12g aquapod

[Uncko Macko]

My Nano has been up for 3 months now and is doing great. Its just popping with life. Tiger serpent stars are hidden all over the rock, small snails, tube worms, etc. I relocated my Blue Damsel and my Yashia White Ray Shrimp Goby and Randalli pistol shrimp finally come out.(I havent seen them for 3 weeks) I have a Blenny. I think he is an algae blenny but doesnt look like a lawnmower blenny. He's a trip. I think he has some kind of hyperactive disorder! My Twinspot seems happy although i Havent been able to feed him directly, he only sifts. But my sand bed is booming with copepods so i think i got it covered. hmm, how do i post photos???

 

[onefish2fish]

4 fish and others in a 12 gallon tank? ???

photobucket.com

 

[Audi0s]

Yeah, be careful with overstocking in these tanks, everythings so drastic. I recently started with a 24nanocube, and its easy to see how easily even the temperatue is affected. Post pics by clicking additional options below the test box, and upload.

 

[Uncko Macko]

My water parameters are great. everything seems fine. everyone seems happy and is eating well. Mysis, some kind of copepods, and baby snails are breading. 1 Blenny, 2 Gobies, 3 shrimp and a cleanup crew. I did NOT put all fish in at once. I change 2-3 gallons every 5 days or so. The rear compartment has been converted to a fuge with LR, chaeto and an off cycle light(5 white LED's, 5 blue) i modded the hood and light to fit in the canopy. polyfill fitler media, chemi-pure, and purigen. I have a quarantine tank and a wwaayy bigger build in progress if things turn for the worse. But Ive seen 12 gal reefs with 2 or 3 clowns(much bigger) plus anemone which are messy eaters. WHat would be the symptoms of overstocking that i am not seeing?

 

[Uncko Macko]

I also have a 37 gallon container with LR from a 3 year old reef that i purchased, skimmer, heater and power head. That will go into the bigger tank. If I see any change at all i will immediately move someone. Let me know what you guys think. I am no expert.

 

[JRWOHLER]

Hey looks like you did a good job, fuge mods are nice touch IMHO, but wouldn't add any other fish(not suggesting you were going to).

I can understand the worry that some people have but....but...if you are careful and watch your water parameters, don't overfeed...you can continue to pull it off. Just a warning when the lights get old you may see a nuisance algae bloom happen.

 

[Uncko Macko]

Thanks JR. An algae bloom when the lights get old? What causes this to happen? What frequency should they be changed? Ive read 6 months for T5's but not sure for PC's. It came with 2 dual PC's, a 27w Dual Actinic (half 420nm Actinic, half 460nm Actinic)and a 27w Dual Daylight (half 6700K, half 10K). Yesterday when i can home I noticed it was cloudy near the top of the tank. I wasnt thinking good things! but as I got closer, I could see that it was a bunch or mysis shrimp dancing all over the place near the top of the water. I looked in the fuge and there where even more. No wonder my Twunspot Goby is happy and only sifts sand.

 

[JRWOHLER]

Wow lucky to have such good pod type growth.

PC lights need to be changed after 9 months...T5s you can go about 1 year.

I cannot explain the exact way it works but after about 9 months the bulbs just seem to promote the wrong sort of growth.

 

[mnat]

What happens is as the bulbs get older they start to put out more of a red spectrum which algae loves. You cannot see that spectrum, so you should just replace the bulbs on a steady schedule

 

[JRWOHLER]

What happens is as the bulbs get older they start to put out more of a red spectrum which algae loves. You cannot see that spectrum, so you should just replace the bulbs on a steady schedule

I guess I knew that part but was trying to think of the how it actually works...like what happens inside the bulb ??? much like what happens inside my head when I type before I think.

 

[mnat]

What happens is as the bulbs get older they start to put out more of a red spectrum which algae loves. You cannot see that spectrum, so you should just replace the bulbs on a steady schedule

I guess I knew that part but was trying to think of the how it actually works...like what happens inside the bulb ??? much like what happens inside my head when I type before I think.

The real answer is magic.

 

[Uncko Macko]

Thanks for the info guys. Any more advice? I think i got the hang of this...at least until something goes wrong. I bought a red LED flashlight to check out the tank at night. Its real cool. their are things in their that i never seen before. I moved My 70 or so pounds of live rock for my 125 build to a 55 gal temporarily. I will use the tank for a sump/fuge. The life on this rock is crazy. I got a real good batch. I think i went overboard on the tank, ITS HUGE! but whatever make ya happy.

 

[JohnS_323]

...I think i went overboard on the tank, ITS HUGE! but whatever make ya happy.

It's amazing how quickly they *shrink* once you get them running! Good luck with it!

 

[Uncko Macko]

The Bulldozer(pistol) shrimp put on a show today. Its cool when he comes out. I dont see him too often. And my Zebra Blenny loves chillin on the snail! he hitches a ride all over the glass.

 

[Uncko Macko]

New Tank thread. The 120H is up and running.
http://www.njreefers.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=17826.0

 

[mnat]

Love the pistol shrimp & goby pair, the fiancee and I succumbed to temptation about two months ago and purchased a pistol shirmp & goby pair that is currenly living in our 30G.
Do you have crushed coral in the tank or is what I see in the photos just rubble and shells for your pistol shrimp?

 

[Uncko Macko]

I'm glad I got them. After doing more reading...LFS's charge more for a "pair". When any Shrimp Goby will team up with any pistol shrimp. My Yashia is reclusive and hard to feed. I don't see either of them much but when they do come out, they are alot of fun to watch. I used Aragonite reef substrate. Its a mix of sand, pebbles and crushed shells.

 

[Uncko Macko]

Here are some recent pictures. I witnesses a small snail laying eggs. And shortly after, every single thing in the tank was out like it was feeding time. My Rainbow Acon woke up, and the birdsnest coral came out the farthest that I have ever seen! My camero does no justice for the colors in the tank. Especially the Corals. They look dull in the photos. This camera also has an auto focus and I can not get good closeups. So when Im done spending a small fortune on the big tank, I have to get a better camera.

 

[mnat]

Tank looks great, love your acans too. It is good to see other out there with the 12g and doing well.

 

[JRWOHLER]

Great group of little fishes, certainly a group that "follows the rules too".