Llj's 5.5g nps pico

[lljdma06]

In that case go with the macro and phosphate remover.

The bigger your algae bed the better, many small NPS tanks actually have sumps/refugiums that are vastly larger then the display and are jammed with algae.

 

Then I'm on the right course. I'll look into some phos remover. Haha all the problems of a nps tank and all the problems of a pico all rolled into one tank.

 

L

[lljdma06]

Still looking into getting phos remover for this tank, but have to make an order for salt and other supplies, so I'll get that done.

 

Relocated my scarlet cleaner to my 8g. Had to rearrange all the rock work practically to catch him.

 

Diodogorgia still won't open, but the echino is opening great. Go figure. I'll be looking into getting some different food for the diodogorgia as well. Haven't given up on him yet.

 

Will be getting some sexy shrimp for this tank. Might as well since everybody needs to be fed in this tank. Also got rotifers to add to this tank. Was briefly tempted by a harlequin shrimp at the lfs, but I have no star fish except for one asterina that is just splitting, I may make him a refugium beast and see if I can grow more.

 

L

[Squared]

Tell me all you know about panda gobies

[lljdma06]

Tell me all you know about panda gobies

 

I take it you are interested in Panda gobies?

 

They are relatives of clown gobies so they perch like they do. Should be perching on sps idealy, but mine does great on rock work.

 

Really, really, really small fish. Mine's not even an inch. Big head. Color is cute. Demeanor is cute. They kinda hop along the rock work and dart about. Not a swimming fish. They are not super extroverted either.

 

From what I've heard, it's hard to get them to eat. I've only ever seen mine eat a few times. I think he eats pods, maybe rotifers? Leftovers from the sun coral feeds? I dunno. He's tougher than he seems. He survived a tank upgrade and a trip to the refugium (don't ask me how he did it either, no clue). He earned his name today. Lemmiwinks cause he survives terrible journeys up tubes.

 

L

[Squared]

Thank you. I do not know what a Lemmiwicks are.

[lljdma06]

Thank you. I do not know what a Lemmiwicks are.

 

Gotta be a Southpark fan to know who Lemmiwinks is.

 

You're welcome. They are a cute fish. Just very small.

[lljdma06]

Some pictures of my Refugium Beast. Sounds so dramatic.

 

 

 

I may be picking up another black sun and a balano. Gotta move some mushies out. May offer them for swap. Time for me to start shipping the corals. Woooooo!

 

I also have a bit of a dilemma. Lemmiwinks seems very happy in the fuge. Do I keep him in there? And if I do, I don't have a fish in my main display. Hmmmmmm If I get another fish for the display, it must be one that if Lemmiwinks manages to find his way back to the display tank, he'll get along with the new fish. I'm just a bit concerned that if I catch Lemmiwinks (not hard to do) & release him back into the main tank, he'll try to go into the fuge again and maybe not survive the trip. Impellers are dangerous things. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around how he got into the fuge in the first place.

 

L

[castiel]

I see a lot of cheato and a bit of coralline ... beast?

[lljdma06]

I see a lot of cheato and a bit of coralline ... beast?

 

He's orange & black.

 

[castiel]

Looks like a child's finger painting to me - you should enter that pic in the POTM - Abstract.

 

=0p

[lljdma06]

Looks like a child's finger painting to me - you should enter that pic in the POTM - Abstract.

 

=0p

 

Haha, you're just jealous cause you don't have an awesome refugium beast like I do.

 

He's still in there. Been a week already. Happy as a clam. I give him this deluxe 4g nps playground with friends and sand and rocks, and where does the little ingrate go? To the dirty refugium! Hahaha

 

L

[lljdma06]

I'm going to put Lemmiwinks back into the display tank. I just don't want him getting scooped up if I have to removed chaeto.

 

Also...

 

I'm bringing sexy back. LOLOLOL

 

[lljdma06]

Ok update time!

 

I got me some stuff...

 

Balanophyllia and Tubastrea macrandra

 

 

Oh, and look how tiny teeny! Sexy shrimp; Thor amboinensis

 

 

On a gorgonian

 

Closeup

 

Sexy Video (hehe, how funny to say)

 

Black sun is already extended

 

Balano is taking a little longer, but extending too. Great coral. Like a poor man's dendro. Dendro's are like $30 a head. This looks almost the same and it cost me less than three dendro heads and it has a bunch of them.

 

Video of my nps, diodogorgia is still being stubborn. Sulking orange sun is improving. Tupperware method helped. May try tupperware method on the diodo. Echinogorgia is doing AWESOME! Black suns are consistently fabulous.

 

Fts - but this won't stay like this. I think I want to move out the mushies and replace them with the gsp that I have. I think they chemical warfare quite a bit and it effects the nps, IMO. So only a few will be kept. The rest will go into the 36g temporarily until the new biocube is ready for hardy corals. Or I may do my first sell/swap with corals. I'm no longer scared to ship and receive things, so I'll be purchasing some heatpacks and start giving back to the hobby. A newbie will appreciate it. People have been very generous with me.

 

 

Thanks for looking. I appreciate all comments.

 

L

[Toontjuh]

fan- ####ing-tastic !!!

 

i love it!!!!!!!

 

i myself am in the proces of filling the tank up with npslps and and a few gorgs as well!!!

however my tank is a ten gallon tank, so it takes ages

 

how are the gorgs doing ?? are they extending alright ?? no film algae sticking to them??

seems like you have low flow, how is this working out??

 

and as a final question are your black sun coral polyps constanly open or just most of the time??

 

it's pretty difficult for me to find anything other than tubastrea coccinea >< especially balanophyllia and gorgonians. dendronephtyas on the other hand are found way too easily.

 

something i think that would really add to you tank is alcyonium very pretty

[castiel]

Looks amazing, I love the black-sun-sun-sun-black layout =0)

[lljdma06]

fan- ####ing-tastic !!!

 

i love it!!!!!!!

 

Thank you.

 

i myself am in the proces of filling the tank up with npslps and and a few gorgs as well!!!

however my tank is a ten gallon tank, so it takes ages

 

It does. I just swapped some of the mushrooms out. It was getting a little crowded in there, IMO.

 

how are the gorgs doing ?? are they extending alright ?? no film algae sticking to them??

seems like you have low flow, how is this working out??

 

One gorg is doing better than the other. No algae growing on them. I got very lucky and don't have much algae in this system at all. I have right now a Rio 90 and an Aquaclear 50, so on paper it is actually quite a bit of flow. I may opt to switch out the 90 with a Koralia 240. I tried it, but it was a bit tricky getting it into the right spot. I may just add a different, more directional nozzle to the 90, so the flow goes to the nps. It's not that there isn't enough flow, I just don't think it's being utilized very well.

 

and as a final question are your black sun coral polyps constanly open or just most of the time??

 

Black suns open when I add cyclopse ease and then pretty much remain open until a few hours before I feed them again the following day. The purply-polyped gorg is the same. Right now the balano is showing a similar behavior. My orange suns are more tempra mental. My diodogorgia used to open until I upgraded my Aquaclear fuge from a 30 to a 50. It's being a pain, no tissue loss or anything like that. Just being stubborn.

 

it's pretty difficult for me to find anything other than tubastrea coccinea >< especially balanophyllia and gorgonians. dendronephtyas on the other hand are found way too easily.

 

You get T. coccinea? I've always wanted one. That's the one I've never seen. Dendros are stupid expensive for what they are. My balano does nearly the same thing and it was loads cheaper. I'd still get a Dendro though if I found one I liked.

 

something i think that would really add to you tank is alcyonium very pretty

 

I'd love a chili, I think it'd look cool. My dream corals though are the Terrazoanthus, but I think I'm still too little. Maybe in a year or so.

 

Looks amazing, I love the black-sun-sun-sun-black layout =0)

 

Haha, that was unintentional, but I agree it looks cool.

 

L

[lljdma06]

So Toontjuh, I thought about what you said and what I had said about the Rio 90 not being used efficiently. I remember that I had a directional nozzle that comes with the power head. So while I was feeding, I grabbed it, but before I took some pictures and video. Besides, I swapped out mushrooms like I said I would anyway and needed to post an updated fts.

 

 

Also, video prior to the power head adjustment.

 

 

Ok, so fts now showing the new location of the power head.

 

 

But the real different is in the video. Oh! so much better flow.

 

 

And because it's sooooooo purty when extended, the balano

 

 

Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

 

L

[jgpico]

I want to do an NPS tank so bad now!!!!!!! My fiance is going to kill me if I set up another tank. Your stuff looks amazing llj. I really think I am going to set up a small nps tank.

[yoshii]

Wow this tank is doing great! Gorgeous NPS! :wub:

[lljdma06]

I want to do an NPS tank so bad now!!!!!!! My fiance is going to kill me if I set up another tank. Your stuff looks amazing llj. I really think I am going to set up a small nps tank.

 

Haha, it's a nice little tank. Just gotta keep the water stupid clean and feed a ton.

 

Wow this tank is doing great! Gorgeous NPS! :wub:

 

Thanks, the suns remained open the entire night, as did the Echino. It's nice, because my fuge light is on opposite schedule so I can see the extension regardless of it being during the night. Lovely, just lovely. I took some night shots and will post them tonight. The diodo woke up a bit, but it's getting a tupperware feed tomorrow or Monday. That was sourced from a different store, so it wouldn't surprise me if something was up with it.

 

L

[lljdma06]

Tanks is also kind of 6 months old, if you count the time when the stuff was in the 2.5g before the leak.

[lljdma06]

I'm a picture whore...

 

Meet the suns.... Just fed cyclops ease

 

 

 

Orange suns... My first one is so much better now. Huge improvement since I increased the flow and removed the cleaner shrimp. Lost some polyps, but the ones that are left are growing and getting fatter.

 

 

 

Balano

 

 

After eating mysis. hehehe, they piggy.

 

 

 

 

Video

 

 

And a video for Newman, Remember T-100, who lost his legs, well, look who got them back!

 

 

I'm done for now. Hehehe Thanks for indulging me.

 

L

[.Newman.]

nice one

[lljdma06]

nice one

 

Haha, he kinda reminds me of Rocky when he reaches the top of those long steps.

 

"Flying high now.... Flying high now..."

 

L

[Builder Anthony]

thats actualy the first time i ever seen that black coral open.its impressive.i like how you set it up as basicy a species tank that is basicly a wall of mouths.