Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread

[melev]

My refugium is quite 3-d in person, although this image doesn't do it too much justice. Thought I'd share.





It is cheatomorpha, razor caulerpa, hitchhiker featherdusters, bristleworms, a lost peppermint shrimp and more....

My refugium is about 18" to 20" tall, and holds about 20g.

Also, here is a shot of some zoanthids under actinics.

[melev]

vypr2002, that looks great. It looks like the water is sucked out on the end of the tank above the pump. I can't see inside that Tee, but it looks like you have a rubber plug that you tighten with a wingnut to get an airtight seal?

I like how you used Tees to support the ends of your manifold. I probably would not have thought of that.

What are the other fittings for on the back of the manifold? Is that for water changes perhaps?

[NuclearReefs]

Wow vypr2002 that looks like alotta pipe for a tank that size. You washing clothes in that thing? LOL

[vypr2002]

they are actually for the scwd I still have to do, and for the left return. I used the right return for the main sump pump. the baracuda is closed loop.
I basically took your scwd Idea and took it a few steps further.

yeah the overflow is seal via a pvc preassure testin plug. pretty cool actually. so if I need to prime it I can easily without having to worry about resealing a threaded fitting.

water changes are carried out at the rubbermaid. there is a valve there that empties the refugium directly to the xenia disposal bin!
like I said I tried doing the whole loop thing but it just didnt give me what I wanted. this worked well enough soI think ill stay with this design untill I dream up another way to waste 2 weekends and alot of money on pvc. plus I ogtta let homedepot restock

[vypr2002]

wh yyes I am, the whites come out amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NuclearReefs]

haha,, I have a few ideas on my 40 that im toying with since im in the midst of restocking.. Im leaning towards a closed loop and another 30X tank volume turn over. we'll see...

[vypr2002]

man i have this pump open 60% and its blowing water everywhere
but I wouldnt change it. corals seem to love it. and so does the 6line wrass

[Poppy828]

Hey Marc and everyone. Just wanted to pass on some good news about my Mandarin.

I was worried that I did not have enough live pods to sustain him long term. I have been trying for 2 weeks to get him to eat frozen with no luck. Well tonight at feeding time (same time each night...7p.m.) he ate 3 blood worms and 4-5 frozen brine. After eating that he went crazy looking for more. It was such a relief to see him eat. Let me tell you. He is still at this point scouring the rocks looking for more. I have never seen him move this fast. I did buy some olives to try the Famous Melev Mandarin Diner. I will try that this weekend by adding some pellets and frozen food a little at a time to see how it works. I bought one small enough for just him to fit in there and the Red Dragonet.

Thought I would share a success story for once. Instead of a problem.

Todd

[melev]

That's great Todd. Thanks for the update.

[Poppy828]

Thank you for all the help and wonderful information on your website and here. I can assure you that much of my success is due to your answers here andf the info on your site. So THANK YOU.

Hopefully the little girl I beleive. She has a small dorsal fin as opposed to a long one as the males from what I have read. Anyway, hopefully she will eat some frozen again tonight. I will let you know.

Thanks again,

Todd

[Poppy828]

I am proud and very happy to say, that she ate frozen food again tonight. Did not eat the blood worms this time, but did eat several brine. Enough that I could see her tummy bulge a bit. Very nice sight. The more I watch her, the more I like her.

Elizabeth (wife) named her Cychi. Not sure how she came up with that one, but it's what she picked.

How long did it take for your mandarins to start eating the pellets and finding the diner Marc? I plan to start this weekend with that.

Thanks,

Todd

[melev]

My original mandarin was eating pellets in my 29g a long time ago, which I noticed at least 1.5 years ago, maybe longer. It was only when I noticed how starved she was last November in the 280g that I remembered and came up with a solution that seems to have worked.

I'll tell you this, she doesn't travel the tank much at all, and stays near the diner and that end of the tank. All the other mandarins are seen all over the reef.

Today when I filled up the diner, before I got off the stool that I use to reach into the tank, she was inside. She knows its for her. Many times a day, she'll go in, even if its empty.

She's never slept in it though.

[Poppy828]

Interesting. Thank you for sharing.

Think she is afraid that she will starve again so she stays by the food source? Smart little fishy.

Thanks for sharing Marc.

Todd

[NEWFIE1964]

HEY...sorry for interupting...but what is a manderine diner...can't find the link on you site to get instructions to make one...thanks

[NEWFIE1964]

oh...and tried your recipe for fishy food...works great, my guy's love it.
thank-you for that.

[ob1thx1138]

HEY...sorry for interupting...but what is a manderine diner...can't find the link on you site to get instructions to make one...thanks

Here is the direct link to the article, but if you go to the front page and click on the Hidden Treasures link it lists this along with many many other wonderful great things. : ) Including a video of the Manderine diner in action.

Manderine Diner

[NEWFIE1964]

Thank-you...was looking into it for my red scooter bleenie...he eats prepared foods, but he only gets a little, cause of the other fish. So this would help alot....
I always try to make sure he gets some...I feed with a turky baster. but the cleaner shrimp and clowns all barge in.

[Poppy828]

Evening Marc and everyone. Just thought I would drop in and say Hi and pick your brain if I may. Yes again.

I picked up a baby Teardrop Maxima tonight for the wife. She has been wanting one for months. It was a deal I could not pass up. About 1" long I would say with very good colors for being so tiny. Can you say $30???? As I said, could not pass that up.

I am wondering if there are any predators to watch out for him? I have a couple emarlds and several blue,red and scarlet hermit crabs. Will any of these guys mess with him. The LFS said no. But I would like your expert opinion since you have such a nice specimen yourself.

He opened up right away once in the tank, so I thought that was a good sign. He is housed in the substrate under 4x96w PC's. If I need to move him up I can without a hitch.

Just looking for a bit of guidance from you if you have time.

Thanks,

Todd

[maxxII]

Here are some links for you....

How to Choose Healthy Giant Clams at the Aquarium Store

Placing Giant Clams in the Reef Tank

Reef Tank Design for Giant Clam Lovers

Cunning and Malicious: Parasites and Predators of Giant Clams

Fish “Bullies� in the Giant Clam Tank

Identifying the Tridacnid clams

Feeding Clams

Tridacna crocea — Pearls of the Reef

Tridacna derasa (Roeding 1819) — Beautifully Colored and Quite Hardy

Tridacna gigas -- Gruesome Monster or Harmless Tank Inhabitant?

The Wonderful Color Patterns of Tridacna squamosa

I've bought all my clams from www.clamsdirect.com
great service, great clams...nothing to complain about at all.

Check out the forums at clams direct also...they are another great resource.

HTH,
Nick

[Poppy828]

Thanks Nick. I appreciate the info.

Todd

[melev]

Your little guy will want to feel secure. I would ask your LFS if they have a half clam shell you can have to put it in, like a baby in a cradle. This will allow the clam to hold on to something solid, and allow you to move it if needed. Nothing can attack the clam from below because of the shell, and it gets it up off the sand a bit.

Barry at ClamsDirect and I talked about sand in the past, and he feels they are irritated by the grains, so this is another reason to put it on something just out of the sand.

I've always read that it is important to feed baby clams with phyto, and you can do that by either removing the clam and feeding it in a bowl of tank water with a little phyto, or cover the clam with a dome and squirt some phyto into the dome. Usually you will see the greenish water turn clear as the clam filters the food out of the water. The water does not need to be green, just a little green so do not over dose in an effort to be helpful. After 45 minutes, put the clam back in the tank or remove the dome. If removing the clam, be aware of the water temperature so that it doesn't differ too greatly from the tank's temperature.

For a little information about my baby clam, here's what I did about year ago:

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0504/baby_maxima.html

[krajacich]

Originally posted by melev
For a little information about my baby clam, here's what I did about year ago:

http://www.melevsreef.com/pics/0504/baby_maxima.html

What a great idea Marc! You're very talented with acrylic! Is the clam still alive and well? I've been pulling whelks off of my rocks as I see them because of some of the stories I've heard about them on RC. They are pretty neat to watch though.

[melev]

Yes, I still have it. Let me find a relatively new image of it.

Here it is in January 05:

[Rock Anemone]

Melev I just tuned in, read it all and WOW! I'm speechless! Keep up the great work. I love those zoa's in that pic.

Rock Anemone

[melev]

Why thank you Johnny Love. You waited until we reached 100 pages before tackling the thread? Stay tuned...