24G Nano Cube DX Startup, Setup, Manual for newbies, in the works

[trekbear]

DIBS on your 1st frag of that nice Ancora you have there SH!

 

Time for a FTS now isn't it?

 

 

Edit: We can ignore the crack or edit it out using photoshop

TrekBear

[steelhealr]

U got it Trekbear..first frag is yours..now..if I can get my hands on an acan, to be continued.....lolol SH

[Seanewb]

SH your box is full

[steelhealr]

Sorry Seanewb....I try to keep it empty. Anyway, new addition:

 

Rainbow acanthastrea echinata

 

 

I think I'll hold here re: adding corals until I know what's going on with the cube. I tried to take some tank shots tonite but they were washed out. SH

[steelhealr]

Hi..if I have to do tank work, I try to do it after the wife and kids are asleep. I try to keep the lights down, but, sometimes you need to see what you are doing. Funny thing, when I turn the lights on, I 'wake up' my sixline who usually sleeps in the rock work.He comes to where I am working and 'goes to sleep' on the substrate. . He will let you touch him. LOL. Otherwise, it is nearly impossible to photo this guy during the day. Between my FW and marine, this is probably one of the best fish I've owned SH

 

[steelhealr]

Updated Tank Shots

 

I apologize if there is some extra brightness and reflection...still working on my camera skills. This is my updated tank shots. Still a work in progress. Although my most recent corals have yet to prove that they will survive, you can do OK with stock lighting (but can you remain crack-free?). SH

 

 

[gjones]

Very nice tank, great color on your corals.

[steelhealr]

Thanks gjones....I found a button on my dig cam to adjust for fluorescent lighting...I may post another if I can get the actual color more true (no......no Photoshop here...LOLOLOL.) SH

[steelhealr]

This guy just kinda 'mushroomed' up out of nowhere.....cool patterns on this guy, no? SH

 

[gjones]

Nice color, do you know what kind of shroom it is?

[steelhealr]

Just your routine actinodiscus (discosomia), no specific species. I also found some colony polyps that actually survived from my first liveaquaris shipment. I scrubbed the rock and washed it under FW to save it as additional LR. Wouldn't ya know it....some survived. Tough little b-##%^'s. SH

[trekbear]

yellow polyps are the "Debil" (Momma from the Waterboy).

 

Truthfully, they just replicate like bunnies if you have 1 polyp, you will have many more in a few weeks..

 

Tanks looking AWSOME GrandPaw Steelie! (Thanks Snierbo, for the title)

 

TrekBear

[proraptor]

How are your rainbow acan lords doing? What are you feeding them and how often?

[steelhealr]

Hi Proraptor..it's not a lord..rainbow acan echinata. I feed my thank with CoralPlankton and Zooplex.....feed 2-3 times a week. SH

[steelhealr]

..and Trekbear...thanks for the warning....I know, those yellow colony polyps are the 'xenia' of the zoanthids. LOLOL SH

[limulus]

SH,

It is looking very good! It's amazing what the stock lighting can do. My 12g has an extra 13w for 61 total.

 

My tiny crack hasn't changed since I found it 3-wks ago. We were in Alaska for ten days and I thought I may come home to a mess. Well...actually, I did have a mess in the way of hair algae. I just can't get rid of it. I'm not going to use Tropic Marin anymore. All the params are excellent and the next thing for me to try is the salt. I guess it could be the lighting, but it is only about 3-mos old.

[steelhealr]

Hey Lim...hair is sometimes just one of the line of progression on algae 'attacks' in the maturing of the tank. Tropic Marin gets very good ratings, so, not sure if that is the problem. Do you have a phosphate test to check? I'm pretty sure you are using RO..right? Nitrates OK?

 

My hairline is stable but has me worried all the time. Check out sNEIRBO's last post on the crack thread..very compelling. Feel free to PM me if you need some thoughts on hair algae. SH

[limulus]

SH,

All params are 0 and I'm using RO. I've talked to others at RC who have also had the same issues with TM. In my old 70g, I used Instant Ocean and never had an issue w/hair. In those days I even used de-chlorinated tap water and not RO. I have a 5-gal bucket of IO Reef Crystals mixing now and I'm going to start converting it. I also have a 1200L/hr Odyssea CFS4 w/PhosGuard running. My eight Ricordea, Hammer, Candycane and shrooms just keep going. The shrooms are starting to multiply and the Ricordea w/exception of the three oranges all have 2-3 mouths. I have a UV Sterilizer on the way that I'm going to give a try. The one thing that I don't have is a TDS meter. Go figure...I have other pieces that cost $100s and I don't have a $20 TDS meter. I've been relying in the phosphate tests. I guess I just talked myself into buying one.

[steelhealr]

..it's not a bad idea to get the TDS meter, especially if you are using an older unit or one that has been runnign for awhile. The TM association with hair algae is new to me. I'll research it out. If you find the thread, post it here. I've had everything but hair so far.I think I had one patch but was gone/eaten. Had diatoms, bubble algae, cyano. I appear to be free of all right now (don't want to curse myself). SH

[steelhealr]

....look what came back from the dead...my first frag which arrived from LA....polyps never opened; turned green after 2 weeks...scrubbed the frag...washed it in FW......look who survived. Hardy devils. SH

 

[oogie]

Hey SH,

 

I don't know how I missed this thread but I actually sat here and read the entire thread! Man what a great post and great tank!

 

Lots of good info and I think you are the true pioneer of NC!

[steelhealr]

WOW...oogie..thanks for the support. I've been following yours as well. Keep me honest here and come by again..make sure I'm on the up and up. LOL. SH

[steelhealr]

Not great stuff tonite. I came home to find my firefish trapped and dead in the cassette skimmer. He has been doing very well, so, this was not a death and sucked in. He must have gotten caught in the suction and killed. Sad.

 

"Difficult to keep" means just that. I chose to try and see if I could support a gorgonian, so, I tried to pick one that had the greatest chance of surviving under stock lighting. A purple sea whip seemed to fit that heading. It's been in about a week and some areas are 'browning out', however, the polyps are still coming out during the day and are alive. Tonite, caught my emerald and trochus snail climbing on board (sorry for the unclear pic..took it during a water change) and looks like they are picking at it. They aren't expensive so, won't be a great loss if it doesn't survive.

 

 

Also, tried to take a top down photo:

 

 

Have a good evening. SH

[szesteve]

Looks very good!

[steelhealr]

Nitrates have climbed since adding the orange cup coral. You figure if fish eat mysid, they add to bioload. Well, if you have a coral with 20 polyps that eat mysid....guess what? Well, the color is real nice, but, I may asking my loca lfs if they want that frag. Just a pain feed. Any suggestions out there? LOLOL.

 

Replaced my common firefish. SH