1.9g

[PlayWithBob]

Maybe I'm insane but I think a little tank on my desk at work would be wonderful.

How little is little you ask?

11 x 5 x 8 or 1.9g

I'm also including a matching sump/refugium but the entire set up will still be under 4g.

Thus far I've only cut the glass from a sheet I had, marked where the holes will be drilled in the bottom of the tank and gotten the bulkhead plumbing.

If I make it to harbor freight today I should have the mini return pump (on sale for 5.00 right now) and the diamond tipped dremel bits I need to cut the holes.

I plan on building a stand for this little set up out of 1x1/2 trim wood and hobby plywood.

Lighting will probably be some of those high intensity LED (low heat) set ups for clear computer cases. maybe these
http://www.directron.com/hyperlight.html

All this to keep from doing homework. I'll post pics when my wife gives me back the camera.

Bob

[shelbiesdaddy]

I love DIY. Keep us up to date.

If you have a spare power supply for a computer laying around you wouldn't even have to modify the lights.

[PlayWithBob]

The tank is built, The bottom has been drilled and the bulkheads installed.

The sump is built but I need to put in a baffle to keep the algae out of the return pump.

The plumbing is mostly done, I need to build a stock-man cap for the stand pipe and paint everything.

The "sump pump" is a Maxi-jet 400 I found in a box in the storage room.

The stand (frame) in built. Out of would moulding from the local lumber yard. (Hurray! Any excuse to use my chop saw is a good thing!) I still need to set the rest of the brads, puddy, sand and stain.

It holds water and makes flow!

I need to come up with the lighting, build a hood, and build panels/doors for the stand.

My homework is about 1/2 done.

Bob

[PlayWithBob]

I added some pictures on the main Chico reef club site.

Its time to paint the stand and plumbing then find a light or build a light for the canopy.

Bob

[PlayWithBob]

Water, salt and sand went in today.

[shelbiesdaddy]

You don't mess around when you start a project.

[Rysam]

im going to have to stop by again. that was a cool looking little tank.

[PlayWithBob]

Hmm...whats new...

Hood is built and the tank is lighted with one of those coralife mini aqualights.

I seeded the sand bed with sand from home and added some LR rubble.

Down in the refug is a little bit of algae. Not sure what kind it is to tell the truth, what ever reef connections sold me when I set up my main tank at home.

I see micro feather dusters and pods starting to emerge.

I need to add a little piece of shrimp for the pods to eat and kick up the cycle, then wait, watch, and test.

There are some more pictures posted on our main site.

Bob

http://www.chicoreefclub.com/image.php?_iid=1192206336&ci=2

[PlayWithBob]

If I call 10/11 Day 1 when the water, salt and sand went into the tank, This should be Day 3...

I think I'll use this thread as a diary/not to self page so that I don't loose my notes on my desk somewhere.

Day 3

Added .89 lb LR from the LFS up here in Paradise and picked up a test strip kit so that I can watch the numbers.

Currently:
Temp 81 F
Salinity 1.24
PH 8 or just a hair under (Is that reddish-orange or orangish-red)
Alkalinity over 180ppm but lower then 240ppm. Should be fine for getting the correct PH
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0

Note to self: Don't use hot-glue to attach the Refugium light.

Disaster = Temperature + Gravity

Probably lucky that I turned the Refugium light off last night.

Does anyone know how to post a picture (not a link to a picture) in this forum? Every time i use the IMG button, I just end up with a link.

Bob

[shelbiesdaddy]

http://www.chicoreefclub.com/images/users/gallery/playwithbob/1192206336.jpg

use the following: <font color="red">http://www.chicoreefclub.com/images/users/gallery/playwithbob/1192206336.jpg </font>

reef central doesn't seem to like the php code in the url.

[PlayWithBob]

Day 5

Currently:
Temp 81 F
Salinity 1.23 (After a 16 oz water swap. Salt water for RoDi)
PH 8 (Added 4 drops of PH up on Day 4)
Alkalinity (Call it 200ppm)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0

Added the timer plug strip I won in the raffle and have started to alternate refug and tank lights.

Still not seeing any ammonia or other cycle activity.

However, with near 8 lbs of live sand, 1.5 lbs of cured LR, and macro in the refug in a 3.5g set up, will I really get a cycle?

Should I still drop in a piece of shrimp or just let it go as is?

Opinions?

Bob

[micynyorkies]

Bob,

My thought on cycling is this: If you have live rock and live sand that you just transferred from another tank (so that there is not a lot of die-off of organisms), then they will still be cycled. If you got live rock shipped from someplace in wet newspaper, I would think that some of the good stuff will have died and need time to build back up. You're filter is the refugium that has macroalgae and LR in it already. You're tank just needs to balance (i.e. bioload vs. beneficial bacteria). If you have more beneficial bacteria than bioload, you should be good to go. Add things slowly, don't overfeed, and you should have no problem. I transferred the contents of my 50 gallon to my 90 gallon tank. The 90 gallon went from empty to corals and fish in 1 week. I put in a new sand bed (aragonite - not live) with a handful of live sand in the tank. The refugium got the old live sand from my 50g. I had no casualties (coral or fish) from that. I may just be lucky, but logically, there should be no cycle if just transferring from one tank to another. Just don't overstock until the beneficial bacteria/algae/etc. can handle the load. That's my two cents!

[micynyorkies]

Awesome little tank btw.

[PlayWithBob]

Currently:
Temp 81 F
Salinity 1.23
PH 7.8 (Still dose not look like 8 to me on the test strip. Added 4 drops of PH up )
Alkalinity (Call it 200ppm)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0

I fragged for the first time today. Cut a dime sized red/green mushroom off of a rock from home and super glued it to a rock in the little tank

I added all my pictures to my personal gallery. Please feel free to take a look. I'll add some to this thread as well.
Bob's Pictures (http://www.playwithbob.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=2772&g2_page=1)

http://www.playwithbob.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=2848
The little mushroom

http://www.playwithbob.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=2860
Tank shot

It seems my gallary hides the pictures from direct viewing through the chmod permissions. Before I can link pictures from there to here, I'll have to do some hacking...

[Rysam]

sounds like its time for a shark in that bad boy!
i've got some orange/green zoos and maybe a shroom or 2 for you. cmon by and get em.
965 central park (by mc D's)

[PlayWithBob]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10983280#post10983280 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kinghokus420
sounds like its time for a shark in that bad boy!
i've got some orange/green zoos and maybe a shroom or 2 for you. cmon by and get em.
965 central park (by mc D's)

http://www.playwithbob.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=2863

Thank you for the livestock.I'm half tempted to lock the store up for 30 minutes and come over right now!

[Rysam]

hahaha thats great!
does that overflow make any noise with it like that? i just noticed the swirly water. maybe i have enough goods in the box o plumbing to make a durso or stockman we'll see.
i will be home all day doing homework so if you want to stop by tonight that would be fine. plus the lights dont come on till 2.

[PlayWithBob]

It does not make much noise at all. Its only 1/2" PVC so there is not a lot of volume flowing through the pipe.

It does "burp" once in awhile, you can hear that, but I don't have any suction noise at all.

I may swing by this afternoon or evening. It all depends on my homework and if I can find someone to cover the shop.

Thanks,

Bob

[Rysam]

sounds good.

[shelbiesdaddy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10965314#post10965314 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PlayWithBob

Does anyone know how to post a picture (not a link to a picture) in this forum? Every time i use the IMG button, I just end up with a link.

Bob

Hey Bob,

Make sure the Show image attachments and [img] code in Posts? option in the control panel is checked Yes . This should allow you to post images instead of links.

[PlayWithBob]

Test

http://www.playwithbob.com/gallery2/g2data/albums/2007/storetank/tank 007_001.JPG

Option is set to yes. I simply don't seem to be able to link out of my gallery.

No worries.

[PlayWithBob]

Day 7

Added some frags from Josh (THANK YOU!)
and some stuff from my home tank.

Current stock list is:
1Green mushroom from home
5 brown polyps from home
1 ponipa birds nest frag
1 of Josh's pink/purple frilly mushrooms
1 frag of some Zoo's Josh had (Green/brown/and red colored)

Day 8

Temp 80 F
Salinity 1.235
PH 8 or just a hair under (going to add a few drops of pH up again)
Alkalinity (Call it 200ppm)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0

I'm thinking about a clean up crew of some sort.
I think I'll stay away from the hermits and just add 1 or 2 Astraea ,Nerite, and or Cerith snail(s) and perhaps 1Nassarius Snail to help stir the sand bed.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

I probably shouldn't, but I'd like to add a fish and a shrimp as well eventually. Any suggestions for an under 1 inch fish that will come out and be able to be seen.

Perhaps a small pistol shrimp and matched goby? Or is this tank too small for that?

[boviac]

Bob great shots on CRC. Love the progress.

I don't know if you can link shots from your gallery. I think they have to be posted to a free hosting site like photobucket which once a photo is uploaded it will provide you with a link with the [IMG] needed spots already inplace so a simply paste command in the ideal spot is all that is needed.

Good question about why it won't work from your gallery however? Dunno?

[iairj84]

I've read that their are a bunch of small gobies that are very well suited for tanks in the one gallon range. I'm trying to remember where I read it, I think it was in one of my aquarium magazines. I would take a look at the gobies though, they're cool and most stay under 1 inch.

[Rysam]

if youre having pic issues, try photobucket. its easy and free. i've been using it for years with no issues at all.

[Underwaterparadise]

IMO the whole dead shrimp thing to help a cycle is a load of you know what! With properly cured LR and live sand there is no cycle! All the shrimp does is spike your ammonia all out of whack and possibly start a cycle that may have otherwise never happened. If all water pram's check out after a wek or so you should be good to go. Nice lil set up BTW

[PlayWithBob]

Day 13 (10/23/07)

Temp 80 F
Salinity 1.235
PH 8
Alkalinity (Call it 200ppm)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0

Everything looks good. The mushrooms , zooas, and polyps all expand and seem ok.

The SPS' little polyps all come out and it seems happy. Its not the same color as other pohnpei birds nests that I can view on the web however.

Pictures I have found are more green and purple then the frag in my tank.
example: http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-63575161494219_1967_58789473

The Frag in my tank seems more beige dark beige.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc145/Playwithbob/Birdsnest102307.jpg

I'm starting to get some algae on the glass, time for a snail me thinks.

Lastly, the pod population is exploding. There are little critters everywhere.

[Underwaterparadise]

Bob I tried calling you a few times but no luck.

Any way just give the birdnest time it will color up. What type of lighting and where is it placed?

[PlayWithBob]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11044762#post11044762 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Underwaterparadise
Bob I tried calling you a few times but no luck.

Any way just give the birdnest time it will color up. What type of lighting and where is it placed?

Thanks for the reply.

Its about 5 inches under the coralife mini marine aqua light (Compact fluorescent 10,000K)

The tank has light to medium flow.

Bob

[Underwaterparadise]

You may not get the vibrant colors without MH or T5 Light but it should do well where you have it.