3.7g Pico instead

[morecoffee]

2 hours ago, TatorTaco said:

Nah, you shouldn't have any trouble with the rock touching the glass other than it being difficult cleaning the right side with a magnet cleaner. 

Good to know.  I get nervous about such thing.

 

2 hours ago, TatorTaco said:

Did you end up replacing the stock pump

I am still waiting for amazon to ship me a Hydor 200 gph pump.  I plan on this being my only source of flow.  I will install the new pump well before I have any corals. 

[morecoffee]

Here is an update on my tank:

 

So far I've got: 

Red Leg Hermit Crab (Hermie) - who wants my snail's shell so I added some.

 

Astrea Snail - looks pretty much just like my rock

 

Chaeto - I have it to soak up anything my pukani rock may be burning off.  It doubles about once a month.   I may get ride of it once my tank is more mature or figure out how to put it in the back.

 

Pods - bunch of little bugs.

Flatworms - a few collect on the front top center of the glass.  I try and suck them out with an eye dropper.

 

Leptastrea (I think)- It was damaged when I got it.  My hermit crab kept climbing on it and eating off it.  Something grows over the part with the missing polyps that is almost the same color as the flesh, but I think an algae.  I think this is what hermie was actually eating, but I put it in a cup to keep the crab out to give it a chance to repair.  It also has these moose horn  looking algae growing on the plug not sure if it is the same thing as the algae that tries to cover the dead spot or not, but in a different form. 

 

Frogspawn - I think it broke off by accident from a colony at the LFS.  I got it cheap and glued it onto a little rock.  It has two mouths.  It use to sit on my rock work, but hermie kept pushing it off so I put it in the sand.  It still hasn't opened up as much as it was at the LFS.

 

Favia - I think it is slowly growing.  It appears to have grown new edge ridges where it was fragged so I think it is happy.

 

I feed the Favia & Leptastrea Omega one shrimp pellets (because they sink and I already have them).  I soak two of them in tank water for an hour plus, mush them up, turn off pump, and sprinkle over the mouths with turkey baster about twice a week.

 

I do at least a weekly one gallon water change.  I enjoy watching it and self talk "nothing good happens fast" to avoid getting in a rush.  At some point I want to get an other animal, but will probably wait until I get more settled on what I want my coral to look like.

 

I haven't tested a parameter other than salinity and temperature since my cycle got up to speed.

 

 

[TatorTaco]

Are you running this with the stock glass lid, or have you opted to remove it?  How much are you topping off a week currently?  I've never had one, but a tail spot blenny might be cool for this little tank. 

[morecoffee]

I'm using the stock  lid.  I take it off for viewing & these pictures.  The condensation on the lid make the lighting look splotchy   I am adding very little top off.  I have a sports bottle of RO water and give it a little shot in the back chamber once or twice a week if I think of it.  I've not noticed much of any real change in salinity, but figure it can hurt to add a little RO between water changes as long is I don't over dilute.  Once summer hits I may have to reconsider the tanks location or lid usage.  

 

A little blenny would be pretty neat.   When I picket out my tank I set my expectation to inverts only.  We'll see if that holds true.

[morecoffee]

I see my Hermie switches shell back and forth.  Both shells are slightly large for him, but if it makes him happy I guess that is fine.  I've also added a Ricorida Florida and maybe a Psammocora.  Psammocora's must not be as popular.  I don't see a lot of talk about them here.  

[dawz2]

Your tank is looking good! I have the same one, but I go topless .

My tank thread:

 

[morecoffee]

11 hours ago, dawz2 said:

I have the same one, but I go topless

I find it can all but eliminate evaporation with the lid.  You've made the little peto tank look great.  They now have a 6.8 gallon version that looks interesting.

[morecoffee]

I've got a worm(s).  Under my Leptastrea frag a worm as been emerging.   No idea what kind it is, but I Iike it.  You can see my new Psammocora behind it.  I've seen something new growing on my back wall.  They are little white curly thing.  I'm hoping they new baby worms.    

 

 

 

 

Here is my new new Florida mushroom.

 

 

Originally I was hoping to go LSP only, but it looks like I went full on mixed reef with my last visit to the reef store.

[Disher]

On 11/28/2017 at 10:01 AM, morecoffee said:

I've also received my dry rock.  I've cut the bottom, back, and right sides square and have it against back wall and side of the tank.  The front right of the rock is about two finger widths away from the glass.

 

Is it bad if my rock is against the back glass and right side?   I assume that it would not create any worse dead spots than caves and other crevices in the rock, but as a beginner I have no idea. 

 

Here is a shot of the front of the tank.   For scale the tile is  1 & 7/8 inches.

 

Top View

 

 

 

Aesthetically I like looks of my rock work and cave, but I'm not sure if it is good fit for my goals.  Currently I'm leaning towards non-anemone looking LPS.  Many of these seem to be well suited for placement on the sand bed and this particular scape would limit my available sand bed.  An alternative I'm considering is to mount a part I sawed off the main rock to the back wall instead.  I could use spacers on the back to make it look like it is floating in front of the back wall.  I might also add small pieces on the sides using magnets (thanks pico contest for all the ideas).   Is this a better idea considering my goals?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you share your method of sawing the rocks? Just a hacksaw or did you use a skilsaw of some sort? Love the idea!

[morecoffee]

56 minutes ago, Disher said:

Can you share your method of sawing the rocks? Just a hacksaw or did you use a skilsaw of some sort? Love the idea!

I just used a hacksaw. It seemed to cut easier when the rock was wet than when completely dry.

[Disher]

12 hours ago, morecoffee said:

I just used a hacksaw. It seemed to cut easier when the rock was wet than when completely dry.

Thanks! I’m setting this same tank up next week. Never thought about cutting the rock to maximize space for this tank. 

 

How’s your tank doing? Any updates?

[morecoffee]

7 hours ago, Disher said:

Any updates?

 

Everything is still alive and growing.  Hermit crab and chaeto grow the quickest and corals very slowly.  I feed my corals & hermit crab shimp pellets or tubiflex worms.  I put a couple pellets or tear off little bits of dried worms in a baby medicine syringe then draw in some tank water and let it sit until the food is re-hydrated and crumples out.  Then put a little bit on the corals.  Crab will eat out of it like a baby calf from a bottle.  

 

In the back of the tank I made compartments out of plastic canvas and zip ties.  The top section sometimes has polyester pillow stuffing.  The other sections have travertine tile.   Not sure if it does anything, but thought I should put something else back there.

 

 

 

Full Tank Shot

 

Here is the right side.  You can see where I cut the rock with the saw

 

 

Left Side

 

Top

 

 

[morecoffee]

22 hours ago, Disher said:

Thanks! I’m setting this same tank up next week.

If you haven't purchased it yet petco also has a 6.8 gallon version out now for about $10 more.  The back chamber does seem a little different though.

[Disher]

On 4/20/2018 at 9:32 AM, morecoffee said:

If you haven't purchased it yet petco also has a 6.8 gallon version out now for about $10 more.  The back chamber does seem a little different though.

Thanks for the suggestion but I have already purchased the tank. Do you think you will set up a small refugium in the back chambers? Does it seem like there’s enough room back there?

[morecoffee]

Maybe.  Because I've heard  pukani rock can release nutrients for a while I plan on keeping a larger amount of chaeto in the display.  After 6 months I will reevaluate.  I've wondered if the stock light is high enough par and could be modified and tapped to the back glass for a chaeto.

4 hours ago, Disher said:

Do you think you will set up a small refugium in the back chambers?

 

[Berkay]

How frequently do you do water change ? 

And which day first added corals in the system ? 

I wonder  

have a nice reef  

[morecoffee]

35 minutes ago, Berkay said:

How frequently do you do water change ? 

I change about 1 gallon a week (estimated about 33% of total water volume).  Once every couple month pull out coral and rock and siphon 75% of total water. 

35 minutes ago, Berkay said:

And which day first added corals in the system ? 

About 6 weeks.  I'll go through my phones photo's to give you an estimate of the timeline:

Tank was wet about November 27th.  Cycled with generic ammonia & Dr Tim's one and only.  

Added Chaeto in late December 20th.

Cycle is established and first piece of coral (LPS favial), hermit crab, and snail about January 7th.

January 17th added two more coral

(Chaeto is doubling almost every two weeks the first couple months)

March 24th added two more frags.

 

I'd still like to add a small tubed blastomussa and a micromussa, but in no hurry.  

[alpinestar]

Resurrect this thread! Curious to see how this tank is doing. @morecoffee

[morecoffee]

On 1/8/2019 at 10:19 PM, alpinestar said:

Resurrect this thread! Curious to see how this tank is doing. @morecoffee

Sorry for the late reply.  

 

Tank is humming right along.  I probably only change 1/2 gallon every two weeks.  In August I added a meteor shower.  I don't feed but once every few weeks.

 

Frog spawn is bigger than picture.  Turned back on light to take pictures and he was partly asleep.  Has 3 or 4 big heads and several small ones.

 

Leptastrea has added new corolites, but not really expanded from original frag size. 

 

Psammocora has taken over the frag disk and is now one with the rock.

 

Florida mushroom is much wider and appears to have two months

 

Favia has grown just a little bit.  Probably hungry.

 

Meteor shower is slowly taking over the rock I set the plug in.

Hermie and snail are fine.

 

I have limpets or baby snails.  Probably limpets.

 

 

[morecoffee]

Update on my little tank.  It is almost 2 years old.

• Leptastrea has finally gown beyond its original foot print, but still only on the frag plug.
• Frogspawn almost too big for the tank.  Found small head loose on the sand and glued it on a little piece of rubble and placed on the rock work.
• Psammocora is completely one with the rock work.
• Meteor shower has taken over the rock it is on.  Hoping it will attach to the main rock work.
• Favia is almost bigger around than the plug and looks more like a little colony than a frag to me.
• Mushroom just hangs out.
• Snail is doing fine
• Hermie seems to be no more, but empty shells.
• Got rid of my chaeto ball.  Still plenty of strays around if I ever want some again.  I figure my rock work has probably slowed do on nitrate release.

Overall I still just change about 1.5 gallons every few weeks and top off once a week and feed very occasionally.  I'm sure coral growth is limited by water chemistry, food, and light.  Usually I only have the actinics on most of the time.