ADA 60-F Shallow in Texas

[chippwalters]

Hey folks. Here's an update on everything. First, FTS. I've been watching my water params and things are proceeding nicely:

 

 

Next, the *BIG* news. Some of you may know I lost my baby BTA I bought at the frag swap. I dipped it oh so quickly, but the next morning it was a mass of jelly on the floor of the tank.

 

Today, I'm spot feeding some corals and I noticed this under a rock overhang (look at the center of the pic).

 

 

I'll be dam**D! The little fellow is alive and 'kickin-it' down under! Wow. But now I wonder what it was that I picked up off the floor? (I haven't seen my cleaner shrimp since I found it's empty carcass, which I thought was just a molt...hmmm.

 

NEW ADDITIONS: This week a local fellow reef clubber contacted me about a small duncan and hammer frag he had for sale. His previous Duncan (which I bought at the frag meet) is getting crazy fat as the little guy loves the spot feeding. So, here's a pic with the older guy on the right and the new little Duncan on the left. Both are looking good! And behind is the GSP I received so kindly from another Austin Reeffer.

 

 

And here's the little hammer I bought. He's taking turns extending and hiding. I've moved him around a bit trying to find a good place. Turns out not too much light and not too much current.

 

 

Also, I believe I got these green polyps for free at the swap. They really like spot feeding as well! Let me know if anyone can ID them.

 

 

And finally a picture of the kenya. Actually, there are two different pieces of this-- one slipped it's mount and took a trip through the powerhead-- I'm nursing him back in my frag tank.

 

 

Lastly, another freebie from the meet. This is a very small frag of frogspawn and he's finally starting to show after I mounted him to the rock.

 

 

That's all for now!

[metrokat]

Thanks Kat. I don't believe I can ever match the shoe and frag binge buying you've chronicled-- though it appears you have some good taste in both!

Thanks Chip. Now if only you would indulge me a bit. Are there some cool icons I can borrow? I've tried looking for aquarium related icon that look like your signature but have failed.

 

Also. I am in the midst of creating a blue print for my DIM (do-it-myself) sump/refugium. A one piece show-stopper that will fit in my cabinet. I was wondering if there was a simple 10G sump design you might have uncovered that you could point me to?

[JR!]

hey chip where did you get that 60f from?

[chippwalters]

hey chip where did you get that 60f from?

 

I originally placed an order from:

http://www.adgshop.com/

but they were back-ordered 6 months.

 

Then I saw were these guys had'em in stock and I ordered it immediately and cancelled my previous order.

http://www.adana-usa.com/

[chippwalters]

Thanks Chip. Now if only you would indulge me a bit. Are there some cool icons I can borrow? I've tried looking for aquarium related icon that look like your signature but have failed.

 

Also. I am in the midst of creating a blue print for my DIM (do-it-myself) sump/refugium. A one piece show-stopper that will fit in my cabinet. I was wondering if there was a simple 10G sump design you might have uncovered that you could point me to?

 

Hi Kat,

PM'ed ya about the icons. Re: the sump/fuge, I'm no expert, but can certainly give an opinion.

 

If you don't want to get all messy with cut glass/acrylic then consider having someone build for you. Or, of you're on a budget, you can do what I did and go the tank in a tank route. I assume you're talking about your 34 gallon.

 

Tank in a tank has a couple nice plusses-- first off, it's easily cleaned as mostly the inner tank, the one with live rock and chaeto, is what gets messy, so you can just pull it out every couple of months and clean it separately.

 

The idea is you drain from your DT into the little fuge tank -- I cover my drain tube with a filter bag and have some Chemi-pure in there with it. The water overflows out of the small tank into the larger tank where there's a two little fishies small media reactor (mine has Purigen) which feeds back into the fuge. The return pump is propped up just high enough so that the inlet is barely covered. This way if your DT drain is clogged, you'll pump only enough water into it to not overflow it, and the pump will just burn out.

 

Easier to replace a $20 pump than clean up the mess on the floor!

 

I also have a reef octopus skimmer, but haven't used it yet as my water params are crystal and clean. Perhaps later when my reef is more mature...

 

That's it. I like using the clear tubes for drain and return, so I can see what's going on. Also, I clean the filter sock/bags once a week and find all sorts of stuff in them, some of which is returned to the DT.

 

HTH!

[pbjelly]

I love this new set up. I know it's temporary, but the high-tech franken-tankishness is really doing it for me.

 

The new tank is beautiful. The dimensions are really pleasing to the eye. I'm glad to see that your BTA appears to have made it through. I'm excited to see where this is going and will be following along.

[chippwalters]

I love this new set up. I know it's temporary, but the high-tech franken-tankishness is really doing it for me.

 

The new tank is beautiful. The dimensions are really pleasing to the eye. I'm glad to see that your BTA appears to have made it through. I'm excited to see where this is going and will be following along.

 

Thanks. Funny that I end up staring at my sump and fuge/frag tank almost as much as my DT!

[chippwalters]

Interesting. After successfully fighting the dino algae (or whatever the instant growing hair algae was called), I moved my Turbo snail off to the sump as there didn't see much in the DT for him to do other than cause massive havok, tipping over corals, clogging the return, etc..

 

BTW, it appears turbos love to eat chaeto-- which is good as there doesn't seem to be too much else to keep him alive.

 

That said, the big little guy really did behave pretty well.

 

Anyway, I left the tank pretty much alone for a few days, letting the ATO and sump/fuge take care of things, only to sit down and notice a bunch of green hair algae starting to grow. Bummer, as unlike the previous algae which you can 'blow' off the rock, this stuff latches on for life and is even hard to scrub off.

 

So, I placed my turbo back in my DT and right on top of the rock with the hair algae. A few hours later-- all gone. I think I'll paint a little 'S' on his shell!

 

[milk]

things are looking good - yeah sumps and macroalgae are incredible, my tank at the moment is the first that I've truly utilized both and I can't be happier with the results. - The only filtration other than live rock that I run in my tank.

 

 

How high are your lights from the sand bed?

[iDerek]

Chip,

 

 

Your tank is absolutely amazing. Nice to see another nano reefer here in the Austin area! I'll definitely be following your build and it's progress.

[chippwalters]

things are looking good - yeah sumps and macroalgae are incredible, my tank at the moment is the first that I've truly utilized both and I can't be happier with the results. - The only filtration other than live rock that I run in my tank.

 

 

How high are your lights from the sand bed?

 

Well, they're about 12" off the surface of the water and the tank is around 7" tall, so I'd say around 19"

 

Chip,

 

 

Your tank is absolutely amazing. Nice to see another nano reefer here in the Austin area! I'll definitely be following your build and it's progress.

 

Hi Derek,

Thanks very much.

Are you part of Austin Reef Club?

[metrokat]

So, I placed my turbo back in my DT and right on top of the rock with the hair algae. A few hours later-- all gone. I think I'll paint a little 'S' on his shell!

 

NO! YOU DID NOT! CAN I BUY THAT SNAIL!

Sorry about caps, I got excited.

[chippwalters]

NO! YOU DID NOT! CAN I BUY THAT SNAIL!

Sorry about caps, I got excited.

 

Kat, sadly the snail's S tat is just like the icons in your sig-- created in Photoshop. So in reality, he's more like Clark Kent (but without the glasses).

[metrokat]

Argh. Maybe you could start a hermit crab avengers shell collection? And a super heros one as well.

[chippwalters]

A local reef club expert was kind enough to drop by today and we chatted about my tank and saltwater in general. Great time. He had a PAR meter and we created a light map for my tank, which has two

 

Ecoxotic PAR38 12K Aquarium LED 3-6500K White 2-455nm Blue

and one

Ecoxotic PAR38 Royal Blue Aquarium LED 5-455nm Blue 21W

 

 

We only did the readings for the two 3-white 2-blue Par 38's as I typically only use the 5-blue Par 38 at night when the others are turned off.

 

Anyway, for those of you who are interested, my lights are 9" off the surface of the water, and from the water to the sand bed is just under 6".

 

Here's the map:

 

[chippwalters]

Just bought this: (Japanese Dendro)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V...#ht_3335wt_1294

 

 

Never been disappointed from Austin Aquafarms. Pick it up on Wednesday-- can't wait.

[iball1804]

Woah! Incredible!

[21093r53]

i like your system youve got going

[metrokat]

Dendros are a nice pop of color. How is supe the snail?

[chippwalters]

Woah! Incredible!

Thanks. I still need some aquascraping... But not right now.

 

i like your system youve got going

Appreciate it. I do too!

 

Dendros are a nice pop of color. How is supe the snail?

Supe's still chomping away. Had a bit of hair algae in the display fuge and dropped him in there for a day to clean it out. I can tell when he's done, he just quits and "hibernates" in a corner. Turns out putting him in with the chaeto revives him-- he loves the stuff!

 

Gave away my yellowtail damsel to a fellow reefer who put him in an 80 gallon with a dozen or so other damsels-- and wouldn't you know he started in with them! But being smaller, he got beat up a bit until he started to behave.

 

Turns out my other damsel will have to go too. It's a young, Behn's Damsel (Neoglyphidodon nigroris). The guy at the LFS didn't give me the straight scoop on her as she'll end up too big for my tank and like my previous Damsel, will display aggressive tendencies. I'm planning on getting a young Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) as soon as the tank settles in. We'll have to see if the Damsel can get along.

[Deleted User 4]

Nice tank man

[iDerek]

Well, they're about 12" off the surface of the water and the tank is around 7" tall, so I'd say around 19"

 

 

 

Hi Derek,

Thanks very much.

Are you part of Austin Reef Club?

 

 

 

Not yet Chip, but my buddy Clint (fishypets) from ARC has been harassing me to join so it's only a matter of time.

[chippwalters]

Tank update..

 

Picked up a really cool Orange Japanese Dendro today which I won on eBay from Austin Aquafarms. It's a single polyp and just gorgeous. These guys are not photosynthetic so they must be fed, which is no problem. Also, got a nice piece of Platygyra (brain coral) while I was there. It's easily the greenest thing in my tank. Pics and a NEW VIDEO below.

 

Video:

 

 

 

[Deleted User 4]

Nice tank with those acan collection!!! Looking clean and crisp, that tank.

[iDerek]

I love your new dendro. I have an orange sun coral and while it looks amazing when the whole colony comes out to feed (at night), nothing looks as cool as a few dendro heads fully open during the daytime hours.

 

FYI- I've noticed my sun coral has a faster feeding response when I add a little cyclopeeze to the mysis I feed. The little sucker pounds them down and then fully opens for another in a matter of minutes!