teenyreef Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 What??? Where??? I hate that stuff Seriously, though, I did find and remove a few bubbles from the Portieria about five months ago. I didn't see any more after that and I thought they were gone, until I found a couple bubbles lying in the sand in the corner about two weeks ago. But I haven't seen any since. Where were you looking when you saw it? Link to comment
DocReef Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Thanks! I haven't had much luck yet figuring out how to get good pictures under the blues. You've got some great shots of your corals under blue lights Thanks. I just love how my tank looks under actinics. It's so relaxing. Link to comment
jeremycee Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 So I just realized that today is the one year birthday for this tank! Well, technically not, since I changed from one 4g tank to another a few months ago. But since the entire contents of the tank went unchanged, all I really did was change the container. All the rocks, sand, and even most of the water came over from the original tank. So as far as I'm concerned it's one year old today So I took all couple FTS shots as a present to my tank FTS with light: CADLights 4G FTS w/light - 01/23/2015 by TeenyReef, on Flickr FTS with all three fish and all three sexy shrimp! How does that happen? Rock Star II is in his rightful place, center stage, with Emerald hanging out off stage on the left. CADLights 4G FTS - 01/23/2015 by TeenyReef, on Flickr You probably can't tell that Flash is actually in the FTS, but he's hanging out upside down under the rock right under the stylophora (or birdsnest). Here's a cropped version with the exposure and shadow protection adjusted: Flash is here too by TeenyReef, on Flickr Looks beautiful. Congrats on one year! Question, what are your nanobox settings for ch 1 & 2 ? Link to comment
Thomasweaver Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Beautiful tank, I'm just hitting about 7 months on my 16 gal. I hope mine looks as successful as yours! I do think my tank has come a long way so far. But a long way to go. Link to comment
gena Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Happy Birthday, teeny's tank . Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 Looks beautiful. Congrats on one year! Question, what are your nanobox settings for ch 1 & 2 ? Thanks! I've been gradually ramping up the intensity since I got it. Right now the blues are on 180 and the whites are on 100. The lens is about 6" above the waterline. I've been bumping the blues up by 10 every week, and bumping the whites up by 5 or less each week. At the current level nothing's reaching for light, but I don't think I've got the intensity quite high enough to get the best possible color yet. It shouldn't take much more, though. I'm going very carefully to avoid overdoing it Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 Beautiful tank, I'm just hitting about 7 months on my 16 gal. I hope mine looks as successful as yours! I do think my tank has come a long way so far. But a long way to go. Thanks! Do you have a build thread? I'd love to see pictures of how it's coming along. I replied to your post about your Ghost Skimmer, by the way. I have the same skimmer on my 10g tank and it was tricky getting it to break in, but it's working fine now. Happy Birthday, teeny's tank . Thanks, Gena! It's been an exciting year. I need to post an updated picture of the Idaho Grape frag you sent me. After I broke it in half, I was really worried it might not do OK, cause each piece was less than an inch across. I kept the little piece in this tank, and it's gone from about 1/2" to about 1 1/2". But the other piece is in the 10g tank and it's well over 2" across already, with a nice cup shape starting Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 I had another busy day today! I took a look at the tank after the lights came one...corals - look fine. Rock Star II - right up front like always. Flash...took a while but he made an appearance eventually. But Emerald was nowhere to be found Finally I took everything out of the back chamber. Again. And there was Emerald, hanging out in the third chamber, just like Rock Star II and Flash were the other day. I guess she wanted to join the Explorers Club. I had added some filter sponge behind the overlfow just to try to keep them in the display chamber but I guess it wasn't a good enough fit. So, since everything was taken apart, I decided to redo the return pump setup using the new Mini-Jet 606 I just got from inTank in their going out of stock sale. These are the original Mini-jet pumps - they aren't made any more and I'm really impressed by the quality. Mini-Jet 606 by TeenyReef, on Flickr I've been frustrated by how low the return hole is in this tank. There's no room for a flow diverter because there are corals in the way, and it blows all the sand out of the corner when it runs. So I took out some water, stuck some duct tape on the walls with the sticky side sticking out to catch the plastic chips, and drilled a new hole in the bulkhead It worked out great with very few chips in the water, and they floated so I could easily skim them out. I glued a little piece of acrylic over the old hole on the inside of the chamber. I put the Mini-Jet in with a 90 degree adapter and hooked up my old Hydor Flo rotating deflector: Hydor Flo with new pump by TeenyReef, on Flickr Finally, I cut a small square of fiberglass window screen and glued it to the back of the overflow. Gluing it in was a little tricky because I couldn't hold the spots I was gluing since my fingers stuck to the glue. I used a clamp and a small piece of wood a little smaller than the screen to hold it while the glue dried. Overflow screen by TeenyReef, on Flickr The slots in the overflow are only about 1/8" wide, but apparently Gobies can get really skinny. Or they've got a back door into the overflow I don't know about. If they get into the back chamber now, it's definitely not through the overflow. The only problem with this setup is that the screen slows down the flow into the back chamber, and I have to fill the tank up until the waterline is almost at the top edge to get enough water in the third chamber. Now I can't put my hand in the tank without overflowing it if I reach all the way down to the sand If I have to, I'll reduce the flow on the pump but that will be a last resort. Maybe the Gobies will eventually get big enough to let me remove the screen. Link to comment
da1001 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Nice DIY job teeny. I might have to do the same with mine, I popped off the IM Spinstream on mine because it was just so loud but it still sounds loud. I think the impeller might be rattling inside the pump. When I was trying to get the little suction cups on the bottom of mine the side popped open a bit and I think maybe I knocked the impeller loose? These Sicce's are known for being nearly dead silent, so this is concerning to me. I also popped on the stock return angled nozzle because leaving off everything, the flow was kicking up water onto the side of the tank and it was loud as heck too. -.- I just cant seem to win on this one. If all else fails I might go back to the stock return pump which seems quieter and toss in a WP10 instead for my flow, which is what I didn't want to do but seems to be a winning formula for guys like you who went with a powerhead in their setup. Link to comment
vlangel Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Great job teeny on moving the return hole. That should be a very nice improvement. Makes you wonder why the tank manufacturers don't think of these things. They must not be aquarists! Link to comment
natalia_la_loca Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Very nice work! I have the same problem...within hours of introducing my greenbanded gobies, I found one of them sitting in the filter media basket, so I stuck a sponge just behind the return. It was tricky to get it in without blocking the flow to the back chamber, but I got it to work, and so far the gobies have stayed in the tank. But your screen idea looks much better...I may have to give it a try. Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 Very nice work! I have the same problem...within hours of introducing my greenbanded gobies, I found one of them sitting in the filter media basket, so I stuck a sponge just behind the return. It was tricky to get it in without blocking the flow to the back chamber, but I got it to work, and so far the gobies have stayed in the tank. But your screen idea looks much better...I may have to give it a try. Thanks! If you can make the sponge work, I definitely recommend that over the screen. The screen is going to be a detritus trap and since it's glued in it's going to be a pain to keep clean. As of this morning, I've seen Rock Star II but no Emerald. I'll give it a couple hours before I take the back chamber apart. Again. I wonder if there's a small drain hole at the bottom of the third chamber, or something like that...there's no way they're getting through the screen. Great job teeny on moving the return hole. That should be a very nice improvement. Makes you wonder why the tank manufacturers don't think of these things. They must not be aquarists! Thanks, I'm very happy with the change. The CAD Lights stuff is pretty well made, but it's pretty unusual to have a return hole so low. The way they set it up, the return pump connects directly to the hole instead of using tubing like most designs. That's nice because it maximizes the flow rate of the pump, but they had to put the hole lower to keep it underwater in the third chamber. Just one of those design tradeoffs. I'd rather spend the money for a stronger pump and live with the reduction in flow due to the other plumbing. Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 Nice DIY job teeny. I might have to do the same with mine, I popped off the IM Spinstream on mine because it was just so loud but it still sounds loud. I think the impeller might be rattling inside the pump. When I was trying to get the little suction cups on the bottom of mine the side popped open a bit and I think maybe I knocked the impeller loose? These Sicce's are known for being nearly dead silent, so this is concerning to me. I also popped on the stock return angled nozzle because leaving off everything, the flow was kicking up water onto the side of the tank and it was loud as heck too. -.- I just cant seem to win on this one. If all else fails I might go back to the stock return pump which seems quieter and toss in a WP10 instead for my flow, which is what I didn't want to do but seems to be a winning formula for guys like you who went with a powerhead in their setup. Yeah, it looks like the problem is the Sicce. Have you tried pulling it apart and making sure the impeller is clean? I also popped the nozzle off my IM10 and the flow on the stock pump was significantly higher after that. I really like having my MP10 for flow in addition to the return pump. I wish there was room for one in this tank The best thing about it is you can turn off the return pump but leave the MP10 on low for feeding. It keeps the food suspended in the water without sucking it all up in the filter. Link to comment
da1001 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Yeah, it looks like the problem is the Sicce. Have you tried pulling it apart and making sure the impeller is clean? I also popped the nozzle off my IM10 and the flow on the stock pump was significantly higher after that. I really like having my MP10 for flow in addition to the return pump. I wish there was room for one in this tank The best thing about it is you can turn off the return pump but leave the MP10 on low for feeding. It keeps the food suspended in the water without sucking it all up in the filter. I popped the side off a little while ago but I cant see how they put it together at all, there are no screws or anything I can see so I am not sure. I will run it for a few more days to see if it just needs to go through a break-in period (I think Sicce's have one according to our forums here if I am not mistaken). If that doesnt do it, I will see about getting sicce to cash in on their warranty card. Link to comment
skyscraper2290 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Awesome tank and it's so cool you found all three fish and they are doing good! Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 I mentioned earlier that Emerald was missing this morning. Turns out she jumped out of the tank last night I had a cover on the tank but apparently she managed to jump through the narrow gap between the cover and the glass. RIP little Emerald Looks like my next project is to make a better cover. Link to comment
da1001 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 That sucks, teeny -.- GL on making that cover Link to comment
skyscraper2290 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 My posting time was so bad, sorry to hear about the loss Link to comment
vlangel Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Ahh, that is so sad about Emerald. Link to comment
jeremycee Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Thanks! I've been gradually ramping up the intensity since I got it. Right now the blues are on 180 and the whites are on 100. The lens is about 6" above the waterline. I've been bumping the blues up by 10 every week, and bumping the whites up by 5 or less each week. At the current level nothing's reaching for light, but I don't think I've got the intensity quite high enough to get the best possible color yet. It shouldn't take much more, though. I'm going very carefully to avoid overdoing it That seems pretty proper. I have mine set at 120B // 90W and my tank is a little less tall than yours so you should be fine! Everything seems to be looking great so something is working haha! Whats the name of that orange/yellow monticap you have there? thing looks nuts! Its kind of looks like my tyree starburst Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 That sucks, teeny -.- GL on making that cover My posting time was so bad, sorry to hear about the loss Ahh, that is so sad about Emerald. Thanks, everyone! She led a short but adventurous life and didn't leave anything on the table. Except her little fishstick body I'm please to report that this tank has now gone over 24 hours without any fish leaving the tank. To celebrate, I'm posting pictures of corals This mushroom came from a tiny shred of red mushroom flesh that floated away during Operation Red Mushroomicide. The red mushrooms I had weren't all that attractive and they were multiplying like crazy and melting their neighbors, so they had to go. I used boiling water from a pipette during a water change and got most of them, although they are coming back now. This guy grew up in a very dark corner under a rock, and now comes up to see the light when he feels like it. I guess because he grows in the dark, he has these really pretty blue spots that the parent mushrooms never had. Red Mushroom by TeenyReef, on Flickr These are some exotic designer zoas from KP Aquatics. You can tell they are high end designer zoas by the special name, "Blue Zoas", and the price (a little less than $1 PP). The KPA site has pictures taken under natural light, so they look kinda drab on their site. But I think they have colored up nicely under the Nanobox blue lights KPA Blue Zoas by TeenyReef, on Flickr Link to comment
skyscraper2290 Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Looks great, I'll have to check out kp I just loves names like blue or yellow or green zoas haha Link to comment
jeremycee Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Looks great, I'll have to check out kp I just loves names like blue or yellow or green zoas haha i know right! Funny story, I'm friends with a guy that owns a local fish store in the area and he was just talking about how when they purchase corals the order sheet says "blue,red,purple,etc. zoanthids" you basically roll the dice everytime you order i guess and sometimes they end up with really unique stuff! Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 That seems pretty proper. I have mine set at 120B // 90W and my tank is a little less tall than yours so you should be fine! Everything seems to be looking great so something is working haha! Whats the name of that orange/yellow monticap you have there? thing looks nuts! Its kind of looks like my tyree starburst Do you mean this guy? https://flic.kr/p/q1dZAE'>https://flic.kr/p/q1dZAE'>Yellow Scroll Coral by https://www.flickr.com/people/15628054@N06/'>TeenyReef, on Flickr It's a Yellow Scroll Coral (Turbinaria). It grows very slow in my tank, and actually receded slowly the for about the first four months I had it. I finally got it in a spot with the right light and flow, and it's been growing slowly but steadily ever since. I really like it - you can't find too many true yellow corals so it makes for a nice contrast. i know right! Funny story, I'm friends with a guy that owns a local fish store in the area and he was just talking about how when they purchase corals the order sheet says "blue,red,purple,etc. zoanthids" you basically roll the dice everytime you order i guess and sometimes they end up with really unique stuff! Yeah, and even when you look at them at the LFS, they usually display with only blue lights so it's hard to tell what they are going to look like at home Link to comment
natalia_la_loca Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Oh no, so sorry to hear about Emerald I'd better get to work on a better top too. The one on my nuvo 8 has big openings at the edges. Link to comment
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