Dixiedog's 29

[dixiedog]

Well my tank just turned one year, so it's time to give it an official debut I guess. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's a standard 29 peninsula with a smoked glass overflow at the end ... Herbie drain, Octopus 110, MP-10, Reefkeeper Lite, 4x24 TEK light.

I took some pics tonight. My camera is a cheapo so these are the best I can do ... for me, they actually came out pretty good.

http://i26.*******.com/9k17xe.jpg

http://i26.*******.com/ap70qw.jpg

http://i27.*******.com/28lup8h.jpg

http://i32.*******.com/saxf83.jpg

http://i31.*******.com/htin1g.jpg

[BennyFrank]

Very nice, I like the aquascape a lot. I am in the middle of a standard 29g build myself. How do you like the Octopus 110? I'm looking at the same skimmer.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Very clean looking. That's a very unique rock structure!

[Darkstar22]

Nice! Did you use acrylic rods, and drill to do that?

[a-T-m]

gonna look sweet once all that sps grows a bit more. heck, already looks sweet

[dixiedog]

Very nice, I like the aquascape a lot. I am in the middle of a standard 29g build myself. How do you like the Octopus 110? I'm looking at the same skimmer.


Thanks!

I like the Octopus 110 a lot. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. It JUST BARELY fits sideways into my 10g sump (had to trim the base a little, but it goes in), and it draws only 18 watts. Between it and my Rio 1700 return, there's only 41 watts of submerged power, and only 96 watts of lighting. Makes it easy to keep the tank cool even with the house at 80 degrees.



Did you use acrylic rods, and drill to do that?

No rods, just a whole lot of epoxy. But the arch is actually comprised of two pieces, which makes it safer/easier to handle. Each half stands solidly on it's own and has stubby little epoxy "pilings" under it to keep it steady. The two assemblies butt up together right at the top, between the Pearlberry and Joe the Coral.


Here's how it looks from the "back" side:

http://i30.*******.com/4tsdig.jpg

[GaryR1984]

Everything looks like crap. You should put some real lights on there, what are you using now?

[GaryR1984]

Here's a real nano Dixie!

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g11/GaryR1984/6G%20Nano%20Office%20Build/IMG00231.jpg

[dixiedog]

Everything looks like crap.


Oh HA HA!

Look, I found a pic of the tank YOU built! :dance:

http://mayang.com/textures/Manmade/images/Glass/broken_glass_120078.JPG

[lps1212]

nice clean lookin setup u got going there

[GaryR1984]

Only one of my panes flew off, and I mean FLEW off! lol come check out my new setup dude. Ride the Harley over I wanna check it out, you should check out my new Lift and Tires on the truck.

[dixiedog]

Update ....

Coral growth and the addition of the clam have finally begun to consume alk and cal faster than my weekly w/c's will replenish it. Behold the new 2 part dosing system!

When I'm done admiring it, I'm gonna build a kind of fake cabinet for it, just two sides and a top, with the same wood and stain as the stand.

http://i56.*******.com/ok5pna.jpg

[dixiedog]

.

Finally figured out how to get some chaeto going in this tiny sump! I'd had bad luck with it before, and couldn't even figure out where to put it in this sump, but this egg crate rack works great. It's a little over 3" x 8" x 4" inside. Water comes over the baffle and flows through it to the far wall, which it seems to love.

I'm amazed. Even with the Octopus 110, and no fish for the last eight weeks, the chaeto has been growing like mad.

I also beat cyano since I started this, but I also went fishless and got rid of most of my substrate.

http://i55.*******.com/vr8yl2.jpg

[maelv]

Dixie,
What kind of substrate is that? I have the really fine oolite sand, and find that it is just getting blown everywhere with my MP10's....and i'd really like more flow in the tank, without the saharan sandstorms.

[dixiedog]

Yeah, I like the look of that fine sand too. I don't envy the sandstorms though.

This stuff is just "reef sand", I think. It came from the 75 gallon I had before.

[fote03]

Looks nice. You almost need a fish room with your stand overflowing with all ur equipment lol

[dixiedog]

Couple new friends I'd like to introduce! First one is a Christmas favia, the second I'm still not sure on. Maybe a Platygyra? I call it Nuclear Toothpaste. :smokin:


http://i52.*******.com/vy5gnd.jpg


http://i56.*******.com/315bl83.jpg

[aquaenthusiast]

Sweet corals, and nice setup :thumbsup:

[duncantse]

I love the arch structure!

[Jadams]

updated fts?

[dixiedog]

Pretty recent:



http://i54.*******.com/1saxhi.jpg

[Sugar Magnolia]

Love it!

[JasonBJones]

Tank is looking great. Those corals look like they are hungry for some food.

[dixiedog]

Thanks!!

Yeah, everybody says I should feed more, but I have a lurking cyano issue that goes nuts every time I do. (See it on the bottom rock, right side?) Most of my corals are definitely pale, although not as bad as my pics look (POS camera). Part of it, I think, has to do with an over-long photoperiod I was running. Since I cut back the hours my colors have sloooowly started improving.

Is there anything that feeds corals but not cyano??

[JasonBJones]

That's a tough predicament. Judging by the color of the corals, there is certainly not a nutrient issue. I wonder what is feeding the cyano. Have you tried moving power heads around to create more flow in that area? That looks like it may be a low flow spot which could be a factor in the cyano there.

I battled cyano at one point and it would not go away regardless of what I tried (low nutrients, increased flow, etc...). I did one treatment of red slime remover which got rid of it and it has never come back. I would do that only as a last resort, although I experienced no ill effects from it. But, I always prefer to correct things naturally if possible.

[cameron918064]

nice like tha rock work u did

[dixiedog]

That's a tough predicament. Judging by the color of the corals, there is certainly not a nutrient issue. I wonder what is feeding the cyano. Have you tried moving power heads around to create more flow in that area? That looks like it may be a low flow spot which could be a factor in the cyano there.

I battled cyano at one point and it would not go away regardless of what I tried (low nutrients, increased flow, etc...). I did one treatment of red slime remover which got rid of it and it has never come back. I would do that only as a last resort, although I experienced no ill effects from it. But, I always prefer to correct things naturally if possible.


Yeah, nutrients are pretty nonexistent. There is only one tailspot blenny and two neon gobies in the tank, so needless to say I don't feed much. A cube of food lasts me a week or so, and my skimmer is an Octopus 110! And the flow in that spot is actually pretty strong. It's right in the undertow of my MP10 (lagoon mode, 100% power) so the current rips through there real good. It's just a testament to cyano ... what an amazing organism.

Funny you mention the red slime remover. I have had a bottle of ChemiClean in the cupboard for many weeks, but I'm too chicken to use it! I've thought about going lights-out for 72 hours, but - this is also funny - it would drive me insane looking at the dark tank for three days. I'd have to go away for a three day weekend and do it while I wasn't home. LOL

BTW do you know what the difference is (if any) between Red Slime Remover and Chemi Clean?

[Pumped]

Thanks for helping me design my sump :D

[dixiedog]

Any time!:bounce1:

Just so you know:

When you go to drop the Octopus 110 in there (if that's the way you go) it probably won't fit right off the bat. Mine didn't anyway, I had to cut some of the excess off the skimmer base. Just take a razor knife and score a nice deep line along the acrylic and snap it off. Then, you'll probably want to remove the pump, drop the skimmer in, then put the pump back on it.

It may sound like a PITA but it's really not.

[Pumped]

how do you like that skimmer? Pulling out a good amount of junk?

[dixiedog]

I like it a lot. I'm not a skimmer 'expert', having only owned one other skimmer, but this one has never disappointed me, and it's way better than the last one (AquaC EV-120).

I wouldn't hesitate to use it in a system with twice this volume.

[dixiedog]

Oh BTW I beat that cyano. I tried the 3-day lights out, which didn't work, but then I got in the tank with a toothbrush and scrubbed it off the rocks a couple days in a row. Combined with a WC each day, it just went away.

I still can't use things like oyster feast, roti feast, or Rod's food, as this seems to bring it back. As long as I just stick to fish food I'm okay. I've added a masked goby and three candycane gobies too. :)

[dixiedog]

.

Just a cool pic I was able to take. My neon goby loves to use the clam's mantle for a couch. :D



http://i42.*******.com/23ti99j.jpg

[fote03]

Cool picture! FTS?

[dixiedog]

Thanks man! Just as soon as I figure out how to use my new camera. :D

[dixiedog]

I'm going to try running skimmerless for a while.

Here's a current FTS (sorry, it's the best I could do):


http://i46.*******.com/r0e349.jpg


... and here are a couple individual SPS pics. The first is an ORA Pearlberry, the second is a tricolor Valida. I've been frustrated in my efforts to color them up for a very long time now. I feed and feed and feed, I've screwed endlessly with the lighting, and this is about as good as they get.


http://i47.*******.com/2wrdh6e.jpg


http://i49.*******.com/v3itfo.jpg


I want to get SOME LEVEL of measurable nitrates, and I'm at my wits end with it. The air intake on the skimmer is now plugged, but I'm letting it run just for the sake of circulation in the sump. No bubbles are being produced.

I'm gonna let it run this way for a while and see what happens.


:)

[fote03]

Nano Tank of the Month!

[dixiedog]

Well, it took almost three years to get here, but I just added my tenth fish! The list is now as follows:

Swissguard Basslet
Hector's goby
masked goby
Black Ocellaris
Bangaii cardinal
Tail spot blenny
2x neon gobys
2x chromis

The Hector's was the last fish added; he went in about a week ago after two weeks in QT. There is no aggression between any members, everybody gets along just fine.

Probably because they're all too FAT to quarrel amongst each other.