Tim's 29gal Biocube Reef / Angler Fish tank build

[TLTGF]

It's called a sour-apple birds nest.

 

[TLTGF]

That's an old pic. It's about the size of half of a volleyball now. It sticks out of the water in the 54.

 

[Sniperhank]

Wow...I forgot what your corals look like...jesus. I'll go back to playing with my frags now.

 

[Beengirl]

Accidentally fragged my birdsnest while doing a pwc so I added a branch to the biocube. Also just bought this guy:

That's a big sun coral!! good pick, I really like mine, since I've finally gotten it trained to come out during daylight hours. Lol.

 

[TLTGF]

This is the 2nd one I've bought for this tank - I tried training and it worked, but I work 2nd shift so when I get home at 1:00am they are bright and ready. It's kinda cool to just feed them then.

 

[jjamontan]

Good to hear the updates I'm still following

 

[TLTGF]

Here is the new coral in the tank. I'm planning to hang it upside-down in the cave, but this was initial placement until I train it to eat.

On the top left of the FTS you can see the birdsnest frag.

 

[Ibrahim]

Here is the new coral in the tank. I'm planning to hang it upside-down in the cave, but this was initial placement until I train it to eat.

On the top left of the FTS you can see the birdsnest frag.

Tank looks great

 

[TLTGF]

I've been battling algae for some time now and this week the macro algae the I had in the tank must've went sexual or something. It got all bubbly and now every surface in my tank including corals are covered in bubbles and purple / red stuff. I went to town today and removed 95% and did a water change. My chaeto grows like mad too.

My biggest problem for causing algae is me. I added in the damsels for my angler to eat and he's picky, so now I have (4) assorted damsels in the tank along with the angler. I've gotta feed them, feed him, and I was adding phyto feast for a while. I read another article about phyto just being a bottle of phosphates and not adding much to the tank. The only things that benefit are the coco worm and my clam in the other tank. I also found that dosing as directed is WAAAYY too much. I've now been told (2) drops, 3x per week is enough to support my biocube. I was dosing 2 teaspoons 3x / week.

I'm doing my best to net the damsels to return them for store credit, but they are so fast it's crazy. They don't trust the net.

In the meantime I am switching to daily (1) gallon water changes opposed to weekly 5-7 gallon changes. I read an article about the benefits of maintaining trace elements like mg, cal, alk by doing daily changes.

Ill keep posted.

 

[Hondatek]

Looking good still tim .

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Yeah looks awesome! How big is the angler now?

 

[TLTGF]

He's still about the size of a golf ball. Well it's really like a golf-ball with fins and a tail. He wouldn't fit in a golf ball - it looks like he swallowed one.

 

[jjamontan]

Get a fish trap from your LFS, you will have them out of that tank quick.

 

[TLTGF]

I'm always putting out a FTS, so here are some close-ups:

 

[TLTGF]

And more;

 

[TLTGF]

When I first heard of the angler / frogfish, I found a great YouTube video about a white frogfish. The thing I liked most was watching him perched on what appears to be a big tonga branch. I tried to duplicate the same feel in my tank, and just as I hoped, he does use it often.

Also got some new additions: a Pom Pom crab (pictured) and two porcelain crabs that are incredibly cool, though timid.

 

[TLTGF]

Added the tanks only other "official" inhabitant: A long-nosed hawk.

Also purchased an awesome bushy acro, but to my dismay, I placed it on the sandbed for last night to start acclimating to my lights, and when I got up this morning it's already half bleached. Here are the pics, and as you can see the before and after of acro after <24 hours.

 

[TLTGF]

Also forgot, here's some updated pics of the angler, and a comparison shot to when I 1st got him.

 

[TLTGF]

I read that long-nose hawks like to hang out in red seafans to use as camo. I know they are hard to keep, so for now I added a fake one. Here we go:

 

[TLTGF]

Video of a late night swim