Tank Pics

[Paul G]

Just a few photos of my nano, it's basically an STM Micro-Reef and is approximately 10 gallons, lit by 150 watt BLV d/e MH and into week 57

[Paul G]

For those who like clams - my two Maximas Shame about the flatworms

[Paul G]

Top view of the LH Maxima

[Paul G]

Top view of RH Maxima

[Cam barr]

lookin gooddddddd nice job

cam

[Sahin]

Hello.

WOW thats going nicely. Pity about the flatworms... (I have seen many LFS's in London with Flatworms infestations...I hate the fact that they sell stuff from these tanks without telling the customer about this...makes me really angry).

 

BTW; I dont have a flatworm infestation anymore. My constant siphoning every day has resulted in thier population crash. I tried my best to find some today but couldnt find any. At best I hope they will go away, and perhaps if they persist, it'll only need a siphone off once per week.

 

Anyway, back to the original topic.

 

The tank is looking awesome. Your coralline growth is very good too.

 

How much did the STM setup cost total for all equipment?

 

For a 10G does that 150W MH unit give heat problems?

 

The clams are very pretty, I quite like the blue one, but the green is nice and I'd like to have one in my collection.

 

I'd like to know about the behavior of the clams:

 

Do they close up full after lights go out? Or do they stay open slightly?

How much are they growing per month?

 

I really appreciate any answers you give. Thanks for your time.

Keep up the good work.

[Paul G]

Thanks Cam, Sahin

 

Sahin -

 

How much did the STM setup cost total for all equipment?

The basic cost was £299 but £270 opening offer, although I've spent a lot more than that and also used equipment I had already like the powerheads and Algarde Under-Current driving them. There's also a modified Seaclone, again it was sitting in a cupboard for a long time . But I'm scared of totalling it all up cos it's a lot of money for a small tank - I could have gone larger for not much more (apart from stocking) but I didn't want to take up any more space.

 

For a 10G does that 150W MH unit give heat problems?

 

YES - It's in a very warm room and when I set it up last year the temperature was going off the scale >30 deg C (86F). I installed a Teco Micro which goes a long way towards cooling it but just about copes when it's really warm, in the manual I think they only recommend 40 watts of lighting max. And since lowering the light from 10 to 8 inches above the surface it's worse, so i've put on a clip fan for the summer which increases evap somewhat (Tunze osmolator covers that). Incidently the cooler started to occasionally 'kick in' in March.

 

I'd like to know about the behavior of the clams:

 

Do they close up full after lights go out? Or do they stay open slightly?

 

They stay open slightly, but the mantle doesn't extend over the shell - don't know if they stay like this in complete darkness though, I'll have to check sometime.

 

How much are they growing per month?

 

The blue one I bought 2 weeks ago from STM so it's too early to tell. I really like the colour/pattern although it was hard to tell exactly what it would look like as they didn't have any halide lighting on due to the heat - it was under actinic lighting only and some tanks weren't lit at all. (which is just as well as I probably would have spent more money LOL)

The other one (RH) I've had for about 3 months and there is some new growth showing on the shell but nowhere near a full scute as yet.

 

Glad you've got rid of your flatworms it has inspired me to try harder to get rid of mine.

 

And thanks for the compliments.

[Sahin]

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

 

About the flatworms; get an airline tubing (attach it to tongs etc) and siphone as much of them out as possible in that day. You dont even have to waste all the water, just sieve it through lots of filter floss--this catches the flatworms and the water can be returned to the tank. I used this method day after day after day. It gets a little tedious after a while, but keep at it.

 

Eventually you'll notice thier population crash. At this point, look everywhere for them. They may be hiding in rocks at the back, but it will be rock surfaces that are exposed to the light, so you'll see them.

 

I can asure you that if you did this for 2 weeks continously you'll crash thier population. After that you'll only really find a few per week, so at water changes look for them and siphone them out. Perhaps you'll eventually get rid of them, but at least they wont be as bad as they are now.

 

Good luck.

[NaNO ReeFiN]

Wow.. that's a very beautiful tank Paul.

[Paul G]

Thanks nano reefin

 

Sahin,

 

Yeah I removed hundreds today with an airline attached to a chopstick which I've been doing for a while now (used to use a turkey baster), I will try every day like you suggested, although I remain a little pessimistic as you only need to miss one. I usually have a go at them once a week, but will see if I can get rid of them. Also I guess they multiply quicker under halide lighting.

 

Cheers