My Nano (12 gallon Aquapod)

[crabfan]

I recently set up a 12 gallon Aquapod. I'm happy with how it has gone thus far and thought I'd post a few images of the setup.

Since the main residents are a burrowing shrimp & goby combo, I did a mixed size sandbed that is about 2" inches in depth. The sandbed is composed of three different grades (standard aragamax sugar sized, "fiji pink" reef sand that with slightly larger grains, and a very large grade of small seashells that I picked up at Fuji's) so the buddies could create stable burrows.

The live rock is supported with a couple of short PVC sections to prevent a collapse from the burrowing activity. I also created a very secure rockwork structure (using probably 12 - 15 nano appropriate baseball sized pieces) by drilling through the rocks with a long masonry bit and inserting solid 1/4" inch acrylic rods through the rock. This was the first time I'd tried that approach, but won't be the last, as it worked out great. It allowed me to create a fairly complex structure with caves/overhangs that wouldn't have been feasible otherwise.

Overall Tank View (look closely - shrimp/goby are front and center!)
<img src="http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/4284/75033whole_tank.jpg" border="0" alt=""></font></p>

Neon Orange Yuma
<img src="http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/4284/75033neon_yuma.jpg" border="0" alt=""></font></p>

Orange Mushroom
<img src="http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/4284/75033orange_shroom.JPG" border="0" alt=""></font></p>

Blasto
<img src="http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/4284/75033blasto.jpg" border="0" alt=""></font></p>

Shrimp & Yellow Watchman Goby
<img src="http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/4284/75033shrimp_goby__Small_.jpg" border="0" alt=""></font></p>


I've got several more images in my gallery....please check them out. Any comments / suggestions are welcome!

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=4284&ppuser=75033&papass=&thumb=1

 

[Kigs]

I love the aquascape and the orange yuma! great looking tank crabfan!

 

[Newreeflady]

Sweet rockwork! Great idea with the drilling and pvc support. I might have to employ those. We'll see how good old rock piling goes, then i'll decide.


-A

 

[crabfan]

Try it...

Try it...

Try it and you will like it. The old rock piling method is a thing of the past for me. Plus, on this tank with the shrimp/goby constantly producing burrows (my little shrimp is very industrious...he probably moves a pound of rock a day), an unstable loose rock pile would have been a disaster.

I had tried to glue some rocks together using the HD aquamend epoxy and it just didn't work at all. Then I read about the acrylic rod method in Calfo's coral prop book (I believe he calls them rock-ka-bobs) and thought I'd give it a try. Works great.

Find a local plastic shop and the solid acrylic rods are cheap. I got some 1/4" diameter for the nano and some 3/8" for my larger tank. The long masonry bits (mine are probably a foot long) were fairly pricey at HD....maybe $8 or 10....but in my opinion the result was worth the expense.

 

[Newreeflady]

Definitely consider it depending on the pieces I get for the tank. I love the look you've created and it's definitely not possible by just piling.

Cute shrimp/watchman pair. I am considering a small blenny for my tank, or I might try to train another mandarin fish to eat frozen food

-A