Islandoftiki
New member
It took all weekend to break down two tanks and combine them into one bigger, better tank. The results are AWESOME!
Here's a quick video tour..
Here's a quick video tour..
Ms. Peacock
- Thread starter Islandoftiki
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Islandoftiki
New member
Well, this isn't really a surprise. It looks like Betty is getting ready to molt. Just like she did when I transferred her old tank to my place. I kinda suspected she'd go into molt when switching tanks.
The Entrance to the left side of the den is completely blocked off.
And she's in the process of blocking off the right side as I type this.
Let's hope all goes well. It should. The water quality in this new tank is absolutely perfect.
The Entrance to the left side of the den is completely blocked off.
And she's in the process of blocking off the right side as I type this.
Let's hope all goes well. It should. The water quality in this new tank is absolutely perfect.
Islandoftiki
New member
Looks like she molted sometime in the last 24 hours. I can see the uropods and part of the telson at one end of the den and she's peeked out a couple times. I haven't seen her enough to see what her raptorial appendages look like now. Hopefully the one is fully developed now and the other is starting to re-grow.
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Fartin'Gary
New member
Bio pellets skimmer DIY? Lets see this device you speak of!
Islandoftiki
New member
I was actually thinking about a biopellet reactor, but I've heard too many horror stories about them crashing tanks. How is yours working? I need to research them a little more. I've also considered carbon dosing, but again, I know just enough to get myself in trouble. We'll see how the refugium works out. I think I'm going to build a custom LED fixture to light it. I'm not even imagining a nitrate issue with this tank. Oh man, you should have seen the horror that was in that crushed coral substrate that came out of the 20 gallon tank. I just threw it all in the trash.
GrizFyrFyter
New member
Bio pellets, gfo, carbon dosing all increase bacteria population, good and bad. I think they key is to start slow and do everything gradually. I use an Diy turf scrubber on my big tank and it works very well.
Islandoftiki
New member
A turf scrubber would be awesome, but I don't see any practical way to do it in this tank. I can get a pretty good volume of macro algae into the fuge, so I think that should provide some good nitrate export.
If I can squeeze it in, I'll probably run a phosphate reactor once I get everything else all dialed in.
Islandoftiki
New member
Some of the discarded pieces of the molt:
It's remarkable to look at these pieces up close and personal. The level of detail and all of the intricate shapes are stunning. There is some serious engineering going on here.
It's remarkable to look at these pieces up close and personal. The level of detail and all of the intricate shapes are stunning. There is some serious engineering going on here.
GrizFyrFyter
New member
There are some Clever turf scrubbers designed to operate in the back area of a biocube. Lots of Diy things out there but a skimmer and fuge should do the trick unless you add a sump.
Islandoftiki
New member
Ok, guys, check this out!
Look beyond the obvious stunningly beautiful colors and pay attention to all of the amazing forms and shapes of these pieces and imagine how each of these unusual forms have some practical and useful purpose in the mantis shrimp world. This is some seriously next level kind of biological engineering...
Look beyond the obvious stunningly beautiful colors and pay attention to all of the amazing forms and shapes of these pieces and imagine how each of these unusual forms have some practical and useful purpose in the mantis shrimp world. This is some seriously next level kind of biological engineering...
Islandoftiki
New member
Good news! Betty is dual wielding again! She came out of her burrow enough to see her left raptorial appendage is back to 100% and her right one is back and about 30%. She looks awesome. She was watching me from her burrow and gnawing on a piece of molt shell. It looked a bit chewy.
Islandoftiki
New member
Hey folks, my fiance has her Etsy store up and for those of you who were interested in mantis shrimp mugs, she has a few available, and more will be posted in the next two weeks.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PeaDogStudios?section_id=14419254
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PeaDogStudios?section_id=14419254
Islandoftiki
New member
I did the very first water change on this tank since it was set up. Prior to doing the water change, I ran a full battery of tests (except pH).
Calc: 440
Alk: 7.0
Mag: 1350
Phos: 0.04
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
So far, so good. There was no detectable mini-cycle after the upgrade. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate remained 0 throughout the week.
The chaeto fuge is doing great. It's growing very well. The skimmer is just about broken in and is starting to produce skimmate.
All of the corals look happy. Betty looks happy, and Barney has stopped burying the corals in sand now that he's built his own little den at the back of the tank and he's not bugging Betty any more.
Betty's molt went well and she's looking great. She's a little lighter olive green now. She's been hanging out in her den a lot as she usually does for the first week or two after a molt. She's still munching away at bits of molt shell and has only taken krill once.
The tank looks amazing. I should have the light next week.
Calc: 440
Alk: 7.0
Mag: 1350
Phos: 0.04
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
So far, so good. There was no detectable mini-cycle after the upgrade. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate remained 0 throughout the week.
The chaeto fuge is doing great. It's growing very well. The skimmer is just about broken in and is starting to produce skimmate.
All of the corals look happy. Betty looks happy, and Barney has stopped burying the corals in sand now that he's built his own little den at the back of the tank and he's not bugging Betty any more.
Betty's molt went well and she's looking great. She's a little lighter olive green now. She's been hanging out in her den a lot as she usually does for the first week or two after a molt. She's still munching away at bits of molt shell and has only taken krill once.
The tank looks amazing. I should have the light next week.
GrizFyrFyter
New member
Are you worried about the reef light increasing shell rot risk?
Islandoftiki
New member
As many people have discovered, peacock mantis can be kept healthy in extremely high water quality conditions, including brightly lit SPS tanks.
My aim is to keep the water quality high enough for healthy SPS corals. Of course, the tank already has a variety of SPS corals that are doing well.
Water quality is by far more important than lighting in regard to shell rot. Betty also has a very dark burrow where she can stay out of the light if desired.
Also, her diet is supplemented with Selcon or Vitachem which will contribute to her overall health. All in all, I don't expect any issues with shell rot. Obviously, I will be keeping a close eye on her for any signs.
I feel that I can keep the water quality much higher in a lighted tank than in an unlit tank. This new tank already has water quality far and above that of her old 20 gallon and it should be no issue to keep it there with this setup.
Stay tuned. I'll be reporting any issues that I observe.
GrizFyrFyter
New member
My assumptions are in line with your thought process, just wanted to see what someone with more experience thought about it. I have a kessil on mine, tank is doing well but he killed a snail and didn't eat it so I had to do a couple water changes.
Islandoftiki
New member
It kinda boils down to this. We know that shell rot is not well understood. You cannot find one single article on the internet that really describes the mechanisms behind shell rot clearly.
The current zeitgeist is that for O. Scyllarus and others that are susceptible to shell rot, water quality is of the highest importance. Good news... Keeping high water quality isn't all that difficult once you have a bit of experience in reefing.
Obviously the other known factor is lighting, and that seems to be pretty poorly understood beyond the fact that we know that cool white light seems to have fewer issues with shell rot. My thinking is this. Peacock mantis are a deeper water species, so they're going to receive a bluer light than shallow water species. So, to me, it seems logical to try to emulate a slightly bluer spectrum. In my case, I'm going with a Maxspect Razor Nano light in the 16k spectrum. Whites and blues are independently adjustable, so I'll be going as blue as I can while still making the SPS corals happy. I'm also going to go for the shortest photo period that is practical for the corals.
As far as filtration goes, this tank really has the goods. I've got a really decent skimmer, chaeto fuge (that's growing like a beast), and enough room for all of the chemical filtration you could ever want. Purigen, Chemipure elite, PolyBioMarine filter pad, and extra room for GFO if needed. Plus, the ATO keeps the tank +/- about 1/2 cup of water.
I also have all of the needed test kits to make sure everything is going properly.
I could also easily add a UV sterilizer if necessary... I don't imagine it will be.
We've already learned recently that even an unlit tank with poor water quality will lead to shell rot. Thus far, after over a year, my G. Ternatensis tank which is lit and well maintained is going very well. Chuck has shown no signs of shell rot (and he molts very infrequently since he's an old man). In fact, he looks super healthy to my eyes.
GrizFyrFyter
New member
Sounds good. The mantis tank is my zoa garden, there is some ambient room light and I only run the kessil (a150w ocean blue) 2 to 4 hours a day while I'm close (tanks in my bedroom). I'd love to tie his tank into my 75gallon reef tank system but I already have 2 reef tanks in the living room.
Thanks again for sharing so much.
Thanks again for sharing so much.
Islandoftiki
New member
Last night, my fiance and I pulled up a couple stools and just sat and watched the new tank for about 1/2 hour. Betty was back to her pre-molt interactiveness and doing her best to melt our hearts. She and Barney have come to terms and Barney has found his own personal favorite place in the tank. Barney has stopped burying corals in sand after excavating his own personal den, which he seems to be very happy with (this is not a damsel fish behavior that I, or anyone else I know is familiar with). He had built his own den in the former tank as well. He no longer covets Betty's den and hasn't tried to nip her in the butt or tail slap her in the face out of jealousy after that first day. I'm really happy with how they're getting along now. It's just like before the tank move. Happy critters.
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