Hey guys, sorry I havn't been around the forums for so long, but with school started back up I find myself with very little free time. Anyways, I had a nano diary a while back when I started my tank, but it is long gone so I figured I'd start a new one, now if only I knew where to start....
I think stocking would be a good starting point.
Fish
Red Firefish
Tomato Clown
Corals
Large leather (exact species TBD)
green brain (exact species also TBD)
2 green/purple shrooms
1 blue/purple shrooms
Candycane coral
2 groups of brown button polyps
Inverts(other than normal cleaning crew)
Hawaiin Feather Duster (very cool little guy)
Large 3-color hermit
impact urchin (very unique and cool) 8)
hitchiker brittle stars
Not much to say about the fish, they both have quite a bit of personality, and their favorite food seems to be freeze dried cyclopeez, which they go crazy over. The firefish has a usual hiding spot that I can see from the very bottom of the back corner, so its kindof fun to watch him sit there while he is hiding.
I've had great luck with all of my corals except for 1 group of brown button polyps that mysteriously died, they were likely attacked by something because they are nearly impossible to accidently kill. The other button polyps have divided quite a few times. I got the brain coral as a frag about 5cm X 7cm and it had small areas around the edges that appeared to not be doing so well, but it has greatly improved and looks perfectly healthy now. Now the shrooms have some stories to them...first my original green/purple shroom was alone on the frag he came on, then quite a while after a got it (probably a couple months) I noticed a small blob next to it on the rock. The blob has since developed into a second shroom with the same appearance of the first, except for the size. I always thought a shroom divided into 2 equal pieces, but can the reproduce like this to? Also even though its nopt a coral, I thought I might mention I have some great looking halmedia in a couple spots, which has grown greatly since I got it.
Now to mention a couple hitchikers. First, I have some pretty interesting bristle worms which are a bright purple with bright pink ends. They are pretty small, and very cool to watch. Second are these weird tentacle like creatures which extend themselves out of a small frag I got one of my shrooms on, the rock is an old coral branch that has been turned into rock, its only about 6cm long. They are a translucent white color, and there seems to be two of them which extend out of the same point at the broken end of the branch rock. Sometimes they just flow in the current, but I see them more commonly extended across the substrate, likely searching for food, then when they retract into the hole, they often drag small pieces of subsrate to a place just outside their hole. I will definatly be getting some pics of whatever these are soon.
problems
I have run into a few problems along the way with my tank, the most resent being an aiptasia attack. I went to my LFS and got some joe's juice which dissinigrated them on contact, they were all relativly small, but joe's juice works great none the less. I also had trouble with my water having alot of particals floating around in it, but after getting some filter fiber it has cleared up quite a bit. Last is this strange green algae that grows mostly on the my glass. It is not hair algae or anything of the sort, it actually is closer to corraline algae, but is still considerably different. From a distance it just appeares as a green haze on the glass. The only thing I've been able to do is frequenly scrub my glass .
Hardware
Stock Lighting
Stock pump still in place, but I have also added another powerhead to increase flow to about 23x
100w heater (forget brand but is very high quality)
Rear chambers contain the following...
1.filter fiber, activated carbon (not stock carbon)
2. 1/2 sponge
3. heater, stock pump
I'll try and get some pics as soon as my tank clears up (I just cleaned it out).
I think stocking would be a good starting point.
Fish
Red Firefish
Tomato Clown
Corals
Large leather (exact species TBD)
green brain (exact species also TBD)
2 green/purple shrooms
1 blue/purple shrooms
Candycane coral
2 groups of brown button polyps
Inverts(other than normal cleaning crew)
Hawaiin Feather Duster (very cool little guy)
Large 3-color hermit
impact urchin (very unique and cool) 8)
hitchiker brittle stars
Not much to say about the fish, they both have quite a bit of personality, and their favorite food seems to be freeze dried cyclopeez, which they go crazy over. The firefish has a usual hiding spot that I can see from the very bottom of the back corner, so its kindof fun to watch him sit there while he is hiding.
I've had great luck with all of my corals except for 1 group of brown button polyps that mysteriously died, they were likely attacked by something because they are nearly impossible to accidently kill. The other button polyps have divided quite a few times. I got the brain coral as a frag about 5cm X 7cm and it had small areas around the edges that appeared to not be doing so well, but it has greatly improved and looks perfectly healthy now. Now the shrooms have some stories to them...first my original green/purple shroom was alone on the frag he came on, then quite a while after a got it (probably a couple months) I noticed a small blob next to it on the rock. The blob has since developed into a second shroom with the same appearance of the first, except for the size. I always thought a shroom divided into 2 equal pieces, but can the reproduce like this to? Also even though its nopt a coral, I thought I might mention I have some great looking halmedia in a couple spots, which has grown greatly since I got it.
Now to mention a couple hitchikers. First, I have some pretty interesting bristle worms which are a bright purple with bright pink ends. They are pretty small, and very cool to watch. Second are these weird tentacle like creatures which extend themselves out of a small frag I got one of my shrooms on, the rock is an old coral branch that has been turned into rock, its only about 6cm long. They are a translucent white color, and there seems to be two of them which extend out of the same point at the broken end of the branch rock. Sometimes they just flow in the current, but I see them more commonly extended across the substrate, likely searching for food, then when they retract into the hole, they often drag small pieces of subsrate to a place just outside their hole. I will definatly be getting some pics of whatever these are soon.
problems
I have run into a few problems along the way with my tank, the most resent being an aiptasia attack. I went to my LFS and got some joe's juice which dissinigrated them on contact, they were all relativly small, but joe's juice works great none the less. I also had trouble with my water having alot of particals floating around in it, but after getting some filter fiber it has cleared up quite a bit. Last is this strange green algae that grows mostly on the my glass. It is not hair algae or anything of the sort, it actually is closer to corraline algae, but is still considerably different. From a distance it just appeares as a green haze on the glass. The only thing I've been able to do is frequenly scrub my glass .
Hardware
Stock Lighting
Stock pump still in place, but I have also added another powerhead to increase flow to about 23x
100w heater (forget brand but is very high quality)
Rear chambers contain the following...
1.filter fiber, activated carbon (not stock carbon)
2. 1/2 sponge
3. heater, stock pump
I'll try and get some pics as soon as my tank clears up (I just cleaned it out).