10 Gallon Rock Wall

[ef4life]

Poor pup!!! I Hope he’s all better 

[growsomething]

 

I think I'm in trouble.  Chopping rocks,  and the wife just woke up with the baby before I could get it cleaned up.  Why didn't I think to roll up the carpet?  Little chips all over the living room.

 

Broke the rock in as large a chunks as would fit in the back, including the pump chamber. That way if I change my mind after the display water clears and want to use them in the diplay I can.

 

Even filled the media chamber.  If I need to run carbon I can just empty a section in the display.

 

The tank is too cloudy to take a shot, will do later.

 

I was kind of disappointed in how little coraline, sponges, macro and life were on my rock, and how much green is on it (green coraline? I am trying to avoid green) but, I'm sure it will all get covered anyway.

The only thing alive in the rock I broke was an enourmous bristleworm (too big for the tank, I think) and the pencil urchin I had seen last week.  Still doing daily 30% h20 changes per KP aquatics website. It's interesting how I hate to kill a bristleworm, but think nothing of killing fish, shrimp, baitfish by fishing...

[SliceGolfer]

On 2/16/2020 at 9:38 PM, growsomething said:

 

The new old spinstream leaks at all seams and does not spin.  I saw a vivid aquatics random flow thingy with no moving partsI will pbly replace it with. Plenty of dead silent flow with the Sicce 1.0 👍  Maybe that's why the ss wont spin?

 

@growsomething I'm not sure if you're joking here, or being serious. Going to go on the premise you are being serious. You have the Spinstream mounted completely backwards. You've connected the output of your pump to the exit of the Spinstream. Here is a pic on mine, you can see it in the lower left corner.

 

[growsomething]

20 minutes ago, SliceGolfer said:

 

@growsomething I'm not sure if you're joking here, or being serious. Going to go on the premise you are being serious. You have the Spinstream mounted completely backwards. You've connected the output of your pump to the exit of the Spinstream. Here is a pic on mine, you can see it in the lower left corner.

 

Thanks slicegolfer, I'm not afraid to be a fool!  🙈 I truthfully tried it both ways, and could only get it on the way it is in the pic.  I have a vivid rfg on now, but I may put the spinstream on and see which I like better.

[SliceGolfer]

Please post an update how you like the VCA flow adapter. I’ve been considering them for my tank.

[ef4life]

15 minutes ago, SliceGolfer said:

Please post an update how you like the VCA flow adapter. I’ve been considering them for my tank.

Same here, I have the hydor flo in the pico now and it works fine, I’ve used them for years. But the rfg looks to be more compact which is a good thing in a small tank.

[growsomething]

4 hours ago, SliceGolfer said:

Please post an update how you like the VCA flow adapter. I’ve been considering them for my tank.

I switched out the vca for the spinstream (correctly 😏) and held my hand in the front of the tank for both of them.  It roughly feels like the vca has 2/3rds of the s.s. pattern range, but the difference is it is still blowing water at all edges of its range when it switches current direction emphasis (which is very quick w this pump).  That means between the 2, the force at the one area the nozzels are blowing at in any given moment feels weaker for the vca, bcs it is still blowing water in other areas, just with less emphasis. 

I couldnt handle the s.s. clacking noise, and switched back to the vca. I'll attach pics of my layouts with both heads attached.  The vca is much more narrow, but sticks out further with the adaptor.

[growsomething]

Here is a pic of my 1st layout with the small rock connecting the right hand rock with the back wall.  It is removed in other pics.  If removed, the back wall rocks and the floor rocks don't touch, and I could let an aggressive coral cover the wall rocks.

 

 

 

Here is a side view with the small rock connecting the floor rock and wall rock.  Also, the Vivid rfg nozzel for those who asked.

 

 

Here the small rock is removed and the spin stream attached for physical comparison.

 

[growsomething]

Here is the 1st layout, topdown shot with the small right hand rock removed.  You can see the space between foor and wall rocks.

 

 

And below, another arrangment.  What do you think?  Im inclined to go with the 1st arrangment with the small rock added to the right, connecting the floor and wall rocks...

 

[Growerguy]

I think you should keep the small rock there as well. Once you get coral in there it will add depth with the rock on the left branching out and then the slop in the background on the right. It kinda ties all the rock together and flows.

I just changed my rock scape again today so I never seem to be happy with my scapes. 

[growsomething]

Help pls, what is this?  Came in on a macro algae shipment from gulf coast ecosystems.  All unknown (to me) critters are going in a bucket with the shipping water, for now.

 

[Felicia]

5 minutes ago, growsomething said:

Help pls, what is this?  Came in on a macro algae shipment from gulf coast ecosystems.  All unknown (to me) critters are going in a bucket with the shipping water, for now.

 

This looks like a mantis shrimp to me!

[growsomething]

 

Is this an egg sac? 

[growsomething]

 

And a creepy thing moving a lot with webbing like a spider.  I'm not going to bed early...

[growsomething]

Wow, I got waaay too much algae.  It was a $15 order.  I'll probably use one tuft, not sure what to do with the rest.

Gracilaria Hayi and rigid coraline algae.

The mantis was humanely disposed of.

Thanks for the i.d. felicia👍

 

[LazyFish]

On 2/16/2020 at 9:38 PM, growsomething said:

Well it got splashed today.  Used a 4 y/o+ bag of caribsea arag-alive, seriously doubt anything was alive in it. Running empty in the back save for some polyfill from Wallmart to help clear the sediment.  It's still very cloudy from the sand this morning.   The gulf water was very clear prior to filling.  I didnt rinse the sand as I thought we arent supposed to if it is seeded. 

Waiting on the KP live rock, want everything running beforehand. I suspect 10 lbs may be more than I want in the dt, so i may just put the rest in the back center chamber, as well as the media basket.

 

The new old spinstream leaks at all seams and does not spin.  I saw a vivid aquatics random flow thingy with no moving partsI will pbly replace it with. Plenty of dead silent flow with the Sicce 1.0 👍  Maybe that's why the ss wont spin?

 Mine didnt fit my Im 10 either EVEN WITH THE ADAPTERS that it came with. So anoying. I cut a TINY bit off the pump hose and heated it to stretch onto the spin stream and fitted the other bit onto the outflow of the pump. The clacking usually quiets after a while mine is dead silent now. Also your"spider thing" looks like a spaghetti worm harmless... the green thing idk could be egg or could be some macro algae. +1 on the mantis shirmp id they can be cool in a species only set up or can be a pest. They have spears or clubs depending on species that they use to get prey can use on you too so watch the fingers larger species are sometimes called thumb splitters for a reason . This looks to be one of the smaller species.

[growsomething]

Nemolight is mounted.

 

There was some fleshy thing on the rigid algae base, i think it was mounted to it.  It's disintegrated and is blowing all over the tank, wished I would have seen it when putting it in.  I'll try to get in a water change tonight, no doubt ammonia is spiking.

 

[growsomething]

On 2/25/2020 at 10:35 PM, LazyFish said:

 Mine didnt fit my Im 10 either EVEN WITH THE ADAPTERS that it came with. So anoying. I cut a TINY bit off the pump hose and heated it to stretch onto the spin stream and fitted the other bit onto the outflow of the pump. The clacking usually quiets after a while mine is dead silent now. Also your"spider thing" looks like a spaghetti worm harmless... the green thing idk could be egg or could be some macro algae. +1 on the mantis shirmp id they can be cool in a species only set up or can be a pest. They have spears or clubs depending on species that they use to get prey can use on you too so watch the fingers larger species are sometimes called thumb splitters for a reason . This looks to be one of the smaller species.

It was a thumbsplitter.  Tried to get me.

Yes, the vivid rfg went on hard too, but after a week with it on, changing the shape of the tubing, the spinstream is now easy to put on the correct way.

[growsomething]

On 2/23/2020 at 12:01 PM, ef4life said:

Same here, I have the hydor flo in the pico now and it works fine, I’ve used them for years. But the rfg looks to be more compact which is a good thing in a small tank.

I should add that with the gracilaria all over the tank showing current, I am much more impressed with the Vivid rfg random pattern than I was testing it with my hand.  It truly is random, unlike the spinstream, and has a wider pattern than I thought.  I would get one again, seeing what I am now, and with no moving parts.

[growsomething]

My S.O. has made choosing my theme easier.  She has taken an interest in the tank, and wants to do a combination of Indo-Pacific and Gulf/Caribbean coral, macro, and inverts. That would be a reflection of our regional backgrounds and our baby's makeup.

I was going to do a Florida/Caribbean biotope, but vacillated bcs of what was available right now.  Most places are out of stock till summer, and I want to get the dead pukani covered.

The tank theme will be a red white and blue dominated color scheme.

It's actually made things a lot easier.

[MainelyReefer]

On 2/25/2020 at 10:12 PM, growsomething said:

The mantis was humanely disposed of

This kills me and I stop reading the thread

[growsomething]

On 2/27/2020 at 9:42 PM, GraniteReefer said:

This kills me and I stop reading the thread

I understand.  I grew up using shrimp, fish, inverts and such for bait, and am not squeamish about it.  My pencil urchin will be accepted by a local lsf, but not the green mantis.  Friends have kept rats, ants and cockroaches as pets, but I try to humanely kill them also.  I use a heavy duty shears behind the head on any dying fw fish (I have 100's) if they don't respond to treatment as an instant way of euthenizing them.

[growsomething]

If possible, I try to patronize my local lfs', but I went to 4 yesterday, and 3 were having an aiptasia and hair algae frag sale, the other I will probably go back to for zoa frags.

I had to order from KP Aquatics and L.A. and hope they keep their holding tanks cleaner than what I saw locally.

[growsomething]

Got some packages from L.A. and KP Aquatics this week, threw them in the tank for now.  Hopefully I can chop the superman monti and silver eye leptoseris frags into pieces and glue them up high where the plugs are now. 

I ordered pink ray zoa colony from l.A. and got half yellow/green on the rock 😛  I was trying to avoid green.

Also have a free rfa from kp, and it looks green under daylights.  This is an is-what-it is-tank.

 

 

Found out I really like rfa and gorgonian, never had either before as live rock in the 90's was indo and I never added anything except fish.  If I got to do my orders over again, I may go all rfa and gorg.

 

 

 

[devaji108]

2 hours ago, growsomething said:

Got some packages from L.A. and KP Aquatics this week, threw them in the tank for now.  Hopefully I can chop the superman monti and silver eye leptoseris frags into pieces and glue them up high where the plugs are now. 

I ordered pink ray zoa colony from l.A. and got half yellow/green on the rock 😛  I was trying to avoid green.

Also have a free rfa from kp, and it looks green under daylights.  This is an is-what-it is-tank.

 

 

Found out I really like rfa and gorgonian, never had either before as live rock in the 90's was indo and I never added anything except fish.  If I got to do my orders over again, I may go all rfa and gorg.

 

 

 

yup love both I think gorgs are one way under rated coral. once I get my RFA tank covered then the plan was to add gorgs. to give it the vertical aspect 

tank is coming right along and looking good.