[STOCK] tinyreef

[dickie52]

actually, yes. use a "sola-tubes" kit or something similar, out from one of the basement windows.

 

I don't have basement windows....too easy for the drifters to get out!!!

 

 

it won't be pretty but that's perfect for you, dickie.

 

Hey...I resemble that remark!!!.....

[tinyreef]

weekend update: re-aquascaped and new corals

 

below: updated side-fts shot, in this shot you can see i rearranged some frags and removed/added some. moved out my lava rock w/gsp frag. i got tired of the hairy algae mess. my tang in my display tank cleaned it up within minutes though! also moved the candy cane to a new spot and switched zoo frags with my display tank.

 

below: updated front-fts shot, the usual belly shot. it was tougher to get this time though. umph! shot shows the rearrangement on the left side and the blue shroom further dividing (next pic). this fts doesn't show some new zoos i added to the right side though. i had to crop the pic a little to eliminate my car's reflection on the glass.

 

below: the blue shroom is dividing yet again. this time it's moving backwards to pedal spawn a frag (in the foreground of the pic). the older frag, separated last week, is already taking form.

 

i'll be posting other pics later of some of the new additions and a manual fragging i did of my sarcophyton latum from my display tank.

[jmt]

I like this entry because it looks honest. You know, not all manufactured, etc.

 

Can I have a hug?

[tinyreef]

Can I have a hug?

thanks for the comments, jmt! they're much appreciated! a hug is ok but i don't kiss on the first date.

 

at least, not without a nice dinner first.

 

 

more updates!

 

below: zoanthid rock i switched with my display tank. i removed my yellow/brown zoo rock (formerly on the left-side) and replaced with this zoo colony but placed on the right-side of the tank. this rock was being smothered by turf algae in the display tank so i cleaned it up first (still see some though). i put it right next to the sarcophyton elegans/beige palythoa frag. i hope the phyllochaeto worms don't eff with them too much though (they're the white tube things under the sarco).

 

below: a green sinularia frag i'm re-introducing to the pico actually. i had a sister frag in there before but removed it due to alleopathic concerns. but now i'm feeling brave and stupid, so i'm trying it again. booyah! it's a little po'd in the pic so it's suffering from shrinkage. hopefully, it settles in by next weekend.

 

below: a capnella sister-frag to the one already in there. this is just an "empty-space" frag. i had some empty space left over from the recent re-aquascape and this frag was basically "lost" behind some rocks in my display tank so i chiseled it down (hence the uber-white rock!) and plopped it in.

 

below: the pic is a sarcophyton latum frag i cut from the mother colony (inset-cgi baby!) in my display tank. the lighting/color difference is just due to sunlight-frag and 20000K MH/actinics-mother colony (purple haze!). i basically just snipped a lobe off and plopped it into the pico, wedged it underneath the sinularia frag's rock actually. hopefully, it'll attach within a week.

 

 

 

btw, thanks clowning for your comments! i forgot to thank you before.

[Zaraxus]

First off let me say that your tank looks excellent. On to my question Im setting up a 5.5g version of your tank. What do you think of using GARF grunge in this type of setup?

 

http://www.garf.org/

[tinyreef]

thanks for the comments, zarax!

 

What do you think of using GARF grunge in this type of setup?

i don't have experience with the grunge so i can't comment on it with experience but from what i understand, it's basically a "seeding" method. i would agree with that basic concept though, i.e. seeding.

 

but if you have a good lfs, you might just want to hit them up for small LR rubble instead. e.g. pay $10 for a premium piece of LR that's loose on the bottom of their display tanks. these pieces are usually too small for them to market/sell even if a coral frag is on them (most lfs haven't tapped the nano market imo). i actually seeded this tank with two such pieces and i'm very happy with the results.

 

i do believe you should try for as complete an ecosystem as possible, whether for sunlit or artificial-lit. so using the grunge or other seeding method can only help but it's not a necessity imo.

 

as a side note, it's (complete ecosystem and seeding) the main reason i "soft cycle" fresh LR, i.e. i acclimate the LR just as i would coral or fish. this way i can to try and save as many hitchhikers as possible on the LR. imo you'd be basically injecting a piece of the actual reef into your setup that way.

 

"hard cycling" LR always seemed like such a waste of opportunity of introducing biodiversity, which is basically what the concept of using the grunge or other "live" seeding product. unfortunately, it's the most popular method of introducing LR to a system.

 

i don't think the grunge would hurt but a small piece of premium LR might be easier to handle/place than a mass of grunge. hth

[tinyreef]

just a quick text update.

 

something happened that i'd been worried might happen with this setup. the UGF got slightly clogged. must be debris/algae causing some back-pressure but now i've got eruptions of air bubbles here and there under the rock (where the ugf grille is located).

 

so far, it's a mixed blessing. the bubbles are rather large and causing some extra salt creep and evaporation but it's also creating more flow, which is something the tank has been on the low side of. not much different to look at in pics but observation-wise i can see the change/disruption.

 

i also added some more corals today as i happened to be in the neighborhood of Country Critters on Long Island (1-1/2 hours away). it's probably the top store in the tri-state area imho.

 

i got six new corals for the tank: a single red shroom, 2-small zoos colonies (6-polyp & 3-polyp), stoloniferan colony, clove polyp colony, and a sps freebie/hitchhiker. they're all small corals from their $9.99/each bin (i got the 5 for $45 special). i'll post pics on the weekend update.

 

another recent change, i stopped dosing b-ionic and switched to kalk only. more of an issue to limit irritation (perceived) from the b-ionic #1 solution than dissatisfaction.

[fluidimagery]

Love the progress tinyreef, nice work.

 

Country Critters is a great store, I'm there all the time (only 20 minutes away) prices are a bit steap at times, but they make up for it with the better than average help.

[tinyreef]

thanks, fluid!

 

yes, CC's pretty pricey on their medium ~ larger corals. but you're also right, they've got good stuff. i stick to the frag/prop tanks and only go to the display for sarcos.

 

they had a couple of sarcos i was eyeballing. they usually have uncommon/rare specimens. but they had it priced pretty high imo.

 

they have a pretty interesting "reef cave" setup. it's one of the corner tanks where the fish/reef section starts.

 

over half the tank is devoted to a large under-reef cavern. lots of branching sponges and occasional glimpses of lighting. bascially makes the top of the reef a shallow prop tank. very cool! i couldn't figure out their flow dynamics though. i could see it was intermittent but couldn't see the source.

 

i wished they were closer. i only get there once or twice a year.

 

back to pico: i pulled the larger zoo colony (6-polyps) from the pico and put it into my office nano. it looked a little out of place since everything else (except for the new clove colony) is smallish, i.e. a single to a couple of polyps.

[Ann]

I'm loving the new pics, you really seem to have got the hang of this macro lark. All the more impressive since you have no artificial lights to help with illumination, top notch!!

 

Why'd you pull the largest zoa colony, I thought that they looked great (if I'm thinking of the same ones that is)?

 

....and how is the tank liking the kalk additions?

 

Best regards

 

Ann

[tinyreef]

thanks, ann!

 

no, these were completely new zoos i just got from a lfs on monday (see above: Country Critters). the colony looks great but just a little out of place since i started almost all the corals in this tank as a few polyps or tiny frags. i think it looks good in my office nano tank though (i'll post pics ).

 

also, we're nearing the end of the contest and i didn't want to look like i'm stocking so close to the end. i was hesitant on even getting the frags i did put in but since i go so infrequently to that lfs i didn't want to waste the opportunity.

 

so i ended up putting the two largest purchases (the zoo above and a golden paly, i'll be posting that soon too) into the office nano and the little frags into the pico.

 

thanks for the support on the canopy thread too.

 

edit: the kalk is ok. i've been dosing limited amounts of kalk in the tank for a while anyways (not sure if i noted in this thread, i'd be surprised if i didn't ). but in the past i had limited it to about 0.5ml a day.

 

now i've upped it to 2ml/day, 1ml - morning and 1ml - evening. so far, so good.

[shivametimbas]

the tank is goin grreat! it continues to blow me away every time i check in. mostly because of the lighting, and then i see the pics! one of the coolest set-ups of the contest,stock or custom.

[tinyreef]

thanks for the very kind comments, shiv! they're much appreciated!

 

i was going to post some pics, both of this pico and the zoo colony i mentioned above but i forgot my tripod and the pics were horrid! bleah.

 

i'll post some decent ones this weekend when i have the chance to shoot with better conditions. heck, i'd like to see these corals myself! i haven't seen them open since i bought them because it's too late when i get home. but otherwise they look ok in their "nighttime" mode, i.e. nothing sick or limp.

[tinyreef]

weekend update time!

 

the fan upgrade is really bothering me. now i just figured out (today) that the fan cools the tank too much starting around 2PM. i check the temp at 3PM and it was a balmy (not) 71F, d'oh! it's too cold, it's too hot. <sigh> i need an ice probe chiller, temp controller or something. i already had the fan alternating/rotating so the only choice left was to cut the timer to 2PM or so. i'll probably have to re-adjust in a few weeks when really warm weather starts (hopefully).

 

onto to pic updates. below: finally snapped a pic of one of the zoos i bought from country critters out on long island this week. the other two are residing in my office nano (i'll post those in the gallery later). not too bad for $9/frag!

 

below: this one's not really sexy or anything. it's more unusual/uncommon. i have a couple of uncommon stoloniferans and clove/briareum-type corals. they're my 2nd favorite type after sarcos. it's fugly though (looks like moss or algae from a distance) but i kinda like it.

 

below: the updated side view FTS for the week. it shows the zoos and stolons pictured above. also in there is the lone little red mushroom i picked up (it's the tiny pinkish/red blur in the lower center). i figured since my blue shrooms have been doing fine, why not try a red one? all those previous shroom deaths notwithstanding.

 

also shown is the other clove colony i picked up (left/rear). there's only on guy open in this shot, i think they're p1ssed at the low temp because in the morning they were fine. now it's just the one guy peeping thru. <sigh>

 

below: this week's front view FTS shots had to be cropped because the reflection/glare was just too much. i shot it in sections (right/left) to give the whole view without seeing my front yard (reflecting off the window) in the process.

the pics are blurrier than the others because the front fts's are tummy shots. i can't get the tripod to fit between tank and window very well.

[dickie52]

Your tank is very nice.....

 

but,

 

you seem a bit weird.....

[tinyreef]

Your tank is very nice.....

 

but,

 

you seem a bit weird.....

funny, i've always thought the same about you.

 

 

except your tank sucks.

 

and you're very weird.

 

and annoying.

 

and a bit dense.

 

but otherwise, ditto.

 

more updates!

 

below: i also got a bunch of hitchhikers with the country critter purchase. half-dozen baby brittle stars, stomatella snails, worms, and these hydroids.

 

below: a shot of the tubipora and an air bubble (that creates all the water movements in the tank). the shadow effects are from the waves/sun (i.e. point-of-light effect).

[dickie52]

i need an ice probe chiller, temp controller or something.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=81289

 

Being Tigah is a fellow pico person, maybe he will give you a lift of the leg.....

[Six]

i dont like it. quit sucking.

 

 

 

 

JK

[tinyreef]

i dont like it. quit sucking.

wha? huh? i thought you liked it when i do tha...oohh, i get it now. haha, right. gotcha.

 

i'll have to try even harder for you then, my sixy minx!

[Six]

i dunno how youre able to cram that many frags into that tank. geezeus.

 

tho i admit the coloration is exceptional with that natural lighting.

 

Do you have a running stock list of frags? i thought i saw organ pipe coral...? that would be shaweet.

 

btw i think if youre willing to frag some o that "moss coral" you posted back there id like to buy some off ya. LMK baby.

[tinyreef]

i dunno how youre able to cram that many frags into that tank. geezeus.

actually, this is really the first tank i've had that i've crammed that much stuff into every available spot. i've usually kept things apart to let them grow upwards and outwards. here i've kinda let the weeds grow and see what's going on (part of the original experiment of growth rates under sunlight, i guess).

 

this will probably kill me to say but dickie's zoo tank (also a 2.5g? or 5.5g?) was actually inspiring to me. i really liked the field of zoanthids he did in that tank. <cough> <choke> <gakk!> :thud!: ...

 

tho i admit the coloration is exceptional with that natural lighting.

i'm quite pleased with it too. frankly, i was very afraid that it was just going to be a nice collection of exotic browns and richly tan-colored corals when the contest started last year.

 

a big part of the tank coloration though i've found is which direction i'm looking at it from. the blue shrooms are distinctly purple from the side view, no hint of blue whatsoever from that angle. the other corals also take different hues and colors from different angles and at different times throughout the day (and weather conditions). it's something new every day, which kinda reinvigorated my interest in the hobby on the whole.

 

Do you have a running stock list of frags? i thought i saw organ pipe coral...? that would be shaweet.

yes, the pipe organ is actually the last coral pic posted above. it hasn't tinted up green as much as i'd like but it's grown in nicely imo. i thought i was going to have a coral war between them and my daisy zoos that's growing right over/on top of them. there's actually two separate tubipora colonies growing in the tank.

 

most of the previous list is still in there. i think the only thing i took out since that last update was an extra gsp colony on my larger lava rock (algae infested, ugh). the new additions haven't been added, of course but i figured i'd put that off until the final tally. they're still settling in anyways.

 

btw i think if youre willing to frag some o that "moss coral" you posted back there id like to buy some off ya. LMK baby.

i had no idea what "LMK" meant. for a sec. i thought it was "Lick My..." and then i'm like "brain vapor-lock". what starts with a "K"? google!

 

yeah, thank god for google. <sigh> "Let Me Know" d'oh!

 

sure, i think i can frag something off. actually, there's a bit that's trailing off the front but it's tiny! but if you want a piece, sure! we can work out a payment plan.

[Six]

I'd love some TR tubipora coral as well. I'll wait til you get them all growing well and then we can "talk".

 

TinyReef Tubipora LE nano frag!

 

ha.

 

JK

[tinyreef]

ooooh boy, now we're talkin'!

 

the tubipora's probably due for some fragging anyways, at least the green zoos growing on them are. let me know how/what/when and i'll shoot you out something. but it'll have to wait until at least 3/15 though. i'll be at the Housewares Show in chicago until then basically, which leads me to my next topic.

 

i just found out recently (remembered, d'oh! buying airline tickets last minute, dammit!) that i have to attend the Housewares Show in chicago starting this weekend. it's business blah blah <snore>. but i'll be gone from the loved ones for about five days. and the wife and kids too.

 

sooo, i had to install an ATO or this tank's toast come sunday while i'm in chicago (btw i wasn't too impressed with the shedd aquarium the last time i went a couple of years back).

 

i also needed to install a tiny hob (azoo palm filter, rated @ 16-gph) to dilute the top-off. the frickin' floatswitch just isn't sensitive enough imo so it overshoots or under-reacts, however you want to say it.

 

now it's definitely still within the Stock rules for the ATO so i figured that's not even an issue. the azoo's muscles out a whopping 16-gph so it's not a big deal either. frankly, i have it tuned down almost all the way to about one or two gph because my tank just can't handle the flow so it's basically just a trickle (but a necessary trickle imo still).

 

but more than anything i wanted to note the change in setup because that's more of an issue to me than anything else. it's the essence of the competition and adherence to its rules and format to be upfront imo. if the ruling goes against me then that's ok. i'm a big boy. i'm a crybaby but i'll still accept the ruling either way.

 

but unfortunately i had to whip this together pretty fast yesterday to test the setup this week. i'll be leaving saturday and i didn't want this last minute, altho it kinda is relatively speaking. i'll post a pic of the setup but basically it's an azoo palm with an ato attached.

 

side note: the ato setup (kinda unusual) was actually destined for my office nano to replace an aqua medic doser that's hooked up to my kalk reactor. the hosing keeps flattening out and becoming useless after a month or so (peristaltic pump).

 

i finally got fed up with it a couple of weeks back when it failed over the weekend (how do these things know it's the weekend?). so i had slowly pulled together the idea of this ato setup, which now ended up on my pico instead. (hint: it's different because of the tubing size involved, 1/4" water tubing fed from a standard powerhead)

 

pics tonite!

[tinyreef]

Auto Top-Off update!

 

below: view of the ato setup. 2-gallon pail with RO/DI water, microjet pump to a 3/8" flexible tubing, converts to a guest coupling to 1/4" tubing up into the azoo palm filter for dilution/mixing before entry into the tank.

 

below: closeup of the ato/azoo interface. to accomodate the setup i have to shift the left half of the canopy over and open half the tank to atmosphere basically. it's a pretty fugly look imo. gorramit! i moved the poly-filter from the corner ugf to the hob, at least that works better that way. the azoo is throttled down to 10%~15%? probably 2~3 gph.

but i hope this situation avoids the catastrophic effect of salinity increase over the 3~4 days but salt creep/evaporation is still quite considerable. the salt creep at the lower right is from only this morning!

 

i want to see how this progresses during the week before i sign off on the setup. hence, the rush to setup and get going.

[tinyreef]

mid-week update!

 

below: just saw this guy for the first time! not sure if he's a recent hitchhiker or he's been in there for a while. he'll be the second pink starfish i have. the other's in my office nano. in the past i've only had those crappy green/white asterina-type.

sorry for the crappy pic but i rushed to get it as he was crawling back under the rock.