chickpea's 20 gallon *Very* tall

[chickpea]

Day 7, at least I think so.

I've been surprisng myself by dosing microbacter7 daily per the bottles instructions. My planted tanks only get water changes and fish food, and both of them I am quite happy with. Daily addition of a bacteria culture is quite foreign to me for this reason. Still, I can't deny the results. My relatively light but frequent ghost feedings have not produced any notable cloudiness, and despite my bright LEDs being on for probably 12 hours per day, I suspect ammonia is being converted to nitrite, and maybe nitrate hasn't spiked yet. Still, between the live sand and microbacter, and well-preserved live rock, I think I might be damn near cycled. I'm going to ghost feed a little heavier tonight and test my water parameters tommorow. I am in no hurry to make this tank life-sustaining, but on my first tank I loved to watch the water parameters curve down and up with ammonia and nitrate.

 

Without a lid, evaporation has been kind of crazy. I've been topping off probably an entire 2% of the tanks entire volume per day. That's about a 14% water change in these seven days. I'm not sure if the picture reflects this, but the water is much clearer than when I started this thread, on day 3. So far so Good.

[chickpea]

3 minutes ago, RedCrow said:

www.kpaquatics.com Sometimes has Mayer pairs in stock; their website has them listed at $60 a pair, though they’re currently out of stock. 
 Jawfish typically like a square foot of sand bed per fish, but you can get away with a bit less with a mates pair as they’ll share tunnels. I think you may have territory disputes between two jawfish and a pistol shrimp. If the shrimp is something you really want you may have better luck with a single jawfish. I personally buy pairs whenever I can because I love the dynamic personalities you get when keeping multiples. 
 For a third fish, you’d probably be fine with anything that isn’t sand dwelling, as territories will rarely cross. Royal grammas are also a Caribbean fish, so if you wanted to go with kind of a biotope they’d be a great choice. 
 

One note about jawfish: they WILL find any ay out of the tank they can. Make sure you have a tight fitting lid with no gaps if you choose to go with them. 

this website seems pretty good , thank you for the link. I'm strongly considering a jaw fish pair, and keeping a carribean theme would be great.

[chickpea]

3 minutes ago, billygoat said:

Great to hear that you're excited! I've been fascinated by my tank since the first day I put water in it; in the beginning I would spend hours staring at rocks and sand, even before I had snails or anything else in there. It's a lot more engaging than non-reefers realize! 😁

 

I agree with @RedCrow here: a deep sand bed would be another super interesting place to take your very tall tank. You could actually put quite a bit of sand in there and still have enough vertical space left over to have it look like a normal aquarium. Jawfish would certainly be a cool choice in that scenario, though they do have a few somewhat obnoxious habits that you should be aware of. They make a big mess at first of course, since they move a lot of sand around as they prospect for a good spot to burrow. They do best with a mixed substrate composed of variously sized particles, including some larger rocks and shells that they can use to reinforce their burrows. Jawfish are also champion jumpers and will almost certainly jump on dark nights, especially right after they are introduced to a new tank, so you'd certainly need a good lid. This behavior seems to stop after they settle in and find a permanent spot to make their home, but it can take awhile. In fact my jawfish took about five months to make a permanent burrow! That being said though, they are beautiful fish and have a reputation for being disease-resistant. They'd probably not tolerate the presence of a pistol shrimp though.

 

A deep sand bed would also be a cool habitat for mangroves, if you're interested in those. They couldn't be kept with the jawfish because they'd require you to keep your tank lidless, but they'd utilize that vertical space beautifully.

 

 

I am super interested in a mangrove tank, as well as the aformentioned jaw fish pair. Would mangroves help any with nutrient export? 

[RedCrow]

2 minutes ago, chickpea said:

this website seems pretty good , thank you for the link. I'm strongly considering a jaw fish pair, and keeping a carribean theme would be great.

I’ve not personally ordered from them, but I know many members here have. They’re trustworthy. 

[chickpea]

I was tired of my rock crowding the glass, and I wanted to maintain the aquascape but center all the rockwork so I could reach the edges of the tank around the rock. I ... Butchered the scape. Even when referring to photo, I could NOT get the same look. I kept @Ratvan's suggestion of a split scape in mind and made this. I love the look of the left side and will likely keep it just like that in all likelihood. The right side irks me but I can't think of anything better with those three pieces , and again, I love the left side and couldn't stand to borrow any pieces. I might need to go rock shopping.

 

I'm doubling the sand bed depth as soon as I visit my LFS, which will push the scape up a good two inches in height. I'm planting red mangroves in the back of the scape, and possibly in the middle of the two rock columns. I absolutely love the look of mangroves, and i think it's an awful shame I know little about them and often see them hardly thriving as an ofterthought in tank refugiums. I want this tank to not include, but  feature mangroves as a central species. If my red mangrove propogules don't reach the sand bed at their purchased height, I'll lower the water a few inches until they grow out. Thanks so much for the suggestion @billygoat

 

Once my light comes on Amazon, I'll test my parameters and depending on the results, pick up a few frags of coral before Ohio is fully quarantined, which seems to be the way things are going.

 

I will be sure to send pictures of my red mangroves and the tank under new lighting as soon as my packages arrive

[chickpea]

I'm also running with the gorgonian idea.  Other than that and the mangroves, the stocking list is anyone's guess.. I've always liked euphilia corals, torches and frogspawn, zoanthids are classic, and Duncan corals lasted me through a tank crash when I first joined the hobby. An anemone and clown pair would be amazing. I also love the variety of shrimp available for the saltwater aquarium. Much to think about.

[Lypto]

Ooooh! I saw a tank like this at a garage sale and it's left me thinking about it for a long time. A scape with mangrove roots hanging down among gorgonians and soft corals would be amazing. Shrimp would be a great addition as they would add a lot of personality. Looking forward to seeing this develop!

[DNR88]

I like the new scape. It may even look better in balance when the right side is slightly higher than the left. 😊

[chickpea]

I finally tested my parameters today.

 

Ammonia- 0

Nitrite- 0

nitrate- 2.5 (ish?) 

The numbers told me my tank was cycled, but I wanted to make sure this wasn't by chance. I ghost fed with brine shrimp and later tested the same

Ammonia- 0

Nitrite- 0

Nitrate- ~5

 

this means we are cycled. I am as suprised as you are, at little more than a week in. I bought a pair of clownfish, a blood shrimp, and two hermit crabs. I am floored, my first saltwater tank had a cycle that took a good two and a half weeks.

[chickpea]

I think coronavirus may delay my led clamp light coming for this tank, Amazon seems to have halted non essential shipments for its warehouses because of high volume of orders, and it was out of stock when I bought it. The mangroves should be here soon though. I'm really happy with the tank thus far and I'm super excited to plant my mangroves and buy my first frags.

[chickpea]

I absolutely ADORE my clownfish pair. I was going to stock the tank with a less traditional fish but I'm glad I went with these- they're a classic for a reason. I seriously cannot get enough of watching them, their behavior with each other seems almost affectionate if you'll let me humanize them a little. Very cute.

 

My blood shrimp has been less personable, but that's to be expected of the species. I'm glad mine found home at a little nook in the rock right in the front of the tank so I at least get to see half of it. I would have opted for the more active and social skunk cleaner shrimp, but my local fish store was sold out, and I was graciously offered the significantly pricier blood shrimp at the cleaner price. 

 

My red mangroves came in the mail today, and I realized the propogules I had ordered are nowhere close to long enough to stick in the sand bed, even if I temporarily dropped my water level quite a bit. I improvised and rubber banded them to the rock. I'm not super huge on the rubber bands being exposed, so I think I'll tie them with fishing line eventually. It will in all likelihood take up to a year, likely longer, for these to reach my sand bed. Has anyone had success with mangroves growing straight in the water column? I imagine they will grow slower than if they were in a deep sand bed. I am hoping there is sufficient nutrition in the water column for them. I want some nitrate and phosphorous present for them to thrive, but not enough as to irritate my relatively delicate blood shrimp- from my first foray into the hobby I remember inverts are sensitive to nutrients, though I may be incorrect in thinking this.

 

Overall, I am so happy with this build, and really excited to see where it goes. Hopefully my coral light comes soon. I'm going to budget as much as I can for frags, then honest to God not spend a penny on this set up until Ohio opens restaurants again. Thanks for following along 

[chickpea]

I forgot to mention- I have three mangroves growing in a planted tank, directly in my substrate. Should mangroves fail in the water column, I'll be able to acclimate these back to saltwater and have a back up. 

[billygoat]

2 minutes ago, chickpea said:

 

My red mangroves came in the mail today, and I realized the propogules I had ordered are nowhere close to long enough to stick in the sand bed, even if I temporarily dropped my water level quite a bit. I improvised and rubber banded them to the rock. I'm not super huge on the rubber bands being exposed, so I think I'll tie them with fishing line eventually. It will in all likelihood take up to a year, likely longer, for these to reach my sand bed. Has anyone had success with mangroves growing straight in the water column? I imagine they will grow slower than if they were in a deep sand bed. I am hoping there is sufficient nutrition in the water column for them. I want some nitrate and phosphorous present for them to thrive, but not enough as to irritate my relatively delicate blood shrimp- from my first foray into the hobby I remember inverts are sensitive to nutrients, though I may be incorrect in thinking this.

Looks great @chickpea! I'm glad to see you decided to go with the mangroves. They are definitely very beautiful once they get established. I think they should be okay right on the rock like that, but it's good that you have spares just in case the ones in your tank don't take right away. I've also heard of people floating them in styrofoam rings until their roots get long enough to reach the substrate, but your rubber band/fishing line strategy is probably just as good. 👍 Remember to mist them with RO water every day once they start to grow leaves!

[chickpea]

11 minutes ago, billygoat said:

Looks great @chickpea! I'm glad to see you decided to go with the mangroves. They are definitely very beautiful once they get established. I think they should be okay right on the rock like that, but it's good that you have spares just in case the ones in your tank don't take right away. I've also heard of people floating them in styrofoam rings until their roots get long enough to reach the substrate, but your rubber band/fishing line strategy is probably just as good. 👍 Remember to mist them with RO water every day once they start to grow leaves!

leaves are actually present now, so I'll be sure to mist daily. I don't *think* red mangroves are a species that excrete salt through their leaves, but they'll undoubtedly be caked in salt anyway from my hang on back filter splashing them. Glad you like the tank !

[Lypto]

I noticed my reds will accumulate salt, and they do like to get misted frequently, but I think they grow more slowly if you don't. How are the mangrove's roots in the freshwater?

[chickpea]

7 hours ago, Lypto said:

I noticed my reds will accumulate salt, and they do like to get misted frequently, but I think they grow more slowly if you don't. How are the mangrove's roots in the freshwater?

I have been misting with RO water as I have noticed salt accumulation on the leaves. I am not sure if this is the leaves excreting excess salt, or saltwater splashing up from the return on my hang on back filter. Since the water level is dropped a couple inches for the trees to emerge, there is some splashing of salt up the leaves. I threw the mangroves in my tacky gravel, I don't have anything fancy like ADA aquasoil for my planted tank. I left one with its roots in the water column just to see how it would fair in comparison

[chickpea]

Day 16

 

I deepened the sand bed. I am afraid of this becoming a massive nitrate sink, I would like to add a pistol shrimp and possibly a nassarius snail. 

 

I've really been enjoying this tank, exposed heater and all. My first saltwater build years ago was a constant battle, I was always dealing with some sort of biological or mechanical issue. This tank has been smooth sailing so far. My light came in the mail today, and I'm plenty impressed with it, I especially love the shimmering effect it delivers. Surpsingly, my LFS is open even during Ohio's lock down

 

This is going to hopefully be a budget build from now on, who knows when I'll have my job back, and I'm not old enough to qualify for unemployment as far as I know. My LFS has a ten dollar frags section , I'll probably shop mostly there. 

[chickpea]

I bought some ricordea mushrooms on a hunk of live rock. Attached to the ricordea rock is a plug of zoanthids on the bottom that weren't visible when I bought it, I angled the plug of zoas toward my light and they're opening slowly.

 

had I known I was getting zoanthids with my mushrooms , I may have not purchased an additional frag of them. 

 

Zoanthids usually look about the same to me as a red green colorblind, so I bought a pretty sizeable chunk of zoas for ten bucks, I would reason they're not an in demand variety.

 

I couldn't help myself to this gorgeous six line wrasse.

 

The wrasse is already eating like a pig and the ricordeas don't seem too pissed off from the move. the zoas that I bought are fully open already.

[chickpea]

I had a hitch hiker on the ricordea / zoanthid rock! some sort of brittle star. I assume he is reef safe. 

[Lypto]

Most brittle stars are safe except green serpent stars which eat fish, and I had one eat a mushroom coral but he was the size of a dinner plate. You've got two types of zoa there, big ones are sort of brown I think and the smaller ones are green.

 

[DNR88]

That's great, I want a brittle star as hitch hiker all the time, but don't see them too often sadly..

 

And I think you're gonna love the six line wrasse, so much character. 

 

I would love to see a new FTS. 👍😊

[hinnenkm]

Awesome set up! It's cool to see how your tank has progressed and you have some neat ideas! 

With any tank, you should get a cover (I've had clowns jump from even covered tanks), but especially if you decide to go the jawfish route, they are 'super jumpers' and the tank should be really well covered to keep them in 🙂 they are easily one of the coolest fish out there!

[chickpea]

12 hours ago, Lypto said:

Most brittle stars are safe except green serpent stars which eat fish, and I had one eat a mushroom coral but he was the size of a dinner plate. You've got two types of zoa there, big ones are sort of brown I think and the smaller ones are green.

 

Ahh, nice catch ! I actually noticed a couple of my zoas glowing when I ramped the blue light up, I can definitely tell the difference when the whites are down now that you say that

[chickpea]

6 hours ago, DNR88 said:

That's great, I want a brittle star as hitch hiker all the time, but don't see them too often sadly..

 

And I think you're gonna love the six line wrasse, so much character. 

 

I would love to see a new FTS. 👍😊

Absolutely, I'll do one this evening, I appreciate the interest in the tank. I absolutely adore my six line already, I love their sharp eyes and patterning.

[chickpea]

3 hours ago, hinnenkm said:

Awesome set up! It's cool to see how your tank has progressed and you have some neat ideas! 

With any tank, you should get a cover (I've had clowns jump from even covered tanks), but especially if you decide to go the jawfish route, they are 'super jumpers' and the tank should be really well covered to keep them in 🙂 they are easily one of the coolest fish out there!

Thank you !! I thought I was being virtuous by avoiding known jumpers like firefish and gobies. I definitely do not want any of my live stock jumping, I'll look into a lid solution immediately. Thanks for the advice. If I can figure out how to keep my mangroves emergent over the water and the tank fully covered, a jaw fish, or a pair might be my fourth / fifth final fish.