed myself and on my way home I stopped at another place and purchased this FL aquacultured LR It does't look all that bad from the pictures, but when I got it home, it stunk like high Heaven. Guy said it was cured, cured, my butt. Was not going to put that in my tank, found a dead crab in it and everything. So I stuck it in a bucket of SW with a powerhead for now. I don't know what I'm going to do with this rock. Sigh... I may break off a couple of pieces if it smells better in the next few days. Or, I may mash it up and store it for frags or fuge rubble. Lesson learned, will trust my gut with LR and continue to trust my favorite lfs. Well, anyway. I scaped the tank, using the good, non-smelly LR and... Got milk? hahaha, the oolite needs to clear. Don't freak at the depth of the substrate, I need this for the seagrasses. I have to shift the sand around a bit. llj Link to comment
yoshii Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Aww and that aquacultured rock looked so cool I can't wait to see the scape! Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 Aww and that aquacultured rock looked so cool I can't wait to see the scape! Well, here it is. The tank isn't quite clear yet, but considering it is oolite, I'm pleased with the clarity. Picture Time!!! Thanks for looking. I like that it has lots of caves and nooks for fish to hide. I'm looking forward to planting this up. Link to comment
yoshii Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I love those caves! The depth is really cool too Can't wait to see it stocked! Link to comment
castiel Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Awesome caves, I can see the fish in this already! Link to comment
Monochrome5 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 School of chalk bass. Do it or I come down there and put them in myself. I know where you live... Love the scape. Will be perfect for a planted tank. Just perfect. Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted August 21, 2011 Author Share Posted August 21, 2011 I love those caves! The depth is really cool too Can't wait to see it stocked! Awesome caves, I can see the fish in this already! I like the caves too. Thank the Haitian rock. That just seems to form natural caves. It actually reminds me of a skull, or a skull island. Hehe, you know everything in the tank will have pirates of the Caribbean names, right? LOLOLOL School of chalk bass. Do it or I come down there and put them in myself. I know where you live... The original plan has not changed, still opting for chalk bass. I may add a Caribbean Apogon species, but the chalk bass are the main attraction. A few people want me to adda cherub angel, but if I did that it would be after a competition photoshoot and I'd have to be really married to the idea, which I'm not yet. The chalk bass are just so elegant. Love the scape. Will be perfect for a planted tank. Just perfect. I was happy too. I had to add a wee bit more sand today, but only a couple of cups. It didn't get blown, but because I couldn't see the tank well, I could only gage the sand depth. When it cleared up, I saw a few spots were just shy of the 4" in the spaces where I had planned to plant seagrasses, so those needed filling. I have about 20lbs of LR left that's in a bucket with a powerhead. I don't know what to do with it. Link to comment
Monochrome5 Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 I have about 20lbs of LR left that's in a bucket with a powerhead. I don't know what to do with it. I may be interested in taking it off your hands... Even if it is smelly I'll pop you an email or something. Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted August 22, 2011 Author Share Posted August 22, 2011 I may be interested in taking it off your hands... Even if it is smelly I'll pop you an email or something. Ok, will look for your email. It smells better today. Haha, must be my water. There's something squishy in one if the rocks, though, I've no clue what it is. Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted August 27, 2011 Author Share Posted August 27, 2011 Some pictures... All cleared up. I shifted the rock a bit to look for the urchin I found a couple of days ago and didn't put the rocks back into scape form. LOLOL Doesn't need to be perfectly scaped now. I also reduced the flow. I'm running only one Koralia 425, still gives me about 10x turnover, so I'm not really complaining. Plenty for macros and seagrasses. I just haven't removed the 750 yet. Tried running just the 750, but still had sandstorm. So I stopped. Gotta remove it though. I'll use it to agitate water until I figure out something else for it. My sea urchin is still alive... Actually was super suprised to find him during the day as it was my understanding that he was nocturnal. It's a young pencil urchin. A hitch hiker & also an algae eater. Uh oh... I can either remove him, or keep him and work to find macro algae that isn't palatible. He's too large for my 8g, but the 36g isn't a bad size for him. There were several species of macro algae on my list that fit that criteria and I think I can find a happy medium that still makes this a nice planted marine, yet will not end up a giant sea urchin salad! And some video of the urchin. In addition to the urchin, we have speghetti worms, colonial hydroids and a feather duster (small one). Looks like my oolite sand storm days are over. thanks for looking. Link to comment
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