mogurnda January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 (edited) I am totally hooked on slugs now, and want to keep another species. The tank in the office has Elysia clarki, a species found in the Florida Keys, and a couple of suppliers have indicated that they should be able to get E. crispata for me. Here are the two side by side (crispata on right; not my photo) I feed the fish in the reef tank generously, generating some NO3 and PO4. One constant source of maintenance in Box of Slugs I (the office tank) is having to add KNO3 and KH2PO4 to keep the algae happy. So, why not add a box of slugs to take up the nutrients while at the same time allowing me to have a tank at home with slugs and macroalgae? That brings up the question: Is this really a build if I am just adding what is essentially an inline refugium? Whatever. Here is the new tank. I bought a 30 cube on a rather trashed wood stand last week. It also came with a couple of Marineland LED lights, which should be adequate for the algae. I promptly slammed a corner of the tank into an unseen metal bit in the tailgate of the car, and had to order a new 27 gallon tank. The stand is not beautiful, but is a remarkable match for the one under the 90, and gave me a place to put all of the controllers and powerstrips. The price was hard to beat. Specs: 27 gallon (20L X 18D X 20H) Marineland tank 2 X Marineland "reef" LED (21 X 1 watt each) I plan to put about 40 lbs of sand and a small amount of base rock in tomorrow, then fill it and run it over the weekend. If all goes well, it gets hooked into the main system and I will add a few macroalgae next week. The big event for yesterday was drilling the tank and adding the input and overflow. I plan to have very low flow, so I should not need a fancy standpipe. Edited January 2, 2015 by mogurnda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 Very fun! And those are, dare I say it, pretty slugs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda January 2, 2015 Author Share January 2, 2015 Very fun! And those are, dare I say it, pretty slugs! You know you want to come to the dark (or is it slimy and squishy) side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefer_Madness January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 Pretty cool idea!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE January 2, 2015 Share January 2, 2015 This will be cool! I've always liked "display" refugiums. Is the sand necessary for the slugs? If not, would it make sense to just skip it? In such a low flow sand, it's bound to become full of detritus and gunk. If you just went bare bottom with a decent amount of rubble to make it look good, it would be easier to maintain IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda January 2, 2015 Author Share January 2, 2015 This will be cool! I've always liked "display" refugiums. Is the sand necessary for the slugs? If not, would it make sense to just skip it? In such a low flow sand, it's bound to become full of detritus and gunk. If you just went bare bottom with a decent amount of rubble to make it look good, it would be easier to maintain IMO. The food plants will need the sand. Penicillus does really well, and will send out runners to start new plants if it is in sand. Same for Udotea and Avrainvillea. These are the primary plants I will be feeding the guys. I have thought about using Bryopsis, which does not need sand, but would feel like a total dope if it spread to the main tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda August 30, 2015 Author Share August 30, 2015 Way overdue update. The tank has been going since the beginning of the year, and I have learned quite a bit. It has been tricky growing plants in a tank without major grazers. I want to leave the algae for the slugs, but not have the tank choked with filamentous algae and cyanobacteria. At first, it was pretty furry: Dosing vinegar as a carbon source was a good first step. The other was a DIY sponge filter made from perforated 1" PVC, a few fittings, an Eheim 1048, and a Hydor Flo. This keeps things stirred and removes detritus without killing the slugs. ] The tank is looking pretty good at this point, and the plants are growing and propagating. For now, I am keeping all of the Elysia clarki at work, with this tank being reserved for E. crispata. They seem to be quite happy in their home. Although they are eating a little of everything, they really like Bryopsis, so please let me know if you have an infestation you want to take care of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 August 30, 2015 Share August 30, 2015 Very cool creatures, and interesting setup for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM August 31, 2015 Share August 31, 2015 Justin should sacrifice for science and keep growing the bryopsis in his so you'd have a reliable source. Sheesh, Justin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmerek2 August 31, 2015 Share August 31, 2015 Most beautiful slugs I ever seen man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda August 31, 2015 Author Share August 31, 2015 Very cool creatures, and interesting setup for sure. Thanks! It has been interesting to try to do things a little differently. The challenges have sometimes been a bummer, but I have learned a lot. Most beautiful slugs I ever seen man For a lot of people, that may sound pretty funny. When I tell people I have tanks with slugs, they don't realize how cool molluscs can be. I just wish I could get them to lay eggs like the clarki. Justin should sacrifice for science and keep growing the bryopsis in his so you'd have a reliable source. Sheesh, Justin. Bad Justin! More like Bad Dave for having squandered all those pounds he gave me. It's funny how hard it can be to grow a pest algae without another pest algae overgrowing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anemone February 17, 2016 Share February 17, 2016 I'm fairly new here and slowly working through some of the old posts. This is pretty fantastic. How's it going with this setup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM February 17, 2016 Share February 17, 2016 If you really want to follow a cool old one look up the continuing saga of the Dave w build or the ctenophore greenhouse build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM February 17, 2016 Share February 17, 2016 Not to take away from morgundas slug tank. It is weird and awesome too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anemone February 18, 2016 Share February 18, 2016 I'll look for those, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 18, 2016 Share February 18, 2016 I need some slugs for my bryopsis Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda February 18, 2016 Author Share February 18, 2016 I'm fairly new here and slowly working through some of the old posts. This is pretty fantastic. How's it going with this setup? It's looking about the same, except that Ochtodes has been growing like crazy. Cleaning that out this weekend. Only one E. crispata left from that batch of three, but she seems to be going strong. Focusing mostly on the slugs at work for the moment, but I will probably add some more crsipata later in the spring. If you really want to follow a cool old one look up the continuing saga of the Dave w build or the ctenophore greenhouse build. Agree. Too bad they have both scaled back. Not to take away from morgundas slug tank. It is weird and awesome too. I will remember that you dissed my tank, and remain bitter forever. I need some slugs for my bryopsis Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk May or may not work. Because they like to wander, any powerheads or propeller pumps not protected by sponges will quickly turn them into slug tartare. What's it growing on? I may be able to swap clean for infested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 18, 2016 Share February 18, 2016 Zoanthids frag plugs. No amount of scrubbing and hydrogen peroxide is working. I only have 1 powerhead, tiny, that could easily be covered... Would it work? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda February 18, 2016 Author Share February 18, 2016 Zoanthids frag plugs. No amount of scrubbing and hydrogen peroxide is working. I only have 1 powerhead, tiny, that could easily be covered... Would it work? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk That should be fine. If the slug finishes off the Bryopsis, I will be happy to buy it from you. Be certain that it is really Bryopsis, which is nice and feathery, and not some other coarse hair algae. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 18, 2016 Share February 18, 2016 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda February 18, 2016 Author Share February 18, 2016 That's the stuff! Num, num. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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