Aysha's 25 gallon cube

[Aysha]

Welp, I've returned to the darkside.
My husband got a new fluval studio, so I kidnapped this.
http://www.cvreefers.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=16357&d=1280898367 (photo is borrowed)

I've been toying with the idea of another salt tank for awhile and as soon as this guy was empty of its planted tank beauty I started plotting to fill it with a little slice of ocean.

I'm still shopping for a few parts but here's what I've got so far
for the most part I built this out of parts I had lying around


Tank
http://www.current-usa.com/aquariums/solana

mine is the original solana so it is 9 gallons smaller than the one on the website.
Hagen glo t5 (to be replaced with a kessil A 150 W LED)
No name Protein skimmer that came with the solana I will replace it with a 9002

I've learned a lot and taken some time away from reefing to really think about where I want to go with fish keeping This new build is gonna be AWESOME!

I am going to look at a shutdown tomorrow so I will let y'all know what I come home with!


ALSO! I need help.
The glass top is resting on plastic bits similar to a fluval EBI or FLORA
THEY WICK WATER!!!!! how do I fix/avoid this

[JDigital]

Go Topless! :lol:

I should have thought that through before typing it.. but ya.. That's my advise!:mrgreen:

[Aysha]

An excellent idea and one my husband would surly approve of...just one problem them little fish are jumpers.

[Switch Blade]

could get nets or white eggcrate at homedepot

[chi]

I wonder if you can use aquapel on glass...it would keep it nice and clear and help with the evaporation. Not very practical though...
I would agree with the egg crates. Spray paint it black though. White is going to annoy the heck out of you. I used rustoleum universal black spray paint. Matte on PVC plumbing inside a nano tank with no ill effects for a year.


Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk 4

[Aysha]

I may just bring some black egg-crate back from Seattle next month.
I'd like to run it with the glass lid but I also don't want salt gunge all over my tank from those dang plastic tabs!!

I have no idea what I am putting in here yet but I found my 6 stage RODI unit!
This is exciting!

[Aysha]

So! I'm about to start painting the stand!
My Kessil arrived today *drool* I've got a bag of oolite, and a bucket of salt! Live rock is coming on the weekend, funny enough it's the same huge piece I sold to my friend haha!
We're almost ready to rock!

[Aysha]

The story so far..

The stand has been painted black but I have yet to add the door on.
What is it with me and doorless stands?

I've purchased a new refractometer and a new heater. I decided I wanted another one of these...http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/222506-fluval-e-series-heater/ because I am a spoiled brat. I bought the 100 watt.

I have
a small Koralia powerhead
Fluval E series heater 100 watt
Hydor slim skim
1 small bucket of h2ocean salt
1 kessil a150 in ocean blue
bag 0' sand
vertex refractometer


I have rock coming in the next few days. My tank that I was going to piece together over a "few months" kind of came together in under a week...

I am looking at the new tunze NANO osmolator thoughts?
I had the original osmolator before but this one happens to be 100 dollars less and rated for a smaller tank is all.

[Aysha]

So I got my rock in on Tuesday!
I was THRILLED to see that the first frags I ever bought were alive and well growing on the LR that a friend retrieved for me
THANKS WAYNE!

The tank is beautiful.

Today I went to Steves,
I MISSED STEVE!!!!!

So in my I am so excited to be back mood I bought a box of stuff.
it is being held until all my levels are 100 percent stable.

Here's what I got today, Simple stuff.

Rock anenome
clump of neon clove polyps (I know this stuff gets into everything)
quarter sized amount of gsp
galexea
8 headed candy cane coral

http://images2.ratemyfishtank.com/photo/10/366x500/3168_10.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/893256_10151569193176736_1638813853_o.jpg

[Aysha]

Here is the original cube for comparison.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/20405_10151104257276736_1684930711_n.jpg

[brizzo]

That is a really nice looking galexea!

[Aysha]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1271222_10151586091776736_179956153_o.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1267388_10151586091956736_1165609619_o.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1270264_10151586091941736_1980792446_o.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1276433_10151586091951736_1469119643_o.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1267507_10151586092141736_1870147433_o.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1265159_10151586092176736_1958251534_o.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1276222_10151586092186736_823882146_o.jpg

[gregzz4]

Coming along nicely and great close up of the GSP
What's your camera ?

[Aysha]

Normally I'd use my sony tx10 point and shoot because it's waterproof
and can do macro pretty quickly, BUT I CAN'T FIND IT'S MEMORY CARD!

This is a canon 7d with the way wrong lens of 55-250, My 80mm was being a *twirp* I have not yet purchased the much desired 100mm macro

I may try putting the camera on a tripod for a long exposure and see if that helps these guys be a bit clearer, I've never taken photos of a blue glowing box in the dark before!

Also on the agenda a new glass cleaner, my old one seems to have flew the coop.

[gregzz4]

Well, regardless of the slightly blurry pic of the GSP I was talking about, I'd say your camera is working just fine for build pics :wink:
I can't get close-ups like that with my gear

[Aysha]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1277607_10151602025551736_2121512703_o.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1267355_10151602025561736_131987884_o.jpg

My friend is allergic to mushrooms so she gave me these, I'm not sure what kind they are but I have about 20 of them!

Other than a nasty hair algae outbreak (EWWWW) things are going well!

[Aysha]

Current stocklist

1 peppermint shrimp
1 fire shrimp
3 sexy shrimp
1 tuxedo urchin
1 rock nem
1 feather dusterhttps://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1398679_10151653413716736_773745318_o.jpg

1 fire fish
1 loonie sized eibli angel


1 chunk galexea
30 heads riccordia yuma mushroom
1 small toadstool coral
a ton of GSP
2 heads torch
2 types of candy cane
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1403538_10151653412746736_1508491528_o.jpg

upgrades
Hydor ATO
new lid


https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1074830_10151653412481736_133662877_o.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1398427_10151653414346736_682183279_o.jpg

[Ginu]

Glad to see you back in the hobby and hopefully this time around you will have less obstructions due to all the previous knowledge.

I outta start a tank thread as well one of cheese days.

[Aysha]

My biggest challenge will be keeping it stable. I had to scrape my bubbletip off a back rock last night because it didn't look so hot. I'd rather pull it and keep the rest of my tank safe then leave it and take everything out with it. I'm almost at the add a couple fish and leave it alone stage!

[Ginu]

My biggest challenge will be keeping it stable. I had to scrape my bubbletip off a back rock last night because it didn't look so hot. I'd rather pull it and keep the rest of my tank safe then leave it and take everything out with it. I'm almost at the add a couple fish and leave it alone stage!

I was under the impression anemones need a more established tank and they also take time to adjust to different parameters and light. What are your water parameters if you don't mind me asking?

[kien]

That's coming along nicely!

[Aysha]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aasha/sets/72157637752357255/

No mishaps as of late. I'm letting this one grow in for now!

This guy finally came in so I'm excited for when he gets out of quarantine. I am a bit worried about my sexy shrimps as I've heard conflicting yes and no opinions. I haven't added any more fish otherwise because the elibi is a bit of a bully to the firefish (and a zoa eater GAAA!) I may add a brain or a nice flowerpot but other than the addition of one or two more fish I've about run out of space!



I started work on a larger tank last week (damn working in a fish store)
I'm excited to have a near finished build.

[Aysha]

Alright a few months in.

I lost a pretty birdsnest acro to flatworms, Royal Gramma to unknown causes and my clove polyps died when I bought a new kessil.

Otherwise everything is going great!

Coral
Pink zoa
Venus zoa
AOG
Watermelon
Yellow Star Polyps
Green Star Polyps
Green and purple Acan.
Orange Florida Riccordia.
Colt Coral
Galaxy Coral
misc leather
Candycane


Fish
Pair of black clowns
Flasher Wrasse
Firefish
Geometric pygmy hawk fish

Inverts
Featherduster
Tuxedo Urchin
peppermint shrimp
Fireshrimp
Sexy Shrimp x3
Rock Flower Anemone


Equipment

Reef Keeper Lite
Tunze nano ATO
Tunze 9002 skimmer
Ocean Blue Kessil

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1/1794801_10151859705866736_531663681_n.jpg

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1/1014082_10151859705761736_706092372_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1/1797407_10151859705966736_1935613543_n.jpg