vikinglord's 29 Gallon Biocube

[vikinglord13]

Hey all,

I'll plan to post updates on my 29G biocube here. I'll be posting a video to Youtube tomorrow so hopefully I can link it before I go to bed before tomorrow night.

Anyways, my current system is a Sixline Wrasse, Azure Damsel, and a Black Blenny. I'm glad they all get along.

As far as corals: various zoanthids, blue sympodium which is my favorite, some shrooms, and a gorgonian.

Inverts: some astrea snails, maybe one trochus snail, a nassarius snail, about 4/5 zebra hermits, 1 dwarf blue-leg hermit, and a hitchhiker crab that I think belongs in the Xanthid group.

Lighting: I just gutted the default stuff and have upgraded to a current LED strip. I like it so far, I'll be making a review video for youtube in a couple weeks.

Filtration: primarily biological with a "cryptic" zone in the first chamber, and a refugium/scrubber in the second chamber. I siphon the sand when I do my monthly water changes and have a filter pad only then.

 

[vikinglord13]

Here's a quick update video. So far I'm liking these Current LED lights. I'll be doing a review video soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBpNPjUlNjM&t=3s

 

[Wind]

Nice green shrooms. lol

 

[vikinglord13]

Haha I like my shrooms!

 

[vikinglord13]

Here's a quick update video. I've been pretty lazy with pump maintenance and monitoring my water chemistry and now I'm paying for it. Oy vay.

https://youtu.be/7i_jp_dibYY

 

[vikinglord13]

So here's a quick video montage I made of my trip to Birch back in 2019, I thought you guys might enjoy it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqaAeiIpFwE

 

[Wind]

Do u have a video on the equipment?

 

[vikinglord13]

Pump is basic coralife pump that came with it. Chamber 2 is just a refugium with green hair algae and stuff. I will have a light review video in a few weeks, I'm wanting to wait a bit longer to see if I have any problems with it, particularly with how the corals are responding.

 

[vikinglord13]

Strangely enough, some of my zoanthids look off again. The remaining orange passion fruits died within a coupke days of my "lighting problems" recording. Now my eagle-eye zoas are giving me a problem. I've noticed two things:
1) what appear to be black dots on the zoas
2) the asterinas are on them. For quite a few years these guys never gave me a problem so I've been thinking they're eating dying tissue or dying zoas.

I just tested my water and pH is 7.8; ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are 0; Alkalinity is 7.6, Magnesium is 1340, and Calcium is 445. I don't have phosphate test kit so I'm not sure what that is.

I'm thinking the problem is either
A) disease
B) insufficient trace elements
C) asterinas

What do you guys think?

 

[vikinglord13]

Here's a link to my somewhat recent visit to the Greater Cleveland Aquarium a few months ago, I figured some of you may enjoy it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoyQxUvOe-U&ab_channel=ZokomoTV

 

[Jimbob]

Thanks for sharing the video of the GCA [MENTION=338560]vikinglord13[/MENTION] ... looks like a pretty nice aquarium and it's great to see how well they have preserved the architecture and "feel" of the original industrial/warehouse setting.

The section dedicated to humankind's impact on the oceans and aquatic life taking hold was pretty neat as were the corals, shrimp, and starfish at around the 10:38 mark.

Nice to not have massive crowds of people too!

 

[Jimbob]

Strangely enough, some of my zoanthids look off again. The remaining orange passion fruits died within a coupke days of my "lighting problems" recording. Now my eagle-eye zoas are giving me a problem. I've noticed two things:
1) what appear to be black dots on the zoas
2) the asterinas are on them. For quite a few years these guys never gave me a problem so I've been thinking they're eating dying tissue or dying zoas.

I just tested my water and pH is 7.8; ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are 0; Alkalinity is 7.6, Magnesium is 1340, and Calcium is 445. I don't have phosphate test kit so I'm not sure what that is.

I'm thinking the problem is either
A) disease
B) insufficient trace elements
C) asterinas

What do you guys think?

How did you make out on your issues with the zoanthids earlier this year?

Any photos of the tank to share?

 

[vikinglord13]

Thanks for sharing the video of the GCA [MENTION=338560]vikinglord13[/MENTION] ... looks like a pretty nice aquarium and it's great to see how well they have preserved the architecture and "feel" of the original industrial/warehouse setting.

The section dedicated to humankind's impact on the oceans and aquatic life taking hold was pretty neat as were the corals, shrimp, and starfish at around the 10:38 mark.

Nice to not have massive crowds of people too!

Thanks Jimbob! I enjoyed that aquarium immensely. I really liked the shark - ray tunnel, I thought it was awesome.

As for the zoanthids, I still can't figure out what's going on with them. It's plausible it's the lights. I've read elsewhere people hate the Current lights. I don't have a PAR meter to double-check which PAR I'm getting. I also think I should run carbon again, I usually don't run it regularly because the stupid mesh always clogs - even when I put it under my fine filter floss. I'm anxious to get a larger tank, though I don't see that happening for years at this point; dang things cost too much!

I recently tested my parameters and my nitrates were low, around 5 and my phosphate was nonexistant. I have noticed diatoms and cyano in my tank so that's been fun.

Back to zoanthids, I've had mixed results with these corals for years. Sometimes great success, sometimes bad success. My guess is with these lights some of the zoas just aren't liking them, and some are. My radioactive dragon eye zoanthids have been stretching lately - which is odd. My eagle eyes aren't stretching, but the colony isn't as large as it used to be. I've also noticed there is a sponge where the colony used to cover so I'm not sure if it has to do with the sponge either. I've read both of those zoas like higher PAR levels than what Current says this marine orbit led gives off.

My shrooms seem to be doing fine - not growing rapidly, but they are doing fine. My gorgonian got a piece of GHA stuck on it awhile back so the bottom half ended up dying and now the top-half is still good to go, I've seen new growth on that. I'm not sure if I should hope the polyps might one day cover the bottom of the skeleton or if I should just cut it off and start over.

I'm considering switching to more frequent water changes. I've been doing ~10% every month for years. I'm thinking if I switch to smaller water changes biweekly, or weekly I'll have better results.