Newest tank:

[Fish]

Here is the 2gal, 8" cube that I am setting up for my office at work. Bow Valley built the tank - in two days (Doug and Rob are totally the go-to guys).
It has two 1/2" bulkheads in the bottom which connect to my cannister filter. The amount of flow through the tank is perfect!

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/11858inch_cube-med.jpg


I plan on keeping:

- zoanthids
- gsp
- pulsing xenia
- button polyps
- mushrooms

- hermit crab
- arrow crab
- stomatella snails
- yellow tang :razz:

Let me know what you think.

Cheers,

- Chad

[Ryan]

Arrow crab is not a good idea their leg diamter can get 8 inches he woudnt beable to move much. I would go with a blood or somthing.

[Fish]

Thanks Ryan,
This tank is a temporary setup. I will only be in the office for five months or so and then I will be transferring things back to my home tank. Should be ok. A mantis would be even cooler though - problem with that is, I wouldn't want to put it back into my main tank after I tore this one down...


- Chad

[Canadian Man]

Harry Potter!

Couln't resist! :razz:

[Ryan]

A mantis would be realy cool heck why even take it down. But judging by the harry potter book you must work with kids right. well y not put a little goby in there. I mean sure us SW guys and gals look at a manits and go cool but i dont think a little girl would think it would be cool maybe but i dont think alot would.

[Fish]

Haha, good eye fellas. I have a pretty extensive library of childrens' books but that's just because I've got two little gaffers at home.
Actually Ryan, the tank is going to be set up on my desk at work - I'm just doing the flow tests at home first. And I do not work with kids. Although... sometimes I wonder.....
I am really hesitant about putting a fish in a tank this small. I don't know if there's anything that would be comfortable in 2gallons of water...?

- Chad

[kuatto]

Sweet looking tank :cool:
I like the bulkheads direct to the filter,kinda like a closed loop with an in line filter :biggrin: What is stopping the sand from plugging the bulkheads?

[Fish]

Thanks bud. I actually asked that the return bulkhead be drilled in the exact center of the tank but somehow that info got mixed up... oh well.
My plan is to put a 5w submersible halogen bulb inside the cannister filter and grow cheto in one of the compartments. Just worried a little about temperature though. Right now, with only the filter running, the water is at 20 degrees C - I don't know how much heat a submerged halogen bulb is going to add :frown:.
On the very left of the shelf you can see an undergravel plate that I made by cutting the bottom half inch of a media basket from a fluval filter. It is perforrated and will sit over the bulkheads and then I will put the substrate and rock on top.

- Chad

[AndyL]

Looks good Fish!

Submersible 5w halogen? Do I dare ask where you found such a beast?

Personally I'd be thinking more along the lines of LED lighting (some of those new 22,000 MCD whites would make a great light array), Little less heat - little less power too. They do put out some good heat themselves - but nowhere near what others will. They also run on 12v so less worry of high voltage underwater.

As for the fish question... There are a number of gobies suited to small tanks - I've got a red headed goby in my 2.5. I know of various clown gobies kept in a 2.5... A barnacle goby would be wild - if you could find one.

Since you have the 20 at home - you could always buy small and move them later. I saw a whole tankfull of little (1/4") percs somewhere last week. Might make a great resident for a few months.

Andy

[KTV]

Maybe a small seahorse Chad? A constant supply of live food might be difficult in an office though.

[Fish]

Andy,
They have a good selection for pond supplies. Here is where I got mine:
http://www.mainlandmart.com/aquapump.html
I ended up getting the double so I could add a second if I needed the temp higher - probably wont be the case.
They do have an led one as well. Shoulda got that one I guess... oh well, I might be selling a submersible halogen for cheap soon.
Dude, I've read about barnacle gobies but have never seen one. Speaking of mythical beasts, did those sexy shrimp come in yet?

- Chad

[Fish]

Maybe a small seahorse Chad? A constant supply of live food might be difficult in an office though.

Dang, that would be cool! Unfortunately it would be kinda tough to care for in an ofice... I already feel like I live at work.

[Willow]

i loves me a cube.. post more pics when its ready!

[Fish]

i loves me a cube.. post more pics when its ready!

count on it :cool:

I have another question:
Lighting is going to be from a desk lamp with a 50/50 mini pc. Like this:
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/catalog/product.xml?product_id=23461;category_id=1845;pcid 1=1843;pcid2=
Who would use the 20W version and who would use the 10W?
('cause the 20W looks longer and might not fit in a desk lamp fixture quite as well).

- Chad

[AndyL]

Unless I missed em - there weren't any there on friday when i got my frags :)

Barnacle gobies are native to the galapagos islands... That probably has something to do with their rare appearance in the hobby.

I've got 40w over my 2.5... So you can guess where I'm gonna vote on the 10 vs 20 debate (60).

Andy

[kuatto]

How is the canister idea going?Any pics of it with the water proof light?
Come on cough'em up! :razz: if not,then I'll settle for more pics of the tank :mrgreen:

[Fish]

Haha, sorry Jim but I am still waiting for the bulb to arrive - it should be any day now. I have a sick feeling in my stomach that it will raise the water temp too much but as soon as I know, I'll let you know.

Here is the filter that I'm using (compliments of "chrisd"):

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185heart.jpg

I haven't installed the liquid-tight bulkhead in the side yet - I'm going to dangle the bulb in the tank until I can be sure that it will work first.



Here's a nice picture I took of the cube with the camera's flash:

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185flashcube-med.jpg

You can see that there is really nice flow in the tank - I'm estimating about 50X turnover :eek: . Don't worry, with the filter plate in place the current is distributed evenly throughout the tank - just mild turbulence at the surface.

- Chad

[Ryan]

ooooo u didnt go the cheap way. an Eheim I hear thems are expensive but work? How do u like it.

[Fish]

Ryan,
Did you recently change your canreef name? Ya, Eheims really are excellent equipment - that's why I use this one for the heart of the system and cut my fluval up for scrap parts :razz: .
Fortunately for me, this one was given to me by a good friend (chrisd on canreef). All I had to do was get new seals for it.

The lights finally came today! Here is a pic of them in the tank. I'm watching the temp closely:

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185050118_004-med.jpg



- Chad

[Skimmerking]

Hey there Chad the tank looks some cute.... :lol: :lol:

But i hate to tell ya i dont think that the glass is thick enough you might need a brace on there..... :biggrin:


Mike

p.s what lighting are ya going to do with it 400 IWASAKI..

[Fish]

:lol: Thanks Mike. 6mm glass is normal for a 2 gallon right?? Oh wait, they make 20gallons with 5mm... hmmm... well, I am pleased to report that I haven't observed any bowing.
I'm planning on lighting it with a normal socket-type mini-pc 50/50 bulb. I like the Iwasaki idea though - I could probably boil Ichiban in this little sucker. I am looking around for a desk lamp like the Pixar one - except better behaved.

If anyone has an old desk lamp sitting around, I'd be interested to hear it. And if you had one that holds the bulb horizontal and had enough room to accomidate the longer 20W version bulb... well, you could pretty much name your price :razz: .

- Chad

[Fish]

The temperature is staying a constant 75 degrees farenheit with the two light bulbs running 24/7. This is a bit cooler than I am used to keeping a reef but will it work? That is without any main light illumination so that should bring it up a bit too.
I found the desk lamp I'm gonna use. It is a Walmart model with a 13watt power compact (just a little guy). It looks pretty sleek and I figure I should be able to keep mushrooms, zoos, and gsp under it. The bulb that it is sold with is a 6500K but the also make 10000k, actinic, and 50/50s. I'll post some pictures once I get it - it's been a busy week.
Later,

- Chad

[Ryan]

No chad i didnt change my name recently why do u ask? That is cool is the light in the tank?

[Fish]

Here is a pic of what I chose as a lighting system:

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185cube_light.jpg


- Chad

[kuatto]

:cool: Nice looking light,nice and bright.I like the idea that you can adjust the height as required.If you don't mind me asking,how much did you pay for it and what brand is it sold under?

[Fish]

Thanks man. I could have built a diy canopy with better light output but I gave that up in order to have a clean look that would fit in with the rest of the office. When it comes time to replace this bulb, I will probably try the 10,000K version.
It cost $27 at Walmart and is sold under the brand "Catalina Lighting - Function First Collection".
I'm hoping that it should be enough to keep zoos, gsp, and mushrooms under.

- Chad

[Willow]

have you seen these?

http://www.jlaquatics.com/images/pc/coralife/al0918m.jpg

http://www.jlaquatics.com/cgi-bin/shopping/jalstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=pc-al0909

basiacally its 2 9watt cf lights in a nice little hood. hard to beat for 32 bucks.

[Fish]

Willow,
Those look good. A nice way to have actinic and daylight bulbs together. It would be even sweeter if you could set up each bulb on a seperate timer!

The cannister mod is done! I'm just letting things run for a bit and then I will be moving the chaeto and live rock in.


http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185050121-med.jpg


- Chad

[chrisd]

Lookin good Chad........you're seriously gonna trust leaving that at the office?????.....I don't know......I'm just picturing a frenchfry or something floating around in there :razz:

[Fish]

Haha, all too true Chris! I'm going to have to do some educating on what happens to guys that stick their fingers in the tank :evil: .

- Chad

[Bob I]

Just a little rain on your parade. Those blue lamps (especially Coralife)are just that, IOW they are blue and not actinic. An actinic lamp IMO is a lamp that radiates at 460nm. A bulb that radiates at 460nm gives you that intense coloration especially in zoanthids. Blue lamps just give you blue color without the intense colors. :sad: How do I know :question: , I have Coralife blue tubes sitting around doing nothing. :eek:

[Fish]

Bob,
Were you raining on my parade or Willow's? I know what you are talking about as far as coloration - my main tank has URI VHO actinic which I believe provides the ultimate in actinic coloration. My 2gal cube is lit by a 13watt power compact in the 6700k range. Not the best choice for color, for sure, but probably a good compromise for growth with such a small bulb. I'm pretty sure that the 13 watt replacement bulbs described as true actinic and actinic03 are more than just blue bulbs. ?
If I had two bulbs I would have the option of actinic supplementation but I don't so I have to make do without actinic.

- Chad

[Bob I]

I agree, if they are advertised as 03, or true actinic they should be fine. As far as 6700K goes that should be fine for growth. You just won't get the nice coloration you get at home. :biggrin:

[Willow]

im not sure they make actinic 03 in such small bulbs. if they do then great if the don't then blue is the next best thing. better blue than nothing right?

[Fish]

Good point Bob, and thanks for the warning about the Coralife bulbs. I guess I will need to consider stocking the tank with corals that look interesting under daylight instead of ones that look fantastic under actinic. Too bad...

Willow,
These guys have a pretty good selection:
http://www.customaquatic.com/customaquatic/subsubcategorypage.asp?subcatindexID=lt-rpcb-13

- Chad

[Cap'n]

Haha, all too true Chris! I'm going to have to do some educating on what happens to guys that stick their fingers in the tank :evil: .

- Chad

Put a mantis in it.

[Tarolisol]

I think his tank is a little small for a mantis. Ive seen some really big ones that would probly be longer then his entire tank.

[Fish]

Haha, all too true Chris! I'm going to have to do some educating on what happens to guys that stick their fingers in the tank :evil: .

- Chad

Put a mantis in it.

Actually, if I could find a mantis (especially one of the small varieties of smashers) I would get it in a second! I was also thinking about a pitsol shrimp/goby combo but I'm only gonna have 3/4" of substrate and I know that pistols like to dig :confused: .

Sean,
I agree, I have seen some awful big varieties of mantis, one was something like a foot and a half long. After being in this hobby for a couple years, I am now terrified to set foot in the ocean :razz: .

- Chad

[chrisd]

ok...if not a mantis then at least something that bites :razz:

[Willow]

ok...if not a mantis then at least something that bites :razz:

maroon clown.. my little bastard used to think my hand was lunch.. every damn day!

[Fish]

Finished photo:



http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/1185finished_cube-med.jpg


I have four different colors of zoanthid, gsp, colt, three different color of mushroom, pulsing xenia, and green button polyps. There is also a blue legged hermit, peppermint shrimp, and an anemone crab.

What do you think?

- Chad

[muck]

What do you think?

- Chad
I think it looks pretty great.
Are you planning on adding a tiny goby or something yet? :biggrin:

[Fish]

Ryan,
Thanks bro. I am still trying to decide on whether or not I want to add the extra work of having a fish. If I did, it would prolly be a yellow clown goby. Like so:

http://www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_SM/0004-0410-1507-1523_SM.jpg

- Chad

[Bob I]

The Yellow Clown Gobies are great. I have one in both my tanks. :biggrin:

[Fish]

Yup, that's where I first saw them - very cool Bob!
What are your thoughts on:
1) Max. size attained
2) Feeding demands (could I skip a day?)

- Chad

[kuatto]

Tank turned out real nice.Yellow clown goby would be a perfect touch,nice bright yellow.I can't remember wether or not they are jumpers or not though.

[Fish]

Thanks Jim! I am looking forward to when everything grows and fills in a bit. My GSP still hasn't opened yet either.

- Chad