I have my liverock! Woohoo!

[Rue]

I got home at 11:30 this morning and I raced to the LFS!

Good thing I got to there when I did. I thought the owner got the Jacarta shipment last night, but instead it arrived this morning. I was second in line and the folks ahead of me only bought a little piece. I bought 13 kg. At $8 a lb. it adds up!

My tank is still a sandstorm...it only cleared a little overnight. I tried to aquascape right away...but I couldn't even see my hand...so I just plopped everything in...hoping I left enough room for water flow...

I'll have to aquascape when I can see what I'm doing and hope I don't have a 2nd die-off...

On the plus side! Found a bristleworm, a feather-duster and several teeny-tiny crabs (no idea what species) alive in the bottom of the box...so I am now an official reef-keeper!

Can't wait to see what else grows...

[Drumachine09]

Awesome! congrats on all of the critters. Thats always the most fun part, isnt it!

[cocoa_pleco]

congrats! my 7g's LR is crap, but the 33g's is amazing. it has a giant thing that looks loosely like a condy and is attatched to the LR and is big. good lighting brings out the best in LR.


lucky you got crabs, thats cool

[Rue]

No kidding! LOL! I just wish I could see them! :c3:

[Rue]

AH!!! I went to check on the tank and the water has cleared!!! :19:

And my blind aquascaping isn't even that bad...I might just leave it!!! :28:

[kkyyllee]

haha, you got lucky

[2manyfish]

Can't wait to see pics! :19:

[unleashed]

if its not too late, i would isolate those crabs until you can identify them.

[Lady Hobbs]

Yeaaaaa Rue. I wanta see pictures too.

[Rue]

...too late for the crabs...but they didn't have red eyes...

No batteries for my camera...unless I can still some from the kids...

But here are a couple of set-up pics...and I'll try and get a new one...

[Rue]

My men setting up the cabinet:

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Remember; the tank is in the semi-finished-needs to be redecorated-mid-70s-ex-kitchen basement. So it doesn't look all that nice.

These are all the parts I was fighting with...to stuff them into quite small spaces where they didn't all want to go...

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And this is where the tank is going...in a spot where a stove used to fit...beside the puffer tank...ignore the brown water...the tannins from the Malaysian driftwood are still leaching out...despite frequent, large, WCs...

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[cocoa_pleco]

lol, the kid doesnt look like hes having the time of his life:ezpi_wink1:


at least your husband looks interested in it

[Rue]

Actually, the 12 year old is quite interested! He likes fish.

[Rue]

Found fresh batteries! Here's my precariously piled live rock...

I'll likely rearrange it tomorrow...didn't want to mess with it today...

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[kkyyllee]

id redo that today, it doesnt look verystable and you dont want it to fal over and break ur tank, how many pounds is that? loks like you might need a little more

[cocoa_pleco]

good idea. make it wider before it collapses. those top rocks dont look stable

[Rue]

It won't fall over unless it's pushed...'cuz I checked...but yes, it has to be rearranged...

There's about 30 lbs...

Funny though, that you think there should be more...hubby walked by and then came running to ask me;

"Why'd you get so MUCH rock?" :laugh1blue:

[kkyyllee]

most people use like 1.5-2lbs per gallon for reefs, 30lbs should be fine tho, might just be the way its stacked

[Rue]

...don't think I could fit 60 lbs in there, this rock is very airy...

...not the end of the world...if I rearrange it and find it's not enough I can always buy more...as long as I cure it first...

I did want a bit of room for fish to move around in...and I wanted room away from the glass so I could clean it easily...

[kkyyllee]

yeah, probly just the way its staked

[genitor]

lookin good rue!!!

[Rue]

Thanks!!! Got brave (don't laugh...had to work up the nerve :c4: ) and officially aquascaped...

Tried to keep as much as possible off the bottom and tried to leave lots of spaces for water flow...I think I managed...also think I have lots of room for corals...so now we'll see how it goes...

Also worked up the nerve to set my light timer (remember...no laughing)...had a mini panic when the lights wouldn't come on...but after taking a deep breath and unscrewing the 8 teeny-tiny plastic screws that hold the splash guard in place...I realized I just hadn't pushed the lights in quite far enough during the initial installation...

I also managed to screw the 8 teeny-tiny plastic screws back in position without loosing any in the tank, and having to dismantle my newly position live rock.

I also spent about 30 min. staring in the tank...

...saw nothing...


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[YaYgoldFish]

looks awesome !

[Rue]

Thanks! It's not tippy anymore either! I'll sleep better knowing it can't fall over...

[YaYgoldFish]

lol, so do you plan on getting any certain type of fish?

[Rue]

...the rose bubble-tipped anemone and two clownfish are the stars that I'd like in the tank...

...and for others I'll see...

I can't have more than 14" of fish according to the manual which doesn't leave me too many choices...but some I'm considering are:

Green chromis
Lawnmower blennie
Hawkfish
appropriate Wrasse...

I'll do a little research and see who's the best bet to go in a small tank with the 2 clowns...

[unleashed]

...the rose bubble-tipped anemone and two clownfish are the stars that I'd like in the tank...

...and for others I'll see...

I can't have more than 14" of fish according to the manual which doesn't leave me too many choices...but some I'm considering are:

Green chromis
Lawnmower blennie
Hawkfish
appropriate Wrasse...

I'll do a little research and see who's the best bet to go in a small tank with the 2 clowns...
green chromis aren't very pretty and like to pick on each other.

hawkfish will eat any shrimp/crabs in the tank

lawnmower blennies generally starve in aquaria as they only eat algae. there are a few people who have trained their lmb's to eat prepared foods

my list would be:

1x dwarf angel (flame, golden, coral beauty etc)
1x sixline wrasse
1x firefish
1x basslet (royal gramma, chalk bass, blackcap basslet)
2x cleaner shrimp

[Rue]

The basslets are a possibility...

Won't the six-line wrasse harass the clowns?

The angels are a possibility too...but not the flame...never liked them for some reason...

I'll have to look up the firefish...

...and of COURSE the cleaner shrimp...I need my hands done...:c3:

[Drumachine09]

The basslets are a possibility...

Won't the six-line wrasse harass the clowns?

The angels are a possibility too...but not the flame...never like them for some reason...

I'll have to look up the firefish...

...and of COURSE the cleaner shrimp...I need my hands done...:c3:




Might i reccomend the coral beauty angel?

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[Rue]

Pretty! LOL...hubby would love that fish!

[kkyyllee]

how bout this

2x firefish
2x ocellaris clowns
sixline
coral beauty(or a diff. dwarf angel)(keep it well fed or else it might pick at corals)

six line will be fine with clowns as long as its added afterwards, add the dwarf angel last as it would be most aggresive

[Bigdogs357]

I'll try and upload a picture of mine with everything that I have in it. This is a list of what's in the tank right now. I have 2 clowns, 1 yellow tailed blue damsel, 1 orchid dottyback, 1 six line wrasse, and 1 flame hawkfish. There are also 2 cleaner shrimps, 2 starfish, 1 sally crab, 2 mithrax crabs. I've had all this in my tank for about 3 weeks now and everything seems very stable. I do weekly water changes and check the levels twice a week. I've learned more about saltwater tanks from my local store than I thought I'd ever know. They only deal in saltwater so that really helps as far as pointers from the staff.

[Rue]

Thanks for all the good suggestions! Keep 'em coming!

Has any had a pajama cardinal? They're another of my favourites...

[unleashed]

1 flame hawkfish. There are also 2 cleaner shrimps

say bye bye to your shrimp in the future

[Bigdogs357]

Yeah...the girl at the store said that he may have them for lunch someday. If it happens I'll deal with it then. So far it's been OK, but it won't shock me if they vanish at some point.

[2manyfish]

Well BigDog, if the hawkfish doesn't take out the shrimp, the dottyback will.
Can't believe anyone would suggest a dotty for your tank. Is it at least a captive bred one? They are supposed to be less aggressive than the wild caught fish. And yes, I know that even the wild orchids are supposed to be one of the least aggressive dottys but they don't always read the books!
Keep up on your water changes BigDog, you've got a lot of fish in that tank.

Back to you Rue!! Your tank looks awesome and I love how you have your rockwork!! So you gave up cooking to put a tank in the kitchen?! LOL!!!
I've had pj cardinals. Nice fish. Cool markings. Not real active though. If you decide on pj's get two. They do pretty good that way. Or, you might want to consider a yellow tailed blue damsel. Their coloration is a nice contrast to the clowns and it would do well as far as aggression levels go. Just be sure to add it after the clowns have already been established in the tank.
Not a big chromis fan here. (Sorry chromis fans!!) They tend to pick on each other and I just find them mind boggeling boring fish. Not the sharpest tool in the shed if you know what I mean.
And of course, be careful not to overstock the tank...... :c3:

[Rue]

...no, no overstocking! Thank goodness some of them are so expensive...that will help put a damper on the temptation!

Popped by the LFS on Friday...he had 2 tanks with new clownfish...one with 'true percs'...and the other with ocellaris...

The ocellaris were $20 each...

The true percs were $75 each...but the colouring on them was superb...

Here's my tank as of an hour ago, the second pic of the little cave shows the 3 polyps on it, and you can see one of the macro sp. in the background...sorry it's blurry...point-and-shoot camera...

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[unleashed]

those 'polyp' things look like majano anemones. If you can get Joes Juice (anti-aiptasia and majano) I would buy it and use it to nuke the buggers

[kkyyllee]

wow, $75 for a friggin clown, thats rediculous, btw i like the aquascapin

[Drumachine09]

wow, $75 for a friggin clown, thats rediculous


Might as well just rent a clown. All the balloon animals you want for $25 an hour!



They have black and white clowns that they sell for $50 at one of my Marine only lfs.

[cocoa_pleco]

those clowns are VERY beautiful. i want to splurge on my 20g long. i made a mistake buying a cheap 15 buck damsel for the 33g, but hes fun to watch but he wont allow other fish in the tank. he sees it as his territory.

i might try a true perc for the long tank.

[kkyyllee]

petco sells black/white ocellaris for 39.99

[cocoa_pleco]

too bad canada has no petcos. theyre cool.

i can get some black ones cheap. im in good with the salt store i go too and can get one for about 30 bucks. i can get the true percelua for about 50-60 bucks. so far the perecula seems nicer.

BTW, nice tank rue! when it has corals i wont believe how beautiful it will look

[kkyyllee]

thats kinda weird any reason why percs cost ya guys so much? i get em for 9.99

[Rue]

Thanks! I'm going to enjoy watching it mature! Lots of fun...lots of shopping too!

Speaking of shopping...it sucks in Canada...no getting around that...

The best I can say is that at least we're cheaper than Europe...:28:

[cocoa_pleco]

lol, rue, is saskatchwan that bad? my parents want to buy a chunk of land there for no reason and just see how it goes.

here, shopping is insane. every block is loaded with LFS's. half are devoted to saltwater fish. aquarium illusions, where i always go, is 90% salt, aquagiant is 60% salt, and petcetera is 40% salt.

[Rue]

Yes it's that bad here! LOL...

We have a Walmart mentality..if it ain't cheap at Walmart...it ain't necessary...

[cocoa_pleco]

lol, i rarely go to wal-mart anymore. the only memento i have of wal-mart is the platy i rescued from there.

[Rue]

Tank update! Algae takes over!

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...and the hydroids have invaded!

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[Rue]

Day 21! Phosphate, nitrite, nitrate...all sitting at 0 ppm. Have been feeding tank - pellets turning pink and decaying...

Increased SG to 1.026

...and this is what I have to look at:

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[kkyyllee]

why are you feeding the tank? btw its looking awful:thumb:

[Rue]

I kno[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]!!! LOL...I'm looking forward to the future...surely it can't ever look worse?

I'm feeding it Omega One marine fish food...

[kkyyllee]

stop feeding it and then wait for the levels to come down then u could add ur cleanup crew, the food is just continualy adding amonia to the tank and you dont need it

[Rue]

I was feeding the tank in order to produce ammonia...in case the tank had cycled early without my noticing...

...and I've got the start of my CUC! They're acclimating now!

1 Emerald crab (female we think)
3 Bumblebee snails
5 Astrea snails
3 Halloween hermits...AND I stopped by the hobby store and picked up way too many shells...just to get a few suitable for them to change into when they like...

Also asked for a Peppermint shrimp...but in the excitement...forgot to bag him...lol...it can wait...

[jttt3]

LoL, I dropped in my Live Rock last night, but went ahead and aquascaped it by feel. I wonder how it is going to turn out.

It was definately exciting getting the live rock though, I got to feel around and grab choice pieces.

My tank is cloudy still, been 16 hours so far, I want it to clear up ASAP so I can see my random handy work. =D

[coachfraley]

Any updates Rue?

[Rue]

...sorry! My internet isn't up and running...I'm on a borrowed computer!

Update!

Got my Peppermint Shrimp...2 Pajama Cardinals...2 Zoos and 1 Christmas Tree coral!!! Woohoo! It's starting to look like a 'real' tank instead of a disaster zone!

But I have to wait until I'm back on line...then I'll post a couple of new pics!

[Rue]

Still don't have my computer...needs a new modem and who knows what else...

In the meantime...went to get R/O water today for a WC tomorrow...and also ended up getting a Tangaroa Prawn Goby and a Red-banded Pistol Shrimp...hopefully they'll find each other and pair up! So cool!

Might go back tonight or tomorrow...new shipments coming in...could use a few more cleanup crew...

[kufan]

Well I got my live rock tonight. I put it all in the tank, but I'm waiting for my sand to settle, hopefully I will have pictures by the end of the weekend.

KU

[Rue]

...cool! I spent a lot of time watching the sand settle...so exciting...

...not the sand...but waiting to get 'stuff' and watch stuff progress...

But then again, I've happily come to the conclusion that I'm a geek or nerd at heart...

[kufan]

...cool! I spent a lot of time watching the sand settle...so exciting...

...not the sand...but waiting to get 'stuff' and watch stuff progress...

But then again, I've happily come to the conclusion that I'm a geek or nerd at heart...
Yeah I was lucky because one of my co-workers was selling their 200 gallon salt tank and offered to give me some of their live rock for my tank, so I got a good start. Hopefully I'll be up and running here in a few weeks.

KU

[Rue]

If you're lucky enough to get cured rock you'll be up and running very fast. If your rock doesn't dry out...it shouldn't die off at all either...

Went back to the LFS to get more CUC...again...

...and instead came home with a pretty rock covered with Porites and loaded with Christmas Tree Worms! They're so cute!

[2manyfish]

Christmas tree worms. Very pretty little things but their survival will depend on how well that porites does!! If the coral dies so will they!! When I had them they did very well (the porites that is, eventually the little worms will die off), BUT a couple of things about the coral that will help you. First and probably most important. Do not touch the coral itself with your bare hands. Porites do not like the oils on our hands and the area(s) you touch will often die. Use gloves or only grab it on bare rock. Second, they don't like a blasting flow, instead they prefer a mild current blowing right over them. Do NOT put them on the sandbed. Sand can cover them and any coral underneath the sand will die off.


Your tank is sounding really nice, can't wait to see pics!! :19:

[kufan]

If you're lucky enough to get cured rock you'll be up and running very fast. If your rock doesn't dry out...it shouldn't die off at all either...

Yeah the guy that sold me the rock helped my out and gave me some really good pieces of rock. I put it all in five gallon buckets and we put newspaper around the rock and got water out of his tank to keep them moist. I was only 20 minutes from my place, and so far things have looked good. I think I'm getting close to maxing out on my cycle as my ammonia was pretty high yesterday. I still haven't checked it today, so I know sometime soon.

KU

[Rue]

Good! Start your thread and post LOTS of pics...

I'll post some again when I get my computer fixed and back from the shop...

...need more CUC...so I bought 5 orange spotted snails today...sand sifters...

...they dug in immediately...if it weren't for their siphons sticking out, I'd have no idea that they were there...

May they sift long and prosper...

[Rue]

I luv these snails!

As soon as I fed the tank yesterday, they all popped out of the substrate like a little army! And WOW! Can they ever move! They tore around the tank eating...they have mouthparts on an extendable trunk-like appendage...and when they were done...

...they all faded back into the substrate...

Awesome!

[Rue]

...more! I have more! Yeeha!

...acclimating now: One brain coral and one rather larger leather coral (smallest they had)...and the leather had several loose zoa attached to it...so I'm 'fragging' them onto a disc...my first go at it!

[Rue]

This weeks update:

The leather coral was deflated all week, so I moved and it seems to like it's new location better...more water flow...

The brain isn't doing too well...tissue receding, some skeleton showing through on one side...I'm going to move it into a bit more shade and try feeding it nightly for the next little while. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will recover...it's so cute.

Speaking of cute...bought 2 green clown gobies today at the LFS along with a replacement Halloween Hermit (one of my original 3 died...but it wasn't quite 'right' from the get-go)...they are ADORABLE! I looked them up and of course they're very common, but I haven't seen any before, so it's all new and exciting for me!

My hair algae is gone. Now I have a cyano problem, but a toothbrush is taking care of most of it.

All the other critters appear to be doing well, and I tested my water...all good although my alkilinity might be a bit low...~7-8.

[coachfraley]

Good luck with your green clowns. They are very cool little fish.

I tried one a few weeks ago. I saw him at my LFS, and they didn't even know he was in the tank! Unfortunately, he had been in a tank with some bigger predators, so I don't think he had been eating. By the time I got him, he was very skinny. I tried a wide variety of foods, but could never get him to eat. He died after about 3 days.

Have fun with your new additions!

[2manyfish]

I would love to see a pic of those orange spotted snails Rue! They sound very much like one I had years ago. Very pretty snail but I can't remember the name of it. It was related to the one that can kill you but these aren't deadly at all. Very, very cool snails! They love big hunks of food and will wrap their bodies around it and drag it back underneath the sand.
The point I was trying to get to was that one time I didn't see the snail for 9 months, then one day it just popped up again like nothing had ever happened!!

Got any new pics?? :c5:

[Rue]

Thanks guys...I need to take some new pics...without the flash on...:laugh1blue:

I couldn't repair my laptop...so I had to buy a new one...and of course I haven't figured out all what's on here, what's usable, and what I need to find...I don't really enjoy that part of the changeover...

I loaded my camera hardware this afternoon...it kept insisting it needed Windows XP and I now have Windows Vista...hopefully it's still compatible...

I'll try and get a pic of the snails and the clown gobies...if I can find them...when I released the gobies into the tank they took off and I haven't seen them first...I think the pajama cardinals scared them...

[Rue]

...still no pics...still don't have my computer quite set up...might take another couple of weeks...

However! The other day our lovely little reef store had a huge one-day sale! Part of it included 'buy 3 corals, get 2 free'...

...and so I did! :19: I brought home:

1. Frogspawn
2. Long-tentacled plate
3. Bright green star polyp
4. Hairy mushroom
5. Duncan (2 polyps)

Everyone seems to be doing just fine! The Duncan ate like a piggy...and all the others are plumped up and seem to be doing fine.

My Brain isn't getting worse, so I hope he's starting to recover...he's eating too...

...still can't find either of the 2 green clown gobies...I hope they're hiding safely...and my leather is fine too...it plumps up and deflates...but I'm no longer worried about it...

I also bought another 5 gallon bucket of salt and a bar of Cyclopeeze...all on sale...yay!!!

[cocoa_pleco]

sweet! i miss aquarium illusions 30% off corals sale, thats where i went on a spree! :ezpi_wink1:

your tank sounds cool!