My 20L (pic intense!)

[jasutton]

Finally had some time so i figured i would post my tank up here so you can see and give advice.
Tank: 20L
specs: 300W VHO with home made "custom" hood
HOB refugium from CPR
CPR skimmer
Inhabs: Ocellaris, cleaner shrimp, astreas, nessariuss, turbos, queen conch, various coral (you soon shall see!)

without further adou...
Full tank shot

Bubble:

Green pearly bubble: the one i am trying to nurse back to health...seems to be doing well!

Candy cane: in process of splitting!

Feather duster (one of two)

Green (and i mean green!) zoas:

more to come...

 

[jasutton]

more

more

Pink and green tipped frogspawn:

Unknown LPS (ID would be great!!)

Unknown SPS (and the only one)

Shroom

and Blue Ric

Thanks everyone!!

 

[coker98]

the lps looks like a red open brain and the sps looks like a monti digitata. great pics though

 

[Paladin]

nice pictures

 

[jasutton]

cool thanks guys!

 

[dogstar74]

Love the pink froggy, and the perly Bubble. thanks for sharing.

 

[jasutton]

no thank you!

 

[jasutton]

Impending doom

Impending doom

OK just when i am ready to kick back and watch things grow just waiting to frag things out, disaster strikes.

I was on call all night last night so wasnt home from 6am yesterday until noon today...i come back to a wet apartment. In my sleep deprived state i dont even think about the tank...i run to the window to close them. what a moron i am. its 70 degrees and the nicest day of the year. Anyway it isnt until a full five minutes later that i think to check the tank....sure enough, its missing water. Not all mind you, just enough to taunt me.

Thinking it is my stupid prizm protein skimmer (back up, waiting for a replacement powerhead for my CPR) i bash it against the wall...literally threw it against the wall. Unfortunatelly i didnt clean out the skimmate cup first and now have disgusting slime everywhere. Insult to injury, i clean everything up, and am now sure it wasnt the skimmer :rolleye1:

I put a towel around the tank after the initial mop up and it wont dry out! it should have by now. Problem is i cant find a leak anywhere. But i sit all my small tanks on towels (bad idea??) and this towel its sitting on wont dry up. So i think there is a leak in the BOTTOM of the tank.

Unfortunately i absolutely have to go to a meeting today and cannot get to it until tomorrow. But i think all i will do is buy a new tank, and possibly a new stand, and transfer everything to it. But i will do this tank right...overflor for the skimmer!

any advice and comments are welcome...
even laughter (for the skimmer incident) is ok...

thanks all

jamie

 

[TheCoralReef731]

LOL, you threw it at the WALL!!!. What? If your tank isn't custom, I would get a new one right away. A 20L could only cost up to $30. Any corals dead? How much water is gone?

 

[timschmidt]

Maybe move all your stuff to a big cheap tub until you can actually get to fixing/replacing the tank?

Tim

 

[jasutton]

i am out of town now...that is why i think doom is impending...
i will try to take care of all of this tomorrow though.

all i think i will lose in this is a working protien skimmer and a small colony of zoos and one small hairy mushroom.

but i am worried...

I do have a few question though: if i went with a completely different substrate (i want aragonite sand instead of CC) would i suffer from changing? I mean i think i will lose a bunch of pods, but what i worry about losing is the bacteria...
any thoughts?

Oh and how is the best/easiest way to make an in tank over flow for my skimmer?

thanks all

 

[schwaz]

I do have a few question though: if i went with a completely different substrate (i want aragonite sand instead of CC) would i suffer from changing? I mean i think i will lose a bunch of pods, but what i worry about losing is the bacteria...
any thoughts?

youll have to seed the new stuff with the old stuff to maintain a bacteria culture for nitrification

Oh and how is the best/easiest way to make an in tank over flow for my skimmer?

Id just get a better HOB skimmer. Back pack or Coralife Supoerskim. Or Remora if you can swing it.

 

[EricBrian]

That is a 20L? L as in Liters? That would mean it is a 5 gal. Looks awfully big to be a 5 gal.

 

[jasutton]

20 L=20 long
its shallower and longer than a standard 20 gal

 

[EricBrian]

Ah... Yeah, I was totally confused. LOL

 

[jasutton]

haha i wish it was in liters...less to worry about

 

[jasutton]

schwazz: original skimmer is cpr but am waiting for a replacement pump...and how much should i seed?
30% original stuff?

thanks

 

[smketyr]

Just a cup full will help seed the tank. Hey the tank waaaassss looking good. Get the cheap tub and do the new tank right. I have learned this lesson the hard way.

Good Luck

Tom

 

[tweety69711]

how much you looking to spend on a tank... We have a 75 gal for sale for 250.... tank stand...ect....

let me know

 

[jasutton]

hahah not that much and thats too big! i move around way too much. I dont know where i am going to live in a year. But when i find out where i am more permanent i will def give you a call

thanks guys for all the advice.

Update: roommates=badasses
i had a conference i had to attend and they helped out tons over the night and saved most the live stock! WOOO! all i need to do is transfer today and all will be well.

thanks for all the advice i really do appreciate it.