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7 gal nano Carpet anemone tank a journey


nobodyhasthisname

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nobodyhasthisname

Note nano-reef.com started it all that gave me a lot of information on how to do a nano reef tank,i am very successful with the info that was provided,the below article is a quick pic session which i already completed with my tank Is been almost 10month for the tank.Without posting this topic in nano-reef.com.It would have been injustice.What you see is a fast forward of the progress.

 

By the way NAMASTE ..all the way from INDIA enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone,this is my first try on a saltwater tank which i wanted to start from ages,but never got the chance to do one earlier.And the best part is it was on my BIRTHDAY that it all happened 11th march,I have read many books on saltwater aquarium probably the same one that you have read,but the truth is you have to do it hands down to learn better,I would really love some pointer from my fellow aquarist,even if they sound silly.Anyways lets cut the chase and get to the point,here are some of the spec for my tank.



Tank Dimeson =12 L* 12 W * 11H
Filter Hang on back=Dolphin h500 ,5 kg live rock
Lighting=Bajaj ECOLUX 36W,6500k,and blue t5 light 48w, 4 hours daily
Water movement=2x 800l pH sobo power head 24/7,12 hours each
substrate=bare bottom tank
Salt=Red Sea Coral pro
SG=1.026
Water=Bisleri
Water change=1.5 liter every week

 

 

Day 1,

 

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Note=i got the rock with hair algae and Coraline algae

With light on

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Day 2

I went to the lfs(local fish store) to fetch a second power head,by now the water has mostly cleared up

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Later that day i also learned that i had aiptasia(Glass Anemone)

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A few close up

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day 5

I had to do an early water change because i knew there are a lot of die off,and also decide to get a Hang on Back filter(HOB)

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Now for the filter i wanted to do some modification(mod),so i decide to add a piece of sponge,which i had to remove later because the water was not able to pass through the sponge

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Current pic of the tank
with the the HOB

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Tools of the trade

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Just today early morning i discovered this which looked like a snail but i am not sure,if anyone can tell me what this is if its is a pest or could be a pet will be really helpful.In my opinion it may be a limpet snail

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it went away when i turned on the lights.

Hi guys, :) just learned that my rocks had a lot of pest,which will really do harm in the long run so i decided to say goodbye once in for all,i meant the pest,not the marine tank :D ,i am getting more confident now,I read in one of the articles that you can bleach your live rock and make them free of pest and all the rest of the good stuff,i decided to go for it,so here are a few pic

Rocks out of the tank cleaned and ready for a nice bleach wash

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one at a time,Goodbye pest

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Almost done

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I had a couple of dead rocks as well which i thought will also be a nice add on

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Lesson i learned is no matter where you get your live rocks from,make sure what you are getting,anyways once the LR is cleaned and dandy,i will add a small piece of LR which will jump start the cycle.



Hello,Guys

just an update,since all my my LR was bleached so a fellow hobbyist decided to donate a piece of live rock,until the old LR was cleared off of pest just a few pic of the update process.

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Also got my self a Damsel just to speed up the cycling process

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And guys guess what ,i got hold of a 1 FEET ACTINIC TUBE in a shop in Lajpat nagar only 55 Rs,i will give the details later for now enjoy this pic

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By the way i was trying some aqua scape on my own,just a pic of the one i think i would go with,Let me know what you guys think,suggestions always welcome.

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Hello Guys,just got back from a days trip from home town,recently acquired a few coral frags from a fellow aquarist a Zoa Polyp and two piece of red Mushroom,check it out,the blue actinic really works,but the camera unjustified the quality of the real thing,check this out.

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Under Actinic

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Just an Update did a aquascape,tell me guys what do u think

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The carpet


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Just a quick update guys,the anemone has finally found its spots and is seems to settle down for now,but you never know,did a bit of aqua scaping as well,.Enjoy :adore

MY Clowns Hosting

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sorry about the dirty glass,i will clean it up soon as i get some time off of work,i promise

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nobodyhasthisname

Here is my bi weekly clean up schedule,i scrape off algae if it builds up in the tank and also try to suck out dust accumulated at the bottom,surgical gloves are very important when handling,Weekly water change is something that has to be done religiously,salt i use is Red Sea Coral Pro and 20 liter bisleri water bottle,that is all,no fancy supplement,sorry about the bad pic quality

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And just to take a quick look at the lighting i only and only use actinic lighting,Chinese made t5 10 hours every day.

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Just a quick thought one does not need fancy equipment to have a stable tank,just a bit of extra time and the weekly maintenance does the trick :thumup

 

 

Note the purple and the green coraline algae.

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Just a Quick update guys decided to clean up the tank completely and rescape the tank since its been almost 10 month since it never had a proper clean.And just as an experiment i decided to go with regular tap unfiltered water half of it with the already Bisleri water in the Tank.



Water changing time.

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A quick top shot of the Tank with the clowns.Note the growth difference,both of them were almost the equal size when i bought them now the bigger dominant one became the female.

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The hardest part of the job

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Keeping the LR in the bucket

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Picking the anemone,always remember to use a discarded credit card to pick up the anemone,u have to be careful with the foot.

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The clowns never let go while i took out the anemone,the were also scooped in the mug

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Cleaning time

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Now this gets more interesting i am using regular tap water straight from the tap no chemicals whatsoever added,and the mixing gets even better,i used a bucket and swirled the water Desi style.Note i had my hands clean with luke warm water.

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I did not plan for this originally but i decided to propagate my anemone.

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Make sure you use a very sharp object to cut the anemone try to get it in one slide,i use my victorinox swiss army knife.

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Trying to join

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By the way tank has cleared up and looks pretty well so as the anemones.As of now???


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One of the anemone is settled at the back of the tank and is doing great and the one in the front speaks for itself.


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Geez nothing personal but why did you take everything out and clean it? I've found that leaving stuff alone is probably the best bet with reef tanks. glass cleaning and water changes are good but taking everything out and cleaning whole tank reminds me of people who just start fresh water tanks and feel they have to take whole tank down each week and clean it. The anemone is pretty cool but looks partially bleached.

 

Keep up the good work but don't make the tank so hard on yourself. If I went through half this trouble I would have stopped keeping tanks 20 years ago lol. Also carpets usually like to burry their foot in the sand and attach to the bottom of tanks. Your setup is a bit unnatural for them but it seems to be working. Do you feed the nems anything?

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I agree^^^

U should have added live sand when u put in the live rock

Also do u have any cleaners? Hermits/Snails

And yeah ur carpet is slightly bleached

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Sea_Of_Treachery

I don't even know where to begin with this one but....do yourself a favor and get some more suitable inhabitants for a tank this size. Both the clowns and the anemone WILL outgrow that tank very quickly. You said that you've read a lot of information to become successful in this hobby but ime you are headed in the wrong direction with your first tank, a little more reading perhaps? I would swap that full size carpet for a mini maxi or flower anemone, add a bit of sand and clean up the back of that tank. Your photoperiod is 4 hours....?

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marine_fanaticz

hey man... nice tank but I don't think there's a need for so many power heads . Just get a large hob filter and you're good to go..

 

I don't think it's wide to be removing everything when cleaning.. let the live rocks and the livestock be. If you're having algae problems, try going for the root cause if it( try to reduce nitrates phosphates ect.) just stick with weekly water changes. 10-15% will be enough.

 

If you're using sponge in your hob filter, make sure you clean it frequently cos it causes nitrates build-up. Cheers:)

 

hey man... nice tank but I don't think there's a need for so many power heads . Just get a large hob filter and you're good to go..

 

I don't think it's wide to be removing everything when cleaning.. let the live rocks and the livestock be. If you're having algae problems, try going for the root cause if it( try to reduce nitrates phosphates ect.) just stick with weekly water changes. 10-15% will be enough.

 

If you're using sponge in your hob filter, make sure you clean it frequently cos it causes nitrates build-up. Cheers:)

 

hey man... nice tank but I don't think there's a need for so many power heads . Just get a large hob filter and you're good to go..

 

I don't think it's wide to be removing everything when cleaning.. let the live rocks and the livestock be. If you're having algae problems, try going for the root cause if it( try to reduce nitrates phosphates ect.) just stick with weekly water changes. 10-15% will be enough.

 

If you're using sponge in your hob filter, make sure you clean it frequently cos it causes nitrates build-up. Cheers:)

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jedimasterben

Please get those clowns and anemone out of that small cup of water. Carpet anemones grow over 18" across, and those clownfish are far too large to go into that tank. I'd do a minimum of 40 gallon capacity to house them as they have a long way to go until they are full size.

 

Stop 'cleaning' things. Leave them be. Scrape the glass with a magnet cleaner, run carbon and a phosphate remover in your HOB filter. Anemones, especially carpet anemones, require stability, and removing them and the rocks to 'clean' them will absolutely kill it.

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If it's not broken don't fix it. Everyone has a way of doing things that works for them. There is an big bioload in this tank and if the OP's method keeps everything balance then so be it. It can be made a lot easier though.

 

I'm pretty sure the OP understands that his livestock is going to out grow his tank, the rest is a matter of opinion. He can cross the upgrading bridge when he gets there, the clowns aren't going to magically double in size overnight. Also fragging the anemone may have bought more time since he can trade the frag and it will take longer for the carpet to grow back to pre fragging size.

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jedimasterben

If it's not broken don't fix it. Everyone has a way of doing things that works for them. There is an big bioload in this tank and if the OP's method keeps everything balance then so be it. It can be made a lot easier though.

 

I'm pretty sure the OP understands that his livestock is going to out grow his tank, the rest is a matter of opinion. He can cross the upgrading bridge when he gets there, the clowns aren't going to magically double in size overnight. Also fragging the anemone may have bought more time since he can trade the frag and it will take longer for the carpet to grow back to pre fragging size.

To cut one (which will stress it out considerably) and then remove it for cleaning and to continue wanting to do so will kill the anemone. There aren't many absolutes in this hobby, but I can say that that is one. Anemones, and specifically carpet anemones like the OP's, do not tolerate change like, say, a rock flower anemone does. They are extremely sensitive.

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To cut one (which will stress it out considerably) and then remove it for cleaning and to continue wanting to do so will kill the anemone. There aren't many absolutes in this hobby, but I can say that that is one. Anemones, and specifically carpet anemones like the OP's, do not tolerate change like, say, a rock flower anemone does. They are extremely sensitive.

 

I agree with that, but the statement before not so much.

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I'm gonna redo my tank after I follow this thread for a while.

 

Always loved how a red carpet looked with a pair of clowns in it

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nobodyhasthisname

I am sure all of you out there are suprised,so was i,i never belived i could make it that far.Most of the pic that you see is a 10 month old duration time and the nem has been with me since 6 month and i had seen some really worst thing with the nem,once it got stuck in the powerhead and the whole water got milky,i did not had the time to chage the water instantly since it happed during night,later in the morning the water was back to normal,hang on back filter is what i use and some chemi pure in it,regular weekly water change is done religiously.

 

Guess what,i didnt even bother to buy any test kits,so dont bother asking me about water parameters.

 

Now talking about the bleaching of the nem it is due to the fact that since i bought the anemone from the lfs i use actinic lights only two of them,but after the propogation i have use i t5 6500k to make it heal faster.

 

And here is the best part this is my first time saltwater tank????

 

the original thread is in this forum,if any one is interested they can follow.

 

http://www.aquapetz.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=568

 

 

What i learned is nature adapts to its environment.

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Deleted User 4

I am sure all of you out there are suprised,so was i,i never belived i could make it that far.Most of the pic that you see is a 10 month old duration time and the nem has been with me since 6 month and i had seen some really worst thing with the nem,once it got stuck in the powerhead and the whole water got milky,i did not had the time to chage the water instantly since it happed during night,later in the morning the water was back to normal,hang on back filter is what i use and some chemi pure in it,regular weekly water change is done religiously.

 

Guess what,i didnt even bother to buy any test kits,so dont bother asking me about water parameters.

 

Now talking about the bleaching of the nem it is due to the fact that since i bought the anemone from the lfs i use actinic lights only two of them,but after the propogation i have use i t5 6500k to make it heal faster.

 

And here is the best part this is my first time saltwater tank????

 

the original thread is in this forum,if any one is interested they can follow.

 

http://www.aquapetz.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=568

 

 

What i learned is nature adapts to its environment.

 

Hey, I don't buy test kits and I've successfully maintained many lps and softies corals from the past 5 yrs of this hobby. Test kits are waste of money for nano sized aquariums in my opinion.

 

Just stick with religious water changes and consistent feedings and you're good to go!

 

But I would like to recommend you to upgrade to a bigger tank, perhaps a 12g? It would make your clownfish happier.

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Nice carpet nem!!!!

 

Guys chill man. Doesn't look too bad on the fish.

yes yes because 5 inch clownfish are great for tiny tanks

Along with an anemone that could get easily 20in in diameter

Looks good though, maybe some anem crabs and shrimp would be better along with minimaxis instead of big carpet nems

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I'm trying as hard as I can not to troll here, but carpet's aren't made to propagate. They don't split naturally at all. They also don't live on rock by choice. I've done quite a bit of research on them because I've been on the fence about setting up a 3ft wide carpet cylinder tank. Try to find a confirmed example of anyone successfully propagating one and either part of the anemone surviving past a year. The ones that made it even 6 months are typically in huge species specific tanks by people that have years of experience specifically with carpets. Most perish within a few weeks to a few months. I could conceivably see it being possible to temporarily keep one in a tank that small, but you just killed it by cutting it and any amount of research would have told you that.

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I've seen crazier things work in this hobby, but that doesn't mean I have to like them. Never been a fan of forcefully splitting anemones. Survivability is already low, so it doesn't make good sense to decrease that further.

 

From someone who has kept anemones in captivity for over 15 years, these animals should have a larger tank, more light and plenty of nutritious food (not pellets, flake, etc.). They live a very long time if cared for and should be given every opportunity to do so.

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nobodyhasthisname

I'm trying as hard as I can not to troll here, but carpet's aren't made to propagate. They don't split naturally at all. They also don't live on rock by choice. I've done quite a bit of research on them because I've been on the fence about setting up a 3ft wide carpet cylinder tank. Try to find a confirmed example of anyone successfully propagating one and either part of the anemone surviving past a year. The ones that made it even 6 months are typically in huge species specific tanks by people that have years of experience specifically with carpets. Most perish within a few weeks to a few months. I could conceivably see it being possible to temporarily keep one in a tank that small, but you just killed it by cutting it and any amount of research would have told you that.

 

 

I perfectly agree to all of the above statement,now what i started was an experiment and Frankenstein did come to life.Both the nems are doing well and they are starting to join,i will post some pic soon.

 

I am very interested in feedback coming from you guys,as well as your reactions.

 

All i can say is the nem is here to live because the bleaching has gone down since i added the t5 6500k and the lighting is 10 hours per day.What is working for me might not work for you.As MR BORAT likes to say "GREAT SUCCESS".

 

I'm trying as hard as I can not to troll here, but carpet's aren't made to propagate. They don't split naturally at all. They also don't live on rock by choice. I've done quite a bit of research on them because I've been on the fence about setting up a 3ft wide carpet cylinder tank. Try to find a confirmed example of anyone successfully propagating one and either part of the anemone surviving past a year. The ones that made it even 6 months are typically in huge species specific tanks by people that have years of experience specifically with carpets. Most perish within a few weeks to a few months. I could conceivably see it being possible to temporarily keep one in a tank that small, but you just killed it by cutting it and any amount of research would have told you that.

 

 

Lets just say we bend the rules a bit.

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Deleted User 4

yes yes because 5 inch clownfish are great for tiny tanks Along with an anemone that could get easily 20in in diameter Looks good though, maybe some anem crabs and shrimp would be better along with minimaxis instead of big carpet nems

 

Yeah, that's what's great about this hobby. You can do whatever you like and no one is in control of your opinions and actions :)

Don't limit yourself just because you have small tank. You only have this one life to live, use it well.

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So do fish, and these lucky ones get too live in a tiny space with their natural host that will trap them once it's 2 feet in diameter.

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