Xxero to 6 Months!
- Thread starter Xxero
- Start date
shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
Looking good i hope you feed the tank 3 to 4 times a day for the anthsis though.
Does the clam open up all they way? And why is it on the pvc pipe?
As you say, take it slow and youll have a very nice reef.
Does the clam open up all they way? And why is it on the pvc pipe?
As you say, take it slow and youll have a very nice reef.
Xxero
New member
Thanks Shifty!
Yes. I feed 3 times a day, but just small little snacks. I've had the Anthias for about 7 weeks, and Mysis seem to be her favorite. She will also eat a small amount of flake food, brine shrimp, and I see her picking bugs off of the glass/pumps, etc. too. She's put on quite a bit of weight since I've had her, and she's also the last fish to go in this tank.
The Maxima does open up...this photo was taken earlier this morning when the lights had just come on. The fish were also skittering around it quite a bit thinking it was feeding time. LOL. BUT, it does seem to stay partly open/partly closed most of the time.
Why is it on pvc pipe? It's not. It's a concrete mold that I made for the clam to cradle in. WHY!?! I have no idea to be honest with you. I wanted to display it, kind of like a trophy, and this is what popped into my head. This Maxima still has its foot, and it attached to this base, so I'm assuming it likes its accommodations. I'm definitely keeping an eye on things! :bigeyes:
Yes. I feed 3 times a day, but just small little snacks. I've had the Anthias for about 7 weeks, and Mysis seem to be her favorite. She will also eat a small amount of flake food, brine shrimp, and I see her picking bugs off of the glass/pumps, etc. too. She's put on quite a bit of weight since I've had her, and she's also the last fish to go in this tank.
The Maxima does open up...this photo was taken earlier this morning when the lights had just come on. The fish were also skittering around it quite a bit thinking it was feeding time. LOL. BUT, it does seem to stay partly open/partly closed most of the time.
Why is it on pvc pipe? It's not. It's a concrete mold that I made for the clam to cradle in. WHY!?! I have no idea to be honest with you. I wanted to display it, kind of like a trophy, and this is what popped into my head. This Maxima still has its foot, and it attached to this base, so I'm assuming it likes its accommodations. I'm definitely keeping an eye on things! :bigeyes:
Dkuhlmann
New member
Bent, you are correct.
From LA
The Red Thorny Sea Star requires a large aquarium with ample supplies of live rock. A small specimen will eat algae. As it grows older, however, it is not reef compatible, as it will eat soft corals, sponges, tubeworms, clams, starfish, and other invertebrates. It should not be housed with puffers.
I looked at this starfish the other day and it is sooooooooo much like the dreaded chocolate chip.
From LA
The Red Thorny Sea Star requires a large aquarium with ample supplies of live rock. A small specimen will eat algae. As it grows older, however, it is not reef compatible, as it will eat soft corals, sponges, tubeworms, clams, starfish, and other invertebrates. It should not be housed with puffers.
I looked at this starfish the other day and it is sooooooooo much like the dreaded chocolate chip.
Scorpius
Stick Head
After several weeks my tank started accumulating coraline algae like crazy. :lol: My tank is currently four months old and it looks nothing like the OP's.
stingeragent
New member
Loving those 2 OLD school powerheads your rocking in the back left and bottom right. Have one of those in a box somewhere. I think me sticking a straw in my tank and blowing through it puts out more flow.
shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
Maxijets imo are still one of the best powerheads out there, the originals were unbrakeable. The only bad part was the narrow flow unless you did the mod.
Xxero
New member
EXCELLENT, Bent! These are the comments/questions I've been waiting for all day!
Red Thorny Sea Star, and like Dkuhlmann mentioned, here is what LA has to say about them:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+528+1748&pcatid=1748
First of all, I would like to say that nothing in this aquarium has been an impulse buy; meaning that after extended research, I made a conscious, educated purchase. However, does an educated/researched purchase guarantee that said purchase was a smart decision? I dunno, and only time will tell.
Like many things in this hobby, The Red Thorny Sea Star is up for debate in regards to reef compatibility. Where the Chocolate Chip Starfish is a definite 'NO!', the Red Thorny is a 'Maybe/Maybe Not?'. Everything that I read prior to the purchase went both ways. Most literature advised against them, but most first-hand testimonies leaned more towards the reef compatible side. There are quite a few Youtube videos out there from people who have owned them with no problems. I'm hoping to be one of those. :bigeyes:
Xxero
New member
I immediately thought so also, Dkuhlmann, but my LFS (who carries both Chocolate Chips and Red Thornys) claims that they can be okay if you keep them well fed after maturity. She keeps them in most of her client's tanks that she maintains, and claims to have never had any issues. I went ahead and purchased one that was past the juvenile stage, so that I didn't have to discover its carnivorous transformation the hard way.
I have had this Red Thorny for a little over a month with no problems thus far. I feed it raw squid and raw shrimp chunks twice a week or whenever it makes its way to the top and starts begging:
So far so good with this one. It's fascinating to watch, so I'm keeping an optimistic eye on it.
Xxero
New member
When you say "Clean", what do you mean exactly? The glass? I clean it every few days, no biggie?
As for the rest: overflow box, PH's, sand bed, and rocks - My cleanup crew handles all of that. But I've read lately that my CUC isn't reef correct either, so I don't know. They seem to do a great job to me. :bigeyes:
Xxero
New member
*Sigh* Yes, yes, yes I know. The one on the left/back is a MaxiJet 400 simply used for surface agitation. The other (right/back) is a Petco brand I believe, used to get behind the rocks. Most of my flow comes from my returns - I'm running a Mag 9.5 on a 40b man! :lol: but I use the others to supplement for now. My next upgrade will be a pair of Jebao Rw-4's. And YES I'm getting the Rw-4's and not the Rw-8's! Anyone wanna start up that debate again? :bigeyes:
Xxero
New member
Yeah, but you know what they say about plans! :lol: We'll see how this one behaves. Fortunately my LFS is great about store credit/swaps, so if he turns Hannible Lecter then it's right back he goes!
shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
The starfish does look cool, hopefully it does work out for you. I do like the idea of the clam on a pedistal, it makes it look like a trophy.
Xxero
New member
I can't sleep. :mad2: So0, not to be a thread pig, but I thought that I'd write about this particular tank for a while. I never started an official build thread, but I have taken many photos along the way.
At the 6 month mark, there's not much here to talk about really. Slow and steady has been the way, for both economic and good husbandry purposes. This is my first Reef aquarium after about a ten year hiatus. My last Reef Aquarium experience was a 150 gallon display with a total water volume of around 200 gallons. I ran metal halides, VHO's, and LEDs for lighting on that one, complete with an intricate closed loop circulation system and top of the line everything else. A life situation forced me to sell the tank off, and it was a pretty heart-wrenching experience to tell the truth. I was very passionate about that set-up, and the evolution of home Reef aquarium technology kept me fascinated. That was right when compact T5's were all the rage! :lolspin:
So after a 10 year break, I started this 40b without even knowing that they were so popular right now. I saw the aquarium at a PetSmart (one day while getting dog food), and I just loved the tank's dimensions. The old Reef itch grabbed hold of me again, and the rest is 6 month's worth of history:
2 Weeks Old
Sump Build - 20 gallon long.
About the 1 Month Mark (still no fish!)
Around 90 Days.
At the 6 month mark, there's not much here to talk about really. Slow and steady has been the way, for both economic and good husbandry purposes. This is my first Reef aquarium after about a ten year hiatus. My last Reef Aquarium experience was a 150 gallon display with a total water volume of around 200 gallons. I ran metal halides, VHO's, and LEDs for lighting on that one, complete with an intricate closed loop circulation system and top of the line everything else. A life situation forced me to sell the tank off, and it was a pretty heart-wrenching experience to tell the truth. I was very passionate about that set-up, and the evolution of home Reef aquarium technology kept me fascinated. That was right when compact T5's were all the rage! :lolspin:
So after a 10 year break, I started this 40b without even knowing that they were so popular right now. I saw the aquarium at a PetSmart (one day while getting dog food), and I just loved the tank's dimensions. The old Reef itch grabbed hold of me again, and the rest is 6 month's worth of history:
2 Weeks Old
Sump Build - 20 gallon long.
About the 1 Month Mark (still no fish!)
Around 90 Days.
Xxero
New member
"Regrets, I've Had A Few." - To quote Sinatra.
Namely: I purchased a 6 inch Carpet Anemone in the beginning. I don't know if one of my Peppermint Shrimp was messing around with it, or whether the Carpet deliberately went after the Shrimp, but the end result was death for the Peppermint. Gobbled him right up, except for the antennae! Needless to say, I traded the carpet in for a Long Tentacle Anemone hoping that it would host my Ocellaris pair. Nope! Never even went near the thing. So the LTA was brought back to the LFS as well, and a Maxima Clam soon took that place in the tank.
My current livestock includes:
* 2 ORA Ocellaris Clownfish
* 3 Pajama Cardinalfish
* 1 Diamond Watchman Goby
* 1 Yellow Anthias
* 1 Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
* 1 Peppermint Shrimp
* 1 Red Thorny Sea Star
* 1 Maxima Clam
My Clean-Up-Crew consists of:
* 3 Astraea Snails
* 3 Margarita Snails
* 25 - 30 Nassarius Snails
* 2 Super Tongan Nassarius Snails
* 5 Micro Blue Legged Hermit Crabs
* 1 Serpent Sea Star (Red)
* 1 Emerald Crab (in the Fuge part of the sump)
Astraea Snail Earning Its Keep!
Serpent Sea Star
Namely: I purchased a 6 inch Carpet Anemone in the beginning. I don't know if one of my Peppermint Shrimp was messing around with it, or whether the Carpet deliberately went after the Shrimp, but the end result was death for the Peppermint. Gobbled him right up, except for the antennae! Needless to say, I traded the carpet in for a Long Tentacle Anemone hoping that it would host my Ocellaris pair. Nope! Never even went near the thing. So the LTA was brought back to the LFS as well, and a Maxima Clam soon took that place in the tank.
My current livestock includes:
* 2 ORA Ocellaris Clownfish
* 3 Pajama Cardinalfish
* 1 Diamond Watchman Goby
* 1 Yellow Anthias
* 1 Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
* 1 Peppermint Shrimp
* 1 Red Thorny Sea Star
* 1 Maxima Clam
My Clean-Up-Crew consists of:
* 3 Astraea Snails
* 3 Margarita Snails
* 25 - 30 Nassarius Snails
* 2 Super Tongan Nassarius Snails
* 5 Micro Blue Legged Hermit Crabs
* 1 Serpent Sea Star (Red)
* 1 Emerald Crab (in the Fuge part of the sump)
Astraea Snail Earning Its Keep!
Serpent Sea Star
