20 Long Mixed Reef

Updates

Sort of figuring out the camera now. I have snail hitchhikers on the C. prolifera. I have only seen two so far though. I am pretty sure they are collonista snails. The smaller one was too far in to get a picture. I am not 100% sure it's the same thing; it looked a little more cone shaped but it's terribly tiny.
proliferasnailhitchhiker.jpg


I have had this orange growth since I got the rock. I suppose it's either a sponge or coralline. Whatever it is, it's nice. Lots of nice rock life.
rocklifeandorangegrowth.jpg


And a full tank shot. Sorry about the reflections. I am in there as well as a 10 gal soon to be quarantine tank that sits directly opposite of the main tank. Right now it just has some leftover C. prolifera in it.
Aug10prolifera.jpg
 
Careful with that prolifera, man. That stuff will take over your tank, house, neighborhood, drain your bank accounts, shave your dog, and bang your wife before you know it.
 
I have read pretty much good stuff about prolifera, just nothing terribly good about any other caulerpa. Most posts say it grows at a moderate rate (compared to other caulerpa), sort of slows down in growth when nutrients get low, and stay on the sandbed for the most part. If you have any links to horror stories involving C. prolifera, I'd like to read them. I plan to thin it down drastically after it grows a little. I started with pretty small, partially damaged leaves. Thanks for the suggestion. I might decide to pull it all and go with halophila but I haven't seen many sources for this plant.
 
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I have thinned out the prolifera some to allow room for growth. Seeing some more pods zooming around. Parameters are coming along nicely: ~0.5 - 1.0 ppm ammonia, seemingly no nitrite but I am sure I just missed it, ~5-10 pmm nitrate. Parameters are estimates because those color cards are hard to read. So far no diatom or cyano bloom but it's early.

Getting a nice crop of fuzzy hair algae, not severe or extensive though. My apologies for the mass of out of focus rock/algae in the foreground.
GHAcrop.jpg


Have some tiny white stick with a dandelion fuzz like head on them. Perhaps hydroids?
possiblehydroidscrop.jpg


And took a picture of the tank from the right side, through which it is also viewable.
Aug12sideview.jpg
 
Today ammonia is looking like 0-0.25ppm; I added more flake food, we'll see where it goes. Nitrite 0ppm, I have not been able to catch the nitrite. Nitrate is ~10-15ppm. Looking good. The ph tests consistently at 8.2
Not a whole lot of changes recently.

Found an interesting little bivalve of some sort. It is alive but not stuck to the rock?

mysteryshellthing.jpg


The coralline seems deeper and darker colored than before. No coralline spread yet.

brightcoralline.jpg


I have little to no diatom growth. This picture pretty much sums up all of it.

firstofsanddiatoms.jpg


Tiny hard, white deposits on the glass are becoming numerous. I also have some stagnant water sitting in my quarantine with a bunch of unplanted prolifera. The pods in this tank are multiplying nicely.
 
I really enjoy the royal gramma but a pair sounds dicey in a 20. Everywhere I read says, "I wouldn't do it."
I'm starting to think chalk basses would be more appropriate.
 
I think I have settled on masked gobies. These appear to be much more suited to the tank size. I'd like to avoid cleaning up fish parts. : )
 
It's about time for some updates.

Ammonia: undetectable, Nitrite: undetectable, Nitrate: <5
Salinity: 1.025 - 1.028, Temperature: 78F, PH: 8.2, Calcium: ~320ppm

P9270010.jpg


P9270013.jpg


The salinity swings are not ideal. An auto top off system is a must in the near future, before anything else goes in the tank. The largest changes have been two Koralia Evolution pumps, the 550 models, and a heater. Previously the tank was running at 70F. After the flow and temperature upgrades, the ceriths have become particularly lethargic acting.

The fire fern macroalgae looks like it's on its way out. I suppose conditions weren't stable enough.

P9270009.jpg


The caulerpa and halophilia seem to be doing well. The halophilia is starting to grow new leaves. The caulerpa is probably immortal.

P9270018.jpg


After the powerheads I was wondering where my pods went. A close examination of the GHA solved this mystery.

P9270017.jpg


A few different kind of microalgaes are establishing themselves on the new rock. I am also starting to see tiny specks of pink; hopefully this is coralline.

P9270004.jpg
 
I went on a three day out of state vacation over the weekend. Since the tank has been experiencing normal but considerable evaporation, I cut the lights off and one of the pumps before I left. I came back to 1.028 sg water, the snails at the waterline and virtually no green microalgae. Either the snails got really hungry (I left them a strip of nori) or the algae didn't like the lack of light. Everything looks good or better than I left it.

I added a rock that I had initially taken out while introducing the powerheads. Ended up smashing it up a bit and building on the left side mostly. This increased the contrast between the mounds and added to the total rock amount. I am back up to a little over 1lb a gallon.
Can't find anywhere good to put that heater. The tank is viewed from the right end and the front and there really isn't enough space behind the main rock formation. Oh well, not a big deal.

The picture doesn't show it but the oldest dry rocks are starting to get noticeable coralline. Not much but more than specks.

P9280005.jpg


The halophila continues to send up tiny new leaves in random places. Oh, my collonista buddy is still alive, just cryptic.

P9270009-1.jpg


And I found a tiny unwanted visitor.

P9270015-1.jpg
 
The halophila withered away to pretty much nothing while I have been busy with schoolwork. Even the caulerpa doesn't look that great. Everything fuzzy and green is gone. Aiptasia continue to spread.
I'm seriously thinking about moving the contents to a 65 tall that I own. The benefits to this would be increased water volume, more space, and the tank is drilled so I could have a sump. Only issue is that the tank is 24 in deep.
 
I have decided to move everything to the 65 gallon. I will also be building a rock wall with the rock/foam/eggcrate method. I plan to use the existing 20 as the sump.

I purchased a pair of royal grammas yesterday that were residing peacefully in one compartment at an LFS. So far I haven't seen anything remotely aggressive looking, just slightly inquisitive. Both are alive and well but one is much more adventurous than the other. They are in quarantine together. There was a hitchhiking ghost shrimp in the quarantine but I don't seem him anymore. Definitely small enough to be gramma food.

Other than the grammas, the only additions I have made are bristle worms, micro brittles, and asterinas. I'm having more GHA; it just seems to come in spaced out waves. The tank is only 4 months old though.
 
Are you going to be looking to add corals to this set up or is it going to more like a lagoon set up? I have recently begun my own adventure using a 20 Long so I am enjoying your thread thus far! :D
 
I love the look... I think you should go macro algae dominated. I've been thinking about setting up an all invert tank with macro... and almost went through with the idea, but threw a spearer mantis in the tank with the macro instead. Macro does grow a heck of a lot faster than coral.
 
@thejerzboi
Yes, I plan to add corals, mostly zoanthids, ricordea and mushrooms. I'd really like to add some of the photosynthetic species of gorgonian done the line too. I think having a little of everything would be nice. I will include macro but I don't think it will be a lagoon of any sort. Thanks, 20 longs are a nice size.

@StephLionfish
I am looking forward to including an assortment of macro in the display. Zoanthids are pretty fast growing too. I don't know for sure what sort of split it will be; I suppose I'll just have to see what I like best.

I have started painting the stand to the 65. The grammas are sometimes in the same tube/bowl without incident so far. I'm a student though so I am strapped for cash and time, this build might not go terribly quickly.
 
StephLionfish said:
I love the look... I think you should go macro algae dominated. I've been thinking about setting up an all invert tank with macro... and almost went through with the idea, but threw a spearer mantis in the tank with the macro instead. Macro does grow a heck of a lot faster than coral.
Click to expand...

+1, I think a macro dominated nano would be sweet!! I have seen one or two over in the planted/macro forum.
 
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