Tibbsy's 12g AP - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish

[tibbsy07]

Updated February 19, 2013

Current FTS:


Here is the current set up:
12g AP (no lid, stock or glass - had a glass one but it broke )
12-13lbs LR
~20lbs LS
Sunpod 150W - 8-10 hr MH daily, 12-13hr white LED, 24hr blue led Full Spectrum Par38 from LEDTric
Chamber 1 - filter floss, chemi-pure elite
Chamber 2 - LR rubble (chaeto soon), AC20
Chamber 3 - BRS GFO
Chamber 4 - Hydor 50W heater, MJ-900
Koralia Nano in main display

old stuff:
I have been having an issue with cyano, and it could be that I have an excess amount of phosphates and that my light (an older MH) is going bad. I think it's a bit of both. I have a number of small snails that I think are dead - but the water must be good overall because I have so many feather dusters growing, I have vermetid worms in a couple of places, coralline algae all over, and now a couple of bristle worms shuffling around. I've been trying to get a good picture of them or get them OUT so I can see if they are fireworms or not - but right now they are kind of pink and pretty small (~1"). I also have a peanut worm in my LR. I'm getting a good phosphate kit tomorrow en route to work and chemipure elite. Cyano will not be the end of this tank!!

I want to add an ATO unit from aquahub.com or autotopoff.com - something cheap but that works. I'm on a grad student budget so... I'd also like to move the fuge/heater into an AC70/media basket - I've been having trouble with crud and tiny snail shells getting stuck in the MJ900 return pump, forcing me to remove it and clean it. This would add some more flow to the rear chambers and keep junk away from the return pump. I also have been thinking of getting a small sump and doing like a 10g sump/fuge/skimmer. We'll see. If I do that, it'll be a while as I'm getting married in 4 weeks. The AC/mediabasket would work for a relatively small amount of money. The big thing right now is to get rid of the cyano and get some easy, nice-looking small coral frags in the tank!

I also may make an egg-crate plastic lid for the tank. I don't want too much shadow in the tank, but if I get fish I don't want them to leap out and I'd prefer these dang snails STAY where they are supposed to be

Livestock:
CUC:
A whole boatload of snails (dwarf ceriths galore, a few florida ceriths, a few nassarius and 4 medium-large nerites) and two little blue hermits from reefcleaners.org, though the hermits seem to be displacing my snails... I may have to get rid of them. I seem to be missing a few nassarius and the Florida ceriths are down to 3-4. I think the hermits have been removing the nassarius for their shells. I'm not really sure what the hermits will be doing for the tank? I didn't order them, they snuck their way into my order

To be added:
Corals, etc.:
GSP
Zoas (a bunch)
Shrooms
Ricordea
Maybe a toadstool?

[tibbsy07]

Added chaeto and LR rubble to the 2nd chamber today from the LFS. I knew they were expensive, but WOW! They are REALLY expensive for a LFS. I looked at some zoa frags and they were selling Horizon Zoas and gobstoppers for $40-120 for a single frag. Firefish are $30. Nerite snails are $2.50-3.00 a pop.

 

I also noticed in my tank what looks to be an amphipod? I happened to notice they had a bunch in their frag tank and I asked about them. The owner told me "I just call them shrimp. I don't know what they are..." There were also small red things that I believe were Foraminiferans, but I can't be sure. He told me they were probably fire worms or something, but that he added some cleaner shrimp and it should take care of them. Whatever that means...

[tibbsy07]

I changed up the rockscaping today. I was nervous about the rocks falling, so I rearranged them

 

 

 

I think I'm going to have more room now and the rocks seem really settled. I pushed the largest flattest rock down further into the sand so that it was a lot more stable. Then I built the rest around that. I placed the small rock originally in front on the very top to help fill in the gap and stabilize it a bit more.

[tibbsy07]

It seems I have seen the amphipod a bunch lately but I can't seem to get a decent shot of it. I did, however, notice what seems to be a small red feather duster in my tank today I suppose that means that the tank is starting to be good for life?

 

I ordered my CUC from reefkeepers.org this weekend - should be here by Friday. Yay! I also ordered a koralia nano 240, hydor theo 50w and two glass alcohol thermometers from amazon. They'll be here in the next day or two. I don't really trust my Coralife digital thermometer, though I checked it today with a real thermometer and it was only off by a few hundredths of a degree. The glass alcohol ones were cheap and will give me a back up reading, just in case.

 

Here are some pictures of the feather duster:

 

[tibbsy07]

Today marks the day I put my first livestock in the tank! I got my order of 10 dwarf ceriths, 3 nassarius, 3 small-medium nerites and 4 Florida ceriths from ReefCleaners.org and WHOA! The folks at ReefCleaners really hooked me up! I ended up with WAY more than I ordered - I'm actually a bit concerned I have too much. I also got my order from amazon - the koralia nano, hydor theo 50W, and thermometers

 

 

I got a small blue hermit crab, a small clam (not sure if it's alive or not - it was sort of open and then closed - seems to go back and forth), and then TONS of dwarf ceriths, at least 5-6 Florida Ceriths (like 8 probably), more of everything than I asked for. They will absolutely be my go-to CUC place forever and ever now.

 

 

The clam!

 

Hermit crabbiness

 

I have seen a couple more amphipods and I've since noticed a few neon green and a few white feather dusters. The feather dusters are too small to get a good image of them yet. I love the fact that life seems to be exploding all of a sudden in this tank. I can't wait to get some corals and my firefish!

 

My Hydor theo doesn't seem to be heating the water very well, though. I've got it set to 80 degrees but my Coralife digital and my new alcohol/glass is reading between 74 and 77... I'm also concerned that the flow in my tank might be too high with the koralia nano and the maxi-jet 900?

 

What happens if some of the CUC end up in the rear chambers? The 4 big Nerites seem to like hanging out near the surface of the water and I already caught one in chamber 1, so I removed it and put it back in the main display.

 

 

[miniwhinny]

HAHAHA another victim of John's inability to count lol

 

Looks like everything is coming along nicely...I like how you have your rocks - plenty of space to put corals

[tibbsy07]

Haha, it seems he has a reputation for this kind of thing - but I can't complain.

 

I'm glad you like the rock work - it took a long time and a number of iterations before I finally settled on how it is now. I'm hoping to get some great coral placement out of it, and I'm sort of hoping to use that little front bit of rock in the center for a crocea clam at some point in the future.

[ecogirl22]

YEah AP12 club!

 

I let the snails stay in the back chambers if they want. Especially now that i light it so its a fuge with macros and algae. Before then i would ut them back in the display, but a few would always be in the chambers-- but i figured they got in, they can get out, and there's nothing dangerous for them back there. Since you have sooo many snails, just let them be:)

 

Rocks looks sturdy, I try to keep space between the back wall and my rocks because it seem to help flow in the tank (plus then it gets some light and i can put low light corals and macros back there).

[tibbsy07]

w00t!!

 

Yeah I was thinking about it - and they aren't swimming around. They are attached to the sides so if they are going to crawl around back there, as long as they don't get sucked into the power head they should be ok. Their shells are large enough that it should keep them from getting sucked in.

 

I positioned the rock along the back wall to prevent them from falling from some random event. The koralia nano is pumping some serious water back there anyways and there are enough spaces in the rocks that I think the water should be ok. I may move later if necessary.

[Enigma]

I changed up the rockscaping today. I was nervous about the rocks falling, so I rearranged them

 

I really like the way that looks now.

[tibbsy07]

Thanks I like it too, and if snails can like stuff, they seem to like it. I had almost no "shock" period with them. I let them acclimate for about an hour or so before opening their bags and putting them in. The only one that seemed to have to adjust was one of the Florida Ceriths. It took a day or two before it would really do much. Anytime my shadow hit the tank in any way that one would close up and fall off the rocks. Now all is well, though.

[metrokat]

I'm sure you know by now, Nerite snails love to crawl out of the water. They are likely to even travel to the outside of your tank so keep an eye on them. The clam might be a limpet, hard to tell from that picture. Looks good.

[tibbsy07]

I'm sure you know by now, Nerite snails love to crawl out of the water. They are likely to even travel to the outside of your tank so keep an eye on them. The clam might be a limpet, hard to tell from that picture. Looks good.

 

I did not know that, but thanks! The clam is gone The first two days it was totally shut, but now it's completely open and there is nothing inside. I don't know where it went - I don't really have anything that would have eaten it.

 

Turns out I got 2 hermit crabs, not just one. I noticed two moving around today - I guess one was hiding in its shell until recently.

 

There are a few more feather dusters popping up, and the ones from before are getting bigger. There are a few more amphipods showing up too. I have a number of copepods on the sides on the tank. I guess all of these point to a healthy system - so far. I've been doing weekly water changes of about 1 gallon or 10%.

 

I'm still having trouble with heating I've got my hydor theo 50W set to 83 and the temperature of my tank is still about 75. Probably because the tank is in our small break room and the A/C has been on. 75 isn't bad, I don't think, but I want to make sure the water is warm enough for everything.

[Enigma]

I'm still having trouble with heating I've got my hydor theo 50W set to 83 and the temperature of my tank is still about 75. Probably because the tank is in our small break room and the A/C has been on. 75 isn't bad, I don't think, but I want to make sure the water is warm enough for everything.

 

I'm having a terrible time with the Hydor Theo heaters (and a similar heater by Marina . . . I think it is Marina). My problem is the opposite, though: they're overheating compared to where I have them set. I broke the first one (that one was very accurate) and since then I've been through three more (one of which cooked my tank . . . it got up to 83 and it was set at 78).

[metrokat]

Meh. Heater and tank temperatures are the bane of my existence, just when I bought a jäger, the stock heater keeps the tank at 80+. I'm terrified I'll cook everything.

[tibbsy07]

I think I have the problem figured out. My tank is in our small break room and the A/C has been blasting directly on it. I covered the half of the vent that was blowing on the tank and the temp readings are back up to 75-76.

 

I was thinking of making a screen top for the tank as I can't find a glass lid anywhere. I don't want the screen to create too much shadow though. Any thoughts?

[metrokat]

If you can get a glass or acrylic lid cut, that would be best? Thanks for following my thread.

[Enigma]

Meh. Heater and tank temperatures are the bane of my existence, just when I bought a jäger, the stock heater keeps the tank at 80+. I'm terrified I'll cook everything.

 

And I figured the bane of your existence would be your heels!

 

I had a chat with a gent in a LFS on Friday. He advised me that the external filters and the heaters that go inside them do a much better job at maintaining a stable and correct temperature (if heat is required). I don't know if that's true, but if the temps in my tank exceed 82 degrees again (and the heater is on), I'm going that route.

 

I don't know if the low temps that Tibbsy is experiencing are as great a concern, but it is still worrisome that the heater isn't doing what it is supposed to. I see no reason why a 50W shouldn't be able to heat that tank to what it is set to.

 

I think I have the problem figured out. My tank is in our small break room and the A/C has been blasting directly on it. I covered the half of the vent that was blowing on the tank and the temp readings are back up to 75-76.

 

Is the A/C shut off at night? Do you have any idea what the temps are in the evening and through the night?

[metrokat]

A controller is in my near future. Might have to sacrifice a heel or two for that but oh well.

[cuboy]

I think I have the problem figured out. My tank is in our small break room and the A/C has been blasting directly on it. I covered the half of the vent that was blowing on the tank and the temp readings are back up to 75-76.

 

I was thinking of making a screen top for the tank as I can't find a glass lid anywhere. I don't want the screen to create too much shadow though. Any thoughts?

 

Just get a stronger heater. that. you're lucky to have the ac blasting on it, especially during the hot summer months. That should keep your tank cool

 

I have a problemw ith my heater, i have to set it at 71 to correctly heat it to 78

[tibbsy07]

Is the A/C shut off at night? Do you have any idea what the temps are in the evening and through the night?

 

I don't know. It's a large University building, but I think it is on all the time.

 

A controller is in my near future. Might have to sacrifice a heel or two for that but oh well.

Ugh, I know! I hate when I have to sell my heels to get other stuffs.

 

Just get a stronger heater. that. you're lucky to have the ac blasting on it, especially during the hot summer months. That should keep your tank cool

 

I have a problemw ith my heater, i have to set it at 71 to correctly heat it to 78

 

I had a problem with overheating using a 25W heater prior to this when the AC wasn't on. Now I have the 50W heater and the AC on and my temps are low. I'm hoping that by blocking off the vent's direct air flow and using the 50W at around 77 the tank should be ok.

[tibbsy07]

So I just got paid (yay!) and I'm about to do my taxes (hoping for a decent return). I've been tinkering with an LED build from RapidLED using their Biocube 14 dual dimmer kit. I'm sitting at about 220 with shipping/tax right now. I've added in 2 true violet LEDs, a 2 moonlight kit, 2 pentiometers, and I've changed the ratio from 6 RBs and 6 CWs to 6 RBs, 4 NWs and 2 Bs. I don't like the landing strip-style drilling they've done, so I've added in thermal adhesive as well so I can attach the LEDs how I want.

 

This is probably how I'll set up the fixture.

(ML = moonlight, RB= royal blue, TV= true violet, NW= neutral whites, B= blue)

 

 

I'll put the RB and TV on one dimmer and the whites and blues on the other dimmer. The moonlights will be their own thing. Does this look like it'd work?

[tibbsy07]

So, apparently I am a complete moron. I haven't added a single thing except the CUC to the tank at all because I was having "heating issues." I added a second heater to the tank, just in case, and I noticed that the temperature STILL wasn't changing. Well, what do you know - work finally slowed down, life became significantly less stressful (business travel and wedding planning will do that, I guess ) and it turns out... womp womp, I had mistaken the line for 80 degrees for the line for 70 degrees. This whole time, my tank has been between 75 and 80 degrees, not way lower than I thought. I feel like a complete moron. I should, really. I'm only glad I didn't add livestock because they would have died with the fluctuations.

 

I have noticed that a number of my little snails have died. I had to turn the lights off a lot due to an algae bloom that the snails weren't taking care of. I assume they died from lack of other food sources. There are two little blue hermits that I may get rid of. I've noticed that they have larger shells and are bigger. I believe they killed the snails in those shells, which makes me sad. Ah well.

 

I've also noticed what I believe to be red cyanobacteria in the back chamber on the chaeto... Uh oh. I haven't been doing water changes as regularly, but I always use RO/DI for topping off or for the changes when I do them. I've been trying to remove this stuff by hand, but it's been a struggle... Just after these pictures, I removed the koralia and rinsed it in fresh DI water from our lab line. Then I removed the whole top half of my chaeto to get rid of the red gunk and give the chaeto a fresh start.

On top of the chaeto...

Covering the koralia nano...

 

I'm about to do a 10% water change and then check parameters. I'll post them as soon as I get them.

I'm going to try and get this taken care of and then add some coral (Finally!). I've got to look up how to do that properly, as I'm sure just dumping the coral in after acclimatizing them isn't the way to go about it...

 

I'm still hesitant on the LEDs. Money is a bit tight right now and I want great lighting, but I'm unsure of whether I should spend a lot on the 14 dual-dimmable LED kit from RapidLED with Crees or if I should get an already built pendant LED light. I could probably get away with 1 par38 LED bulb, but if I need 2 then I'd be better off doing the DIY route.Thoughts?

[tibbsy07]

Looks like the cyano problem is a bit better handled. I did a 50% water change and removed as much physically as I could. I'm back on track for weekly water changes as well.

 

We've got some new residents in the tank, though!

 

A new feather duster has shown up, and then the few green ones from before have really grown

Edit: You can see the bristle worm above in the lower right corner. There are also feather dusters popping up everywhere now!

 

There is a LOT of coralline showing up, so I assume things are going well. There are also these little red structures showing up all over the rock, and I believe they are Foraminiferans of some kind.

I also have a red-pink bristle worm. I am going to see how this turns out - it's bristles are far apart not super close together. I didn't get a picture of it, though. By the time I got the camera it had gone back in.

 

One thing I am concerned about is this tentacle, worm, snakey thing that exists in a hole and it extends out like a lengthening line, then it feels around the rock, and then retracts on itself back into its hole. I'm unsure of what this thing is and whether or not it's safe. I'm going to post in the ID section, too. EDIT: Based on the ID sticky, I think this is a peanut worm. Weird looking, but seems to be good for cleaning, so I'm not going to worry about it.

[tibbsy07]

Ordered a Full Spectrum bulb from Mike at LEDTric last night! Can't wait til it gets here!!!!