24G Nano Cube DX Nano Reef Setup

[steelhealr]

Thanks Crazywolf....kind comments. I'm sure you can see how challenging this is as a new hobby and how rewarding it is when it works well. There is always 'something goin' on' to see and the colors are amazing. Oh...I apologize to your wallet. LOL. SH

 

[crazywolf]

Thanks Crazywolf....kind comments. I'm sure you can see how challenging this is as a new hobby and how rewarding it is when it works well. There is always 'something goin' on' to see and the colors are amazing. Oh...I apologize to your wallet. LOL. SH

[snapback]855391[/snapback]​

I forgive you but my wallet doesn't appreciate the diet Rewarding doesn't do justice to watching a whole new world emerge. The amount of pods and other little shrimp and crazy things poking out of rocks keeps me coming back. I sit and stare for at least 10 minutes before going to work.

 

[steelhealr]

Some updated coral photos ..this is what can survive under stock NC lighting:

Ricordea florida, has split into three polyps

Euphyllia ancora, hammer coral

Acanthastrea echinata

Cladiella sp (?spaghetti finger leather), needs fragging

tubipora musica, Organ Pipe

Pterogorgia sp., Purple Gorgonian, Purple Sea Whip

Zoanthids, button polyps, blue ricordea

Just a few pix. It CAN be done. If expense and time are issues with regards to having an SPS tank, you can still have a colorful and aesthetic marine aquarium if you work at it. SH

 

[renaldz]

WOW that green button polyp is gorgeous! Was it that size when you got it r does it grow? I ask because i have recently bought one!
thanks
Also i got told that you can frag them when they grow to big? How do you 'frag' as i have never done it before!

 

[steelhealr]

..these are green zoanthds and yes..they did spread out..the ones next to them even more so. To frag, you would basically just split the rock they were on. I lucked out..it was a great frag at a local lfs. SH

 

[renaldz]

oh rite so basically break the rock in half? so i guess there is only a certain amount of fragging you can do!

 

[JJ1234567]

Wow steel....You tank is definitly coming along very well, I didnt realize you could have that much in there. I thought mine was getting crowded, but if you can put them that close then I have lots more space ...of course that is until I get my 65 gal then I have a TON more space. LoL.

 

[billa_bong]

WOW i love your tank, where did you order the yellow fiji leather from.

your tank is great, you def gave me some good ideas for my 90gallon tank thats cycling right now.

right now in my tank i have 130lbs of fiji/sherman islands liverock, really nice shaped stuff, very big too. yesturday i ordered some liverock from liverocks.com. it was shippied today and should be here tomorrow.

once i get that rock, it should be done with my aquascaping and i just have to wait for some algea bguild up and for my ammonia/nitrite levels to balance out.

where did you order your corals from though? there awesome....those buttons polyps are amazing...!

 

[steelhealr]

Wow..thanks for all the comments. It's funny....you look at your tank everyday and enjoy the fish and colors, but, you sorta lose sight of where you were and how you got there.

To JJ...don't forget...most of the 'crowded stuff' is same species...ie, zoanthids. The pic doesn't show how far the hammer is but it is not near that stuff in the foreground. BE VERY CAREFUL how you space your stuff. Some corals settle space issues by secreting toxins instead of stinging and you can crash your tank if not careful. Others have sweeper tentacles that can reach over 6 inches and pack a nasty sting to neighboring corals. Also, the corals need room to grow. Those zoo's were not near each other when I started...so....DO leave SOME exposed LR between corals.

You know...I'm almost ready to frag some of the corals in there.... a first time for me. The spaghetti leather is ready and the yellow fiji is gettting close. I may be able to trade some frags at some point or even give some away if someone wanted to pay for shipping. Unfortuntately, when it comes to corals, shipping costs are a bear.

Most of the lfs' around me have horrible frags, so, I got a lot of my stuff from liveaquaria.com. For those of you here in the US, you may want to wait until the heat is over before ordering over the internet. It's easy to lose corals in shipping now.

For those of you who like ricordeas, I recommend Old.Diver on Ebay....search him out. Great person to deal with and ricordeas are tough little buggers.

Don't forget...I have my losses too. I think I just lost my Hawaiian feather duster. He dropped his crown and disappeared. SH

 

[billa_bong]

awesome, im gooing to be checking out that ebay seller because your ricordia is AWESOME! i love the colors on that. Are they very hard to mantain?

 

[steelhealr]

No..ricordea are NOT very hard to maintain. In fact, they are somewhat tough as nails. They save money on shipping because they can survive 2 day shipping vs overnite FEDEX.

 

[steelhealr]

Hi..I was finally able to capture what happens between these two animals and it's interesting for both FW and SW enthusiasts. As mentioned above, the pistol shrimp maintains the cave but has poor eyesight. The shrimp retrieves food and shares it with the Yashia Haze goby. The goby in turn protects the pistol and keeps guard. I was able to finally catch a few pix (not the greatest):

In the first pic, the goby emerges and in front of the pectoral fin you can see a claw emerging:

Second pic the pistol emerges but remains in contact with the goby:

Pistol continues to work on the cave carrying debris out:

When the pistol returns, the goby turns crosswise against the cave to block it off and protect the pistol:

Cool stuff. SH

 

[renaldz]

WOW that is unbelieveable!! in your last pics your hammer coral is gorgeous!! i went and bought one yesterday and it is sitting in the mid regions of the tank. is this the best place for them of should it be on the bed like yours??
thanks
renaldz

 

[steelhealr]

I've left mine on the bed for two reasons...one, it is doing really well there, two, didn't have a spot for it higher..tho', I added another piece of LR and I may move it soon. Probably higher up, midway, in lower flow is best. Avoid high flow. SH

 

[welshy_2k5]

just reall it all ... bril tank m8 ... love EVERYTHING