DarthPaul

Tank update 5/9/08 Just wanted to drop in and update this post a little since it has been some time. Everything has been going great so far.... I have added several corals to the tank and also one fish since the last update. Fish: 1 Yellow Stripe Maroon Clown 1 Six Line Wrasse 1 Red banded High fin goby & Tiger pistol shrimp Corals: 1 Chocolate mint Goniopora 1 Yellow Star Polyp Colony 1 White/Green Pipe Organ 1 Coco Worm 1 Short Tentacle Purple Plate 1 Green Torch Coral 1 Ultra Frogspawn 1 Tri-Color Florida Ricordea 1 Orange Yuma Ricordea 1 Blue/Green/Purple Yuma Ricordea 1 Fire & Ice Zoa Colony 1 Pink/purple cotton Candy Zoa Frag 1 Mean Green Zoa Frag 1 "Darth Maul" Zoa Frag 1 Toadstool Leather Frag 1 Finger Leather Frag 1 Purple/Green mushroom Frag Now Some pics: Full Tank Darth Maul Zoa Frag Mean Green Zoa Frag Ultra Frogspawn Green Torch Coral Purple/Green/Blue Yuma Ricordea Fire & Ice Zoa Colony Chocolate Mint Goniopora Cotton Candy Zoa Frag Orange Yuma Ricordea Rock Purple Plate Another full tnak shot: Shown with frag tray on left side (Florida Ric, Finger Leather, mushroom & toadstool A quick Acitnic shot Thats it for now...will update soon!

I mostly used the larger rocks for the bottom portion...then worked up using smaller. Making sure to incorporate caves,gaps,openings and places for fish/critters to explore. Keep in mind that you will usually be collecting more rocks when you start loading it with corals/frags....so leave some room for placing those too. I also wanted to make sure that I could get may mag float all the way around the glass so I did not place anything to close to the glass that would block my path.

Figured it was about time for an update.... Several new editions to the tank....found some nice little pieces that I really put some thought into and I am really happy with my choices so far. Def picked out things I will have for the long haul, no "renting" for me. (you know....when you buy a fish/coral /anything and then trade it in 3 months later cause your tired of it) I fell into that trap early into my freshwater endeavors, alot of money lost when you really think about it too. Anyways....New Editions: Short Tentacle Purple Plate Coral Green Torch Coral Purple/Orange/Green Ric...not sure what "name" it would go by(single polyp) real sweet looking 1 Maroon Yellow Stripe Clown And the true prize....An intense "Fire & IcE" Zoa colony, WOW...how could I pass this one up? Full Tank Hope u enjoy the pics

Updates in pics... My shrimpy ("Ruger") and my Goby (Taylor...RIP#21 :( )

Lancer beat me to my own correction....My newest coral is indeed a Pipe Organ/Organ Pipe coral. One distinct thing that made me look deeper into the coral in terms of info on it was the fact that it did have a "Skeleton" of hard tubes....My research has been telling me that true polyps do not have a hard shells and they are directly attached to the rock in a single form... Needless to say .... the mis-ID has worked out in my favor I think ! Apparently they look very similar to Clove polyps (what I really like about them is they look like a true flower) but they do not spread like polyps. Tank update: I got a few extra hermy shells for my crabs to swap around last night, put them in, and one already took the liberty to change it up. I guess its current digs was not roomy enough for him Also, My goby has been hiding out since I put him in with the pistol shrimp and he has been tucked under a rock in the back corner of the rock until yesterday..I broke out the flashlight last night and searched for him in the corner to be sure he was still alive....no sign of him.. Well I wake up this morning and check on the tank....and notice my pistol shrimp has gone to town over night and has taken refuge under my main big rock.....had little escape hatches dug out around the base. I break out a little bit of Mysis and drop it into the tank, it will give a good snack to the hermys/snails and I believe the corals will eat some too. Well as soon as the shrimp hit the water I see a flash behind my main rock. My goby! My goby is healthy and has paired up with the pistol shrimp and have hosted each other! YEAH I can see the little hole the goby and the shrimp are sharing but barely because it is right in the middle of the back of the tank. Hoping they will move around to new spots so I will at least get to see their antics up close. I saw the goby leading the shrimp out of the hole so it could grab some shrimpys too...so coool. Anyways...till next time

Hello all.. New to WAMAS and figured I would share my first time attempt at a Aquapod 24g and update as necessary as it evolves from initial set-up and then of course updates as progress goes on Some things on the tank: Fill and start date (02/09/08) 24g Aquapod/2 chamber Stock lighting (32w Aci, 32w daylight, 2 led moon lights)--plan to upgrade to 150HQI 21pds live cured "premium" fiji rock, 20pds live sand , approx 3in bed Maxijet 1200 pump upgrade Koralia Nano Modded overflow to include Fuge with LR rubble/Cheato(still need to hook up light in back) Stealth Heater in 2nd chamber I think starting off with such good rock really helped "turbo" cycle my tank....I have been in the freshwater hobby for many years and have loads of experience on the nitrate cycle in general and after only 2 weeks I do believe my tank has initially cycled. I have heard some pushback on this and have seen many recommendations to wait 6 weeks at least before adding anything live to the tank, while I have also heard that using good cured rock, live sand, and a fuge only helping the process and you can cycle in a few weeks...I honestly think I have cycled in two weeks time based off all test readings I am getting. I have seen all the normal progressions in Amm, Nitrate etc... and they have all fallen to 0 for the most part. With that being said ...on to my critters as of 2/25/08. Params: Amm=0 Nitirite=0 Nitrate=.5 Ph= 8.1 Phos=.5 KH=12dkh/214ppm/6.5meq/L Calc=300 mg/L(just dosed with Seachem Reef Calcium to boost a little) Salinity= 1.024 CUC: 1 red tip hermit 1 yellow tip hermit 3 zebra legged hermit 1 Turbo Snail 1 nassisius Snail? 3 astrea Snail? Fish: 1 Hi-Fin Red Banded Goby 1 "Tiger" pistol Shrimp (Symbiosis with Goby) Corals: Small Yellow Star Polyp Frag (aprox 15 polyps) Small White/Green Clove Polyp frag ( In TLC recovey...it was knocked down behind a large rock in the LFS coral display tank and had not had good light or flow..still lots of polyps that will look great once it mends..I have only had a day in my tank and many of the polyps are going strong Thats about it...I will update as it goes.....now on to the pics Week 1 shot My Yellow Polyps My Clove Polyps (In Recovery) Full tank (2/25/08) Fuge mod Thats all for now!! Updates to come in a few weeks

Good info on the Anen's......alot of info I had not heard/read. It would be a while before I get to putting one in my tank. As a matter of fact I dont plan on having anything other than a few crabs/snails until the end of march at the earliest. Even then I will be taking it slow and slowly stocking my tank with thought on placement and growth so I can manage it efficiently without getting over my head with maintaining it. I also have a feeling that by the time I am ready for one in my current tank......I will have a much larger one ready in the wings. So the Anenm is for my next tank What I really need to do now is research which corals I want to keep that I will not get tired of.... (ie. Kenya Tree, Xenia, mushrooms) seem to be the majority of the corals that most reefers are trying to get rid of either because they are overgrowing the tank or just losing interest....at least that is what I have been observing in my research..... Any suggestions on nice corals I should consider that are typically known to have a long term enjoyment factor? Nothing to difficult....but also keeping with the above feelings? I did see a cool little "pistol shrimp" (I think thats what it was) that had hosted a Goby in the Aquarium One Biocube display....very cool...and something I would surely get enjoyment out of..so that goes on my list too.

You can rest assured that I plan on taking my time with this. The saying is still true for FW set-ups concerning plants/ferts etc .... Bad things happen quickly, good things take time. I dont plan on putting anything live besides a few snails, crabs as a small clean-up crew when I see the levels come down.....say about another week 1/2 or so. That will be the only thing in the tank besides the rock until the end of March. That is when I plan I starting to stock with my fish/corals...assuming levels are stable. I have also purchased an RO/DI unit as well (The Coralife 50GPD unit.) This will save me lots of hassle/money in the long run and is probably the best purchase I could have made to date. What I need to accomplish in the mean time is research/learn what corals that I want to keep that I will not get tired of over the years. Fish are pretty limited in small tank like this so looking at mostly smaller clowns, and smaller cleaners (goby, blenny.....others u would suggest?) I am looking now for some Cheato? to put in my 1st chamber fuge so if any one close thats willing to donate someor sell some to me just hit me with a pm or email. Thank you for the warm welcome! Those of you who shop/use Aquarium One in Rockville feel free to stop by the appliance shop in the same shopping center. I work in the Bray & Scarff and always looking forward to meeting fellow aquarist. Of course if you are in the market for an appliance you can rest assured I will take good care of you. Just pop in and ask for Paul. Cheers

Hello all! I am a new member to WAMAS and new to the SW hobby as well. Although new to SW I have plenty of experience in FW/ highgrowth planted tanks. currently breeding Honglsloi II Apistos...but on to the SW talk Being new to the SW end of the hobby I chose to start somewhat small...I purchased the 24G AquaPod from Current. I know that the bigger the you go the more leeway you tend to have when problems arrive .......but I am used to normal water changes and proper care of water quality etc. and would rather start small and learn the in-&-outs before dumping the $1000000000s....into my dream set-up for my first tank. I do think I am spending my money wisely in the fact that other thanthe sand I will be able to use all my equipment I have/purchased for this first tank on any tank I plan on getting in the future. Some tid bits about the tank: 24g Aquapod standard PC lighting(32w reg/32w all acitnic)(DIY upgrade in future for more light) Upgraded return pump to maxijet 1200, Stock pump is being used in tank for extra flow (may have to ditch the stock pump cause it apparently getspretty warm and can throw my tempsup) Stealth heater in sump (will be gone with light upgrade(DIY)..no need to heat) 1 Bag of Live Sand (3pd bag?) about 2-3 inch sand bed. Sugar sized argonite. 22pds Live Rock (11pds Aquarium One-Prem Fiji, 11pds Tropical Fish World Prem Fiji -tank cured) Removed all filter media and 1/4 full 1st/overflow chamber of LR rubble-chunks(plan on light for refug) Instant Ocean Salt, Tests= Api (Amm, Nitrate, Nitrite, KH, GH(fw only really), Phos) Seachem=(Calcium Pro set, Alk, Marine PH). Tank has been up and running with LR/LS for 1 week and a few days..saw the normal test spikes and the levels on all params (amm, Nitrate, trites, salinityetc...) have been dropping rapidly the past few days. YEAH! Will continue to check them reguarly but think having plenty of LR/LS has just basically rapid cycled the tank. If levels go to 0 and check out for a few days I will drop in my Clean-up Crew and monitor if any spikes re-occur. Current params: Amm= 0.25ppm(mg/L) Nitrate= 5.0ppm Nitrite= 0.25ppm Phos= 0.5ppm Alk= 8 meg/L (too high?) Calc= 250mg/L Salinity= 1.024 Ph= 8.2 Plan to start with medium light softies, zoas, anenomes, etc....and eventually move to some higher light species along with a lighting upgrade. Would like to keep stock hood look and get at least a 70w HQI MH in there with DIY plans...heat will be the biggest issue of course. If I cannot keep the temps down with fan increase I will look at a chiller option( Some nano ones for $100 or so). Fish wise I would like a Clown Pair mixed with a goby and a blenny combo most likely...along with my clean up crew and a shrimp/starfish or two. That would be it...dont want to overstock...weekly-bi weekly water changes should keep up Please feel free to chime in and provide any recommendations/comments on my current set up...I do believe you can never know enough and I know the members on this site are packed with hands on experience that can only be learned in the game. So any feedback is appreciated to me ...good or bad. Also...currently looking for frags/critters to get me started....hit me up with an email/pm if looking to sell/donate any good starter frags to get me going. I really like Yellows, bright greens, purple/blues so especially if you have some of these colors. I paid my membership so I will be hitting up the classified section as well. Take a look at the tank as of now....

Hello all! I am a new member to WAMAS and new to the SW hobby as well. Although new to SW I have plenty of experience in FW/ highgrowth planted tanks. currently breeding Honglsloi II Apistos...but on to the SW talk Being new to the SW end of the hobby I chose to start somewhat small...I purchased the 24G AquaPod from Current. I know that the bigger the you go the more leeway you tend to have when problems arrive .......but I am used to normal water changes and proper care of water quality etc. and would rather start small and learn the in-&-outs before dumping the $1000000000s....into my dream set-up for my first tank. I do think I am spending my money wisely in the fact that other thanthe sand I will be able to use all my equipment I have/purchased for this first tank on any tank I plan on getting in the future. Some tid bits about the tank: 24g Aquapod standard PC lighting(32w reg/32w all acitnic)(DIY upgrade in future for more light) Upgraded return pump to maxijet 1200, Stock pump is being used in tank for extra flow (may have to ditch the stock pump cause it apparently getspretty warm and can throw my tempsup) Stealth heater in sump (will be gone with light upgrade(DIY)..no need to heat) 1 Bag of Live Sand (3pd bag?) about 2-3 inch sand bed. Sugar sized argonite. 22pds Live Rock (11pds Aquarium One-Prem Fiji, 11pds Tropical Fish World Prem Fiji -tank cured) :wink: Removed all filter media and 1/4 full 1st/overflow chamber of LR rubble-chunks(plan on light for refug) Instant Ocean Salt, Tests= Api (Amm, Nitrate, Nitrite, KH, GH(fw only really), Phos) Seachem=(Calcium Pro set, Alk, Marine PH). Tank has been up and running with LR/LS for 1 week and a few days..saw the normal test spikes and the levels on all params (amm, Nitrate, trites, salinityetc...) have been dropping rapidly the past few days. YEAH! Will continue to check them reguarly but think having plenty of LR/LS has just basically rapid cycled the tank. If levels go to 0 and check out for a few days I will drop in my Clean-up Crew and monitor if any spikes re-occur. Current params: Amm= 0.25ppm(mg/L) Nitrate= 5.0ppm Nitrite= 0.25ppm Phos= 0.5ppm Alk= 8 meg/L (too high?) Calc= 250mg/L Salinity= 1.024 Ph= 8.2 Plan to start with medium light softies, zoas, anenomes, etc....and eventually move to some higher light species along with a lighting upgrade. Would like to keep stock hood look and get at least a 70w HQI MH in there with DIY plans...heat will be the biggest issue of course. If I cannot keep the temps down with fan increase I will look at a chiller option( Some nano ones for $100 or so). Fish wise I would like a Clown Pair mixed with a goby and a blenny combo most likely...along with my clean up crew and a shrimp/starfish or two. That would be it...dont want to overstock...weekly-bi weekly water changes should keep up Please feel free to chime in and provide any recommendations/comments on my current set up...I do believe you can never know enough and I know the members on this site are packed with hands on experience that can only be learned in the game. So any feedback is appreciated to me ...good or bad. Also...currently looking for frags/critters to get me started....hit me up with an email/pm if looking to sell/donate :wink: any good starter frags to get me going. I really like Yellows, bright greens, purple/blues so especially if you have some of these colors. I paid my membership so I will be hitting up the classified section as well. Take a look at the tank as of now.... attachment error....