[STOCK] Blind Tree Frog

[Blind Tree Frog]

Added some more rock. Just a piece or two of rubble to make the ground less bare, nothing worth taking a new pic over. Found a fish I want to put in the tank and I have it on hold till tomorrow to see if it chills out and starts eating.

[tinyreef]

Now just if I can fix the lighting problem on my pico (it has none)

i figured answering your thread was more appropriate than continuing to tag my own.

 

how about a non-photosynthetic tank? e.g. deepwater setup or sun coral/black coral, etc. i don't think anyone's doing any one of those.

 

a seagrass tank or macroalgae only? i've been thinking of adding turtle or shoal grass to my fowlr for plant deco. it's plastic right now.

[Blind Tree Frog]

Originally I was thinking of doing LED lighting, but the delay in finding out if it would be legal (and it still seems questionable) pushed that idea out of my mind. I was thinking of doing individual lighting for each coral working in a spotlight type set up. That way I wouldn't need a sheet of LED's on top, but just a dozen or so aimed around. All in the water for extra effect

 

 

I was thinking thje Current USA light, but nano tuners is sold out and I'm not sure I want to pay $50 for it elsewhere. I'd love to use the 18x2 dual fixutre and use the antics for dawn/dusk lighting (switching so that no more then 18 watts at once), but i don't want to spend $90 on lighting for this tank and it would be a bit too large as it's 12x7.5.

 

The coralife mini will probbably be used inspite of it's bulbs (which i don't like).

 

 

A non-photo tank sounds interesting. Put in chili corals and sun coral, but I'm not interested in the maintainence of the sun corals at least. Plus that means I'd have to take out a good chunk of the rock that is in there. I'd rather have a Dali type effect using mushrooms and similar with them "dripping" over the rock work.

[Blind Tree Frog]

Oh well, for now i've got a reptile lamp over it that i'm not using currently. It's only 20 watts (coil lamp) with this as a specturm:

 

UVB 3% (290 - 320 nm), UVA 15% (320 - 400 nm).

 

Should be enough for the algae to munch on until I figure out what i want to do.

 

Hell, with this shallow a tank, it would probably work fine for lighting for low light corals like shrooms and zoa's.

[scarf_ace1981]

i really liked the way the LR was the first time. there can't be that many pieces in that pico. look at your old pics and try positioning them like before. the black sand looks cool. can't wait to see it up and running w/ zoos and shrooms.

[Blind Tree Frog]

The black sand was removed due to the ugf doubling as a snow globe generator. if i could find thick grain black sand, this may change, but for now, bare bottom. Which is part of what led to more rock being added, I'm trying to hide the bottom somewhat.

[Blind Tree Frog]

For those wondering where I've been. I just ordered my light for the tank today. Until then, the reptile lamp will do.

 

Just added corals today. This light makes them look pretty I must say.

 

 

 

 

[Ann]

Nice mushrooms, the last one is particularly cool looking.

 

Best regards

 

Ann

[Blind Tree Frog]

Got some new corals today and finalised what my theme is going to be. Not original for sure, especially at this point, but it seems like a fun idea.

 

For those curious, until I fill you in completely, this should be a major enough clue.

[Blind Tree Frog]

Quick update. Shots are poorly focused, lit, and framed. :-P

 

The green and red ric from above seems to like the ground. He's slothing to it now. I really need my light to arrive. It should be here on the 1st. I'm kind of ###ed because i found somewhere local with the coralife one for $30 locally (would of been barely cheaper then the group buy after shipping).

 

[icenine]

That is one nice looking yuma... even under that light! Can't wait to see what it looks like under the good stuff.

[Blind Tree Frog]

yeah the light does nicely for the colors. It would be good for real deep water stuff I guess as 20% of the light is below 400nm (Atnics are around 420 to 460 it seems from Current USA http://www.current-usa.com/products/sunpaq.html). too bad the corals go in and out of seemingly reaching for light.

[Blind Tree Frog]

For those who think they put too much money into their tank....

 

So when I was up in Richmond for Turkey day I picked up a Mantis Shrimp (hence the Wonderland theme... I've got a bubbler, mushrooms. and now a catepillar). He's been bashful and hiding for the most part, but he was creeping out some today. Since my buddy came over to see it today I stopped by Petco to see if they had any feeder Ghost Shrimp. No they don't, but they do have medium hermit crabs for a buck and a half or so. So i grab two, decide to risk a feather duster and a blood shrimp as well, both for my main tank. I acclimate everything and all seems well.

 

Couple hours later when my friend shows up we notice that the fire shrimp is doing the back stroke on the sand. Petco won't take him back (no guaruntee on salt), the tang is picking on him, he's lost his antenna already, I don't think he's going to make the evening. So I toss him in the 2.5 where he will be free from predatation from the mean mean fish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So yeah, the Mantis eats well tonight.

[Blind Tree Frog]

On a side note, there are now 3 hermit crabs of various sizes in wiht the mantis because he hasn't eaten them yet.

 

 

Well at least he's eating something. The store I bought him from claimed they were giving him hermits for snacks between ghost shrimp, but he hasn't seemed to interested in them.

[Blind Tree Frog]

Pictures cus i felt like taking some.

 

Was supposed to be food.... Sad hermit in snow

 

Purply

 

Don't know what it is exactly

 

Greeny

[BelowH2O]

Great tank dood, now you just need some 10k + actinic. Btw...nice call on the catapillar, I heard they do real well in low-light reef environments.

[Blind Tree Frog]

mm.. I think the mantis is a Gonodactylus Chiraga. Coloration seems right (greenish olive drab) but mine almost seems too big to be one.

[Blind Tree Frog]

One more feeder crab pic as he was near the glass like he wanted to be shot.

[Blind Tree Frog]

Great tank dood, now you just need some 10k + actinic. Btw...nice call on the catapillar, I heard they do real well in low-light reef environments.

if it's the one I think it is, it seems the are a low water species, so can handle a wide varieties of light.

 

Either way, he seems to like hiding for now. I only got a good look at him when he was pulling the sickly shrimp into his burrow. He may get braver as time moves on.

[Ann]

Hurry up and post a pic of the Mantis, they are such cool critters. I do feel sorry for the snacks, I mean hermits, though.

 

We need to see a pic of your tank with the new lighting asap, I hope that you get it today.

 

Best regards

 

Ann

[Blind Tree Frog]

It's on the FedEx truck for delivery as of 8:30 this morning. Which means it can arrive probably around 4~4:30 if FedEx is consistent with their past. But who knows. Oddly, the light that's on there seems to be doing better then I had expected. Save the green and pink yuma from earlier, everything seems to be doing well. The yuma didn't look too good so I moved it to a better light where it seemed to do even worse. I doubt it will make it through the week.

 

And I'll get a shot of the Mantis when I can. Right now he's so shy that the onyl time I managed to get a good look at him was when he came out to grab the shrimp and I just happened to be there.

[Tigahboy]

It's on the FedEx truck for delivery as of 8:30 this morning. Which means it can arrive probably around 4~4:30 if FedEx is consistent with their past. But who knows. Oddly, the light that's on there seems to be doing better then I had expected. Save the green and pink yuma from earlier, everything seems to be doing well. The yuma didn't look too good so I moved it to a better light where it seemed to do even worse. I doubt it will make it through the week.

 

And I'll get a shot of the Mantis when I can. Right now he's so shy that the onyl time I managed to get a good look at him was when he came out to grab the shrimp and I just happened to be there.

what kind/color morph mantis did u get?

[Blind Tree Frog]

not sure yet. So far.. green. I'm guessing Gonodactylus Chiraga from this page ( http://www.grimreefers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3216 ) but nothing really to base that guess on other then color and that I have him, so the easy to find one being most likely.

 

He hasn't come out long enough for me to get a good look at him. I should of paid more attention when he was in the jar.

[Blind Tree Frog]

Tried poking at him with a wooden skewer to see if i could coax him into coming out (read as, ### him off so he charges out after it).

 

 

didn't work. He just smacked at it in the burrow.

 

 

Oh well.

[Blind Tree Frog]

Light arrived. Isn't going on the tank since I don't have the legs for it (it won't really fit well on the glass and I'd rather not have it coated in salt.). Reptile light will have to continue to suffice for now until i figure out what to do next.