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Dr. Felicia's Back to Basics IM14 - Retired 2/25/2020


Felicia

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12 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

Love the arch!  And plenty of vertical space for gorgs and maybe macros to fill, and for fishies to swim!

Thank you, Lula! :flower:  I've had an arched scape before in my 30 gallon Diver's Paradise tank, but that was more of a large, stylized arch that I built out of dry rock.  I was going for more of a low natural arch for this tank.  I'm definitely antsy to start filling this thing up with gorgonians.  I have such a gorgonian obsession.  I think the amount of height I left for them is perfect.  The tank is small and not that tall, so I wanted to make sure I left enough height for gorgonians.  I'm also hoping to add a small clown pair and a firefish that will swim up in the water column.  The other fish I want is a yellow watchman goby that I am hoping to pair with a pistol shrimp.  Hopefully since I left open sand up in the front of the scape, they'll build their den somewhere towards the center.  I miss these guys...

 

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5 minutes ago, Felicia said:

Thank you, Jack!  I'm so used to using inexpensive, rimmed tanks.  Its surprising how clean/sleek these little rimless tanks look.  I'm attempting to keep that look by not having too much equipment clutter or visible wires.  I was trying to cord organize and originally I was like, this isn't going to be bad at all because this tank has so much less equipment and therefore less plugs then my last build.  Somehow, even with less than half the number of things that need to get plugged in, there is still a rat's nest of wires :lol:

Yeah, I noticed that too :lol:.  How can there still be a rat's nest with such a little tank?????  But there is LOL.

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Just now, gena said:

Yeah, I noticed that too :lol:.  How can there still be a rat's nest with such a little tank?????  But there is LOL.

Its just part of the hobby I guess!  Too many cords and high electric bills.  It was amazing how much my electric bill dropped after I took down the 40B.  My electric bill is about 50% of what it was.  I am cringing waiting to see what the new tank does to the electric bill.  I'm hoping since it has less equipment it won't be nearly as bad.

13 hours ago, Felicia said:

Here are a few photos of the rock scape.  I'm really liking it and I think this is how its going to stay.

 

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Moving these over to the new page!

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Christopher Marks
15 minutes ago, Felicia said:

Its surprising how clean/sleek these little rimless tanks look.  I'm attempting to keep that look by not having too much equipment clutter or visible wires.  I was trying to cord organize and originally I was like, this isn't going to be bad at all because this tank has so much less equipment and therefore less plugs then my last build.  Somehow, even with less than half the number of things that need to get plugged in, there is still a rat's nest of wires :lol:

I just noticed your tidy cable management! What kind of cable ties did you use on the glass? That's a really good idea @Felicia!

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10 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said:

I just noticed your tidy cable management! What kind of cable ties did you use on the glass? That's a really good idea @Felicia!

I tried really hard with this tank, so thank you!  I still have a bit of a pile of looped up cords, but no way around that I guess! :lol:  For the MP10, I used an adhesive zip tie mount and a small black ziptie to keep the dry side in place when I remove the wet side for cleaning and things.  Also, so that Lily (my cat) can't knock it off the tank!  I had put the MP10 on the tank when I was originally setting it up, but hadn't decided on a final location yet, so I hadn't anchored it.  Lily was like, what is this? And then knocked it right off.  I heard it hit the dresser and I was like, ok we do not need her breaking an MP10 dry side. That's an expensive cat toy! :lol:  Anyways, the clips I used to hold the MP10 cord in place down the backside of the tank are these Command Strip Outdoor Light Clips that I found at Home Depot.  This is my first time using them and they work great!  I also used those to clip the ATO tubing to the wall.  

 

1128013P

 

Here's the link:

http://www.command.com/3M/en_US/command/products/~/Command-Outdoor-Light-Clips?N=5924736+3294277839+3294529207&rt=rud

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2 hours ago, Felicia said:

I tried really hard with this tank, so thank you!  I still have a bit of a pile of looped up cords, but no way around that I guess! :lol:  For the MP10, I used an adhesive zip tie mount and a small black ziptie to keep the dry side in place when I remove the wet side for cleaning and things.  Also, so that Lily (my cat) can't knock it off the tank!  I had put the MP10 on the tank when I was originally setting it up, but hadn't decided on a final location yet, so I hadn't anchored it.  Lily was like, what is this? And then knocked it right off.  I heard it hit the dresser and I was like, ok we do not need her breaking an MP10 dry side. That's an expensive cat toy! :lol:  Anyways, the clips I used to hold the MP10 cord in place down the backside of the tank are these Command Strip Outdoor Light Clips that I found at Home Depot.  This is my first time using them and they work great!  I also used those to clip the ATO tubing to the wall.  

 

1128013P

 

Here's the link:

http://www.command.com/3M/en_US/command/products/~/Command-Outdoor-Light-Clips?N=5924736+3294277839+3294529207&rt=rud

Oooh I like those.  I may have to look for them, my cords are a mess! :lol:

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1 hour ago, Lula_Mae said:

Oooh I like those.  I may have to look for them, my cords are a mess! :lol:

I really like them because they attach with Command Strips which come off easily and clean when you want to remove them.  Much less damaging to my walls :)

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3 hours ago, Felicia said:

I really like them because they attach with Command Strips which come off easily and clean when you want to remove them.  Much less damaging to my walls :)

Landlords appreciate that! :lol:

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7 hours ago, Felicia said:

Its just part of the hobby I guess!  Too many cords and high electric bills.  It was amazing how much my electric bill dropped after I took down the 40B.  My electric bill is about 50% of what it was.  I am cringing waiting to see what the new tank does to the electric bill.  I'm hoping since it has less equipment it won't be nearly as bad.

Moving these over to the new page!

Wow!  50% is significant!  I didn't pay attention to whether or not there was a difference when I took down my big cube tank.  I know mentally and physically it was a big relief LOL.

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3 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

Landlords appreciate that! :lol:

True!  Granted, I have put so many holes in my walls and ceilings of my rented apartment for the sake of my reef tanks at this point that I'm not too worried about it.  I just patch the wall and touch up the paint.  I keep a tub of spackle and a small can of matching paint on hand :lol:

2 hours ago, gena said:

Wow!  50% is significant!  I didn't pay attention to whether or not there was a difference when I took down my big cube tank.  I know mentally and physically it was a big relief LOL.

Seriously right?!  I knew it would make an impact but I didn't imagine it was accounting for like 50% of my bill.  Keep in mind that I have a small apartment without AC and my cook top, water heater, and heater are all gas instead of electric.  So I don't use that much to begin with, but it still was a bit difference.  We'll see what this little tank does to the bill!  And yeah downsizing is definitely a relief in many ways!

2 hours ago, ninjamyst said:

Very nice and sharp FTS!  I dont even want to imagine what my electricity bill will be like if I am not running a 90 gallon tank and so much equipments...

Thank you! :flower:  Oh man a 90 gallon...yeah I bet that's a serious electricity bill contributor.  Its better not to think about it...

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On 9/3/2017 at 9:55 PM, RollaJase said:

Coming together really well Felicia :).

Thank you, Jase!

 

 

Sorry for being MIA. I've been on vacation, but that works perfectly since the tank is just cycling. I wasn't sure how many days the 5 gallon ATO reservoir would last, but it's been 9 days now and it's still over halfway full. This will be much nicer for taking trips. The reservoir on the 40B had to be refilled every 4-5 days. I've been using my WiFi camera to check on the tank and the reservoir water level occasionally. Not much to see but glad it seems to be running well and the new ATO system seems to be working.

 

 

IMG_9204.PNG

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1 minute ago, Felicia said:

Thank you, Jase!

 

 

Sorry for being MIA. I've been on vacation, but that works perfectly since the tank is just cycling. I wasn't sure how many days the 5 gallon ATO reservoir would last, but it's been 9 days now and it's still over halfway full. This will be much nicer for taking trips. The reservoir on the 40B had to be refilled every 4-5 days. I've been using my WiFi camera to check on the tank and the reservoir water level occasionally. Not much to see but glad it seems to be running well and the new ATO system seems to be working.

 

 

IMG_9204.PNG

Awesome :D

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On 8/29/2017 at 2:46 PM, Felicia said:

Its just part of the hobby I guess!  Too many cords and high electric bills.  It was amazing how much my electric bill dropped after I took down the 40B.  My electric bill is about 50% of what it was.  I am cringing waiting to see what the new tank does to the electric bill.  I'm hoping since it has less equipment it won't be nearly as bad.

Moving these over to the new page!

 

This scape will look really amazing with lots of gorgonians filling it out!!!!!

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On 9/9/2017 at 4:12 PM, Weetabix7 said:

 

This scape will look really amazing with lots of gorgonians filling it out!!!!!

Thank you!  Hopefully I'll be able to get some gorgonians after this hurricane in Florida.  I love the photosynthetic Carribbean gorgonians and was planning to stock with those.  KP Aquatics has a message up on their site that hopefully they can continue business after Irma.  I'm anxiously awaiting news of how they fared, since they're located in the Florida Keys.  They're my favorite online source for corals and I really hope they can continue to do business!

On 9/9/2017 at 5:40 PM, vlangel said:

Someday I look forward to an easier tank....sigh!  Seriously, I am happy that the tank did well while you were on vacation.

Well I admire your commitment to maintaining the seahorse aquarium!  I know it is a ton or work, and you can't ever slack at it.  Someday maybe you can take a break and have an easy tank!  I'm definitely looking forward to enjoying an easy aquarium for now!  At least you seem to have a good enough tank sitter that you can still take vacations :)

 

 

Alright, I'm back home and in 10 days, the ATO only used about half of the water in the reservoir, so looks like the tank can go 20 days without an ATO reservoir refill.  I should just get an autofeeder to throw on there and then I won't even need a tank sitter for vacations/work trips!

 

I got home yesterday afternoon and tested the water to see what was going on with the cycle.  I figured the cycle would be complete since the tank is 3 weeks old today and I started it with Real Reef Rock cured live rock, live sand, and bottled bacteria.  I threw in a couple of pinches of PE pellets before I left to give the tank something to kick off a cycle.  Anyways, the results from my testing yesterday was:

 

Ammonia: 0 ppm

Nitrite: 0 ppm

Nitrate: 5-10 ppm

 

37172135405_1a5545d4a7_c.jpg

 

37029999041_f9ae426461_c.jpg

 

37029999121_d8bd03d759_c.jpg

 

I went ahead and did a 2.5 gallon water change yesterday to lower the nitrates and then decided to go ahead and add the first inhabitants.  I went to the LFS to see what they had and I had to resist the urge to buy so many fish and inverts!  They had all the nano fish I'm considering and a ton of the inverts I want in stock all at once!  They had adorable, fat tail spot blennies, orange firefish, and a yellow watchman goby.  They also had red banded pistol shrimp in stock, so I decided to get a yellow watchman goby as the first fish and a pistol shrimp for him to pair with.  They also had some nice porcelain anemone crabs, so I couldn't resist grabbing one of those.  I'm hoping to put together a ricordea area for him to hang out.  I also got 4 nassarius snails for my CUC.  I'm holding off on other snails for now since the tank doesn't have any algae yet.  I just wanted something to keep the sandbed clean and since nassarius are scavengers, they can eat the leftover food and waste and don't need algae.

 

Of course when I added the YWG and pistol shrimp to the tank, they went opposite directions to hide.  I'm hoping they'll find each other over the next few days and start a burrow.  I didn't see either of them this morning before work, so hopefully I'll see them this evening to confirm they survived the night.  I did however see the porcelain anemone crab up on top of the rocks filter feeding this morning, so he seems to be doing well!  I bought some PhytoFeast for him at the LFS.  I didn't get a photo of the crab, but I did get a quick photo of the YWG and pistol shrimp after adding them to the tank.  Here they are!

 

37000405792_61efa6c3ac_c.jpg 

 

37172135635_050fdd9ce8_c.jpg

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21 minutes ago, Felicia said:

Thank you!  Hopefully I'll be able to get some gorgonians after this hurricane in Florida.  I love the photosynthetic Carribbean gorgonians and was planning to stock with those.  KP Aquatics has a message up on their site that hopefully they can continue business after Irma.  I'm anxiously awaiting news of how they fared, since they're located in the Florida Keys.  They're my favorite online source for corals and I really hope they can continue to do business!

Well I admire your commitment to maintaining the seahorse aquarium!  I know it is a ton or work, and you can't ever slack at it.  Someday maybe you can take a break and have an easy tank!  I'm definitely looking forward to enjoying an easy aquarium for now!  At least you seem to have a good enough tank sitter that you can still take vacations :)

 

 

Alright, I'm back home and in 10 days, the ATO only used about half of the water in the reservoir, so looks like the tank can go 20 days without an ATO reservoir refill.  I should just get an autofeeder to throw on there and then I won't even need a tank sitter for vacations/work trips!

 

I got home yesterday afternoon and tested the water to see what was going on with the cycle.  I figured the cycle would be complete since the tank is 3 weeks old today and I started it with Real Reef Rock cured live rock, live sand, and bottled bacteria.  I threw in a couple of pinches of PE pellets before I left to give the tank something to kick off a cycle.  Anyways, the results from my testing yesterday was:

 

Ammonia: 0 ppm

Nitrite: 0 ppm

Nitrate: 5-10 ppm

 

37172135405_1a5545d4a7_c.jpg

 

37029999041_f9ae426461_c.jpg

 

37029999121_d8bd03d759_c.jpg

 

I went ahead and did a 2.5 gallon water change yesterday to lower the nitrates and then decided to go ahead and add the first inhabitants.  I went to the LFS to see what they had and I had to resist the urge to buy so many fish and inverts!  They had all the nano fish I'm considering and a ton of the inverts I want in stock all at once!  They had adorable, fat tail spot blennies, orange firefish, and a yellow watchman goby.  They also had red banded pistol shrimp in stock, so I decided to get a yellow watchman goby as the first fish and a pistol shrimp for him to pair with.  They also had some nice porcelain anemone crabs, so I couldn't resist grabbing one of those.  I'm hoping to put together a ricordea area for him to hang out.  I also got 4 nassarius snails for my CUC.  I'm holding off on other snails for now since the tank doesn't have any algae yet.  I just wanted something to keep the sandbed clean and since nassarius are scavengers, they can eat the leftover food and waste and don't need algae.

 

Of course when I added the YWG and pistol shrimp to the tank, they went opposite directions to hide.  I'm hoping they'll find each other over the next few days and start a burrow.  I didn't see either of them this morning before work, so hopefully I'll see them this evening to confirm they survived the night.  I did however see the porcelain anemone crab up on top of the rocks filter feeding this morning, so he seems to be doing well!  I bought some PhytoFeast for him at the LFS.  I didn't get a photo of the crab, but I did get a quick photo of the YWG and pistol shrimp after adding them to the tank.  Here they are!

 

37000405792_61efa6c3ac_c.jpg 

 

37172135635_050fdd9ce8_c.jpg

Cuties!!! Pretty sure my porcelain was killed by the stupid hermit that LA sent me accidentally. I miss it!

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1 minute ago, Lula_Mae said:

Cuties!!! Pretty sure my porcelain was killed by the stupid hermit that LA sent me accidentally. I miss it!

Definitely nothing unique, but I love the shrimp/goby symbiotic relationship.  They're so fun to watch and I'm a sucker for the grumpy face and bright yellow coloration of the YWG.  Sounds like you need a new porcelain crab!  Hopefully mine does ok and isn't too bothered by not having an anemone yet.  He was on the rocks this morning, so hopefully he can just hang there for now.  I am undecided about whether I'll get hermits for this tank.  I absolutely love them, but they can be a PITA at times.  However, they're great scavengers for extra food.  I may add a couple of the scarlet leg hermits, which are the most docile, but we'll see.

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13 minutes ago, Felicia said:

Definitely nothing unique, but I love the shrimp/goby symbiotic relationship.  They're so fun to watch and I'm a sucker for the grumpy face and bright yellow coloration of the YWG.  Sounds like you need a new porcelain crab!  Hopefully mine does ok and isn't too bothered by not having an anemone yet.  He was on the rocks this morning, so hopefully he can just hang there for now.  I am undecided about whether I'll get hermits for this tank.  I absolutely love them, but they can be a PITA at times.  However, they're great scavengers for extra food.  I may add a couple of the scarlet leg hermits, which are the most docile, but we'll see.

Yes, I definitely need a new one! I had ordered a scarlet hermit to try but they sent an empty shell lol. :rolleyes: No idea what they actually sent me, was supposed to be a couple ceriths and was a cerith (also now dead) and mystery hermit. I like the look of yellow and pink watchman gobies and hope to try one with a shrimp someday!

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57 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

Yes, I definitely need a new one! I had ordered a scarlet hermit to try but they sent an empty shell lol. :rolleyes: No idea what they actually sent me, was supposed to be a couple ceriths and was a cerith (also now dead) and mystery hermit. I like the look of yellow and pink watchman gobies and hope to try one with a shrimp someday!

Do you have a local aquarium store?  Most of them stock the scarlet reef hermits, since they're a popular type of hermit.  Might be better than trying to order them online.  Otherwise, I'd recommend ordering snails and hermits through KP Aquatics.  They always send extras in case one or two don't make it.  I've honestly never had a snail or hermit from them arrive dead.  They have inexpensive shipping for certain items including snails and hermits and are just otherwise an awesome company.  Hopefully they survived hurricane Irma ok, since they're located in the Florida Keys.  The watchman gobies have such wonderful personalities and are super easy.  I'd definitely recommend one paired with a shrimp.

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49 minutes ago, gena said:

Awww...I love the pair :wub:.  Already reminds me of your first tank :).

 

Your ATO talk reminds me I need to fill my reservoir LOL.  I never fill it all the way.  I really should!

Thank you, Gena.  I know!  They're giving me serious aquarium nostalgia.  I hope they settle in ok and do well!  I'm anxious to get home this evening to watch my tank now that it has some life.

 

I just have to start planning the rest of my stocking.  I am definitely getting a clown pair.  However, I think I should only do one additional fish on top of the YWG and the clowns or my bioload will be too high.  I'm really torn between a tail spot blenny or an orange firefish.  The blennies have such cute personalities, but they spend a lot of time perched.  I like the color and movement of the firefish, but they can be a bit shy and don't have as much personality.  Not sure on which I want yet.

 

It worked out perfectly that my reservoir for my RODI unit holds exactly the same amount of water as the ATO reservoir :)

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3 minutes ago, Felicia said:

Do you have a local aquarium store?  Most of them stock the scarlet reef hermits, since they're a popular type of hermit.  Might be better than trying to order them online.  Otherwise, I'd recommend ordering snails and hermits through KP Aquatics.  They always send extras in case one or two don't make it.  I've honestly never had a snail or hermit from them arrive dead.  They have inexpensive shipping for certain items including snails and hermits and are just otherwise an awesome company.  Hopefully they survived hurricane Irma ok, since they're located in the Florida Keys.  The watchman gobies have such wonderful personalities and are super easy.  I'd definitely recommend one paired with a shrimp.

There's a couple stores an hour away, I just tacked the hermit and snails onto the LA order I was already making (trying to get a two spot bimaculatus blenny and they sent me one whose belly was touching his backbone and of course he didn't make it :().  I actually made rounds to those stores last week and no scarlets, I was definitely looking!  One had zebra hermits...will never get one of those again unless in a dedicated pico lol.  I want to order from KP but have held off, but when I order more gorgs in the future I want some of theirs.  I saw an angular sea whip like they carry in an LFS once, it was GORGEOUS!

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4 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

There's a couple stores an hour away, I just tacked the hermit and snails onto the LA order I was already making (trying to get a two spot bimaculatus blenny and they sent me one whose belly was touching his backbone and of course he didn't make it :().  I actually made rounds to those stores last week and no scarlets, I was definitely looking!  One had zebra hermits...will never get one of those again unless in a dedicated pico lol.  I want to order from KP but have held off, but when I order more gorgs in the future I want some of theirs.  I saw an angular sea whip like they carry in an LFS once, it was GORGEOUS!

I usually hear good things about Live Aquaria, but I've never ordered from them myself.  Seems like the best place to get rare/unique fish, but otherwise not the most cost effective way to get common fish/inverts.  That's really too bad that they would ship a fish like that.  You definitely expect more from Live Aquaria since they're supposed to be quarantining and getting the fish to eat before sending.  Zebra hermits are the WORST.  They get HUGE and MEAN.  I stay away from those now. I basically will only get scarlet hermits, blue leg hermits, and halloween hermits now.  Scarlets being the least aggressive.  KP Aquatics definitely won't disappoint.  Considering their prices they always send even bigger than expected and healthy animals and corals.

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