2 Tanks 1 Stand *New FTS*

[CD_Scapes]

Yes, yes I know I have had lots of threads and lots of tanks with little to no results to show for it. Maybe this time will be different?

Tank 1 FTS (11/6/20)

Equipment:

 

Display Tank: Marineland portrait 5 gallon

Return Pump: Stock pump

Light: Pixie 30 LED

Heater: Jager 50watt w/ink bird

Wood: Tigerwood

Sand: Lake Superior gravel

Stand: DIY

 

Livestock (will update):

 

Invertebrates

Clean up Crew:

Ghost shrimp

 

Plants:

Willow Moss

Dwarf Hair Grass

 

Fish:

Red Plakat Betta splendens "Redskull"

Dwarf Spotted Rasbora

 

Tank 2 FTS (11/6/20)

Equipment:

 

Display Tank: UNS 45a

 

Return Pump: Sicce micraPlus (158 GPH)

 

Light: Pixie 30 LED

 

Heater: Jager 50watt w/ink bird

 

Rock: 10lbs Marcorock

 

Sand: 17lbs aragalive natural reef

 

ATO: Duetto ATO

 

Stand: DIY

 

Livestock (will update):

 

Invertebrates

Clean up Crew:

3 x Blue leg hermit

 2 x Marginella snail

2 x Virgin nerite

Florida cerith DOA

Dwarf cerith

 

Green porcelain crabs

 

Coral:

3 x Green whip gorgonian

 

Macroalgae:

Greens:

3 Red Mangroves

Caulerpa pelata (Melted/went sexual)

Caulerpa prolifera

Halimeda opuntia

Ulva (Nutrient killer)

Reds:

Gracilaria hayi

Gracilaria tikvahiae

Gracilaria ogo possibly

Bryothmnion

Botryocladia

 

Fish:

Rhino Blenny

White-spotted pygmy filefish

 

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

What are your stocking plans for these tanks? 

 

FYI - Love the thread title. lol

[CD_Scapes]

2 minutes ago, NoOneLikesADryTang said:

What are your stocking plans for these tanks? 

 

FYI - Love the thread title. lol

5G will be soft corals, macro algae and 3 captive bred white spotted trimma gobies (maybe)

3G will be RFAs, macro algae and sexy shrimp 

 

Might have gotten part of the title from yours 😋

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

2 minutes ago, Frozen_Reef said:

5G will be soft corals, macro algae and 3 captive bred white spotted trimma gobies (maybe)

3G will be RFAs, macro algae and sexy shrimp 

 

Might have gotten part of the title from yours 😋

Sounds like solid stocking plan... Trimma gobies are so cute! 

 

RFA's can be dirty little creatures, when you get a bunch of them in a small tank. Just be aware of it - we run about 40 nitrates on our RFA tank(17 gallon), and had to add a small skimmer to deal with the bioload. Sexy shrimp are fun to watch! It should be a really cool little tank! 

[CD_Scapes]

6 hours ago, NoOneLikesADryTang said:

Sounds like solid stocking plan... Trimma gobies are so cute! 

 

RFA's can be dirty little creatures, when you get a bunch of them in a small tank. Just be aware of it - we run about 40 nitrates on our RFA tank(17 gallon), and had to add a small skimmer to deal with the bioload. Sexy shrimp are fun to watch! It should be a really cool little tank! 

Might have used the Petco order to get a few RFAs 😂

[CD_Scapes]

For now I am going to be focusing on getting the 5 gallon all figured out and setup, maybe a bit later down the road (and with help from some college refunds) I might get the 3 gallon setup and running. Was looking to get the Sicce MicraPlus as it has 158 GPH as opposed to the Micra which is only 90 GPH. I wonder if having the MicraPlus and the Jeboa OW-10 would be too much flow? The next project is filling in that lip we made around the stand, it worked well for the UNS but I need to fill it to allow the 5 gallon and 3 gallon to be on the same stand. That being said I will have to head over to Lowes or someplace to get a piece of wood that is 18" x 12" x 1" and cut it down to size. Shouldn't be too hard and that could be a sunday project as I get off work around noon. Other things on the agenda might be getting a wavemaker (Jeboa OW-10) and planning out how the 3 gallon will pan out. 

 

I was talking with @Tamberav and it seems like we both have the same idea of having the 5 gallon as well as the 3 gallon. Tam mentioned a pest tank and that really got me thinking of an alternate route, which could make it easier to have hardy species and maybe even just do manual top offs instead of buying another ATO. 

 

Another note is that I am starting year 2 of college on Monday (yay Zoom University) and to be honest I'm not excited at all. Normally I would be, but it does not feel like school at all. The other thing with work it could go well or I might just max out my NRG and crash...who knows, guess I will find out soon. I think that just about completes the update, now to get my work schedule fixed due to college starting and to figure out where the extra 35 fish we are getting are going to be put at work...yay

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

I’ve got this gravity fed ato on a coupe of tanks (including the 365 peninsula tank). It works really well, and there aren’t really any parts to fail, and flood your aquarium. 
 

WuyouChy Aquarium ATO System Fish Tank Water Level Controller Automatic Top Off Water Filler with Adapter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083TFLF9N/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_rttqFbD2P9MH9

 

 

[CD_Scapes]

2 minutes ago, NoOneLikesADryTang said:

I’ve got this gravity fed ato on a coupe of tanks (including the 365 peninsula tank). It works really well, and there aren’t really any parts to fail, and flood your aquarium. 
 

WuyouChy Aquarium ATO System Fish Tank Water Level Controller Automatic Top Off Water Filler with Adapter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083TFLF9N/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_rttqFbD2P9MH9

 

 

I've looked at those and like the idea, but I don't know if I'd like a water bottle sticking out the back of my tank. They need to make ATOs that can top off 2 tanks at once 

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

2 minutes ago, Frozen_Reef said:

I've looked at those and like the idea, but I don't know if I'd like a water bottle sticking out the back of my tank. They need to make ATOs that can top off 2 tanks at once 

I agree - the look isn’t ideal, but it gets the job done. 
 

It would be awesome if someone came up with a single ato that could top off multiple tanks!

[Tired]

I love white-spotted dwarf gobies. I have one to eat my amphipods. Be careful not to scare them- mine got scared too bad at some point, evidently, and now he hides when I move anywhere near the tank. I have to watch sneakily. He was much bolder before I evidently convinced him I'm some sort of kaiju. 

[CD_Scapes]

7 minutes ago, Tired said:

I love white-spotted dwarf gobies. I have one to eat my amphipods. Be careful not to scare them- mine got scared too bad at some point, evidently, and now he hides when I move anywhere near the tank. I have to watch sneakily. He was much bolder before I evidently convinced him I'm some sort of kaiju. 

Will keep that noted, we have 3 at work and are getting 2 more so they should hopefully be used to humans 😅

[Tamberav]

I'll be honest, I have never once topped off my 5g 🙂 There just isn't any noticeable evap and the 90% water changes probably fix any that there could be. Manually topping off would probably be a weekly thing more than a daily as long as you plan to use the lid. 

[CD_Scapes]

7 hours ago, Tamberav said:

I'll be honest, I have never once topped off my 5g 🙂 There just isn't any noticeable evap and the 90% water changes probably fix any that there could be. Manually topping off would probably be a weekly thing more than a daily as long as you plan to use the lid. 

Oh sweet, I have an ATO already. Maybe I’ll put the ATO on the 5G and manual with the 3G is it’s pests

[CD_Scapes]

I really like "charts" and things of that manner so I thought I might as well make one for the reef. I talked with the parents and I have a budget of about $200-$300 for livestock which should work out perfectly...I hope. That being said I might just end up with a damsel as the main fish, might also see if I can buy back my coral from the person I sold it to (he said I could if I wanted it back). Besides all of that mess of "finer details" here is the chart I made:

 

-Note that red is already purchased, green is what I still need to get and the cost w/buying back corals is in parenthesis-

 

Product	Cost
Marineland Portrait (Glofish)	$55
Sicce MicraPlus	$30
Pixie 30 LED	$72
50 watt Finnex heater	$27
Inkbird	$40
Duetto ATO	$120
Cost Before Livestock	$344
ReefCleaners CUC	$31
Monthly Pods	$20
Kenya Tree	$10
GSP	$10
Mushrooms	$30 (or part of buyback)
Cespitularia	$27
Frammer	$45 (or part of buyback)
Damsel	$10 (or part of buyback)
Feather Duster	$36
Porcelain crabs	$50
Grand total	$616 ($545)
Cost of Just New Stuff (Buyback)	$355 ($284)

 

So, it turns out I could make a decent reef (on paper) with $600 dollars (a tad over but could easily get it under). 

 

Any recommendations or anything, I'm staying away from shrimp due to the fact that they like to pester corals and be annoying 7/10 times. I can't wait to get this thing all rolling in about 2 weeks!

 

[Tired]

Don't bother dosing pods monthly, just put 'em in once. They should multiply pretty well if you give them places to hide. 

 

Looks like a good plan. The Inkbird stands out as a thing I wish more people had, because of the kinds of disasters it can prevent. 

 

I wouldn't put a damsel in either of those tanks. Damsels need some horizontal space to swim, especially once they hit adult size. I wouldn't put pretty much any damsel in a regular long-shape 5gal, and a portrait doesn't have nearly enough back-and-forth. Gobies are a better choice, since they just perch and hop around. They don't need nearly as much horizontal room. 

[CD_Scapes]

1 hour ago, Tired said:

Don't bother dosing pods monthly, just put 'em in once. They should multiply pretty well if you give them places to hide. 

 

Looks like a good plan. The Inkbird stands out as a thing I wish more people had, because of the kinds of disasters it can prevent. 

 

I wouldn't put a damsel in either of those tanks. Damsels need some horizontal space to swim, especially once they hit adult size. I wouldn't put pretty much any damsel in a regular long-shape 5gal, and a portrait doesn't have nearly enough back-and-forth. Gobies are a better choice, since they just perch and hop around. They don't need nearly as much horizontal room. 

Pods are the amphipods from Florida pet, thought it would be good supplements and a nice live feeding every once and a while. Maybe it’s overkill though. 
 

Goby could work I guess, not too much to choose from around me but I could make it work. Trimma are $$$ and whenever I get in neons they ALWAYS get ich the other option is a clown goby but again I haven’t had success with them

[Tired]

Oh, don't dose those monthly, you'll get too many and they'll chew on things. They will very much breed of their own accord and will give you a constant supply of snacks/treats. One dose is just fine. My trimma goby eats nothing but amphipods, has been for months, and has only put something of a dent in their population. 

 

You could get a neon goby and QT it, or look into ordering online. Unfortunately there isn't much else that works in a small vertical tank, fish-wise. Some of the tiny blennies could work, like a barnacle blenny. 

[CD_Scapes]

9 hours ago, Tired said:

Oh, don't dose those monthly, you'll get too many and they'll chew on things. They will very much breed of their own accord and will give you a constant supply of snacks/treats. One dose is just fine. My trimma goby eats nothing but amphipods, has been for months, and has only put something of a dent in their population. 

 

You could get a neon goby and QT it, or look into ordering online. Unfortunately there isn't much else that works in a small vertical tank, fish-wise. Some of the tiny blennies could work, like a barnacle blenny. 

tailspot or lined blenny could also work from what ive read

[CD_Scapes]

On 8/24/2020 at 10:45 PM, Tired said:

Oh, don't dose those monthly, you'll get too many and they'll chew on things. They will very much breed of their own accord and will give you a constant supply of snacks/treats. One dose is just fine. My trimma goby eats nothing but amphipods, has been for months, and has only put something of a dent in their population. 

 

You could get a neon goby and QT it, or look into ordering online. Unfortunately there isn't much else that works in a small vertical tank, fish-wise. Some of the tiny blennies could work, like a barnacle blenny. 

I saw KP has a $300 minimum order and live rock counts towards it so I just might get a Florida biotope. I’ve always wanted KP rock and might as well do it since my budget is their minimum order

[Tired]

Did you mean $30? Because I'm pretty sure nobody has a $300 minimum order. 

 

KP live rock is great stuff, from what I've heard. Though you should probably get the rock first, then the critters after the rock is done cycling. 

 

Florida biotope would be great! Lots of nice stuff.

[CD_Scapes]

36 minutes ago, Tired said:

Did you mean $30? Because I'm pretty sure nobody has a $300 minimum order. 

 

KP live rock is great stuff, from what I've heard. Though you should probably get the rock first, then the critters after the rock is done cycling. 

 

Florida biotope would be great! Lots of nice stuff.

KP is $299 

 

wonder if I could do all on order and then have them delay the critters a week or so 

 

[Tired]

That's for free shipping, though. You can order less than $300 of things at a time, you just have to pay for shipping if you do that. And shipping is not expensive, since a lot of their stuff ships just fine via priority.  It's, what, $12? 

[CD_Scapes]

14 hours ago, Tired said:

That's for free shipping, though. You can order less than $300 of things at a time, you just have to pay for shipping if you do that. And shipping is not expensive, since a lot of their stuff ships just fine via priority.  It's, what, $12? 

Nope, it’s $40

and anything USPS/priority is terrible rn due to current situations and a pandemic 

 

[CD_Scapes]

Welp; I’m going to the dark side at least while I’m at college. Really doesn’t make sense and it’s really fair for a coral reef to be moved many times out of the year. They really only thrive when they can sit and mature for a while. So until I have a more serious place to live and job to pay the hobby, I’m sticking to freshwater for a while...but the 2 tanks 1 stand is looking killer 

[CD_Scapes]

Funny how much can change in 2 months during these crazy times, I never did move to college and won't be moving to college for this whole year. There are good things and bad things that come with me not moving back. First off, I will have to stay at college longer as I struggle big time with math classes and having to do them in person is going to be horrible. At the moment I am hoping that next year I can take my math and physics classes in-person or at least hybrid style. 

 

I quit my old job and went to work at Petco for the year, I was a bit worried as I have heard horror stories of Petco. I am happy to say that while there are rough points I have mainly had a very nice, positive, experience so far. I got hired on as the "Saltwater Expert" and get to do all the SW fish orders and some of the FW orders. It's super cool to see all the fish and inverts that I can order and totally got new life to get SW again. I had all of the supplies minus the water so I setup again. Having a system with my parents where if I pay "rent" for a year and then I can use that money to move out has also helped a lot with my patients and learning to budget. I feel like I have a tad more responsibility...I hope.

 

Another point is how hard my depression and ADHD has kicked my ass during the months leading up to leaving and even now. I believe that part of the problem was that I have 3 main animal hobbies; Vivarium's, Freshwater, Saltwater. Without my Petco job I could only have one of them which led my ADHD to push/pull me between the three. Right now I have the 5 gallon FW betta tank, the 10 gallon SW and I have a 12 x 12 x15 for an anole. I have definitely not had as many "ADHD attacks" where I freak out about not knowing what I want. 

 

The last thing is it felt wrong to be the SW expert at Petco and not even have a SW tank, already having all of the things made it easier to get started again. I did order another Sicce 0.5, some Dr.Tims One and Only and their ammonia fishless cycle. I hope that y'all can handle my randomness and sometimes indecisiveness. I understand if it's annoying that I will start and then just leave, I'm trying my best and thats all I can really do. Take it day by day. 

 

So I am back and ready to re-learn things (FTS):