bennerkla's 5.5 AGA Nano Reef Diary (Lots of PICS!!!)

[Sugar Magnolia]

Until you have a handle on those nuisance algaes, I wouldn't feed it anything extra. Any food you drop in the tank will just add fuel to the fire.

I see some cyano, you might do well to add a small PH in there for a while to help get rid of that. Cyano hates high flow areas. Suck out any visible cyano with a turkey a baster. I know when I was battling a major cyano outbreak a few years back, I was sucking it out twice a day. I swear you can actually sit and watch that stuff regrow. So frustrating.

[bennerkla]

Yeah, I guess I was so lucky. My first tank was my 75 gallon in my basement, and I have never had any algae outbreak, and I've done maybe 3 water changes in 2 years. I have been starting them though, because I just added a piece of coral. I have a powerhead that I was going to originally put in the nano, but it is so damn loud that I can't sleep with it going. Maybe I'll just run it during the day. I might have to drive an hour to get snails, and with gas prices nowadays, that might not be possible soon, so I'm going to look around for fellow reefers and see if they have any to spare.

I'll try turkey basting and pulling out the algae tomorrow, followed by a water change. I'm hoping this will help, very badley, because I really want to start adding life to this thing (good life.)

Thanks sugar, I'll upload more pics tomorrow.

Cya,

Ben

[bennerkla]

Update 7-14-05

Wow this month has gone by fast. Anyways, work was cancelled this morning, so I had a chance to clean my tank a bit. Here is what I did...

-My top off water was disgusting. There were a lot of random specks and particles in there because the jug didn't have a top to it. I threw that water away, filled with more RO water, and cut a place in the lid for the water tubing and electric cord to pass through.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/a3.jpg

-I hand picked some hair algae out of my tank. I stopped after half, though, because it might have done more harm than good. Some algae escaped my hand and floated around, and I'm worried it will just root somewhere else. Sugar Mag's method is fast approaching if this stuff keeps growing.

-I turkey basted some cyno off of the sand bed.

-Performed a one gallon water change,

-Added a 89 GPH pump, pointed directly at my main rock. I read that hair algae and cyno don't like flow, so I'm goign to leave this pump on all day, until I go to bed, then I'll turn it off because it is obnoxiously loud. We'll see how it works out.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/a1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/algae.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/a2.jpg

-I am thinking about removing the circled rock to allow more room for sand. I love the look of sand, and it would allow more room for frags since they will all come on a piece of LR already. Any thoughts?

I'll do yet another 1 gallon water change soon. Let me know what's up guys.

Cya,

Ben

[clown fanatic]

you werent just blowing the cyano off the sand bed with the turkey bastor were you? if so that will most likely make matter worse by helping the cyano spread. that stuff is really tough to get off your sand bed, once your get some sand sifting snails like nas snails ceriths you should see improvement (worked for me). i like the new bucket lid it should cut back on evaporation of the RO water too. about the circled rock i say it looks better with it in there but when it comes down to it, its your tank if you like the look of sand better it really doesnt matter what other people on here think about it. when do you plan on adding that clean up crew? howse your water params the last time you checked?

[bennerkla]

Hey clown. I didn't blow the cyano, I sucked it out of the tank and put it in another cup. I'm adding a cerith snail today too.

I like the rock right now, the only problem is that is doesn't allow much room for coral placement. I can't put a coral on the top of it because the AC mini is right there. I dont know, when I take it out to scrub I'll snap 2 shots, one with and one without. Then we can decide.

Water perams....

Ammonia- 0-.25
Trite-0
Trate-10-20
pH- Can't read, anywhere between 8.0 and 8.3, I need a pH meter

That is all I test for, I would test for phosphate but I don't feed, I might test for calcium later on.

[AttackDonut]

The only time I had heavy algae, is when I neglected the tank for ~6 months. It had growth on the front glass, otherwise, no problems.

I had ~5 pounds of live rock, soft corals, a few plates, trio of clams, all kinds of good stuff. I'll see if I can scare up pics for you.

Used Ro water for makeup, skimmer and a powerhead for water circulation, that was it.

[bennerkla]

Cool, I'd like to see some pics. I think its funny how some people have success while others don't, yet the same methods are used.

For example, in my 75 gallon, I have a SeaClone skimmer and a AC 300 running carbon, that's it. I never do water changes. I have never had any algae and all my livestock is very happy.

In my 5.5 gallon, I have a refugium full of chaeto, and I do water changes about twice a week. I also run carbon, and this tank is full of hair algae. I'm optimistic, though; it'll go away soon.

I was thinking about adding a coral, I'm not sure waht it is called, but it sits on the sand bed and looks like a sand dollar shape, plate coral or clay coral maybe? Any thoughts? My LFS has them.

I only have my lights on for 6-7 hours a day now, hopefully this stuff will do the trick.

Cya,

Ben

[Brooks_McClary]

Get a Super Tongan snail. They are super sand movers. Mine fixed my Cyano sand issue in less than a week in my 5 gal. It has the added advantage of being the MOST personality filled gastropod in the world. If you put some frozen food next to where he is hiding in the sand he will leap out and attack it. (OK, leap might be overstating it a bit but he is VERY quick for a snail)

[bennerkla]

Thanks for the idea.

[Sugar Magnolia]

A super Tongan is just a larger species of nassarius snail and they are strictly carnivorus snails. They will do absolutely nothing to get rid of the hair algae or cyano. http://64.73.41.105/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1763

Ben, I know you don't want to put a turbo in there, but at this tage in the game, since you have no livestick to speak of and the rocks really need a good herbivore, it might not be a bad idea to put one in there. Let him do his thing for a couple of weeks,and once the tank is cleaned up, return him to the LFS. Also look into margarita snails, or checkered nerites, both are excellent grazers.

[bennerkla]

I have a turbo in my main tank, I'll drop him in right now.

[gumbybc]

I wonder if it would help to do water changes with water from your 75? That way it is established water and you know there is no algae in the 75. Maybe I am just wacked in the head (very high possibility) but it seems like that might help. the tank is lookin good. Nice you have an uncle to help you out with the hood.

[bennerkla]

I've never really seen the benefit of that, but who knows? Maybe I'm wrong. Anyone second that move?

[gumbybc]

hey, I could be just as wrong....I've just heard it suggested by others to do water changes with the main tank's water to aid in stability or something like that. Who Knows. I am planning on setting up a small 8" cube and am just gonna tie it in with my 24" cube (soon to be I hope) system.

[FishMachine]

Originally posted by bennerkla
For example, in my 75 gallon, I have a SeaClone skimmer and a AC 300 running carbon, that's it. I never do water changes. I have never had any algae and all my livestock is very happy.

In my 5.5 gallon, I have a refugium full of chaeto, and I do water changes about twice a week. I also run carbon, and this tank is full of hair algae. I'm optimistic, though; it'll go away soon.


your 75 gallon has been up much longer than your 5.5 gallon. when youre 5.5 gets older, it will be more stable which will lead to less algae. also, i had major algae problems in the first 4 months of my 10 gallon, but as it matured, it had less algae. now, i only have a very small amount of algae.

[bennerkla]

I said that because even at the start, I had no algae. But I can't wait until my 5.5 is stable, trust me!

Have you guys seen Melev's 2 gallon pico? He has a mini pump in the back, with a modification on it to get it flowing in the right direction. What pump is that? I really need to get one that isn't this loud, because I'd like to add one to my tank behind rockwork.

[melev]

Ben, load up the tank with astreas, turbos, ceriths... they can eat it all up quickly (whatever you didn't pick out manually) and then you can move them back to your 75g.

[bennerkla]

I will do that tomorrow, thanks marc. You said you had a Sen Mini pump, but I can't find any for sale. Is there a more popular brand I could go with?

Any thoughts on WC'ing with my 75's water?

I was thinking, why not just put my Blue Tang in there? He's a herbivore, and I'm sure would eat the algae. I could also put my yellow tang in too to keep him company and help with the algae. Any thoughts?

Night,

Ben

[FishMachine]

no, it will create to much amonia.

[melev]

The tangs really won't help you with GHA.

I answered your question about tank water in my own thread. Basically, after two weeks of doing just that (every three days), water quality in the Pico decreased. So I'm going to use newly mixed & aged-one-day saltwater. I may fill up a container and seal it, just to have some handy for a few water changes.

[clown fanatic]

im pretty sure he was just kidding about the tangs lol. it made me laugh anywho

[bennerkla]

Yes, I was just kidding about the tangs, lol. I'm not that big of a newbie.

Thanks for the info Melev. I'll drop some Ceriths and Turbos into my nano today and snap some pics. I'll be back...

Cya,

Ben

[bennerkla]

My turbo snail reeeeally doesn't want to come off the glass, should I just yank him or what?

[TippyToeX]

Don't yank him if you can help it. :) See if you can wiggle him back and forth, often times that ticks them off enough to let go. Else get a credit card and pry him off.

[ninjafish]

I'm looking forward to the photos!

- Chad

[FishMachine]

me too

[bennerkla]

Update 7-16-05

Hey guys. I added snails yesterday to make my clean up crew consist of 1 turbo, 1 blue legged hermit, 1 cerith, and 2 nassarius. My nass snails haven't moved one centimeter from when I dropped them in. My turbo and cerith have both stayed on the glass, and my hermit is on the rocks. I don't see the snails eating the algae anytime soon. But, we'll see.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/turbo.jpg

I can tell that adding flow the the tank has helped. The algae hasn't grown any more than it has. I also tested my water yesterday.

Nitrates- 2.5-12.5
Nitrites- 0
Ammonia- 0
pH - 8.0

I've cut back on my lighting, in the picture only the refugium light is on. My LFS only has nassarius snails so I'm out of luck there. I might just scrub these rocks down.

Is there a conch that I could get for this tank to clean the sandbed?

I'll be around today to post more.

Cya,

Ben

[melev]

Yes, get a tiny fighting conch. Put in a couple more turbos. Pull out the long algae by hand. Put your snails on the algae.

Watch it disappear.

[bennerkla]

Ok, I'll go do that. Thanks, Marc.

I think that snail is a large Margarita, not a turbo. Off to the LFS soon!

[bennerkla]

Hey guys. I pulled as much hair algae out that I could, and I repositioned the Margarita Snail on the algae. Didn't seem too interested; I'll try to get 2 turbos tomorrow. Sugar, would you still recommend me pulling this stuff out to scrub? (gulp) I'll do it once I get my new pump in the mail if I have to.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/HR.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/HR1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/HR2.jpg



Enjoy, Cya guys,

Ben

[melev]

Turbos, lots of turbos. Now is the perfect time to do this, while the tank is barren of any other corals. Turbos tend to knock stuff over.

[bennerkla]

Yeah, that is what I was thinking. I'm sooo anxious to get corals, it's hard to wait until this stuff is gone. But I will.

I'll get 2 Turbo Snails tomorrow. I wish my LFS has a better selection of snails and clean up crews. Should I add another blue leg in there too?

Thanks Marc, how is your 2 gallon doing?

[FishMachine]

i have 4 turbos in my 10 and they dont mess up anything.

[FishMachine]

and they come in handy during vacations because of algae.

[melev]

It is doing okay, but my iffy clam may not make it after all. It was not doing well today, and I opted not to panic. :(

I did change 1.5g of water in the 2g tank. I'm exhausted now. hehe.

Btw, I tried out the new light. I don't know if I like it or not. I bought two of them, so I could actually put both over it if I wanted 300w of light. :D

[Don_Gnomio]

man ur tank is awesome...definately some insprition...lol i have a 5.5 in my room...empty, i have towait to get replacement bulbs for my 55 before i can start with the 5.5 thou....


ur tank looks awesome so far thou

-Victor-

[bennerkla]

Thanks Don. 5.5's are a lot of fun.

I'll post pics after I get my turbos today. I can't wait to see your new lights, melev, I'll check your thead.

Cya guys,

Ben

[bennerkla]

Hey guys. I bought 4 turbo's today and a xenia frag. 2 turbos for my 5.5 and 75, and the xenia for my 5.5. I got this frag for 3 bucks, so I figured I had nothing to loose. I was originally going to put it in my 75, but figured why not try it in my 5.5? Am I getting impatient? If so, just tell me and I'll take it out. I would never do it with a nice coral, but this was very cheap and hardy.

The first pic is of my 75, showing my goniopora, finger leather, and 2 turbos. Rest are of my nano reef. Enjoy.

BTW, my Margarita snail ate some hair algae since I've been gone!! Hopefully my turbos will finish off this problem.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/123.jpg


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/1231.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/1232.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/1233.jpg

Cya guys,

Ben

[bennerkla]

Hey guys, some more pics. My xenia has opened, and my turbos have eaten some hair algae! One of the best moves I've made; thanks to all who recommended it. I think I'll only have 1 turbo in there once all the algae is gone because they are huge. As you see, I added some patches temporariliy to the front of my canopy. All are authentic WWII patches, worn in the war. I'll take them down in awhile, but I like them as of now. Cya tomorrow gang,

Ben

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/678.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/6781.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/6782.jpg

BTW, there are white areas on my rocks that are appearing. Anyone know what these are? There are little areas that are just completely white. You can see a little area in the last pic that is completely white. Maybe some type of coraline algae? I have no idea.

Thanks.

[melev]

Coralline is purple. White is usually where something either ate it off clean, or it has grown over with a whitish stuff that comes off with a toothbrush to reveal purple beneath. It is hard to tell in that picture. Here is what coralline looks like:

http://melevsreef.com/id/coralline.html

You know, if you could somehow count it, it would almost be cool if you had each GHA kill on the front of the tank, which goes along with the war patch theme. Like the kills painted on the side of dogfight bi-planes in the past. ;)

[bennerkla]

I know, my 75 is COVERED in coraline...

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/37052side1.jpg

I knew there was a green coraline, wasn't sure about the white. I'm going to remove my hermit tomorrow, just because I think he is causing the white and he might kill one of my turbos.

What do you mean, GHA kill? WWII? I know gun turrets had a swastika for each German plane they shot down, but I'm not going to put one of those God awful things on my canopy. Could you show me a pic? Speaking of pics, since you are a professional stripper........ email is bennerkla@gmail.com..............................................

Cya Marc. ;)

[melev]

Oh, you want to see samples (http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com) of my work? :D

You could have a little patch of GHA with a RED X going through it. and each time a rock is cleared off, add another one. :lol:

Just kidding... seemed funny at first anyway....

[bennerkla]

I FORGOT TO ADD A SNAIL GUARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is about 1 AM here, and as I'm laying in my bed, I hear the auto top off turn on. Nothing weird. But it doesn't kick off, and I soon here water dripping. CRAP!! A turbo snail was stuck on the float switch, which caused my RO water to continuously stream into my tank. The salinity went from 1.026 to 1.022 in about 15 seconds, so I quickly transfered all my snails into my main 75 gallon tank. I sure hope the shock isn't enough to kill them.

My digital camera and portable DVD player just HAPPENED to be sitting right next to the tank, and they are drenched. Both were immediatley dryed off and they are sitting opened infront of a fan right now. Cross your fingers, please. Also, all my other WWII patches are soaked in water. I had about 30 other priceless, authentic patches sitting near the tank which are drying as well. My canopy and base might be warped soon. I have 3 fans in my room right now.

On the other hand, all the water spilled to the front of the canopy, and if I had to choose, I'd like it to go there because all the electric stuff is towards the back. In the big picture, I'm lucky to even have a fish tank in my room. I sure hope all my stuff turns out okay though.

I need to build a snail guard ASAP, any suggestions, or should I just make one out of plexiglass DIY'ing?

Remember, things could always be worse! I'm very lucky I caught it when I did, or my house could EASILY be burning right now.

[bennerkla]

OOOOOO, you mean GHA means green hair algae??? Noow I see what your saying. That was great, Marc, I just didn't get it at first ;)

[melev]

You can make a snail guard out of any thing plastic. It just has to fit around that float switch.

Make it out of PVC or some type of plastic container (the bottom of a 20 oz bottle would work if you can secure it to the tank somehow), and drill a bunch of holes for the water to enter the bottle. It should not touch the float whatsoever, and should be very stable.

[bennerkla]

Right now I have the switch screwed to the black frame of my tank, which is a bad idea anyway. Do they sell plexiglass or acrylic elbow pieces?That would extend it and allow me to put a snail guard on.

[clown fanatic]

iver heard of people using pill bottles as snail guards, worth a try i guess.

[bennerkla]

I'm going to try to build one here in the next couple of days using some pieces of acrylic. I'm also doing a 1 gallon water change today and pulling out some more HA. The turbos are getting lazy on me; one just sits on the others back all day, and they are cleaning the glass. I move them all the time.

Do you guys have nano's? If so, let's see some pics.

Cya guys,

Ben

[banditfl]

The best snail gaurd for a float switch I have used is a Black 35mm film container with a few hole drilled in it. I tried the clear ones but coraline and other algea grow on the inside causing it to stick. As far as mounting it. I bent some scrap acrylic to clip over the top and a couple of tie wrraps to mount it. You could try to mount it to the intake tube of you AC300 with a couple tie wraps you may need to add a spacer between the float swtich and the tube.

Good luck.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Sorry abou the mess Ben. I hope your camera and DVD player dry out and still work!

Seems like that turbo was doing a great job eating up that hair algae. Get the snail guard installed and get him back to work.

[bennerkla]

banditfl- great idea!!! I'm going to go try to find one right now. Thanks.

Sugar Magnolia- Thanks for hoping for me. I haven't tried them yet, I'm scared to. The turbos have been doing a great job, almost all the HA on the main rock is gone, and as long as it doesn't grow, I'll be able to try some corals soon once I know it's not coming back. I did a 1 gallon WC today so that'll help it out.

We'll have to wait and see!

[bennerkla]

Update 7-19-05

Hey guys. Today I decided to make some changes. You remember my moonlights I got, that I was so hot on before? Well, I decided I'd rather have 2 small bulbs on opposite ends rather than 6 bulbs all clumped together. That tubing of the moonlights were a pain to try to mount anyway. So my friend Doug from Central Ohio Reef Aquarist hooked up two of these (http://www.lc-led.com/View/itemNumber/64) bulbs with flexible tubing that I could position on the left and right sides of my canopy. I'm excited for this because it won't give an overpowering glow, yet provide evenly spaced moonlighting over my tank. Doug also built me a 90 degree acrylic elbow piece that I'm going to put my float switch on. I'm going to try to find a film canister to act as a snail guard. I'm hoping to pick this stuff up today, and when I do I'll post pictures.

My hair algae is NOT coming back on my main rocks, and my nitrates are now closer to 2.5 than 12.5. This means that hopefully I'll put my 2 sexy shrimp and cleaner shrimp in soon!!

Cya guys,

Ben

[bennerkla]

One of my turbos isn't doing his job....

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/acsnail.jpg

He loves the flow that he gets right there. That area is so clean I'd eat dinner off of it. I put him on the rock to eat the algae, and he just goes right back up there. Kind of cool, I hate to admit that this snail has a great personality, but he does! The other one is doing a great job at cleaning the rocks. Turns out the whiteness is just the base rock, I need coraline ASAP.

I'm going on a college visit for the next 2 days, I'll post Friday when I have my new moonlights and snail guard. Until then, take care.

Cya,

Ben

[weimluv1]

OK wow! I’ve been readin this post for almost an hour! Namely because I’ve been thinking about starting a 5.5g nano. Very informative. Thank you.

NICE tank!

A few things if I can add from some experience with hair algae.

1. Nassarius snails are purely scavengers, and I’m fairly certain they won’t touch anything except detritus and leftovers from feeding. This probably explains why you never see them, since you’re not feeding anything. They will do a good job of cleaning up left over food and such, and stirring the sand, but cerith snails eat hair algae AND stir the sand bed up. SO I would get more of those, although, they are VERY slow. Nerite snails I’ve had good luck with, although you don’t hear much about them. Very underestimated, IMO. They are a KNOWN grazer of all types of algae, including cyano (red slime). I think you should get 5 Nerite snails and 5 cerith snails, along with your turbos. Once the algae in your tank gets under control, add some of the snails to your 75g.

2. The pictures I see of you’re chaeto in your ‘fuge, it’s huge! Chaeto will definitely grow faster if you cut that beast in half and give it room to grow. If it has no room to grow, it will not compete with your other algae in the tank. Cut it into a fourth and keep the ¼ of it, trust me it will grow faster. Chaetomorpha normally isn’t confined into small areas; like most of us put it in. It needs lots of flow (which you have already), and lots of room.

3. About exchanging your 75g tank water for your nano water. I think I read somewhere in your post you’ve only done a few water changes in that tank a year. Fine for a fish only tank with live rock, not so much if you have a nano coral tank. I think you should keep up with the fresh saltwater changes.

That’s about all I have for advice.

I’m really glad I caught this thread, it will help me out immensely with my nano setup!

[Buckeye ME]

In the future if you need inverts I highly recommend Phishybusiness. I got my cleaning crew there for my 15g and the prices compare to the best you will find anywhere online...and it's right in Columbus (Worthington technically). I got my liverock there too. Good stuff.

[bennerkla]

weimluv1- Thanks for the comments! I hate to throw this chaeto away, so I have some of it on eBay right now and posted in the reefcentral forums. If anyone in the Columbus area wants this stuff, it's free + shipping.

I ordered yesterday 7 ceriths and 1 astrea for $7.50. I think I will have this under control, I just want to make sure it doesn't keep growing back. Thanks for the advice on the chaeto, that really helps.

Keep coming back here, just to look at page 1 compared to page 10-12 is a riot! So much has changed, I'm sure yours will too.

Buckeye ME- GO BUCKS Ginn is going to be soo sick this year so will Troy Smith. Anyway, don't you have to have an appointement for phishy business or something? If so, I can't find a phone number on his website. Any info?

Thanks.

That's about all for today, I'll post back tomorrow.

Cya,

Ben

[Buckeye ME]

There should be a number on the website, I think it's in the bottom left corner. If you email him you can usually set up a time to go on a Saturday afternoon, that's the only time he does walk-ins, but you have to call for directions.

PS - It's my final year so I have tickets to almost every game. All the home, at PSU and Michigan, and definitely plan on the bowl trip (Rose Bowl would be nice). I might go to Indiana too, heard it's easy to scalp cheap tickets there.

[bennerkla]

Cool, I'll go to Phishy sometime soon. I'm getting corals sometime next week/weekend so I'm excited.

I was wondering, could I put reflection sheets inside my canopy, covering all the wood? Would that work? If so, where could I buy some?

I really wish I would have gotten a 70 watt MH but oh well. I still have a pretty rediculous amount of lighting for my little 5.5 gallon. I'll post more pics later, hopefully new zoos soon! My HA seems to be all gone, way to go turbos!

Cya,

Ben

[atram]

Very nice tank :) I don't think reflective material inside the hood would be neccesary, if you have a reflector it should do the job. I made my reflector out of a piece of aluminum that I bought at Lowes, I shaped it and polished it to a bright shine with aluminum polish. I does a good job of projecting the light down into the tank.

Al

[bennerkla]

Thanks. I think I'm going to buy my cleaner shrimp today, could I feed the tank with some slow sinking morsals every couple of days? My old cleaner shrimp loved them, and the Nassarius could finish up the rest. Do you think my refugium would take care of any excess Phosphates caused by the food?

Thanks guys, I'm still at odds whether or not to take out that right rock. I know that I'm going to be getting frags on rocks and I don't know if it'll get to cramped.

[atram]

What kind of cleaner shrimp are you getting? Your refugium should be up to the task, just prune your chaeto periodically as it grows and keep an eye on algae build up on your glass. Its a good indicator that the nutrients are getting up there.

[bennerkla]

I was going to get a scarlet cleaner, but I'm going to just get a coral today instead.

I received an ViaAqua 180 and a ViaAqua 80 in the mail today, which one should I use??

Thanks.

[Cluckr7]

Hey, Very nice tank btw.

First off, what high school do you go to? I went to TW back in the day (couple years ago), now go to OSU.

Second, what LFS do you go to? Phisybusiness isn't actually an LFS, its a run-out-of-home mailorder service, but I hear that Serdar may let you come to his home and buy stuff if you contact him first (don't quote me on that). I hear his livestock is very, very good. He knows his stuff.

Third, this may be irrelevent since you are replacing your moonlights, but those were FishBowl Aquatic Moonlights right? Just an FYI, I've read that you should keep them from the heat because the silicon seals around the shield melt when they get hot. They use very intense (relatively) LEDs (I think like 11000 mcd) at a 60 degree angle. I just made my own moonlights out of the LCLED 30 degree angle moonlights you are going to use, and believe me, the 60 degree is better. My 30 degree LEDS are very good and bright, but are very "spotlight-ish", even over a 24 inch deep tank, and I wish I can go back and do it with 60 degree bulbs. It's a small point, but just my advice from experience. Also, if you are going to scrap the FishBowl moonlights anyway and you are interested in a DIY project to dim the LEDs, and you would be willing to do a little soldering and math ;-) (trust me it's not hard), I could tell you how to make those LEDs dimmer. Just let me know if you're interested in this, so I don't waste energy typing it.

But your tank is very nice and very practical. The gears are cranking in my head, and I think it's inevitable that I get another tank, and it'll probably be a little nano like yours. Props!

[bennerkla]

Cluckr7 Thanks for the comments! I go to Granville High School, 25 miles east of Columbus. I go to Aquatic Specialties, in Newark, OH, and he sells very, very high quality stuff! I've bought soo many fish from him, including 2 tangs, and none have ever had ick. Also I recently bought a Gonipora and an Anenome from him, and both are doing terrific. I've looked at Aquarium Adventure and theirs is horrible and overpriced.

I'm looking at Phishy Business to get my inverts for my nano. I'll call him soon.

About the moonlights, I'm hoping that the degree won't matter because I'm aiming them up at my reflector. I HATE the "spotlight" effect and think it is very unnatural. The moonlight that I have now are good, but I'm anal about being "neat", and they don't really fit into the canopy to well. There isn't a way I can permanently install them in my hood. The 2 LED bulbs would look much more "clean" inside my canopy, and wouldn't be so bright that I can't sleep at night. My goal here is to just barely be able to see the livestock at night, so it doesn't keep them up and stress them out.

When I get the LED's installed, I'll see if I want them dimmed or not. I appreciate the offer!

My goal for this tank is to be as clean and "apple computer like" as possible. You know how Apple computers are just so simple and so damn cool looking? That is because less is more, and I'm trying to incorporate that into my fish tank, if that makes any sense.

I will get the LED's sometime this weekend, and I'll post pics with my new powerhead as well. Until then, cya guys!

Ben

[bennerkla]

Hey guys. I changed the aquascaping today; I removed the right rock and added some smaller ones, I can easily change them back, so let me know which one you like. I changed because I like the cave and allows more room for corals, I think. Right now I only have the moonlight pictures; I'll upload the regular pictures in a few hours. This new digital camera takes much better pictures. The reason why I didn't get a cleaner shrimp is because I see a lot of dead material from the rocks in the back of the tank. I think I'm going to take all the rocks out and syphin the sand bed one good time.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/moon3.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/moon2.jpg


I'm going to try to get over to dougs house today to get the LED's and snail guard. I'll post later on today with a full tank shot as well.

Cya guys,

Ben

[ItsDave]

i like the moon lights. Is that the single leds or the strip?
Dave

[bennerkla]

That is the strip. I'm trying to install the 2 singles right now, not having much luck. I'll post pictures of my setup here in a bit!

Cya Dave.

[bennerkla]

Hey guys. I went over to my friend Doug's house today to get the LED's, float swith setup, and corals. I completely switched everything around, so let me know what you think!

Old setup this morning...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/new10.jpg


Now this one....





http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/new1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/new9.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/new6.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/new5.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/new4.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/new3.jpg

[bennerkla]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/new2.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/new.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/new8.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/new7.jpg

[ninjafish]

Ben,
Looking good bro. It has been awesome watching the birth of this sweet little tank! Keep it up.

- Chad

[melev]

Put the lid on that film canister, and drill a few holes in it. That will keep snails off it permanently.

[clown fanatic]

i think the tank looks good both ways you had it. but if i had to choose one i would choose the way you used to have it. i only say that because i liked the rock on the left that slowly arched up towards the top of the tank, it would be really cool to have some frag of a coral up on that peak. just my opinion though.

btw the tank is looking great! i like all the new corals.

[schulace123]

lookin good, i like the new tank, better than to old, nice switch.

[bennerkla]

ninjafish- Thanks man. Do you have any suggestions? I was thinking about a plate coral towards the left front sand bed. I also wanted a nice zoo frag towards the top rock. I feel like I'm not as cramped in this setup and I have some room to position my rocks. Rocks are like powerheads; better to have many small ones than a few big ones. Your tank still owns mine, I shouldn't have looked at yours first because everything I do is sub-par compared to yours. ;)

melev- Good idea, thanks!

clown fanatic- I liked that rock too, problem was that it was just so big. Plus, any frags that were attached to rocks would completely throw off the "coolness" of that rock. It would be hard to get a coral up there because it is getting hit directly from the AC flow and it would extend out of the water. If this was a FOWLR, I'd definately keep the old setup. I feel like I can breathe with this one.

schulace123- Thanks man. Keep posting, I'd love to her more from you!


I'm thinking that I'm going to direct the LED's so that they shine on the frogspawn and green spirilia (sp). They look AWESOME with the blue lighting on them. See for yourself... I just snapped some pics.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/IMG_3809.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/IMG_3810.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/IMG_3811.jpg

Hope you guys enjoy, let me know.

Cya guys,

Ben

[ItsDave]

Looks sweet man. I am going to be getting moonlights for my tank soon. As soon as i can get some corals in there. Things are looking great man, best of luck.

Dave

[melev]

Yes, the spot light on a few glowing corals always looks cool.

[TippyToeX]

Love the LED pics Ben! :thumbsup: Everything is really taking shape.

[Jordan55]

Hey Ben. Looking good!

The LEDs look so neat. Where could I get some?

Keep it up!

[ninjafish]

Ben,
I think a plate or open brain down on the sandbed would look pretty sweet. I really like that sprilia (?) - haven't seen one around here but I would buy it in a second if I found one. The aquascaping looks good and gives you lots of room for growth. If you were going to add any more rock I would put a tower formation kind of jutting up in the back on one side. I think that it is always easier to appreciate someone elses tank because it is something different, and more importantly, it can just be enjoyed because someone else is doing all of the work :p . The only suggestion that I can think of would be to try out a smaller variety of snail some time. I changed my tank around to have only ceriths and stomatella because they don't get very big. I have found the challenge to a nano is to get everything to look miniature and purportional - like you are a giant and have a real live reef on your table. I found that having a large snail in the tank messes with the illusion and makes the tank look a lot smaller. JME.
This is the only thread I'm watching these days - nice work!

- Chad

[atram]

Looks good Ben. :)

[Sugar Magnolia]

Originally posted by bennerkla
green spirilia (sp).
Sinularia. Nice piece too!

Those LED's are awesome!

[bennerkla]

TippyToeX- Thanks man. I can't wait to see yours take shape as well.

Jordan 55- Thanks. The LED's were custom made, check on page 13 I think for the link to the ones we bought. Doug from CORA made them for me.

ninjafish- Thanks man. Could I fit a brain on the sandbed? I thought they were huge. I think I'm going to keep the smaller turbo in there, just because he really does a terrific job at cleaning. I'll try those stomatella snails if I can find some at Phishy. I know I don't want any hermits, they are just such a pain to monitor. Thanks for continuing to follow my thread! I can't wait to post more pictures today when they open a bit, so check back!

atram- Thanks dude.

Sugar Magnolia- Ahh, cool. I'm so excited to have that thing lit up all night, it looks amazing I think.

I'm at my friends house right now, but I'll post more pictures when I get home. Cya!]

Ben

[Hwarang]

heya bennerkla

I have been watching your thread but didn't see if you found a solution to your ac fuge high flow problem. I am asking because I went through the same problems (same size tank too) and eventually abandoned the idea completely. The mini impeller I ordered was not strong enough to suck water up into the unit, and the big one turned my aquarium into a whirlpool.

[bennerkla]

Hwarang- The mini impeller is fine for me, it puts out the right flow for almost my entire tank. The 300 impeller would be way too strong for the nano. I also have the tube shifted to the right.

[Hwarang]

hmmm. now i wonder why mine wasn't able to suck up water with the little impeller.

QQ

[bennerkla]

It takes awhile. Mine might have taken 3 minutes before anything started to happen.

[ItsDave]

not meaning to insult your fish knowledge hwaran..but did you prime the filter? Aka fill it with water before you turned it on?
If you dont prime the filter it will not suck water up into it nearly as quickly.

Dave

[bennerkla]

Ahh, yeah, you have to do that. I don't even think it'll work if you don't fill it with water first.

[Hwarang]

this... is an outrage! my fish knowledge has been blasphemed!

hehe jk.

Yeah it was all "primed" and whatnot. I have a bevvy of old buhquariums in the closet and was doing water current tests with my AC300 hooked onto the back of a 5.5 filled with tap water. The filter was full and everything. I also left it running while I cooked dinner because I thought it might just take a while to get the water up over the elbow ... no such luck. I think I may have gotten a defective part or product somewhere. I am not overly thrilled with aquaclear's filters. anyhow i don't want to derail the thread so back to the topic ... post more pix!

[tabwyo]

work the stand pipe up and down. AC impellers tend to stick once theyv'e been run and allowed to dry out. Or fill it with vinager and let it set for a couple hours.

[tabwyo]

either that or keep pouring in water until the unit catches its prime.

[bennerkla]

Hey guys. The red mushroom has opened up the best, and the frogspawn has shot up some long tentacles. The sinularia is bent over, do you think he'll straighten himself up towards the light over time?


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/jul3.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/jul.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/jul4.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/jul2.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/jul1.jpg



I removed one of my turbos because he was just bulldozing stuff left and right. Too bad, I liked that guy, he solved my HA problem. I'm going to try to position my LED's so they shine directly on the frogspawn and sinularia tonight, and if I get it to work I'll take more pictures!! I love pictures.

Cya guys,

Ben

[Champloo]

Very nice! keep giving me ideas :D i love ideas!

[melev]

Oh, the joys of a new tank. "Look at my cute mushroom..." Ben, do you mind if I quote you again in 9 months, when you are cursing the day you ever put one in your tank? :lol:

It is really taking shape. I would just like to recommend you avoid corals that tend to take over real estate quickly. Mushrooms are nice, cheap, and spread easily. If you are willing to pull out a rock covered with them and trade it in for store credit, and replace it with a new rock, then I see no problem. However, if you don't know that they can be a real pain, then now you do. ;)

I don't know a thing about Sinularia, as I've never kept one. I have a feeling it will stand up, but that is just a WAG on my part.

[bennerkla]

Thanks champloo!

Melev- couldn't I just cut them if they got out of control? It is hard for me to imagine that, as I have never had a coral grow like crazy before, but if it does I'll be ready ;) Thanks man.

[melev]

They don't cut off as easily as you might think. And they will twist off on their own, blow around the tank and attach elsewhere. My 29g had 4 in the beginning. Take a look at this 2 year progress page. http://www.melevsreef.com/29g/29g_progress.html

[bennerkla]

Please don't quote me...

[melev]

Muah ha ha....

[leeweber85]

Ben your tank has came a long way. I like the mushroom you have :)

Hopefully my 5.5 starts moving like yours.

[clown fanatic]

i like the red mushroom, i have purple/blue ones in my 55g and i love them! its cool watching how fast they grow, i have 2 frags of GSP's (which are supposed to grow like "weeds") and my mushrooms have outgrown then by far! one just twisted off a rock like melev said and has planted itself on another rock. just look at it like this, youll have a good supply of mushrooms to frag, and something to add to yoru 75g in the future.

[bennerkla]

Exactley. I'm hoping to add a small rock towards the side of the mushroom in order to get more mushrooms in my 75 gallon. I don't have any in there.

Guys, I have the perfect LED system set up!! It spotlights all the corals and looks awesome, I'll get you some pics tomorrow, I'm spending the night at my friends house tonight. I'm so excited about these things.

All right, cya guys,

Ben

[bennerkla]

Update 7-26-05

Hey guys. Here are some updated pics, my sinularia is starting to shape up, and my blue stripped mushroom is starting to beef up as well. I'm getting my shrimps soon and also the stomalia (sp) snails that ninjafish recommended. I'm going to get rid of my other turbo shortly. I have a few questions, but first, pictures.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/trev.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/trev1.jpg




All right, I turned my AC mini off because the flow was too much for the tank. Right now, it seems like the mini impeller on the AC 300 and the tube shifted to the right is as much flow as the entire tank needs. Is this inaccurate? Let me know, please.

Also, should I run black diamond carbon in my Millenium poly pad? (This is for you, sugar.) This is because my AC mini is no longer running that carbon.

Should I use rubber cement to hold my 90 degree elbow in place for my float switch? The duck tape isn't working.

Any ideas are appreciated. I'll post some LED pics tonight!!

Cya guys, thanks.

Ben

[melev]

You should screw that top off bracket to your canopy. It should be 100% rock solid, or you could end up with another flood.

Stomatella snails are not always easy to buy at a LFS, but possible. Typically they come in on LR as hitchhikers.

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/stomatella.html

If you want to run carbon, do so. I typically only run it 3 days, then toss it out. And I do that maybe once a month. Since your tank is smaller and you have a sinularia, you might do it every two weeks as those exude some toxins (which affect SPS quite strongly).

[aleiodubua]

I'm having the same dilema with my girlfriends 2.5g, I have a small filter, and a small power head...don't know wheather I should get ride of the power head or not.

Very Nice tank by the way. I like how you made almost everything yourself. Saves a lot of money.

[bennerkla]

All right, here are some pics of my LED setup. It is really hard to get a good, solid picture of this stuff, but here goes!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/evan4.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/evan1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/evan3.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/evan2.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/evan.jpg

melev- I have a buddy that has some Stomatella snails he's going to give me.

I would love to screw it into my canopy, but I take that thing off maybe twice a day, and that would trigger the pump. Do you think rubber cement would hold it well enough?

I'm going to put Black Diamond carbon in my prefilter in my AC refugium. Can I buy that in bulk? Thanks Marc.

aleiodubua- Thanks. I really have no idea whether or not to add this PH that I just bought. Everything seems to be moving around just fine, though. Can anyone put their imput here? Thanks for the DIY compliments.


Sounds good, I'm going to get my shrimp Saturday hopefully, but I'd really like to solve these things I'm discussing. Any thoughts?

Cya guys,

Ben

[Jordan55]

Looking GREAT! I really wish I would have motivation to keep my 2.5 up.... but evap is a pain! I always see people little tanks and say sweet!!! But the upkeep on these little guys is just a PITA.

Keep it up!

Where you getting sexy shrimp at?

[gumbybc]

can you make a notch in the hood so that the float elbow can then be screwed onto the tank? if you make a hole in the elbow, and use a small bolt with a nut on either side, you can adjust the bolt in and out so that is sits snug on the black brace of the tank. I hope that makes sense. If you dont want to remove the elbow anytime soon, a small dab of super glue should hold it to the black frame really well.

[bennerkla]

Jordan- Thanks :D Just rig up a float switch setup like mine. It's not hard, and it has been awesome. I'm going to attach the elbow tomorrow and the tanks salinity will be permanent.

gumbybc- Luckily, I don't plan on removing it anytime soon, so I'll try some super glue tomorrow. Thanks.

[melev]

I haven't bought carbon in a long time, as I still have quite a bit on hand. You should try some of the online vendors if you want it in large quantities.

What light bulbs are you using for your tank? Maybe I should get that kind for my 2g instead of what I have now.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Wow Ben. I'm seriously impressed with this tank! It's hard to believe that it was having such a major issue with hair algae not too long ago. Aren't you glad you caved and put those turbos in there?

I'm with Marc, buying the carbon in bulk is much cheaper than buying replaceable pads. You can pick up a media bag and fill it with a bit of carbon and run it in your mini. Also, if you think the flow is sufficient with just the fuge flow, then by all means, leave it at that. Your corals will show you if they need more flow.

[atram]

Looking very nice :thumbsup: it will be interesting to see it fill in. I'm going to need to get an auto topoff installed in my 5.5, evap with the MH is a killer.

I'm with Sugar Magnolia and Melev go online if you want to get charcoal in large quantities.

[Hwarang]

Melev said:
is really taking shape. I would just like to recommend you avoid corals that tend to take over real estate quickly.

Avoid xenia of any type.

[Sugar Magnolia]

And star polyps and anthelia.

[bennerkla]

Hey guys. Lots of pictures to share with you! I also had my first try at some macro shots, let me know what you think!!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/micro1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/micro2.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/micro3.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/micro4.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/micro5.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/micro6.jpg

[bennerkla]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/micro7.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/micro8.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/micro9.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/micro10.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/micro11.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/micro13.jpg

As you can see, I removed my AC mini and added a cover to my snail guard. It works perfectly.

Notice my new zooanthid frag?! Can't wait until they open up!!!

I couldn't resist adding Xenia or mushrooms because I love them so much. I believe that I have the dedication to this nano that I will be able to detect them before they get out of hand. I don't forsee it as a problem, but I might regret saying that. This will only be up for a year anyway :( So if you really like this nano, you might end up buying it from my in a year :D


Sugar Magnolia- Yes, turbos are my saviors!! I wanted to ask you this:

You know how you have the millenium 1000 poly/carbon pad in your fuge? Well, if I keep changing the carbon in that every 2 weeks, will that be sufficient? Because the water flows parrellel with the pad, and some water might not hit the carbon due to the baffle, you see what I'm saying?

[bennerkla]

melev- I'm using the 2x18 watt Coralife 12 inch fixture and 2 of the 20 watt screw in Coralife 50/50 bulbs. Here are some pictures....

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/cora2.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/37052coralife13.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/cora.jpg

They have worked out great. Maybe you could just have the 36 watt fixture for your 2 gallon, that would work nicely.

All right guys, let me know what you think!!

Cya,

Ben

P.S. I'm going to get a black film canister lid so it fits in better.

[Champloo]

This will only be up for a year anyway So if you really like this nano, you might end up buying it from my in a year
how much? so i can go ahead and budget :P

[bennerkla]

lol, thanks :D

[melev]

Very nice update. Lots of cool things to see.

Be very sure that bracket can't break free. Float Switches are one of those things you don't want to mess around with, and snails are notorious for causing grief. It could very well push that thing right off. You could make another bracket that is longer, so the film canister is dangling a little further out from the edge and absolutely out of reach.

I like that little 12" fixture. I hate to ask what it cost though.

[bennerkla]

About 50 bucks on eBay. Thanks for the comments.

[clown fanatic]

i like the frogspawn, im hoping to get some of that or some hammer coral from this place fragsncrabs.com.theyve got some pretty good prices so i figure its worth a shot, and i havent heard anything bad about them soo. anyways i think its cool that you added xenia, i like the look. its not like your cant frag it and then trade it, or even just put each frag in the 75.

[bennerkla]

Thanks, I'm looking forward to seeing how things grow out. I might transfer my finger leather from my 75 into the back right corner, but I dont know yet.

I'm excited to get my shrimp on Saturday, as long as Phishy accepts my requests. Should have some awesome pics then...

Cya guys,

Ben

[leeweber85]

Ben, it's hard to believe how great your tank is becoming.

What is your final clean up crew/ stocking list? I have no idea what to put in mine.

Thanks in advance!
Lee

[bennerkla]

Hey Lee.

-1 scarlet cleaner
-2 sexy shrimp
-1 porceline anemone crab
-3 cerith snails
-3 nassarius
-1 margarita

corals
-sinularia
-xenia
-pink zooanthids (I think...)
-frogspawn
-red mushrooms
-blue stripped mushroom

I might add a few more corals, but for the most part that will be it.

:)

[ItsDave]

Hey....I was just wondering if you had figured out a way to use a time for your lights? I have the same fixture only larger and i need to figure out a way to have a good light cycle.

-Dave

[bennerkla]

ItsDave- Well, I don't really feel like spending more money on another timer, but I probably will so that I have my 2x18 fixture turn on at 11:00 AM and my 2x20 watt bulbs at noon. Then I'll have my 2x20 watters go off at 9:00 PM and my 2x18'ers at 10:00 PM. Right now, they all come on a 11:00 AM and go off at 10:00 PM

I really wish they weren't 50/50 and I could turn on actinics first, but that isn't the case. If you have the "same fixture only larger" you probably will have different cords for your daylights and actinics. If so, turn your actinics on 1 hour earlier and off one hour later than your main daylights.

[bennerkla]

Update 7-28-05

I did a 1 gallon water change today, and noticed my sinularia was bent over again. I figured I would just see how it liked more flow, so I added a little 50 GPH pump with melev's design to see how it faired. My turbo bulldozed so much stuff down so he's outta there. My mushroom is also closed up today, so I'll see if more flow is the solution.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/full71.jpg

[bennerkla]

Well, I think I figured out why my corals were looking sluggish; my tank was at 83.5. So I threw some ice cubes in a baggie and let them float until the tank came down to 80.3.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/ice.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/ice1.jpg


My sinularia is still deflated, does anyone know the health of this piece? Doug, the guy who I got it from, says that they deflate and inflate naturally, so it might be okay. I think that it is still acclimating, but does anyone else have ideas? I'm glad the turbo and margarita are outta there, they were knocking corals down left and right. The flow didn't do anything for it. Sorry the cerith stole the view.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/ice2.jpg

Here are my new zoos! They are a nice addition to the front, I think.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/ice3.jpg

Let me know what you guys think, my red mushroom is starting to look better now that the temp is lower. I DON'T want to loose this sinularia, so if it is indeed dying I'll get it back to Doug ASAP.

Thanks guys, cya,

Ben

[psionicfish]

Could you show me how you wired those screw-in bulbs?

[ItsDave]

no its the same way...only one power cord...which ****es me off. The lady at the store even said it had 2 different cords and switches. but oh well. Yeah im thinking about putting an actinic(sp?) bulb in there seperate to have a better cycle.

[bennerkla]

psionicfish- Check page 7 for the wiring pictures, I bought everything at Lowes. If you need any specific answers, feel free to ask.

ItsDave- I should look into putting a little 13 watt actinic in there......too bad room is a factor. I'll look into some bulbs and let you know. How big is your tank?

Doug emailed Phishy, and I think we're going on Saturday to get my shrimp and snails, maybe some corals. I'll let you know 100% tomorrow though.

Cool, cya guys,

Ben

[Andrew]

bennerkla- Looks good. Are you bring frags to frag swap? I wish I would have know that was you and Jacks.

[bennerkla]

I'll have to see if I can get any of my corals large enough to frag, but I'll probably just bring cash. When is that again?

My sinularia looks much better, I'll post an updated pic tomorrow.

[Andrew]

The frags swap is Oct. 1st at the holiday Inn. I know im going to stock up my 36 gallon.

[pimp2daizzo]

I like your tank....i have a 2.5 that i have some coral is but i'm runing it untell i get it nicer befor adding more....where did u get the leds from i need them for my 1 gal...and i need them for my 28 bow for a coral that need more light :(...i allrdy have over 100 watts on it..u should looking to drilling your tank lol i need it whit a deco art and my mini bow 2.5 gal i have..do u have aim if so im me sometime at pimp2daizzo

[bennerkla]

pimp- I would love to drill my tank and run a sump, but I don't have the money or room. It is killing me not having a protein skimmer on this thing, but I do like 2 water changes weekly because I'm so anul about the water perams. The LED's were custom made for me by my friend, there is a link on page 12 or 13. I have my old moonlights that I could sell to you cheap if you wanted. Post a pic of your 2.5!

I'm going to Phishy tomorrow at noon, and I'll be back with some shrimp and corals!!!

Cya then,

Ben

[Jordan55]

I think your sinularia is fine. Most leathers will lean often. My leather did it and my colt used to do it.

I will be working at Phishy's from 10-12 tomorrow. You should go around 11:30 so I can see ya.

[bennerkla]

I'll ask Doug if he will want to leave sooner. If we do get there then, just look for me, I'm in the avator.

[bennerkla]

BTW, jordan, does Phishy have any zoo frags that I can buy? I really want some more zoos for my nano.

[Jordan55]

Yes I am sure he does.

He has some big colonies but I do remember seeing some small frags scattered about in a tank.

[bennerkla]

Yup, I'll be there at 11:30 AM. See you then.

[Jordan55]

Com'n now bud.... I know you got corals today.

[Jordan55]

Also..... I know you have the 2 18 watt PC bulbs. Those are 12 inches?

Are the the ballasts 18 watts?

I have 2 12.75 inch bulbs, 1 atinic and 1 daylight I could sell yea if you are interested. Althought they are 32 watts each. Get some extra wattage... but the ballasts may not be able to handle it.

[bennerkla]

I'll check the ballasts tomorrow, everything has been put on hold because my computer I use to upload is being used by my sisters boyfriend now, so I'll have to post tomorrow.

This is what I got today...

-Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp
-Zoo frag
-Candy Cane Coral

Everything is looking awesome, but when I got home and right when I was taking the candy cane out of its "frag holder" it cracked on me, splitting it into one 2 head piece and one 1 head piece. This freaked me out, but I emailed Phishy and he said it would be okay, just put them in my rockwork. I'll be sure to get pictures tomorrow, everything looks awesome under the LED's!

I've decided to remove the 1/8" piece of glass from the canopy because it doesn't allow me to access the tank without removing the entire canopy. The auto top off system prevents water from splashing up to the ballasts.

Jordan, 114 watts might be too crazy for a little 5.5 gallon with zoos and softies. I probably could keep SPS under that lighting though, so I'll check my ballasts tomorrow.

Also, I see hundreds of copepods and amphipods on my sandbed, is a 5.5 gallon too small for a mardairan? My guess is yes because it will finish the pods too quickly, but what if I get one that eats frozen, as Phishy says he has? I don't know much about mandarins except for the fact that people don't respect that they need pods for them, so just let me know.

Thanks guys, pics tomorrow afternoon, I promise!

BTW jordan it was nice meeting you.

[melev]

Ben, forget the Mandarin. That is not going to work out. It is just too small. http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_care.html

[bennerkla]

Thanks melev, better safe and sorry. I'll leave him for another person.

Update 7-31-05

Hey guys, I got some awesome stuff yesterday! I was dissapointed that he didn't have any anemone crabs or sexy shrimp, but I got a gorgous cleaner shrimp. He is snackin' on some Formula 1 right now.

Notice in the last two pictures I rearranged my aquascaping to allow more zoos in the front right of the tank. I LOVE my new zooanthids, much more than I thought I would!! They are in the first 3 pictures. They are awesome and I want more.

Anyways, let me know what you think!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save2.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save3.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save4.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save5.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save6.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save7.jpg

[bennerkla]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save8.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save9.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save10.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save11.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save12.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save14.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/save15.jpg

I'll be sure to post some LED pics tonight as well.

Hope you enjoy!!

Later guys,

Ben

[melev]

That is a button polyp. They can sting stuff nearby, but I have a feeling your mushroom can hold its own against it.

That is one tiny ballast. Did you take that out of a fixture or buy it that way?

[bennerkla]

I took it out of the fixture. It is so nice having a canopy instead of that old fixture, you can do anything with a canopy. Best decision I have made throughout this entire setup was to build a canopy.

[Jordan55]

Amen to that brother.

[Andrew]

Like the new frags :)

[bennerkla]

Thanks. Question:

Would adding Kent's Micro-Vert 2 times a week do anything for my tank?

Also, which snails eat red slime algae?

Thanks.

[melev]

The Red Footed Snail will, according to the books. But they don't like to live in the reef tank temperature we tend to maintain our systems at. http://melevsreef.com/id/redfootedsnail.html

Micro-Vert is simply Kent's version of Phytoplankton. You can dose it if you like. Just don't overdose it. Your tank is small and it won't take much to pollute the water.

[TippyToeX]

There is also very little that eats phytoplankton. Unless you have some very dependant filter feeders I'd suggest you skip it. :)

[bennerkla]

Thanks. The reason why I ask, though, is because I have seen a HUGE improvement in my finger leather coral in my main tank when I started to dose MicroVert. My leather is getting knocked around in the main tank and I was going to move it to my 5.5. Is it impossible for the leather to be improving from the microvert? Is this just a mirage?

melev, you must have a nice LFS. Mine carries nassarius and turbo's, that is about it. Not even ceriths or astreas!

[melev]

I've been buying snails 100 at a time via group buys over the past year, but the Red Footed Snail and other cool creatures are all from a LFS less than 2 miles away.

[bennerkla]

Damn, consider yourself lucky!

Any ideas about my finger leather/micro vert miracle?

[TippyToeX]

I believe leathers feed by absorption personally. I doubt that the mico vet is doing much more then adding to the nutrients in the tank therefore feeding it indirectly. :)

[bennerkla]

Okay cool, I guess I'll try it, couple drops won't hurt. Thanks.

[Sugar Magnolia]

The new stuff looks great! You could also try adding a fighting conch to the tank. Some have had success with them eating cyano, but mine won't touch it.

[bennerkla]

Jordan- Do you think Phishy has a fighting conch?

Thanks sugar. I'm adding a finger leather coral today because he keeps getting picked on in my main tank. I'll post a picture once he opens up!!

Ben

[clown fanatic]

fighting conch's get big though dont they? i have a strombus in mine an he stays pretty small.

[bennerkla]

I'll look into them.

Here are some updated pics, enjoy!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/funds2.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/funds1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/funds3.jpg

Here is my Finger Leather I just added. Hopefully it'll open up soon.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/leather1.jpg

Cya guys!

Ben

[ItsDave]

HA....460$??? thats my guess for the amount of money there. anyways it looks good.
Dave

[nonamesright]

with that kind of money you could start nano-reef version 2.0

[RocketSeason]

wow. I wish I had that kinda money when I was 17.

Heck, I wish I had that kinda money right now! I could finally afford to upgrade my lighting!...or pay down my student loans a bit...no...no...definatly the lighting.

[bennerkla]

lol rocket.

That is about the amount of money I've spent on this tank so far. $420. Sure does put it in prospective.....

Like I said before: Having an ocean in your bedroom: priceless.

[Don_Gnomio]

nice...looks good....btw i spy family guy...lol

[bennerkla]

Of course, I have watched each episode maybe 5-15 times.

Lois- "Great, we're going over to Joe and Bonnie's, I don't have to cook dinner."

Peter-"No no, Lois, go ahead and cook anyway and then throw it out, I don't want you getting rusty."

Many good laughs to that show.

My leather is starting to open up, I'll post a pic soon.

Cya guys,

Ben

[Jordan55]

A fighting conch would not last long in that small of a tank. They need a good deal of space.

My battle with cyano ended with nassarius snails and frequent water changes.

If you go to Phishy's.... I will be there from 10-2 saturday.


* Is that a motion picture of your wall? Or just a picture? Looks very cool.

[bennerkla]

It's a widescreen plasma flat panel TV. $13,599. ;)

I'll see what I can do for Saturday

[bennerkla]

It's just a picture.

[bennerkla]

Hey Jordan, what types of snails does Phishy have? I'd like to add 2 astreas and maybe some others....

Would a brain coral work here? Any suggestions for corals?

[melev]

Put a couple of nassarius snails in there to churn the sand, or perhaps a cucumber (as long as it can't get sucked into a powerhead, you have nothing to fear). A fighting conch needs 2 sq ft of sand to get enough food.

[bennerkla]

Melev- I have 2 huge nassarius snails in there, but they just sit in the sand all day until I feed my shrimp, then they are out for maybe 30 mintues and then go back to sitting.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/nass1.jpg

[RocketSeason]

I am not sure 2 is enough. I bought a dozen for my tank.

[Jordan55]

He has cerith, nass., astrea, trocus(SP).... and that may be it. Not sure. Check his website.

[bennerkla]

I'll probably stop by sometime on Saturday. You work 10-2? I'll get there around 10:30. I'll email Sedar.

[Jordan55]

Sounds good.

I have a 2.5 gallon that I set up for the swap. I plan to put in some frags and let them grow out in there.

Do you recommend a power head or aqua clear mini?

I have a power head in there now... but was wondering what would be better.

This power head is not putting out much power.... so I was thinking an aqua clear mini would be best because you can control your power and it would be doing some good to the tank.

[bennerkla]

Jordan- Just use the AC for filtration. I'll come by Phishy's around 11:00 on Saturday, maybe noon. What is his name, Sedar?

[nonamesright]

bennerkla, could i use a biowheel 330 as a refugium on 1 half like your filter and use the other half for carbon? ps i am quite impressed with you tank

[bennerkla]

Sure, not quite sure what a biowheel looks like, don't know how much space the wheel takes up, but if there is a large empty space it could easily be used for a refugium.

thanks for the comment!

[Jordan55]

Serdar.

AC mini.... sounds good. I will have to pick one up today.

[RocketSeason]

No Bio-wheel. It will just become a hotbed for nitrates. If you have LR. that will be more than sufficient to take care of what a "bio-wheel" is supposed to take care of in a fresh water system.

[floridareefs]

i agree with rocket... if you have an established lr system, try to remoce, bioballs, filters, etc as they are hotbeads for nitrates. IMO, if you are stuck on filter pads, creat a sock that fits over your return and clean it often. otherwise, let the lr do the work

[Jordan55]

Is this directed towards me?

[spe934]

Great thread Ben, your progress pictures show the good and the bad of starting a new tank and is great for any new beginner with nanos.

Comment: Have you ever thought of putting something over the hole on the side of your canopy to give it a more "finished" look? Something like one of those plastic covers or stainless "grates"?

[bennerkla]

Thanks guys.

Spe934 I've thought about it, but I didn't want it to take away from the perfect rectangle it is. I might just be overthinking though, I should give it a try, where could I buy one?

[spe934]

Ben- IMO, I don't think a thin black fan guard would take away too much from the neatness of your canopy, it would just "fill in" the hole on the side. Drsfostersmith has them for like $10.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3924&Ntt=fan&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=0&Nty=1

I don't remember where I have seen the chrome wire ones.... maybe a computer store? If I remember, I will send you the link.

Keep up the great job.

[bennerkla]

The problem is that I routered the hole there. If I hadn't routered it, I think it would be fine. I'll try one out if I can find one.

I have video of my tank, which I'll post tonight!

cya guys,

bennerkla

[spe934]

Originally posted by bennerkla
The problem is that I routered the hole there. If I hadn't routered it, I think it would be fine. I'll try one out if I can find one.

I have video of my tank, which I'll post tonight!

cya guys,

bennerkla

Well, depending on the size of the hole, the guard might cover the entire thing with the corners as "extra". Secured to your canopy, no one would know that you had a square cover over a round hole. Either way, I look forward to seeing the vid clip. How is the battle with the hair algae going?

[bennerkla]

The hair algae battle is over. I don't have any live rock in there that I originally purchased. Water changes and turbo snails were the guys to thank. I'm going to phishy business tomorrow to get an open brain coral and some snails.

Hey guys. I got the video! Sorry about the lack of quality, had to make it under 5MB. Thanks to melev for showing me how to do the video!!

Enjoy,

bennerkla

bennerkla's 5.5 gallon nano reef tank (http://www.zippyvideos.com/167504730787245.html)

[leeweber85]

Nice video ben, felt like I was watching MTV Cribs or something. What program did you use?

[bennerkla]

Window's Movie Maker. Really easy and fun, should be with all Window's XP systems. start-programs-accesories-WMM

[WarEagleNR88]

Nice video! Like what you're doing with the 5.5G.

[melev]

Excellent video. You figured it out very quickly. :thumbsup:

In the Video Thread (Reef Discussion Forum) the first post has a bunch of videos listed. Did you try to view any of them yet?

[bennerkla]

Melev....

yeah, I viewed a lot of those videos. I posted my one I made yesterday there as well. I love all of your videos. Should I move my frogspawn into the rockwork? Will he grow onto other rocks, or just on the rock he is now?

Thanks, cya guys tomorrow with more stuff from Phishy Business to share!!

bennerkla

[melev]

I'd leave it alone if it is happy. They don't grow onto anything, as they make their own skeletal structure on a daily basis.

[Jordan55]

NICE video! Music fits it very well! See ya tomorrow!

[bennerkla]

Thanks dude, I'll post more pictures tonight guys.

Cya,

bennerkla

[ninjafish]

Nice video Ben! I didn't know that there was a video thread... all this time I've been waiting for people to check mine out in my signature. Maybe I'll go post there.
Keep it up man.

- Chad

[atram]

Nice video, your tanks coming along very well.

[Jordan55]

Ben you got lucky today! If that brain wouldn't have left with you... it would be in my tank right now!

[bennerkla]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Well, today I bought one of my last corals for this tank (if not, the last, I might add 1 or 2 more zoo frags). All I need are 2 more sexy shrimp (which have been ordered) and my tank is complete! I've been through quite a lot with this thing, so I'm excited to post my wrap up.

Check out my new brain coral!! I love it, I got it at Phishy Business. It looks like it's already splitting. Jordan showed me it the second I walked in, and I knew I couldn't walk out of there without buying it. Any suggestions? Should I spot feed any of my corals?

With my moonlighting on, some corals stay open all the time. Is this bad? Do they need to close up and "rest?"

Thanks guys, enjoy the pics! I also got 2 astrea, 2 nassarius, and 2 cerith snails.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/brain1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/brain2.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/brain3.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/brain4.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/brain5.jpg

[melev]

Yes, brain corals and other LPS can be fed meaty foods. I don't know about them needing total darkness, but it does seem logical. You can put your moonlights on a timer, or turn them off when you go to sleep.

[TippyToeX]

I love the video Ben. The music is perfect! :)

The open brain is a beauty, great find.

[banditfl]

I like the video. And those new Coral pieces are nice as well

[bennerkla]

Thanks guys. I'm really excited to see if this brain splits. Sorry Jordan that I store your fun :(

I'll try feeding it mysis tomorrow.

[Jordan55]

Atleast I know it went to a good home. Let me know if the branching piece ever breaks off... I am your main man;)

And plus.... next weekend.... corals at swap prices.... I will get something nice.

Keep up the good work bud!

[bennerkla]

Thanks man. Updated pics tomorrow.


cya,

bennerkla

[bennerkla]

This brain coral is really takin' shape!! It has opened up around the edges and the "baby" brain is branching off more. This is quite a piece if I don't say so myself, I'm glad Jordan pointed it out to me, thanks man.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/brain45.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/brain46.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/brain47.jpg

Let me know what you think. Cya later,

Ben

[Jordan55]

Wow! That looks so great! Are you going to feed it?

[bennerkla]

Yeah, I'll see if he takes some mysis tonight. Hopefully I'll get some good shots. Thanks :D

[bennerkla]

The brain didn't seem interested at all for the mysis, I figured the center of them was their mouth? How do I feed this guy?

[melev]

It eats at night when the lights are out. You may have to cover it with a dome, and I would do this when the feeding tentacles are extending and the mouth is more open.

[bennerkla]

Thanks Marc.

[DemonFish]

Hey, not sure if you checked out my thread today, but i found a housing for a mh retrofit kit. My grandpop has a worklight housing at work that i'm gonna get. i do have a question about supplimental lighting, with your 2 20w coralife bulbs, did you have to get a ballast for them? basically i'm curious as to how you set them up.
I'm going to see how the worklight housing works, and if that is a bust, i'm just going to buy a retro fit kit and have all the pieces for a canopy precut at homedepot so i can mount the kit straight to the top of the canopy. this way i can expand it. I know it'll cost a bit more, but at least it would look a bit better. I'm still hoping the light housing works because it's free, but if not i'm just gonna have to go for the full canopy

[bennerkla]

Hey, the Coralife bulbs have built in electronic ballasts I believe, so all you need is a socket (this ease of use is one of the main reasons for my purchase). It was just too easy and too cheap to not want to add 40 more watts to my tank. For your supplemation, though, you might want to add purely actinic lighting. I'm not sure 50/50 lighting will do you much good to supplement the MH.

[spe934]

Looks like your tanks if really coming along. The brain is really a nice piece. I like the full tank shots, it really shows how much can be done in such a small space. Keep up the good work and post more pics!

[clown fanatic]

love the brain and the video. keep up the progress!

[bennerkla]

Thanks guys. I had to remove my finger leather today because he wasn't getting enough flow. I need to figure out another coral to add in the back right.........

spe934- I wouldn't be able to fit so much in such a small space if I were to keep my old rockwork. I love how my new design allows for expansion.

[Jordan55]

Why don't you try a little frag of a devils hand.

[bennerkla]

Does Phishy have some? What does he have that would be awesome?

[DemonFish]

Hey, thanks for the lighting info.
Your tank continues to evolve. Hopefully i'll have half as much success as you've had (well maybe 3/4 the success would make me happy, hahaha)
oh, i'm not sure if i'm still going the pendant route or not. Still up in the air for a couple reasons (the biggest being that all the diy pendants i've seen cast light not only over the tank, but also over most of the room)
As far as a canopy goes, how tall do you think it would need to be from the top of the tank to sufficiently accomodate the MH lights? How high are your lights mounted from the tank?

[Jordan55]

When I go work over there on Wednesday I will look for some nice nano corals.

[Cosper]

Wow.. what a nice setup. Love everything from the canopy to the lights. You did a real good job on everything; espicaly that canopy. Only thing I would have done differently... is I would have ran a sump and hid it somewhere. You could add a 10gal sump and have a much larger water volume, and run all your equipment on the sump. But... thats just me, great job!

[bennerkla]

demon- I'm not sure of the dimensions of mine, but you'd want your MH to be maybe 8" off the top of the water. Thanks for the compliments!

Jordan- Thanks, my brain doesn't look very good today, don't know why :(

Cosper- Thanks man. Trust me, I would LOVE to have a sump, but I don't have the room. Plus, this route I have no worries about an overflow or syphin break or whatnot.

I think the problem with my brain is that I left my desk lamp on while the lights were out, and it was hit with a lot of low kevlin light. I hope it looks better tomorrow.

Cya guys,

bennerkla

[bkztrini465]

Wow! Just came across your thread. Your tank is amazing!!!! Makes me want to try a nano again. That brain coral was a great find. If it looks this good now, how goods it gonna look a year from now? heh.
-Kris

[spe934]

Ben, what type of heater do you run in your tank? I am trying to make sure I get all my stuff together before adding sand/water/LR to my 5gal. It is going to be in an AC office, so I assume I will need some type of heater to regulate temp, especially at night.

[bennerkla]

bkz- Thanks a lot!

spe- I use a 50 watt Tronic heater. It is awesome, worth the money. Check page 6 for details.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y290/bennerkla/heater.jpg

[spe934]

Thanks Ben. I will order one tomorrow. What temp do you keep your nano at?..

[bennerkla]

79.

[boudster]

So Ben,

When does college start up for you? Are you going to be able to bring the tank?!

[bennerkla]

Well, I'm going to be a senior, so it'll stay in my room for the next year. Once I go to college, I'll probably sell it. So in a year this might be for sale :( :(

[spe934]

You taking bids now? :) Actually, I new a couple of people who had small tanks (one being SW) in their dorms (be sure to check with your housing authority first). They were really cool, just don't let people "party" in your room, as they have a tendancy to think that the fish "need a drink too"....

[bennerkla]

That just happened to me! Someone poured beer in my 75 gallon tank, I had a thread about it in Reef Discussion. lol

[Jordan55]

Hey Ben. I am going to work tonight so I will check some corald for you. Looking for anything particular? Leathers? Zoos? Yumas/rics? Blastos? Or just want me to look around and check on everything?

[bennerkla]

I'm moving the sinularia to the right side of the tank, so I need a nice piece for the left side. I'd like something that stands out, maybe a leather, blastos would be nice too. Ric's would be cool. I don't really want to spend anymore than 30 bucks though, but if I have to I will. Could you take any pics?

Thanks Jordan.

[Jordan55]

I'm not supposed to take pictures I don't think unless I send them to you directly... I am just not sure.

If you are comming to the meeting on Saturday come to the open house at Serdar's after for low priced corals from 10-35$, that would be perfect for you.

[bennerkla]

My girlfriend is leaving for college next thursday, so I think I'm going to spend that day with her. If not, I'm there fo' sho' dawg.

My email is bennerkla@gmail.com, ask Serdar if that is okay. Thanks.

[Jordan55]

You will be getting some pictures tonight.

You best better make it to the meeting!

[DemonFish]

Hey, if you're still thinking you'll be attending VT then you can have the tank here, just have to work out an agreement with the R/A about power for the dif vacation periods.
That would definately be an awesome tank to have here. We had a 55 gal pirhana tank last year in my dorm suite, until they made us drain it out because the max size is 10 gal of water.

[Jordan55]

I know your going to kill me.

I forgot my camera on the way to work. But he did have a small sacrophyton (sp) leather for like 20$ or something.

He also had some blastos. It was hard looking for things when I have no clue on a subject. Nano corals was kind of broad.

Best advice... come to his house after the meeting or attend both. Cheap corals.

[kyman_33]

Are you even going to check if you can have it in your dorm? Why put all your effort out the window if you could keep it? Or are you the type that is too cool to bring an aquarium to college?

[bennerkla]

No problem Jordan. I can't make it to the meeting, but I'll try to go to the open house. Can I come to the open house if I don't go to the meeting? Forgive me, as Saturday is my last chance to see my girlfriend for the whole day. I heard blastos were really expensive? Is that true?

By all means, I will keep it if I can. But it will be hard trying to run a reef system when the electricity is off, or when I'm gone for 4 weeks during a vacation. Even if they do leave the electricity on, how can I maintain a tank when I'm 6 hours away? I'm not sure if it'll work out. I'll have to see if someone could take care of it for me I guess.

[Jordan55]

Blastos can be expensive but at the open house they will be cheap.

Email phishy and ask him about comming over after.

[Buckeye ME]

Hey Jordan, do you know of any cheap beginner's type corals Phishy would have for Saturday? I might be looking to buy my first one then, but definitely want to start cheap. Probably xenia but I'm open to ideas.


And to keep on the thread, on your success with turbos I went and got one at Byerly's today, hopefully it takes care of the HA as well as yours did.

[Jordan55]

Most of Phishy's corals will be beginners coral, from what I have seen so far. Lots of rics/yumas.... maybe some zoos... cheap acans and blastos.

Trust me... the highest priced coral is 35$ in the sale.... this isn't a place you would want to miss.

Anyways, Ben... any new pictures? How is the brain doing? Did you talk to Serdar?

[bennerkla]

I'm emailing Serdar right now. I really hope to get another awesome piece like I did with the brain. The brain is doing much, much better today.

I'm really hoping to stop by on Saturday, I would love to have a striking coral for my left side. I'm going to trade my green sinularia for a smaller frag of it, because I think it is too big for my nano.

I'll post some pics tomorrow, off to do a 1 gallon water change.

Cya,

Ben

[slave-of-rock]

Why don't you frag the sniularia and sell/trade the rest of it off for something new? I think that would work out better for you :D.
-Kyle