mfield16 Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 any other ways to get rock to stay ontop of eachother? I just stack them, but I have knocked them over when doing maintenance, so I wouldn't recommend that. Some people use putty and glue. I never did any of that because I am always changing my scape... Link to comment
D3RSK Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 updated original post with pics! sand, rock and water is in.....cloudy from the live sand i put in....its all cleared up now though. Link to comment
mfield16 Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Lookin good. What kind of sand are you using? I like the look of it, but I hear a lot of complaints with black sand. Are you going to add more rock, maybe build up the structure a bit more? I started mine with big rocks like you and eventually slimmed it down, broke a few in half, and got some dry rock in smaller pieces to add. I personally like the look of a thinner, taller structure to compliment the hieght of the tank. I also think you should do some research on how deep of a sand bed you want to have. I recently switched from a bed a little deeper than yours to about 1/2"... That, along with a few other measures, have helped me keep my PO4 down to acceptable ranges. Link to comment
D3RSK Posted January 9, 2013 Author Share Posted January 9, 2013 Sand is the carib sea hawain black...its a little coarse, but hopefully it doesn't pose to big of a problem. I wanted the look of the black sand, in my opinion, it makes all the color in the tank "pop" a bit more. I'll probably add some dry rock in the future, to give it some more height. The current structure isn't tacked down with anything, just stacked on top of one another, so there is room to play with it some more. I ran a set of tests before I added the sand last night and everything was perfect. I'll run another test either tonight or tomorrow and see if it has changed since putting the sand in. As far as sand bed depth, I think its sitting around the 1/2" - 3/4" range...there is no sand under the rocks either. I put the sand in after the rock structure was in place. Link to comment
dtitus1 Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Hate to say it but you may want to reconsider that sand a lot of people get pissed with it and take it out. Regular black sand from Petco is much better you can just add it and the bacteria from your rocks will make it live. I use it in my freshwater tank, the stuff you have is like almost gravel and it WILL trap detritus. If I had known thats what you were gonna get I woulda definitely told you sooner :/ Link to comment
mfield16 Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I do agree that the black substrate will make the coral and fish colors pop. When I had my 75g African Cichlid tank I had black sand and red lava rock and it looked sick. However, I also agree with dtitus that it will become a problem down the road... do some research on it. Link to comment
D3RSK Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 I looked at reviews and comments about the stuff before, and all i could see was that it was "bigger grained" than people thought it should be. I've read that it isn't that big of an issue for most inverts, its not like I'm going to put a sea cucumber in the tank. What were the issues that you guys had? just keeping it clean? Link to comment
dtitus1 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Basically yeah. I wouldn't do any bottom dwellers in it either. Link to comment
D3RSK Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Bottom dwellers like gobies? Or hermits and shrimp? Link to comment
dtitus1 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Like gobies, shrimp shouldn't mind unless they're diggers of some kind. Link to comment
mfield16 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I say since it is already there just try it out. Looks great now. Also, check out this youtube clip, guy has the same tank. Looks good: Link to comment
D3RSK Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 I think I'm going to leave it in. I am on vacation next week, so as long as all the tests come out clean maybe I can get some cleaners and such by the end of the week. Link to comment
BlakeL Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 When you get to DIY for the lighting, take good pictures. I'm probably going to get this tank and will be looking to do the same. Link to comment
D3RSK Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 I'll probably be getting the LED setup within 2 weeks. I got myself a bit of a clean up crew today. 5 Narcissus 3 Asterena 3 Blue Legged Hermits 1 Emerald Crab (he's only got one claw, but I observed him happily grazing algae within minutes of putting him in, few hours later..he is hard to find, but still grazing.) I'll probably get one or 2 shrimp on the weekend along with finally putting some fish in. Anyone think that 2 shrimp is to much? if not, should I get 2 of the same? or can they be different? Link to comment
D3RSK Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 Currently as is. Still debating on getting the CPR refugium, and putting the Hydor skimmer inside it like the video linked previously. I ordered some dry rock from BRS to add to my tank, maybe give it a bit more height. Hopefully that will come early next week as BRS only ships out to Canada on Fridays (didn't realize that until after I placed the order last Friday). Then comes the debate on shrimp, fish etc...I'm no closer to deciding on what I want with that. Link to comment
dtitus1 Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I wouldn't do shrimp personally because they steal food from your corals and can pick at them. I also wouldn't do a skimmer, in a tank this small you're not really going to get any benefit you can't get from water changes. I can help you with some stocking ideas if you want though. Link to comment
BlakeL Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I wouldn't do shrimp personally because they steal food from your corals and can pick at them. I also wouldn't do a skimmer, in a tank this small you're not really going to get any benefit you can't get from water changes. I can help you with some stocking ideas if you want though. I'm also going to be using this 15G Column tank. Would any crabs do well with corals in this small of a tank? I'm a really big fan of crabs and other inverts that you really have to search for to find. Link to comment
dtitus1 Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Porcelain crabs, pom-pom crabs, theres like one other I'm thinking of that are all reef safe. Emeralds are hit or miss. My girlfriend was talking about converting her moms one of this into a reef here soon, I gotta see if she still wants to. Link to comment
D3RSK Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 My emerald crab is so far good. He doesn't bother any of the snails and he is pretty active. He hangs out on top of the top piece of rock at night when my moonlight is on. I'll try and get a picture of him soon. So why shouldn't I go with a skimmer? Or the refugium? Should I stick with the filter that came with the tank, or upgrade that to something? Link to comment
D3RSK Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 Also dittus...my stocking ideas were a pair of clownfish...and maybe one or 2 other things(not necessarily fish, maybe a tuxedo urchin?)...any suggestions? Link to comment
jpe1974 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Hello, I just recently purchased the Aqueon 15 Colum tank and noticed you had one as well and your saltwater tank looks fantastic. I was wondering if you could tell me what things I need to get to get up and running. I am wanting to just do basic live rock with a couple fish shrimp and snail and maybe some choral? Not sure what I need to purchase and would like some advice. Thanks! Link to comment
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