Skifletch's Mantis Nano (minus The Mantis)

[Siamese Fighter05]

Things are coming together quickly

I can't remember reading it but where are you putting this tank? By the other reef or somewhere else?

 

[SkiFletch]

Other side of the room. It is completely independent of the other tank and will probably stay that way since there's no room near the main display for even a 5g

 

[Mr.September15]

Ah the beauty of having a house full of tanks =). Can you update us with pics Ski =p

 

[SkiFletch]

Ah the beauty of having a house full of tanks =). Can you update us with pics Ski =p

Yup, I will later this evening. Gonna borrow the expensive Sony 7.1MP camera from work to take some sweet Macro shots tonight. Cant wait

 

[SkiFletch]

Just a teaser... Got my replacement tubes today . This time when setting them up I made sure they're electrically isolated (thank you voltmeter) and hooked em up. Flipped the switch and they fired right up . So with the first glimpse at the LR under real bright light I did a little poking. Found a teddybear crab. Looks like the mantis will have his first meal waiting for him when he eventually moves in

Bringin home the good digicam this weekend, pics to follow

 

[Mr.September15]

Update =)

Edit: W/pics

 

[SkiFletch]

Ask and ye shall recieve

So the LR has been in there for over a month and lighting is all settled now. Wish I woulda gone with dual actinics since its PCs and I should have known better but I'll deal with the color temp as-is. The nano will be a surrogate home for my mushrooms as people buy them up as well as a refuge for some of my palythoas who got the short end of a stinging war with my elegance in the main tank. Also the rock you see in the upper left will be going into the main tank soon once I can get the stinkin teddy bear crab out of it (he'll be a nice first meal for the mantis). Finally, as they come out and surface all blueleg hermits are being removed from the main tank and put into the nano.

First up, the sump tank. Went a little overboard on bubble baffles but whatever. The sump is simplistic and really just a place to dose and to keep the heater out of the tank. Don't want the mantis getting any bright ideas and smashing the heater.

And then a shot of the tank itself

I've got a line on a confirmed Neogonadactylus Wennerae "nearby" (4.5hrs) away but weather has and will continue to make driving or shipping the mantis too dangerous, so I'll just have to hope nobody snags it locally until the weather breaks

 

[Mr Miagi]

Nice tank. Glad the mushies made it over!

 

[Mr.September15]

lol thanks for the update Ski! It looks nice. Your mini refigium is giving me ideas on wether I should use the same for my coepod thingy that im starting. Propably will since it looks like a good size and everything. Nice shrooms! Can't wait until the mantis comes =)

 

[SkiFletch]

Heh, thanks guys, I can't wait till it comes either. Still got some things to tackle like cleanup crew and some corals to mull over. I'm still tryin to decide if I want to go with a softie only or mix in any LPS. I'm thinkin its gonna have to be softies though cause the water quality won't be perfect once that little mantis starts hiding food in the sand. Although I would really enjoy trying to grow an echinophylla in there

 

[Mr.September15]

Yeah softies is a great idea! Has the weather cleared yet . And what are you doing up so late? lol I was just thinking about time and its almost 1am!

 

[13thmonkey]

ski's been helping the idiot from michigan............. some peoples kids

 

[sianeds]

Looking good

 

[SkiFletch]

ski's been helping the idiot from michigan............. some peoples kids

Lol, yeah that and I'm a stinkin insomniac

Saw a gorgeous tuxedo urchin at the store today, might end up getting it

 

[demonmagus]

looks good, is there gonna be a skimmer?