Build and Progress of my RSM Nano Tank

[LaurentSeattle]

Week 7 - Day 47 - Monday August 13th - Around 9pm

Thanks all for ID'ing the Apstasia. I went to the closest LFS and got two Peppermint Shrimps. I could not resist getting a very nice feather duster as well.

Here are some pictures:

First, one of the shrimps, very active.



The FD:



And the zoanthids I got earlier today:

[michaelaz]

Very nice Zoas and Shrimp

I get my fancy Zoas tommarow ,cant wait!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Reefmack]

Nice choices & nice pics Laurent! I wish I could find colorful zoas like those without going further into debt! Let us know how the peppermints do with the aiptasia. The peppermints I have are always most active at night, so hopefully you'll have a few, if not all, of the aiptasia gone this morning, or when the shrimp get used to their new surroundings and go hunting.

[LaurentSeattle]

Week 7 - Day 48 - Tuesday August 14th - Around 7pm

Little to report tonight...

- All newly introduced inhabitants happy and well!
- Water with zero nitrites and about 5ppm nitrates
- Cleant the mechanical filters.
- A second diatoms bloom, moderate compared to the initial one.
- A second green hairy algae moderate bloom. So far the Astreas are mowing the grass faster than it grows.
- Some cyano. Two spots. The Koralia #2 that it supposed to arrive later this week should solve that problem.
- Good skimming
- Some surface film... Tweaked the position of the overflow. This damned "Black Gate" would scare Frodo & Sam BIG TIME...

And to finish on a positive note:

The Aipstasias are gone! But maybe it is too early to give golden kudos to the peppermints... Aipstasia are anemones and therefore they can move and hide. I need to look regularly if they pop somewhere else...

Pic of The Day:



Planned for the upcoming days:

- Watch out sunlight
- Cleanup day on Thursday night probably.
- More zoanthids next week.
- Install the Koralia #2 as soon as it arrives.
- Install the Hydor Flo on one of the circulation pumps output.

[Reefmack]

I'm thinking the peppermints did their job - let's hope so. I'm not sure if the aiptasia move around like normal anemones or not. Maybe someone will confirm if they do or don't.

[LaurentSeattle]

Week 7 - Day 49 - Wednesday August 15th - Around 8pm

Little to report tonight...

- All newly introduced inhabitants happy and well: Zoa's are opening very nicely!

- Tested Water: Zero nitrites and 2.5ppm nitrates, maybe a tad more, pH = 8.2. Where are going those nitrates when I am doing no water changes???

- More diatoms... But nothing dramatic yet.

- More cyano. Now three spots. Water conditions are improving and I am getting more cyano...

- One shrimp has already molted. These guys were probably starving at the LFS and now they are festing on iPods...

- No Aiptasia in sight so far... Still keeping an eye open on that.

Added to the TODO list:

- Replace carbon someday next week

[lpsluver]

Originally posted by LaurentSeattle
One shrimp has already molted. These guys were probably starving at the LFS and now they are festing on iPods...

I guess since this is a nano tank they are iPod Nanos

[Reefmack]

Hah! Do the shrimp have little headphones for listening to the iPods they're after? Sorry - couldn't help myself!

Maybe the nitrates are being futher reduced to nitrogen gas? Or it's just test variations.

[Rue]

Nice going Laurent! My Peppermint Shrimp hasn't touched my Aiptasia...it's in the sand so I could easily pick it out...but I'm keeping an eye open to see if the shrimp ever does develop a taste for it.

I think I'm missing a hermit though...I think what I thought was a shed was actually a body...

[LaurentSeattle]

Thanks Rue...

But if I were you, I would remove this aipstasia ASAP before it gets sexual. They are well known to be very difficult to get rid off when they start reproducing like rabbits on the Microsoft campus...

[Musho3210]

its taken you 20 years to get a reef tank lol?

most cant wait until they can get a reef tank.....

I guess you like predatory fish....

Nice tank

[Reefmack]

Rue - I'll have to agree with Laurent on the aiptasia. I hear they're tough to get rid of once they start to multiply. Maybe get another 1 or 2 peppermints first if you really want to find out if the shrimp will eat them?

Musho3210 - geesh I hate to admit it, but I've got a lot more than 20 yrs. FW tank experience, off & on, till I finally bit the bullet & went the reef route.

[LaurentSeattle]

Week 8 - Day 50 - Thursday August 16th - Around 7pm

- Did my routine weekly water change, siphoning out snail poop, some cyano and various detritus in the process. A little less than 3 gallons.

- Tested water:
Nitrites: Zero
Nitrates: 5 ppm, maybe a bit less

- All animals healthy.

- Another pest algae has started to appear here and there: very long thin green filaments, somewhat looking like spiderweb, growing amazingly fast since yesterday. I fear a massive infestation and I will reduce the photoperiod tomorrow. (11 hours of light from noon until 11pm but with some natural light from 7am to noon)

- ID of the Day: What is this green little thingy that this snail contemplate???




- And finally the picture of the day...



Musho3210: Yes, 20 years. Started with guppies. Took care of Asian fishes, American cyclids, African cyclids, ended FW with breeding Blue Discus. Then I moved to Southern California in 1998 where I saw a number of tanks devastated by earthquakes... Then I move to Seattle in end 2000, and it took me some time before starting again a tank.

Many things have changed since the late 90's: Live rocks have become quite affordable and marine equipment is now available at reasonable prices on the Internet. The LFS racket has come to an end with the advent of the Internet. Furthermore, plenty of documentation is now just a few clicks away and that helps a lot too....

ReefMack: If I were good at doctoring pictures in PhotoShop, I would definitely add a pair of white headphones to the peppermints...

[Reefmack]

No idea on the algae. Is it that round green thing you're asking about on the upper left in the first picture? I'm not sure what that is - may be a new zoa hitchhiker? A green featherduster? A zoaduster?

It looks like the peppermint is looking for more aiptasia to eat!

[glalderman]

My peppermints seem to have found the aiptasia and have only missed a few...I wish they would get a taste for the Majano's...they are the ones that I keep finding...although I pretty much have gotten rid of them...I think I had about 100 or more of each type of pest on a couple of coral rocks I got from a local guy...now I have maybe 3 or 4 or each type...I go in and inject every one I can see with kalkwasser paste so some day between the shrimp and the injections I think I will be done with them! The lesson I learned over this was to look at my purchases better before putting in main tank...but dang did I get a lot of good stuff from this guy...just didn't want his pests!

Laurent...tank looking good Bro!

Greg

[LaurentSeattle]

Week 8 - Day 51 - Friday August 17th - Around 5pm

- Received and immediately installed the Koralia #2. The pump is massive. I tried it the best I could and is now blowing in the back side of the rocks. This created a massive "crapstrom" as soon as I pressed the switch but it disappears in less than five minutes.

- I also installed the Hydor Flo on one of the circulation pumps output. The flow is now a bit reduced but with the adjunction of the K#2, that should be fine... I think I will add a second one for the other pump. The water movement seems so much more natural.

- The pest algae is still there but it seems like the snails are limiting its growth.

- Still some diatoms, cyano regressing a bit. We'll see if the K#2 will improve the situation on that front.

- Ordered new "stuff" from LiveAquaria... I should be delivered on Tuesday. Don't miss the Tuesday night update!

[Reefmack]

Looking forward to the Tuesday night update! There are times my Koralia #1 seems a bit much so I imagine the #2 has a lot more flow. I had to relocate my frogspawn so I could point the Koralia a bit more towards the front. The flow is more spread out with the Hydor Flo - I think it's more that than actually reducing the flow. It does give a nice natural effect though.

[LaurentSeattle]

Can't Edit Anymore, I meant:

I tried to hide it the best I could and it is now blowing in the back side of the rocks.

[Musho3210]

is that really a peppermint, seems a bit like a camelback.

EDIT: nvm, its not really a hump, more like a bend.

[LaurentSeattle]

I believe there are indeed peppermint because:

- There were sold to me as peppermints - I know, sometimes the sale guy at the LFS does not know a thing...

- I can't see the typical "camel" back of the Camelback...

[Reefmack]

Looks just like my peppermints. I see both peppermints and camel backs at my lfs - the peppermints have a small hump, but it's much more pronounced in the camel backs. Easy to tell the difference when you've seen them side by side.

[Rue]

Hmmm...so I have to pick out the Aiptasia asap? Okay...but I feel bad for him...

Tank looks good Laurent!

You know...I'm not any less interested in my FW tanks now that I have the reef tank...the only difference is that the FW tanks are established and I still have lots to do with the reef...

Goldfish remain my favourite...I'm not into breeding or showing...but I love the history behind the breed and keeping up with 'what's new'...

Goldfish remain at the top of my 'most abused fish' list...critters can live for 40 years and most people think they're old if they last 2 under horrible conditions...

[Musho3210]

i hear you rue, goldfish and bettas are at the top of my list.

[NanoGurl]

Your nano looks wonderful! Love your aquascaping and is a beautiful addition to your home! =)

[LaurentSeattle]

Thanks for visiting (and for the compliments too) NanoGurl!

A bit Off Topic, but, hey, that kind of stuff paid for my tank. Therefore here is a link about what I have been working on these last months:

http://www.gamespy.com/articles/813/813705p1.html