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So I've been thinking about starting up a nano reef as my first ever saltwater tank. Any suggestions on a good kit? I'm thinking maybe a 14g biocube. Are those pretty good? I would be starting off with zoas and low light corals so is the light that comes with the tank good enough for that? I know eventually I'll want to upgrade if I want more high light corals. As far as anemonies go, is that enough light/space for a bubble tip? I really like how they look. I've done the whole FW thing but I am a complete newbie to SW. Please tell me how
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Oct 14, 2015 21:54
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| # ¿ May 6, 2024 06:21 |
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Hood Ornament posted:I definitely will vouch for IM, everything I've gotten from them has worked really well and is reasonable for the price. I also think the tank just plain looks nicer than a Biocube. I looked at those online. They seem really nice. Should I get the combo that includes a light or just buy the 10g tank for 99 and use the 100 bucks on a different light? So if I'm understanding this right I will need the tank, lights, powerhead, heater, live rock and some sand?? Am I missing anything important? I'd like to start with the basics and get a few frags, an anemone, a cool clownfish or two and a cleanup crew. Would that be doable in the IM Fusion 10g without having to do daily water changes?
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Oct 15, 2015 03:30
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Would the water params be a lot more manageable in a tank that small if I stuck to just inverts and coral? Not sure if a 20 will fit in my space. There are tons of cool saltwater inverts so I wouldn't mind that.
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Oct 15, 2015 13:43
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So after digging more into this I've seen that a reef tank probably isn't going to work at the office right now. Expensive lighting and whatnot. I will likely have one in my home at a later date. For now I think I'm going to pick up a fluval edge and use it to house some live rock and a small G. Smithii Mantis Shrimp (3.5" max length). I don't need a tall tank since the mantis really needs more horizontal than vertical space. I plan on putting a PVC pipe tunnel with the live rock and rubble so he can have his choice of lair. How many pounds of live rock would I want for a tank like this?
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Oct 15, 2015 20:04
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revmoo posted:Depends on the tank size. Between 1 and 1.5lbs per gallon. 6 Gallon This tank
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Oct 15, 2015 20:51
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 Holy cow.... I just read a good bit of that thread. Just... insane.... Not to distract too much from horrific tank explosion talk: Picked up a Fluval Spec V 5 gallon for my Mantis shrimp at a deep discount from the local fish store. They are not able to source me a mantis shrimp of the breed I want (Gonodactylus smithii common name: Purple-Spotted Mantis). How would I go about finding one? Liveaquaria has Peacocks but not these. I did find one site but they do not have any stock.
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Oct 16, 2015 17:54
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Thanks for the tip: I've heard of people successfully feeding frozen krill and small clams on the half shell with tongs. In the meantime once the tank cycles I plan to get some small hermit crabs and additional clean up crew critters that my mantis is more than welcome to eat whenever I find him. Not sure what size I'm going to end up with to start so I'll have to figure out the feeding plan from there. Would it hurt him to feed freshwater/brackish snails?
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Oct 16, 2015 22:55
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Hood Ornament posted:Here are some tiny snails: http://www.kpaquatics.com/product/dwarf-cerith-snail/ Awesome, thanks! Ordered some instant ocean, a refractometer and other supplies online. Gonna pick up some live rock on Monday and start up the tank. Will post pics.
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Oct 17, 2015 17:03
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Got my tank up and running! Got saltwater mixed and added the live rock. Looks like I have at least one hermit crab hitchhiker and some snails. My sand didn't arrive on time so I will add it when it gets here in a few days. Any tips on how to add it without creating a massive cloud in the water?   
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Oct 19, 2015 21:53
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revmoo posted:Looks good. If you're using live sand, wash with ro/di water like you wash rice (google it). If it's dead sand then use tap water and finish with ro/di. It's dead sand. The tank came with a filter but I just left the sponge in. I didn't add the bio media or carbon. Should I take that out and grow some chaeto/copepods?
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Oct 19, 2015 22:33
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revmoo posted:What is bio media? That sounds like bioballs which are a no-no with reef tanks. Carbon is fine but usually not necessary. Macroalgae and pods are always a good thing. Cool tank! No I dont have a skimmer. Space is an issue so I'm trying to keep outside equipment to a minimum and all the little skimmers I've read about have crap reviews. Have you use an InTank Media Basket? I saw on a nano reef forum that people with my tank get a media basket and use a small sponge at the bottom, and then purigen and chemipure in the other two compartments. Is that overkill or will it make tank management a lot easier? Also... I have the API freshwater test kit, the nitrate test will work in saltwater too? I need to purchase a phosphate test kit. -e- What kind of hermit crab is this? 
Rallos fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Oct 20, 2015 |
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Oct 20, 2015 14:00
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broken clock opsec posted:Paguristes cadenati, red legged hermit crab, one of the best anti-algae hermit crabs in the 'biz. Nice! Got my led fixture in the mail today. Turned it on and the hermit seems happier. Wandering around picking at the rocks. I need a solution to hang my new light. It's pretty big and weighs ~8 lbs. it comes with two d rings and metal cables but I need some sort of stand to hang it from. It's an office so hanging it from the ceiling or screwing into the wall/desk is not possible. Most of the ideas I saw on google depended on wall/stand or ceiling mounting. I was thinking maybe using the conduit with some sort of clamp to attach to the back of the desk? Sitting on top of the lid for now. 
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Oct 20, 2015 22:56
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Updated FTS:  Any suggestions on first corals? I was thinking of sticking to Zoas and LPS primarily.
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Oct 22, 2015 18:35
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revmoo posted:Zoas are finicky on new tanks imho. I'd go with hammer/frogspawn as they seem to enjoy lower flow. Also a clown-compatible anemone would be pretty cool. I've heard of clowns hosting hammers. Any truth to that?
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Oct 22, 2015 19:41
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So I'm a dummy and impulse purchased a big frag of GSP. Well, they were growing on the side of the tank so they have no plug. I put them in my tank and laid them out on a rock. They are getting flow but not strong enough to blow away the frag. Should I attach them to the rock? The guy at the store said rubber band but they don't seem to be going anywhere.
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Oct 22, 2015 21:10
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I got a super deal so I won't be that upset if it doesn't thrive.  This is how it looks atm. It's not ALL touching the rock but it should attach itself right?
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Oct 22, 2015 21:21
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I have a Refractometer from Amazon (link) I see fine strands of algae i think starting to grow on the rock. The hermit crab seems to enjoy picking at them.
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Oct 22, 2015 21:41
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Well. It looked like some of the polyps were open a little but the tentacles are very small. Not like pictures I've seen. I'm off until Monday so we shall see how it looks when I get back. Do you have a link for that hamster bottle thing?
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Oct 22, 2015 22:32
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broken clock opsec posted:Google "hamster bottle ATO" and look at any of the nano-reef.com links. Nice thanks! What do you have your bottle sitting on in the pic? All the ones I see at petsmart require hanging on the wall.
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Oct 22, 2015 22:47
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broken clock opsec posted:Also from Petco, actually. I recommend shooting down to the local Petco or whatever and see what options they have. Most bottles come with a wire hanger for a hamster cage, as did mine, but I found that little thing and it was a perfect fit for my bottle. It's like pottery, it has a slot in the top where the metal tube can sit, with a hole in the side where the tube sticks out. Oh. Nice. I'll stop in my local petco on my way home.
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Oct 22, 2015 23:09
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revmoo posted:Not after calibration, no. Shouldn't it? I'll admit I don't know diddly about them.
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Oct 25, 2015 01:45
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Looks like I really need that ATO.... lost my cleaner shrimp over the weekend. When I came in this morning there was a good bit of evaporation. I checked my water params and I have Ammonia: 0? (its hard to tell if 0 or .25) Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 5 I'm guessing he died of osmotic shock from the salinity change? Poor guy...
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Oct 26, 2015 14:36
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revmoo posted:We told ya! lol. Yes, you did. I didn't have time to rig up anything before the weekend so I figured I would just wing it. Bad idea. In other news, clownfish is doing great, and the GSP frag that I got has opened up and seems healthy. I went to my local store over the weekend and they had a beautiful hammer frag the size of maybe two golf balls stacked on top of each other for $60... I wanted it but didn't spring for it because I wanted to see how the system held up over the weekend first.  -e- Holy poo poo! Apparently I have a huge emerald crab that came with my rock. Never saw it until today. It's out in the open picking at the hair algae growing on my rock! 
Rallos fucked around with this message at 15:37 on Oct 26, 2015 |
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Oct 26, 2015 15:18
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broken clock opsec posted:Looks of a good enough size that a little mantis shrimp like a smithii wouldn't attack, so hey, score! Assuming I ever find a smithii for sale. I put myself on the email list so if that site ever gets one I will know.
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Oct 26, 2015 15:41
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Is this a frogspawn? I picked it up yesterday from my local shop. Wasn't labeled and I got it for $5 so I couldn't pass it up.
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Oct 28, 2015 17:18
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Awsome. They can be placed near hammers without the hammers killing them, right? Just wondering for placement purposes because where it is now I would like to place a large hammer colony on that rock. Even after being in the bag almost 18 hours I dropped it into my aquarium and it opened up almost right away. Seems happy and healthy.
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Oct 28, 2015 17:30
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revmoo posted:Yeah should be fine near hammers iirc. A quick search on that said that you can "Stick a razor blade halfway under the superglue, twist and pop." if it's not encrusted onto the plug and just glued. If it is encrused you can smash the plug with pliers or use a diamond saw if you are rich. Link to my source
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Oct 28, 2015 18:35
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I just calibrate mine with distilled water like the instructions say. It's been spot on and I've had it checked by 3 different places.
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Oct 28, 2015 21:00
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Desert Bus posted:What? LOL. Xacto makes some quality diamond saws on the cheap. And they are quality. Are they wet saws? I couldn't find what you were talking about with a quick google search. When I said diamond saws are expensive I was referring to wet diamond band saws. Like This
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Oct 29, 2015 03:40
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revmoo posted:Would not frag corals on something like that without goggles and a respirator. Yeah. That would be inviting disaster. So I picked up the Tunze Nano OsmolatorATO yesterday. Going to set it up today so I can see how it works before the weekend. My rear end in a top hat emerald crab knocked over my frogspawn frag yesterday so I brought some more glue to secure it down. I tried yesterday in the water and it didn't work nearly as well as sticking my gsp on the glass. Going to try lifting the rock out, patting it dry and then glueing out of the tank for ~30 sec.
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Oct 29, 2015 12:53
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My frogspawn is not attached to a plug. It's just the coral hard skeleton. Do I still want to use epoxy for coral to rock?
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Oct 29, 2015 14:01
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Okay. Is there a reef safe epoxy that I could find at the hardware store? People have mentioned JB waterweld but have any of you used it? I don't have anywhere around the office to get any special reef stuff, plus it's expensive. Also: Does this torch look happy? It's flowing gently but the back tentacles are kind of draped down. Maybe because of the flow. Before I secure it permanently I want to be sure. Maybe I'm making something out of nothing but it's my first SW tank so trying to do this right.  
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Oct 29, 2015 14:37
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Great. I will pick some up then. Glad it's Goon ApprovedTM
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Oct 29, 2015 14:45
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Desert Bus posted:Yeah, sorry, I was thinking of Razor Saws, my bad. No worries. Just wanted to know if there really was a cheaper option. So I rescaped my tank today. Will post pics when I get home because imgur hates my phone for some reason and doesn't want to upload ever. Got a torch frag from a shop near work (4 heads) and I added a koralia nano powerhead for additional flow. The way I rescaped has the LPS on the other side of the tank from the powerhead and they seem to like it there. Gently waving around in the current. I only had a short while to observe and they were still pissed about being out of the water for ~30 seconds to get glued to the rock. Will see what they look like in the morning. Got the ATO partially set so I'm gonna come in a little early tomorrow and get it going in the morning so I will have all day to observe before the weekend. For mixing saltwater. I'm thinking to only mix a gallon at a time for water changes. Is an airs tone in the bucket I mix it in really worthwhile or should I just mix it and let it sit? (It's 5 gallon so 1 gal water changes weekly is 20%. Am I doing it wrong?)
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Oct 29, 2015 22:38
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Hadn't thought about it that way. Updated tank shots:  Also... What is this?? I showed the guy at my LFS and he couldn't ID it. Looks like some sort of crab. Found it when I was rearranging my rock.   -e- Fixed the images. Not sure why they didn't show up before. Rallos fucked around with this message at 04:54 on Oct 30, 2015 |
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Oct 30, 2015 04:30
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Most of the rock is manmade reef stuff that was sitting in the rock tank at my LFS growing corraline algae. I got one big chunk from another store around the office and I'm pretty sure thats where all of my hitchhikers have come from. It had been sittin in their invert tank for a long time.
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Oct 30, 2015 20:02
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Possibly. I don't know. In other news. I set up my ATO and did a water change. Will update when I get back to the office on Monday when everything is
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Oct 30, 2015 23:11
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Pom Pom crabs look awesome! Would it get along with my emerald crab?
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Oct 31, 2015 18:10
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Monday morning tank update: My ATO didn't flood the office over the weekend and everything seems healthy and happy.  The frogspawn could be happier but I think I need to give it more time to get used to the flow and new placement. My big torch appears to love the current from my new powerhead. It's fully extended and waving around. I fed my clown some flake food and the torch would catch little bits and pull them into its mouth. FTS:  Any suggestions on new corals? I wasn some zoas and leathers maybe? Not sure what would be a good flow for the tank.
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Nov 2, 2015 15:22
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| # ¿ May 6, 2024 06:21 |
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revmoo posted:Careful with Zoas and Palys, a lot of them contain palytoxin which is mind-blowingly poisonous and there is no antidote. Are there any safe varieties? Also, I don't know diddly about corals other than the hammers/torch/frogspawns. I know what zoas look like but what other types of corals do you think I could fill out the tank with? Not interested in SPS. Or should I go completely nuts and get a bubble tip nem? -e- I just spotted a rather large bristleworm hiding under my rock. Should I be concerned? It doesn't seem like it's bothered anything yet. -e2- Just got an email from the builing management. They are going to be shutting off the power to the building from Friday night to Saturday at 8 am. The temp shouldn't drop much in the tank and everything should kick back on. Do I need to worry about getting a battery powered airstone for such a small tank? (5.5g) Rallos fucked around with this message at 18:52 on Nov 2, 2015 |
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Nov 2, 2015 15:44
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