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Cultivated Reef

Mr. Microscope's Cube 2.1


Mr. Microscope

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Mr. Microscope
everything looks great! how's the favia behaving? i had a similar one and it stung nearby corals pretty bad so i had to get rid of it

Thanks HilmSean! The favia is doing well. I have it relatively isolated. So, don't think it'll be stinging anything, but I have seen some pretty long sweepers come out of it. It's definitely something I keep an eye on.

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Mr. Microscope
Looking good.

Thanks Criley7! Hopefully, I'll be able to get rid of my bryopsis soon. I have a secret weapon planned to aid my battle though. Updates soon!

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Mr. Microscope

Update 2012.04.27

 

So, I've been battling some bryopsis lately. The fact that I killed off all of my snails hasn't been helping either. In comes ReefCleaners to the rescue!

 

I got a new army of dwarf ceriths. Also, I picked up some dwarf plexis snails, some additional nassarius vibex, and I'm giving virgin nerites a shot. Additionally, I decided to add some macros to the display in a hopes of starving out the bryopsis. I got some grape calurpa, and some flame algae. Also, being added to the mix next week will be some Red Gracilaria. Check them out!

 

GrapeCalurpa20120426.jpg

This particular breed of grape calurpa is much more controllable than others. So, I'm not concerned about it getting out of hand.

 

FlameAlgae20120426.jpg

I LOVE this flame algae! It goes from orange to purple and even glows a little under RB LED's. I can't wait to see if the Red Gracilaria is similar. Overall, I'm really digging how these macros have added to the look of my reef. I really feel like it's starting to look like a little ecosystem now.

 

Finally, here's a little treat. I finally caught a glimpse of my porcelain crab. I'm starting to see it more and more now. He found a new favorite spot upside down under my yumas. I love how it's feeders are bright blue and orange. My wife pointed out to me that he's missing a claw. I don't know how he could have lost it unless the hermits decided to team up on him or something. I'm sure the new one will come with the next molt. Here's a cool movie:

 

th_PorcelainCrab.jpg

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Very nice start to this project Mr Mic. I really like the Pillar! Following to see what happens. Congrats on the clown beginning to host the Torch!

 

Brian

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This tank is amazing! I was wondering if I could get more info on how the drivers are connected to the BoostLED controller? I want to retrofit my Biocube with a RapidLed kit! Do I have to solder anything? Thanks!

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Mr. Microscope
Very nice start to this project Mr Mic. I really like the Pillar! Following to see what happens. Congrats on the clown beginning to host the Torch!

 

Brian

Thanks B! It's funny, you'd think that both clowns would host it, but only one of them seems interested.

 

 

This tank is amazing! I was wondering if I could get more info on how the drivers are connected to the BoostLED controller? I want to retrofit my Biocube with a RapidLed kit! Do I have to solder anything? Thanks!

Thanks kveekx! There are wires that come with the controller, but yes soldering is recommended. Of course you could just do the twisty connection, but that can be somewhat unreliable. If you're going to DIY your LED's you'll likely have to solder anyway. It's a really easy skill to learn and kinda fun. I don't know anything about the Rapid kits, but pay special attention to the colors and check out the LED Aesthetics thread before making any purchases. There's some great info here that will make or break your build IMO.

 

 

 

On a different note:

Hinty hinty...

4line.jpg

Edited by Mr. Microscope
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  • 4 weeks later...
Mr. Microscope

Update 2012.06.05

 

Hell All!

 

This update is long overdue! What can I say? Life is busy for a new dad. I got out a better camera for this update. 'Gotta start with a new FTS FTW!

FTS20120604.jpg

New fish!

4line20120524.jpg

I got this little beauty from DiversDen. It’s a four-line wrasse. I really like to colors of this guy. The fins have a kind of royal purple hew from the right angle. He started out eating only frozen, but now he’s into pellets too. It swims in more areas of that tank than my clowns or bangaii do. It’s fun to watch him go in and out of the rocks.

Here's couple more candid shots with the four-line.

howdySPS20120604.jpg

 

montionbottom20120604.jpg

You can see in this pic that I moved my red cap monti down to the bottom. There it stays.

 

Fan/power

I was tired of there being a million cords behind my stand. Also, I had a Tupperware box that I made to accommodate my power strips that sat on the side. Ugly, ugly, ugly! I salvaged a couple 12 volt fans from a piece old lab equipment that was going to get junked. I drilled another hold in the back of my stand and installed one of them blowing out as exhaust. I was then able to move the power strips inside the stand. I still have a few cords hang out the back, but it looks a heck of a lot better than it did.

 

sumpandfan20120604.jpg

 

Skimmer

Special thanks to member, “floppybass“, I now have a protein skimmer! A Bubble Magus NAC3. It’s working like a charm! ‘Pulling out tons of crap! I clean it about once a week.

To make room for the new skimmer, I moved my fuge to an area in my sump that I built for a smaller skimmer.

 

New coral placement

In addition to moving the monti cap, I’ve mounted quite a few more of my corals. I put several zoas up top as well as mounting my Vivid Rainbow Acro that has about fully encrusted it’s plug. It’s an intense lime green right now, but I’m also starting to see some purple in it.

 

topdown20120604.jpg

 

Battling Algae!

My porcelain crab molted a while back, but I don’t think he survived it. As a result, I had a huge outbreak of hair algae. It took me a while to figure out that this was the cause of it. My SPS browned out, stopped growing, and in a few cases started to recede (STN). This was about a month ago. Since then, I’ve been working hard to get rid of it. This has been my strategy:

  • Added protein skimmer
  • Increased water changes -> 15-20% once or twice a week.
  • Less feeding -> Still daily feeding, but frozen every second or third day instead of daily. Sorry bangaii! (he only eats frozen). Most days, it’s just pellets and I make sure the fish get almost all of them.
  • Replaced Chemi-Pure Elite with a fresh bag
  • Scrubb-scrubb-scrubbing the rocks with a toothbrush (this seems to actually work rather than spreading it around. I guess my flow, overflow, and return are fast enough to get it out before it settles in.
  • Manual removal with some fine and course tweezers for the bigger patches.
  • And finally, Mexican turbos!

So far so good! The SPS is making a great comeback. They stopped receding and now have more color than I’ve seen yet. Hopefully this will maintain as I continue to cut back on nutrients in the water and continue to ramp up my LEDs.

 

And a couple shots from the sides:

sides20120604A.jpg

 

The rock pillar is coloring up!

After scrubbing the algae away from my rock pillar, I noticed that my rock is really starting to color up! There are lots of patches of pink, purple, and red coralline. It’s like watching another coral growing. Fun fun!

 

LED canopy with hinges and new mesh top

When I first put up my LED build, I had it resting on some clear acrylic about 9 inches from the water. This left us practically blinded while sitting on the couch. As a stop gap measure, I cut up some pieces of cardboard as light blockers. Again..ugly, ugly, UGLY!

 

As a solution, I ordered some sign white opaque acrylic cut to size and attached it with some nice looking hinges. I now have light blockers that match the white acrylic of my setup. It really cleaned up the look. The hinges make maintenance easy as well.

fullstand20120604.jpg

You can see here that I've also added a mesh top. At first I didn't think it would be necessary, but I have heard a few splashes since adding the four-line wrasse. Hopefully, it will prevent any carpet surfing. Thanks poidog for helping me build it..er building it for me!

hoodandmesh20120604.jpg

 

 

MP10 upgrade and short pulse with wave

I was running the old blue MP10 controller, but I came upon a great deal for the newer Ecosmart controller. The additional features are kinda neat. I used to run my MP10 in Reef Crest mode 24/7. Now, I’m playing around with the short pulse. I’ve found a good balance and have the water rocking really well. Not quite a wave, but probably the best I can do considering the height of my overflow and the fact that the tank is a cube and not rectangular. Check out this video.

th_miniwave.jpg

 

No new corals, but new stuff to come on Father’s day!

So, I still haven’t added any corals since my last update. I got these pink guys a few months ago and fragged the colony a while back.

pinkzoas20120524A.jpg

pinkzoasRB20120524.jpg

pinkzoas0220120524.jpg

They came from a very low light tank. So, I’ve been slowly raising them up the side of the tank. Once I reach the top, I think I may add them to the display, minus the frag plugs. I was originally planning to sell them and I still might, but they’re starting to grow on me as they get better and better color. What do you think? Should I keep them? Long story short, nothing new in the tank coral wise.

 

I haven’t really had the time or money to invest in new corals these past few months. However, for Father’s day, my wife is going to take me to my favorite LFS and let me get a few pieces. I’ve been fantasizing about it for weeks already! I can’t wait! Hopefully, they’ll have a sale going on.

 

That's it for now!

Mr. M out..

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Mr. Microscope
Nice wrasse!

 

I've been considering one of those but I wasn't sure if they were as aggressive as 6 lines

Thanks!

All I know is that the stripped wrasses don't mix with the mystery kind. I've only seen him get a little territorial once or twice for a second, but for the most part is very well behaved.

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Mr. Microscope
Ahhhhhh! My Eyes! I have seen toooo much!

 

Wow, the Pillar is awsome! Great job so far!

 

B

Thanks friar!

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albertthiel

Very nice layout and drawings and pics.

 

Thanks

 

Albert

 

 

Hello All,

 

This tank has been in my head since at least 2009 while I was doing my first SW tank (3 gallon pico) back in NYC. I've got more space now that I moved back to the Midwest. So, it's upgrade time!!! It's going to be a Mr. Aqua 25 gallon cube with a Mr. Aqua 7 gallon cube for sump/fuge, a stand being built by my father-in-law, an MP10 (I have controller and wet side, I still need to get the dry side), and I finally finished the LED's today. So, I decided to start the thread.

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albertthiel
I still love that rock sculpture! How do you like yer new wrasse? I almost got a 4, but got a 6 instead!

 

Nicely aquascaping is I guess another trait of what a lot of hobbyists do rather than just piling rock on top of rock .. takes al title time to do but IME it is well worth it and the end result looks so much better, and with the glues that are now available in the trade it can be done ... as some dry under water (not sure but I seem to remember that Julian Sprung's company Two Little Fishes sells it or used to sell it but then maybe the larger DIY stores do too ....

 

Albert

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Mr. Microscope
I still love that rock sculpture! How do you like yer new wrasse? I almost got a 4, but got a 6 instead!

Thanks Spiro!

I have to say the wrasse is a very pretty fish. I'm finding it to be a bit aggressive though. He sometimes picks on my clowns in their little home. Also, he steals food from any coral I'm trying to spot feed. I feel kinda bad. Today, I was trying to feed a bunch of corals. I kept turning my back and before I knew it, the wrasse had a very fat tummy! Yikes! I hope he's okay.

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Mr. Microscope

Happy Father's Day all!

 

I hope you've all had a great weekend! Now that I'm a dad, I rarely get new corals anymore. So, for Father's Day, I requested a trip to my favorite LFS. The whole family came and we had a lot of fun. It was like Christmas! I feel I made out pretty well.

 

Here's my haul!

To start out, I got this amazing torch. Unfortunately, the pic doesn't do it justice. It has yellow metallic tentacles and pink tips. The yellow really looks amazing under blue LED's. I'm especially excited about this piece because it fits in the spot that I actually built in my rock pillar for a torch. See my original pillar coral layout plan here.

Yellowtorch20120616A.jpg

 

Second, I found a little orange fungia. At the store it looked all orange, but in my lights it has purple tentacles and a slight purple rim around the edges. I went to the store wanting bigger corals, but I've always wanted one of these. So, I bit down.

fungia20120616A.jpg

 

Lastly, I got this nice big deepwater SPS. I think it's called an anapora. I'm not sure how it's going to color up, but it's pink and white right now. It's in photoacclimation, but will go on the top with all the other SPS in a few weeks.

anapora20120616.jpg

 

As a bonus, a friend won a free $10 frag and gave me the ticket. I picked out this Blasto frag.

Blasto20120616.jpg

 

I also won some free Astria snails. I'm not a big fan of them since they can't right themselves when upturned, but they seem to be doing a good job cleaning so far. 'Guess I'll keep them for the time being.

 

That was it. Time for a little update. I realized i haven't posted much about my acans yet. They're doing amazing in my tank. They started out with only two polyps when I first got them.

(Lower right pic)

allLPS20110916.jpg

Last time I counted there were fifteen. Nine of those grew in just the last three months! Here some oohs-and-ahhs under RB LED's.

RBacans20120616.jpg

 

That's it for now!

Edited by Mr. Microscope
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albertthiel
Happy Father's Day all!

 

I hope you've all had a great weekend! Now that I'm a dad, I rarely get new corals anymore. So, for Father's Day, I requested a trip to my favorite LFS. The whole family came and we had a lot of fun. It was like Christmas! I feel I made out pretty well.

 

That is for sure a lot of great corals you got and have ... and yes Happy Father's Day

 

Albert

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Mr. Microscope
love those corals

Thanks Kayleen!

 

That is for sure a lot of great corals you got and have ... and yes Happy Father's Day

 

Albert

Thanks Albert!

 

Nice catch on those coralz!!! That pink one is a nice specimen!

Thanks Spiro! A good friend of mine said no one knows how they will color up. Apparently, they all come in whiteish because they come from deeper water. I thought it was a stag or an acro, but it's supposedly something else. I've been looking everywhere, but I can't find any info on it. Perhaps I'm spelling the name wrong. I'll definitely post more info about it later when I get it.

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