My 24g Aquapod at 8 Months

[rdmpe]

Hey RJ, do you use the current usa nano skimmer?

 

[rjwilson37]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8123191#post8123191 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rdmpe
Hey RJ, do you use the current usa nano skimmer?

No, I'm skimmerless.

 

[rdmpe]

Cool. There is a good deal on that nano skimmer in the for sale forum (unless it's sold by now) but I'd rather go without due to the noise factor - I need a quiet and simple tank if it's going to go in my office...

Have you done anything to make the filter intake skim off the surface better? I've heard that they don't pull from the surface all that well.

 

[rjwilson37]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8127931#post8127931 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rdmpe
Cool. There is a good deal on that nano skimmer in the for sale forum (unless it's sold by now) but I'd rather go without due to the noise factor - I need a quiet and simple tank if it's going to go in my office...

Have you done anything to make the filter intake skim off the surface better? I've heard that they don't pull from the surface all that well.

The Aquapod's can be setup to only pull from the surface area if you want. If you look at the back right, you can see the slits that go all the way pretty much from top to the bottom, but there are sliding plates that in the back side that cover the slits all the way to the top if you want. I pulled out the top two plates and left the bottom 3 in, so that is pulls mostly from the top 1/4 of the tank. There are two large square/rectangular sponge filter's that sit in the back right, and I rinse them pretty good with the water that comes out of my tank during the weekly water change. It still keep some of the good bacteria on them using the water that comes out of my tank, but get's rid of a lot of the cruddy brown build up inside the sponges.

The only mod I really have from the stock setup, is that I took out the stupid ceramic circle biomedia bag it came with and put in the MJ900 for more water movement.

 

[1jared1]

Nice tank!

 

[rjwilson37]

Thanks 1jared1, I will see if I can get some more nice pictures today.

 

[digitaledge]

Awesome Tank!!!
How many hrs per day to you keep your lights on? How do you get so much coroline algae?
Thanks

 

[rjwilson37]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8150554#post8150554 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by digitaledge
Awesome Tank!!!
How many hrs per day to you keep your lights on? How do you get so much coroline algae?
Thanks

I run my lights for a total of 13 hours, 7am actinics on, 7:30am 10k lights come on, 7:30pm 10k off, and 8pm actinics off. The Actinics run for 13 hours and the 10k's run for 12 hours, where the moonlights just run 24x7.

I think that if your tank is healthy with a good balance you just get tons of coraline algae. I add a couple squirts of AragaMilk about 1 to 2 times a week, since it is a good balanced Calcium/Carbonate buffer that also adds essential Trace Elements, which works wonders for my tank. I find that the AragaMilk product is a a bit stronger on the calcium side than other brands that try to do the same with a single product. I use to use the Kent Liquid Reactor product which is a good balancer, but I had to use some Kent Liquid Calcium along with it, to keep the calcium up around 400-420, since just using the Reactor alone would only me in the 360-380 range. I think that the 360-380 is not bad and still an ok level for calcium, but I prefer things in the 400-420 range as a minimum for LPS corals.

 

[rjwilson37]

The one thing that I have found in my 4 years of experience, is that everyone has to find what works best for them. You can take advice from a lot of us here at RC, but all in all, you will find that your tanks maintenance will vary depending on what work's best for you. I think that the different suppliments that we use, work slightly differently depending on your water. My buddy at work has found that he uses a different tank maintenance meathod, he lives in the city where his RO water is different than mine. I use well water that runs through my house water treatment system, and it does very well for me. I probably could take the extra step and get an RO unit to make sure it is better, but I have never had a problem with using my water the way it is, so why have an extra cost or worry.

 

[rjwilson37]

The history of my first LPS coral and the only original first tank coral that I still have.

My Green Brain Coral's transition over the years, first you can see it in my 29g.

Green Brain somewhere around May 2003, here in the upper left under 130w PC Lighting.

Here it is June 2003

December 2003

February 2004, I switched to T5's and it was bleaching out a bit, so I moved it lower.

May 2004, Finally you can see it was recovering before my move to a 55g.

 

[rjwilson37]

Here it is in the 55g after my move from the 29g to this 55g.

May 2004

October 2004, in the bottom left.

May 2005, still in the bottom left.

June 2005, just before my move to a 90g.

 

[rjwilson37]

Here it is in the new 90g tank.

Sept. 2005 on the bottom right.

January 2006, it was never really fully happy in the 90g.

March 2006, just before it moved into the Nano.

 

[rjwilson37]

Week 1 of the Eel nano tank.

April 2006, It was moved into the Nano tank.

Sept 2006, here we are now today.

 

[rjwilson37]

A couple more pictures from today.

 

[fcatano]

That's a crime to have that eel on that little tank. Don't you think?

 

[rjwilson37]

I am pretty sure that all the Eels we reefer's keep don't want to be in our little tanks and would rather be in the big blue ocean, but we like to have a small piece of the ocean in our houses and here we all are. This is a hobby and we do the best we can with it. He will move to my new 93g cube next year, where I am sure he will appreciate the space improvement, but this is best I can do for him right now.

 

[MaryBebo]

RJ, Things sure have changed over the years. You are truly a reefer. Awesome tanks all through your journey.

 

[mmd]

That's a crime to have that eel on that little tank. Don't you think?
--
Actually I might and I often thought rj's 55 and other tanks were too small for his tang and hi bioload...
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HOWEVER, i have followed many of his threads and i believe he is one on the more consciencous and responsible people on here. and believe his husbandry and attention to his animals cancels out the sometimes a little bit small issues.
--
I learned alot from his threads and always enjoy his pics, infact this is one of the better threads as now i can enjoy all of his tanks in one threrad.
--\
rj got me into t5's monti caps and my first snowflake...
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just my .02

 

[rjwilson37]

Thanks Mary, Where did you get your 85 RR cube by the way?

Thanks Michael, I appreciate the vote of confidence.

My Eel will have a bigger home again some day, I'm just not sure when that will actually be as of yet, but it will happen.

 

[robster]

I am also curious about the 85 cube.