Foam Rockwall w/ built in refuge for a 26 gal bowfront

Since yesterday's post turned into a unplanned recovery effort post, today's is the tank update.

Check out my cool new fish cam!



I waited a month for it to arrive on the slow boat from China only for the idiot to mail it to the wrong address and it's back on the even slower boat to China. Lol
I got my refund and bought another of equal quality, from the US, and on sale (less than the first one). It was only $23 for a new open box IP camera.
I set it up last week and love it.
Built in WiFi, 720p HD, 2 way communication, and motion detection with IR night vision. Connected to my home internet and can be accessed anywhere on my phone.

I plan to use it while I'm out of town every once in a while to check the operation of everything and water level.

Day


Night



I'll post a pic of my weird *** landlord when he comes snooping around while I'm gone. Lol


Thanks Kenneth for the skimmer tip. I ended up using acrylic instead. Will see the effect it had in the long run.


I ended up breaking off the last partition as it made me nervous. The middle one doesn't touch the water.. But the first one raises the water level about 1/2".

I plastidipped the tops of all my intake and outflow tubes to prevent algae from growing in the tubes and restricting flow - why I had to clean it all again.

HTS - half tank shot


I now think this is a rainbow stylo after looking them up



I think when the light fell in, my big green digi saved it. I now have 4 more descent sized frags that broke off after the event.
 
I also experimented with shortening the skimmer cup. I bought an extra off ebay and made it about an 1" shorter this also helps.. I have put air stones in it, and it work great until thy clog up. I think a impeller mod would help as well, I only had one so I never messed with it. But if you buy a spare it would be worth playing with..I also cut the air venture with a exacto knife to allow more flow past the air tube.your mod looks great..that should work good just watch for overflow on floor ..I have raised the damb to allow water to flow under it as well..some experimenting will get it perfect...I like your idea ...
 
Michael...

Kenneth, I think the stock air valve is decent, sucks if you get water in it or mess with it though. I try Soooooo hard not to knock it in the tank and yet, it always falls in when I'm reinstalling the skimmer after a cleaning..
I wish it had markings instead of guesswork if I adjust it.
I might look for a cheap valve though anyways.

I've always gotten a good skim with it, but the micro bubbles never go away. I tried making some foam pre-filter rings to fit inside, and that helps, but they eventually clog, which ironically helps with the bubbles. Lol
I removed them this go around.

I spent probably an hour and a half in Lowe's today trying to decide which metal things to get to make a new light stand. Ended up walking out empty handed..

I want to find the 24" version of my light so the light can be lower, my wife doesn't like it high. Says it's ugly...
Then I think I'll buy some aluminum flatstock and make two individual supports that arch from behind. We shall see.
 
Vabam!





I couldn't believe I found what I wanted on Craigslist only 1/2 mile from my house and for a decent price. Especially since there are none on eBay now, used to be flooded with them...

It will be 3" of the top and I'll have to figure out a way to hinge it so I can open the screen top. Forgot about that part..

I'm interested to see if the cualastrea likes this extra light and how long the monti spongodes takes to turn green again.




Finally got a good pic of my rbta's 2 mouths. I anticipate a split in the near future :)

 
I finally decided on the material for the new light stand!



Shelving racks. Powder coated white and adjustable.



Completed stand was only $15 and I can raise the light from 1.35" up to 6" off the top. The lid opens at the lowest height and I can open the top completely at the highest notch.
It's mounted with the screws on the side of the light and they aren't visible from the outside.















Finished product!



Also got some chaeto for the 'fuge. Hopefully it thrives and helps clean the water. Has lots of micro brittle stars in it! I combed through it and got all the bristle worms out though.
 
Adjustability adds versatility! That light unit looks tight. I haven't seen it at full power though. How about a FPFTS?
 
Thanks Rick!

Here you go Michael, a FPFTS.


This is 95% blue, 90% white. The max it hits for my lighting schedule.
The difference is now I get full coverage at the top corners with a lower profile.

Figured it might be of use to somebody, so here's my lighting schedule.




It actually has 4 less LED's than the old one even though it is bigger...
 
Thanks Michael and mgoulding!

It's working nicely and definitely convenient. It's solid, unlike the last one, which is ultimately why it fell..

My wife said the tank looks like the pet store. Lol selling a bunch of it locally.



I broke a bunch of the green digi off yesterday moving it around. Moved the Birdsnest down a little bit. Put the monti in the frag rack to be sold as well. Just don't have the room for it :/

Moved the mp10 a little to the left as the rbta was only 1" from it. It's growing pretty good, just needs to split already!



I also moved the gbta as it is starting to lose color being shaded. Moved it next to the rbta in more light and maybe the clowns will follow it and like the rbta also.

 
Interesting update!

My gbta has eggs in it! I posted in the anemone section to whether or not they are eggs, and sure enough.







The eggs may have been released while I was out of town the past few days. Some of them got caught inside the tentacles.
I'm hoping to retrieve some and set up my mini tank just to see what happens.

I don't think anyone has ever successfully had them hatch in a tank, so I'm not optimistic, but it's still pretty cool!





Strange how zoa's aren't affected when the bta touches them..

The happy couple





The blenny living life in the danger zone. Lol




Find smiling Missy.. Lol

Rbta two mouth's

 
Wow, eggs! I wonder how they got into the tentacles. Your pics are really good these days. Is it because of the housing/submerging your phone in the tank?
 
I was shocked too! I was told this is due to stress. The eggs are released inside it instead of out the mouth.. This sounds right since I moved it a week ago.
Still odd though...

BTA Eggs?? thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2566878

Thanks, the two blenny pics are through the glass and the rest are underwater pics with my phone at various magnifications.

Phone case:


*They make iPhone cases for the rest of the population. Lol
 
Little update.
I decided that the toadstool was getting a little big and it was hard to see the green polyps the way it was shaped, so, I took a razor to it.



I sliced 5 lines inward from the outside about an inch long in hopes that it would mushroom out more for better viewing. It's been about 5 days and I'm starting to see some of the polyps come back out. It shrink about half its size afterward.



I'm currently on a 4 day blackout due to bacterial crap buildup. Probably due to my lack of water changes..

I've determined that I do not have chaeto, but some for of caulerpa.. Not to thrilled about this as I didn't want anything that could contaminate the display by going sexual.

I made a light for the mangrove. Probably too late.. It lost is leaves because it didn't get any light the past month or two. I used a flat piece of aluminum, bent it, and attached a 10w cool white LED and wired it through a dimmer and old power supply. Then cut up a soda can as a reflector so I can't see the bright light as it's got no optic. I run it at the lowest setting, hopefully it will regrow.







Lastly, my unknown goby looks pregnant again!
About a month ago it looked really big, pregnant big, and it looked normal that past week. Now it looks pregnant again. It looks just like my freshwater mollies did when I was breeding them back in the day.
This isn't possible because no other fish likes it.. and it stays in the 'fuge all day till it's time to eat and then he's out and about the display all night while the others sleep. Can't find any thing egg-like.

Before:


Now:


 
That's crazy, how soft corals can handle being cut up. Does its unfavorable rearward tilt have anything to do with its relationship to your lights? Would it help if you scooted the toadstool back, so it would tilt forward towards the light?

You've got a bacterial crap buildup? Is that one of those superstitions, where if you don't CALL it cyanobacteria, you don't HAVE cyanobacteria?

That's another slick setup mod, for your mangrove! Hopefully, it will pull through. You may want to screen your skimmer from it.

That's weird with your goby. Simultaneous hermaphroditism? Pre-capture gang bang? Constipation? American diet?

And your cheato's not cheato? If it doesn't look like green pubes, it isn't chaeto. With your water change scheme, it would be very beneficial to have some kind of fast-growing macro to soak up stuff. Cheato and ulva are my favorites for this, but caulerpa works too.
 
Michael Hoaster said:
That's crazy, how soft corals can handle being cut up. Does its unfavorable rearward tilt have anything to do with its relationship to your lights? Would it help if you scooted the toadstool back, so it would tilt forward towards the light?

The whole toadstool is more or less under the big conch shell. The part of the disk closest to the front might be a little taller, but it is basically the same shape it was when I bought it. It doesn't curve in any direction.
I was actually going to cut the whole thing at the base like a tree, but took this approach first. it is secured to the rock and can't be peeled off..

You've got a bacterial crap buildup? Is that one of those superstitions, where if you don't CALL it cyanobacteria, you don't HAVE cyanobacteria?

Exactly! It's a new form of bacterial laziness not known to any other reefer. lol

That's another slick setup mod, for your mangrove! Hopefully, it will pull through. You may want to screen your skimmer from it.

Great Idea, didn't think of that.

That's weird with your goby. Simultaneous hermaphroditism? Pre-capture gang bang? Constipation? American diet?

Of the options, most likely the last one. haha. It actually could be trapped air from eating flakes off the surface. Hoping its prego, but I'm not holding my breath.. I seriously doubt it got lucky before capture as that was a year ago

And your cheato's not cheato? If it doesn't look like green pubes, it isn't chaeto. With your water change scheme, it would be very beneficial to have some kind of fast-growing macro to soak up stuff. Cheato and ulva are my favorites for this, but caulerpa works too.

A local guy gave me some free "cheato", but it definitely isn't because it is leafy and has roots
Click to expand...


Thanks Juniorrocketdad! I love the colors of my bta's as well

The blenny is definitely one of my favorites!
 
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