Midwest Industrial CC Pico Reef - Upsized Pico Now w/Sexy Shrimp

[ChristopherDido]

Alright Quick end of November update, got another RFA, at a Black Friday Local deal. It's huge! Here's what will probably be my November FTS. Seems to be pulling itself under the rock when the PAR38 is on, but reaches out during the day to grab the sunlight coming in through the front window. Managed to grab this pic right as the PAR38 came on, before it closed in on itself. 

Enjoy!

I did also added some yellow Zoa's, but they keep getting knocked off the rock by the snails, not ready to glue them down yet as I'm not 100% sure where I want them... You can see them slightly in this pic. 

 

Oh and on Monday we added a new friend!  I introduce you to our Pom Pom Crab!!!!!  Isn't he cute!!!!

[ChristopherDido]

On 11/22/2017 at 8:48 PM, Felicia said:

Hi!  Just a reminder to please pm me your November full tank shot (FTS) along with a link to your build thread by the end of the day on November 30th.

Did you get my FTS? Just want to make sure I'm good. Thx!

[ChristopherDido]

Pico is still up and running and seems to be doing well. I found this guy there other day in there and found him again today. Can anyone help me ID this? I think it may be a Hydroid but I've never seen them. Here's a video hope it works. Here's another video https://photos.app.goo.gl/4TYgLfR2au4baTMs2 hopefully one works TIA

 

 

Edited December 11, 2017 by ChristopherDido
Added second video link

[MainelyReefer]

Looks like the same hydroids I have in my pico, they have a stage where they look like jelly fish and that is them spreading to colonize a new zone.  Mine are actually onto the glass now too so you can see the thread that connects the little hydroids to create a "colony".  Assuming they remain harmless its pretty cool.  I love the RFA's, that one is a real

monster! Hopefully they will make babies for you.  BTW the google video worked the other one was only an image and noise, genius idea on first capturing the bugger in a pipette to get a decent video as our tanks make it near impossible.

[ChristopherDido]

15 hours ago, GraniteReefer said:

Looks like the same hydroids I have in my pico, they have a stage where they look like jelly fish and that is them spreading to colonize a new zone.  Mine are actually onto the glass now too so you can see the thread that connects the little hydroids to create a "colony".  Assuming they remain harmless its pretty cool.  I love the RFA's, that one is a real

monster! Hopefully they will make babies for you.  BTW the google video worked the other one was only an image and noise, genius idea on first capturing the bugger in a pipette to get a decent video as our tanks make it near impossible.

Thanks, I figured that was the best way to get a picture/video of him.  I don't know why the video would not work on youtube but would on google photos.  I hope for all of us that they do remain harmless, this was my first encounter with them.  Yes that RFA is a monster, he is gradually opening more and more during the lighting period, so yay!  BTW loving your tank!  I'll post some updates to the tank tonight, I'll try to get a decent top-down shot and maybe a video!  

[ChristopherDido]

Hey All,

Sorry been busy with the end of the School Semester.  Wanted to update today and let you say hello to our Christmas Crab!  Corals are hanging in there, seem very happy, weekly water changes have gone smooth.  Here's some updated pics, the only issues I am currently encountering are this brown stringy algae-ish stuff coming off the rock in individual "hairs." Anyone else running into this, I will try to post some pics of it if anyone can't tell me what it is from my description. Haven't added anything in about two weeks due to Christmas sucking my budget right now.

Thanks for checking in and happy Holidays!  

 

Christmas Pom-Pom Crab :-)

 

Couple of Top Down Shots when I was last going to do a water Change (need to get better at these)

 

And a couple of FCS from two different angles.

[Clown79]

Your Pico looks great! 

Love the pom pom. They are cute!

[ChristopherDido]

12 hours ago, Clown79 said:

Your Pico looks great! 

Love the pom pom. They are cute!

Thanks! Battling Temperature swings right now, our heater is on the fritz, hopefully it's fixed today and I can get the temp back where it should be. It's been below freezing basically the last few days and in the teens overnights. Woke up first night of major cold with tank at 73 :-( so far everything is surviving. May have killed a snail yesterday during water change, bumped him and he feel into the big RFA and it would not let him go. I left town so my wife is watching tank. I'll update if she sees him today. Didn't realize how powerful those RFAs can grips on something can be.

[ChristopherDido]

So yeah... The repair guy for the heater couldn't fix it today, so tank is still at 73. My wife is putting in a 5 watt Cobalt to try to bring it up tonight. 

[JoeR]

8 hours ago, ChristopherDido said:

Thanks! Battling Temperature swings right now, our heater is on the fritz, hopefully it's fixed today and I can get the temp back where it should be. It's been below freezing basically the last few days and in the teens overnights. Woke up first night of major cold with tank at 73 :-( so far everything is surviving. May have killed a snail yesterday during water change, bumped him and he feel into the big RFA and it would not let him go. I left town so my wife is watching tank. I'll update if she sees him today. Didn't realize how powerful those RFAs can grips on something can be.

I had no idea RFAs were so savage! Poor snail 

[vlangel]

On 12/26/2017 at 9:14 PM, ChristopherDido said:

So yeah... The repair guy for the heater couldn't fix it today, so tank is still at 73. My wife is putting in a 5 watt Cobalt to try to bring it up tonight. 

Most coral are fine at 73 degrees.  My Seahorse tank is always at 73 and the only coral that struggled was a green slimmer and I think it was more about swings in alkalinity than temperature.

[ChristopherDido]

On 12/26/2017 at 6:39 PM, JoeR said:

I had no idea RFAs were so savage! Poor snail 

Me either lol

[ChristopherDido]

On 12/28/2017 at 7:11 AM, vlangel said:

Most coral are fine at 73 degrees.  My Seahorse tank is always at 73 and the only coral that struggled was a green slimmer and I think it was more about swings in alkalinity than temperature.

So far everything is looking happy. Bad news we are entering some serious cold over the next week and we are still without a properly functioning heater till next week. And of course I'm out of town till Sunday grrr... Hopefully everything pulls through!

[vlangel]

Fingers crossed that everything is ok.

[Felicia]

Just a friendly reminder that if you haven't already, please pm me your December FTS and a link to your build thread by January 5, 2018.

[ChristopherDido]

Here's my FJS for December. Been battling crazy temperatures here. Heater is still not working properly in the house, so you can see a towel wrapped around the base I have been using to keep the heat in when the temps in the house get down to the 50s. We are currently living at the in-laws which is making this even harder to keep an eye on and get more stuff into the container. Hopefully now that we are coming out of the deep cold things will get back to normal. Oh and yes pet my last update, the RFA did indeed kill the snail, who knew?

 

Anyway here's my December FJS! Enjoy and thanks for checking in!

 

[Lula_Mae]

2 hours ago, ChristopherDido said:

Here's my FJS for December. Been battling crazy temperatures here. Heater is still not working properly in the house, so you can see a towel wrapped around the base I have been using to keep the heat in when the temps in the house get down to the 50s. We are currently living at the in-laws which is making this even harder to keep an eye on and get more stuff into the container. Hopefully now that we are coming out of the deep cold things will get back to normal. Oh and yes pet my last update, the RFA did indeed kill the snail, who knew?

 

Anyway here's my December FJS! Enjoy and thanks for checking in!

 

Jar looks good! It's been so cold for so long here that it's not been like this for decades (almost 100 years I heard). I can't imagine the house being in the 50s, I would freeze! I've heard of some LPS like elegance corals eating snails that get too close, someone on here had a scattering of snail shells around their elegance that it had eaten lol. So it's interesting that an RFA will do that too! Poor snail...

[tanacharison]

How’s the tank? Your RFAs look really nice. 

[ChristopherDido]

It's still bubbling away. The house is back to normal finally! I did a water change tonight, here's a top down shot right before the water change. RFAs have moved a bit. 

[Clown79]

Tank looks wonderful. 

 

It's been crazy cold here -35 one night. 

 

Glad your house is warm now?

[ChristopherDido]

7 hours ago, Clown79 said:

Tank looks wonderful. 

 

It's been crazy cold here -35 one night. 

 

Glad your house is warm now?

Not that cold here. You're making me feel better! :-) thanks for the compliment!

[Clown79]

3 hours ago, ChristopherDido said:

Not that cold here. You're making me feel better! :-) thanks for the compliment!

Lol. Ya it's been so cold all my windows and sliding doors froze solid.

 

 

[Lula_Mae]

On 1/10/2018 at 1:45 AM, Clown79 said:

Tank looks wonderful. 

 

It's been crazy cold here -35 one night. 

 

Glad your house is warm now?

Down here, we think it's too cold when it's 35 ABOVE zero!  I can't imagine-35!

[ChristopherDido]

2 hours ago, Lula_Mae said:

Down here, we think it's too cold when it's 35 ABOVE zero!  I can't imagine-35!

I hear that, lived in Texas for all but 3 years of my life... It's been an adjustment to have negative temps here, I couldn't imagine dealing with -35.

[vlangel]

I am glad that everything weathered the cold!