AtrialFib's 20g Diary

[atrialfib22]

Diary for my 20 gallon tank...it's only been 3 days since I set it up so I am still waiting on the cycle.
Brand new tank...I hate to do this, but near the window is the only place I can put it for now. I am anticipating some temperature issues because of this...any advice short of a chiller?
Painted the back black...3 coats of black spray paint did the job. There are also some shots of the tank getting filled with water (saltwater mix is Instant Ocean with RO/DI).
The bottom picture is under the blue LED moonlights...I really like those...they are small, easy to mount and cover about 3 feet without a problem.

 

[atrialfib22]

Shots of the saltwater mixing with the aid of a MaxiJet 1200 and a Koralia #2.
I am also running my HOB filter w/out filtering media just to help the water circulate and aerate.
The next shot is the 21 lbs of live rock picked up from a local LFS. It's about 12 lbs of fiji LR and 9 lbs of premium fiji.
After playing around with the aquascape we were happy with this one...it provides a lot of little caves and crevaces for hiding, circulation and overall it seemed to fit well with the space limitations.
The 20 lbs of CaribSea live sand was then added...leading to the cloudiness seen in this next shot.
After leaving it circulating overnight, most of it settled and the last bottom shot is what everything looks like under the moonlights

So far so good.
Any thoughts/comments? I welcome all feedback

 

[atrialfib22]

Ok so I think I figured out how to do the picture thing a little better with the IMG codes...so here we go.
This image is another FTS with the rock/sand while cycling.

Close-up of the LR

I have just added my AquaC Remora skimmer and started to run it, if anything to improve water circulation at this stage. I also set up my T5 lighting (2 x 24W Nova Extreme).
After doing my first set of tests this is where I am at so far:
Spec Grav = was initially 1.028, after a 4 gallon water change w/fresh RO/DI water it is now down to 1.024.
pH = 7.8 (a lil low, will recheck it later today)
Ammonia = 1.0 (I am assuming I got a lil die-off from the sand/rock)
Nitrite = 1.0 (?)
Nitrate = 0
Temp = 80 degrees F (Arizona is starting to warm up...I think I will have to get a fan to cool off the surface.
I will redo tests and see where everything is after a couple of days.

 

[flboyinohio]

Nice start I cant wait to see how everything turns out... what are you planning on keeping in there? If corals will that light fixture be strong enough?

 

[atrialfib22]

Originally Posted by FLBOYINOHIO
http:///forum/post/2542021
Nice start I cant wait to see how everything turns out... what are you planning on keeping in there? If corals will that light fixture be strong enough?
Hey FLBOYINOHIO - Thanks. I hope to keep a few corals with that light. The tank is 16 inches tall so I will have to do some research and determine coral type/preferred placement. If necessary I would upgrade to a better T5. However, I have seen other setups with similar dimensions and lighting supporting corals. But of course just seeing it done that way doesn't necessarily mean it will be a good choice or have success with it. Any thoughts?

 

[flboyinohio]

Well I am currently setting up a 20gallon Long which is only about 13" high. The light fixture I have is a dual 30watt fluorescent... just a normal light my lfs sold me (hind sight being 20/20 it would have been a little cheaper for me to do so a 12gallon nano but it is what it is). I am in the same boat you are, I wanna keep some corals and think I may need to upgrade to t-5s or a Viper MH. Current has some good lights for a decent price but obviously I would much rather put new bulbs (right no my bulbs are only like 15 watts) then buy a new fixture if i do not need it.

 

[atrialfib22]

Hi everyone...so I've been noticing little things going on in my tank...hoping these are all normal and non-pests. I think they are feather dusters...I am hoping for confirmation on ID...

Also...no idea on what this is

And are these sponges an ok thing to have? Is it possible to tell if it's still alive?

FLBOYINOHIO - yeah I don't think the NO fluorescents will do it for your tank if you are trying to do a reef. A new fixture will be needed if you wanna upgrade to the T5s b/c changing the bulbs alone won't do it unfortunately. Mine are HO T5 by Current Nova Extreme (2x24W) 10K/460nm.

 

[atrialfib22]

Hey everyone...so there are a few updates to make. I haven't felt compelled to update much since I set up the tank almost 4 weeks ago. But it has been eventful...so to make a long story short I will say that I've added a couple of fish (pair of false clowns...Lucy and Ricky), succesfully battled a nasty parasite on Ricky and just 2 days ago I added some corals to the tank.
Pictures to follow as soon as I get them organized.

Don't be shy...comment away guys! All input is welcome!

 

[17cuddlefish]

hey man the tank is looking good. i think the unknown orange thing could be a hidden cup coral. i would also just leave the sponges in.

 

[acroshark]

i really like the aquascaping of your tank! yes those are feather dusters in the pictures! As for the sponge im not 100% sure..need a clearer pic! they are either a sponge or a coral skeleton! what livestock ar eyou planning on keeping? as for corals..zoas, mushrooms, softies and lps(if placed in the right areas) will do well with your light setup! good luck..keep us posted!

 

[atrialfib22]

Gotta be proud of this one...about 3 weeks ago drip acclimating my first fish the right way! (~3.5 hrs)

My false percula clowns...Lucy & Ricky

Unfortunately Ricky woke up 2 days later with a nasty parasite attached to him. The pictures are kinda blurry...

Had to take Ricky out of the tank and manually remove the bloodsucking critter with hemostats...After a lot of research I identified it as an isopod (ciralonid I think...big black compounded eyes)

It was very fast moving as soon as it was removed from Ricky. And hard as hell to kill...tried tap water, then bleach...then 100% bleach...nothing would make that thing stop swimming in the little plastic container!
Thankfully there was no noticeable residual wound on Ricky and as soon as he went back in the tank he was back to normal and didn't seem affected (even though he lost a little blood to the isopod). I lost a LOT of sleep trying to use a red light and search for more isopods...luckily no others have surfaced. I suspect that little &^%$ came with my live rock. I read they are very hardy and can survive a LONG time between feedings. Scary crap

All is well now! and I have my very first (and scary) parasite removal experience.

 

[alexa11]

wow interesting parasite experience! glad you got it off! the clowns are cute! cant wait to see more pictures of everything!

 

[kat74]

I'm really liking your aquascaping! Looks great!!

and WOW! What an experience with that nasty isopod!

How in the world were you able to hold onto your little fish and pull that off of him with the hemostat? I bet he was wiggling all over the place for sure!

I don't know how I would be able to handle something like that. If it squirms, even though it probably couldn't hurt me, I drop it! Glad you were able to get that nasty little booger off and hope you don't get anymore.
What an adorable pair of clowns you have!~

 

[atrialfib22]

Yea that wasn't fun to deal with...but it all worked out (so far). I am a little more relaxed now that it's been about a week with no other isopod sightings.
A couple of new additions from the LFS on friday...
Zoas, GSP & Xenia. The GSP are behind the Zoas and not fully opened yet

Torch coral

Views from above

 

[alexa11]

exciting! i like the torch coral!

 

[atrialfib22]

Overdue update on my tank...so far everything is going well...with the exception of one cleaner shrimp that died shortly after acclimating/adding to DT. I waited a couple of weeks and added another...so far so good and he's very active and getting along with my peppermint shrimp. The peppermint shrimp has done an excellent job at getting rid of 3 aiptasia that popped up in a tunnel between my rocks...very glad that he has a taste for them

We also decided to add a pair of green coral gobies...they have a great personality and are more active than I thought they would be! They perch on the rocks and the corals. One of them even immerses himself into my torch...but I haven't been able to take a good picture of that...yet.

The last fish addition was a red firefish. "She" (we decided it was a she) is very shy for now and comes out of her hiding place several times a day, but quickly retreats to safety. She is eating very well and stays out a lot during feedings...I hope she can be a little more social over time.

The latest coral addition is a blastomussa frag that I couldn't pass up while at the LFS last week. It's very colorful and we don't see too many of those come through, so I had to get it. It has opened up nicely so far and it readily takes cyclopeeze and mysis during feeding

And of course, the latest FTS taken this afternoon...

 

[kat74]

Wow, your tank's coming along nicely!

The goby is absolutely adorable! I wish I could have a little yellow one like that, but because of their perching habit, I would be afraid that it might want to perch on the elegance and then the elegance decides to have a little snack.

Glad that the peppermint shrimp has worked for you on the aiptasia. I think that I'm going to have to resort to getting one too because though I've been successful with using lemon juice to get rid of mine, there are a couple that I see within the rocks, tunnels and caves that I just can't reach.
Nice firefish. They are very peaceful little fish, and yes, it will definately come out more once it feels a little more comfy in your tank.

and awesome find on the blasto! Looks great!
Awesome update!~