Mariaface Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Ah, I would love to see it - I'm a sucker for FW nanos. And yes, ADA creates the mother of all ammonia spikes when you first add it in. The cycles can be long and hard. And wow, what sort of Neocardinia species do you keep, if I might ask? I only have a lone Malayan Bamboo shrimp in my community tank - thinking of moving him to his own premier 'quarters' once I get my nano reef mishaps sorted out. (Sorry for threadjacking, Kat - but I love FW shrimps! ) Maybe once it's freshly put together and I haven't had a change to ruin it yet I'm preparing for that hard cycle with three different bacterial supplements, just changed out the filters on my RO/DI unit for water changes, etc. Fingers crossed! It's just a super bright red cherry shrimp. I'm not going to lie, I had no clue I was supposed to be watching out for TDS in the tanks - their numbers dwindled down due to molt failure, because instead of the max of 200TDS, the tanks were at over 800. Oops. I've got the lone one in the 2.5gal, loving life now that I've slowly gotten them down to 400. I originally got them from an eBay seller that puts up 30+ culls from their fire red or whatever projects - so they have white ankles, or something, and occasionally one of the offspring is a super painted red grade.. Super cool. ADA soil is very high in ammonia and phos Yehp! Can't wait to see that cycle... Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Lurker with a question. How do you like the brightwell cubes? Which ones? I've used all 3 kinds. My canister filter currently is running with the bio cubes. I have their big plate in the new system too. And Kat, I love your new drop-off build. I remember asking my LFS once if he could do drop-offs and he was vehement that they're not good for reef tanks. But I've seen a few successful drop-off reefs now - will be watching this thread closely from now onwards. P.S. The filefish is adorable. Thanks Snow, I asked Benny as I was hesitant about the drop-off myself. I didn't know if the water had pressure points on some part of the glass the same as the others or what, and he said drop-offs have been around for a lot longer, they are only just now coming in nano sizes. I saw some adorable FW blue shrimps at the store yesterday. I was totally tempted to have a small desktop Mr. Aqua for like 3 shrimps. 2 Quote Link to comment
Mariaface Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 I saw some adorable FW blue shrimps at the store yesterday. I was totally tempted to have a small desktop Mr. Aqua for like 3 shrimps. Do it! Blue velvet, right? They're neocaridina, they can handle some hard water or slightly fluctuating parameters. Get at least one of each gender so they can pick their own population size 1 Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Maybe once it's freshly put together and I haven't had a change to ruin it yet I'm preparing for that hard cycle with three different bacterial supplements, just changed out the filters on my RO/DI unit for water changes, etc. Fingers crossed! It's just a super bright red cherry shrimp. I'm not going to lie, I had no clue I was supposed to be watching out for TDS in the tanks - their numbers dwindled down due to molt failure, because instead of the max of 200TDS, the tanks were at over 800. Oops. I've got the lone one in the 2.5gal, loving life now that I've slowly gotten them down to 400. I originally got them from an eBay seller that puts up 30+ culls from their fire red or whatever projects - so they have white ankles, or something, and occasionally one of the offspring is a super painted red grade.. Super cool. Yehp! Can't wait to see that cycle... Ah, red ones are the best - I find them the most entertaining (and easy to breed). If you're up for it, try out some Crystal Reds (CRS) down the road. Those can be finnicky in the beginning, but it's rewarding to watch them bop out babies. I used to keep a small tank of CRS with some mystery moss in my bedroom. No filter or anything - just ADA substrate, some floating moss and a nice place by the window so some biofilm could grown on the tank for the shrimp to feed on. Lil' guys lasted for over a year. The addition of plants will help use up the excess nutrients from the soil - so if you don't mind throwing in as much green stuff into the tank, then it shouldn't be that long of a cycle. Thanks Snow, I asked Benny as I was hesitant about the drop-off myself. I didn't know if the water had pressure points on some part of the glass the same as the others or what, and he said drop-offs have been around for a lot longer, they are only just now coming in nano sizes. I saw some adorable FW blue shrimps at the store yesterday. I was totally tempted to have a small desktop Mr. Aqua for like 3 shrimps. Yeah - I wanted a nano one and my manager flat-out told me he wouldn't make one. Two months later and he makes a drop-off for a different customer, so... Still, I love the concept of drop-offs. Can't wait to see what you do with this one. And that'd be a cute shrimp pico. Quote Link to comment
Mariaface Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Ah, red ones are the best - I find them the most entertaining (and easy to breed). If you're up for it, try out some Crystal Reds (CRS) down the road. Those can be finnicky in the beginning, but it's rewarding to watch them bop out babies. I used to keep a small tank of CRS with some mystery moss in my bedroom. No filter or anything - just ADA substrate, some floating moss and a nice place by the window so some biofilm could grown on the tank for the shrimp to feed on. Lil' guys lasted for over a year. The addition of plants will help use up the excess nutrients from the soil - so if you don't mind throwing in as much green stuff into the tank, then it shouldn't be that long of a cycle. They're so cute! I believe that about the CRS - they do like lower temperatures, and lower TDS, so I imagine they'd do well off of biofilm. I want to get the cherries down before I try them! And I don't think I could go heaterless - I love opening the windows in the winter, so my room will easily dip to 55-60F at night. It's why I love to oversize on heating wattage My plan is vallisneria, a sword plant currently in the shrimp tank, anubias (normal and nana if I can get them cleaned off well enough), star moss that's currently meshed onto some coconut (grew like crazy in the shrimp tank), etc. NYFishies swears there's a plant in their tank that carpets without CO2 OR a dry start, and I may need to give that a shot.. And I also want to order some red root floaters. Quote Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 They're so cute! I believe that about the CRS - they do like lower temperatures, and lower TDS, so I imagine they'd do well off of biofilm. I want to get the cherries down before I try them! And I don't think I could go heaterless - I love opening the windows in the winter, so my room will easily dip to 55-60F at night. It's why I love to oversize on heating wattage My plan is vallisneria, a sword plant currently in the shrimp tank, anubias (normal and nana if I can get them cleaned off well enough), star moss that's currently meshed onto some coconut (grew like crazy in the shrimp tank), etc. NYFishies swears there's a plant in their tank that carpets without CO2 OR a dry start, and I may need to give that a shot.. And I also want to order some red root floaters. Oh, best of luck - be sure to stick a pic up once you have the whole tank set up. Would love to take a peek. And Cherries are wonderful. 1 Quote Link to comment
Nola Bear Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Which ones? I've used all 3 kinds. My canister filter currently is running with the bio cubes. I have their big plate in the new system too. I was thinking about the no3 and the po4. Was thinking I could stick them in an in tank media rack that i just have filled with floss. I'm running a reactor with carbon and some gfo mixed in but am not happy with it Quote Link to comment
Ebn Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 You mean in terms of them eating zoas? Yes I know that - but the new filefish they bred aren't known to eat zoas. I haven't heard. That's what my buddy thought as well from checking out ORA's description. He then added one to his mixed elos tank and just got rid of it recently. It was a model citizen until it started on his microzoas. He pulled it out afterwards just in case it went after other stuff. Oh boy, did someone say FW shrimps? 1 Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Which ones? I've used all 3 kinds. My canister filter currently is running with the bio cubes. I have their big plate in the new system too. I was thinking about the no3 and the po4. Was thinking I could stick them in an in tank media rack that i just have filled with floss. I'm running a reactor with carbon and some gfo mixed in but am not happy with it I found better results with the cubes, and I've been running GFO for 3 years prior to that. Because it's running passively, it is hard to over do it and I find that the rate of depletion is less also. The tumbling GFO gets covered with a layer of bacteria which encapsulates the GFO and that is when PO4 levels rise. Try it, you might find it is exactly what you needed. 1 Quote Link to comment
Groot Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Worked some more on trying to get my SPS in this tank. The top shelf is very shallow, most of them stick out by an inch. Have to re-think the top shelf being a SPS shelf. I went shopping today, for some fishypoos. 2 Hifin gobies which are very little. Juu did not like them and snapped them out of his burrow . And I got a matted filefish which is a FASCINATING creature! I have the filefish in the holding tank with aiptasia rock suspects. Springers didn't care for it. Tomorrow I move the Katropora and other corals and my gyre. Then I guess I might move the aiptasia suspect rocks to the now empty 10G with the filefish and empty out the 40. No worries! I love my hifin gobies pair my fav in my tank. Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 I love my hifin gobies pair my fav in my tank. I haven't seen them today - I hope they are okay- they were so little Quote Link to comment
Boggers Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Cherry shrimp spawn pretty fast. 3 Quote Link to comment
Mariaface Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Cherry shrimp spawn pretty fast. Yes they do! The photo shows crystals, which need even stricter parameters to do so - very nice 1 Quote Link to comment
Boggers Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 I have 2 crystals, all the babies on leaf are cherries. About 30 now 2 Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Mode aquariums may have a twin to my tank, with a black cabinet. Not that I wouldn't mind duelling drop-offs but if anybody is interested, they will give you a killer deal. Just PM me. 1 Quote Link to comment
Ebn Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Not necessarily. Here's a really old shot from what seems like a million years ago, 2007. You can see a mix of shrimps in the shot, with CRS and cherries. You also see a wildish looking shrimp in the pic. This was relatively early on in the CRS game when the phenotypes weren't set and hobbyists were working on setting the colors still. CRS has a longer gestation period than cherries as well as smaller batches. Feeding more protein helps with that. 3 Quote Link to comment
holy carp Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Did you actually tape off the rule of thirds? Or is that holding the tank together? 1 Quote Link to comment
Boggers Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Did you actually tape off the rule of thirds? Or is that holding the tank together? She did that on her last tank as well, and it seems to work well for her but this drop-off my through a bunch of curve balls into it. 1 Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Did you actually tape off the rule of thirds? Or is that holding the tank together? Why aren't you here helping me with this stuff?! With a jigsaw? I still have to return my 3 step ladder to my brother just because you can't get your lazy ass over here. BTW VERY nice picture of you with the puppy on FB. She's too cute. She did that on her last tank as well, and it seems to work well for her but this drop-off my through a bunch of curve balls into it. And then some! I have discovered the challenges for real now that I've been working on the tank for a few days. 1 Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Some pictures and observations of my challenges. The top shelf is 8 inches from bare bottom to the waterline - even increasing the water level by an inch (not sure I can get the full inch more) makes the top shelf a very shallow ~ 9 inches to the water line from bare bottom. That means the SPS won't have too much room to grow tall, and my current colonies are having a hard time being able to fit on the shelf too. I can frag the slimer but the others not so much. So I have to re-think the placement of the SPS. The lower shelf is 18 inches to the waterline so that is more in keeping with my retired tank height. However it is not deep front to back. Another challenge. It looks like cascading corals which is cool, but this is temporary, unless I can figure out a way to make it permanent This was the left side rock in the retired tank which has the Cali tort, Lemonade, rainbow monti (previously hidden) ORA psammacora and Echinata (removed for now) 4 Quote Link to comment
teenyreef Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 This is an interesting challenge. Sounds like the top shelf could be where you grow out frags, but that kind of defeats the whole idea of the top being where all the showpieces are. And most corals that don't grow much vertically are sandbed types that want less light, not more. Plus it's the back half of the tank where it's harder to get a top-down view, so you really want corals that look as good from the side. Maybe light-tolerant softies? I could see a euphyllia forest waving around, provding a nice backdrop for the SPS growing up from below. It's kind of lame but it's all I've got so far. Maybe "downsize" some colonies and put them up there? 1 Quote Link to comment
metrokat Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 From this view/angle you see different things. I can no longer see the Psammacora from the front. But I can from the other side. Finally have diatoms This is an interesting challenge. Sounds like the top shelf could be where you grow out frags, but that kind of defeats the whole idea of the top being where all the showpieces are. And most corals that don't grow much vertically are sandbed types that want less light, not more. Plus it's the back half of the tank where it's harder to get a top-down view, so you really want corals that look as good from the side. Maybe light-tolerant softies? I could see a euphyllia forest waving around, provding a nice backdrop for the SPS growing up from below. It's kind of lame but it's all I've got so far. Maybe "downsize" some colonies and put them up there? I might do the waving Euphys, great idea - thank you. Downsizing has to be done on a few colonies like the slimer. That thing takes up half the tank! lol. 3 Quote Link to comment
Ebn Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Kat, can you take a pic straight on looking into the tank from the front? I want to see what that cascading looks like from the front as well as how your scape is looking in situ. Quote Link to comment
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