davinaster Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 This thread is more for my benefit than anyone else's. I have a short-term memory problem (just like Dory!) so I think a nano journal is in order. Plus, I welcome any feedback, so long as it's constructive But there's nothing special about it - to anyone but me :love: - so don't be surprised if it looks and sounds just like everyone else's brand-new 5.5g! Link to comment
davinaster Posted December 30, 2004 Author Share Posted December 30, 2004 5.5g AGA tank Versa-Top w/ hinge removed (i.e. two pieces of glass) JBJ 24w 10K/24w actinic 50w Ebo heater AC500 w/ no media, to be converted to a fuge POS floating hydrometer/thermometer combo Link to comment
davinaster Posted December 30, 2004 Author Share Posted December 30, 2004 ~5 lbs LS scooped from LFS tank ~10 lbs LR from Fiji & Marshall Islands, I think. Also a couple of pieces of "rubble" (my most interesting rocks ) It had been curing for at least 3 weeks at the LFS, and they had gotten it from a local distributor. It was wrapped in wet newspaper, bagged, and immediated transported home and put in my tank. Minimal die-off. Link to comment
davinaster Posted December 30, 2004 Author Share Posted December 30, 2004 I had a major algae bloom overnight - I can't remember whether it was green or brown. Ammonia was 0, and I was impatient, so I added: 2 blue legged hermit crabs 1 sally lightfoot crab 2 cerith snails 1 nerite snail 1 astrea One of the ceriths turned out to be just a shell - quickly co-opted by one of the hermits (yes, I'm sure it started out empty - I saw the whole thing ), so the next time I was at the LFS, I asked for another cerith. When I got home, I had another astrea. 'K, whatever... Link to comment
davinaster Posted December 30, 2004 Author Share Posted December 30, 2004 I identified an Aiptasia in my tank, so I added a peppermint shrimp. I also added a conch (fighting?) around this time because the sand bed was being ignored by my critters. Link to comment
davinaster Posted December 30, 2004 Author Share Posted December 30, 2004 http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...ppermint+shrimp Link to comment
davinaster Posted December 30, 2004 Author Share Posted December 30, 2004 While I was shopping for my iodine test kit, I found a very cool piece of live rock - used to be a brain coral. (I love my conch :love: When it outgrows my nano, I might have to start a 100g...or a 300g...lol) That called for new aquascaping: Link to comment
davinaster Posted December 30, 2004 Author Share Posted December 30, 2004 It appears that there is no quick and easy way to create and install a baffle in an AC500. I tried cutting one out of flimsy plastic and super glueing it to the media basket side (to cover the holes). Very loud, lots of bubbles - no go. Then I had the brilliant idea of putting all my refugium media (mud, sand and rock rubble) into the media basket. Today I finally did it right - or at least I right as I could with the tools and abilities I've got. It's about 50% acrylic and 50% silicone, but it's doing the trick (no media in there yet - that was a one-trial learning experience ) Link to comment
EtOH_is_good Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 a point to consider that maze brain may look pretty now but unless it quickly gets coated with coralline algae it will make an ideal target for bad algae to grow on. id hide in an area with less light until you past the algae bloom stages in your tank. Link to comment
davinaster Posted December 31, 2004 Author Share Posted December 31, 2004 Originally posted by EtOH_is_good a point to consider that maze brain may look pretty now but unless it quickly gets coated with coralline algae it will make an ideal target for bad algae to grow on. id hide in an area with less light until you past the algae bloom stages in your tank. Do you know what the bright green algae already growing on it is? It doesn't even look like it's growing on the rock, more like it's growing in it. Link to comment
davinaster Posted December 31, 2004 Author Share Posted December 31, 2004 The baffle held overnight, so I stocked the refugium today! I put in about 1 1/2" of mineral mud (I want to make sure I get an anaerobic zone), took a few deep breaths, and turned the AC500 back on. It worked! There's great flow through the tank, but the fuge is still. Absolutely still. I tried to get LS from the LFS but had to settle for aragonite. Then I topped it off w/ all the rubble that's been sitting in my main tank. When I can get my hands on it, I'll add some chaeto. While my hands were wet and everything was all kicked up anyhow, I re-scaped, getting the rock away from the walls and working in some new caves, potentially for a shrimpgoby/gobyshrimp pair. I also added more sand in one corner for a place to dig. Link to comment
davinaster Posted January 6, 2005 Author Share Posted January 6, 2005 Yesterday I added a handful of chaeto to the refugium. In less than 24 hrs, it's made huge difference! The water has never been clearer, and the algae is pretty much gone from the tank walls. My cleanup crew is going to starve I also added a yellow watchman goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus) and a bullseye pistol shrimp (Alpheus soror). Link to comment
davinaster Posted January 9, 2005 Author Share Posted January 9, 2005 Discussion about/photos of the YWG/pistol shrimp are here. Link to comment
davinaster Posted January 9, 2005 Author Share Posted January 9, 2005 Yesterday I got my first corals! My tank is 5 1/2 weeks old, and I've read that hardy corals (zoanthids and mushrooms) can actually help stabilize the tank, plus they're really cool, so I went to my LFS with the following requirements: new nano first coral zoanthid or mushroom less than $20 - in case I kill it The guy walked straight to their display tank and pointed to a tiny piece of rock with a few zoanthid polyps and two mushrooms - $15. Can anyone give me common names for these guys? Best I can come up with is orange and yellow buttons for the zoanthid? and green striped mushroom? Or do I just get to call them whatever I want - Electric Orange Banded zoanthids and Emerald City Striped Shroom? Link to comment
davinaster Posted January 9, 2005 Author Share Posted January 9, 2005 Full tank shot Sally lightfoot (Percnon planissimum): Nerite snail (Nerita sp.): Red-legged hermit crab (Calcinus californiensis): Sponge hitchhiker (discussion here: Link to comment
Travis Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 Hey man, you tank is looking pritty awsome Good work Link to comment
davinaster Posted January 9, 2005 Author Share Posted January 9, 2005 Thanks, Travis! I decided to forgo the black clown I decided that 5.5 gal was too small and it seemed like I couldn't count on getting one that was almost all black like yours are. I've basically been considering your cute little guys the standard We've got an Eclipse 12 that is currently housing platies and neon tetras that is looking awfully good for a clownfish tank, though... Link to comment
Travis Posted January 9, 2005 Share Posted January 9, 2005 Originally posted by davinaster I couldn't count on getting one that was almost all black like yours are. I've basically been considering your cute little guys the standard Actually, Black Clowns get darker as they age. When they are young, they will have orange on them with a tent of black, and as they get older, they loose the orange alltogther and become JET BLACK HTH Link to comment
davinaster Posted January 9, 2005 Author Share Posted January 9, 2005 That does help. I read somewhere that they start out kind of brown and turn blacker, but nowhere did I read that the black spreads! That's great to know! Thanks! Link to comment
g0tfish Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 i agree about the dead brain live rock. my GSP that i purchased yesturday is growin on a dead brain as well. the rock is bright green with algae. i just hope my gsp will cover the rest of it. great tank and updates by the way im lookin forward to more corals! and pictures! Link to comment
davinaster Posted January 10, 2005 Author Share Posted January 10, 2005 Originally posted by g0tfish i agree about the dead brain live rock. my GSP that i purchased yesturday is growin on a dead brain as well. the rock is bright green with algae. i just hope my gsp will cover the rest of it. great tank and updates by the way im lookin forward to more corals! and pictures! Thanks! I just ordered a nano-pack from seacrop.com, so that'll be very cool. I know that your avatar is a costume, but it's still creepy as h***. Link to comment
davinaster Posted January 10, 2005 Author Share Posted January 10, 2005 I can't imagine why the shrimp broke up with him! My 2 1/2 year old son says, "He wad [sad]. He need his mommy." :love: Link to comment
Tigahboy Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 the shrimp probably got tired of his trophy spouse...beauty fades and all that jazz... maybe they'll get back together. There may be a lot of fish in the sea; but not in a nano. Link to comment
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