Woot I got Part 1!!!!!111!!!

[shadowbearwv]

I just had to post something real quick before I fall asleep but I just had to say I got Part 1 of the Package for my 20g tank.

So far the inventory of what I've found.

about 14 Whelks, removing them as I can.
atleast 2 Mantis one big daddy that is a beautiful Red and a babby that is still clear.
1 Red Mithrax Crab that is now safely in my 12g
1 Tiger Tail Cucumber
Tons and Tons of Barnicles.
I think a couple sponges.
1, I think coral
a bunch of feather duster worms, I didn't know the were so beautiful.
1 Keyhole Limpet
Some that almost looks like a teeny tiny conch not a clue.
Some Algae
1 unidentifiable crab really tiny and hard to get a good look.

And this was just the first part. I'm still in awe!

I have to thank Richard for some great great looking rock and sand.

Currently ammonia is reading about .5 ppm after 2 readings. Just wish the scale above 1ppm was a little more accurate goes to 2ppm at the next level. Using an API test kit.

I've done a quick clean on the protein skimmer and the charcoal/sponge filter seems to be doing well.

I want to again thank everyone here on the boards and a HUGE BIG THANK YOU to Richard.

I hope to post new pics to my site, when I catch up on some sleep.

SB

 

[divemonster]

Sleep? SLEEP?!! You don't need no stinkin' sleep!

It's good to hear you are as thrilled as the rest of us with what you got from Richard. Isn't the rock absolutely beautiful and so full of life?

Naturally we all can't wait to see your photos!

 

[liverock]

Re: Woot I got Part 1!!!!!111!!!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13916016#post13916016 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shadowbearwv
I just had to post something real quick before I fall asleep but I just had to say I got Part 1 of the Package for my 20g tank.

So far the inventory of what I've found.

about 14 Whelks, removing them as I can.
atleast 2 Mantis one big daddy that is a beautiful Red and a babby that is still clear.
1 Red Mithrax Crab that is now safely in my 12g
1 Tiger Tail Cucumber
Tons and Tons of Barnicles.
I think a couple sponges.
1, I think coral
a bunch of feather duster worms, I didn't know the were so beautiful.
1 Keyhole Limpet
Some that almost looks like a teeny tiny conch not a clue.
Some Algae
1 unidentifiable crab really tiny and hard to get a good look.

And this was just the first part. I'm still in awe!

I have to thank Richard for some great great looking rock and sand.

Currently ammonia is reading about .5 ppm after 2 readings. Just wish the scale above 1ppm was a little more accurate goes to 2ppm at the next level. Using an API test kit.

I've done a quick clean on the protein skimmer and the charcoal/sponge filter seems to be doing well.

I want to again thank everyone here on the boards and a HUGE BIG THANK YOU to Richard.

I hope to post new pics to my site, when I catch up on some sleep.

SB

See... real live rock!! ..now stay on top off the ammonia...small tanks are tough.keep it under 1ppm...but don't change too much...is a balance....ask divemonster, she is the pro at cycling small tanks...

sea ya
Richard TBS:rollface: :rollface: :rollface:

 

[docklink]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13916660#post13916660 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by divemonster
Naturally we all can't wait to see your photos!

What she said

 

[shadowbearwv]

LOL, Hopefully I can stop staring at the tank long enough to take some pics tonight after work.

Test the ammonia again this morning it's risen to about .75, rough guestimate since it's below 1 and higher than .5. I'm guessing tonight will be a water change night.

My Cuc doesnt seem to be doing very well. I had him in the 20 and he was hanging out at the water surface so I plucked him out did a 2 hr drip in the 12 now he's just laying on the bottom. He had some tenticle extension going on when I first put him in but I haven't seen him move from his spot that I put him. Any way to tell if he's ok?

Found 2 Hairy Black tipped crabs last night and this morning, but I'm waiting for the cycle to run it's course to put a trap in so I don't compound the problem with rotting food in the tank.

Still finding whelks and 1 more Keyhole oh and I have 2 big mantis not 1 found him last night too.

So far So good!

SB

 

[divemonster]

Hey ShadowBear, put the cucumber on a rock. They are much happier on rock than on sand (at least that was my experience with them. I did the same thing at first...I put it on the sand and it did not move much. I moved it to a rock and it found a spot it liked.

 

[shadowbearwv]

Just wanted to let everyone know I posted some new pics to my Live Spaces site.

You should be able to hit the site via the link above this labeled www.

If that doesn't work you can try.

http://tonyslittlespot.spaces.live.com/default.aspx

Feel free to comment on the pics with what they are, to help me identify some of this stuff.

There is one thing puzzling me, there are these huge shells moving around on/in the sand. I can't tell what they are. There's a pic of one of them in the mix.

SB

 

[sun777]

Shadow, make sure you continue to take pics and every once in awhile go back and look at them.

My cucs stayed on the rocks for the first month or so now they are slowly moving all over the tank...


Enjoy and keep us posted.

 

[shadowbearwv]

Hope everyone was able to see the pics, let me know if you couldn't.

With regards to the Cucumber, I followed Monster's advice and stuck in on rock and he's slowly migrating on it. Yay he's alive!

As for my 20 and why I'm up so early, starting to panic a little. I've tested 3 times yesterday and each time I've gotten a reading on around .75 ppm even had someone else test it to see what they thought.

So I'm going out at lunch today and buy as many ammonia kits I can find hehe.

I also tested Nitrite and Nitrate yesterday. The Nitrite is off the scale, should I do a water change? Nitrate was low but I forgot to write the number down.

SB

 

[divemonster]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13926426#post13926426 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shadowbearwv
As for my 20 and why I'm up so early, starting to panic a little. I've tested 3 times yesterday and each time I've gotten a reading on around .75 ppm even had someone else test it to see what they thought.

So I'm going out at lunch today and buy as many ammonia kits I can find hehe.

I also tested Nitrite and Nitrate yesterday. The Nitrite is off the scale, should I do a water change? Nitrate was low but I forgot to write the number down.

SB

NO, Tony! Don't do a h2o change until it's over 1 ppm. Just ride it out. The toughest thing is watching and waiting. The best thing you can do is be ready. Once it's over 1, it will probably be alot of work keeping it below 1 (well mine was anyway)

If your small tank cycles the way mine cycled ammonia was ~.75 for a couple of days or so, then BAM it was over 1 and it was all I could do to keep up with the h2o changes sometimes doing them 3 times a day. I was up in the middle of the night doing h2o changes, and that was for about 4 days then suddenly it begin to drop. One morning it was .5 then that evening it was .25 ppm. The next morning it was not even registering on the kit (API)

 

[shadowbearwv]

Awesome,

Thanks for the advice, I just picked up a second ammonia test just to be sure. It is reading at about .5 and the other test is still running about .75.

Aslong as the spike doesn't hit tomorrow I should be good, will only be able to test twice, Holiday party tomorrow night.

SB

 

[shadowbearwv]

This is the cucumber that I got as a hitchhiker. What kind is it and more important what does it eat?

SB
Cucumber

 

[docklink]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13930265#post13930265 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shadowbearwv
This is the cucumber that I got as a hitchhiker. What kind is it and more important what does it eat?

SB
Cucumber

It's a Donkey Dung (really)http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com/thepackage/organisms.html(#53). It's a filter feeder. When it finds a comfortable spot on the rocks (or glass or wherever) it will open it's mouth and extend its feeding appendages into the water. Try feeding by placing some particulate food into the aquarium water (Cyclopeze, Reef Chili or some thing similar). They are very sensitive to movement so you probably won't be able to directly feed it.

 

[shadowbearwv]

Wow I would have never guessed that.

I've picked up some MicroVert today so once he gets settled in I try some.

Thanks for the Help

SB

 

[shadowbearwv]

I know this is a rather old thread but I have a really dumb dumb question.

My Ammonia has cycled to zero and thought it's about time to do a little aquascaping.

How in the world do you stack the rocks up with out killing something? I've been staring at it since the tank cleared trying to figure out how to stack the stuff and just can't figure the puzzle out.

Thanks

SB

 

[divemonster]

Yes, it is difficult to aquascape with all of the life on the rocks. Find the "bottom" of the rock...the side with the least life on it and have that side down or on top of another rock. Richard says you should be able to tell which side is the bottom. In both of my tanks there is at least one rock that I have turned every which way so I found the most stable place and went with it.

 

[shadowbearwv]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13962437#post13962437 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by divemonster
Yes, it is difficult to aquascape with all of the life on the rocks. Find the "bottom" of the rock...the side with the least life on it and have that side down or on top of another rock. Richard says you should be able to tell which side is the bottom. In both of my tanks there is at least one rock that I have turned every which way so I found the most stable place and went with it.

Lol, I had two rocks that I think I turned over about 5 times till I could figure out the bottom.
I'm thinking of just putting all the big rocks on the bottom of the tank and then when the second part come place those on top. I have 3 tiny rocks that I really like up front, I may move them into the crevices between the bigger rocks, still too afraid to stack em lol.

SB

 

[divemonster]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13963973#post13963973 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shadowbearwv
Lol, I had two rocks that I think I turned over about 5 times till I could figure out the bottom.
I'm thinking of just putting all the big rocks on the bottom of the tank and then when the second part come place those on top. I have 3 tiny rocks that I really like up front, I may move them into the crevices between the bigger rocks, still too afraid to stack em lol.

SB

Yeah that's how the Package is setup (according to TBS website)since the rocks that come with Part 1 are meant to be the "base" and then the Part 2 rock is the primo decorator rock with so much life on it you will truly wonder how to place them. With Richard's rock you really need a 360' viewing tank with the tank itself in the middle of the room. I did not "aquascape" until I got Part 2 and still I have changed rocks around here and there...mostly for territorial reasons. It didn't help that much, the blenny is still the tank boss. It has killed 2 royal grammas (or fairy basslets as we divers call them ). I was thinking of getting a small perch fishhook out of my tacklebox and using some raw shrimp and catch the mean old thing that way. At least I could put a smaller blenny in with a royal gramma.