Orca Tl450 Nano Reef Log

[daveo_irl]

Cheers!
Will keep an eye on the ammonia and get a water check at my lfs.

 

[daveo_irl]

Internet back!!!

Here are some better pics finally:

The unidentified thingy (Any ideas??):

Bumblebee Snail

Astraea Snail???

Turbo Snail

Hitchhiker Crab

 

[garry_boyd3]

Lovely setup you should be well pleased

 

[daveo_irl]

Just wondering about my CUC. I currently have:
2 x Turbo Snails
1 x Astraea Snail (I think - It was a hitchhiker!)
1 x Bumblebee Snail
1 x Marble Snail (It was sold to me as a "marble" snail. He spends all the time under the sand, with his little "snorkel" sticking out! lol)
2 x Red Legged Hermits

I was thinking of getting:
1 x Blue Legged Hermit
2 x Nass Snails


Any other suggestions?

 

[xxBarneyxx]

The unidentified coral is greenstar polyp. It is pretty undemanding and once it gets going grows really quickly encrusting over rocks. It can get a bit of a pain later on when it starts overgrowing other corals but its very easy to frag and cut it back.

With the CUC. Personally I would say dont get any hermits. They are great fun to watch but in my experience they dont do well with snails, especially in smaller tanks. I would say the CUC you have now is probably enough. If you find after the cycle has finished and everything has settled down for awhile that you still have algae or detris issues then look to get a few more snails (I prefer cerith and nassarius snails).

Edit: actually looking at the photos again, the polyps do look like GSP but normally they have a purple colour "mat" that they grow out from and I cant see that in the picture. Still pretty sure its greenstar polyps though.

 

[daveo_irl]

The unidentified coral is greenstar polyp. It is pretty undemanding and once it gets going grows really quickly encrusting over rocks. It can get a bit of a pain later on when it starts overgrowing other corals but its very easy to frag and cut it back.

With the CUC. Personally I would say dont get any hermits. They are great fun to watch but in my experience they dont do well with snails, especially in smaller tanks. I would say the CUC you have now is probably enough. If you find after the cycle has finished and everything has settled down for awhile that you still have algae or detris issues then look to get a few more snails (I prefer cerith and nassarius snails).

Edit: actually looking at the photos again, the polyps do look like GSP but I normally that have a purple colour "mat" that they grow out from and I cant see that in the picture. Still pretty sure its greenstar polyps though.

They are attached to a small piece of LR, and there are sort of "tubes" or "roots" attached to the rock which these polyps are growing from. buddyboy67 on Marine and Reef Chit Chat suggested that they were clove polyps, probably clavularia.

I will leave it with the 2 hermits for now, and hopefully they won't cause any issues for the snails.
Right now the CUC is doing a good job with the algae, although the substrate might need more workers as most of them are sticking to the rocks.

Also noticed a buildup of copepods on the glass last night......nearly blinded myself trying to see them! lol

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Yeah actually could be some kind of clove polyps, nice free coral frag either way .

 

[daveo_irl]

Yeah actually could be some kind of clove polyps, nice free coral frag either way .

Yep, nice to get a freebie!!

 

[Buddyboy67]

Looking well Dave...hope you're not to attached to your crab though..I'd have that guy outta there before he gets much bigger..your snails and any corals bought could mysteriously disappear with that guy in there..

 

[daveo_irl]

Looking well Dave...hope you're not to attached to your crab though..I'd have that guy outta there before he gets much bigger..your snails and any corals bought could mysteriously disappear with that guy in there..

It's sad, but you are right. I am going to make up a trap this week and see if I can get the little guy!
I have read that cutting the top off a small bottle, inserting it backwards into the bottle and baiting it with bacon is the best way.

 

[Buddyboy67]

would prefer to use white fish or prawn myself as bait but that should work, or a glass angled into the sand can even work.....bacon a bit too oily..

 

[TigerIssey]

^^ Agree

I lost some Rhodactis mushrooms to a crab like that.

 

[daveo_irl]

would prefer to use white fish or prawn myself as bait but that should work, or a glass angled into the sand can even work.....bacon a bit too oily..

Ok, will go with a bit of fish then. I will try and find which one his usual 3 hiding places he is using and angle the glass up against the rock.

I am actually surprising myself with my patience with the tank. Usually when it comes to something like this I would want to have a tank full of fish, inverts, etc ASAP, but I am very happy with this to just take my time. I suppose it is because the tank almost evolves itself with the live rock and even if you aren't necessarily adding life to it all the time, life just springs up. So a lot of the joy is just waiting to see what happens.

I wonder is it sort of a downer once you have everything you can add....added? Or is that when you decide to get another BIGGER tank! lol

 

[Buddyboy67]

Got it in one Dave...UPGRADE<UPGRADE<UPGRADE..lol

 

[daveo_irl]

Got it in one Dave...UPGRADE<UPGRADE<UPGRADE..lol

lol......the problem would be convincing the fiancee! Especially with saving for the wedding...but I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem once we get married!

btw....I think my "marble" snail is actually a Nass snail.....as he looks exactly like this
[URL="http/www.genegs.com/files/Tank_9_9_07/Gi...sarius_sp._.jpg"]http/www.genegs.com/files/Tank_9_9_07/Gi...sarius_sp._.jpg[/URL]

...and is constantly buried under the sand.

Edit: Ordered a bag of 15 snail shells from ebay yesterday. Hopefully they might help prevent my hermits turning into murderers should they need to upgrade their accomodation!