A pair of EcoWheel tanks in the making

[Putawaywet]

No, these are the ones.

Apogon leptacanthus

They seem to prefer splitting up into small groups of 3-5, but occaisonally join up into 1 larger school.

They also seem to have the feeding routine down... they form up front and center and won't hesitate to mix it up with their tank mates for a bite to eat.

Brett

 

[Putawaywet]

On a side note.... is it me, or is this guy packing some pretty big guns for your average emerald crab. He kinda blossomed in the same manner that Brittany Spears did. One day he molted, and BAM!!! There they were.

Brett

 

[Putawaywet]

Not much to report on things down at the other end. But I have decided that a pinnacle really isn't going to work.

So, it's back to my original idea of a cave or some kind of sloping wall. I'm thinking of rock on both sides and rear, running all the way to the top of the tank. Then, maybe a lesser smaller section in the middle jutting out towards the front and running about half way up.

I'm going to test out cementing some rocks to peices of acrylic. I'm thinking that I can build interior rock walls in a modular manner and then silicone them to the inside of the tank.

I've come to the conclusion that building stuff is easy, it's the design that's proving to be more difficult than I anticipated.


Brett

 

[Dragon Wrasse]

Hey Brett.....nice to here things are coming along........I was just wondering if there has been any issues with micro bubbles with your new setup.....thanks again!

 

[Putawaywet]

I was just wondering if there has been any issues with micro bubbles with your new setup.....thanks again!

No, not really. There were some at first when I first set the system up, but after it matured a little they seemed to dissappear.

But there are plenty of other things floating around. Lacking any mechanical filtration there are a lot of particulates that are in a constant state of suspension.

Not that I'm complaining, but after all these years of trying to keep water as clean as possible, it's kinda tough to resist temptation to stick a canister filter on the thing to polish the water.

Brett

 

[Putawaywet]

Update 12/19/03

I wanted to add a couple pics of the cryptic area in the lower portion of the filter. It took a few tries, but I think I finally got a couple that show a reasonable amount of detail.

As far as I can tell, my efforts have been met with relative success. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m not only seeing an excellent growth of sponges, but a virtual explosion of pods as well. This area is just teaming with life and it seems that just about every square inch of space is inhabited by little scurrying life forms.

I did find a few aiptasias in there a couple days ago, but since I havenââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t noticed any in either of the two tanks I imagine theyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢re still contained to the filter. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m not too worried though, Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve had the little buggers in the filter on my previous tank and for whatever reason they never seemed to be able to get a good hold in the main tank.

The detritus buildup in the filter seems to be somewhat moderate, but at the same time it also looks like itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s being processed to some extent. However, if it continues to accumulate Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m probably going to have to open up the filter to vaccuum the junk out.

 

[Putawaywet]

Here's the other half.

 

[Putawaywet]

Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve got Nitrates:

Yep, theyââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢re there and have been there for several weeks now. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m getting consistant N03 measurements of 10.0 ppm.

I had a somewhat lengthy conversation with Morgan Lidster from Inland Aquatics and this was something that came up in our conversation. Morgan informed me that he experienced that same elevated readings and ultimately pulled the bioballs out of his unit to try and get them under control. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m thinking that may be an option I might have to explore in the not so distant future.

 

[Putawaywet]

Hereââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s one of the larger gorgonians that took the hit a couple months back. On the whole, they seem to be rebounding, although entirely to slowly for my liking. Itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s probably going to be quite a while before Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll know for sure as their progress is so unbeliveably slow I can barely gauge it.

If you look just above the main fork of the gorgââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s trunk you can see the "winged" oyster that initially hitchhiked in with it. So far it appears healthy and opens up nice and wide during the nighttime feedings.

 

[Putawaywet]

I finally emptied out the last of the old tank, which meant I needed to find a place for my tube anemones. Since my sandbed wasnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t going to cut it, I took some scrap ABS pipe and made something to contain them. Itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s not fancy, but it works. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ll be keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Putawaywet]

The only other additions to the low-light tank have been this non-photosynthetic gorgonian. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m still trying to identify it so if anyone knows what it is feel free to jump in.

 

[Putawaywet]

General parameters

Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ve had a few people PM me and ask about specifics on the tank setup so here is a quick rundown of my maintenance routine

Temp: 78-79.5 degrees.
Lighting: 10 hours of MH (500 watts) and 12 hours of T5ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s (approx. 300 watts)

Water changes are performed using Catalina brand NSW every 10-14 days at approx 40 gallons per change.
Makeup water is a RO/Kalkwasser mix dripped in at various times throughout the day and night.

Kent Strontium and Molyblendium is added at the rate of approx 15 mlââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s every 4-5 days. Kent Iodine is added at 5-10 mlââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s every 4-5 days. And Salifert Trace-Hard is added at 35mlââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s weekly. Kent turbo buffer is added as needed.

Daytime feedings are generally in the am and pm with frozen Mysis, Prime Reef frozen cubes, Prime Reef flake and Ocean Nutrition adult brine making up the bulk of the diet. Nori is provided via a clip a couple times a week.

Semi-nightly milkshakes of Golden Pearls, Roti-Rich, powdered Spirulina, powdered Vibro-grow and Cyclopeeze are dosed in small amounts on the nights I am home (2 days on / 2 days off). I basically divide the container into 4ths and dose every couple hours throughout the night. This ensures that the corals get a solid 8 hours of food with a break every couple days to allow for the filter to catch up on the water quality.

Brett

 

[Dk Coral]

The only other additions to the low-light tank have been this non-photosynthetic gorgonian. Iââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢m still trying to identify it so if anyone knows what it is feel free to jump in.

Maybe an Solenocaulon spp ???

 

[Putawaywet]

That sure looks like it will work.

I've been hard pressed to find any info on it.

Much appreciated Brian

 

[skylsdale]

I really like all that sponge growth you've got going on in there. I've got a 12" CPR fuge on a 30 gal packed FULL of LR rubble that I'm hoping will establish similarly. Is that a blue sponge you've got next to the gorg in your deep-water side? How's it doing? How is the flow in there? Did you decide on an aquascape yet?

 

[Putawaywet]

Skysdale, yes the sponge growth is unbelievable. I've identified 7 or 8 species so far in the lowlight. The cryptic part of the filter seems to be limited to the same 2 species, but that doesn't surprise me given the extremely hi flow in that area. I've also got several bivalves and 1 rock boring clam that came over from the previous tank that is doing wonderfully. Kinda amazing how those things work.... just a bunch of sediment in their hole is about the only sign they are doing anything. When I first found it a couple years ago it was about the size of my pinky and now it's up there with my thumb so I guess that's a good sign.

The blue sponge ( Haliclona ???) has been with me for several months and is growing nicely. It was pretty much in 2 pieces when I got it home. One of those 2 was later knocked loose due to an errant algae scraper but left 3 attachment points behind.

So I now have 2 moderate sized colonies and 3 fragments that are developing as well.

The flow in there is valved down a bit, just enough to keep the gorgonian happy, but not too much as to take away from the reef tank. I'd guess maybe 200-300gph?? I'd prefer to turn it up a bit as I have particulates settling out of suspension but I'd rather not do that at the expense of the flow in the other tank. I think I'm at the limits of the flow on this system, and while it seems to
be adequate, I just can't help but want a little more.

I've got some vacation time coming up in January and plan to attack the aquascaping then. It's going to take me a few weeks to recover from the holidays and get some more rock and another light fixture delivered.

Hopefully, come the end of January I'll have some new aquascaping and some new pics to share. After that it will be time to start giving some thoughts to what I want to put in there.

Brett

 

[Zacrifice]

Brett, How are your two tanks going? any new pictures to show?

How are the nitrites and nitrates going? gone yet or still persisting?

hows that low light side performing? anything new there?

wanting updates desperatly hahaha I find this thread very interesting, wanting to know if the alge filter is working!

Ben

 

[Putawaywet]

Hi everybody,

My apologies for taking so long to get back here but my 2 week vacation turned out to be a 2 week work around the house adventure. I'm also finding a large majority of my time being consumed by a vivarium that recently arrived to take the place of my former 90 gal that just came out.

I'll try to get some updates by the end of the week.

But until then I'll just say that everything is still going well, SPS's are growing fast. Most of the gorgs have started to recover and the fish all seem fat and happy.

Sorry to say though, not a lot of change in the low-light section. I just can't seem to find my inspiration.

But regardless, rest assured, I'll have plenty to talk about. So until then...

Brett

 

[Dragon Wrasse]

Thanks for the ongoing feedback .......much appreciated

 

[reefsociety101]

tagging.