Cuticom's Aqua One 500 Reef with a Puffer

[cuticom]

So this tank is still relatively new and began life as a Fish only tank, but that didn't last LOL. It was started on the 11/4/08 (dd/m/yy) so it'd be nearly three months old.

So Equipment
150w HQI Clip on Metal Halide
950l/ph filter, only used for things like phospad and when waters murky
450l/ph powerhead
200l/ph powerhead
250l/ph powerhead
Which gives 28 times turn over per hour
Skimmer rated for a 350l tank, pulls a fair amount of gunk out
2 x 25w heaters, just in case one stops working
10 Kg of rock or 22lbs
Gutted Aqua one 500 65l/17g tank

Fish
1 Valentini Puffer called Hamlet. Before people freak i do have a larger tank i could easily switch over to, but I like my nano and so far apart from it being a battle of the wills as to the placement of the coral, he seems quite happy in the tank.

Corals
1 x Small Sun Coral, maybe T. faulkneri
1 x Branching Sun Coral, probably T. coccinea
1 x Large Sun Coral, probably T. faulkneri
1 x Small Black Sun Coral either T. micrantha or T. diaphena
4 x Blastomussa Merleti Frags
1 x Duncan Coral Duncanopsammia axifuga
1 x Torch Coral Euphyllia glabrescens
1 x Frogspawn Coral Euphyllia divisa
1 x Goniopora Probably Goniopora lobata

The Goni I picked up cheap from a store where the owner thought i might eb able to do something with it, will see how it goes. The Sun corals are a particular favourite of mine, I'm still after T. aurea but have yet to find one.

Pics FTS some of the corals were still rather annoyed in this shot after being rearranged, will get a better pic when everyones extended
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Nanoreef006resize.jpg

Large Sun Coral
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/NanoReef071resize.jpg

Branching Sun Coral
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/NanoReef024resize.jpg

Black Sun Coral
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Nanoreef034resize-1.jpg

Blasto rock
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/NanoReef034resize.jpg

Duncan Coral
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Nanoreef025resize.jpg

Torch
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/NanoReef046resize.jpg

Very very annoyed Frogspawn, I only bought it today so will see how it goes
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Nanoreef011resize.jpg

Goniopora, yes it has die off
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Nanoreef046resize-1.jpg

Hamlet the Puffer
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/NanoReef083resoize.jpg

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/NanoReef084resize.jpg

Hope you enjoyed!
Emma

[SpockthePuffer]

Nice corals. I guess since you said this in your post you know but I'll say it anyways, the puffer really needs a bigger tank and since you have the tank I don't see why you wouldn't want to.

Also don't be surprised if he starts eating your corals one day.

[Reefscape]

Seriously, i dont understand why you would add a fish such as this to a nano, when you have a larger tank, this is way too small....Sorry if this is harsh, but wanted to be constructive...

[cuticom]

I am monitoring how he goes, and if he showed any sign of discomfort he would either be found a new home or moved to another tank. I do have reasons for choosing the nano over the larger tank. I closely monitor the tank params, and it's is fairly obvious when Hamlet is bored with his surroundings, as he used to be before the tank was rescaped to give him caves. If he seemed unhappy or the tank params were changing too quickly i would find him a better home, but as of yet he's fine.

I did do my research before buying him and it was an educated decision to keep him in the nano, with quite a definite back up plan attached in case something goes wrong.

Not all valentinis eat corals, its not an inbuilt thing and each one is individual. Hamlet will not accept crabs, snails or large puffy corals but he gets on fine with the smaller LPS, most softies and SPS. I'm fully prepared for it if he takes a dilsike to the corals, but so far apart from moving the frags around if i don't glue them down and attacking an open brain he totally ignores them.

[salty420]

everything looks great except that frogspawn which looks pretty much dead to me, hope it looked better at the store..? and i have to agree that the tank is much to small for the puffer, sorry...

[cuticom]

It was fully extended in the store, I was really surprised to see it retract so much, hopefully with a few feedings it'll be a bit better.

[Catpicklesdog]

What are your parameters?

[cuticom]

Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate 0, pH 8.4, Calcium 450ppm, alkalinity is really low though at 80ppm I'm raising it now though slowly so I don't shock anything, PO4 is negligible. None of the other corals show any problems though they're all fully extended and feeding. It retracted in the bag while travelling, there's no signs of illness, will just keep an eye on it and give it extra food to see if it helps, it is beginning to come out now...
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Echonano022resize.jpg

The other corals have all extended and I'm fairly sure the goni has been feeding, it looked like feeding anyway. I fed the tank some frozen food last night spirulina and brine shrimp which always has a good amount of fine particle food in it for the corals. Everything seemed to like it and the frogspawn ate some as well.

[cuticom]

I took some pics of the corals extended before I moved them...

Duncan
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Echonano037resize.jpg

Goni
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Echonano028resize.jpg

Blasto
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Echonano046resize.jpg

FTS with the corals moved, oh and there's actually quite a bit of space between the goni and Duncan. ones against the back of the tank and the other at the front, it's just not obvious in the pic
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Echonano067resize.jpg

[cuticom]

Well hamlet decided to have a taste of my favourite coral so I spent a few hours this morning setting a new tank up for him and he's moved to a 32g FO "how not to decorate a marine tank" tank. As to the corals the black sun will hopefully recover, he didn't get to to many polyps before I caught him. The frogspawn still isn't extending not sure if it will recover.

I've just sold my large reef but my parents have decided they want me to save the money for at least a few months, so the nano will be staying fishless for a while, but I'll probably get a green clown goby for it when I have money again.

Some pics
Hamlets new tank
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Hamletsnewtank003resize.jpg

Goni
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Nano052resize.jpg

Duncan
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Nano025resize.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Nano034resize.jpg

Black Sun Coral
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Nano020resize.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Nano005resize.jpg

Torch
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Nano046resize.jpg

FTS
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/cutencoolcages/Nano106resize.jpg