jcolletteiii's 'Hanging' 16g Biocube Journal: New frags on the way!

[jcolletteiii]

 

Current FTS: 1-10-17.

 

I broke down my last reef tank around 2014 when I had to move from CA to ND for work. Always knew I'd build something again. My original tank was a used Nanocube 12 that I picked up fairly cheap back in 2008 - that old thread is here. I learned a lot with that tank, built my first DIY LED fixture - man was that sucker bright, had pretty great softie, LPS, and SPS growth, made some mistakes, moved the entire setup across the country from MA to CA, and had it going happily until around 2010. I went from the little 12 to a gorgeous 135 - which proved eventually to be too cumbersome to move. From there I needed something quick, so I went to a 36 corner which was a stop-gap until I could build a nice rimless setup - which ended up being a 40g starfire that can be seen here, which is where I ended up in 2014. I had moved several tanks by then, and I didn't want that headache again. So I sold it all off, kept some of the rock, which brings me to now.

 

This setup will be low-tech, low maintenance, and as simple as I can make it. Because I wanted low maintenance, I decided small and self-contained was the way to go. Having had open top before, I decided against that - too many problems I didn't want (light spill, high evaporation, jumping, etc). So I started looking around for an AIO. I thought there would be more choices in small AIO options, and there were. But I kept coming back to the 16g. LED biocube. Looked nice, has a built in lighting timer, I can hide the equipment in back, and the display area will be nice and clean. So I bought one last week from Marine and Reef and got a great deal because of the Thanksgiving shopping timing. Ordered a jager 100w heater, a Koralia Nano, and some dry shelf and branch rock from BRS to augment the Pukani that I had saved from my previous builds.

 

The corals that I will put in this tank will be (mostly) a mix of LPS and zoas/palys with perhaps one or two small colonies of sps. Yes, I know the PAR values of the LED biocubes leave something to be desired, but lower-light, deeper water SPS may do okay. At the very least, I'm reasonably sure I can get at monits to grow under these lights - up high anyhow. Right now, I'm thinking fishless, but with some snails and hermits to clean up after feedings. Nutrient export will be handled by weekly 3-4 gallon water changes. Mods on the table include ripping out the false bottoms, removing the sponge, and running floss across the drip edge in chamber 2. I will probably also use some sort of bio-media in chamber 2 to increase biofiltration (not bio-balls, but perhaps those ceramic hollow noodle things that I can't remember the name of right now). That's it. Low tech.

 

The main aesthetic thrust of this tank will be a semi-floating, minimalist(ish) aquascape that will eminate from one of the rear corners and move outward toward the opposite front. I plan on having very little touching the tank bottom. Right now, the plan is to put two nice straight edges on a piece of Pukani, and flatten the base. That will give me a nice 90 degree corner piece that I will build the aquascape off of. I'm going to keep everything away from the edges of the glass to allow for cleaning, manipulating corals, and coral growth. I'll build the aquascape from there using zip ties, jb weld, superglue, black pond foam, and driveway marker rods. I have a nice piece of branch rock that will act as a 'tripod leg' helping give the aquascape some additional stability that will be incorporated into the design. The goal is as little rock on the bottom of the tank as possible, but still plenty of space for corals. The entire unit will be siliconed into the corner with a nice blob to secure the two 'legs' (with flat saw cut bases) to the bottom.

 

I've been compiling photos of scapes that I like into a morgue, and these are some of the designs I'm sure you guys have seen before - indeed, some of these are classics at this point! But my design inspirations include these amazing tanks below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

and of course...

 

 

Right now, the rock is all in a tub with freshwater circulating to get rid of some of the grunge and nutrient leaching. We've had a bit of snow here in ND, and everything is closed ATM, but I plan on grabbing 3 gallons of vinegar to help the process along and get some of the surface grunge off. Then I'll probably soak for an additional week in freshwater, dry the rock out, and start on the aquascape.

 

This is going to be fun!

[jcolletteiii]

 

Current FTS: 1-10-17.

 

Leak testing successful. As with my old nanocube, there was a very slow leak at the bottom between the first chamber and the second, but it is very slow. no other wet areas at all. The light is pretty bright-looking. No comparison to the DIY fixture I made for the 12 (I want to say that was around 36 watts or so), but I think it will be plenty sufficient for what I have planned.

[jcolletteiii]

Just starting to think about stocking choices. There are a couple of things that I know I want right away once the cycle is done. The current list (which absolutely may change) is:

 

Turbinaria heronensis - I've kept Turbinaria under pc lighting, so this one should be okay under these LEDs. This coral has a great plating habit with really long corallites - I think it looks quite similar to Acropora efflorescens.

 

Pectinia alcicornis - I've never kept Pectinia, but I have kept chalices before. I really dig the partially upright form of the spiny Pectinias that I've seen. I think it was around 2013 at one of the coral frag swaps in CA that I first saw the 'alien eye' Pectinia that someone had there - I think the show was in Ontario that time. It is a real showstopper. Prices have dropped pretty substantially for that one, and If I can get a frag for less than 100 bucks, I think I would jump on it.

 

Montipora digitata - probably the blue polyp color. I've kept this before and it's always been a good grower for me, even under those old PC lamps long ago. Had a piece of peach/orange come with a live rock. That was neat!

 

I'd like to get my hands on one of the new rainbow Rhodactis and get a colony of those going. There wasn't anything like the current offerings available even just a few years ago - and if there were, I hadn't seen them!

 

I'll probably round the rest of the initial corals out with a couple acans, and a couple frags of some nice bright palys - I love AOG's, and the sunny D's look pretty amazing in pictures as well.

 

Probably a wellso or a trachy for the sandbed.

 

That's all that I have on the shortlist for now. I'm interested in other things with an upright form, but want to stay away from the higher-light corals for now. No Acros or Millis. Any suggestions for upright corals with a lot of pop? What new Palys are big right now? I really haven't had much time to catch up on what's new or hot, and what's not. Whose good for online retailers these days? Where should I be looking?

[Nano sapiens]

Upright Stony - Any of the Montipora digitata can adapt to medium lighting. Porities, but may need a bit more light. Many Pavona species produce upright 'blades', but they are more on the aggressive side. I like Hydnophora which needs a bit more light, but it's even more aggressive. Pectina are good, but do produce long sweeper tentacles. Montipora setosa will produce spikes and branches if well lit. Any of the Seriatopora 'Birdsnests' will work and typically don't need as much light as Acropora.

 

Large Zoas - Petroglyphs and all the similar types are my favorites. Some of my Petroglyphs measure 1-1/4" in diameter across the tentacles, so these can get really large under certain conditions. Can't go wrong with Sunny D's, either. Ultimate Chaos and Utter Chaos are both really colorful Zoas that get to be good sized, too.

[jcolletteiii]

Awesome, thanks man!

 

I'm definitely down for some digitata - any new color forms around now? I don't care for the look of Pavona or Hydnophora though. I've kept setosa before as well - that would be a great splash of color in that crazy glowing pink color. I hadn't really thought about birdnest - that's certainly one to consider! Those petroglyphs are nice too - they're the size of palys! I can't quite tell what the color is like though - are they more gold/orange with green tips? Pretty cool looking! Thanks for the suggestions!

[Nano sapiens]

Awesome, thanks man!

 

I'm definitely down for some digitata - any new color forms around now? I don't care for the look of Pavona or Hydnophora though. I've kept setosa before as well - that would be a great splash of color in that crazy glowing pink color. I hadn't really thought about birdnest - that's certainly one to consider! Those petroglyphs are nice too - they're the size of palys! I can't quite tell what the color is like though - are they more gold/orange with green tips? Pretty cool looking! Thanks for the suggestions!

 

The 'Forest Fire' and 'Bubblegum' Digitatas are really nice. Petrogylphs look like they are made of porcelain, which is unique ('Legendary Corals' started these).

[jcolletteiii]

Wow - I checked out those digis and they're both amazing! I may have to rethink the blue in favor of the Bubblegum. If it actually looks like the photos I've seen online it's a really great looking coral!

 

Does anyone have a photo of a colony of the bubblegum digitata that they can share?

[jcolletteiii]

Okay - the rocks have been soaking in freshwater for a few days with circulation. After the first day I changed the water because it was a turbid yellow-green. Then two more days before another change and finally another two days which brings us to this morning. When I dumped the water out this morning it was less yellow, but still had some color. I've decided to do the aquascaping now, then I'll put the entire assembled piece back in the bin and let it co for another week before deciding where to go from there (probably into the tank for a cycle in saltwater).

 

This is what I am starting out with - a mix of a few pieces of previously used Pukani, and some branch and shelf pieces from BRS. I will affix them together with JB waterweld, superglue and fiberglass rods. The fiberglass rods were with the driveway reflectors, they were a bit cheaper, and also were stiffer. I know folks make tanks out of fiberglass, so these should be safe - the resin is polyester after all.

 

 

The downside to using the JB weld is that it comes out almost pure white, but when algae grows over it afterward, it is pretty quickly disguised. For the big chunks of putty, I'll probably just put some glue on and cover with rubble or small pieces of rock.

 

Here's the 90 degree corner piece just set in the tank to mark off where the branch support 'leg' will be located.

 

 

Stay tuned!

[jcolletteiii]

Getting there. That small shelf on the right will be extended once I see where the big upper shelf is going to live.

 

[jcolletteiii]

Nearly there... Waiting for the JB waterweld to harden is frustrating. The zip ties are on the front lower shelf extension until the putty and gorilla glue set up. It is permanently in now - you may be able to see a bit of gorilla glue at the base of the branch rock. I put a few dabs on the back of the piece that will be up against the back false wall as well for a bit of added security. The assembly stands on its own, but I don't want to worry. This will be curing for four days before it sees any water, so the gorilla should be fully cured by then. One big piece left to go on. I really dig it so far - I think it'll look awesome with the sandbed installed! I went with Bahama oolite for the substrate. I picked up a 10 lb bag - I think that should be plenty.

 

[jcolletteiii]

And a 3/4 shot, because the last picture doesn't do it justice.

 

[Sharbuckle]

Awesome scape! Looking forward to the progress.

[jcolletteiii]

Awesome scape! Looking forward to the progress.

Thanks!

 

Here's where it is now. Need to do a little tweaking. The upper shelf is attached to a backing plate, and that's attached to the back (will get a side photo in a couple of minutes. The uppermost platform is a bit higher than I would have liked it to be, but overall I'm pretty happy - I think it'll look awesome with the sandbed in there. One thing I need to correct is that the upper platform needs about an inch or so shaved off of the right side so that lower right platform is not quite so shaded. A couple of the big blobs of putty need to be disguised with some rock. Think I'll put the little Sicce pump on the right side middle. Should have a nice clean sandbed with the rockwork this open.

 

The entire structure is rock solid and completely stable - zero chance of it tipping or dropping. It will be a bit of a PITA to get this out of the tank down the road, but I'm not concerned about that so much.

 

[jcolletteiii]

Side.

 

 

Right 3/4 view. Sorry for the reflection, but the snow is so bright and our shades are kind of sheer.

 

 

Have to order my RODI system this week, going to start the saltwater cycle as soon as the gorilla glue is fully cured - so around probably Wednesday. Since I'm going to be ordering the RO anyhow, are there any new bacterial seeding formulae that warrant thought these days? I've been hearing folks talk about Vibrant quite a bit. Would this be worth using to seed dead rock with?

[trial0r]

awesome. i love this look and can't wait to see all that glorious sand.

[Sharbuckle]

I would use some biospira to start off. Or aquavitro seed.

[uwdanno]

Following! I have high hopes for this tank!

[Pinner Reef]

Nice

[jcolletteiii]

Thanks everyone!

 

I like how it came out, and I like how firmly the aquascape is affixed to the back and bottom. I will not ever worry about it coming loose. There is a bit more rock than I initially wanted. I think I'm up close to 12 or 14 lbs. I still dig the look though.

 

Found out this afternoon that my order at BRS got hung up, and even they didn't know why. But, after calling this afternoon, they upgraded the shipping to priority and promised to ship tomorrow, so my RODI will not be here until Friday. Kind of a bummer. Although, if I really wanted to, I could raid the distilled water in the chemistry dept at work... and fill up on Wed.

 

I did order bio spira from BRS as well. I'll fill it up when that comes, add the recommended amount, then let it go for a week or so and see where I am. There are a lot of organics in the rock. When I was breaking the shelf rock up to fit it in, there were a lot of sponges, worms, and other shriveled-up unidentifiable smelly stuff in there. So, I'm thinking a week with just the rock, see where the numbers are, then perhaps throw a shrimp in there for another week. Then I'm off to southern California for the winter break.

 

Does anyone know anything about transporting coral aboard airlines?

[Christopher Marks]

It really is a cool rock scape, it will be awesome to see it get covered with coral!

 

You can indeed transport live coral on an airline as a carryon, but you will have to go through some trouble with manual inspection at the checkpoint. A checked bag is another option, but not with this winter cold. Here's some good discussion on the matter: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/372041-orlando-bound-can-i-fly-w-corals/page-3

[jcolletteiii]

It really is a cool rock scape, it will be awesome to see it get covered with coral!

 

You can indeed transport live coral on an airline as a carryon, but you will have to go through some trouble with manual inspection at the checkpoint. A checked bag is another option, but not with this winter cold. Here's some good discussion on the matter: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/372041-orlando-bound-can-i-fly-w-corals/page-3

 

Read through that thread and a few others now, and sounds like the best thing to do is a styro-box as a checked bag. So many good stores in SoCal - Mystic Reef in Riverside, Aqua SD and Aquatic Warehouse in San Diego, and Steve Garett's place too. I don't know though - might just be cheaper to do an online order with checked bag prices and the added trouble.

 

Looks like the last of my stuff will be here on Friday, and last night I glued in another piece of rock to make one more small shelf extension on the back wall. Trimmed that front right side also to get more light on the lower shelf. I think it's done now - here is the latest iteration. Had to spot meter on the top shelf to get the exposure 'right', the lower right shelf is NOT that dim in reality.

 

 

As far as corals, I'm going to go with some things that I've really always wanted, which will be colorful, and that I won't have trouble getting rid of when it comes time to do some trimming.

 

It was a tossup between the forest fire and bubblegum digitatas, but I think I'm going with the bubblegum. I realize that the blue only usually shows up under very high lighting, but I may augment the LEDs in the hood with a couple of 3w emitters down the road. So this... will go up high, maybe the main shelf.

 

Some nice rainbow acans toward the bottom or middle. Something like these - I'm sure these have been photoshopped, but something with 3-4 colors.

 

That takes care of reds and oranges.

 

For the orange yellow, Sunny D's! Somewhere in the middle.

 

For some bright greens - Paly grandis, perhaps toward the bottom?

 

and... these. Space Invaders!

 

and blue-green will come from Turbinaria heronensis.

 

Not sure about the purple. Perhaps a purple photosynthetic gorgonian? Any purple non-sps suggestions?

 

Also, not sure what I'm going to put on the sandbed yet. What are some lower light corals that would do well in lower flow, lower light on the bottom? I was thinking perhaps of some blue xenia on a small 'island' to keep it isolated and under control. That's not really purple, but it will give some nice motion to the lower part of the aquascape.

[jcolletteiii]

Damned UPS is using the storm that ended on Wednesday to not deliver my RODI that was supposed to be here on Thursday. Rescheduled delivery is now on Tuesday ! Damn I hate UPS. Wish BRS would switch to Fedex. No fill this weekend now.

[Christopher Marks]

Aww bummer It's probably not worth the trouble of buying water from a LFS or distilled from a grocery store.

 

Patience is a virtue in this hobby

[jack1978]

Side.

 

 

Right 3/4 view. Sorry for the reflection, but the snow is so bright and our shades are kind of sheer.

 

 

Have to order my RODI system this week, going to start the saltwater cycle as soon as the gorilla glue is fully cured - so around probably Wednesday. Since I'm going to be ordering the RO anyhow, are there any new bacterial seeding formulae that warrant thought these days? I've been hearing folks talk about Vibrant quite a bit. Would this be worth using to seed dead rock with?

That scape is awesome!!

Nice job.

[jcolletteiii]

Aww bummer It's probably not worth the trouble of buying water from a LFS or distilled from a grocery store.

 

Patience is a virtue in this hobby

 

I was thinking about distilled. I'm just not sure I trust it. I suppose I could bring my TDS meter to the store.