Tank Journal Archive

[webber555]

Introduction:After keeping freshwater tanks for a few years (I still have a low-tech planted in my living room) I was hassled by my daughter and wife to 'get a Nemo'. I knew that it would be a while before we could get fish of course, and the coral/invert reef setup appealed to me so I thought I'd better spend a lot of time researching.​

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Reefing Since: Initial plans around xmas last year - tank should be wet next week sometime (just waiting on sand, wavemaker and test kit to arrive)​

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System Objectives: To immerse myself in a new hobby - looking to keep a nice mixed reef with low demands - softies and lps that I can enjoy with a beer after work. The tank is in my room, right next to my bed. Would love to have it in the living room, but my cat already gives the freshwater tank curry, no way he is getting at a rimless open top.​

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Type of reef: mixed​

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Display System:​

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Initial Fill Date: hopefully by next weekend 23/6/12​

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Display Tank Dimensions: 60cm x 30cm x 40cm high 70L painted black rear.​

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Display Lighting: 72W LED 12x3W White 12X3W Blue Lights are dimmable with a programmable timer but don't have separate channels so looking to get a blue strip just for each end of the day.​

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Stand: Unfinished pine from MS Aquariums.​

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Hood or Rimless: Rimless​

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Sump Design: No sump, investigating a DIY refugium/sump that will sit on the mantlepiece above the tank.​

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Filtration: Live Rock and 10% weekly water changes to begin with, will add a skimmer to refugium/sump if needed.​

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Support systems:​

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NSW or ASW: NSW from LFS​

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Display Water circulation: Ecotech Vortech MP10ES​

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Return Pump: NA​

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Skimmer: NA​

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Evaporation Top Up: Manual to begin with, will look at ATO with DIY sump.​

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Chemical additions: No additions until I find I need them.​

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Calcium Addition: ​

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Alkilinity Addition: ​

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Magnesium Addition:​

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Prodibiotics Addition:​

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Coral Food Addition:​

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Tank and light as it stands at the moment. Excuse the dust and the grainy pics - had to bump the iso up a bit.​

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[Sarg]

Man you got it made!! Wife hassleing you to set up a tank... most reefers dreams lol No trouble when upgradeitis sets in.

Keep the updates comin in its looking good so far. Anywhere else to hide your diy refugium/sump it might get a little unsightly after a while...... warning sing on the cabinets pretty funny too :)

 

[K&J Aquatics]

Looking good webber555 :) Will look great when wet!

(How much for the Senna picture?) :rolleyes

 

[webber555]

yeah Sarg, agree on the display fuge, just an idea - was also looking at a hang on refugium like the ones that reef octopus or cpr make - but they are damn expensive for an acrylic box... maybe an aquaclear diy mod..??

K&J - not for sale, had it for too long, sentimental value...:D actually scrap that, $10k and it's yours..;)

 

[firebird]

Looking good. Display fuges are great-beg to differ Sarg:p -if you look on the net there are lots of pics of beaut ones-don't give up on the idea. Also look into ones that talk about a "slide" into the display tank

 

[webber555]

Looking good. Display fuges are great-beg to differ Sarg:p -if you look on the net there are lots of pics of beaut ones-don't give up on the idea. Also look into ones that talk about a "slide" into the display tank

That's what I was thinking, I like the idea of a gravity fed slide return, only issue would be noise as its right next to my bed. The way the tank sits right near the edge of the mantle, I could have a thin fuge running the entire length of the tank. Investigating whether to use acrylic or glass atm...

 

[firebird]

:D

 

[chimaera]

Looking good. Display fuges are great-beg to differ Sarg:p -if you look on the net there are lots of pics of beaut ones-don't give up on the idea. Also look into ones that talk about a "slide" into the display tank

Yup, that's what I am aiming for with my new build. I keep spotting algae that I want to include in there that I am sure most see as a pest or remove from the corals they buy!

 

[webber555]

Couldn't wait till next weekend, rest of gear turning up tomorrow, so I grabbed 12 kgs of premium rock from Le Aquatic (who gave a nice discount btw). In temporry storage, but seeing plenty of potential for life...

 

[Sarg]

Looking good. Display fuges are great-beg to differ Sarg:p -if you look on the net there are lots of pics of beaut ones-don't give up on the idea. Also look into ones that talk about a "slide" into the display tank

Well I will just shut up then :) I guess it could look good if you kept it clean.

 

[firebird]

Well I will just shut up then :) I guess it could look good if you kept it clean.

LOL:D

 

[webber555]

Tank has been wet since late last night. Will pot up a FTS later but it's not looking pretty, that's what I get for using oolite...:mad: I do like the look of the finer sand though. So at the moment I have a bunch of LR covered in sand and a heap on the surface as well, but when it finally settles I will get up some shots. Probably haven't helped the process by playing around with the different modes on the MP10.. got it to make waves like on the youtube videos:D

 

[webber555]

Ok, cloudy FTS - not set on the scape yet - I like the left side's large face and I like the elevation flow from L-R, gives me lots of levels to choose from when I stock corals, maybe too much happening in the middle though?

FTS

Tell me this isn't what I think it might be? about the size of half a 5c coin. There is another one another rock that is brown and shaped a little different. Can't decide if the brown one is a polyp or Aiptasia.

Having plenty of fun spotting the odd snail, tube worm type things, a sea urchin and a claw of what I presume to be a crab creeping out from a cave to pick at the rock. Hopefully most of it survives the cycle. Over 48hrs since I got the rock, always kept wet, warm and with circulating water. No ammonia yet, but the rock was in a large tank at the LFS that had a few fish in it as well, so maybe it had been there a while....

 

[Buddy]

That is a feather duster worm in your pic, you will probably see heaps more of these. They will retract into the rocks very quickly from any sudden movement around them. The other one you decribe could be aptasia, see if you can touch it with something lightly. If it tries to 'grab' whatever you are touching it with then its probably aptasia or some type of anemone. This also may retract ino the rock if you poke it too hard.

 

[webber555]

Thanks buddy, both retracted into rock when I touched them. the one in the pic came straight back out after a min or so, the brown one called it a night. Will try and get a photo of it tomorrow.

 

[webber555]

Ok, here is a photo of the crab - hairy so I'm guessing no good but I'll leave him alone until he becomes a problem...

and here is the best I could get of the possible Aiptasia. Need to invest in a proper macro lens.

It is about the size of a 5c coin. Thoughts?

 

[firebird]

Looks like aiptasia

I'm getting old-can't see the crab properly:p

 

[chimaera]

Yep, if the crab is hairy it is likely to be bad, but as you said might as well leave him be for now - if he survives the cycle you can get him out later before corals.

The last one is definitely aiptasia unfortunately.

I do love the live rock critter spotting phase =0)

 

[webber555]

Best removal technique? Take out the rock and chip away the whole section? Burn it? Inject it? Wait until I can get some Peppermint shrimp and let them go crazy??

 

[Buddy]

If you can get the rock out I would just burn the area for a few seconds