Pics of my 12g

[coachfraley]

Here's a pic of my 12g that has been up for about 6 weeks now. I am pretty much fully stocked, except for maybe a coral or 2. I have a pair of O. Clownfish, a Clown Goby, and a cleaner shrimp (who all showed up for this photo). If you look close, you can also see most of my clean up crew.

I am running a refugium with chaeto in the back of the tank, and that has really helped to keep my water parameters where I want.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/tank1.jpg

[Drumachine09]

Lookin good. How do you like your clown goby? I love mine.

[coachfraley]

Great fish. He was timid at fist, but now he goes to the top at feeding time and snatches food from the clowns (clownfish are the biggest pigs!)

He spends most of his time perched on top of the highest piece of LR. They definately have a lot of spunk for such a small fish.

[Drumachine09]

Great fish. He was timid at fist, but now he goes to the top at feeding time and snatches food from the clowns (clownfish are the biggest pigs!)

He spends most of his time perched on top of the highest piece of LR. They definately have a lot of spunk for such a small fish.



Oh yea. I usually see mine perched atop my magna-float, or skimming the tops of the Live rock. Great little colors for them too!

[salman]

I love it! It's the best 12 gallon i have ever seen! :D

[tropfish]

Really nice tank:19: . I want a SW SOO bad lol

[salman]

Whats the difference between a 12 gallon FW and a 12 gallon SW.. the price.. is there a big difference?

All i know is that the fish are A LOT more expensive.

[Fishguy2727]

I don't see pics.

Are they on a website (such as Photobucket) where I might be able to check them out?

[salman]

I don't see pics.

Are they on a website (such as Photobucket) where I might be able to check them out?

Did you try refreshing? :19: :19: :19: :19:

[Lady Hobbs]

Very nice and I love the clowns. They're about the cutest fish.

[salman]

Very nice and I love the clowns. They're about the cutest fish.

Whats cuter? I love them.. if you see in in RL.. they are soo bright! I'm going to get a package SW when i get back from london. I'm gunna save some of my spending money lol.

[coachfraley]

EVERYTHING is more expensive in saltwater. I am embarassed to say how much I have spent on this little 12 gallon. The Live Rock and Live Sand alone cost me $100!

So far I have lost one cleaner shrimp (due to low salinity) and one red headed goby (due to ????). That is $35 right there. I could stock an entire 20G freshwater tank for that much!

[2manyfish]

Beautiful tank Coach!! :19:

[Fishguy2727]

Still no pics.

I would put together your own tank and buy the stuff online. I would not buy one of those package deals. figure out exactly what equipment you want, rather than what they decide you want.

I have heard to expect to spend about $50 per gallon with saltwater.

To save on equipment, look into natural filtration.

[coachfraley]

Here is the straight link:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/tank1.jpg

Here are some little hitchhiker zoas that are growing:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/polyps.jpg

[kkyyllee]

awsome looking tank :) love the clowns

[Fishguy2727]

This is weird, I am not even getting pics in the link.

[RobbieG]

They really are there fishguy - we're not just messin with you

[Fishguy2727]

I believe you. For now I just have to imagine them.

It really did cross my mind that everyone was making up their responses.

[coachfraley]

I moved some stuff around and got a Sinularia coral.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/tank2.jpg

My clown goby spends all his time perched in the 3 different corals...I wish the clownfish would follow his lead!

[coachfraley]

Thought I'd post some more pics that I just took:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/tank3.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/clowns.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/mush.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/cgoby.jpg

[2manyfish]

Beautiful pics Coach and I just love the way you have your tank arranged!! Awesome!!! :malelovies:

[coachfraley]

Here's a little update:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/update.jpg

I upgraded my lighting about a week ago. I replaced my 24 watts of T5 with 48 watts of PC. The corals seem to be liking it. I also added the frogspawn about 2 weeks ago, and another pound of LR.

I battled some cyano for a while, but it finally cleared up. Unfortunately I never really pinpointed exactly what was causing it.

[cocoa_pleco]

beautiful! what corals are the ones on the top left and bottom right that look the same? theyre the brown ones with green tip and bubbly

[squirt_12]

WOW....i love your tank...it is very bright and livly (sp?) also i love your coral set up.

[Futureboy]

Very nice tank makes me wish i had a small sw

[SkarloeysMom]

OMG, that is a cool looking tank!

[coachfraley]

Thank you for the compliments!

Those corals are green hairy mushrooms. Cheap, and really easy to care for! I got both of them on one rock for $15.

The other mushroom is a metallic green mushroom. It is a little more"anemone like". It actually closes up like a purse if food lands on it.

[cocoa_pleco]

thanks! those are cool corals, i want a couple for the 10g

[coachfraley]

Another update. I upgraded the lights about a month ago (24watts to 48watts), and it has made a big difference. I included a tank shot, plus a few side by sides, so you can see the change in size and coloration. I also got one of the koralia nanos (circ. pump) about a week ago.

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/update2.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/sinularia.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/shroom1.jpg

[cocoa_pleco]

MAN thats wicked!

[spudbuds]

Very nice tank! Thanks for sharing.

[coachfraley]

Well, my tank is roughly 5 months old now, so I thought I would do a little update. I got tired of replacing gobies, so now my livestock is as follows:

pair of O. clowns
cleaner shrimp
peppermint shrimp
2 zebra turbos snails, 1 astria snail, 3 hermits

Tank shot, added about 1.5 lbs. of LR
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/update4.jpg

Lone zoa that hitchhiked
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/zoa.jpg

Skunk Cleaner next to my astrea
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/cleaner.jpg

My favorite hermit (don't know what kind it is???)
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/hcrab.jpg

[Incredulous_Ed]

very very nice!

[~Erik3.8.07~]

looks awesome coach!

[cocoa_pleco]

looks awesome!

[squirt_12]

WOW...AWESOME tank coach...i love it...i hope i am allowed to get a SW tank now.

keep up the awesome work :thumb:

[Tolley]

WOW! nice tank!!! :19: :19:

You just have to enter POTM and TOTM for december!!

[S13DWS]

You got yourself a really nice tank there dude!!! love the look of it man! Nice stock too!!!! great pictures. good luck with it :-)

[coachfraley]

Thanks for the compliments!!!!

[~Erik3.8.07~]

coach what is that coral in the middle left with green tips?

[kkevvy]

Absolutely beautiful.

To me, the idea of a saltwater tank has seemed so daunting. Love it though. You make it seem worth it, if I wasn't in high school and quite poor. Haha

[Fenix]

Thats such a nice tank I want to make one just like it. Can you tell me exactly what is in there thats living?

[coachfraley]

I'll label the image in photoshop tonight

[coachfraley]

Here is a labeled pic. of the corals:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/update4a.jpg

[zackish]

I am getting a clown goby soon. How come you aren't going to put any more corals in the tank?

[coachfraley]

I might add some more zoas, I just don't have that much room! The green hairy mushroom on the upper right is on the move (I think he is headed to the top of that rock). Once he settles in, I will probably put some zoas in his old spot.

[spudbuds]

Hey Coach - Very nice looking tank!

I've been doing a lot of research into SW tanks and various corals since I'm planning to setup a SW tank sometime next year. I was checking into the frogspawn because they are VERY cool looking. All the research I've done says that they can extend pretty far (5"-8") and kill other corals around them. Also they seem to grow pretty big and require medium to high light and as I recall you have about 4wpg. So, how is it doing? Can anyone confirm my research?

Thanks,
- Bill

[Dave66]

Very nice tank, Coach. Keep your NSW levels stable and feed that Euphyllia a couple times a week and it'll grow to the size of a dinner plate in a year. I've had E. ancora for over a decade, and its 30"x28"x14". It was a two-inch frag when I bought it.

Dave

[coachfraley]

Hey Coach - Very nice looking tank!

I've been doing a lot of research into SW tanks and various corals since I'm planning to setup a SW tank sometime next year. I was checking into the frogspawn because they are VERY cool looking. All the research I've done says that they can extend pretty far (5"-8") and kill other corals around them. Also they seem to grow pretty big and require medium to high light and as I recall you have about 4wpg. So, how is it doing? Can anyone confirm my research?

Thanks,
- Bill

The frogspawn seems like it is growing slow, but I am new to corals, so it is hard for me to say what is slow and what is fast. Last week, I noticed two small nubs forming, which I think will become new stalks. So I think it must be doing ok.

I have not seen mine extend any bigger than it is on the picture, however, it does get a lot smaller at different times during the "night". In my case, I think I left it with enough room to grow for a while, but I am sure I will eventually have to move or frag it. The frogspawn are also supposed to be big time stingers, but (luckily) I have not experienced that yet either.

Like you Bill, I love the way this family of corals look. I think I like the look of the hammers even more. I was originally planning on purchasing a hammer or a torch, but I was able to get this frogspawn frag for $15.

Hope this helps.


Very nice tank, Coach. Keep your NSW levels stable and feed that Euphyllia a couple times a week and it'll grow to the size of a dinner plate in a year. I've had E. ancora for over a decade, and its 30"x28"x14". It was a two-inch frag when I bought it.


What should I be feeding the frogspawn?

[spudbuds]

What should I be feeding the frogspawn?

I think I read they will eat brine shrimp. Let me see if I can find the link.... here it is:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=519

Also, I believe they can get really BIG. I heard of one in a large aquarium (100+ gallons) and it was the size of a basketball. I'm still looking for that picture.

[coachfraley]

I've had E. ancora for over a decade, and its 30"x28"x14". It was a two-inch frag when I bought it.

Dave,

Can you take a pic. of that bad boy?

[richberstler]

awesome pics!

[Tigerbarb]

How hard is your system to keep anyway? I have been wanting a nano reef for so long. I do have a FW 10g right now.

[coachfraley]

I don't think the routine is much more difficult than FW. Here is my basic schedule:

Daily: top offs, monitor corals and livestock
2 x per week: change floss, rotate chaeto
1 x per week: water change, scrape glass, turkey baste live rock
every 3 weeks: change carbon, clean pumps

That is pretty much it. I only have 1 tank at home, and one at work, so it is pretty easy to keep up on the schedule. I don't know how some of the people on this forum can handle so many tanks, but :22:

[Tigerbarb]

I don't think the routine is much more difficult than FW. Here is my basic schedule:

Daily: top offs, monitor corals and livestock
2 x per week: change floss, rotate chaeto
1 x per week: water change, scrape glass, turkey baste live rock
every 3 weeks: change carbon, clean pumps

That is pretty much it. I only have 1 tank at home, and one at work, so it is pretty easy to keep up on the schedule. I don't know how some of the people on this forum can handle so many tanks, but :22:
I hate to throw out so many questions, but here are some questions I have been wanting to ask an experienced nano-reef keeper: Was setting your SW aquarium a big expense? could I just get a 10g and make a nano reef or does it have to be a cube? How much do your corals cost? What are the main supplies you used? Are the fish themselves more interesting than FW fish?

[~Erik3.8.07~]

I hate to throw out so many questions, but here are some questions I have been wanting to ask an experienced nano-reef keeper: Was setting your SW aquarium a big expense? could I just get a 10g and make a nano reef or does it have to be a cube? How much do your corals cost? What are the main supplies you used? Are the fish themselves more interesting than FW fish?

Im not too experienced yet but im getting their, so i think i can answer your questions:

1) Intial cost for my tank was about 350-400$. Which includes, the substrate, live rock, lights (dont have yet but included in the price given), test kits, hydrometer, sea salt, and powerhead.
2) Yes you can use just a regular 10g, thats what im using now.
3) Around here corals average between 35-75$.
4) main supplies were listed above plus a 5 gallon bucket for water changes
5) I just got my first fish yesterday, i got a clownfish and he is very fun to watch and the colors of SW fish are far more beautiful IMO.

hope that helps:ssmile:

[cocoa_pleco]

good post erik. it is expensive, my 55g cost $4000 so far

[Fenix]

I think I read they will eat brine shrimp. Let me see if I can find the link.... here it is:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=519

Also, I believe they can get really BIG. I heard of one in a large aquarium (100+ gallons) and it was the size of a basketball. I'm still looking for that picture.

Oh no i have one but i don't have any brine shrimp or any food for it will that be ok still?

[cocoa_pleco]

Oh no i have one but i don't have any brine shrimp or any food for it will that be ok still?


you should try and get it proper food

[~Erik3.8.07~]

ya id go out as soon as possible and get some food

[Fenix]

Alright I'll get some soon, how exactly does it eat food? If i put some brine shrimp in the tank how exactly will it even get it?

[~Erik3.8.07~]

not sure how they eat it but the current in your tank will carry the food to it

[cocoa_pleco]

you can target feed it with a baster

[~Erik3.8.07~]

a baster? you mean just put the food in it and just blow it right onto the coral?

[cocoa_pleco]

a baster? you mean just put the food in it and just blow it right onto the coral?

yep! best for target feeding

[~Erik3.8.07~]

hmmm.... thats a good idea, thx for the tip cocoa

[Tigerbarb]

Using a baster would prevent food to fly away with and get stuck somewhere with your aquarium's powerhead.

[coachfraley]

My corraline algae has taken off since my last post:

On Dec. 8th:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/update4.jpg

On Jan. 10th:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/update6.jpg

I moved the metallic green mushroom into my other tank, where it has more room to grow. You can also see that the frogspawn is splitting. It is really apparent at night when it retracts.

[Tigerbarb]

What type of LR is that?
What is the coral you have at the top?

[squirt_12]

WOW....tank is looking amazing.....i love how the pink stuff (it is the corraline algae right??) grows all over the tank. From those 2 photos i can see a difference in the coral....they are growing larger. great job :thumb:

[coachfraley]

It's a mixture of stuff. Most of it is from my LFS, who claimed it was from Fiji (you can tell how much I trust the guy). A few pieces were from the sump of a friend of mine. The big peach colored piece on the bottom right is aquacultured rock from oceanpro aquatics (they aquaculture in Fiji).

Thanks squirt!!!

EDIT: The tree shaped coral at the top is sinularia (spaghetti leather coral)

[squirt_12]

Thanks squirt!!!
i see a TOTM coming along with the new picture???? i would enter it for sure.

[slinky]

Superb, gorgeous little tank. Makes me want to use my 12 gallon for saltwater and start all over again. However looking at the routine and the cost of what it really takes to keep everyone clean and happy, it appears that Freshwater is definitely the best choice for busy people with little time. So much to know and do for a nano-tank, including dealing with a huge number of additional creatures, etc. If you've got the space and some time (and some cash) though, it's certainly a remarkable hobby. Kudos and great tank.

[Tigerbarb]

Is Sinularia a hard to keep or expensive coral? What kind of lighting are you currently using?

[snipers_den]

:19: ..very nice looking tank..you have your corals in a very nice arrangement:19:

[cocoa_pleco]

Is Sinularia a hard to keep or expensive coral? What kind of lighting are you currently using?

hate to answer the question for fraley but he has 6w/g. i LOVE his nanocube!

[coachfraley]

hate to answer the question for fraley but he has 6w/g. i LOVE his nanocube!

lol...cocoa is right, and thanks!!!

The sinularia has grown the most of all of my corals, let me find the photos, and I'll post a progression.

[Tigerbarb]

I was thinking about getting a 12g Eclipse cube myself.

[coachfraley]

The cubes are pretty cool because there are a lot of ways to modify/customize them. They also look really sharp in a room. I think the down-side is that most of them come with lights that lock you in to keeping "low light" corals (unless of course you upgrade the lighting).

Here are the sinularia pics. The first one is from early August, the second is from tonight:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/sinulariaprogress.jpg

[Rue]

Tank looks great!:thumb:

I'm surprised you changed to PCs though...the T5s are reported to be superior...esp. for small tanks.

[Tigerbarb]

If you upgraded your lighting, what type of lighting did you have to buy for a cube?

[cocoa_pleco]

usually you need PC's for nanocubes, really PC's and MH are the only lighting that can fit into nanocubes besides ones 29g and up

[coachfraley]

I'm surprised you changed to PCs though...the T5s are reported to be superior...esp. for small tanks.

The lighting that came with my tank was 3, 8 watt normal output T5's, so it was only 24 watts total. The thing that really influenced me to change was the price of the replacement bulbs. I could only find the bulbs one place, and they were $18 each! I upgraded to 2 24 watt pc's, and I can get the replacement bulbs for $15.

I have HO T5's over my 10g, and I think it is really nice lighting. I should be able to compare the two pretty well over the next few months. I split up some frags between the two tanks and we'll see which ones do better (assuming of course, that I can keep the water quality roughly equal).

EDIT: And cocoa the ninja is right, you can't find T5 upgrades for the cubes.

[cocoa_pleco]

yep, my nanocube came with stock 2x8w lighting, and i had no idea how to upgrade a nanocube so i sold it.

agreed with HO on 10g's, i bought the hagen 2x24w 24" HO for my 10g and hung it over the tank and it worked great

[Rue]

Since I'm getting a frag tank in a month or so (custom built! :19: ) I'm quite interested...

...I'll take all the advice/help that I can...

[~Erik3.8.07~]

the tank is coming along great!, so do you have to clean off the algea growing on the walls and powerhead or can you just leave it be?

[shockshockshad]

Very nice!

[Tigerbarb]

It is amazing how colorfully coralline algae paints rocks...

[coachfraley]

the tank is coming along great!, so do you have to clean off the algea growing on the walls and powerhead or can you just leave it be?

I am only cleaning it off of the glass. I use my mag-float for that, and then I have to use a razor about once every 3-4 weeks.

[Tigerbarb]

About how much did the coral at the top cost?

[coachfraley]

I got my sinularia from the $20 frag bin at my LFS. In this pic, you can see how big it was when I picked it up:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/sinulariaprogress.jpg

[Tigerbarb]

Do sinularia require special feeding? Or do they feed off of iodine and trace elements?

[jbeining75]

Nice p. clowns. Hope everything works out for you.

[coachfraley]

Do sinularia require special feeding? Or do they feed off of iodine and trace elements?

You do not have to spot feed them. But they would probably grow faster if you did.

[Hybrid Angel]

Hey could you PM me the stats of your aquarium? I want to set up one much like yours.

[snipers_den]

Looking good !!! I lke the way your set up is...thumbs2:

[country_boy454]

Very nice looking tank coach!

[Tigerbarb]

How mnany lbs of LR do you have?

[coachfraley]

I really don't know exactly. I added it at different times, and some of it was never weighed at all. I am guessing there is about 11 or 12 lbs.

[coachfraley]

New update shots. Livestock is the same, the clowns are starting to get noticeably bigger. they are also hosting my sinularia now. You can kind of see it in the 2nd pic. They are constantly nuzzling up against it.

The zoa mini-frags I added are also doing really well. It seems like they add about a head or two a week.

I am starting to get a little bummed that my LR hasn't turned purple. The corraline has taken over the back wall, but most of my rockwork hasn't changed color. My guess is that the sinularia and frogspawn are eating up more CA than I can replace with water changes alone. I guess it is time to dose :ssad:

In my other tank, the rocks are ALL turning a really nice purple, would seeding this tank with some of that rock help?

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/update7.jpg

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/hosting.jpg

[squirt_12]

WOW! The tank is looking amazing coach! The coral and clowns have grown alot since the last pic.
Love the tank! thumbs2:

[cocoa_pleco]

MAN THAT IS AWESOME! you have tons of coraline! my sea urchin would love to snack it all up

[spudbuds]

Looking awesome coach! Keep up the great work.

You should check your calcium and alkalinity levels and dose if needed. I don't thinking "seeding" with a rock would help too much. It looks like your tank is capable of growing, it just might take a while to start growing on the rock. I could be wrong. You may try scraping some off the back and sprinkling it on the rock.

You'll want to watch the sinularia closely. I've read of clowns picking a coral to host and they pester is so much it can never open it's polyps so it starves. Again, I could be wrong and maybe the sinularia can handle it, but thought I'd mention it.

- Bill

[Tigerbarb]

Amazing pix! How long has your tank been up now? Have you experienced any problems at all with keeping marines since you started?
I can see your corals and clowns are still in fine shape.

[hockeyref88]

Very nice!! Oh and thanks alot........................This is really helping my MTS out alot. I'm sick. Very sick.

[coachfraley]

Very nice!! Oh and thanks alot........................This is really helping my MTS out alot. I'm sick. Very sick.

lol, just get another one, you know it will make you happy!

[coachfraley]

Well here is the final entry for my 12g thread. Next week I will be getting my 31g all-in-one, so I will be breaking down this tank. Thanks to everyone who has followed this thread! Now for some pics...I will start with the original tank shot, and then will be the most recent:

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/tank1.jpg
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/update12final.jpg

My ricordia after about 2 months? of growth:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/ric1.jpg

A shot of my male clown, with his battle scars from hosting the zoas:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/clownonzoas.jpg

[coachfraley]

I love this shot, it's my daughter peeking through while I was taking photos:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/bellainback.jpg

Here is the 31g that I will be picking up next week:
http://www.advanceacrylics.com/images/aa33.jpg

[Tigerbarb]

Nice piccies!
That is great that your daughter likes watching your tank!
Also, really nice tank that you are getting. I can't wait to see some pix when you setup the 31g.:hmm3grin2orange:

[cocoa_pleco]

that 12g is insane, i'll bet my sea urchin wouldnt mind eating all that coraline!

[coachfraley]

Thanks!

I can hardly wait for next week, but it is going to be a lot of work transferring everything over.

[spudbuds]

Great shots coach! I can't wait to follow along on the setup of the larger tank. You did a great job with a small amount of real estate. I'm sure you'll do an awesome job with the bigger one.

[squirt_12]

Awesome pics Coach!! The 12g looks awesome. Can't wait to see the 31g all set up and running.