Paigee's 20L Extravaganza!

[Paigee]

The puppies in the water with you are too cute! And I'm glad to see that Gilbert looks like he's adjusted well

 

Thanks I'm glad too!

[JakeJekel37]

Love the 10 gallon. Congrats on the upgrade to the 20. It will be nice to be able to fit even more stuff in now.

 

I just started my first SW tank (been keeping FW tanks since I was a little kid) and it was this thread that finally made me take the plunge. Though I'm doing it probably one of the most difficult ways possible by using a .9 gallon cube.

 

Looking forward to the progress of the change over.

 

Also, love the tide pool pictures. I live in Daytona Beach, FL and get to play in them a lot myself. It's always a blast. Love seeing the sea critters. I have some pictures myself, I hope I'm not out of line sharing them here in your thread.

 

This is Ponce Inlet, just south of Daytona Beach where my girlfriend and I go kayaking all the time, and where all the following pictures were taken.

 

 

Here's a pretty big clam we found. It was the same size as if I cupped both my hands and put them together.

 

This is a Whelk we found that had awesome color on the inside of the shell.

 

And finally, a Whelk egg case we came across.

[ScubaEthan]

ooooohhhh sooo coooool

[gena]

ooooohhhh sooo coooool

+10000000000000000

 

I can just feel the warmth through your photos I love Florida

[JakeJekel37]

BTW, I should point out that my girlfriend is the one who took the pictures. I was too busy wandering off and playing in the pools to be bothered with a camera. She is good at multi tasking though.

[Paigee]

Wow those pics are cool! Not out of line at all for sharing

 

I'm jealous of your white sands and blue waters! It's nice here, but not as nice as that You mostly have to tiptoe and ginger foot through the big rocks haha

[JakeJekel37]

Wow those pics are cool! Not out of line at all for sharing

 

I'm jealous of your white sands and blue waters! It's nice here, but not as nice as that You mostly have to tiptoe and ginger foot through the big rocks haha

Well, white sands I'll admit are nice. About the blue waters though, mostly just there at the inlet. Looks like the Bahamas there in the inlet. The water along the beaches though, while not exactly dirty, don't look as blue/green as the inlet. It is nice though, and probably wouldn't want to live anywhere else

[Paigee]

Well, white sands I'll admit are nice. About the blue waters though, mostly just there at the inlet. Looks like the Bahamas there in the inlet. The water along the beaches though, while not exactly dirty, don't look as blue/green as the inlet. It is nice though, and probably wouldn't want to live anywhere else

 

Plus isn't housing dirt cheap there? I watch the home and garden network all the time (cuz I'm cool like that ) and I can't remember where, possibly Florida, where there are big houses for the same price my mom paid for our condo we just moved into. And it's so pretty

 

----

 

I miss my tank Me and my boyfriends schedules have been complete opposites lately, so I haven't been over in almost a week. He's been topping up and feeding for me.

[JakeJekel37]

Plus isn't housing dirt cheap there? I watch the home and garden network all the time (cuz I'm cool like that ) and I can't remember where, possibly Florida, where there are big houses for the same price my mom paid for our condo we just moved into. And it's so pretty

 

Housing costs are a bit all over the board. We had a huge housing boom from around 2003 until 2009. People were paying outrageous prices for houses. Since then, a lot of prices have come down in many areas. But there are a decent number of people who refuse to sell at what the current market can handle because they don't want to, or can't afford to, lose their asses. But so you have a sense of what things are like down here. The house I lived in when I was in middle school and highschool was built in 1986, it was 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage, probably around 1,600 square feet. We sold it when I graduated high school for $86k. In 2006 it was on the market and sold for something like $240k. But now, if it was on the market, it would probably sell for between $115k and $135k.

 

The biggest problem though here is jobs. We're a tourist town. Our economy is seasonal. It's hard to find a job that will give you full time hours year round. Not impossible, just difficult. But I was born here, it's my home, and I don't plan on ever leaving (except for vacations of course).

 

I miss my tank Me and my boyfriends schedules have been complete opposites lately, so I haven't been over in almost a week. He's been topping up and feeding for me.

 

That's gotta be rough. I don't think I could keep a tank at someone else's house. The waiting to see it would drive me crazy.

[Paigee]

Good points jake. Rereading my post, I realize that sounded really insensitive. I'm sorry I didn't mean it that way. I totally get what you mean about context and having a seasonal industry would be difficult.

[JakeJekel37]

Good points jake. Rereading my post, I realize that sounded really insensitive. I'm sorry I didn't mean it that way. I totally get what you mean about context and having a seasonal industry would be difficult.

 

Oh, I didn't think there was anything insensitive I what you asked. At least, I didn't perceive it as such. I do trend to over explain things though, lol. No worries.

 

Back on topic, when are you going to be able to go check on your tank again? Would love an update on how the change over is going.

[Paigee]

Your wish is granted! Diatom bloom in full swing, went to get a clean up crew, drove half an hour out there, and me being a dummy forgot it was Saturday so they closed early. So no clean up crew for me.

 

 

Looks like the earliest I could get it is Tuesday with my work schedule and holiday hours. Boo urns!

I'm thinking I'm gonna go only snails, my last clean up crew had 2 hermits that eventually picked off every snail I had. Plus they knocked everything over!

 

Gilbert is looking happy, corals are mostly ok. I'm gonna do a water change on the 10g tonight and do one on the 20 in the next couple days. Stupid dinos are getting aggressive in the 10! I'll also test the water in the 20 and if it looks good I will move over some rics and zoas possibly tonight. I don't wanna get into doing too much cuz then I wont stop and I have work in the morning!

 

EDIT -

 

Ok so fish are 20% off at my lfs right now, and since it looks like the pink streak might be a while, I'm thinking about getting my bangaii! Also strongly considering a clown goby because they are so cute... Ahhh can't decide. Discourage me from this impulse buy discovery!

[JakeJekel37]

I like the scape. Good places to put corals in there. I haven't gotten the diatom bloom in my tank yet, but it's only been 8 days, I'm sure it's coming.

 

And come on, like anyone here is going to discourage you from buying nice fish, you know better than that.

[M&C]

I'd caution you on getting a clown goby if you want to get more into SPS later on. They like to hang out on SPS branches (females will even lay their eggs on them), which will irritate the coral and could cause tissue damage/death.

 

As far as the cardinal, I'd maybe wait another week or two so your tank has had time to adjust to Gilbert's bioload.

[Paigee]

I like the scape. Good places to put corals in there. I haven't gotten the diatom bloom in my tank yet, but it's only been 8 days, I'm sure it's coming.

 

And come on, like anyone here is going to discourage you from buying nice fish, you know better than that.

 

Yeah I was pretty surprised with the extent of the diatoms, but there is no ammonia or nitrates in the water so that's a good sign. I hope they have tank bred bangaiis, I'm going down there Tuesday!

 

I'd caution you on getting a clown goby if you want to get more into SPS later on. They like to hang out on SPS branches (females will even lay their eggs on them), which will irritate the coral and could cause tissue damage/death.

 

As far as the cardinal, I'd maybe wait another week or two so your tank has had time to adjust to Gilbert's bioload.

 

That's the only thing holding me back with the clown... I'll probably hold off because I don't really know my plans for the future and I'd hate to have to either refrain from SPS or try and catch the fish, cause that is HARD to do.

 

And I also was not going to add the bangaii into the 20L, I was going to be a good little reefer and put it in my 10 as a qt for a couple weeks

[M&C]

That's the only thing holding me back with the clown... I'll probably hold off because I don't really know my plans for the future and I'd hate to have to either refrain from SPS or try and catch the fish, cause that is HARD to do.

 

And I also was not going to add the bangaii into the 20L, I was going to be a good little reefer and put it in my 10 as a qt for a couple weeks

 

I love clown gobies, and it bums me out that they're not SPS friendly. I was planning on adding one to my 20L, but then the SPS bug bit me so that plan went out the window. If I ever get that softy/macro/quarantine/frag tank going, I'd definitely get one for it.

 

I'd say go for it on the cardinal then! Good idea with the quarantine tank

[Spirofucci]

Love that little 10 gal and the scape. It's gonna look beautiful!

[Paigee]

I love clown gobies, and it bums me out that they're not SPS friendly. I was planning on adding one to my 20L, but then the SPS bug bit me so that plan went out the window. If I ever get that softy/macro/quarantine/frag tank going, I'd definitely get one for it.

 

I'd say go for it on the cardinal then! Good idea with the quarantine tank

 

Fingers crossed they have at least one! I'd really like to be able to choose though. Also need to decide on my clean up crew.

 

Love that little 10 gal and the scape. It's gonna look beautiful!

 

Thanks, that last photo is of my new 20L, not the ten

[metrokat]

When are you moving stuff over?

[Bakenn]

I like the two island scape, it looks much more spacious.

[Spirofucci]

Fingers crossed they have at least one! I'd really like to be able to choose though. Also need to decide on my clean up crew.

 

 

 

Thanks, that last photo is of my new 20L, not the ten

 

That's what I get for not paying closer attention.

[Paigee]

When are you moving stuff over?

 

I'm going to start moving corals over today, the hardier ones like zoas and what not and see how they do.

 

I like the two island scape, it looks much more spacious.

 

Thank you

 

That's what I get for not paying closer attention.

 

Haha that's ok I forgive you

[gena]

I like the rockscape too! Gilbert's color blends nicely with the diatmos He's a cutie!!!!!

 

Guess I might be able to get the pink streaked wrasse after-all, since I'm upgrading

 

The plan is still on for the two of us being fish twins

[Paigee]

I like the rockscape too! Gilbert's color blends nicely with the diatmos He's a cutie!!!!!

 

Guess I might be able to get the pink streaked wrasse after-all, since I'm upgrading

 

The plan is still on for the two of us being fish twins

 

Oh yay! I'm so excited... If I can ever get mine

 

I has snails and I moved over some corals! With pics of course

 

Zoos

 

Pissed AOGs

 

Snails!

 

 

Group shot

 

Rics

 

Bad pic, but does my birdnest look ok? It seems paler but has pe... I dunno

[gena]

Looks like you added some decent little workers there

 

Frags look healthy!