My 5 Gallon Hex

[chasethedream]

Well,

I'm at it again. After stepping away from the hobby for a LONG time, I have returned after 6 years. I now find myself often unable to go out to do anything, as I stay quite busy as a self employed Massage Therapist and a full time student here in beautiful San Diego, CA. So since I cannot find the time to go out and have fun, I decided to seek ways to enjoy myself at home. And thus, here I am again, picking my brain to imagine 20 different concepts for this little hex tank that sits so perfectly on my bathroom counter.

I just set it up today; granted I've had the tank for a while, got it at Wal-Mart, it's the Eclipse knock off. I plan to have a base and canopy custom made, and to run an azoo palm filter, a nano skimmer, and some kind of clip on lighting with a fan or ice probe chiller if necessary. I'm thinking of setting this little hex up with some LPS, Ricordia, GSP, and anything bright and pretty that I find that wants to come home with me. (Provided that it plays nicely with the other kids of course...) Any how, I'm Nicole, and I welcome your opinions, suggestions, and observations.

I'm intending to set up at least 3 SW tanks when I get my new apartment next year, nevermind the fact that I also have plans for a dart frog terrarium, a pie bald ball python, and a cobalt blue tarantula terrarium, a bengal cat (already have kitty # 1! Her name is "Miss Priss" and boy howdy does she act the part!), a sphynx cat (making payments presently), and 2 children! Well, I already have the children, heh. I could almost write my own version of the 12 days of Christmas!

Pictures coming soon!

[jimwil22]

hi, we have mushroom corals and 2 yellowtail damsels
in our 20 gallon nano, 5 gal ? , salinity percision was
difficult with our nano. Jim

[chasethedream]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the reply. I agree, monitoring everything is a challenge, but the challenge is what draws me to SW reef keeping. I am the type of person that wants to be made to think on my feet, under pressure, consistently. I will likely invest in some electronics to monitor a few things, and am thinking about throwing a 20 gallon sump under the sink. SPS sure would look pretty under an MH clip on. I have no firm commitments for it just yet, right now I'm still brain storming.

[redskins2647]

Welcome back! I vote pie bald ball python after the tanks then the cat hahah. i have a ball python

[chasethedream]

Hey Redskins2647,

Well I am already paying on the Sphynx cat, one thing at a time... The pied ball python will be after the dart frogs, and tarantula, as it will be pricier, and I have to wait on the waiting list like 5 other people with interest in the up coming litter. That's ok though, the enclosure I have in mind is going to cost $5,000, and is quite visually appealing. But hey, I'll never have to worry about monster-in-law visits, if I ever get re-married, LOL! I'm 26, and have my whole life ahead of me, I'm reveling in my freedom presently, I might decide to start dating again in a few years. In any case, I don't want to get too far off topic. I am going to make a web site just for my pets, tanks included of course.

[chasethedream]

Ok,

It's been SO long since I've done this, that I've forgotten much of what I once knew. How soon can I add stuff? Specifically, tiny crabs, snails, my first coral. Any help is appreciated. I prefer to stick to the nano forum for help since tanks this small are on a very different scale as far as what is and is not ok for inhabitants, dosing supplements, etc... Anyone want to recomend a good nano reef book?

- Nicole

[chase01]

You can begin by adding a CUC after the tank cycles and not before! Then you can slowly increase the bioload- very slowly with a tank of that size I would think.
JMO Good Luck!

[redskins2647]

i would wait until you at least have diatoms in the tank or two weeks when the tank is at lease a little stable. i would use fully cured live rock if not wait a little longer. for the clean up crew are you doing hermits or snails i wouldnt mix in a small tank due to the hermits killing for shells.Are you doing any fish? if so what kind?

[chasethedream]

Chase01,

What is a CUC?

redskins2647,

I am not planning on any fish in a tank this tiny, especially since it has a small surface area for gas exchange. I was planning on a bumble bee snail, and this other kind, I forget what it's called just now. As far as hermits, I would think 1 -2 would be more thanadequate for a tank this small. So then there's the choosing... red leg, blue leg, zebra, halloween variant zebra, hmm... decisions, decisions. I saw some things at my local exotic pet shop that had me drooling!

They had the most adorably tiny red linka sea star, no bigger than a quarter! I know my tank is no where near close to being able to accommodate such things, and that they require hours of drip acclimation, but that didn't stop me from staring at it and wishing! I figure when things out grow this little tank, I will take them back to the pet shop and trade them in for tiny versions again. If you guys are ever in San Diego, check this place out, they rock!

www.petkingdom.com

They're my LFS, plus they have poison arrow frogs, tarantulas, boas and pythons, and anything you could ever want that's exotic!

Edit: Ok, I feel like a silly little school girl, but I just went into the bathroom and stared at the LR in the tank for several minutes, and noticed all sorts of exciting things! A tiny little shrimp scuttled back into the rock, tiny feather dusters are emerging, and I have 3 colors of Coraline algae! I can hardly wait to go buy my tank's first addition on January 1st! I am going to take this nice and slow, but I am SO excited to be reefing again! Ok, hyper-kid-like-energy gone, thanks for enduring it, hehe.

[chasethedream]

Updates!

Ok, patience is most definitely a virtue, but it isn't my strong point. I know, bad me. So I went to my LFS and got my water tested today, and found out that the LR I purchased was pre-cured, a little factoid which I hadn't known before today. So I just got my cycle jump started, woot! Anyhow, so there I was, staring at every blessed expensive thing they had with saucer eyes, and trying to imagine ways that I could some how, magically make my tank accept said things now instead of in weeks or months. Of course I knew better, but oh man did I want to tempt fate! Luckily, the LFS crew is very knowledgeable, and they knew how to gently back me away from the wrong purchases without creating a diplomatic incident, LOL! Instead of just trying to make a sale... I love my LFS, they really care about what happens beyond the transaction!

So I came home with a coralife 10 watt PC light bulb, an acrylic safe algae scrubber (which I don't need yet), a bumble bee snail, and a zebra leg hermit. In they went to acclimate, and 10 minutes later, there I stood hovering with my digital camera's video feature running. Of course now that I have a youtube account, and went to upload the darn thing, I can't, because I just realized that my software cd is still in my friend's lap top! Doh! I will call him and see if he can come over tonight, because I am dying to show everybody my tank of tiny wonders! Say, that's a catchy name, heh. I am in the process of setting up a myspace page, and will have a picture gallery devoted just to my tanks. And oh my gosh, if you could have seen the absolutely BEAUTIFUL yellow sea horses they just got in today... They look just like those over priced ones that Ocean Rider sells. I am definitely going to set up a species tank for a little herd of H. Reidi! My myspace page will be updated regularly, and the link is:

www.myspace.com/chasethedreaminsd