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FixxxeR posted:Now I'm trying to decide what I want to put in it when it is ready. Any suggestions? Fans. This may sound really weird, but I have found that most, if not all, self contained cubes have cooling problems. They look great because they're all self contained, but I don't think the designers really thought things through when they were designing them. This isn't just anecdotal speculation either. I have a 14G Biocube and found that with both lights on, my tank can hit 84F near the end of the day. This is WAY to hot. One thing I did to solve this is I installed an 80mm computer fan near the front of the lid and drilled a series of small holes in the top to allow for ventilation. This solved the problem completely. Now the only problem that I run into is moisture (or salt creep, possibly both, I'm not really sure) getting into the fan and killing it after about 2 months worth of use.
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Jun 18, 2008 14:47
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Going to cut this one up a bit. It'll be easier. supercheesy posted:Thanks for the suggestions. I have looked at watchmen gobies before. They are pretty cute little fellas. They are cute. They also get pretty big. Have fun with it as it grows (not knocking you there, I think it'll be fine in your 30G). quote:I will look at getting a powerhead. Definitely do. Powerheads are a very good thing. In my 30G, I had I think 3-4 at its peak before I moved up to a 50G (granted, mine was reef so it needed higher flow, but I'm a big fan of a lot of flow). quote:It doesn't seem to be in the 30 gallon because my filter is an aquaclear 70 so its way more powerful than I actually need. Not necessarily. The model 70 is actually for freshwater usage. Saltwater will always need more flow (even if the box says OK FOR 70 GALLONS!!!). I'd never have one of those on a 70G as my primary means of flow creation. I would recommend, even if your tank is a fish only setup, getting a Hydor Korelia 1 for your tank. It's powerful, quiet, and reasonably priced. 1-2 of them should be perfect for a 30G setup, even if you to a reef. quote:I also have 40 pound of live rock, so I have more than the pound per gallon. I would love to add more if I can find it for a good price. More than a pound per gallon is good, but not necessarily a lot more. It all depends on the density of your rock. Really porous Fiji or something similar will sometimes fill a tank before you get to a pound per gallon (exaggeration). Fill it to the point that you think it looks good, but don't run into the problem I had that I couldn't make a decent rock structure because I had too much rock in my tank. quote:I am not really interested in corals at this point in time because I do not have a particularly powerful light. Doesn't take a very powerful light to run SOME corals. A 192W Power Compact fixture will run you about a hundred bucks and will grow soft soft polyped corals like zoanthids or mushrooms like a loving weed. You could probably also get some nice hammer coral or frogspawn growing under one of those. quote:I thought about nassarius snails but I figured the gravel mixed with the sand would be too rough for them. Nassarius snails should be fine. quote:If you think they would do okay, I would love to get some. I have also planned on adding a little more sand soon to make the bed a little thicker. Thanks again. Beware the mixed density sandbed. It's not going to cause your tank to explode or anything, but always keep in mind that the sand WILL NOT MIX. In the end, all of your fine grain stuff will sink to the bottom leaving your coarse stuff on top. This is only really a problem for someone like me that gets pissed off that I can see the density layers in my sandbed when I look at the side of the tank.
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Jun 18, 2008 15:03
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supercheesy posted:I am planning on adding a cleaner shrimp to it for algae cleanup because my snails are slackers. Cleaner shrimp won't do jack for your algae. Cleaner shrimp are named because they clean fish. They are carnivores and will only eat food that you drop into the tank (or bugs that your tank grows naturally. But if you drop one in looking for it to eat hair algae or what not, you're going to be waiting a while.  quote:I am looking for suggestions of something that is going to churn up my substrate. It's a sand/gravel mix so I think a sand sifting star or nassarius snails would have some trouble. A sand sifting star would PROBABLY work ok, but they have the nasty habit of eliminating all fauna from your sandbed (because they're loving pigs). They're usually only recommended for like 50G tanks and larger. A group of nassarius snails would be fine. BUT - I will mention that for keeping your substrate churned, nothing works better than your hand and a turkey baster, hitting it every two weeks right before you do a water change. quote:I was thinking something like a jawfish but they seem to be kind of hard to find. Behold! Psim's Jawfish!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b3ejmMGahU (Note - they don't stir sand. At all. They build a hole in it, and live there. It's actually a bad thing if you have a bunch of poo poo stirring the sand with a Jawfish in the tank. They constantly have to re-build their homes) quote:My firefish has hes couple caves he likes and keeps the sand stirred up in those caves, but everything else needs some help. Any suggestions? Thanks! Well, your best bet is to get a bunch of snails for MAINTENANCE. I always have a shitload of snails. If you have a LOT of algae, try to pick up 1-2 mexican turbo snails (or mexican bulldozers as I like to call them). They'll plow through algae (and your rock structure) like it's nothing. But like I said - snails are maintenance. It's up to you to scrape your glass every once in a while. Don't feel bad about not scraping it every day - I usually only do it every week or so 'cause my Angelfish likes to eat the microalgae that grows on the glass.
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Jun 18, 2008 15:12
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fanaglethebagle posted:hermit crabs are good I'm a fan of crabs myself. I have a ton in my 90G. But avoid them like the plague if you want to keep your firefish. Firefish seem to be the prey of just about anything even slightly carnivorous (I've even heard of cleaner shrimp killing and eating them).
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Jun 18, 2008 15:14
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fanaglethebagle posted:Be careful with the green star polyps, they can take over a tank. This is VERY correct. I have a rock covered in GSP in my 90G that is loving quarantined from the rest of the tank. Every once in a while I see it grow a tentacle towards other rocks as it tries to spread. I take the rock out and prune the GSP at that point. If it spreads to your main rock structure, you're pretty much hosed on it. My roommate had to take half of his rock structure out, dry it, and scrub it before he could put it back in his tank.
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Jun 18, 2008 15:16
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SERPUS posted:Morally speaking, fish don't belong in anything below 20 gallons. Your avatar speaks volumes. Ocellaris clownfish do wonderfully in 10 gallon tanks. They don't grow much over 2 inches at most. Jawfish are also fine in a tank smaller than 20 gallons. Royal grammas, black cap basslets, chromis fish, shrimpgobies, firefish, etc etc etc They all do well in tanks under 20g.
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Jun 18, 2008 15:19
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supercheesy posted:if I have snails in there I obviously won't do that. Why not? I stir mine every water change and I have nassarius snails, a sea cucumber and brittle star that all live on or in the sand. You just have to be reasonably careful and only do it with something like a turkey baster. quote:If they keep the sand stirred up then I don't have to worry about the algae having a chance to grow on the sand. Crap will always settle on the sand. Unless you have something that REALLY gets into the sand like a sand-sifting star, crap WILL settle. It's just life. That's why my sandbed gets stirred every month or so. It's also really good for people who have corals if you stir the sandbed. It liberates bacteria and phytoplankton that the corals feast on.
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Jun 19, 2008 06:28
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A gravel vac is never a bad idea. But nearly just as good is to stir the water, get the water all nice and mucky, then do a good water change (20% or so).
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Jun 19, 2008 13:59
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The yellow-eyed zoos, while cool, are pretty common. The blue rics are not. Well actually, they are common, but pricey. Nice going. They look awesome and if you decide to get rid of them at some point, you could probably get 15 or so per polyp.
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Jun 26, 2008 07:37
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They CAN nuke the tank if they die. But it's pretty darned rare for them to die and go ballistic. Sea apples are a different story, but the cukes are pretty safe.
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Jun 27, 2008 15:54
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Good lord! I don't think your sandbed is deep enough!
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Jul 16, 2008 17:38
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So like what...7 inches??
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Jul 17, 2008 01:35
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Hood Ornament posted:I want more pictures from everyone! Grr! Assorted images from my aquariums over time:         
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Jul 26, 2008 06:23
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The one on the right is a neon-green hammer coral. On the left is a purple-tip frogspawn. Oddly enough (because I thought the picture sucked), I won an award for that firefish picture. Picked up a 48" normal output T5 fixture from it.
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Jul 26, 2008 16:14
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Lt. Tanaka posted:Ah Psimitry, my Frogspawn is directly behind my Hammer coral as well. Euphyllids[sic] get along surprisingly well with each other. I had it up against each other for a long time and they grew without any problems. Another guy I know had his frogspawn and hammer coral next to each other, and they cross-bred. Now he has a euphyllid that has the polyp branch patterns of a frogpawn with hammer shaped tips. Ramen Pride! posted:Psimitry gave some good advice though, and if it doesn't start clearing up by itself in a month, I'll use it. Yeah, I used to have a nasty problem with it in my Nanocube. Now I have a patch about the size of a quarter, which I let live. But I walk by and wave the chemi-pure in front of it every once in a while to remind it that I can nuke it at any second. It's sort of my India to the Pakistan that is me.
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Aug 8, 2008 06:21
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Hood Ornament posted:I've replaced him with a much friendlier, happier firefish. He's been doing really well. With crabs in the tank? No offense, but enjoy it while you have it. It WILL go missing. It's one of the things they don't really tell you about firefish - they are really vulnerable to crabs of all types for some reason. Probably because they sleep in rockwork but don't build a den like jawfishes or slime themselves in like wrasses.
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Aug 8, 2008 15:27
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Hood Ornament posted:I like the rocks spread out, kinda like mine are, but if it were my tank I'd add a lot more rock period. Depends on the tank type. If it's a fish-only tank, I like a lot less rock. I also like a lot less rock in a room divider tank (one that the 2 long sides are both viewable).
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Aug 9, 2008 08:15
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monkeyman posted:The only real issue I can see is a reliable water source. Do you guys use an RODI system? or do you buy pure water from the store or what? Yes. You could probably get away with tap or RO tap if you go with a fish only tank, but you'll absolutely need one if you keep a reef.
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Aug 11, 2008 14:33
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csammis posted:I use this RO/DI system, which I highly recommend to any new reefkeeper. It's inexpensive (relatively) and is much cheaper than buying RO/DI from the store in the quantities you'll need. That one is nice in that it IS inexpensive.. at least for the initial investment. Note that it doesn't use standard filter cartridges, so you have to use the ones designed for it. This one on the other hand, produces almost twice the water, and uses standard filter cartridges and has almost double the water output for $60 more. In the end, I think it'd worth the extra 60 bones.
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Aug 11, 2008 14:59
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That's why I don't order replacement cartridges from him.  If you want to know where he gets them, they come from http://www.thefilterguys.biz/ro_di_systems.htm. I don't necessarily know the brand, but that's the EXACT same system (the 75GPD... makes me wonder if Melev's site is optimistic about the GPD rating? I've never tested mine. I don't know). Coincidentally, that's also where I order my cartridges and DI resin from.
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Aug 11, 2008 15:47
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I find my 14G tank to be much more difficult to manage than my 90G tank. The fact that I was able to get a good skimmer for it was a godsend (especially since the guy who makes them no longer does).
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Aug 12, 2008 13:53
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Mystery picture #1 is definitely palythoas (very similar to zoanthids, except bigger, taller stalks, etc). Mystery #2 is a form of encrusting monti called "Superman Monti." It's a nice (and pretty valuable) coral, I just hope you have the lighting for it. Edit: the picture that you have that is labeled zoas are also most likely paly's, but I usually just refer them as zoos anyway. Mystery #3 is kind of a toughy. The picture isn't too clear so it looks like it could be some form of mushroom or perhaps some form of leather.
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Aug 15, 2008 17:18
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Hood Ornament posted:For the Monti, does it need extreme lighting, do I need to place it higher up in the tank? Depends on the type of lighting you have. If you have power compact lighting, you need to get it as close to the light and in the center of the tank as possible (but not under any brace or shade). If you have IR-T5's or even 150W halides, you'll be fine. I was wrong BTW - it's still a monti, but it's not the "Superman Monti." That actually has the opposite coloration of what you have (red polyps on blue base).
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Aug 15, 2008 18:42
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Hood Ornament posted:I have PC's, I'll put him up higher as soon as I can. They can still be superglued, right? Otherwise my urchin will probably be wearing a Monti hat. Oh god yes they can be superglued. Make sure you use a gel glue (obviously), but yeah. They can be. Ideally though, you really should look into getting stronger lighting if you plan on keeping SPS. You'll do fine with zoos and whatnot, but as soon as you venture into the SPS or (non-euphallyd (hammer/frogspawn coral)) LPS arena, you need stronger lighting. And EVERYONE who keeps corals eventually moves into those arenas.
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Aug 15, 2008 21:42
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Halides aren't necessarily what you need (especially if you have a low canopy because they have to be placed 8" or higher off the water's surface. In addition, you're going to ideally want a 150W setup, and those are hard to come by in the cheap-o brands. Individually reflected T5's on the other hand are good times.
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Aug 15, 2008 21:55
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Hood Ornament posted:Mystery palys, mostly open Mystery no more! Now that I've seen them open, I can definitely identify them. Those are called Armor of God palythoas. I have them and they're pretty cool. Just be advised: they grow SLOOOOOOOOWLLLY. My initial frag of them was 5 polyps. I placed them in the tank appropriately and they seem very happy. Only whereas my other zoo colonies have probably doubled in size (or more), I've only gained 2 polyps in 6 months. quote:Mystery Coral #3, opened, hosted by anemone shrimp This looks like some sort of leather coral, but I couldn't for the life of me tell you what it is.
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Aug 22, 2008 00:36
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That's pretty slick. LOVE the Ric's and the Alien-Eye paly's. I need to get more of those. Edit: it doesn't seem very wide for a 65G. Is it a cube?
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Aug 22, 2008 05:24
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As always with biocubes/nanocubes/red sea max, watch out for heat. With my biocube 14, I had to install an 80mm computer fan and drill holes in the hood to allow for ventilation in order to keep the tank at a reasonable temperature. A single tomato clown and some damsels aren't necessarily too much for that tank. I'd look into getting rid of the damsels, but keep the clown (personally). One thing you'll be tempted to go with because it's a cube and they usually get along pretty well is firefish. With your crabs I would strongly advise against it. Firefish ALWAYS disappear with crabs in the tank (and usually even without them). If you want an absolutely awesome species to put in your cube, consider a Jawfish (video of mine here. Mine is a pearly jawfish, the much more expensive blue-spot jawfish is even cooler). Just make sure you have at least 2-3" of pretty fine sand as well as some assorted shells and larger bits as they like to decorate the outside of their caves (and also like a bit to use as a lid to cover their hole when they go to sleep). As far as needing a special canopy with multiple lights to keep reefs, well you're effectively getting just that. Your tank will come with two lightbulbs that are linked (effectively 4 individual bulbs covering different parts of the spectrum). Look into getting a matching 10,000k/7100k bulb that is your daylight. You should probably replace both lights right off the bat (effectively, get two of these.). But yeah, as far as the best advice I can give you, get a digital thermometer AND WATCH THE loving TEMPERATURE. I actually have a biocube 14, and the 80mm fan I had installed burned out today (as they are prone to do since I have it in a pretty moist environment), the temp got to 86F. WAY TOO HOT.
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Aug 25, 2008 10:03
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Gobies are very common jumpers, sadly.
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Aug 27, 2008 04:37
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Even if I could find some bryopsis in my tank, I doubt it would last shipping it to you. You may be better off just giving the snails back to the store if you're that worried.
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Aug 29, 2008 09:12
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Ramen Pride! posted:using distilled water You should actually consider picking up an RO/DI system ASAP if you're going to keep corals. Distilled water usually involves using copper distilling systems and you can end up getting copper in your aquarium (which will end up killing your corals).
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Aug 31, 2008 09:12
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You sure that's an anemone? The only green things I see there appear to be a ricordia and a green ricordia yuma.
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Sep 8, 2008 13:29
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I'd go with number 4, but I'm also a total Bluespot jawfish whore. The problem I have with all of these is the same problem I have with a lot of coral shops - the white balance is shifted way too blue. It looks like the shots are taken only with actinic lights on. Try shifting a little more towards white and you've got some really great shots. Even if the shots are realistic to where it is in your tank, it still looks too blue.
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Sep 11, 2008 12:15
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LOL the 150W Phoenix 14K's is exactly what I'm going to be running as soon as I get around to swapping my T5's over to Halides. They truly are awesome. The major thing that I learned about public photo contests is that what is going on in the picture is FAR more important to Average Joe than a high quality shot. For example, the first photo contest I ever entered in, I entered one of my very favorite shots I've ever taken of a Ricordia Yuma coral eating some mysis shrimp. It was VERY well shot (by pure luck and also very well shot in my opinion), but it lost to a really lovely picture (the colors were washed out because it was taken with a FLASH for gods' sake (you could even see the flash reflected on the glass)) of a heliofungia plate coral with half of a peppermint shrimp sticking out of its mouth and an arrow crab having the other half. Very cool subject to be sure, but the picture looked like poo poo. I'm not still bitter about it or anything...
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Sep 12, 2008 11:49
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Ruh-Roh. So I woke up to find that my 90G tank is dripping. I had actually hoped to find that one of my bulkheads was leaking, but they aren't. A crack is all but confirmed.
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Sep 17, 2008 17:38
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It wouldn't actually be that big of a deal for me to downgrade to a 50G tank and not worry about the 90G, but I have the friggin' achilles tang and I love him. Oh. Crap. Not to mention the mandarin.
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Sep 17, 2008 18:30
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Hood Ornament posted:What about a 75? Considering it has the same footprint as a 90, that would be preferable. But I happen to have a 55G spare. quote:I'm wondering what it would cost to go up to a 10 gallon, possibly with a fuge as well. An overflow/sump/fuge on anything less than a 30 gallon tank is a complete waste of time, unless you're well aware of how to set one up and run it efficiently. quote:I know nothing about overflows and top-offs and fuges. Ugh. Then I wouldn't recommend one. Certainly not on a 10 Gallon anyway. I ran sumpless until I got my first 50G and that was only because someone showed me how to build a foolproof overflow system and I had an 18G tank for the sump. They don't make 18G tanks anymore (they were kind of like an extra tall 10G tank) and were perfect for sumps. quote:I ideally want 2 powerheads, LOL in my very first tank (an 18G tank, which actually WASN'T my later sump) I had I think 4 powerheads. Now of course, you can just do 1-2 Hydor pumps.
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Sep 17, 2008 20:52
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Chances are something died and had a nasty explosion of organic waste. The last time this happened to me, it was a glass heater that shattered and killed all of my snails, causing ammonia to spike. Check your heater if you have one. Also - you've had a mini-cycle. Not a crash. A crash is when literally everything is dead. Certainly bad, but not unrecoverable. Start looking for equipment failures. Failing that, start looking for dead things such as fish.
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Sep 29, 2008 18:35
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Well as far as the slugs go, did you actually have enough of a food web for them? Sometimes (though not often), a tank can be so devoid of algae and whatnot that there's just not enough food to support a large snail/slug population. A few die, release their organics and suddenly you have water fouling.
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Sep 29, 2008 19:26
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 05:43 |
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Hood Ornament posted:I had 2 slugs, and there is still a big bunch of hair algae that I got just for them. They were always hanging out in it, so I figured they were eating it. When I came in this morning the slugs were basically...melted. could be something got the idea to attack them. 
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Sep 29, 2008 20:17
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