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2.7 gallon Pico-Added new corals (soon to be moving to new tank)


SavaS

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So today I did a three hour leak test to make sure the tank was still sound after gluing and screwing everything together, all good so far!  So after that I filled the sump and am letting everything run for a while, maybe a day or three to make sure everything is working like it should. Had to make a splash guard for the drain side of the sump due to splashing, maybe I need to lower the pipe? Not sure yet, basically the design is for the water to fall through the filter pad and then travel through the first chamber of the sump and then into the return side and back to the display. I figure this will also help to oxygenate the water, maybe. I'll see how this goes, may have to change things up a bit later on. Also this test lets me see how the temp of the tank will be affected by the pump itself. It's way over-sized for the setup but it was all I had on hand, the plan is to replace it eventually. I added some mesh from a computer case I had lying around to the underside of the top so I couldn't see the heat sink and thermometer probe as well, looks much better. And last, the new tank on stand next to my current setup on my mini fridge. 

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So I woke up this morning to no leaks which is great. The return chamber in the sump has dropped about a quarter inch so far due to evaporation but the temp is sitting steady at 80 degrees so I need to get a new pump before I move everything over which is fine, I have to get new float switches for the ato anyways. I'm debating on adding a fan over the sump, not sure yet. 

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The $1 bill really puts 2.5 gallons in perspective!

 

Just out of curiosity, but why did you decide to install legs on both the previous version and the new version of the tank?  

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I think my thought process was along the lines of giving the reef a floating feel, plus it didn't look right without them, the legs kind of untether the tank from the stand. But then again I probably just stare at the tank too much. 

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Just got back from a weekend trip to St. Augustine and while there I managed to get a few corals. Finally got myself some mushrooms! And a candy cane!! One mushroom came with a clove polyp attached, the other has several palys, so 5 corals for 70 bucks was pretty good I think. Pics are a little crappy so forgive me, I'll post better pics when they are open more. Second tank is still chugging along with just freshwater in it for now while I wait for the new pump I ordered to arrive. The temp is hanging in at 84 degrees which is just too high, hopefully the new pump will run cooler. Also ordered a temperature controller I can hook a small fan to to help keep the temperature stable. Also picked up a scarlet reef hermit for 3$ so we'll see how that goes as well as a peppermint shrimp, hopefully she can help with my aiptasia problem, I have several popping up around the tank so fingers crossed she doesn't have a appetite for coral like the other one I had did. If you have any info on the mushrooms, such as a specific name I would appreciate it, I was just told they were mushrooms...

 

Three headed candycane

Orange mushroom with clove polyp-not yet extended

Purplish mushroom with palys

And the scarlet reef hermit, started munching right away and it's positioned itself right above an aiptasia-wonder if he'll eat it? 

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And here is my emerald crab snagging a bit of hair algae off of the filter, I can see the corraline that used to be there again. And him enjoying some flake food and not sharing with the hermit...

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@TatorTaco are you referring to the mushrooms next to the hidden cup coral? The clear tentacles? I didn't know they could be aggressive, they are close but not touching, though I can move them a bit. There will be a better spread in the new tank, I'll have to keep this in mind. 

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So this time around the peppermint shrimp is eating aiptasia, only had to drive a few hours to get one that would... I used aiptasia X on the 5 larger ones and wow it works fast. I've read mixed reviews about it but going slow and letting the aiptasia pull it in and then poooof, imploded aiptasia. I left the tiny ones for the PS. New pump arrived but it produced a trickle of water.... It only had to push it up about 18"s and one elbow. It's rated for 4.6' head height. The old one is back in, works but is still heating up the tank too much. I used some corrugated plastic and a pc fan for experimenting the evaporative cooling route. It sits snug and secure on the sump. My temperature controller should be here in a few days, if the fan can keep the temp in place then I'll stick with it and the current pump. The notch in the plastic is for the return line of my ATO. 

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20 hours ago, SavaS said:

@TatorTaco are you referring to the mushrooms next to the hidden cup coral? The clear tentacles? I didn't know they could be aggressive, they are close but not touching, though I can move them a bit. There will be a better spread in the new tank, I'll have to keep this in mind. 

Disclaimer:  I've never had cup corals before.  I'd just keep an eye on it.  I don't think they grow very big and I understand they like to stay hidden in the shade, so you should be okay.  Good luck with it!

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Will do, they're pretty interesting, they come out fully extended with a bit of phyto/zooplankton or reef snow, the largest one has about 1" tentacles(?). They must reproduce very slow, I've only seen 3 new ones in the 9 months or so the rock has been in the tank. I'm debating on lifting the rock about an inch above the bottom in the new tank, maybe they will spread more on the dark side of things. 

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So far the fan is able to drop the temp in the tank several degrees. I turn it off, let the tank warm up, takes about and hour to get to 80-81 and then the fan brings everything back to 79-80 in about 20 minutes or so. Although I am wondering if the heat is really a huge issue, My current tank can and has gotten to 84 on several occasions and everything seemed fine, still does. I've seen temperature drops to 74 and up to 84, not everyday and not for more than a few hours but it seems to survive, am I just overthinking this? We'll see. Also, my little clove polyp popped out today to say hello, there's a bit too much flow on it I think because it wasn't fully extended so I'll have to take that into account when placing in the new tank. And I swear that paly in the back, if I look at it funny it will close up... also the mushroom on that rock is really spreading itself out, I do plan to remove it/split that rock when the change happens, I'd rather do it now than have to worry about one or the other growing over the other down the road. As always your thoughts and opinions are appreciated.

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As far as temp goes, 84 may not be a problem in the short term, but if there is a problem like loss of A/C that causes your temp to spike, it could be a real problem. Better to run cooler if possible.

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cfaye@Delaware

Mushrooms, some of them can grow pretty fast and some of them can be aggressive or semi-aggressive. Oh yes and some of them will move around thru out the tank........

Things are looking good from what I can see......try using the sport mode on your cell phone camera and the manual focus in settings. Also there are some apps. you can use on your cell phone, not tried them yet.......

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Temperature controller arrived and hooked up easily enough, also wired the new float switch in and the ATO is doing its job well enough, though I may replace the float switch with a smaller one.

 

Tank has officially moved to the new setup, I started a new journal to document its progress, this link is here:

New tank setup

 

 

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