Granite’s New England Biotope

[MainelyReefer]

Quick resolution on this problem, turns out I do own an orange adapter.  I chose a grey schedule 80 1/2x1/4” pipe thread reducer to balance the day glo orange.  If the color variation is bothersome to anyone pm me and I’ll send you my address so you can ship me black versions, 🙃.  
Here is the version 1

and the much smaller, more functional and aesthetically pleasing version 2

version 2 with RFG is about the same length as version 1 without the RFG even on..... way better

[debbeach13]

I vote V2

[waldoz]

Possible to print one with out an adapter in black ABS?

[MainelyReefer]

1 hour ago, waldoz said:

Possible to print one with out an adapter in black ABS?

I bet it is, I recently requested a custom RFG for a hydor Pico evo mag 180 that would slide right on the discharge and vivid creative mentioned getting to close to the pump causes the randomized effect to lessen, so maybe some adapters help? Who knows!  Version 2 was wife approved so I’m sticking with it.

[Punk_Rock_Blenny]

3 hours ago, GraniteReefer said:

From my searching it seems you have some fire British coldwater corals off the coast.  All in My cost is 420$ for the tank, chiller and controller, used ai prime, hydor Pico evo mag 180 pump, 1/2” bulkhead, and the RFG nozzle/adapters.  It feels even cheaper to me as I already had the prime/plumbing and scored the chiller 100$ off so my out of pocket is more around $200.  You should irresponsibly start one during a pandemic with me haha

I'd want British Nems definately some of the Snake locks look amazing, probably base them off a massive barnacle cluster and make it look like a pier support. I literally sold off my reef a few months back. Regretting it now

[Punk_Rock_Blenny]

Sorry missed page 3. 😁

 

2 hours ago, GraniteReefer said:

Quick resolution on this problem, turns out I do own an orange adapter.  I chose a grey schedule 80 1/2x1/4” pipe thread reducer to balance the day glo orange.  If the color variation is bothersome to anyone pm me and I’ll send you my address so you can ship me black versions, 🙃.  
Here is the version 1

and the much smaller, more functional and aesthetically pleasing version 2

version 2 with RFG is about the same length as version 1 without the RFG even on..... way better

Version 2 definately. So the Hydor Pico just needs an adaptor for the RFG? 

[MainelyReefer]

48 minutes ago, Punk_Rock_Blenny said:

So the Hydor Pico just needs an adaptor for the RFG? 

There isn’t one currently produced but I requested it... and based on VCA’s experiences in testing they thought it would fall into the category of placing the nozzle too close to the pump which somehow causes the RFG not to be as effective

[MainelyReefer]

I also bit the bullet and ordered the 1/4” locline x mpt in black for a costly .98cents!  High roller over here!  I guess I really don’t want that orange in my display after all.

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

11 hours ago, GraniteReefer said:

Also the RFG came in today, with the 1/2 mpt x locline adapter and the 1/2”x1/4” locline reducer and the 1/4” RFG in line it is a honking mess in the display!  Basically it will be blowing water at a wall haha, time to get creative again(or lazy and leave it)  

maybe a hydor rotating deflector would have been better? About to bust into my pile of aquarium junk as I think I have a gaudy orange 1/4”mpt x 1/4” locline.  Using that will be a bummer as I just bought the other adapters in black when I already own orange because the orange is so ugly.  Now I might end up using an orange one and a mpt adapter to step it up.  I’ll start rummaging

This build is becoming a Harley Davidson build on a kids bike frame! I am like wow on all the parts you are placing into this tiny tank... Wow again!

[MainelyReefer]

The adapter came in it was well worth the .98 cents.  
before

after

and my bright well aquatics xport plate came in and it’s HUGE!  It says it supplies enough surface area to maintain a bacterial colony for 1,250 g of water?!?  So a 1”x1” chunk would suffice for my little 1.1g system but I am going to cram in as much as possible in the rear chambers and was considering burying a block in the display under the rock work.  Think the government would mind if I tied a buoy to the pieces to be used and left them in the ocean for a few days/weeks to become live? Probably ok here in N.H. but I bet California says it would cause cancer and is unallowable.  

beaches open today in N.H. perhaps I should go Tidepool in the Petri dish 🧫 known as the beaches of NH 

[DISQUALIFIED-QQ]

truth be told i wouldn't be surprised if there's a prop 65 warning because California lol.

 

Sounds like a fun idea to make that block live.

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Off the chain, oh yeah did I say off the chain, with this crazy cold water build.... 

[MainelyReefer]

Went to the beach yesterday as I wanted to exercise my new ability the day the government let me.  Christmas card 2020, apocalypse family at beach

I found tons of cool stuff but couldn’t find seaglass as my wife was finding it all a few steps ahead of me(in reality she was picking up what I missed as I was in front haha). I did score one tiny piece of green glass.  Funny how some bro broke a beer bottle, the pieces get their sauce tossed in the waves for a few months/years and I think it’s treasure. The small green glass pebble is all I found haha

i also collected a few pebbles of varying size. The smallest roundest ones look most natural as the “big” rocks I can fit in feel like skipping rock size. To make the rock work look bigger a smaller substrate works.  As David Byrne once said “I wanted my head to appear smaller and the easiest way to do that was to make my body bigger”.  I want the tank to appear bigger so the easiest way to do that is to make the rocks appear smaller.  Stop making sense right?

I am looking for triangular rocks for the large rocks and plan one main bottom rock and 1 or 2 floating corner rocks similar to this obviously with the floating rock not sitting on the return but slightly above.

the rocks are pretty small and I was considering trying to just silicone the floating ones in place, but I could also make up some small “bracket/shelves” from acrylic and weld them in place then fasten to that so it is more secure.  Also found a nice piece of drift wood, it had calcified worm tubes through it so it remained submerged for a while.  Perfect decoration for my 12g long

A few more collection trips for hard scape and we should be getting this tank wet within the month

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Wow man I love the aquascape of the rocks... Seriously sick man really sick.... 

[MainelyReefer]

Went collecting again as the fam loved getting out.  this time I arrived 30 mins before low tide so got to search the Tidepools, unfortunately most life was already cooked from the sun so I am thinking 1.5 hours earlier than low tide would enable me to be there as the pools get exposed and the life might be alive.  Lots of snails anyway and a single limpet 

dead crab 

there was tons of variety for macros even one that looked like chaeto, unfortunately they were all melted too in the warm tidepools.  But I know it is here

[MainelyReefer]

we had a blast and I spent a good 30 mins nitpicking perfectly round pebbles to make up a portion of my substrate so it looks like cobble.  Built the prototype acrylic shelves last night but ended up making one out of white and another out of 3/8” blue which was too thick. So I am searching out my scrap and will either land on blue 1/8”(or1/4” not sure). Or clear that I have from the hardware store.

[debbeach13]

I bet you all had a blast! looking forward to seeing it wet with what you collect.

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Take your time and make sure you like what you place in this tiny tank, real estate is very tight and only the best literally the best of what you like should enter.... LOL

[MainelyReefer]

On 6/3/2020 at 9:42 PM, Micro-Reefs Aquariums said:

Take your time and make sure you like what you place in this tiny tank, real estate is very tight and only the best literally the best of what you like should enter.... LOL

The plan is to make the tank as perfectly suited for Astrangia Poculata as possible.  As I learn more about Astrangia and think about husbandry and tank design my plan shifts more towards a single species display tank with essential CUC as the only other intentional life (bacteria, pods, snails).  Pacific Corals like Balanophyllia elegans make it tempting to keep multiple species but given temperature differences versus Astrangia and feeding requirements of the nps corals it sounds smarter to limit to Astrangia only plus it stays true to New England.
The researchers keep their tanks at 19c or 66.2f so my plan is to set at 66.  Apparently while Astrangia can handle colder winter temps it goes into what the professor calls quiescence(kind of like hibernation) where there is little growth or feeding response.  And they keep the heat suppressed to 66 and not true summer temps so they can choose when to bump the heat up and encourage spawning activity. So glad someone has done valuable research and I can hopefully enjoy the benefits and learn something new myself. This is going to be a fun project!  So until fall this tank will be wildly boring, not much more than some rocks temperate water and bacteria
 

[MainelyReefer]

Wanting to get this tank started but collecting little pebbles for substrate while catching my kids is slow going work. This time we collected on the inland side of the jetty, no one was on this side while the ocean side beach was too many people as described by my 3yo son.  We arrived about 1-2 hours after low tide and got to see the tide rise and crabs come out of the rock work, as some macroalgaes in the larger warm water pool were hit with the rush incoming cold water, a bunch of little fish darted into the cold water.... pretty neat to see.  Also interesting to note the Instant temp change the life forms deal with everyday. Crab massacre

Don’t mind the sand on the walls I just haven’t rinsed it away, I plan on collecting some of the mud flat substrate “live” and putting a layer across the bottom, then 1/4 of the bed will be a 1/2” sandbed of coarser beach sand with a thin cap of sand on the other 3/4 of the bed.  The 3/4 will then be capped with these pebbles.  I’ll photo document when I set the layers so it makes more sense haha but while collecting patches of areas have this kind of layering and seem to be rich in life so I am trying to mimic this micro biome

Contemplating if a larger rock on the ground would be aquascaping overkill or not

[debbeach13]

Sounds like another great trip to the beach and a good plan for the sand bed

[MainelyReefer]

Another successful low tide outing,  got myself a few more “cobble style” pebbles, some wet fine sand hoping it has bacterial life and some dry Course sand for aesthetics. Came right home and layered them together as planned, I added an inch of water on top until I get it filled in a little bit.

full layer of wet fine sand

small paper partition used to create thicker corner of course sand

cobble pebbles added to other side

partition removed

I plan to get a few more pebbles to shrink the sand area just slightly but this may also happen by flow settlement etc.  

definitely more pebbles needed.

[debbeach13]

Looks great

[Tamberav]

I love the floating rocks!! I have a floating barnacle but always think I need to add more stuff to the back.

 

I think a species tank for star coral will be awesome!! I didn't realize what was going on in this thread.

 

Mine feeds at 56 degrees no problem...as soon as it smells food....it gets fluffy and gimmi gimmi gimmi... but growth is slow...it would be really awesome to see a tank dedicated to their temps.

[MainelyReefer]

Tank is filled, I’m letting it run at room temp for now to speed up the initial cycling and I’m curious to see what it’s temp would settle to without the chiller.  180gph from the pump is a lot of flow once the rock work is in place

bonus collection photos

skeletal remains of a fish and me in my blue nanoreef shirt 

Limpet on a limpet on a rock?