fishmonkey
Aquarium Advice Addict
wow loving the tank man!
Finally got my tank started up
- Thread starter Ratrik13
- Start date
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New Pics
Ok, picture update time. First off, full tank shot
Secondly, flasher wrasse shots, starting with the one I believe to be a male.
and I think this "might" be one of the females...
Now comes pics of the new corals. Starting with the "loco lobo" which will be getting moved or something in a day or two as it kind of got stuck under part of a rock because I decided to put it to close to the place where the porcelain crabs live and while I was fussing with the frag plug the female snuck up pinched me.
Next are the two toadstool corals I got. The first is the "neon green tipped" I had to rubberband it to the rock because it had broken off in shipping and my superglue had dried out.
and the "dark green"
I finally parted with that frag plug with the xenia stranded on it, gave it to one of the guys at my LFS who got me started with SW. After getting rid of that frag it felt like there was a huge hole in my scape so I just had to get the new corals. I'm actually thinking of doing what I should have done in the first place and making it a soft coral dominated reef... which I guess it already is. Also, if any of the gurus are out there, you guys got any advice on the Stereonepthya corals? I'm really interested in the Lemon Tree Coral and Purple Passion Tree Coral, but I don't want to buy them if they are actually non-photosynthetic like the chili corals etc.
Ok, picture update time. First off, full tank shot
Secondly, flasher wrasse shots, starting with the one I believe to be a male.
and I think this "might" be one of the females...
Now comes pics of the new corals. Starting with the "loco lobo" which will be getting moved or something in a day or two as it kind of got stuck under part of a rock because I decided to put it to close to the place where the porcelain crabs live and while I was fussing with the frag plug the female snuck up pinched me.
Next are the two toadstool corals I got. The first is the "neon green tipped" I had to rubberband it to the rock because it had broken off in shipping and my superglue had dried out.
and the "dark green"
I finally parted with that frag plug with the xenia stranded on it, gave it to one of the guys at my LFS who got me started with SW. After getting rid of that frag it felt like there was a huge hole in my scape so I just had to get the new corals. I'm actually thinking of doing what I should have done in the first place and making it a soft coral dominated reef... which I guess it already is. Also, if any of the gurus are out there, you guys got any advice on the Stereonepthya corals? I'm really interested in the Lemon Tree Coral and Purple Passion Tree Coral, but I don't want to buy them if they are actually non-photosynthetic like the chili corals etc.
More pics
Heres pics of the old corals. Starting with the Neon Green Palau Nephthea. Cause I really like it.
My second fave, the "Pavona maldivensis"
Next ups the green zoas
The pink zoas
The big pink zoas. Its creepy to see the horror i've reaped on this guys if you go back and look at the pics when I got them.
The Shrooms have been on the move lately, even before I added the new leathers.
Heres pics of the old corals. Starting with the Neon Green Palau Nephthea. Cause I really like it.
My second fave, the "Pavona maldivensis"
Next ups the green zoas
The pink zoas
The big pink zoas. Its creepy to see the horror i've reaped on this guys if you go back and look at the pics when I got them.
The Shrooms have been on the move lately, even before I added the new leathers.
Here's the remaining Xenia's
The GSPs have remained slightly temper-mental, but honestly I think they could just use a good fragging.
The orange monti seems ok still.
I can't really tell if the frag of it's growing much though.
I don't think the purple monti's got long for this world.
and the monit caps not far behind
All in all, I'd say that I learned my lession with stonies and it was just far to soon with not quite enough of the right light, but I did enjoy them while they've lasted. Anyway, feel free as always to leave comments. Oh, I forgot to mention, I did finally get a Yasha shrimp goby with a red banded pistol shrimp. I'm worried the shrimp hasn't survived the transition, but considering it was about 3/4th of an inch... who knows if I'll EVER see it again. I'll try to get pics of the goby since it's not shy in the least bit, its just almost as hard to photograph as the wrasses. I "might" get one of two more fish tops, but I'm just not sure what... and with winter starting it probably wont be until spring, unless something that's to good to pass up comes along that's worth the risk on shipping in winter.
The GSPs have remained slightly temper-mental, but honestly I think they could just use a good fragging.
The orange monti seems ok still.
I can't really tell if the frag of it's growing much though.
I don't think the purple monti's got long for this world.
and the monit caps not far behind
All in all, I'd say that I learned my lession with stonies and it was just far to soon with not quite enough of the right light, but I did enjoy them while they've lasted. Anyway, feel free as always to leave comments. Oh, I forgot to mention, I did finally get a Yasha shrimp goby with a red banded pistol shrimp. I'm worried the shrimp hasn't survived the transition, but considering it was about 3/4th of an inch... who knows if I'll EVER see it again. I'll try to get pics of the goby since it's not shy in the least bit, its just almost as hard to photograph as the wrasses. I "might" get one of two more fish tops, but I'm just not sure what... and with winter starting it probably wont be until spring, unless something that's to good to pass up comes along that's worth the risk on shipping in winter.
fishmonkey
Aquarium Advice Addict
i seriously envy your tank. it has got to be one of the coolest tanks on this site for its size that i have seen! great job! i love the color and movement. its really cool.
fishmonkey
Aquarium Advice Addict
any new updates? love the tank!
Gonna take a few days for updates... had the day off so I did some tank maintenance which involved some fragging, and as much as I hate it, I had to epoxy one of my plugs to a larger rock so the hermits would quit knocking it off. Bad part of using the epoxy is that it's gonna be a few days before the corals open up again. So I'll probably wait till everyone's happy again before I take some new pics (unless by some miracle they all decide to open up anyway tonight).
OK, small updates. Think I've added two new fish to tank since my last update. Got a Tail Spot Blenny
Mr Blenny in his home
and a Yellow Assessor
If your looking for a really odd fish, I'd highly recommend the assessor. He swims at odd angles a lot and I often find him swimming upside down under a ledge.
I finally managed to get a pic of my Yasha Shrimp Goby.
Can't help but feel a bit disappointed in this one... she's the must ungoby like goby I've ever seen (Liveaquaria claimed it was female so I'll go with that). I'm still not sure if my pistol shrimp is alive or dead (I assume it's dead and hope it's alive) but the goby doesn't seem to do any of the typical goby stuff like sit on rocks or even hang out near the sand bed (unless I've scared her with the magfloat). Most of the time she's hanging out in mid water like everyone else.
My Porcelain Anemone Crabs recently molted, scared the ever loving carp out of me, but the big one's already back out and looking good.
Next up is the full tank shot.
As you can see, I've added a frag rack and made a few frags of my GSP. Did this for a friend who recently had a tank crash. I plan to frag a few more things, but they'll have to wait for a bit because we just found out that our offer on a house was accepted. Should be really nice, has a heated garage that I plan to turn into a fish room at some point. Wish me luck on the tank move.
Mr Blenny in his home
and a Yellow Assessor
If your looking for a really odd fish, I'd highly recommend the assessor. He swims at odd angles a lot and I often find him swimming upside down under a ledge.
I finally managed to get a pic of my Yasha Shrimp Goby.
Can't help but feel a bit disappointed in this one... she's the must ungoby like goby I've ever seen (Liveaquaria claimed it was female so I'll go with that). I'm still not sure if my pistol shrimp is alive or dead (I assume it's dead and hope it's alive) but the goby doesn't seem to do any of the typical goby stuff like sit on rocks or even hang out near the sand bed (unless I've scared her with the magfloat). Most of the time she's hanging out in mid water like everyone else.
My Porcelain Anemone Crabs recently molted, scared the ever loving carp out of me, but the big one's already back out and looking good.
Next up is the full tank shot.
As you can see, I've added a frag rack and made a few frags of my GSP. Did this for a friend who recently had a tank crash. I plan to frag a few more things, but they'll have to wait for a bit because we just found out that our offer on a house was accepted. Should be really nice, has a heated garage that I plan to turn into a fish room at some point. Wish me luck on the tank move.
Other photos for viewing enjoyment
I ordered the purple tree corals and the lemon tree corals after all, the purple is the only one that's made it so far. They were both kind of sorry looking when deliever. They both looked like they were recently glued to the frag plug and the "lemon tree" coral was tiny and got lost in the tank when it broke off the frag plug again. Still not sure if it's photosynthetic or not, but it expands when the lights come on and shrinks when they go out.
The big pink zoas/pallies, whatever they are have exploded in growth lately.
Same with the green zoas
The "Neon Green Palau" Nephthea still seems to be doing well, but it was still waking up when I took the pic
The xenia is happy as always, but doesn't seem to be spreading anymore.
The blue mushrooms still seem to be doing ok, i've notice a few small babies have popped up, but I'm most staggered by the amount of life that's coming out of this rock. At least two macro algaes and countless feather dusters.
I ordered the purple tree corals and the lemon tree corals after all, the purple is the only one that's made it so far. They were both kind of sorry looking when deliever. They both looked like they were recently glued to the frag plug and the "lemon tree" coral was tiny and got lost in the tank when it broke off the frag plug again. Still not sure if it's photosynthetic or not, but it expands when the lights come on and shrinks when they go out.
The big pink zoas/pallies, whatever they are have exploded in growth lately.
Same with the green zoas
The "Neon Green Palau" Nephthea still seems to be doing well, but it was still waking up when I took the pic
The xenia is happy as always, but doesn't seem to be spreading anymore.
The blue mushrooms still seem to be doing ok, i've notice a few small babies have popped up, but I'm most staggered by the amount of life that's coming out of this rock. At least two macro algaes and countless feather dusters.
part 3
Newest zoas, their pretty large, but not as colorful as the pic on Divers Den seemed.
The orange monti is still hanging in there.
and the "loco" Lobo Lobophytum. I really like this one cause each polyps look like daises.
The toadstools are doing well, the neon green tipped one hasn't oppened in a few days, but I think that's cause the hermits had knocked it off and it was unhappy i left it sitting on the sand bed for a few days. Otherwise... it all looks pretty good. I just hope it all survives a move to the new house in the middle of an Alaskan winter.
Oh, and yes, those are Maxijet mods, think they are the Sure Flow 1600 kit on Maxijet 400s with Sure Grip Magnetic Powerhead Holder. I'm actually highly satisfied with them. They are rated for something like 1300 GPH each, which is WAY more than I needed and actually caused problems in my tank at first. The whole reason I went with the maxijet mods is because maxijets seem like they've been around FOREVER, so I figure they must be good quality. The mod bumps up the GPH on them and helped to spread the flow which seem like win win to me. The only problem I've found is that in a short 3 foot tank they can defiantly bounce water around the tank and really play havoc with your sand bed, but the other side of the coin is that you can do some really crazy things with the flow too. Like in my tank, I've got the flows so they intersect somewhere around the peak of the arch which seems to "kill" the streams and cause all sorts of eddies and currents through most of the tank. The only real dead spot seems to be right in front of the pink zoas and that's ok with me because it lets me keep an eye on anything that's come loose and floated around the tank. Anyway, hope that helps.
Newest zoas, their pretty large, but not as colorful as the pic on Divers Den seemed.
The orange monti is still hanging in there.
and the "loco" Lobo Lobophytum. I really like this one cause each polyps look like daises.
The toadstools are doing well, the neon green tipped one hasn't oppened in a few days, but I think that's cause the hermits had knocked it off and it was unhappy i left it sitting on the sand bed for a few days. Otherwise... it all looks pretty good. I just hope it all survives a move to the new house in the middle of an Alaskan winter.
Oh, and yes, those are Maxijet mods, think they are the Sure Flow 1600 kit on Maxijet 400s with Sure Grip Magnetic Powerhead Holder. I'm actually highly satisfied with them. They are rated for something like 1300 GPH each, which is WAY more than I needed and actually caused problems in my tank at first. The whole reason I went with the maxijet mods is because maxijets seem like they've been around FOREVER, so I figure they must be good quality. The mod bumps up the GPH on them and helped to spread the flow which seem like win win to me. The only problem I've found is that in a short 3 foot tank they can defiantly bounce water around the tank and really play havoc with your sand bed, but the other side of the coin is that you can do some really crazy things with the flow too. Like in my tank, I've got the flows so they intersect somewhere around the peak of the arch which seems to "kill" the streams and cause all sorts of eddies and currents through most of the tank. The only real dead spot seems to be right in front of the pink zoas and that's ok with me because it lets me keep an eye on anything that's come loose and floated around the tank. Anyway, hope that helps.
Last edited:
fishmonkey
Aquarium Advice Addict
well, its almost been 2 months! FTS? update?
It'll have to wait a bit longer... I'm in the process of moving at the moment. So I've been pretty lax in my care of the tank. Everything still looks ok, but sometime in the next 2-3 weeks I've gotta tear it all down and move it to the new house so I've been putting off some maintenance. Sad part is the stress of moving has got me to the point of deciding if I wanna set it back up right away or not. If it wasn't for the stellar success I've had with my fish I don't know if i would be so stressed out. =P
Mitchell0605
Aquarium Advice Addict
Just do a small nano maybe while your moving in and getting settled then go the big one again.
PaulieFish
Aquarium Advice Freak
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2010
- Messages
- 313
Ratrik13 - All I can say is WOW. I just joined the forum and I saw this post looked at the first page and was amazing. I read thought most of the 14 pages of posts and really enjoyed seeing your tank grow and become even more beautiful after ever page. I am so jealous and I hope my tank looks as good as yours 
.
Best of luck and amazing tank!
. Best of luck and amazing tank!
Mitchell0605
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well come Paulie to AA. Your absolutely right about Ratriks tank.
Well, I hate to have to announce this, but I think this tank is done for. I just tore it all down today so i could get the tank moved to the new house and I'm not sure I have the drive to set it back up atm. :-(
After getting down into the tank after a few months of neglect due to family and work issues it surprisingly wasn't bad. The biggest issues were salt creep and the pink coralline that had almost entirely encrusted the front glass. Once I disturbed the sandbed though I found that everything wasn't going to be as easy as it seemed. The amount of crud freed was staggering and I found a few spots that looked like they would have been trouble in a few months. To make matters worse, the sand got REALLY cold during the move. So, I've opted to toss the whole sandbed and start over.
The only problem though is like I said, I lack the will to start setting it back up. I also kind of feel it's kind of foolish to set it up since I'm not really sure I like the best place for it, I don't know how we're going to decorate the living room and I've got so much other work to do getting this new house set up right.
Having said all that, I think I may try and take Mitchell0605's advice and cram as much of this tank into a 20g as I can. At least that way I could keep the corals that I just can't bare to part with, though I'm not sure what I'll do with my fish as I'm not sure I could keep the flashers in such a small tank without someone going airborn. I just can't decide if I should use the 20 long I've had sitting around or the 20 high that my freshwater planted tank was in since I had to scrap that tank due to lack of room. Wish I had pics of the Anubias' I pulled out of that tank, one of them had a foot long rhizome with leaves the size of coasters and at least 6 flower stalks on it; I filled 2 five gallon buckets with just 3 plants.
If anyone has any advice or suggestions on how best to store my extra rock, please, let me know. As of right now the base stuff is sitting in a 32G brute and the nicer pieces I'd use for the 20 are in 5 gallon buckets in my living room.
Well, in closing, I'd just like to say Thanks for all the support from everyone and a big thanks to TC and the others for keeping tabs on me in the early days.
After getting down into the tank after a few months of neglect due to family and work issues it surprisingly wasn't bad. The biggest issues were salt creep and the pink coralline that had almost entirely encrusted the front glass. Once I disturbed the sandbed though I found that everything wasn't going to be as easy as it seemed. The amount of crud freed was staggering and I found a few spots that looked like they would have been trouble in a few months. To make matters worse, the sand got REALLY cold during the move. So, I've opted to toss the whole sandbed and start over.
The only problem though is like I said, I lack the will to start setting it back up. I also kind of feel it's kind of foolish to set it up since I'm not really sure I like the best place for it, I don't know how we're going to decorate the living room and I've got so much other work to do getting this new house set up right.
Having said all that, I think I may try and take Mitchell0605's advice and cram as much of this tank into a 20g as I can. At least that way I could keep the corals that I just can't bare to part with, though I'm not sure what I'll do with my fish as I'm not sure I could keep the flashers in such a small tank without someone going airborn. I just can't decide if I should use the 20 long I've had sitting around or the 20 high that my freshwater planted tank was in since I had to scrap that tank due to lack of room. Wish I had pics of the Anubias' I pulled out of that tank, one of them had a foot long rhizome with leaves the size of coasters and at least 6 flower stalks on it; I filled 2 five gallon buckets with just 3 plants.
If anyone has any advice or suggestions on how best to store my extra rock, please, let me know. As of right now the base stuff is sitting in a 32G brute and the nicer pieces I'd use for the 20 are in 5 gallon buckets in my living room.
Well, in closing, I'd just like to say Thanks for all the support from everyone and a big thanks to TC and the others for keeping tabs on me in the early days.
austinsdad
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sorry to hear about your woes and still kinda happy that you are in the place your are in. I see opportunities. You will too soon I'll bet.
I see the opportunity to breathe, ponder, get organized, breathe some more, ponder some more, and face your true feelings after the move and emotions you've been thru. Get what you can...no REALLY WANT in the 20 long. Wish you could do a longer temp tank, but if 20 is the limit, OK.
As far as the live rock, I used large, hard plastic tubs. Circular ones with rope handles on 2 sides from Lowes or Home Depot. Maybe you can use a trashcan, depending on the amount of rock. Put the rocks in there and added a powerhead 24/7. Depending on where you keep it - my ambient basement temp in my water was about 74 or so - so I didn't add a heater. You may need to. Added a pinch of food every 3 or so days with no light to keep the bacteria feed. Re-set up my tank 2 months later maybe and all was fine. Even had mushrooms on the rock that came back after it got light again.
So, as you breathe for a bit, you'll decide if you want to do it large again or not. And if you do, you will have come up with so many neat and functional new ideas for the next setup, it'll make you proud of the planning you did. And it'll all work better next time too. Anyway, I see opportunity. Just breathe awhile.
Good luck!
I see the opportunity to breathe, ponder, get organized, breathe some more, ponder some more, and face your true feelings after the move and emotions you've been thru. Get what you can...no REALLY WANT in the 20 long. Wish you could do a longer temp tank, but if 20 is the limit, OK.
As far as the live rock, I used large, hard plastic tubs. Circular ones with rope handles on 2 sides from Lowes or Home Depot. Maybe you can use a trashcan, depending on the amount of rock. Put the rocks in there and added a powerhead 24/7. Depending on where you keep it - my ambient basement temp in my water was about 74 or so - so I didn't add a heater. You may need to. Added a pinch of food every 3 or so days with no light to keep the bacteria feed. Re-set up my tank 2 months later maybe and all was fine. Even had mushrooms on the rock that came back after it got light again.
So, as you breathe for a bit, you'll decide if you want to do it large again or not. And if you do, you will have come up with so many neat and functional new ideas for the next setup, it'll make you proud of the planning you did. And it'll all work better next time too. Anyway, I see opportunity. Just breathe awhile.
Good luck!
thincat
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2008
- Messages
- 5,330
Good luck on the move and good decision to dump the old sand and go with new stuff.
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