Thought I would post a FTS & Misc so I can keep track of how things progress.
The tank is a JBJ 12Gallon NanoCube Deluxe. It sports 2 X 24W PC bulbs (50/50), and three rear chambers for filtration/etc.
I decided to mod my cube slightly, the first chamber I removed the sponges and filled it with chemi-pure elite at the bottom, followed by a layer of carbon, and topped with filter floss and my temp monitor. The second chamber I removed the ceramic rings, and added a 10W submersible light with some chaeto (I also left the six bio balls in the 2nd chamber.). The third chamber I stuck a Marineland Stealth Heater.
Here's the initial shot with about 8lbs. of Tonga LR I purchased from my LFS (semi-cured). Amazingly there are only two pieces of rock in there. One is really, really big. I used boxed NSW (from petco) for the initial fill, and am using gallon jugs of distilled for top-offs and water changes.
Tank with rock (day 2):
All my gear:
The tank cycled fully in about 2 weeks, as the rock was pretty much cured and I gave it a boost with a bacteria dose.
I added my clean up crew of about 6 hermits and 4 Nass. snails.
I also ordered some corals from LiveAquaria, the Polyp & Mushroom pack, and the Candy Cane LPS medium size.
Tank & Stand:
Hood open (sweet algae shot):
FTS (Apr. 03):
As you can tell, the water is slightly hazy since adding the corals, I don't know if this is attributed to them acclimating or what, but there is a clear difference between now and the original FTS.
Some close ups:
Colony Polyps (I think):
Hairy Mushroom (I think):
Candy Cane Coral:
I'm thinking the brown stuff on the Candy Cane is dino algae? Not sure on that.
I've also found this "blob" on the back of the hairy mushroom rock, no clue what it is, but it seriously looks like a giant blob, and it even sways with the current, pretty creepy. It's the same color as the bullseye mushrooms, but thats where the resemblance stops!
If anyone has any tips/hints, please let me know. I'm a total newbie. The tank is currently about 3 weeks old, so the algae bloom isn't really surprising me at this point, hopefully it subsides here in the near future.
The tank is a JBJ 12Gallon NanoCube Deluxe. It sports 2 X 24W PC bulbs (50/50), and three rear chambers for filtration/etc.
I decided to mod my cube slightly, the first chamber I removed the sponges and filled it with chemi-pure elite at the bottom, followed by a layer of carbon, and topped with filter floss and my temp monitor. The second chamber I removed the ceramic rings, and added a 10W submersible light with some chaeto (I also left the six bio balls in the 2nd chamber.). The third chamber I stuck a Marineland Stealth Heater.
Here's the initial shot with about 8lbs. of Tonga LR I purchased from my LFS (semi-cured). Amazingly there are only two pieces of rock in there. One is really, really big. I used boxed NSW (from petco) for the initial fill, and am using gallon jugs of distilled for top-offs and water changes.
Tank with rock (day 2):
All my gear:
The tank cycled fully in about 2 weeks, as the rock was pretty much cured and I gave it a boost with a bacteria dose.
I added my clean up crew of about 6 hermits and 4 Nass. snails.
I also ordered some corals from LiveAquaria, the Polyp & Mushroom pack, and the Candy Cane LPS medium size.
Tank & Stand:
Hood open (sweet algae shot):
FTS (Apr. 03):
As you can tell, the water is slightly hazy since adding the corals, I don't know if this is attributed to them acclimating or what, but there is a clear difference between now and the original FTS.
Some close ups:
Colony Polyps (I think):
Hairy Mushroom (I think):
Candy Cane Coral:
I'm thinking the brown stuff on the Candy Cane is dino algae? Not sure on that.
I've also found this "blob" on the back of the hairy mushroom rock, no clue what it is, but it seriously looks like a giant blob, and it even sways with the current, pretty creepy. It's the same color as the bullseye mushrooms, but thats where the resemblance stops!
If anyone has any tips/hints, please let me know. I'm a total newbie. The tank is currently about 3 weeks old, so the algae bloom isn't really surprising me at this point, hopefully it subsides here in the near future.