Diary of a Newbie's 46g Tank. What to do Next?

[robilium]

Here is some Xenia!

So check this out! Is this a brain coral? It has most deinitly been crowing. During the days then the lights are on it fills up with water and at night it seems to shrink back down. This is also my best coraline although it is hard to tell with the blue. There is pink, purple and red.

Arial shot of the polyps and Urchin. Anyone know if Roayl Urchins eat Coraline?

 

[robilium]

So I am planning on putting together a refugium. I would like to cut off about 20% of my water going into the sump and put it into a 20g high tank. That water would then over flow via a drilled down into my 30g Oceanic Sump. The 20g high is like 21-24" tall and the sump is aroun 18" high.

I purchased the following tank pre drilled form my LFS:

It was $100 even. Is it just me or does that seem high to anyone else? I thought 20g tanks were only like 25-30$. Then what ever the cost of drilling would be. The LFS said the tank was more like 50$ and it would cost someone $50 to drill the hole because it is tempered.

Can anyone comment on this plan?

 

[robilium]

Oh not to brain dump too much but I also had a problem with high nitrates for awhile. Caused the outbreak og 1" thick hair algae. The nitrates were about 50. So following peoples advice in other threads I:

1. Removed the sponge form the Oceanic Sump - it was un-needed..
2. Cleaned the sponge in my overflow.
3. Changed 25% water two weeks in a row.

Now the nitrates appear to be down around 10.

I also started testing for calcium - I want coraline to grow! My calcium is at 350 and I would like to get it to 400-420. So I started dosing with Kent Liquid Calcium - I will switch to Kalkwasser when I actually get the rest of my rocks, aquascape, and add corals.

 

[robilium]

Hey all, So i have decided to reverse my strategy. Given that my TBS rock still hasnt arrived I purchased some a really awesome peice of FIJI rock. It was in the shape of a giant arch with lots of coraline and passage ways.

Given the new rock i have decided to begin my aquascaping and continue with my tank. When and IF the TBS rock comes I will cycle it in a different tank (what will become the refugium). This way I can begin to populate the display tank.

I would LOVE comments on the aquascaping

Fiesty the Damsel and one of the arches "legs"

 

[robilium]

No Commments?



Lil Bump

 

[Freeskier98]

Looks good!. That rock on that top looks like its leaning just a tad.. Do you have secured at all? Other than that nice progress.

Oh and that overflow box. You might want to move it to one of the corners so its out of the way. It will block more light if its in the middle, compared to one of the corners.


Question for you. About how much flow would you say is coming through that return line back into the tank? If you wanted a little more flow. You might want to look into some Seio's. Im running 2 820's on my 55 and love them.

Keep us posted on updates!

 

[PUGroyale]

Looks good so far... :thumbsup: Just a small tip on aquascaping, if you can leave just enough space behind your rockwork to run a magnet cleaner it will really help out with maintanance.

 

[Spuds725]

Looks real good--

The 20H will work fine-- I prefer a shallower fuge for growing Macro algaes but you will be fine with that for the size of your display--

I'm in planning stages for a 135 and will be using a longer shallower tank for my fuge-- I'm gonna try and build an acrylic one with a gravity return to tank-- my pump chops the bigger pods. I will be running an entirely different sump for my skimmer, heater, etc...

Good luck getting that Damsel out-- you will wish you hadn't done that.

 

[alphaferret]

that does seem to much for a 20 high
i like that last rock
keep up the updates

 

[xtrstangx]

I'd say you got ripped off on the 20 X-high. Thats about how much a 55g undrilled would cost.

 

[robilium]

Thanks for the comments guys!

Freeskier The rock does look be be leaning forward a bit doesn't it? I was undecided how I wanted to organize it. It actually fits right in as there are grooves in each rock that allow it to fit snugly and securly. In the end I lerned that in bonsai you want your image to be leaning towards you to give an impression of depth and distance and decided to leave it there... for now

PUGroyale I was wondering about the rock being close to the glass. I cant really magent behind it all that easy now because of the plumbing and the taped on blue/black backdrop. But do you really clean the black glass? For some reason I thought coraline was supposed to grow there?

Spuds Hey Spuds! Ya this tank is 24" high - so pretty high. I am planning on Using a pretty strong light. Will a 90w Halogen spotlight be ok?

Xstrangx and alpha ferret So come to find out this tank is not a 20H at all it is a 20XH which is a brand new model from AGA this year. The 20XH is 24" tall vs. the 16" for a 20H. Since my sump is 17" high I really needed the extra room so that I could make an eay overflow from the refug directly into the sump.


PICTURES COMING SOON!

 

[robilium]

Fish update! Added a Fire Cleaner Shrimp and a Lawnmower Blenny "Lenny". Original eh?

The fire shrimp is a riot - he chases the damsel around and tries to clean him. He is about twice the size of the damsel - and he seems pretty annoyed.

As for the damsel, the wife has grown somewhat attached which is ok. He does have alot of personality. The cool thing is that he doesnt seem to be very aggressive at all. Lenny and himself get along great, even sharing the same cave sometimes. Lenny just seems to rule the roost, he loves sittin on the top rock and posing.

 

[robilium]

Found the MANTIS! He hangs out in the big archway, there is a small hole facing the font of the tank. I can look at him anytime of the day and he is just sitting there hanging out. I baited my water bottle trap with a silverside and stepped back to watch. The Mantis came out of the hole a full 2"+! and I still couldnt see the end of his tail. Everythime I thought the mantis was gonna mke a break for it into the trap Fise-ty the Damsel would swim over and chase him back in!

 

[robilium]

Sorry I havent provided an update for awhile - been busy reading everyone else's threads!

Update! Finally! I have caught the mantis! TRIUMPHANT! Sad thing is it took me 4 months to do. He is a fiesty lil sucker weighing in at about 2"+ in length and is a nice green color. If anyone is in the MA/NH area and would like him he is FT!

FYI to catch him I had to actually take the rock out and do the turkey baster carbonated water squirt trick. The mantis was far to smart for any of the traps.

 

[robilium]

Full Tank Shot. - Needs some more rock.....

Unbelievably nice Hammer "frag" from reefcentral member PHreef. Not really so much a frag as it is a coral with 5 heads and is about 5" across. Very highly recommend PHreef's livestock! The picture is a bit washed out, but next to the hammer is some form of coral, a brain?, that has grown from 1/2 to 2" and split once. Can someone ID this coral?

Two other "frags" shown from PHreef. A huge frogspan - about 6" and a 2" Davils hand attached to a 1lb rock with 3 mushroom polyps. An excellant score! I did break a peice of the stem off unforunatley I assume the Frogspawn will grow that back.

Fise-ty has proven to be very unagressive, not once bothering our Lawnmower blenny. In fact he is a social butter fly and tries to be in every pic I take. The Devils hands is shown.

Here is a great picture of our GSP shell and Fire Cleaner Shrimp.

 

[robilium]

I have also changed the flow and tank turnover design. I now have both the 200-300gph return and a Seio 620 in one corner. The Seio is pointed downwards and the return is pointed up. The SEIO creates a circular flow around the tank, the water flows arounf the bowed part of te glass and returns towards the SEIO along he back of the tank. The return breaks the water at the top to prevent skum buildup.

 

[robilium]

HELP - SAVE ME!

HELP - SAVE ME!

Hahaha a little bit of humor. This looks like the shrimp is banging on the glass trying to get away from the crab behind it! :strooper: ID on the Crab? I assume it is a Gorilla crab due to the hair/black tip claws, but he has purple highlights on him hich is a bit different

 

[robilium]

I am also still fighting some CYANO. Thus the flow redesign. I have been doing the normal Cyano battling things, water changes, syphoning/vacumming the sand bed, applying chemi pure, increasing/changing water flow. I guess its just parts of the new tank syndrome? Lets see if it is gone now....

 

[robilium]

More pics of tank and corals

More pics of tank and corals

To Xenia frags from my buddy Paul at work. These guys have changed so MUCH. They used to be short. Now they are long and gangly, is this normal?!?!?!

BEFORE -

AFTER -

 

[robilium]

Left Side Tank shot - and yes the rock on the top is secure Trick of bonsai that any thing leaning forward at the top creates a perception of depth.

Right Tankshot with IDs from bottom to top, Hammer, FrogSpawn, Devil Hand, then TBS Cup Coral (Bottom right with translucent arms)?