Jump to content
Innovative Marine Aquariums

Snow's 60G Secret Predatory Sanctum 🐲🐉 - Shutting Down


Snow_Phoenix

Recommended Posts

Snow_Phoenix
16 minutes ago, kimberbee said:

It's surprisingly tedious to level out sand!!

Yes, it is! I figured it will get displaced a bit as I fill up the tank. Might have to re-level it in that case. 😕

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

It took me 20 mins to get the major DT filled:

 

20190430_113940.thumb.jpg.938486127a5a441238cdffa3d306173e.jpg

 

20190430_114401.thumb.jpg.39d4a6d3533936240723c2a809fbed67.jpg

 

I used a 10m long rubber hose, which was more than enough to fill it up. The water was a bit cloudy though, because of the sand. I washed/dried it for over a week but there is still some loose dust particles:

 

20190430_123115.thumb.jpg.3704222ebbf7778dc0399f63b7f8003a.jpg

 

20190430_123134.thumb.jpg.08b0388992083f54b6e38aae21fd6415.jpg

 

Filling the sump up took me an hour. Unlike the DT, which is elevated and allows water to be pumped up or drained down easily, I had to use the bucket method for the sump. 

 

20190430_123100.thumb.jpg.d438a5997442af10eface10205f52e95.jpg

 

I placed the mini wavemaker I used for my 20G nano in the skimmer compartment to boost flow and circulate any salt residue (not that there was much, since I used Fritz). It took 8.5kg of Fritz RPM to give me an overall salinity of 1.024, which I think is good enough. 

 

I also added 2 small packs of activated carbon in the sump:

 

20190430_123604.thumb.jpg.e732da8275b0c35a1b5c94a37d033fee.jpg

 

And later transferred all the mini LR pieces I had been originally using in the in-tank fuge of my 20G:

 

20190430_131637.thumb.jpg.3cea48c99174f3ad25971a5797fb75ee.jpg

 

20190430_131620.thumb.jpg.b8a2898647eab043c73e0b7683bd8ddf.jpg

 

I will be going skimmerless for a while. The ultimate plan is to get a Curve 5 in few months. I might transfer my LR either today evening or tomorrow morning. Still tied down with work, but I don't want to rush. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

Added one small vial of Bioptim Biodigest to the tank few hours ago:

 

20190430_145040.thumb.jpg.78370ad2bcf845c660a70fd22826db5c.jpg

 

And I just added this too:

 

20190430_175946.thumb.jpg.b6cc0af70e730b22f5c782d2a18351c6.jpg

 

I also added all my cycled LR + older LR into the tank and spent close to an hour scaping. It is far from satisfactory, but at least there are caves and arches for the various type of fish I currently have. 

 

I will snap a pic once the water clears a little. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

I just realized I'm hopeless at aquascaping. I basically stacked rocks on rocks. It looks ok in person but horrible in pics. 😭

 

20190430_195800.thumb.jpg.ee57c23a777510a7b3515c04bd1c49cb.jpg

 

20190430_195842.thumb.jpg.020c52cb3ab28a4f8dd30166be955157.jpg

 

20190430_195829.thumb.jpg.f568b871ba4ad8e3ce1c62f590e051f0.jpg

 

Everything looks like it is floating. 😕

 

I need to pick up some epoxy. I don't see how this scape is going to be safe long-term. 😔

 

And one of my silly Nass snails turned out to be a stowaway. I just had a full bath - no plans to ferret him out of the tank today. 

 

20190430_195812.thumb.jpg.b1b4eacbfbf2cf6c57468e69ffe12e4b.jpg

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

Hey everyone, I have some very bad news.

 

Yesterday, a part of my finger leather colony was sucked up into the filter intake of my HOB in the storage bin that houses all my animals from the 20G (and due to be moved into this tank).

 

I tried tugging the leather free from the intake, and ripped off a large chunk of it by accident. <--- *big mistake 1

 

The coral looked relatively intact, so one quick iodine dip later, I put it back into the storage bin. <---- *big mistake 2

 

Before heading off to bed, I checked up on all my fish: 1 starry blenny, 1 GCG in a breeder box (I kept him isolate because I was worried he was tiny, and I would not be able to find him to feed him), 1 pygmy perchlet, 1 occy clownfish & 1 spotted mandarin.

 

This morning, I spent a lot of time re-scaping my 60G because I was dissatisfied with how it looked. As a result, I didn't pay much attention to the bin, even though it's in my bedroom and just next to the cabinet that has my pico on it. 

 

I just opened the bin lid about 30 mins ago to feed my fish. 

 

I found my mandarin - my poor boy - sucked up into the filter intake and very much dead. The water smelt awful - like melted/dead coral. :tears:

 

I couldn't find my perchlet, and I lifted all the rocks/corals, and he was nowhere. But my remaining fish were very stressed out, except for the clownfish, which was somewhat normal and happy to be in a bin full of goopy leather bits and awful water.

 

I didn't even think or hesitate - I just grabbed everyone in a cup (didn't even bother getting a bucket because I classified this as an emergency) and I scooped them up and plopped them into my 60G without even acclimating them properly. And by everyone - I mean my three remaining fish, my Saron shrimp, my rock urchin and my porcelain nem crab that is hosting a RBTA in a second breeder box. I don't even have a lid on my 60G yet - but I'll try to use a piece of mesh as a temporary fix.

 

Painful lesson: Leathers release toxins when stressed, dying, and apparently ripped into pieces. I left the leather in the bin still, because a good chunk of it is still alive, whilst the ripped up bits are the only ones that are goopy. I'm running extra carbon on the bin, but there's no other animals in there. There is however, one medium-sized LR piece with my SPS (montis) attached to it, which I left in there. I'll move that piece out by this evening.

 

As for my perchlet, I think my Saron finished him this morning, which was why there was no remains. I'm still vainly hoping he's somewhere in the bin, but I know it's not possible. 

 

I lost two fish today because of one mistake. 

 

I never knew leathers could kill until today. :sad:

 

 

  • Sad 3
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

Current scape of the tank:

 

 

The survivors:

 

 

 

 

The one fish I have that can willingly change colors back and forth at will:

 

 

One of my Nass snails out for food:

 

 

I'm worried the tank might hit a mini cycle with so many fish additions at once - so I added some Prime, just in case. Will keep a tight watch on the parameters too. My greatest concern now is that I don't have a proper lid (or any sort of lid, for that matter) for the tank. It's currently running at open-top because I couldn't find any extra mesh at home that was large enough to cover the top in a single piece. I tried using multiple pieces of smaller mesh cut-outs, but they kept falling in because this tank has no central bracings. 

 

So I'll be hitting the hardware store tomorrow or so and pick up some extra mesh, until I can create a suitable lid for the tank. It's risky, but so far all three fish seem content to hover at bottom-to-mid-level of the tank. There's no telling though, if they would jump if given the chance. 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

Well, I still don't have a lid on this thing.

 

But here are my three fish, after having their first meal today in the new tank:

 

Goblin:

 

My Saron was out last night - he still has no name. Any suggestions?

 

My devilish purple rock urchin made it too:

 

And of course, my boss-fish, Thanos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

Light is up today! 

 

IMG_20190505_113720_862.thumb.jpg.031c2d375c53db9a502f726c61ecd372.jpg

 

IMG_20190505_113444_965.thumb.jpg.8a65a9dea8331a413afa63a17869fc38.jpg

 

I don't have much in terms of coral left. That odd rock piled on the very top has several pieces of dying and unhealthy coral, including my green monticap that is now browned out very badly. I'm hoping each piece will bounce back after a few months. 

 

Otherwise, there are only 3 fish, 1 shrimp, 3 duster worms, 1 crab and 2 urchins in this atm. I'll start stocking up on my CUC over the next few weeks. 

 

I will most likely move my YCG pair and my tangaroa goby in by the end of next week. Considering how much of a butthead my tangaroa is currently being in QT, I might just slip him into the 60G by tonight. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

Did my first WC today morning:

 

IMG_20190506_122509_744.thumb.jpg.4c2d930f4948c46d70efb0d6679c0108.jpg

 

Here's Thanos after the WC:

 

IMG_20190506_145616_990.thumb.jpg.6df967b9af95e2094b3ef165b7f2d242.jpg

 

IMG_20190506_145841_102.thumb.jpg.4d3d4c11ec3bea84503b6679258c54e4.jpg

 

And here's Nero: 

 

IMG_20190506_172100_233.thumb.jpg.94039b46cfab3d70157d05d5db5aa8de.jpg

 

And these two have been my steady CUC for a long time. In the case of Jerk the hermit, he's been with me for over a year now:

 

IMG_20190506_172241_638.thumb.jpg.4dcb9afd9ea31446f32a8a4c444833e2.jpg

 

IMG_20190506_172415_230.thumb.jpg.3147f4e086fa9e938296dab029f9137a.jpg

  • Like 3
Link to comment

You paid for a custom order that was not to your order....why did you decide to keep it this way? 

 

I would have made them make me a new tank... 

 

I assume you spent a decent amount t if it was custom built... 

Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix
8 hours ago, OverCookedRock said:

You paid for a custom order that was not to your order....why did you decide to keep it this way? 

 

I would have made them make me a new tank... 

 

I assume you spent a decent amount t if it was custom built... 

I kept it because I grew to like it eventually. And I also realized the bracings helped in preventing water from splashing over the rim when I switched on my wavemaker. 

 

And yes, I did spend a lot of money on this and it was custom-made, not pre-made. 

Link to comment
1 hour ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

I kept it because I grew to like it eventually. And I also realized the bracings helped in preventing water from splashing over the rim when I switched on my wavemaker. 

 

And yes, I did spend a lot of money on this and it was custom-made, not pre-made. 

I bet you spent a ton but at the end of the day you could have bought a rimmed cube for probably half the price maybe more. 

 

Idk I feel like you settle.... Like they literally didn't get half the build right.

They added a rim and convinced you you needed it... 

 

To each is own I guess 

Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix
11 minutes ago, OverCookedRock said:

I bet you spent a ton but at the end of the day you could have bought a rimmed cube for probably half the price maybe more. 

 

Idk I feel like you settle.... Like they literally didn't get half the build right.

They added a rim and convinced you you needed it... 

 

To each is own I guess 

Well, I have yet to see a pre-made rimmed cube here. In fact, rimmed or rimless cubes are often custom-made. I'm sure there are ADA-style cubes in my country, but the glass is very thin at 4mm to 5mm, and therefore more suitable for FW and ill-suited to SW. 

 

I have a very good rapport with my LFS. Considering that the manager himself was willing to visit my home at 8pm to fix a glass mount for my Prime on my cube FOC is more than good enough for me. 

 

We spoke a lot about the design in detail, and it turns out the bracings did have a purpose, even though it might have seemed unnecessary. As for the rim, it is just a piece of black tape around the tank, not a proper plastic rim or anything like that. 

 

Yes, they messed up my order, and there were a lot more other things going on in the background which I don't feel like like disclosing openly over the forum, but by the end of the day, I'm happy with what I have. Where I come from, many can't even afford to have a basic SW nanotank. This took me almost 9 years of saving up to acquire. I think it is worth it, even if others don't think so. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
8 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Well, I have yet to see a pre-made rimmed cube here. In fact, rimmed or rimless cubes are often custom-made. I'm sure there are ADA-style cubes in my country, but the glass is very thin at 4mm to 5mm, and therefore more suitable for FW and ill-suited to SW. 

 

I have a very good rapport with my LFS. Considering that the manager himself was willing to visit my home at 8pm to fix a glass mount for my Prime on my cube FOC is more than good enough for me. 

 

We spoke a lot about the design in detail, and it turns out the bracings did have a purpose, even though it might have seemed unnecessary. As for the rim, it is just a piece of black tape around the tank, not a proper plastic rim or anything like that. 

 

Yes, they messed up my order, and there were a lot more other things going on in the background which I don't feel like like disclosing openly over the forum, but by the end of the day, I'm happy with what I have. Where I come from, many can't even afford to have a basic SW nanotank. This took me almost 9 years of saving up to acquire. I think it is worth it, even if others don't think so. 

If I spent 9 years saving I would want what I worked for. 

 

Im confused but to each is own. 

Link to comment
WV Reefer
10 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Well, I have yet to see a pre-made rimmed cube here. In fact, rimmed or rimless cubes are often custom-made. I'm sure there are ADA-style cubes in my country, but the glass is very thin at 4mm to 5mm, and therefore more suitable for FW and ill-suited to SW. 

 

I have a very good rapport with my LFS. Considering that the manager himself was willing to visit my home at 8pm to fix a glass mount for my Prime on my cube FOC is more than good enough for me. 

 

We spoke a lot about the design in detail, and it turns out the bracings did have a purpose, even though it might have seemed unnecessary. As for the rim, it is just a piece of black tape around the tank, not a proper plastic rim or anything like that. 

 

Yes, they messed up my order, and there were a lot more other things going on in the background which I don't feel like like disclosing openly over the forum, but by the end of the day, I'm happy with what I have. Where I come from, many can't even afford to have a basic SW nanotank. This took me almost 9 years of saving up to acquire. I think it is worth it, even if others don't think so. 

 

I think it’s looking great. 😊

 

....and somehow the rim looks right on this tank.  I think it’s because it’s so tall. 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
16 minutes ago, OverCookedRock said:

If I spent 9 years saving I would want what I worked for. 

 

Im confused but to each is own. 

Also.... https://www.google.com/search?q=60+gallon+cube+aquarium&client=ms-android-sonymobile-rev1&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjw4ej-sojiAhUHrlQKHbHoCrUQ_AUoAXoECA0QAQ&biw=360&bih=512

 

Like if you like it you like it. But I would have wanted what I paid for and simply waited for a rebuild. I support you regardless👍

Link to comment
17 minutes ago, OverCookedRock said:

Also.... https://www.google.com/search?q=60+gallon+cube+aquarium&client=ms-android-sonymobile-rev1&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjw4ej-sojiAhUHrlQKHbHoCrUQ_AUoAXoECA0QAQ&biw=360&bih=512

 

Like if you like it you like it. But I would have wanted what I paid for and simply waited for a rebuild. I support you regardless👍

She doesn't live in the US...pretty sure they don't have the options we do and burning bridges with a LFS is probably a bad idea since they can't just buy fish and corals online ez pz.

 

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
11 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

She doesn't live in the US...pretty sure they don't have the options we do and burning bridges with a LFS is probably a bad idea since they can't just buy fish and corals online ez pz.

 

 

Fair point 👌

Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

There are very few LFSes I have where I live. Two of the major SW stores are owned by the same person - which is where I got my build from. 

 

Another one popped up near my home about a year ago. There's another two in the city - but one features only collector's-level-premium corals at premium prices, and the second has dead fish all over the bottom of their display tanks. 

 

Everyone in the industry knows everyone, and since we share the same interests (reefkeeping), the circle of connections is very small. If you get on the bad side of one store, you might as well quit the hobby because no one else will sell anything to you (people talk here, and often face-to-face). 

 

That's why as customers, we do try our best to have a good rapport with all the LFSes as much as possible. In the case of emergencies, your LFS is the one which will help you. When my 10G cracked and the tank collapsed unexpectedly, they held the store open for me until late night and immediately gave me my 20G, which was one of their old DTs at only RM20. No other store I know would be willing to do that, which was why an issue like this is something I'm willing to overlook. 

 

Plus, the bracings turned out to be more beneficial than I originally assumed. And I think the overall look is okay, and my fish seemed content with it (which is the most important factor to me at the present). 

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix

Took 15 mins to acclimate these guys:

 

IMG_20190507_111027_445.thumb.jpg.88f8a1f1fd388b80129709ddf3d810bc.jpg

 

And now they are in the tank:

 

IMG_20190507_115032_990.thumb.jpg.a04639768f163b49ce5c2b750d2daa27.jpg

 

IMG_20190507_115233_021.thumb.jpg.316dfcdb8005bcefc5112d10e274f68d.jpg

 

I am a little bit concerned over my YCGs. They appear to have thinned out a little in QT. I'm hoping given time, they will round out a bit like my GCG. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
WV Reefer
Just now, Snow_Phoenix said:

Took 15 mins to acclimate these guys:

 

IMG_20190507_111027_445.thumb.jpg.88f8a1f1fd388b80129709ddf3d810bc.jpg

 

And now they are in the tank:

 

IMG_20190507_115032_990.thumb.jpg.a04639768f163b49ce5c2b750d2daa27.jpg

 

IMG_20190507_115233_021.thumb.jpg.316dfcdb8005bcefc5112d10e274f68d.jpg

 

I am a little bit concerned over my YCGs. They appear to have thinned out a little in QT. I'm hoping given time, they will round out a bit like my GCG. 

 

They are so cute with their pink cheeks! I’m sure you will fatten them right up. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Snow_Phoenix
7 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

 

They are so cute with their pink cheeks! I’m sure you will fatten them right up. 

If they're in any way like my GCG, it definitely will take a few weeks. I ordered an extra long 45cm coral feeder which I think I can use to squirt some frozen at them from a distance. They're still very skittish though. I'm just waiting for my lid to arrive - hopefully no one decides to explore the great outdoors outside the tank in the meantime. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • Snow_Phoenix changed the title to Snow's 60G Secret Predatory Sanctum 🐲🐉 - Shutting Down

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...