Kontactk Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 Wow beautiful RFA. Did you purchase it online? 1 Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted February 18, 2018 Author Share Posted February 18, 2018 1 hour ago, Christopher Marks said: Awesome new rock anemone, great coloration! It looks more complete with the new rock too. Keep up the good work! Thanks! I'll post a better pic of the full tank tomorrow. I needed more area and elevation to attach corals as I get them. The new rock was huge, so I had to chisel a bunch off. It is covered in coralline, so I'm hoping it creeps up onto the old rock that I fit on top of the new piece that serves as a base. My pom pom crab loves the new rock and all of the caves it provides. The sexy shrimps have really taken to the new nem also. My LFS is fragging some really sweet acans tonight, they said, so I am going to see if they have anything out tomorrow. Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted February 18, 2018 Author Share Posted February 18, 2018 1 hour ago, Kontactk said: Wow beautiful RFA. Did you purchase it online? Thank you! I got it from my LFS. As you can probably see, I'm moving really slow with this tank. I am only adding premium inhabitants with super coloration due to the super small size of the tank. I have found some really nice RFA's online and plan to add more, but just haven't pulled the trigger to order livestock online yet. Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted February 18, 2018 Author Share Posted February 18, 2018 Here are some better full tank shots from the front and sides and a rare shot of my Pom Pom crab before the hardscape update. 1 Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted February 18, 2018 Author Share Posted February 18, 2018 New Acans. I don’t really know where I want to fit them in yet, so these placements may change. I’m open to suggestions. 2 Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 So, all of my acans got knocked down by the idiot hermit. I have two slopes in mind to attach my scan garden to, and maybe leave a super color one in front on the sand where they are clustered now. I’m taking the small rubble piece out, which was on the high slope and currently just leaned on the low slope for storage. Which slope would be best? I want to leave a bit of low space for some awesome shrooms too. I am also wanting a couple SPS, which I think the upper slope would be good for? Here are the slopes. The rock on the back lower slope will be gone. Quote Link to comment
Brian1313 Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 I am thinking of getting this tank for an office setup because of the price and that the flow into the back chamber is at the bottom I would not need to worry about it running dry over the weekend while Im not at the office. My only question is do you get a lot of sand that flows though it or did you mod it? Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 On 4/26/2018 at 6:35 AM, Brian1313 said: I am thinking of getting this tank for an office setup because of the price and that the flow into the back chamber is at the bottom I would not need to worry about it running dry over the weekend while Im not at the office. My only question is do you get a lot of sand that flows though it or did you mod it? Sorry for the late response! No, I really don't get any sand in there. It's so minimal. If I see any, I just siphon it out with a water change and it's like 10 grains. I don't know how it would be with finer sand like fiji pink though. Maybe you could make a little baffle to silicone from the bottom of the tank up to the top of your sand level, if you wanted fine sand, or just stuff silicone in the bottom row of the grate to seal it up. The little tank has been great so far. I like the footprint. I think I may change to the Fluval Spec III though to have the overflow intake at the top. A couple of small notes with this Top Fin Retreat, is that the glass is thin and the back panel is glass, not acrylic. I have a Kessil A80 and I worry about the weight mounted on. The rear chamber is really small, but fits a heater and additional media sock crammed in if you want. I have been unsuccessful trying to upgrade the pump. My teeny tiny Tunze won't fit unless I shave it down with my dremel, but I haven't done that yet because of possible tank change. If I change, I may actually move this one to my office also :) Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 All of my acros died. They slowly disintegrated at different rates. My rock flower anemone and ugly shrooms are thriving, along with my inverts and ten billion pods that do somersaults in the little gaps in the gravel. I do 90% water changes every week or two and have no chemistry or algae problems or anything. Maybe the lighting wasn't right? The acros didn't bleach...just wasted away. I feel like a murderer, but don't know what I could have done. Quote Link to comment
ReefGoat Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Flow could be the culprit of your acro problem. Looks like you don't have a power head in there. Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted May 12, 2018 Author Share Posted May 12, 2018 8 minutes ago, ReefGoat said: Flow could be the culprit of your acro problem. Looks like you don't have a power head in there. Yeah, there's no room and I really can't put pressure on the thin glass. I am looking for a new pico tank, so I will consider that. I'm also making sure my new little tank has room to upgrade the pump. Thank you! I did feed reef roids and mysis, though maybe not enough? Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted May 20, 2018 Author Share Posted May 20, 2018 New tank success! Sorry for the terrible photo. It gives a good comparrison of the Top Fin Retreat 2.5 vs the Fluval Spec III. I'm really happy with the fluval. I have about another .5 all around, more height, and larger rear sump area for a better heater and ATO. The construction is much more solid also. I had to modify the top of the baffle in the sump to fit my Kessil A80 light in the middle. I upgraded the pump to my old pump from my IM Nuvo 10 that I had laying around. The flow is great, and despite a bit of turbulence, my rock flower nem attached well to where I wanted it. 3 Quote Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted May 20, 2018 Share Posted May 20, 2018 A little extra breathing room! The new tank looks perfect, no doubt the increased circulation will help keep everything happy too. What do you have planned next? 1 Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted May 20, 2018 Author Share Posted May 20, 2018 1 minute ago, Christopher Marks said: A little extra breathing room! The new tank looks perfect, no doubt the increased circulation will help keep everything happy too. What do you have planned next? Getting the rest of my gravel sifted clean and out of the old tank and saving all of my pods. Really though, I only want ultra colored corals and nems, and I am patient with that. I really want to try some SPS up top. I'd like to have success with Acans, and maybe the new flow will help. My LFS has some really nice zoas, but I'm worried they may take over such a small tank, but they would offer an amazing pop of color. An LPS on the right side would be nice for some movement and fullness, but I worry about sweepers. Maybe one tiny fish that won't harass my sexy shrimp, pom pom crab, or jump out. I think that the lid for the Fluval Spec III calms my jumping fears, but I need to see how it reduces light before committing to keeping it on all the time. I'm evaluating ATO systems and hope to get one and the Kessil Spectral Controller in a week or so. Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted May 20, 2018 Author Share Posted May 20, 2018 Edit: Better, but not glamour shots, of the new tank. Also, I just ordered the inTank media basket and surface skimmer mod. I am excited I don't need to fashion these items myself. I believe I will also be upgrading to the NeoTherm heater due to positive reviews and temp control, though space in the rear sump isn't an issue. 2 Quote Link to comment
Lula_Mae Posted May 20, 2018 Share Posted May 20, 2018 4 hours ago, Sarah Ann said: Getting the rest of my gravel sifted clean and out of the old tank and saving all of my pods. Really though, I only want ultra colored corals and nems, and I am patient with that. I really want to try some SPS up top. I'd like to have success with Acans, and maybe the new flow will help. My LFS has some really nice zoas, but I'm worried they may take over such a small tank, but they would offer an amazing pop of color. An LPS on the right side would be nice for some movement and fullness, but I worry about sweepers. Maybe one tiny fish that won't harass my sexy shrimp, pom pom crab, or jump out. I think that the lid for the Fluval Spec III calms my jumping fears, but I need to see how it reduces light before committing to keeping it on all the time. I'm evaluating ATO systems and hope to get one and the Kessil Spectral Controller in a week or so. I think if you find slower growing zoa varieties like Blondies, you'll be safe from any potential takeover. Only things I've had that grew fast enough to be a real concern were some seafoam green palys that browned out on me and fast moving stuff like GSP. I think it'd be worth trying a nice zoa or two if you want to. If you are looking at fish, I highly suggest a bimaculatus blenny--they are tiny and adorable! I had one in my contest jar. 4 hours ago, Sarah Ann said: Edit: Better, but not glamour shots, of the new tank. Also, I just ordered the inTank media basket and surface skimmer mod. I am excited I don't need to fashion these items myself. I believe I will also be upgrading to the NeoTherm heater due to positive reviews and temp control, though space in the rear sump isn't an issue. Looking very nice! Another heater I would suggest for this tank is the 25w Archea heater offered by Aqua Forest Aquariums. It is tiny (there are size pics posted on the Creative Container Contest thread back in October or so) and has an external thermostat and holds its temperature very well. I've had one in my 5.5 over a year and in my contest jar for 7 months and am very pleased with its rock-steady performance. It's also cheaper than the Neotherm. 1 Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted May 21, 2018 Author Share Posted May 21, 2018 Thank you! Maybe I will give the zoas a go. I love the colors and how easy they are to care for. I've considered a little twin spot blenny, but haven't seen any around, but I will keep the search alive. Quote Link to comment
Lula_Mae Posted May 21, 2018 Share Posted May 21, 2018 9 hours ago, Sarah Ann said: Thank you! Maybe I will give the zoas a go. I love the colors and how easy they are to care for. I've considered a little twin spot blenny, but haven't seen any around, but I will keep the search alive. I had to order my bimaculatus blenny online from LiveAquaria, I'd never seen one in person before then. I've historically had pretty limited local selection lol. Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted May 25, 2018 Author Share Posted May 25, 2018 Freshly added golden torch coral and some sort of easy, recommended green acro. Mounting the torch was super stressful. I hate mounting corals, especially expensive af ones. Things are getting exciting. I’ll take another pic when the water clears and they open up a bit. 1 Quote Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted May 27, 2018 Share Posted May 27, 2018 Nice job mounting the corals, that really can be stressful to get right! The new acropora up top should be a great spot for it to branch out. Does it have a little tissue loss on a few branches? Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted May 27, 2018 Author Share Posted May 27, 2018 2 hours ago, Christopher Marks said: Nice job mounting the corals, that really can be stressful to get right! The new acropora up top should be a great spot for it to branch out. Does it have a little tissue loss on a few branches? No tissue loss at all except one tiny nub where a branch broke off. The back side isn’t colored up yet because it was laying flat in a frag tank. I got this little one for cheap to try. I’ve never had SPS before. 1 Quote Link to comment
Sissy Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 I got my Kessil Spectal Controller today! It was pretty easy to program and I'm super happy I'm not twirling knobs all day. I also got a cheapish refractometer on Amazon that seems to be accurate. I've never owned one and have just relied on my hydrometer because I buy my pre-mixed water from my super trusted LFS for my tiny tank, so I'm not mixing. I am still on the fence about an ATO. I am looking for remote control options and am teetering between just getting the Apex Jr. or rigging wifi and app controlled power strip and flood/water sensors from my home security company to monitor and control potential overflow. 1 Quote Link to comment
Five.five-six Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Apex Jr seems like a bit of an investment. You seem pretty handy otherwise I wouldn’t have even mentioned this but it will save you a ton of $$$ https://reef-pi.github.io/ 1 Quote Link to comment
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