12x12 cube

[patback]

Equipment

12x12" deep blue cube

Plexi lid 

Nanobox mini tide with bluefish controller

Dual vortech mp10 

75 watt titanium neotherm heater

Reefkeeper lite

Jbj ato 

Ac20 as needed

 

Filtration

Natural Berlin,live rock;originally dry from reefcleaners 

Bimini pink sand

 

Main objective

I've had a tank running probably for the better part of the past 6 or 7 years and I always run into the same problem. I try to push the envelope on what my lifestyle and patience allows and buy harder-to keep inhabitants.  These foreseeably die, I lose interest in my tank, skip on maintenance and before I know it, the tank winds up a mess with the only things left looking miserable. I have lost countless money by doing this on repeat and a sane person would say enough is enough and put reefkeeping on hold.  I guess that is why I refuse to not have a tank and instead am trying to steer clear of harder corals, sticking to easier to keep softies, Lps, zoanthids and photosynthetic gorgonians.  I always had a love for inverts and like all my other tanks, I envision a tank heavily stocked with shrimp and crabs.  

 

Inhabitants

As of now inhabitants include...

1x flaming prawn goby

2x serpent brittle stars

2x harlequin shrimp

A couple gorgonians 

Various euphyllia  

Lobo-type thing...never found out what it is

A lone zoanthid here and there

Various mushrooms including jawbreakers.  This is most gut-wrenching, that I loved the jawbreakers so much and allowed 90% of them to melt away.  I am left with 3 booger sized jawbreakers from my ~dozen or so quarter sized or better.  I promised to trade/send a few out to my buddies and I let them shrivel away instead. In all honesty if I had lost all of them, I probably would have called it quits for the time being.

 

What I am up against

Algae surprisingly is not an issue as of right now. I do have a heavy amount of aiptasia that need eradicating.  This will probably be done through berghias if I can find them again.  The scape also needs tweaking.  Just a few rubble pieces to make a small peninsula more pronounced and to build up a secion of rockwork.

 

Pics will come as I take them.  More or less starting this thread to keep record for myself and if anyone wants to join in on conversation that is cool.  

 

 

 

 

 

[patback]

So as were settling in.....looks like we got room for the bigger deep blue.  Like perfect amount of room. .

 

 

Lots of empty space and lots of aiptasia.  

 

[jack1978]

4 minutes ago, patback said:

So as were settling in.....looks like we got room for the bigger deep blue.  Like perfect amount of room. .

 

 

Lots of empty space and lots of aiptasia.  

 

Looks great, P-Cakes!  

I've finally gone the same route as you with my cube that I've hated for the better part of a year now.

New rock and sand, easy coral to allow for my lack of discipline.....starting to actually enjoy it again!

Good luck!

 

[patback]

11 minutes ago, jack1978 said:

Looks great, P-Cakes!  

I've finally gone the same route as you with my cube that I've hated for the better part of a year now.

New rock and sand, easy coral to allow for my lack of discipline.....starting to actually enjoy it again!

Good luck!

 

I have to catch up on everybodies threads.  I didn't even know kimber made YouTube videos. I'll check yours out.

 

It's crazy how much of a difference a clean slate makes.  I can't remember the last time I actually wanted to go to a fish store. I've been to two this week and had to hold myself back from adding too much stuff. 

[ReefWeeds]

Following! Tank looks great there!! I'm excited to see you get back in the game  

[patback]

5 minutes ago, stellablue said:

Following! Tank looks great there!! I'm excited to see you get back in the game  

Thanks Stella!  

I forgot I wanted to post a picture of these boogers too.  

 

I got to try to persuade them to the front of the tank. 

[ReefWeeds]

13 minutes ago, patback said:

Thanks Stella!  

I forgot I wanted to post a picture of these boogers too.  

 

I got to try to persuade them to the front of the tank. 

Oh cool! So what kind of starfish do you feed them? And I would definitely advise against going to Reefapalooza because you will totally be tempted to buy hard to keep corals and then you'll get thrown off track!!! So no PBs allowed  

[patback]

Hahaha. No rap for me. I think I'm gonna pick up some more inverts this weekend or next maybe. 

Bumblebee shrimp, sexy shrimp, and anemone shrimp probably.

I feed them asterinas as I get them and also chocolate chip stars.  The Caribbean generic stars are cheaper but have an almost crystal exterior that makes a mess when they eat into them.  I'm Hoping these follow suite with my other ones I had... they generally leave serpent/ brittle stars alone since they are too Wiley for them, so stubby and his friend should be fine.  

[Weetabix7]

53 minutes ago, patback said:

Thanks Stella!  

I forgot I wanted to post a picture of these boogers too.  

 

I got to try to persuade them to the front of the tank. 

 

Oooh, really cool to see someone keeping these!!!

[1891Bro]

I thought 12x12 was a square not a cube?

 

JK. I used to see your tanks years ago in my lurking days. Nice to see you back in it. 

[patback]

11 hours ago, Weetabix7 said:

 

Oooh, really cool to see someone keeping these!!!

Thanks!  They are super easy to keep compared to what people say. For the pair, 1 small starfish last them about a week and a half,plus they don't need constant food like people used to say. You can even feed them 1 week on, 1 week off.  

There is no worry of the starfish getting away and munching on coral or inverts because they hold on to it constantly and keep it sort of paralyzed in a way.  The shrimp are also super common around here, 1 store had about 10 and are expecting another shipment and the other store had about 30-40 if I had to take a guess. 

For a single shrimp 1 leg every 10 days or so should be enough for it to be constantly munching.  

11 hours ago, 1891Bro said:

I thought 12x12 was a square not a cube?

 

JK. I used to see your tanks years ago in my lurking days. Nice to see you back in it. 

Haha, I guess technically it's either a 12" cube , or a 12x12x12...  I gave up on witty names for threads a long time ago.  if you have a suggestion,let me hear it.

[kimberbee]

14 hours ago, patback said:

I didn't even know kimber made YouTube videos.

I've only been making them for a month or two. I got bored at home when Nick was working 100+ hours a week. 

 

Those harlequin shrimp are cute! 

[gena]

Oh, I like that size!  And love a cube .  Looks great!!!!

[patback]

5 hours ago, kimberbee said:

I've only been making them for a month or two. I got bored at home when Nick was working 100+ hours a week. 

 

Those harlequin shrimp are cute! 

100. Ee-gads.  I haven't gotten a chance to watch them all. How many are there and what are they usually about?

[patback]

2 hours ago, gena said:

Oh, I like that size!  And love a cube .  Looks great!!!!

Thanks gena.   I'm really hoping I can keep this tank clean and healthy.  

 

Are you keeping your sand bed when you change tanks? This natures ocean stuff is the best sand I've used out of 4 or 5 different types.  I rinsed nothing and had less than 5 hours of cloudy water after adding it.  it's a nice color and doesn't get blown around much, even with both mp10s running. 

[kimberbee]

31 minutes ago, patback said:

100. Ee-gads.  I haven't gotten a chance to watch them all. How many are there and what are they usually about?

 10 or so I think. Mostly about my fish tank stuff. I made one for Jack starring a certain princess... 

[jack1978]

Just now, kimberbee said:

 10 or so I think. Mostly about my fish tank stuff. I made one for Jack starring a certain princess... 

[patback]

1 minute ago, kimberbee said:

 10 or so I think. Mostly about my fish tank stuff. I made one for Jack starring a certain princess... 

I'm liking what I'm hearing so far.....

[patback]

13 minutes ago, kimberbee said:

 10 or so I think. Mostly about my fish tank stuff. I made one for Jack starring a certain princess... 

Lmao. I just found it. If someone didn't know about jacks infatuation that video would be so creepy.

 

 

[patback]

Went to pick up a starfish for the harlequin and they were having a sale, 40% off of anything live....

 

[jack1978]

2 hours ago, patback said:

Went to pick up a starfish for the harlequin and they were having a sale, 40% off of anything live....

 

What a tease.

 

 

[patback]

Hi-fin

 

 

Pipefish

 

Terrible photo of pixie hawk

 

I haven't gotten photos of the coral or gorgs. We got. And apparently the "no hard shit" idea is out the window,  because Erin bought a ####ing feather starfish after I told her not to.  I may bring it right to another fish store for a credit.  it is an awesome looking creature though.  I'm just mad that it is in my tank.  

Too lazy to edit.... duplicate of the pipefish.

[patback]

Huge, beautiful colony of aiptasia and a small torch pest.

I think this Lil guy is about  2 years old now. 

[kimberbee]

Why no pic of the feather star?

[patback]

2 minutes ago, kimberbee said:

Why no pic of the feather star?

I'll get one either tonight or tomorrow hopefully. Also got a small birdsnest drag, large gorg, small toadstool, and some little anthelia type coral Erin wanted.