Wingy's "Old School Pico Reef" now a 5 gallon rimless

[Wingy]

I see pods.  😊  Will water changes with store bought filtered sea water be enough to sustain them?  I placed an order today but the shop isn't placing an order for another week or two.  

[MetaTank]

1 minute ago, Wingy said:

I see pods.  😊  Will water changes with store bought filtered sea water be enough to sustain them?  I placed an order today but the shop isn't placing an order for another week or two.  

They should be just fine, but someone else please chime in if I'm wrong

[Ratvan]

5 hours ago, Wingy said:

I see pods.  😊  Will water changes with store bought filtered sea water be enough to sustain them?  I placed an order today but the shop isn't placing an order for another week or two.  

I too think you should be fine

[Wingy]

6 hours ago, MetaTank said:

They should be just fine, but someone else please chime in if I'm wrong

 

45 minutes ago, Ratvan said:

I too think you should be fine

Thank you.  

[Wingy]

Here I sit watching pods roam the glass.  They are busy little things.  Some are now large enough so that I can see them get sucked into the filter tube and shoot out the waterfall.  If pods could speak I wonder if they would be screaming in terror or yelling wheeee after a ride through the filter waterslide.   I did see a skeleton or molt of what looked like a small shrimp when I stirred up the bottom.  It was about 2 mm in length and a milky white color.  I ran to get the turkey baster and a clear glass so I could get a better look at it but of course I could not find it.  Lesson learned.  The turkey baster is now in the box under the tank.  

[Wingy]

Pods are everywhere, on the glass, climbing the rocks, freely floating and climbing the walls inside the filter.  I haven't had diatoms, probably because of all the pods.  

[Tigahboy]

2 hours ago, Wingy said:

Pods are everywhere, on the glass, climbing the rocks, freely floating and climbing the walls inside the filter.  I haven't had diatoms, probably because of all the pods.  

I was in the same boat last week (it was great), but the pod population has shrunk a great deal now.  I ordered some more pods and phyto to feed the pods to grow the numbers again.  

[Wingy]

I have what looks to be a very small snail climbing on the glass.  It is a bit larger than the head of a pin, is all white with two hair thin antenna.  I hope it is not into carpet surfing because I don't have a lid yet.     Are snails smart enough to stay away from filter tubes or do I need to cover it?

[asting]

4 hours ago, Wingy said:

I have what looks to be a very small snail climbing on the glass.  It is a bit larger than the head of a pin, is all white with two hair thin antenna.  I hope it is not into carpet surfing because I don't have a lid yet.     Are snails smart enough to stay away from filter tubes or do I need to cover it?

Sounds like a stomatella. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Wingy]

Since snow is in the forecast I am have changed my plans for Sunday.  Instead of going to the first enduro/demolition derby of the season and freezing my tail off I am going to the Queen City Frag Fest.  With a little luck I will have something colorful to add tomorrow.  

 

I just looked outside and its snowing now.  I am not amused.  

[Wingy]

And then there were two.  There are 2 snails cruising around the glass now, one is a bit bigger than the other but they look to be the same other than size.  Maybe they are part of the reason I haven't had diatoms.  

[Wingy]

I think I may have finally identified the hitchhiker snails.  I believe they are Collonista snails aka mini turbos.  They are probably perfect for this size tank as long as their population doesn't get out of control.  I haven't seen the larger of the two since last night when I blasted the heck out of the rocks with a turkey baster.  

[Wingy]

I picked up a beautiful blue mushroom, orange clove polyp, pom pom xenia and a small chunk of gsp.  Everything is very unhappy so I am waiting on pictures for tomorrow.  

[Wingy]

Everyone was open and happy when I got home so of course I had to make them grumpy.  I decided to get rid of the janky tv tray I was using as a stand and buy a table.  Moving the tank knocked everything around so the gsp and clove polyps are unwilling to have their picture taken.  What do you think of the Staples blue folder as a background?  I rather like the color.  

 

Notice the asterina starfish trying to photobomb my pic and the grumpy gsp on the right.  

 

 

[seabass]

The blue color is very similar to the blue acrylic that tank builders use.  I like it.

[fishfreak0114]

I quite like the blue background 🙂 Off to a great start!

[Wingy]

I think the HOB filter is beating everything up.  I have it turned down as low as it will go and tried moving it but I believe the narrowness of the waterfall output channel is the culprit.  I was thinking of cutting a piece of water tubing lengthwise to make a defuser channel to see if that helped but before I go tearing the house apart looking for my pvc cutter I hope that @Christopher Marks can weigh in and let me know if something like that would allowed because it boarders on being a spray bar.  

[Wingy]

I still had the clear plastic packaging from the heater so I cut that down some and jammed one end under the outflow so that it floats and diffuses the waterfall.  If this helps I will find a less ugly long term solution either making a trough with pvc, or hanging some shells from the filter as a kind of ledge.  

 

The good news is the clove polyps are happy.  It has grown 2 new heads and now that it isn't getting beat up the centers have started to glow again.  

[Wingy]

Today is a good update.  The two collinista snails were out and about today.  One has found the plug for the clove polyps and is on a mission to return it to pristine condition.  The shroom looked like a shrivled raisin this morning  but at some time this afternoon decided to get over its attitude.  I have some new additions,  3 sexy shrimp and an itty bitty pom pom crab now call Chateau Janky Tank home.  1 sexy has claimed the gsp and the other two are sitting in my now pissed off xenia.  My other half picked out a frag of something orange that I will need help identifying once it opens all the way for a pic.  

 

[Lula_Mae]

Looks like you're off to a good start! Jake is super cute but he looks bossy lol.

[MetaTank]

Looking good!

[Wingy]

I need something bright yellow in there.  Any suggestions?

[Ratvan]

Fiji Leather?

Sun Coral?

Zoas?

[This guy is extra salty]

Hammer euphyllia 

[Tigahboy]

Nice additions! 1 pom pom with multiple sexies seems to be the winning combo.