aggressive lagoon

[hobogato]

darnit! turns out the k4 i was using was releasing stray voltage - apparently quite a bit. after running it a few hours, all of the corals looked ticked off and several of the damsels were dead with some black streaks on them an some bare spots. the clam also was nearly closed tight.

today, i reworked the surface cleaner and added a carbon media reactor - all of which are now powered by a new mj 900, so hopefully no more stray voltage.

here is the new setup

only 7 of the 17 damsels lived, and the clam still looks iffy. nearly all of the corals look happy as can be tho.

 

[Koshmar]

Well, look on the bright side, at least you didn't have a new batch of cuttles in there.
This is turning out to be really neat. I can't wait until it is cuttle ready.

 

[Hartdude]

Going to hop on board. Nice set up!!

 

[hobogato]

well, i am ready to get some cuttles in the tank and another local reefer sent me a link to an online store that has cl/ch cuttles. i ordered some for my classroom as well as four for this tank. rather than keep them in netbreeders, i fabricated this holding chamber in preparation

here is a quick fts from the other night

will be trying to catch those damsels before long to rehome them so they dont become cuttle food....

 

[RobH]

I love your aquascaping. Wish I could do mine a little better. No matter what I do it just looks like I piled rocks in the sand

Also, the surface clearing contraption you made was pretty neat, clever idea.

 

[Ddanaher]

Very cool, im tagging along to watch your progress, great tank..

 

[hobogato]

thanks for the comments - keep your fingers crossed for me, cuttles should arrive tomorrow

 

[bradleym]

I'm really rooting for you! I am dreaming of my own cuttlefish tank someday and your thread is inspiring because I always get frustrated when things go wrong. It's a relief to know I'm not alone.

 

[meatball87]

any updates???

 

[hobogato]

quantum view has them scanned out for dilevery... should be here some time this mornig

 

[Elysia]

Hope that they arrive safely.

I, too, really like the box you made for your powerhead that turned it into a water surface skimmer. I can see something like that having a lot of applications for seahorse tanks.
There are so many things to like about it. One, for those who do not have a sump, you could make the box a bit larger and place a heater in it (if one was necessary.) Then, if you had delicate curious animals (which I would guess cuttles are, and horses surely are), you could prevent heater burns while still placing the heater in an area with good flow.
Second, it gets those pesky cords out of reach of curious seahorse tails. The cords aren't necessarily a risk, but if you also have pet cats and/or dogs, then you know that it can be difficult to keep them out of the extra cordage that form drip loops, and that tugging on cords can get seahorses into dangerous situations.
And finally, the box, if cut like your box for your baby cuttles, can help keep hitching seahorses from powerhead impellers.

Sorry to get so off-track, but it really is a great idea!

 

[hobogato]

thanks elysia, sounds like you may have a couple of projects to build now

ok, they are tiny but look healthy

here they are drip acclimating in a 1 gallon pitcher

here are a couple of individual shots (pun intended) of one in transfer to the tank

here they are in their new home - had to add the net breeder because i was worried about them getting thru the slots in the acrylic holding box

here they are with some macro - four are visible

 

[profntbtr]

man that is too cool. i'll have to come by and see that some day soon. my experience is with the larger s. oficinalis. i put together a set of tanks at an art museum, and as it was an art piece the artist wasn't as considerate of their needs as she should have been, but i figured that i was the best chance at survival they had, but they expired after a month or so. tragic. tragic.

 

[Drewhop]

Amazing tank. Do you have anymore pictures of that lil homemade skimmer you have I want to give it a shot I like little projects like that.

 

[hobogato]

thanks mike, come by any time

drewhop, i willl snap a few in a while and shoot ya a pm.

 

[Drewhop]

thanks mike, come by any time

drewhop, i willl snap a few in a while and shoot ya a pm.

Thanks I appreciate it.

 

[blenniday-o]

this thank is awesome, and i am def. hopping on board the cuttle train. i too, like a few others here, am interested in making a cuttle lagoon. this thread is turning out to be a very valuable learning experience and would like any other input/advice that you or anyone else can give me to bring my goal to fruition. keep up the good work, and keep the pics and updates coming!

 

[MrMarth]

Just wondering if there were any updates. I'm amazed by how much of your tank is based on fabrication. Very impressive.

 

[usefulidiot213]

Love it.. Tank looks great, and the Cuttles are awesome little animals.

 

[hobogato]

thanks for the comments all.

i had to take almost everything out of the tank on Sunday to remove the damsels. here is the tank a couple days after i put it all back together. the rockwork is a little different, but i think i like it better.

i got some live mysids today, and three of the four baby cuttles ate as soon as i put some in with them, but the fourth one didnt and it doesnt look like it will make it.

i put the rest of the mysids into the tank to try to establish a colony in there - looked almost like it was snowing until they found areas to settle into on the bottom

when i know it wont bother them, i will work on getting some video of the cuttles eating