RuralReef 2.1

[BlueAbyss]

In the end, I decided to go with the 10 gallon unlimited category.

EQUIPMENT:
10 Gallon AGA
2 - Aqua-Tech 20-40 HOB filters (~300 gph)
DIY 70W metal halide, 14K Ebay bulb
6" desk fan
100W API heater

LIVESTOCK:
Fishes:
Purple Firefish
Hector's Goby

Sessile Inverts:
Zoa frags (green/blue/orange, rust/blue)
Paly frag (fluorescent green)
Paly colony (pink streaked, may be zoas)
Zoa colony (mixed, with sponges and fanworms)
Mushroom Anemone (green, red)
Zoa colony (orange, not opening)
Open Brain coral (green and red)

Motile Inverts:
Emerald Crab
Blue Legged Hermit
Asterina Starfish
Micro Brittle Star

UPDATED FTS: October 22, 09...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/006-2.jpg

Starting FTS for comparison: June 4, 09...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/002-3.jpg

[Boomboy]

goog luck with your budget, its hard to keep it down with everything you want, and then stocking it also.

[BlueAbyss]

Since I'm starting fresh, with fresh rock and whatnot, I doubt this tank will be ready for livestock by the end of the contest.

[Rbacchiega]

there's nobody in your area that is willing to part with some already cured rock?

[JDigital]

Since I'm starting fresh, with fresh rock and whatnot, I doubt this tank will be ready for livestock by the end of the contest.

You plan to cycle 20lbs of LR for for 6 months?

[BlueAbyss]

No I plan to soft cycle 50 or so lbs of LR for a month. I guess I should put some background in here, and let people know what I plan to do... :wink:

My plans for this tank have come about from some reading about live rock and the types of organisms that seem to 'pop-up'. I love the look of mixed reef and macro tanks, so that's what I'm going for, hopefully utilizing as much of the inherent life that is alive on the rocks when they get here as is possible. I realize I'll probably only use around 15 lbs of the rock in this setup; the rock in this setup will be soft-cycled with regular, small water changes (a couple times a day... I may set up a 'constant water change' system somehow that changes out a small amount of water constantly), with regular protein skimming and lights. I've decided that the tank will be dosed with phyto, to feed filter-feeding organisms that I may want to retain :idea::idea::idea:

This tank may never actually hold any stony corals, though I do plan on adding some zoas / palys, and eventually maybe an LPS (acans and micromussas are attractive options, if I have enough light). I will be building my tanks, main display 24l x 10w x 10h (about 10.4 gallons), upper display / sump / surge tank 14l x 10w x 10h (about 6 gallons), and possibly a small protein skimmer, which I will build if I can't get a good deal on one or find a good used one. I'm debating on making the display out of acrylic, the surge tank will be built from acrylic. I will be putting T5HO over the display (3 tubes, 24 watt each for a total of 73 watts), these will be attached to a wooden frame that will attach to the stand that the upper tank will sit on... :lol: to say it doesn't quite convey what it will look like, and I'm not bothering with sketchup right now. I imagine it will look pretty ghetto, but I'll be doing my best to make it look presentable at least since it will be sitting in my living / fish room.

Now, as for the reason I say that this tank won't be ready for livestock in 6 months is, I'm not sure if I'll be ready for SPS in 6 months :mrgreen:. As far as finding good cured rock here, the thing is (as I've stated before) there isn't an LFS within 500 km of here. Let alone one that carries live rock (though Sasktoon is only 600 km away). So, I'm ordering from J & L, and the pieces that don't make it into the display will go into a 29 gallon and get soft cycled there, with only natural light. I want a Fu Manch Lionfish :wink:

EDIT: I never ended up doing this, I really wasn't patient enough.

[Rbacchiega]

I could always find a way to bring you out some LR when I'm in saskatoon June30th-July5th.....

wait...how on earth would I explain bringing rock on a plane..unless I checked it...nevermind, dumb idea.

looking forward to this build!

[BlueAbyss]

Thanks for the thought, even if it wasn't clearly thought out! :mrgreen: I'd rather do it this way though, I just wish there were some place closer to get fresh live rock. The air shipping from BC is going to kill me I think, and I'm not sure how it works when we have Bearskin Airlines and Calm Air as the only carriers from here. Though Bearskin is owned by Air Canada I think, so that may make things easier? I dunno...

[Rbacchiega]

are there any places in Ontario that would ship live rock? Just thinking because it's closer province wise than BC might be easier....then again, I could be talking out my arse because I'm tying up loose ends before the impromptu flight this evening LOL

[BlueAbyss]

A planning tally for my own benefit :mrgreen: Of course, this also gives the competition a heads up... Oops :wink:

Lighting: Main display
Planned 3 x 24" T5HO. I originally wanted to go MH but they won't produce the spread I need. I've looked at DIY LEDs but they would push me over my budget. I may upgrade after the contest.

Options:

DIY Retrofit:
3 x Sun Blaze T5 Reflector 24" (http://oceanaquatics.com/store/product/2571/Sun-Blaze-T5-Reflector-24%22/) - 34.47
1 x Workhorse 5 T5HO Ballast (http://oceanaquatics.com/store/product/2618/Workhorse-5-T5-Ballast/) - 46.99
6 x T5 Shunted Sockets (http://oceanaquatics.com/store/product/2623/T5-Sockets---shunted---each/) - 9.96
3 x T5 Lamp Clamp (http://oceanaquatics.com/store/product/2620/T5-Retrofit-Lamp-Clamp---each/) - 4.47
TOTAL: 95.89
This does not include lamps.

Premade Retrofit:
3 x Sun Blaze T5 Strip Light 24" (http://oceanaquatics.com/store/product/2569/Sun-Blaze-T5-Strip-Light-24%22/)- 97.83
TOTAL: 97.83
This does not include reflectors. This does include everything else including lamps, but the lamps are 6500K (at least 2 of these would need to be replaced).

Filtration: Protein Skimmer
Not really a required part of this nano, but probably a good purchase for when I reduce the water changes ie: when the tank parameters have stabilized. Also, most protein skimmers seem to be oversized for a system under 20 gallons; I have seen a couple on american sites that would work very well, but they don't ship to Canada. So, I have a couple options here:

Option 1a: New Skimmer
All Seas Marine Mini (http://www.mops.ca/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/skus/ps/PSAS-G.asp?L+scstore+sytx8243ff033703+1242197469)- 169.05
TOTAL: 169.05
More than I want to spend, and rated for 75 gallons. Will need a large sump area.

Option 1b: New Skimmer
Sapphire Aquatics Skimmer (http://ottawainverts.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=5572)- 159.95
TOTAL: 159.95
A better option for an in sump skimmer. The other new skimmer is a better deal and would make for some pretty awesome overskimming. This is actually the one I was talking about above, the nano sized one that I found on a website that doesn't ship to Canada... seems they don't need to, it's available here.

Option 1c: New Skimmer
AQUATICLIFE Internal Mini Skimmer (http://www.thereefshoppe.ca/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65_89&products_id=643) - 59.95
or
Pacific Coast Nano Skimmer (http://www.thereefshoppe.ca/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65_89&products_id=585)- 59.95
TOTAL: 59.95
Super attractive options! Both easy on the budget and no work. Though building my own may be more fun...

Option 2: Used Skimmer
Aqua C Remora -120.00
TOTAL: 120.00
Still more than I want to spend, but HOT... could hang on the upper tank.

Option 3a: DIY Beckett Skimmer
1 x Foam Nozzle (http://www.pondsonlinecanada.com/heads2.htm#53223) - 29.98
or
1 x Eductor Nozzle (http://www.mops.ca/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/skus/bh/BHSD-ED05.asp?L+scstore+sytx8243ff033703+1242161257) - 29.23
and
1 x Pentair Aquatics Quiet One 4000 (http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/wp-q4000/Pentair+Aquatics+Quiet+One+4000+Water+Pump.html) - 91.45
Acrylic - probably around 15.00
Piping - around 10.00
TOTAL: ~146.50
This option would also supply the circulation for the tank, and could also be made as a venturi type skimmer using a venturi (http://www.mops.ca/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/skus/pa/PAKE-VVTURBO.asp?L+scstore+sytx8243ff033703+1242159923) rather than the foamer or eductor.

Option 3b: DIY Rejuvenating Venturi Skimmer
1 x RIO 800 RV (http://www.mops.ca/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/skus/ph/PHTA-R800PT.asp?L+scstore+sytx8243ff033703+1242162251) - 25.32
Acrylic - 15.00
Piping - 10.00
TOTAL: ~50.32
Hmm, now here's a very attractive option! Probably lower capacity... but we're talking a 16 gallon capacity system here. I would worry about the noise a pump would make while pulling air in before the impeller...

Lots to think about :idea:

[BlueAbyss]

EDIT: I must have been :drinking: when I checked out OIs site the last time, since this time I found it much easier to navigate and found the live rock (and the protein skimmer that I had found on an american site that doesn't ship to Canada) right away. It's actually a better price than the J&L rock, so now I'm on the fence. I might take the plunge and order some of this rock (shipping from Ontario should be slightly less expensive) and then order some other rock to mix it up. Diversity is good.

Thanks for making me look again, Rbacchiega :idea::biggrin:

[BlueAbyss]

So a little more thought about my constant water change system. Fresh aerated saltwater, properly mixed with distilled water (relatively cheap since it's produced and bottled here and guaranteed to test less than 0.9 TDS... and I can have it delivered! :lol:) will drip in to the circulation pump chamber right at the pump inlet, where it will mix thoroughly with the tank water. As the water level rises in the pump chamber (and falls, since it's a surge tank), excess water will splash down into a drain chamber and run away through a hose to a disposal. The amount of water changed over time will equal the water dripped in, as long as the drain hose doesn't become plugged (and assuming 0 evaporation, or a perfect amount of makeup water added constantly).

This system isn't foolproof, I can already sense that I will have some issues with 'salinity creep', though I can't really say how bad it will be. I may be able to get away with mixing my change water with a slightly low SG (since the bucket will be sealed evaporation from this container will be negligible). I haven't decided if I'll go open top yet, since I haven't planned to have fish I just may do so.

And I have a question to post to you DIY types... how thick do I have to go if I do acrylic? I'd like to use 1/4", but don't want to brace and I worry that with the 24" span of the main panels, I may run into a problem with bulging near the middle. I'll go thicker on the long sides if I have to, I'm just not sure if I'll need to.

[BlueAbyss]

So, further to this acrylic thing, I use Methyl Chloride to bond it? Could I make the long panels out of glass and silicone them into the rest of the acrylic?

[Ron99]

I don't think silicone bonds well to acrylic. It's okay for baffles or overflow boxes that aren't under alot of pressure but I don't think you would want to do a mixed acrylic and glass tank.

That being said, I thought I had seen a company doing glass tanks with acrylic bottoms to facilitate drilling for drains, returns. closed loops etc. But they may be using a special silicone or adhesive to do that.

[BlueAbyss]

Hmm interesting. I don't think I'll attempt it then, I was just thinking that with glass being more scratch resistant...

Anyhow, I'm ordering my acrylic from Online Metals (http://www.robotshop.ca/online-metals.html), the only place I've found that ships to hobbyists from an online site. I'll be ordering 1/4" acrylic... I think this will do the trick. I hope.

[fdiddy]

You could see if Colby at Bayside Corals in Saskatoon would ship you LR on the bus.

[BlueAbyss]

Hmm, I hadn't really considered that... that would actually be an excellent option, since the bus ride from S'toon is only around an 8 hour trip.

I'll look into that... thanks for the idea :biggrin:

[BlueAbyss]

So, I got my J & L order today... it came 3 days early! Thanks Canada Post! :biggrin:

I received a HUGE 100 micron filter sock (much larger than I expected it to be, I'll need to do some chopping and sewing to use this thing... good thing my mom owns a serger!), a freshwater and saltwater test kit for the basic stuff (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate), a Vertex refractometer (excellent build quality intstrument, though I think it needs recalibrating... bleh), and a full sized tube of black(!) silicone.

Things look promising... I'm phoning the local glass place tommorrow. Originally I was planning acrylic, but since I can't get acrylic locally, glass it is! I'm going to build my upper sump first, to see how good I am at siliconing glass... I can run a nice bead on a tub, but this is a little different. And I've never built a tank before... Is isopropyl alcohol good enough to clean the glass before siliconing?

On a side note, I e-mailed Bayside today about salt, sand, and rock, but the inbox was full. I'll be phoning tommorrow if I can't get an e-mail through.

[BlueAbyss]

I ordered a Taam Rio 800 RVT last night, so I can begin the building of my protein skimmer. Has anyone used this modded pump before?

[byee]

So, further to this acrylic thing, I use Methyl Chloride to bond it? Could I make the long panels out of glass and silicone them into the rest of the acrylic?

Ron99 is correct. Silicone does not bond to acrylic. I have it in my sump and it does come apart with pressure.

[BlueAbyss]

Ron99 is correct. Silicone does not bond to acrylic. I have it in my sump and it does come apart with pressure.

Cool, good to know. I've decided to go with all glass now, black silicone. Skimmer included :lol:

[BlueAbyss]

Quick sizing revisions *may yet change, this was just so I can figure out what I want to do and what my total volume is like*

Main Display 36 x 10 x 10 = 15.6 gallons
Secondary Display 20 x 10 x 10 = 8.7 gallons
Protein Skimmer 16 x 6 x 6 = 2.5 gallons... just realized my skimmer will have around 95x turnover :lol:
TOTAL = 26.8 gallons if filled to the brim and before sand and rock.

I'll probably be moving to the custom unlimited category, though I suspect I can do this under a budget. I'm still planning on using the same lighting and everything, I've just upsized both the display and the 'sump' to give me more total volume (I may yet expand this volume with a 3rd tank that will be strictly for breaking the bubbles from the CSD).

Anyone know where I can get 1" grey Spaflex and 1/2" grey tubing that will look good with it? Preferably accessible through the internet?

Total Cost thus far... well, I have a tube of silicone (hope it's enough... actually I'll order another tube) at around 13 bucks, and a Rio 800 RV on the way at under 30, so I'd say...

GRAND TOTAL $40.00

I also have had some contact with Bayside Corals in Saskatoon, Colby said he regularly ships items on the bus and it's no problem... PERFECT! He said he's had some nice live rock in lately, interesting shapes and macro / encrusting growth, and get fresh rock in! I think I've found my 'local' fish store!

[Rbacchiega]

LOL yay for not so Local LFS! Mine is in the city and on the other damn side of it. It's like a hour and 40 minute drive LOL

36x10x10= one sexy tank. Get that baby built so I can drool over it...

[BlueAbyss]

It looks sexy on paper, we'll see how good my siliconing is :lol:

[Rbacchiega]

as long as it's relatively even, (and I'm assuming it will be with you talking about running a bead on tubs etc) a nice sharp razorblade will trim off any gunky excess...

[BlueAbyss]

Well, I'll be using masking tape to make sure I have nice smooth lines anyhow, just to be sure. Would you trim after it's fully cured?

[BlueAbyss]

I'm migrating to the Custom Unlimited category...

[BlueAbyss]

Final Dimensions and Plans:

Main Display: 42l x 10w x 11d = 20 gallons.
I had planned to make the tank 10" deep, but I worry that I won't be able to get the wave action I want without overflowing a relatively full tank (I want the full 10" depth available). The extra depth is to accommodate the surge, while maintaining a full 10" depth of water between surges. The actual water volume of the display area will be 15 gallons.

I had also planned to make the tank 36" long, but now I can have a full 6" catchment chamber on the end of the tank for the circulation pump and a slow response ATO.

Secondary Display: 24 x 10 x 10 = 10.39 gallons
This tank will be fed from the catchment chamber on the main display. The overflow of this tank will serve as the media (carbon and filter floss) chamber, which will further overflow into the CSD chamber.

Bubble Breaker / Chaeto Vortex: 10 x 8 x 12 = 4.15 gallons
This tank will serve as a place for bubbles to have a chance to break (much needed IMO), while simultaneously giving the water a wide pouring sort of flow, and providing ideal conditions for Chaeto growth. The Chaeto will sit in sort of a kriesel which will roll the algae with every surge. The heater will also reside in this tank, which will overflow into the Main Display.

Recirculating Skimmer: 24 tall, 4 square = 1.66 gallons
This will technically also be a tank, so I'm including it here in my build list. This will be fed around 30 gph from the circulation pump, and will simply gravity return to the Bubble Breaker. I have a modded Rio 800 RV that will work awesome here.

TOTAL: 36.2 gallons filled to the brim, and without rock or water. I've managed to maximize my gallonage without going over the 40 gallon limit :wink:

Lighting: 4 x T5HO 24W
Workhorse 5 ballast
2 x ATI Blue+
1 x GE 6500K Daylight
1 x Something else. Maybe a Super Actinic or a Fiji Purple.

Circulation Pump: At least 500 gph @ 2 ft.
I want a really quick (1 second) surge every four seconds. The surge won't have to be large, but the pump will need to provide at least 30x turnover... probably more, like 45x turnover. I was looking at the Tunze Silence (http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/tz-wp107302/Tunze+Silence+Water+Pump+-+1073.020.html) pump for 30x. I can go up to the Mag 950, but I'll have to throttle it back somewhat... I have been told I can throttle back a pump around 25% safely, so I can get down to around 750 gph and I will add a bypass for some secondary circulation within the tank. Whatever I choose, I need it to fit in a 6" (or so) space.

So that's where I stand. No changes will be made beyond this, this is the final plan... now I have to make them work together :mrgreen:

[Boomboy]

PICS!!!!! of whatever you got

[BlueAbyss]

Hmm... well, I have a Rio 800 RV...

Which I've made modifications to...

This is for my recirculating protein skimmer.

Sorry Boom, that's all I got.

So far :wink: Calling about glass on Monday, and likely ordering my lights this week. I'll be ordering my glass drill bits from mops this week for sure... I should have ordered them when I ordered this pump :lol: I should also order some carbon, any suggestions as to a brand?

Edit: Wow, I just realised that these are the first pics in this thread. Lame!

[Boomboy]

what is that in the impeller it looks like glue to me, but that cant BE!!!!

[BlueAbyss]

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=53138

What I've done is taken the impeller out, flipped all of the little flaps one way (so they all point in the same direction), wrapped it about 6 times with fishing line (4 lb), and then wove a pattern around them anchored in the middle of the original wrap. Simple and reversible. No glue either, the start of each of the 2 pieces of fishing line is tied and the other end heated with a lighter and stuck to itself.

Check out the link above if you're interested in the pump. I tested it in saltwater and it works great... I actually modded it because it didn't produce very fine bubbles in fresh water :lol: I forgot that saltwater acts differently.

[BlueAbyss]

I've decided that since I have a 10 gallon set up and ready to go (with some rock in already), that tank will become my contest tank. So... should I start a new thread, or rename this one and merge the two threads (I have some discussion going on about the 10 gallon in another thread) or...

Suggestions? CHRISTY WHAT DO I DO?!? :lol:

[BlueAbyss]

I am now entering the 10 gallon unlimited category, to level the field (at least one other person is in this category). Also, because I have the tank set up already, with rock, water, and sand. And a hermit crab :lol: FTS on the first page... and I'll post it here also, for posterity (and since I haven't changed post #1 yet)...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/002-3.jpg

Anyhow, a quick rundown of what will happen this month... Starting with lighting! I have three 70 watt MH ballasts coming, should be here in a couple weeks, the bulb was shipped today, all I'll need is a socket and reflector (security light) and I'm good to go. I'll be starting with only one. This should give me enough light for LPS, softies, and macros.

I should have some more rock in by the end of the month also. Well, hopefully. I'll soon enough need test kits for calcium, mag, and alk... and good supplements for these three, I'm sure. I am using Instant Ocean after all...

[BlueAbyss]

There's life in them there rocks!

I did a closer inspection today (well, closer than usual... the tank is pretty boring so far LOL), and noticed some growth... sorry the rock look dirty, I just picked up a turkey baster today :mrgreen:
Red fuzzy patches...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/002-4.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/005-1.jpg

Green hairs growing from within the rock (better not be Bryopsis)...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/009-2.jpg

And 'pods of some kind on the glass... tiny little white thing in the middle of the pic. I wouldn't have noticed them but saw that they were moving...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/014-1.jpg

So things are moving along. Ammonia, still 0. Nitrate, also 0 (even with light feeding). I need my lights :lol:

[BlueAbyss]

Just going to list todays test results for my own reference...

Salinity 35 ppt
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
pH 8.3
Calcium 340 ppm
Phosphate 0 - .25 (inconclusive, below .25)
Magnesium - not measured
Total Alk - 3.5 meq
Carbonate - not measured

[BlueAbyss]

2 of the 4 metal halide ballasts came in today :biggrin: I'm heading to Can Tire this afternoon for some electrical supplies. Should have the light wired and ready to go some time tonight. I shall soon be in need of some more rock and some livestock, and a calcium supplement. Probably a mag supplement also.

[BlueAbyss]

Light is wired! Plugged in, and fired up with no questions asked... I'm now burning in the bulb (have been for about 3 hours). Fired up really purple, and faded to a nice bluish white... I think I like 14K metal halides :biggrin: I'm also monitoring tank temperature to see if I will have problems.

[BlueAbyss]

Well, in last nights burn in the tank temperature rose to around 81, from 80, over a 6 hour period. I haven't decided if I'm happy with that yet, but I'll try to get pics while the lights are on today so you can see the difference in the lighting.

[BlueAbyss]

Alright, new pics! Tank temps are okay with the light on a 10 hour photoperiod (rises 1 degree F over the 10 hours, not bad at all), so that's what I've been using. I may reduce the photoperiod (I've noticed some green algae growth), but do I ever love MH!
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/002-5.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/004-2.jpg

[subman]

OOOOOHHHHH that light is ghetto-rific!!

[BlueAbyss]

LOL... must be the bright red twist connectors.

[Borderjumper]

looking good! Is that MH fixture setting right on the glass? If so better find some way to get a space between the glass and the light or something is gonna pop!

[karazy]

looks good! could use some duct tape though:wink:

you destroyed the scape! ahhh!!

[BlueAbyss]

It currently is sitting on the glass (well, sort of), I'm working on a fix for that... This fixture will be boxed in and hung sooner than later. I'm hoping the glass cover is okay until then... it gets warm, but not so hot that I can't keep my hand right where the MH sits for a while before it becomes too hot. If that makes any sense... but I hear ya, and that's my major concern right now.

I should note that it's not an actual MH fixture either. This fixture is made for a 300W halogen.

karazy, don't worry about the scape... when I find that piece of perfect rock, it will all work out. You'll see :wink:

[BlueAbyss]

FTS... Note the dominance of filamentous algae :lol:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/006-3.jpg

Metal halide seems to make all the difference. More light is better! I can count at least 7 different kinds of algae on my rock that has kicked into high gear in the last week. I have lots of hair algae, seems to be the dominant species in my young reef. I have yet to secure a piece of live rock to finish the rockwork... the long island on the right is going to be broken into smaller chunks tonight, and I'll be making a phonecall about an 8 lb piece of live rock next week. I also have some further plans for a rock ledge attached to the middle filter intake, which should mask the intake a bit (it's right in the centre so it tends to draw the eye).

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/016-2.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/010-2.jpg

[bignose]

ghetto green! algae that is

[BlueAbyss]

I've been considering what to add to eat the algae... it has potential to be a food source! I'd rather not look at it as a problem... it could be in an established system, but we're sort of in flux here. I broke some rock up to make better use of it's pieces, siliconed a couple to the filter intake (a rock ledge of sorts, where I can put something invasive so it won't spread to all the rocks) to help mask it a bit. Looks pretty good I think, I'll let it get some growth on it before I get pics.

As far as something to eat the algae, I'm leaning towards a Rainford's or a Hector's Goby. I understand that filamentous algae makes up a portion of their diet... I've heard this about damsels and demoiselles also, but I don't want anything too aggressive in this tank.

[bignose]

I was just kidding around with the ghetto green comment. looks like most of it is macro. I found I didn't mind it as long as it wasen't GHA. I liked Halimeda in my tank because looked like a tree or bush.

[sphelps]

As far as something to eat the algae, I'm leaning towards a Rainford's or a Hector's Goby. I understand that filamentous algae makes up a portion of their diet... I've heard this about damsels and demoiselles also, but I don't want anything too aggressive in this tank.
I've never heard of those fish as being algae eaters, a couple snails or crabs would be better.

[BlueAbyss]

I was just kidding around with the ghetto green comment. looks like most of it is macro. I found I didn't mind it as long as it wasen't GHA. I liked Halimeda in my tank because looked like a tree or bush.

Hmm, now you've got me thinking about this... maybe this long algae isn't GHA. I'll have to do some more research on the subject... I have at least 7 different kinds of growth on this rock, including coralline and some green discs that come and go pretty quickly. It does grow quickly and gets quite long... single, unbranched strands... *EDIT: as it turns out, most of it was Bryopsis which branches like a foxtail. The really long strands were actually GHA...*

When I post some new pics, you may be able to tell me if it's GHA... if so, no big deal, I've been physically removing it (but something will need to be done). I'll have something in there competing for nutrients soon enough anyhow.

I've never heard of those fish as being algae eaters, a couple snails or crabs would be better.

Aww... well, thanks for your input. Back to the drawing board on that one. I'll admit that I've read conflicting information... one website characterized these guys as sand sifters, another had them feeding on pods and filamentous algae. Still, they are nice little fish, and either way they will serve a purpose.

Anyhow, now I have a tentative stocking plan! Rather, a finalized tentative stocking plan...

2 x Pom Pom Crabs
1 x Rainford Goby
1 x Royal Gramma
A shrimp or 3 (single if Bumblebee Shrimp don't hang out together, a pair if they do... or 3 Sexy Shrimp). I may skip these.
A few Snails, haven't decided what kind yet... something that stays small, and will clean the glass (or turn the sand if the Goby isn't a sifter). I'll likely choose 2 kinds and get a pair or so of each.

Green Hair Algae (or whatever the green stuff is :mrgreen:
Mermaid's Fan
Mermaid's Wine Glass (if I can find it)
Halimeda
Other macros that I can hopefully get from Canreef members...

Various Zoanthids, Palythoas
Micromussa
Acanthastrea
Echinophyllia
A photosynthetic gorgonian (leaning towards Pseudoterogorgia, but not sure if I have enough light)
A small derasa clam (though this tank will probably get upgraded before it's ready for a clam)

So that's where I'm at right now. I'll not be adding any more rock to this tank, unless I find the perfect piece (or some falls in my lap).

[BlueAbyss]

Acclimated and got some livestock in the tank. Hopefully not going too fast with a fish, a crab, and a Paly frag... Hopefully the poor little fish makes it... he wasn't too happy in the bag (water had cooled significantly... was sitting around 70 degrees). Paly's opened under the lights once they were in the tank (lights off wasn't for another half hour), came with a hitchhiker fanworm wrapped around one of the stalks. Emerald Crab was acclimated slower than the rest (though I did baby the fish a little more than I would normally with a 'hardy' species), and immediately started attacking algae once in the tank. So far so good... we'll see by morning what has happened.

Pics tommorrow.

[BlueAbyss]

Alright, my tank sucks even with livestock :lol:...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/002-6.jpg

View from the computer...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/004-3.jpg

And when you enter my apartment...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/005-2.jpg

Green Paly...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/001-5.jpg

I should thank Bayside Corals in Saskatoon for some really awesome livestock. Even if you don't see most of it :biggrin:

[karazy]

love the scape, but get an urchin for god sakes!

[BlueAbyss]

:lol:

I knew someone would say something about the GHA. I don't mind it but I would normally have done a 'harvest' when I cleaned the glass (which I did today) before taking pics.

When I was on the phone with whoever it was that sold my mom this livestock, I originally wanted a couple different kinds of snails... something that would take care of filamentous algae on the rocks, diatoms and film algae on the glass. They didn't have any snails, but did have emerald crabs... good choice, really, he's interesting and he eats the GHA (which is really only a minor problem), but his carapace is only the size of a nickel. A tiny crab like that can only eat so much algae, though I did watch him clear around 1/3 of the smaller rock island yesterday. I also fed mysis in an attempt to get the Royal Gramma interested in checking out his surroundings, instead of hiding in the back of the larger island (he ate a few pieces :biggrin: very encouraging)... I noted the emerald chowing on some leftovers, then he crawled into the island and I haven't seen him since. Hope he's okay...

And they had urchins at Bayside, but I decided I didn't want one and chose the crab instead. He'll get to it soon enough, I'm sure... I don't want the GHA gone, just controlled. It's a natural part of my system and I do like it, there's just too much of it.

[BlueAbyss]

Alright, so I moved stuff around in my Photobucket and now all my images are broken. Hrm... I'll get to that. Anyhow, FTS after the algae harvest...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/003.jpg

A shot of the blue legged hermit... he's changed shells again.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/004.jpg

And a shot of the emerald. I probably took 50 pics of him while I could see him, and a few of them turned out really nice...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/006.jpg

And a shot of the setup as a whole, before the algae harvest yesterday...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/003-2.jpg

Thanks for looking :biggrin:

[Snaz]

Crabs are so cool, I will watch them for hours given the chance. Harry the emerald crab went MIA a couple of months back and I suspect a Xanthid crab I see occasionally that I am too lazy to evict.

[lastlight]

love how you have the rock balanced. amano reef style!

[BlueAbyss]

Yeah I really like the crab. He's super cool and fun to watch. Nameless as yet, but I'm sure someone will name him eventually. Mr. Crabs is already taken up by the hermit :lol:

That rock is truly balanced... it has a pivot point. It is also the home of all my livestock, so I have to be very careful when I have my hands in the tank since I don't want it to pivot and crush someone. But it does look very good, IMO... that's good, since there was a time when I was going to smash that rock into smaller pieces. The urge has subsided, I'm happy with the rockwork (however little of it there is). Glad others like it too :smile:

[BlueAbyss]

So looking very closely, I notice that what I thought were single strands of algae are actually branched like a foxtail... in other words, I have Bryopsis (and have had since the beginning). I started dosing calcium and magnesium this week (not the Kent brand though), I will also continue with physical removal. Hopefully I notice some improvement in the next couple weeks... the tank is no where near mature yet, and the infestation is localized to my rockwork. Time will tell.

I also have discovered a (1) flatworm hitchhiker on my Paly frag. I'm not worried about him yet, but if it turns out he has a bunch of friends... well, I guess I'll have to get some Flatworm Exit. I was unable to siphon the one I saw.

Hmm, so the first bad news in my tank. Not really such bad news (since neither pests are really making nuisances of themselves), but I'm hoping things don't get out of hand.

[BlueAbyss]

Second bad news... everything looked fine at 10 am... by noon my Royal Gramma was dead. Upon inspecting his body, I found his damaged eye sunken in and a lot of damage on that side of his face... really, I think this is what killed him. It looked like some pretty extensive abrasion, I'm surprised he was able to eat at all while he was alive.

I'll be phoning Bayside Corals today to ask them nicely to remember to tape the corners of the bags when they package their livestock. My fish would likely have lived if he hadn't stuffed himself into the bag corner for the 11 hours he was in a bag.

I'll be doing a round of tests to make sure it wasn't a parameter off. Everything else looks fine though, coral and both crabs are fine... we'll see what the tests say.

[BlueAbyss]

All parameters were fine the next day... 0 ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, 11 dKh, 460 ppm Ca (a little high), ~1400 ppm Mg (not exactly sure, but it's above 1350). So the fish died from another cause... all other livestock is in great shape, I've even noticed some color change on my Palys (less brown, more green).

The dosing seems to have stopped the Bryopsis in it's tracks, and it is quickly being replaced with a red filamentous algae that doesn't grow too long, or is being cropped by the emerald crab. I will likely have to continue with the physical removal for a while.

I phoned Bayside and spoke with Colby... what an awesome guy! He offered me a replacement or credit even though they don't have a livestock guarantee. I will definitely be spending at Bayside again :biggrin: We'll see what happens now. I may go fishless and just get a couple shrimp and another crab. Or I may get another Royal Gramma... this seems more likely.

My substrate had a reddish tinge to it for the past two weeks, and now has changed to a greyish color. Cyano? I dunno, I suspect so but it didn't take over everything like it seems to in other tanks. Gone now, whatever it was.

[BlueAbyss]

Huh, I see I haven't updated this in a while. Alright, current FTS (my thread on NR is so much more organised :lol:)...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/001.jpg

The rockwork has changed (for the last time!) because while cleaning the glass panels the last time I bumped the rock and it almost pivoted over, but stopped pretty much where it is now. It's just lightly resting on the smaller rock now, since the emerald crab is able to move it and I don't want it falling on the site of future Paly and Zoa frags. I have intentions of putting in live rock rubble and placing my frags there, for easy refragging... I've actually already done this with the green Paly frag and it has already encrusted. I don't really want them directly on my rocks... actually, I don't want any softies on my rock, maybe some blue clove polyps if I can find some. I'll make an exception for gorgonians :lol:

I seem to have won the battle with Bryopsis, which is what all that green stuff was, NOT GHA as I originally thought... I do have some red wiry-hairy stuff, but it doesn't seem to croud anything else out like the Bryopsis was doing. I have a few isolated tufts of GHA that have been cropped short and look like mounds of moss (feel like it too), thanks <insert name of emerald crab here> for keeping that stuff short. I like the fresh cut lawn look, but the 'algae forest' thing with the Bryopsis wasn't great. It would seem that Tailored Aquatics Reef Magnesium and Calcium Plus (which also has Mg and Strontium in it, along with an 'organic carbon source') together are a pretty good team.

Noting Paly color change... when I first got it...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/001-5.jpg

And now...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/004-Copy6.jpg

I have identified 3 types of macroalgae on my rocks... Acetabularia schenckii (a really small Mermaid's Wine Glass), Neomeris spp. and Enteromorpha spp. (shown below)...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/007-Copy4.jpg

And my blue legged hermit molted and is now huge! Well, comparatively anyhow... pics of that tomorrow when I get them uploaded, I have an awesome one of him right up against the front glass. He shows less fear of things moving outside the tank now... hmm, weird. I also have one of the molt... I thought I had a dead hermit for a day or so.

[BlueAbyss]

Oops double post... see above :redface:

[BlueAbyss]

Everyone loves pics :lol:

Blue legged hermit's molt...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/001-2.jpg

And the 'new skin' pic...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/003-4.jpg

:biggrin:

[ribbie]

I've seen this tank before....

[BlueAbyss]

I've seen this tank before....

:lol: No, you haven't. You had this nightmare where you live 400 miles from the nearest LFS and have a 10 gallon reef tank that is really hardcore minimalist as a result.

[BlueAbyss]

Hmm, starfish hitchhiker :biggrin:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/018.jpg

Some planning has been done as far as rockwork... I need more rock, but not much. I also have some further stocking plans as far as stuff from Calgary... more tomorrow, I`m tired :lol:

[Chaloupa]

I'd remove the starfish off the Zoa's. I had a type of asterina that did eat Zoa's .... and with them being on your Zoa frag and your frag looking closed up...I'd get it gone! just IMO

[BlueAbyss]

Thank Chaloupa, I have identified him as an Asterina star. He doesn't seem to be doing any damage to the Palys but I should have removed him when I found him. Ah well, if my Palys start disappearing I'll know why at least. I've read that they are hit or miss as far as being reef safe, so I'll keep a close watch on things.

I should note the frag is closed up in that pic because the hermit had just spent some time crawling on them, cleaning between the polyps. They opened up really fast after that pics was taken.

EDIT: He's not on the Paly's today, I inspected :lol: So, who knows?

[BlueAbyss]

Calgary is awesome! You guys are really REALLY lucky! Beautiful, lots to do, and not too bad to drive (though I have avoided rush hour so far!)... actually stuff is easy to find, if you have a GPS :razz:

I've stopped at 3 LFS here, Elite, Red Coral, and Gold Aquariums... awesome stores, I saw stuff I wanted in every store (and spent 100 bucks on coral in one... a pink Paly colony, a zoa colony with fanworms (can't remember the color but the rock looked nice ;) ) and a little green brain coral. Pretty good deal, I think. I still need to buy a piece of rock that I found at one (perfect piece of rock to finish the tank), a fish, a shrimp, and some snails. I've decided a couple Trochus snails and a couple Nassarius snails would be a good addition to the CUC, and should be enough to keep the tank clean.

I will yet be shopping further... I haven't decided what else I want, but there's so much nice stuff and I need to eventually fill this tank :lol:

[karazy]

lets see pics of the tank with the new stuff!

[BlueAbyss]

Pics of the tank tomorrow... lights have been off for a while. Did some final positioning today and everything except the 'orange zoas of wonder' :wink: have opened. Whether they are PO'd because I moved them and cleaned the glass today, or because the light is too strong I'm not sure.

Pics of the mountains!

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/Banff/064.jpg

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/Banff/027.jpg

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/Banff/036.jpg

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/Banff/055.jpg

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/Banff/041.jpg

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/Banff/042.jpg

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/Banff/067.jpg

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/Banff/106.jpg

[karazy]

nice! the orange zoas of wonder are probably PO'd cuz you moved em. they should be fine tomorrow.

[BlueAbyss]

I'm not too worried, they were peeking a little at the end of the photoperiod. I'm more worried about the fishes and the brain coral, but the fishes will need some time to adjust anyhow (I expect this) and I'm not sure what a happy brain coral looks like. The brain refused mysis today, but doesn't have any signs of losing flesh or bleaching, so it is probably fine. I'll let the experts be the judge of that tomorrow :lol:

[karazy]

haha, that firefish does quite the disappearing act. when i bagged him up, the second i put the net in the tank he was gone. i literally could not find him anywhere.
thankfully he was out again in 20 minutes.

[BlueAbyss]

Yeah the firefish is rarely seen... mostly at feeding time and a while after when he comes out for bits of mysis. And then darts back in to the rock :lol:

Anyhow, without further ado... the new, improved, greatly upgraded GhettoReef!

FTS...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/144.jpg

Closeup of the green and red open brain... seems to be quite puffy today but still rejected the mysis...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/131.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/137.jpg

Hector's Goby, seems to be sifting sand, eating algae (picking at the rocks anyhow, bare or not), and was relatively visible today. He's pretty entertaining, I hope he does well. He has been named Toby by my friend... I have a feeling it will stick.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/123.jpg

Pink paly rock above (I expect these will turn fluorescent pink with streaks on the disc), single green mushroom below. This mushroom was much more expanded in the store, I suspect that there is a lot more flow in my tank than the tank in the store, so it looks a lot different here than it did there... but I'm super happy with it :biggrin:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/141.jpg

This it the zoa rock that I bought at the same time as the pink palys, also quite brown but I expect changes here also... I really like this rock because it has some sponges on it (that don't seem to be rotting away and most of which was on the top side of the rock where it would have gotten some light... maybe photosynthetic?) and it HAD a whole lot of tiny fanworms on it but these may be getting preyed on by one of the crabs, since there seems to be less of them today... we'll see what happens over time.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/120.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/119.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/118.jpg

A couple zoa frags (one is fresh cut so it's not opening fully yet)...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/117.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/116.jpg

Now I need the orange zoas to open, and the firefish to be a little more active (so I can get a picture!). And the brain coral to start eating... it worries me that it won't eat.

[karazy]

that green mushroom looks great in your tank.

[BlueAbyss]

Yeah I thought so too... hope it's happy and decides to multiply. Thanks for all your help in the store, BTW... much appreciated (and I felt sort of lost in these stores at times, being new in the hobby and all).

[karazy]

Yeah I thought so too... hope it's happy and decides to multiply. Thanks for all your help in the store, BTW... much appreciated (and I felt sort of lost in these stores at times, being new in the hobby and all).

no problem man. must be hard not having an LFS

[BlueAbyss]

Well it won't be so bad now... I have a decent collection going, so if all goes well and they grow well I'll end up having to frag some, at which point I'll likely be able to offload some locally, since by then a bunch of people will have seen my awesome tank and will want some corals of their own :wink:

Yes I have it all planned out. No I don't think this hobby can be self supporting (if you live anywhere near an LFS) but I'll sure try to make it pay for itself :lol:

[BlueAbyss]

Today the open brain ate some mysis and was very puffy... it's amazing how big these guys can expand, and I don't think it was expanded as far as it could either. It has a fair amount more red on it when extended like that also... I'll try and grab a pic tomorrow if it looks good again.

The orange zoas still haven't opened and I thought that the green palys looked a little bleached from being so close to the light, so I moved both of them into darker areas. The orange/blue/green zoa frag and the green mushroom moved for aesthetic reasons.

Both fish were visible today, so I think I'll start seeing more of both of them.

[BlueAbyss]

Brain ate lots of mysis! :biggrin: As did the firefish (which today is out and about) and I think I caught the goby with some in his mouth too.

Even if all the polyps stay brown (and the orange zoas never open) I'm extremely happy with my tank. Everything I bought seems to be doing well (though the first week isn't over) and my tank looks great.

I have a FTS with both fish in view that I'll upload later.

[BlueAbyss]

Everyone loves fishes!

FTS with fishes:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/011.jpg

Fishes together... this takes a lot of effort but seems to be worth it, this is my favourite shot of the day.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/021.jpg

A few more...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/023.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/022.jpg

They swim together a lot. No aggression, the Hector's Goby seems to act as a dither fish for the firefish.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/019.jpg

Apollo by himself...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/012.jpg

And Toby sifting sand...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/014.jpg


http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/017.jpg http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/018-1.jpg

Enjoy the pics, I enjoyed taking them :biggrin:

[Canuckgod420]

Tanks looking good:biggrin:
I can see some real potential in those zoos.
And I love that open brain, great colour.

[BlueAbyss]

Thanks man, I'm renaming this project since it doesn't look too Ghetto anymore. Needs something more appropriate.

Which zoas are you talking about, the small brown ones with the red ring on the purple rock? Or the large pink streaked ones (that I thought were actually Palys, but the polyps aren't connected)? Those pink ones are probably going to be amazing in a month or so, I'm not sure about the brown ones (though there are some tentacley green ones near the top of that rock that will look pretty cool once colored up), they might actually be brown. Time will tell, I'm really happy with it right now and it can only get better, right?

I keep thinking I need to take my rocks out and scrub them, but I like the turf covering the rocks, it means the rocks are soft and won't damage fishes, and it is helping to make the Hector's Goby fat. I've noticed that the Purple Firefish looks full all the time also, even hours after feeding time... I think he may be eating free floating pods, as he seems to be picking them off the glass as well. The firefish has staked a territory under the arch from 'Phase One' (as I'm calling the original rockscape), which allows him access to the overhang on the left hand side of the large rock from that scape. He gets pushy with the goby at the front entrance, but is otherwise unaggressive (except for some occasional posturing). Brain coral ate a bunch again today but might be bleaching a little, I'll be keeping an eye on the 'bleached spots' to see for sure... In the mean time, here's a pic for you Canuck (since you like the open brain ;) ...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/007.jpg

Mmm tentacles :lol:

[Canuckgod420]

Thats a sweet brain....I dont see any bleaching of colour, mind you I'm certainly no expert on LPS.

[BlueAbyss]

You can't really see it well in the pic, but there were a few yellowing spots on the uppermost parts of the coral. They got progressively yellower over the next 3 days, so I moved him. He now resides very close to the glass on the far left corner... fully expanded and looking hungry today, I'm glad because three rocks fell on him when I rescaped.

FTS... I scrubbed and smashed the Florida rock because I was tired of looking at brown fur. Looks much cleaner, hopefully the rocks turn green and purple now rather than going brown, I think the brown was dead stuff from the Bryopsis days.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/023-1.jpg

The firefish is pretty aggressive for an unaggressive fish ;) He keeps the goby in line but doesn't seem to do more than take a run at him once in a while. If I add any more fish to this tank it will have to be something that can hold it's own when coming into a tank of established territories. Goby has a little round belly so I know he's getting enough food... the firefish has cleared the water column of any swimming beings and always looks full.

The orange zoas are likely done for, I fragged the colony so I could try putting a few in different places. One polyp may survive, it looks sort of half open. Everything else looks good, I'd say my shopping was a success!

Thanks so much, everyone that helped me out in the stores, Thanks Red Coral, Elite, and Gold!

[Snaz]

The orange zoas are likely done for, I fragged the colony so I could try putting a few in different places. One polyp may survive, it looks sort of half open. !

Zoas can be moody. For no reason they look like death's door and after a few days they look as fine as ever.

[BlueAbyss]

Grrr, just when thing are going great... and also, just when you think they're over for good...

So I lost both zoa frags behind the rockwork since they aren't glued down (I'll be tracking some sort of glue down this weekend). This necessitated moving the rocks to retrieve them... and then I couldn't make the rocks fit the same, so I needed to rescape.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/001-6.jpg

I like this the best yet and everything is more stable than before. The frags reside on the front sandbed for the moment. Green palys are putting on another bud, everyone is eating well and looking good (the open brain eats greedily every day and doesn't seem to be regurgitating at night, score! :biggrin: ). Things looked so good after cleaning the glass (and missing a spot) and the water change that I decided that I will be doing more frequent water changes... the old water was slightly yellow, probably since I feed relatively heavily for a 10 gallon. Things looked so good, though, that I decided to make a FTS video (http://s633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/?action=view&current=002.flv).

Oh yeah I keep forgetting... the orange zoas are recovering and at least one polyp from each frag is opening now.

[BlueAbyss]

My tank has come alive...

I've suddenly noticed some new growth on things (and things growing where there were none). The pink zoas are budding, with pink sponge growing on the back of their rock, and a bubbly looking red algae growing from the top. The blue algae on the red-ringed zoa rock has added some growth, as has some greenish brown ferny looking macro. There are fanworms everywhere... even a purple one on the Vanuatu rock, in a hollow. The back of the tank has covered itself with little calcareous spirals. There is a pineapple sponge growing near the top of the tank, where the flow from the filter moves across a rock. I saw my little Asterina star, he's grown 2 more legs (so now has 5). And an unidentified snail that I will post a pic of here when I figure out what he is.

I have a 5.5 gallon waiting to turn into a `fuge for this tank. In the process of figuring out how to work it... more to come on this.

[BlueAbyss]

Pics...

The snail has been IDed as a Stomatella... I thought these guys were small, this guy is almost an inch long fully extended!
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/053.jpg

FTS: about 2 hours ago.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/006-1.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/005-3.jpg

Happy brain coral...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/002-1.jpg

Miscellaneous coral pics... I finally got the frags mounted on individual rocks. No glue. This way they aren't attached to the live rock (well, on rubble pieces).
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/007-1.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/008-1.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/009.jpg

And Apollo. I tried to get a shot of Toby but the lights went off.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/004-1.jpg

[BlueAbyss]

Things looked really great after the water change yesterday, so I thought I'd share a few pictures.

FTS:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/035.jpg

I have another 10 gallon, a 5 gallon, and a 2 gallon Tupperware container that will be set up as a display 'fuge and 'nursery' tank, a 'bubble breaker' tank, and a CSD, respectively. I would like to add some of the easier SPS to this tank, but I'm not sure if SPS and the brain coral can coexist... I feed heavily since I really want him to do well. There are a few spots with somewhat turbulent flow on some of the higher spots in the tank, I would like to try them there. We'll see how things progress.

Pics!

I've been having trouble getting good pictures of these pink zoas. This is as close as I have come to getting a good representational photo of them. They are multiplying though :biggrin:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/017-1.jpg

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/018-2.jpg

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/019-1.jpg

I call these orange zoas 'Evan's orange zoas of wonder' :wink: They haven't started multiplying yet, but they have colored up.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/014-2.jpg

This macro, Dichtyota spp., popped up and has added some much needed color variety to the tank...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/005-4.jpg

Featherdusters of all colors and sizes are also making their home here.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/024.jpg

EDIT: OOO! I forgot this one (but it's just a texture shot of the Vanuatu rock).
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/025.jpg

:mrgreen:

[BlueAbyss]

So, over time a few of the pink zoas have shriveled and started looking 'moldy'. I moved them to a spot with a lot more flow and light a few days ago, in the hopes that whatever it is that is affecting that colony will work itself out... I have not been able to ID any of my zoas or palys, so I don't really know if they should be in low flow or high flow, low light or high light. All of the polyps are open and the flow from one of the filters runs right through the colony, and I have noticed some change in polyp size (to be fair, they are now basking around 4" from the MH bulb and I'm surprised that they have fared so well... no photoinhibition, so maybe they like high light?).

I fragged my green paly colony, ending up with a frag with 4 polyps, the original colony of 7 polyps, and a single polyp. I used a sharp knife to cut the mat where it was encrusted on rubble, but one of the polyps was sort of hanging in no man's land (just has a tiny chunk of rock it's encrusted to) so I have given it a place of it's own. Another couple months and I should have 3 nice little green colonies.

I also fragged some of the 'red ring' zoas (which might be a really small paly by the way the polyps look attached... just like the paly), and I discovered some of these same zoas attached to another rock, I lost these polyps a while back and now I discover them at the back of the tank :mrgreen: Sweet. These zoas will peel off the original colony rock with some work, since there seems to be coralline algae underneath the polyps. Strangely, they are also attached to each other quite strongly but didn't need to be cut apart. So, zoa or paly?

I've also been working on evenly bending plasic pipe. I need to make a 1.5" U tube to connect the 10 gallons together, and BAM!... instant fuge. I'll move some of the rock rubble from the rubble pile to that tank, and give it a scoop of sand (and some new sand). It will also get some new rock, and a 10K DIY MH, and some macroalgae. And not much else, maybe when the tank gets going Toby will move in.

No pictures yet, I haven't gotten that far :lol:

[BlueAbyss]

Some new pictures, from this afternoon at feeding time.

FTS:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/039.jpg

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/026.jpg

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/029.jpg

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/030.jpg

No idea what kind of algae this is, but it looks cool and only seems to be growing on the Vanuatu rock.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/031.jpg

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/033.jpg

Enjoy! I'm working on my continuous siphon overflow this weekend, so we'll see what comes of that :biggrin:

Oh almost forgot, I've dropped 4 hours from my photoperiod in the morning. I had a discussion with someone about my long photoperiod, and they've convinced me that I'll get better color on my corals with a shorter photoperiod. So, I'm running an experiment and we'll see what changes happen over the next few months. I want to add a DIY skimmer and a second tank to the system, mostly to increase stability since I plan to add some SPS soon.

[BlueAbyss]

Well... I'm not entirely happy with what I've done, but it's different and it will likely grow on me.

Front FTS:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/006-2.jpg

Side FTS:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/007-2.jpg

Back FTS:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/008-2.jpg

The 'sump'...
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/009-1.jpg

The 'overflow'... no more scum on the surface of my water, and the water level never changes :biggrin:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/010.jpg

The 'scape took me a few days to come up with something that looked good and was stable. Again, not entirely happy with it... but who is totally satisfied with the way their tank looks :mrgreen:

[BlueAbyss]

Well, had some issues but everything looks like it will recover. The tank temp. dropped to 72 F a few days ago due to me forgetting to plug the heater back in after maintenance, though something was awry beforehand this can't have helped.

I also found some hitchhikers. I suspect this one to be majano, and if that's the case I have 2 of them.
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/006-5.jpg

And this is some type of stony coral hitchhiker. No idea about this one, any ideas?
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/TheVastMajority/10%20gallon%20reef/007-4.jpg

[bignose]

strawberry anemone?

[BlueAbyss]

Hmm, interesting, someone else suggested that the coral looks like sun coral... though I also originally thought of a strawberry 'nem when I first noticed them. Actually, they look like a cross between the two, sort of... but they definitely have a low lying skeleton fused to the rock, so definitely a stony coral of some kind.

Suspecting the anemones to be Aiptasia the more I look at them. I need to get some kalk powder :lol:

[Skimmerking]

hey man tank is looking great there. when is the next time your in Brandon let me know. I should have some frags for ya if you are interested ok , i have about 40 different sps corals that you can choose from .

[christyf5]

Don't forget you'll need a final pic for December 1, thats next Tuesday! :biggrin:

[christyf5]

Final tank pic due tomorrow December 1st (if no final pic, the last FTS in this thread will be used).
:mrgreen: