jason the filter freak November 20, 2007 Share November 20, 2007 (edited) So here it is, what is to be my aggressive tank. So far I'm loving it. Equipment: 47 gal column tank 100% tempered, with a life time warrenty 2 sides painted black 2 sides viewable Current 20" 250 watt Halide with a 14k bulb Small CPR HOB fuge Aqua C Remora Pro With over flow box Maxijet 900 SEIO M620 2 x Koralia Nano's Rena Filstar XP4 (return and drain painted black via Krylon Fusion) SCWD running from Rena cannister Ranco Dual stage tempature controller 300 Watt titanaium heater Turbo Twist 18 Watt UV Sterilizer Digital Timer Strip for Halide + Halide Fan 8 Switch switch panel for individual equipment Future equipment plans: Replace power heads with Koralia 1 and 3 Add intank uv sterilizer Done Add small HOB fuge Done Try To add surface skimming attachment to Rena Around 80 lbs of texas holey rock, lots of caves, one neat over hang/bridge in the front of the tank, and a huge open space behind the rock structure = no dead space 40lbs Seachem Grey Coast Calcite (looks great) It's on it's 10th and starting to cycle (started out with virgin rock and sand) (cycling using food, Cycle Edited January 23, 2008 by jason the filter freak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascal November 20, 2007 Share November 20, 2007 That pill bug thing is amazing. Have any of them migrated out of the tank? Can you tell what they are eating? Oh yeah, the tank looks pretty nice too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC November 20, 2007 Share November 20, 2007 what is a pill bug? Looks cool Jason - I would go with the eel here, you can train it to feed near the surface and it will be completely exposed because of how tall it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsaavedra November 20, 2007 Share November 20, 2007 looks awesome, tagging alone for updates and news!!! Raf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascal November 20, 2007 Share November 20, 2007 what is a pill bug? The little rolled up bugs you would expect to find when you pull a piece of bark off of a dead log. He stored the rock outside for a while and some of those bugs crawled in as hitchhikers. Apparently they have now survived 10 days submerged in saltwater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak November 20, 2007 Author Share November 20, 2007 The thread didn't get much attention on here, but here's a link to exploring the pill bug thing on cmas http://cmas-md.org/forums/showthread.php?t=57779&page=5 They must be eating food scraps from me cycing the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC November 20, 2007 Share November 20, 2007 The little rolled up bugs you would expect to find when you pull a piece of bark off of a dead log. He stored the rock outside for a while and some of those bugs crawled in as hitchhikers. Apparently they have now survived 10 days submerged in saltwater. crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite November 20, 2007 Share November 20, 2007 that's looking pretty good. We always called them "potato bugs". I can't believe they are living in saltwater! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay November 21, 2007 Share November 21, 2007 that's looking pretty good. We always called them "potato bugs". I can't believe they are living in saltwater! I remember calling them rolly-pollies, heh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 November 21, 2007 Share November 21, 2007 I remember breaking them in half and watching the babies crawl out. Jason, I would get them out of there. They do have gills I believe and can live underwater and since they are now in there, they probably have a chance at breeding. I think that's the last thing you want, although they will most likely eat any detritus from your predators. I would think that a tank overrun by these guys will end up with them crawling out of your tank and all over your house. If the rock is dry, I'd take it out and boil it or dip it in some really hot water to get them out. Also, I would suggest maybe a bit less rock in your system if you're going to stock it with what you say you are. It looks like it'll get very crowded and the lack of space in there will result in inevitable tangles between the lion fish and the other inhabitants (accidental spiking is easy to have happen). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak November 21, 2007 Author Share November 21, 2007 I remember breaking them in half and watching the babies crawl out. Jason, I would get them out of there. They do have gills I believe and can live underwater and since they are now in there, they probably have a chance at breeding. I think that's the last thing you want, although they will most likely eat any detritus from your predators. I would think that a tank overrun by these guys will end up with them crawling out of your tank and all over your house. If the rock is dry, I'd take it out and boil it or dip it in some really hot water to get them out. Also, I would suggest maybe a bit less rock in your system if you're going to stock it with what you say you are. It looks like it'll get very crowded and the lack of space in there will result in inevitable tangles between the lion fish and the other inhabitants (accidental spiking is easy to have happen). Won't an invert eater such as a snow flake make short work of these things anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC November 21, 2007 Share November 21, 2007 yeah baby - get the eel!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 November 21, 2007 Share November 21, 2007 I very much doubt that an eel would eat these. Maybe a trigger, but not an eel. Also, who knows what kind of contaminants they contain. They are bottom feeders, so they consume everything and build up toxins and contaminants in their bodies. I wouldn't feed them to anything that you want to keep healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dentoid November 21, 2007 Share November 21, 2007 Great looking start Jason! I like the "untypical" dimensions of this tank. I'll be tagging along and looking forward to its growth and development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lletellier November 21, 2007 Share November 21, 2007 I'm going to second dave on going with less rock. I had a 46 gallon with 100+# of rock in it and now in my 20 I have maybe 25# or less. It helps with viewing and allows the fish more room to swim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak November 21, 2007 Author Share November 21, 2007 Hey scott welcome to the club, nice avatar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC November 21, 2007 Share November 21, 2007 Get that eel! How high is that thing? You could teach it to eat from your hand at the top and the whole thing would be visible. Aquatic World in Leesburg has eels. Jason the eel wrangler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Stearns November 21, 2007 Share November 21, 2007 (edited) I used to use pill bugs for feeding sea horses - but never had them last for more than a couple of hours- as long as they move a hungry sea horse willl eat them. Edited November 21, 2007 by Lee Stearns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascal November 21, 2007 Share November 21, 2007 I'm going to second dave on going with less rock. Me too. Keep the bugs though. If they were going to overrun your house they would probably be doing that already, considering they are ubiquitous around here and our homes are not exactly bug proof. Some interesting info on these things here: http://www.pestcontrolcanada.com/INSECTS/p...gs_sow_bugs.htm Turns out they are actually terrestrial crustaceans - thus the gills. They need moisture to survive. Says they feed on decaying plant and animal matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 November 21, 2007 Share November 21, 2007 That's why I think you should eliminate them. Think of the things that go into your yard - pesticides, fertilizers, etc... They are like clams in a polluted bay - they eat up all of the pollutants and store them in their flesh. Whatever eats them builds these up in their own flesh. I liken it to putting sand from the beach in your tank - you wouldn't do that, so why would you put these guys in there? Could be wrong, it's my somewhat educated guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak November 21, 2007 Author Share November 21, 2007 (edited) Here is the to be stock list: Sargassum Fish Snowflake Eel One of the following Russell's Lionfish or Antennata Lionfish I really cant justify adding a Volitan Lion :( Also possibly Clean Up Crew?: Sailfin/Algae Blenny Pincushion Urchin Longspine Urchin, Black Debelius' Reef Lobster ^^ Suggestions? Edited November 21, 2007 by jason the filter freak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigJPDC November 21, 2007 Share November 21, 2007 the rock looks fine, I'd just arrange it so you have space to run a mag float around all the glass and maneuver tongs down to place corals and avoid those razor sharp eel fangs!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak November 24, 2007 Author Share November 24, 2007 I retuned the skimmer this morning. Took it apart and reassembled it, holy crap what a difference I don't know what it needed (i think the pump was loose) but it has filled a third of the skimmer cup in 2 hours on moderately dry skimming and now it's silent to boot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 November 24, 2007 Share November 24, 2007 Hmmm... a lobster and a snowflake and a bunch of other predators that would consider it a snack... I think I would avoid that. You really are going to have problems with compatibility issues in this tank. If you really want a volitans lion, ditch some of the rock, keep the eel and get a different predator that won't get in the way of the lionfish. Honestly, I think that this is a great tank for a lion, just not the way it's set up with the rock and the stocking list. Take my experiences for what they are worth - lions will do fine in a confined space but if a fish is swimming by too close because of cramped quarters it will get spiked and die... If you really want lions, get a couple of them and they should be fine together. My coolest tank ever (undone by an ammonia spike after a move) was when I bought 6 baby lionfish (I mean babies that had trouble eating guppies) and had them all in a 37 high... for the month or so I had them before I had to move them, they were fantastic, but when I broke down the tank to move it, there was an ammonia spike and they all died from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak November 24, 2007 Author Share November 24, 2007 With the skim cup tuned right it has filled the collection cup almost to capacity. Dave I thought multiple lions would fight in a tank like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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