TeenyReef's 4g PicoParadise

[teenyreef]

Looks great! I have one on order...can't wait to get it .

I keep looking at the tank out of the corner of my eye, and then swiveling my head over because it's so clear that I think I forgot to put the lid back on

[teenyreef]

And please do post pics of the evolve frag tank, do you run the same regiment on that tank? And is that tank skimmer-less

Here's a picture I took today. You can see the top edge of the acrylic divider I made to go in the slot of the first rear chamber. I cut slots in the bottom of it to force the water to flow under it, and than back up the back half of the first chamber before it flows into the second (pump) chamber. I put floss and bags of carbon and GFO in the front half of the first chamber.

 

2016-03-06 Evolve 4 Frag Tank FTS by TeenyReef, on Flickr

[Parker0824]

Really impressive and I seriously might have to copy your idea.

 

You really give me the inspiration to not upgrade and to try and push the limits with my pico.

 

I'm also going to read up more on that NoPox.

[yoshii]

Ooh the new top looks great! Have you had problems with jumpers in the past?

[aviator300]

 

You have to be careful with NanoBox lights. They are crazy powerful. If I set my Duo to 160/80, I will toast all my corals (shallow tank). I have my Duo set to 125 / 30 right now and slowly ramping up the whites.

 

I really shouldn't reveal his true identity but Dave is really Superman. He harvested the power of the sun into his NanoBox lights. Without proper acclimation, the cosmic energy from the lights will overwhelm the zooxanthellae in corals. NanoBox is not simply a hobby for Dave. It's part of his master plan to save our world. In the days of the Apocalyse, when the sky goes black, Dave will call upon his legions of NanoBox owners to unite and turn our lights to the sky to bring back the sun. This is the truth.

This is the truth and those who mock these words shall languish in darkness.

[teenyreef]

Really impressive and I seriously might have to copy your idea.

 

You really give me the inspiration to not upgrade and to try and push the limits with my pico.

 

I'm also going to read up more on that NoPox.

Thanks and good luck! Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Btw, NoPox is great stuff, but you can't use it without a skimmer, unfortunately. That's why I don't use it in the Evolve 4g.

Ooh the new top looks great! Have you had problems with jumpers in the past?

Thanks, Yoshii! And oh yes, I did have problems with jumpers. My green banded gobies kept getting out. First I lost one because I didn't have a top. Then I had two that kept jumping out of the 1/4" gap in the back of the top, into the back chambers and eventually onto the desk

 

Then I modified my previous top so that the gap was gone and I didn't have any more problems. But the new top looks a lot better and the clear frame lets a lot more light through

This is the truth and those who mock these words shall languish in darkness.

Amen, Brother!

 

Btw, I'm up to 230/115 which gives about 260 PAR at the surface. The irony of having such a small tank is that the gooseneck holds the light up really high off the water, so I don't get as much PAR as I could.

 

I think I will talk to Dave to see if there's some kind of custom mounting option I could use to get it a little close to the surface if I need to keep cranking up the lights

[teenyreef]

After feeding the tank tonight, I noticed something really bad is going on with the blue sponge. There was a tiny spot on it the other day, and I thought it was just a little bit of detritus at the time. But now it's turned into a big hole that getting bigger. My guess is It looks like some kind of fungal infection.

 

Cell phone shot:

Blue Sponge by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

I'm going to trim off some of the healthy part and put it in the frag tank just so I can have a backup in case it doesn't recover

[Merthynia]

After feeding the tank tonight, I noticed something really bad is going on with the blue sponge. There was a tiny spot on it the other day, and I thought it was just a little bit of detritus at the time. But now it's turned into a big hole that getting bigger. My guess is It looks like some kind of fungal infection.

 

Cell phone shot:

Blue Sponge by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

I'm going to trim off some of the healthy part and put it in the frag tank just so I can have a backup in case it doesn't recover

Sorry to hear about the sponge. The damaged part looks really sad, like there is a very thin, mostly transparent membrane still there. I hope it recovers.

[rolyat113]

My updated Smiz top came today

It's beautiful and fits great!

 

Smiz Top by TeenyReef, on Flickr

That top looks slick! I really like how it overlaps the glass, leaving now space around the edge. I'm going to look at his thread and see if the Fusion 10 top is like this. I'd really like to ditch those clips!

[Merthynia]

That top looks slick! I really like how it overlaps the glass, leaving now space around the edge. I'm going to look at his thread and see if the Fusion 10 top is like this. I'd really like to ditch those clips!

Not to overrun Teeny's thread, but I just got one of his lids for my IM10. I couldn't be more pleased with the look and the lack of a gap between the lid and glass!

Teeny, are you planning on getting a new lid for your IM10?

[rolyat113]

Not to overrun Teeny's thread, but I just got one of his lids for my IM10. I couldn't be more pleased with the look and the lack of a gap between the lid and glass!

Teeny, are you planning on getting a new lid for your IM10?

I like the no gap! And no clips? I believe he has one of these on his IM10. I'm no Teeny though.

[teenyreef]

Not to overrun Teeny's thread, but I just got one of his lids for my IM10. I couldn't be more pleased with the look and the lack of a gap between the lid and glass!

Teeny, are you planning on getting a new lid for your IM10?

 

 

I like the no gap! And no clips? I believe he has one of these on his IM10. I'm no Teeny though.

 

Wow, that new design is awesome!

 

I do have the Smiz top on my IM10, he gave me a package deal for the two tops. But my IM10 top was made before he started doing the routed edges, so I still have the clips on mine. I don't mind them as much on the 10g. But the clips are huge in relation to the 4g tank

[Sunstar]

Could either of you, merth or teeny, post a link to their thread in my thread, I keep losing them and after my firefish fiasco, I think,I might be knocking on them very soon for a new lid.

[teenyreef]

Sorry to hear about the sponge. The damaged part looks really sad, like there is a very thin, mostly transparent membrane still there. I hope it recovers.

Thanks, Merth! The damaged part is almost like lacework, it's so fine.

 

I just trimmed off the healthy stuff on the end, and then cut off all the damaged stuff. As long as it doesn't continue to go bad, it will grow back out fairly quickly. I guess it was time to trim it back anyway

Could either of you, merth or teeny, post a link to their thread in my thread, I keep losing them and after my firefish fiasco, I think,I might be knocking on them very soon for a new lid.

Done

[Merthynia]

I like the no gap! And no clips? I believe he has one of these on his IM10. I'm no Teeny though.

No clips, I got the black underneath because it helps hold the lid in place instead of using the routed edge since I prefer the look.

 

 

 

 

Wow, that new design is awesome!

 

I do have the Smiz top on my IM10, he gave me a package deal for the two tops. But my IM10 top was made before he started doing the routed edges, so I still have the clips on mine. I don't mind them as much on the 10g. But the clips are huge in relation to the 4g tank

I'll have to take another look, I really like having it without the clips. But getting a package deal would be awesome. I guess you have options in the future if you feel the need to upgrade further. I found it hard to get the lid out while it sat on the clips, is it the same with the smiz/clip lid?

 

Thanks, Merth! The damaged part is almost like lacework, it's so fine.

 

I just trimmed off the healthy stuff on the end, and then cut off all the damaged stuff. As long as it doesn't continue to go bad, it will grow back out fairly quickly. I guess it was time to trim it back anyway

That's great! I didn't realize they grow so fast!

[teenyreef]

In happier news, the new acros I got from Cultivated Reef are doing well! They lost a little color in the first week or two after putting them in the tank, but they never went brown and I've been bringing the light up week by week. They are getting more colorful each week, and getting closer to the full colors they had when they first arrived.

 

These are cell phone pictures and the white balance is a little off in these, but it's reasonably close.

 

Here's the Oregon Tort:

Oregon Tort by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

And the Electric Miyagi Tort. It's just starting to show the purple tips, and the green is starting to get lees of a deep green, and more of an electric green.

Electric Mayagi Tort by TeenyReef, on Flickr

No clips, I got the black underneath because it helps hold the lid in place instead of using the routed edge since I prefer the look.

 

I'll have to take another look, I really like having it without the clips. But getting a package deal would be awesome. I guess you have options in the future if you feel the need to upgrade further. I found it hard to get the lid out while it sat on the clips, is it the same with the smiz/clip lid?

The Smiz lid is a little thicker, so you've got more to grab onto compared to the stock lid, but it's still a little awkward. But better.

 

So is your lid a routed edge? If not, what holds it in place?

[yoshii]

Oh no! I hope the sponge makes it! How's it doing so far?

[jedimasterben]

After feeding the tank tonight, I noticed something really bad is going on with the blue sponge. There was a tiny spot on it the other day, and I thought it was just a little bit of detritus at the time. But now it's turned into a big hole that getting bigger. My guess is It looks like some kind of fungal infection.

 

I'm going to trim off some of the healthy part and put it in the frag tank just so I can have a backup in case it doesn't recover

This is really common with these sponges. The good news is that it is REALLY unlikely to completely die, at least some of it will survive and will spread like crazy once again. I notice with my two sponges (one is the purplish/blue like that and the other is red) that if I start to slack on dosing silica they both begin to recede, but the recession stops and they begin to regrow once I add more silica.

[smiz]

 

The Smiz lid is a little thicker, so you've got more to grab onto compared to the stock lid, but it's still a little awkward. But better.

 

So is your lid a routed edge? If not, what holds it in place?

Merthynia's is actually the colored two layer top. So rather then route it we cut the bottom black sheet smaller to act as the step that our routing creates. glad you guys are liking the tops!

[Merthynia]

In happier news, the new acros I got from Cultivated Reef are doing well! They lost a little color in the first week or two after putting them in the tank, but they never went brown and I've been bringing the light up week by week. They are getting more colorful each week, and getting closer to the full colors they had when they first arrived.

 

These are cell phone pictures and the white balance is a little off in these, but it's reasonably close.

 

Here's the Oregon Tort:

Oregon Tort by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

And the Electric Miyagi Tort. It's just starting to show the purple tips, and the green is starting to get lees of a deep green, and more of an electric green.

Electric Mayagi Tort by TeenyReef, on Flickr

The Smiz lid is a little thicker, so you've got more to grab onto compared to the stock lid, but it's still a little awkward. But better.

 

So is your lid a routed edge? If not, what holds it in place?

 

 

Merthynia's is actually the colored two layer top. So rather then route it we cut the bottom black sheet smaller to act as the step that our routing creates. glad you guys are liking the tops!

This ^ I have the clear plastic that goes to the edge of the glass. The black acrylic sheet underneath fits snugly against the glass on the inside of the tank to keep it from shifting around.

You can kinda see it in this picture.

[teenyreef]

 

 

This ^ I have the clear plastic that goes to the edge of the glass. The black acrylic sheet underneath fits snugly against the glass on the inside of the tank to keep it from shifting around.

You can kinda see it in this picture.

That is really cool! In some ways it's even nicer than the routed edge because the clear part that sits on the edge of the glass just disappears due to the contrast with the colored top.

 

I might have to upgrade my upgraded top. Hmmm, or better yet, just do a whole tank upgrade and THEN get an upgraded top. I wish...

Oh no! I hope the sponge makes it! How's it doing so far?

So far so good! But it's really small now

 

This is really common with these sponges. The good news is that it is REALLY unlikely to completely die, at least some of it will survive and will spread like crazy once again. I notice with my two sponges (one is the purplish/blue like that and the other is red) that if I start to slack on dosing silica they both begin to recede, but the recession stops and they begin to regrow once I add more silica.

Mine grows steadily without silica dosing, and I've never actually had it recede. This weird hole is a first time problem. I wonder if I let a drop of peroxide fall on it when I was treating the zoas during the last water change. But I would think that would look more like a burned spot, and shouldn't start an infection spreading all over it.

 

But I agree, they seem to be really tough, and just slow down the growth when they're stressed.

 

I got an order of new rics from KP Aquatics this week, mostly for the 10g tank. So tonight I put some in the 10g tank, left a few frags in the frag tank to get attached to the rubble rock, and added one to this tank. I really hope it does well in this spot, and isn't bothered by the hammer, because the new color looks really nice in contrast to the orange/blue/green ones.

 

New Ricordea Florida by TeenyReef, on Flickr

[Merthynia]

I completely support the idea of getting a new tank and upgrading that lid. But you should probably keep all the tanks running . But yeah I really like the look of the lid. I'll try and get better pictures of it tomorrow when I get home from work.

[teenyreef]

I completely support the idea of getting a new tank and upgrading that lid. But you should probably keep all the tanks running . But yeah I really like the look of the lid. I'll try and get better pictures of it tomorrow when I get home from work.

I'd have to kill myself if I started one more tank, especially since I'm still running the 90g FW tank

[spectra]

I'd have to kill myself if I started one more tank, especially since I'm still running the 90g FW tank

 

Cmon whats another tank you know you want one

[teenyreef]

 

Cmon whats another tank you know you want one

Why, yes...yes I do

 

Someday, when I get fed up with the 90g tank.

 

I took a couple pictures right after feeding time tonight.

 

The zoas are eating calanus shrimp, and the dendros are eating mysis:

Dendros and Zoas by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

It's pretty cool to see how the acans eat mysis up close:

Mysis Dinner by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

The rock in the back, underneath the hammer, is growing a nice little colony of cute tube worms. Flash, the rusty goby, decided to photobomb:

Tubeworms (with special Rusty Goby guest appearance) by TeenyReef, on Flickr

 

Much to my surprise, he stayed there just long enough for me to get one quick picture. The white dots are little particles of coral food suspended in the water.

Rusty Goby by TeenyReef, on Flickr