pbjelly's 14g biocube

[msscha]

I must have picked up some gravel when I was swishing around, so the scratches are many, varied, and on the front inside glass.

A thousand bummers. Will you be upgrading or is it too soon to get back on the bike?

[metrokat]

Oh no! I'm sorry that happened PBJ!

You need a drink. I'm buying. Just say when.

[msscha]

Hey, PBJ, was just checking in to see how the tank is going and how you're doing!

[pbjelly]

It's been eons since I posted here on NR - which I'm sorry about. I've checked in occasionally, but just never seemed to find the time to post. So here goes a mega update in a nutshell.

 

The tank has been through a lot over the past two years since it was set up. I've been away for extended periods and although it held up well, things always seem to happen that I didn't predict.

 

I think the last FTS was from sometime in June of 2012

 

 

By August, 2012 you can see I'm starting to lose the last of my ricordia

 

I've also folded my Ode to Bob Ross Walmart pico into the tank because I needed to be out of the country for three weeks. This tank was pretty stable, but trying to find someone to take care of a 60Lb dog, a 14 gallon reef tank and a 2 gallon pico wasn't in the cards, so the little gsp island and pom pom xenia moved in.

 

 

By September 2012 that ric was still melting away, I split off some of the green zoos for a friend and I placed an order with Morgan from reefgardener.net for some maxi minis and two tiny birdsnest frags.

 

 

As of November of 2012 the tank got Super Sexy with the addition of five Sexy Shrimp.

 

 

They were horrible little bastard molesters who picked at everything! Cute, but no matter how much I fed them, they picked and picked and picked at everything they could reach.

 

 

At around this same time, this happened

 

 

This emerald crab had been with me for a while. He'd molted a few times, but with the addition of the extra food for the Sexies, he molted into a Monster. It was like Godzilla was on a rampage in my tiny tank.

He was so big he started getting in fights with the clown fish.

Godzilla had to go.

 

[pbjelly]

Update continued....

 

By February of 2103, the tank was pretty stable and the growth was really starting to take off.

 

 

As of May 2013, I was really enjoying how it was progressing.

 

 

Then I got booked for work out of town.

I was only supposed to be gone for a week, but ended up having to stay for 20 days! I had someone who could feed my tank and check to make sure the top-off reservoir didn't run dry - but that was it.

With no one hand feeding them, the Sexies went to town.

 

 

The Sexies had to go.

I managed to catch three and re-home them. These two were granted clemency with the understanding that any further coral crimes would net them the severest of penalties.

 

 

 

[pbjelly]

When I returned from my unfortunately extended trip, I had a lot of salvaging to do. The tank was in surprisingly good shape, but I lost some of the layers of one of my monti caps and the corals were starting to wage war on each other.

 

Then - for the first time in a year, one of the Cherry Mata anemones decided to take an extended trip for itself. It visited the top of the tank, it visited the bottom. It mowed across some pink palys, some blue zoas and burned a birdsnest before settling right at the base of my peach digi.

 

This was an early pic when I started growing the coral.

 

 

You can see the horrible burn all across the base

 

 

The nice new spot the anemone settled into is right smack in the front. After a year of hiding in the least visible place possible - it decides to become a diva!

 

 

What came next, I've been calling "The Big Frag"

 

 

I had it in mind to sell these. But you know how it is, you get busy, you forget to take pictures, it's a pita, (or maybe that's just me...)

With all of the frags, the tank really started getting out of control.

 

It also got so @$^ing HOT this summer, that this happened to my lights.

 

 

The tank is attached to a chiller, but the fans in the cover just couldn't keep up with the heat and my leds started burning out.

 

Too much coral stuffed in too small a box. Too many things breaking.

Rather than fight, I'm going to join.

 

 

I'm movin' on up! 32 Gallons.

I got this baby used from a reefer in the area. Bigger and Topless! What's not to love

[metrokat]

[milenike70]

This thread is amazing!!!! It has been my nightly read for a week now. I am on my 3rd 29 gallon biocube. It is the Coralife and I love it. I will post a pic when I can.

[pbjelly]

 

Thanks Kat

This thread is amazing!!!! It has been my nightly read for a week now. I am on my 3rd 29 gallon biocube. It is the Coralife and I love it. I will post a pic when I can.

Thanks Milenike. You should start a thread for your tank. Even if you don't regularly update it can be a great way of keeping track of your own progress. I've come to really appreciate being able to look back and see where both the tank and I were two years ago.

[milenike70]

This is my tank at 3 months old. This is my third biocube. The one I had before this had full ugraded LED's and it was pretty, but it started to bleach my corals.

 

Coralife Biocube 29

Stock lighting with one LED

Intank media basket

No bio balls

1 500 gph powerhead

20 pounds of live rock

30 pounds of sand

Duncan coral with 10 heads

Torch coral with 12 heads

2 types of pom pom xenias

Hammer coral with 2 heads

Small Kenya tree

Carpet anemone

Green star polyps that are growing massively

And I also have a small rock with blue snowflake polyps on it. You also have these in your tank.

2 paired saddleback clowns

2 bangaii cardinals

1 Purple firefish

2 snails

4 hermits

[milenike70]

Wow I post a pic of my tank and nobody comments.... Does it suck that bad???? ?

[pbjelly]

Hey milenike - that carpet anemone is amazing. Your tank looks really nice.

 

I don't update very often, so my thread doesn't get a lot of traffic. If you want comments you should probably start your own tank thread - you could even reuse the post you did on this thread. I'm sure you would get more replies than you'll get here.

[milenike70]

Thanks for the comment PB. I was really just wanting you to let me know what you thought. It is really crazy, because that carpet nem is so beautiful in person. It is about the size of a volleyball just like my torch. My two clowns are really mean to it though. Don't know if that is normal, you can see them all day zipping in and out like they are beating it. But it always stays open and happy. Love your pico tank also. I want to get one for my son, but I am worried that it might be too much upkeep.

[milenike70]

Dude you gotta update!