Martini5788
New member
Haha glad to hear everything is going well.
40 Gallon Breeder reef tank build...
- Thread starter mmittlesteadt
- Start date
mmittlesteadt
New member
Yeah it is going really well. My GSP and Xenia are really growing fast (and yes, I'd love it if they took over my tank...I'm odd that way). My Zoa is also spreading.
All the fish are doing well, including my Twin Spot Goby.
All the fish are doing well, including my Twin Spot Goby.
Swope2bc
New member
Based upon the rapid growth of your beautiful "weeds" will you plan a growth limit and maintain a certain boundary for them? Or just let them take off and cover what they cover? I too enjoy the "weeds" lol, but will plan them into a specific area of the tank and try to keep them trimmed only there.
mmittlesteadt
New member
I'm open to however nature decides to take my tank for the most part. I'd like to get mushrooms, some leather too, but I'm perfectly happy with nothing but a Xenia, GSP and Kenya tree garden. I dig the movement and color and they are so easy to keep. Both the Xenia and GSP love phosphates and nitrates and in addition to my chaeto in my refugium, I'm really shooting for the most natural, self sustaining tank possible.
I used to do that with freshwater as well. I try to match the bio load to the bio filter in place. When I've follow how nature works all on its own and try not to impart my own personal preferences to the point of upsetting that balance, it just means less work and more enjoyment.
I'm careful in my selections of everything and my reef was all planned with a very specific reason. I want everything in my tank to create a symbiotic relationship between ALL of the inhabitants so they all work with each other to create harmony in every aspect. Anything else I add to my tank, will be selected based on how it lives with everything else and what kind of behaviors and feeding that work well with what is already in there.
The less you fight nature, the easier it is on the inhabitants and myself. Stress causes more illness than any other single thing. That goes for us humans too.
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mmittlesteadt
New member
Years ago I had a 125 gallon freshwater, fully planted tank with four full size Altum Angels and a school of over 100 Cardinal Tetras, about 30 Otocinclus, with about 20 Corydoras.
I also had land based spider plants hanging all over and around my tank with their roots in the water. I had no cover on the tank and it was lit by metal halides. My Swordplants grew out of the water and flowered above it. I only had three powerheads in it for circulation with NO filtration. I never made a single water change on that tank in almost 4 years. Just topped it off as needed.
It was GORGEOUS. Wish I had pics of it because it was the best tank I ever kept. That was pre-digital photography and I moved so much I lost a lot of my printed photos (not just pics of my tank).
Swope2bc
New member
That's such a bummer! I'm sure it was amazing. I would love to see the swords bloom. I have had bacaba bloom in a paladerium I used to have. Currently I have a 90g fresh planted, it's high tech with injected CO2 and T5 HO lighting though. I grow out my plants and then trim and sell to our local pet store, that's how I pay for my aquarium addiction lol.
If you ever find, even a poor photo, of your tank I would love to see it
If you ever find, even a poor photo, of your tank I would love to see it
mmittlesteadt
New member
I've tried to locate the photos over the years. I did find pics of my large breeding Oscar tank, but that one pales in comparison to my planted tank. I did a little bit of pruning myself, but mostly of the Jungle Val that grew up and covered the top of the water blocking the light. I also had to cut the sword runners, but since I ran the LFS I just brought it in and sold it. Kind of the freshwater version of fragging.
Swope2bc
New member
I've tried to locate the photos over the years. I did find pics of my large breeding Oscar tank, but that one pales in comparison to my planted tank. I did a little bit of pruning myself, but mostly of the Jungle Val that grew up and covered the top of the water blocking the light. I also had to cut the sword runners, but since I ran the LFS I just brought it in and sold it. Kind of the freshwater version of fragging.
Yeah, I run our local aquarium department so it's almost the same for me lol. Unfortunately else don't have a saltwater section :-(, and the owners don't want one... Yet ;-)
mmittlesteadt
New member
I don't run an LFS anymore, but I run the custom picture frame shop at an Ace Hardware with an enormous LFS that carries saltwater too. I get everything at cost, so that's worked well for me.
Swope2bc
New member
I don't run an LFS anymore, but I run the custom picture frame shop at an Ace Hardware with an enormous LFS that carries saltwater too. I get everything at cost, so that's worked well for me.
I know, I cry a tiny bit every time you mention it on here lol. Very awesome opportunity for you!
mmittlesteadt
New member
You gotta work on getting saltwater in stock. The manager here let one of the SW gurus set up some saltwater tanks (like 33 longs) to sell a few fish and corals. Then he talked him into setting up a 220 full reef with Kessils. Now they are going gangbusters with saltwater. Lots of SW tanks and now they are going to also set up a 500 gallon shallow saltwater tank too. We joke how the pet department is going to take over the whole store, where it becomes Ace Pets and ALL the hardware will be for building stands, plumbing sumps and reef lighting. LOL.
Seriously though. If you can even set up one killer reef tank, customers are going to want it. It's a sales game changer. Once we set up the 220 gallon with the kessils, so many people wanted one in their home that saltwater sales are outdoing everything else now.
mmittlesteadt
New member
A little over two weeks and my Twin Spot Goby is doing well. Filling out a little, very active (when I see him that is). He has a network of caves in the sand all around my rockwork. He was actually swimming over lower parts of my rockwork. First time I've seen him swimming in over 6 weeks of observation (at the LFS and in my own tank). He usually just kind of "hops" around on the sand. Perhaps he is going after pods that are in my display tank (and also in my refugium)?
He is definitely doing very well from what I can tell. He isn't losing weight or even staying the same. He looks to be a little fatter if anything, so that is a good sign. Time will tell, but he's doing well thus far.
Very hard to get a pic of him because he likes to hang at the back of the tank mostly when he is out and I can't get a good angle in good light. I got my camera out and had it set to video and wouldn't you know it...my batteries died! By the time I got fresh batteries he was already in back again.
He is definitely doing very well from what I can tell. He isn't losing weight or even staying the same. He looks to be a little fatter if anything, so that is a good sign. Time will tell, but he's doing well thus far.
Very hard to get a pic of him because he likes to hang at the back of the tank mostly when he is out and I can't get a good angle in good light. I got my camera out and had it set to video and wouldn't you know it...my batteries died! By the time I got fresh batteries he was already in back again.
Swope2bc
New member
I'm excited to hear how well he is doing! I knew, back when he went missing, that it could not have been anything you were doing wrong. I'm looking forward to that elusive picture [emoji3], keep trying.
mmittlesteadt
New member
I got a video of him out again. This time I captured the weirdest thing. He got attacked by a small hermit crab! No, not really attacked...the hermit crab just walked over him and he shook him off and kept on going about his business. Stupid Hermit Crab.
Twin Spot Goby Part 2
Twin Spot Goby Part 2
mmittlesteadt
New member
Yeah he is cool. And skinny. But he is better than he was. And you'd have to see him in person and know where he came from to where he is now to see the difference.
You'd also have to be familiar with this species in particular. Even very healthy specimens are all head and almost no body. They have big heads and big fins, with little bodies that taper off dramatically behind their head. They really are a very dainty and small fish where their head does not look like it belongs on that body.
By far the most interesting fish I've ever seen and when he is out I could watch him for hours.
You'd also have to be familiar with this species in particular. Even very healthy specimens are all head and almost no body. They have big heads and big fins, with little bodies that taper off dramatically behind their head. They really are a very dainty and small fish where their head does not look like it belongs on that body.
By far the most interesting fish I've ever seen and when he is out I could watch him for hours.
Genera
Blink and you're dead.
The crab tried to hitch a ride on your Twospot Goby lol. What other fish and mobile inverts do you have in mind?
In my 40B I had a pair of Percula Clowns, 5 Blue/Green Chromis, a male Orangetail Blue Damsel, and an Engineer Goby (bad choice I know, amazing fish, but they spit sand everywhere and grow huge, which is why I reluctantly sold him). Now my 40B has a mated pair of Rusty Gobies and a trio of Chalk Basslets.
In my 40B I had a pair of Percula Clowns, 5 Blue/Green Chromis, a male Orangetail Blue Damsel, and an Engineer Goby (bad choice I know, amazing fish, but they spit sand everywhere and grow huge, which is why I reluctantly sold him). Now my 40B has a mated pair of Rusty Gobies and a trio of Chalk Basslets.
mmittlesteadt
New member
LOL. Yeah, that adds a whole 'nother meaning to the reef term "hitchhiker".
I want to get a Lawnmower Blenny, a pair of Bangai Cardinals, a Royal Gramma and a Chalk Bass. I'm toying with the idea of converting a Sailfin Molly over to SW as well.
