New nano reef diary

[Blinky]

Thanks Pl*co, it's actually about eight or nine pieces - there are two fairly large ones, the rest are small but fit together well. The rock is Tonga 'Kaelini', which I really like better than most other types I've seen, it's light and has many holes/spaces for critters to hide.

I think I've decided on these inhabitants (added gradually):

- 5 hermits
- a tiger pistol shrimp
- 5-10 snails (several types)
- an emerald crab (who will go back if s/he's destructive)
- a goby (to pair up with the shrimp hopefully)
- a six-line wrasse
- mushroom corals
- hammer coral
- xenia coral
- zoanthids

The tank doesn't really look any different, unless you're really close to the glass. The shrimp has moved some of the sand around, and a little more algae has appeared - other than that it still looks much the same. I'll post a pic from yesterday, and keep posting pics once a week or so.

 

[pl*co]

Blinky, the list looks very interesting. Lots of variety. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product.

 

[mogurnda]

Your tank should look really great!

I love mushrooms, but I have moved them all from the main tank because of their tendency to spread out. Mine mutliplied and grew to surprising diameters, and ended up nettling other corals. It may help to keep them lower in the tank, and the other corals higher.

Despite its reputation as a weed, I like Xenia too.

 

[Blinky]

Thanks so much
I feel silly watching a box of rocks with just a few little critters in it, but I can't seem to keep myself from sitting in front of the tank for hours at a time!

I stopped in at work tonight to pick up an emerald crab. The crab is actually brown, but looked otherwise identical to his green tankmate - I didn't take the green crab because he was huge, missing a claw, and has been attacking the shrimp in the tank. This little brown guy was peaceful, but must be very hungry - he positively attacked the little patch of hair algae in the tank about thirty seconds after being placed in the tank!

I'm keeping a very close eye on the water parameters, PO4 is now <0.25 and NO3 is <5ppm, so it looks like the Caulerpa in the refugium is helping out a lot.

I'm very happy to learn that what I feared might be red cyano is actually a deep red corraline - I saw both at work tonight and the difference was very obvious. When I asked my friend to ID the red spots on a piece of LR that look exactly like what I've got, he said it was an encrusting algae, and a good thing. The cyano looked slimy and soft, definitely not what's on my rocks.

 

[Blinky]

Wow, the tank is starting to really transform - I've seen pics of Kaelini rock online, and wondered why mine didn't look the same. I guess it just takes a while! Over the last day or two, it's really started to colour up. I see patches of light green, turquoise, deep red, pink and purple appearing all over the rocks, and not a speck of hair algae, thanks to my little emerald crab. He's a bit of a beast though, keeps tossing hermits off the rocks when they come too close!

The pistol is excavating his little heart out, and eating like a pig. He's taken most of the aragonite out from under and behind the rocks, bringing it all around front and leaving it in piles. I've flattened it out, but stopped trying to put any of it back between the rocks - as soon as it's settled, he moves it out again.

Levels are all good (NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <5, pH 8.2, SG 1.22, Ca ~380) except for PO4, which is creeping up above 0.25. Hair algae is sprouting up all over the glass, I guess I'll need some snails to take care of it. I'm hoping the Caulerpa will catch up, if not I'll grab some phosphate remover - I just don't want to use things like that unless needed, I prefer to keep things as 'natural' as possible.

I added a striped goby today, what a gorgeous fish! Haven't seen him since I released him into the tank, he's hiding in the caves under the rock. I figure when he's hungry enough he'll come out for a meal, meanwhile I hope he's all right under there.

 

[Bobafish]

Looks like an awesome tank Blinky! It inspires me to start my own sw tank. I have much more research to do yet however, lolz it is never ending but soooo much fun.

 

[Blinky]

What a nice thing to say . Check out www.nano-reef.com for some serious inspiration, I lurked on their forums for a month before I started - there's so much information there it's unbelievable.

Update: last night after lights-out the goby popped out to check me out. He looks fine, I'm glad to have seen him.

 

[Swimfins]

Wow, cool. I've got a 20g long that''s not doing much....hmmmmmmm sounds like fun.

 

[Blinky]

SF, go for it - I thought FW was fun, SW is a blast! I can literally lose myself for hours watching the tank, and there aren't even any corals in it yet. I was so absorbed this morning searching for copepods that I was nearly late for work! (LOL, I'm such a fish geek )

Update: The goby came out and ate really well tonight, he's gorgeous. I liked him in the store, but didn't appreciate his colour fully until I saw him under different lighting - the actinics bring out a beautiful iridescent blue pattern in his dorsal fin. Even my husband, who has minimal interest in the fish tanks, thinks he's nice looking

The emerald crab is a bit of a goon, knocking hermits off the rocks and stealing their food, but he hasn't overstayed his welcome yet.

I'll post more pictures soon, the tank is starting to look much less 'raw'.

[Edit] WOOHOO!! The pistol and the goby decided to pair up, they're hilarious together! Until now, the pistol has been hard to find - mostly I just saw the excavations and an occasional antenna poking out. Since last night the goby's been hiding, and now suddenly they're both out in the open. The goby is guarding their cave while the pistol digs (and digs, and digs), it's really fun to watch them.

Test results tonight:
pH 8.2, Ca 400ppm (added a little Turbo calcium yesterday), NO3 <5, PO4 <0.25, KH 140ppm (~8 deg. KH).
[/edit]

 

[NanoMan]

more pics plz