msscha's 24 gallon office cube

[msscha]

I think I'm going to be a Tank-Ma!

 

Thought I had two male sexies, but looked at them next to each other today, and dang if one didn't look considerably fatter than the other (see shrimp in back)!

 

 

I took a couple of close up -- the first is skinny belly, who I am assuming is "daddy"

 

Then here's is big belly shrimp, who I think is "mama" -- in the second picture, it looks like there are eggs!

[msscha]

I have been insanely busy at work this week, and it took until today to realize I haven't seen Priss since last Thursday -- I fear the worst!

 

My pink shrooms appear to be reproducing -- more maybe these are from spores left behind by the brown shrooms? In any case, here is one of the new babies:

 

 

Tank looks good otherwise. I had to re-glue the zoas, but they do seem to like their new spot better. The rics, trumpet, and duncan look just huge by mid day --fat, fat, fat! Still struggling with cyano -- ordered Boyd's chemclean. Since the cheato basically melted away and the coral seems happy, I can't figure out where the phosphate is coming from and why it won't go away. The trimma seems much shyer, more skittery after its multi-day disappearance, but it is eating well.

 

Fat and Happy Coral

 

Sexy on Stage

Edited August 9, 2012 by msscha

[das awesome]

I just spent soo many days reading your entire thread! Because of you I had to fish out my 14g biocube from the garage and set it up. I love how much your tank has progressed. The ricordea garden is gorgeous! Those are my favorite corals. Are you gonna get any yumas? I have 4 (pink, red, orange and purple/green). I think you would love them cuz they're highly addictive.

 

Also, what have you decided to do with the broken fan? Mine completely stopped working as well as one of the moonlights and that's what made me decide to just move everything into my 55g and put the cube away.

[msscha]

Wow -- I so respect your commitment! Thanks so much for reading through the entire thread. The one year anniversary is just a couple of weeks away!

 

My fan seems to be working again, but I have decided to gut the hood and replace with RapidLEDs 14BC retrofit + moonlight LEDs I will do the solderless option! I think the greater light control will help the tank/corals, especially get the rics to split. SteveLED has a retrofit, too, but it is intended for the newer version of the bc -- and I have the older, so have confirmed with RapidLED that their's will fit.

 

Dust off that 14! I shall eagerly await the thread detailing your efforts !

[msscha]

Chem clean arrived a couple of days ago, and I need to get going on this. I am definitely having a "tank day" -- one of those days at the office when there is so much work to do that all I can think about is my fish tank! Despite the cyano, the tank looks good. The peppermint shrimp must have died since it's been two weeks. I wonder about that -- what is killing the peppermint that isn't killing the sexies?

 

I will be ordering the RapidLED solderless kit either this week or next. I am very excited about it! So, since I've made that decision, the next big one is what I want to do about the clown fish. I would like one more fish in the tank, particularly one that will be out in the water column or at least just "out". Adding a small clown is a possibility, though Bozette has not indicated much tolerance for that. I could try a different kind of fish, such as a firefish or a gentle wrasse...there's a pygmy angel with a yellow face that is absolutely beautiful, but won't work with a clown and is not considered reef safe by liveaquaria. Or, I could take Bozette back to the lfs and get two baby clowns or a different combination altogether.

 

In the meantime, Mama Sexy is still preggers! Some day I'll come to work and nobody will be hungry . I fantasize that at least one baby will make it (I have about 1/2 dozen baby snails that must have been chaeto hh-ers), though I realize this is highly unlikely!

 

Mama Sexy

 

Trumpet with interesting nodules

 

Almost FTS

[HVani]

The tank looks really nice I can't wait to see how the LED kit turns out.

 

Sorry about the peppermint shrimp. When I had my BC14 I went through about 3-4 peppermint shrimp and none of them lived much past a week. Now I have a blood red shrimp with no issues. I have read somewhere that peppermints can be weaker than other shrimp. Who knows if it is true or not.

[msscha]

The tank looks really nice I can't wait to see how the LED kit turns out.

 

Sorry about the peppermint shrimp. When I had my BC14 I went through about 3-4 peppermint shrimp and none of them lived much past a week. Now I have a blood red shrimp with no issues. I have read somewhere that peppermints can be weaker than other shrimp. Who knows if it is true or not.

Thanks so much, Hravanii! A friend told me the same about peppermints. It's been weird -- my first peppermint was a brazen character who lived for months, then died in a salinity crash. Since, I've not been able to keep one alive for more than a few weeks. I'm nervous about adding another skunk or blood since they are so much more expensive! What I need right now is something that picks at the rock/sand, eats detritus, eats aiptasia. That points to peppermints.

[msscha]

Removed carbon and chem-pur elite, added one spoonful of chem clean, and air stone per directions (note: after reading on the water chem thread, I moved the airstone to the back where the carbon filter usually is -- this way, increased oxygen without problem of bubbles in tank). The bubbles add some nice extra flow! Maybe I'll keep the stone in there for turbulence -- are there any down sides to having an air stone? Will extra oxygen hurt anything?

 

Bubbles! (since moved to back)

Edited August 16, 2012 by msscha

[msscha]

Oooh decisions! Trade current ocellaris for a pair of picassos? Hmmm...

[HVani]

Tough choice :/

[msscha]

Boyd's Chem Clean seems to have done a nice job with the cyano outbreak. Most of it was gone when I came in today (Sunday -- treatment was on Thursday). I changed 3 gallons (a bit over 20%) and the water looks very clean. I gently scrubbed the rock face where the cyano was with a toothbrush before I changed the water. I may use the treatment once a month as suggested on the box.

 

I've ordered the RapidLED solderless retrofit kit ! It should be here around Wednesday. May not get it installed until the week after next, but at least it will be here ! I went with RapidLED b/c their retrokit is for the "old" oceanic BC, which is what I have. I ordered the dimmable kit, PWM controller, and 2-moonlight kit. I am so psyched!

[nwin]

Boyd's Chem Clean seems to have done a nice job with the cyano outbreak. Most of it was gone when I came in today (Sunday -- treatment was on Thursday). I changed 3 gallons (a bit over 20%) and the water looks very clean. I gently scrubbed the rock face where the cyano was with a toothbrush before I changed the water. I may use the treatment once a month as suggested on the box.

 

I've ordered the RapidLED solderless retrofit kit ! It should be here around Wednesday. May not get it installed until the week after next, but at least it will be here ! I went with RapidLED b/c their retrokit is for the "old" oceanic BC, which is what I have. I ordered the dimmable kit, PWM controller, and 2-moonlight kit. I am so psyched!

 

I can't wait to see this! Hopefully your camera is better at not oversaturating the heck out of the royal blues!

 

What color combo did you go with?

[msscha]

I can't wait to see this! Hopefully your camera is better at not oversaturating the heck out of the royal blues!

 

What color combo did you go with?

I am psyched, too! I went with a white combo of 4 neutral, 2 cool and 6 blue. I'll be very curious to see how this turns out .

 

Gee, I cannot get a decent picture of the ocellaris with my point-and-shoot, but the first time I use my Motorola XPRT, I get a pretty good shot! See how clean the rock is? Most of the surface behind her and above the top pink mushroom was covered in red slimy stuff. Now, it's nice and clean! It also is sporting some new kind of sponge growth -- at least that is what I think it is. It's nearly transparent, hugging the rock in tube-y like things. It's the stuff right above the top pink shroom, but the picture doesn't really show it.

 

[atomic_dog]

I'm looking forward to seeing how your lighting upgrade goes. I'm really close to pulling the trigger on the same setup. I was wondering about how it would look mixing up the neutral and cool whites, now I can wait and let you be the guinea pig.

 

Are you going to have them all on one timer or will you be splitting up the whites and blue on separate controllers?

[msscha]

I'm looking forward to seeing how your lighting upgrade goes. I'm really close to pulling the trigger on the same setup. I was wondering about how it would look mixing up the neutral and cool whites, now I can wait and let you be the guinea pig.

 

Are you going to have them all on one timer or will you be splitting up the whites and blue on separate controllers?

I believe from the description I will have only a single timer. However, I have a timer power strip currently in place, so I can mix it up. With the new timer, I can set different levels for sunrise/midday/sunset -- beyond that, I have no idea what I will do! But it does present a lovely research project to distract me -- thanks so much for the suggestion!!

[atomic_dog]

After I posted that I went back and read through the manual for that PWM controller. I didn't realize that it did the dawn/dusk thing for you, so it looks like you don't need to separate the blues and whites on different timers. The downside to it appears to be that on the daylight setting you can't individually control the whites and blues to adjust the color to your liking. It's adjust the intensity of both of them at once.

 

From what I can tell, if I wanted to be able to adjust them individually I would have to skip the PWM controller and instead add two potentiometers and plug each one into its own timer.

 

I dunno, the more I try to figure out what I need for my little BC14, the more confused I get. The solution that you went with (PWM controller) seems the most straight forward so I'll probably wait to see how you like the color on your setup and just copy your order.

 

Hooray for salty moneypits!

[metrokat]

Your almost FTS is the prettiest composition ever. Sexy Mama and Sexy on stage are adorable pictures and captions. You should be writing for a living, unless you are already?

 

I may have missed it but you have a pretty red and white brittle star, I was wondering what his name was?

[msscha]

Your almost FTS is the prettiest composition ever. Sexy Mama and Sexy on stage are adorable pictures and captions. You should be writing for a living, unless you are already?

 

I may have missed it but you have a pretty red and white brittle star, I was wondering what his name was?

Thank you so much ! Some pictures just work nicely. Interestingly, I don't write for a living in the way most people mean it, but I do teach scientific writing for a living, and used to write creatively, so maybe there are a few of those neurons still firing!

 

The red/white brittle is a hitchhiker who's not been named! I have several of them, so I assume they do some partying after lights out. The one most often in the pictures hangs out in the crevices of a rock near the favia, and often looks like it is petting it .

 

I love the favia just about an hour after the lights come on -- the four layers of color are clearly visible. I wish the camera picked up its texture -- it is velvety and soft, like some lovely plush throw pillow the cat would snuggle into.

 

 

The bigger yellow ball sponge, which is happier since being moved into a shady spot. In fact, the small one looks better, too, following the chem clean treatment.

[msscha]

My LEDs have arrived! I am so psyched, but don't even want to take them out of the box. It'll be the middle of next week before I can even think about doing the work .

[phoenix91]

All caught up. Congrats on the LED upgrade, can't wait to see how it turns out. As for the clown, baby clowns are awfully cute All of your photos are lovely.

 

My tank has an explosion of baby snails, maybe they are hardier than other babies.

[msscha]

All caught up. Congrats on the LED upgrade, can't wait to see how it turns out. As for the clown, baby clowns are awfully cute All of your photos are lovely.

 

My tank has an explosion of baby snails, maybe they are hardier than other babies.

Maybe it's the season? I have a bunch of baby snails, too! Little white ones, so I can't tell if they are nassarius, astreas, or ceriths. They aren't pointy, so probably not ceriths. I have no idea where they come from -- I think they were hh-ers on some chaeto .

 

I did open the LED box last night, just to peek. It was packed with a seemingly overwhelming bunch of electronics. I didn't unwrap anything -- just carefully put it back in the box. I'm so chicken when it comes to messing with electronics !

[phoenix91]

Mine are all white too. the back chamber is full of them and i find them meandering all around the glass. I think nassarius since the explosion happened after a RC order.

 

I do that too, although i quite enjoy electronics i'd probably want someone to help so i'd have someone to blame if it all went wrong.

[gena]

Everything looks great!!!! I can't wait to see the LED upgrade on this tank

 

I have/had the snail explosion too. Mine were little white things and they turned out to be nerites.

[msscha]

As usual, Monday is interesting. Found a new (to me) tube critter hanging out behind a feather duster. Something knocked one of the blastos off its spot, dragged it across the bed, and half buried it. I've moved it where it was, but it looks half dead. Whole heads are just white skeleton; others are half white, with just touches of a bright green center and a hint of maroon at the edges. Mama Sexy is still fat looking, but don't see the eggs. I'm guessing the tank dined well this weekend!

[msscha]

Life is not made of easy stuff at the moment -- my little tank provides much needed distraction.

 

The package from RapidLED was missing a few things so I am awaiting replacements before proceeding with the retrofit. I am okay with that -- gives me time to study what I am supposed to do.

 

Just some pictures today.

 

Duncans in Motion

 

Duncans at Rest

 

Neon green Trumpets, fat and happy

 

Shrooms!

 

Sexy Daddy

 

Sexy Mama (she often hangs out here during water changes)

 

Baby Toadstool (I think -- it's really hard to get good pictures b/c it's just off the corner -- but the stalks have emerged more clearly over the last week)

 

Lemon Lime Tunicate (made up the name -- started growing a couple of months ago)