My BioCube - Help me make PROGRESS

[new2salt1]

So, the tank has been established almost for a week, and it seems to be doing well. The tank was previously owned. I salvaged it, learned a little about water Chemistry (I have a lot more to learn), and now the tank is clean and (hopefully) happy.
Here is my tank. Please tell me what you would add coral-wise. Also, I need to know how to frag this start polyp (CORRECTION: ZOANTHIDS!). I want to send some to other members on this board if anyone wants to trade.
Thanks and comments are more than welcome.
Matt

 

[new2salt1]

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[new2salt1]

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[new2salt1]

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[new2salt1]

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[demartini]

if you're talking about the coral in the bottom left those are zoanthids. To frag them all you have to do is take a chizzel and hammer and break off pieces of the rock. Make sure you wear gloves and be careful because the zoa juice could be harmful to you. =) good luck!

 

[new2salt1]

And finally, my Freshwater buddy, DJ Scratch, AKA William Wallace.
When I brought him home my fiance put him on the ironing board (good idea hun!) Scratch decided he was going to pee in the paper bag he was in, use his little claws to scratch through the bag (hence his name), and then throw himself off of a 4 foot high ironing board. Which would be like us jumping off of the Empire State building!
Anyway, he survived that, and I could just picture him yelling "FREEDOM!!" as he was falling, of course using his best Scottish accent ala William Wallace.
So here he is:
That yellow spot on his back is the remains of a fungus that used to cover his entire body. The place we rescued him from thought he would die but we got very lucky.

 

[new2salt1]

Originally Posted by DeMartini
if you're talking about the coral in the bottom left those are zoanthids. To frag them all you have to do is take a chizzel and hammer and break off pieces of the rock. Make sure you wear gloves and be careful because the zoa juice could be harmful to you. =) good luck!
Duhhhh! I already know I am going to do better than the old owner of the tank because he told me all the wrong names!!!

 

[new2salt1]

If anyone can suggest what other types of corals would work well, Im all ears. Also, where do you buy your corals?? My LFS has nothing for less than $40, and I would like to get some Nano-sized corals and help them grow.
Any websites or clubs in the Philadelphia area would be cool!
Wait a minute...Am I seeing this correctly?
Is it possible for a blue legged hermit crab to eat a snail and use his shell as his new home? I bought 3 silver-colored snails last night. I went to bed and saw a crab was eating one. And now I would have sworn I just saw a crab in one of the 3 caves omping around with a snail shell on his back.
Im going to investigate further.

 

[clay12340]

That is what hermit crabs do. They wear snail shells for protection. They'll kill whatever snail looks appealing and make the shell it's new home. If you toss in a few empty shells from dead snails it will often help keep your hermit to snail aggression down.
The cheapest place to find a coral frag locally is from another keepers tank. I'm sure there are a bunch of different reef clubs in your area. Search the net a bit and look for frag swaps and reef or aquarium clubs.

 

[new2salt1]

Originally Posted by Clay12340
That is what hermit crabs do. They wear snail shells for protection. They'll kill whatever snail looks appealing and make the shell it's new home. If you toss in a few empty shells from dead snails it will often help keep your hermit to snail aggression down.
The cheapest place to find a coral frag locally is from another keepers tank. I'm sure there are a bunch of different reef clubs in your area. Search the net a bit and look for frag swaps and reef or aquarium clubs.
Is this why the LFS suggests a 2:1 snail:hermit ratio?
Definately, thanks for the advice. Im going to try to find some local meetups.
Hey Clay, can you take a look at how my LR is setup and let me know if I am using my space efficiently? I have seen successful cubes in which the artists stacked their LR against the back of the tank. Im just concerned about longevity. I know I am new to this, but the principle seems to be the same as freshwater. You DONT want circulation "dead spots" where waste is allowed to sit and accumulate in inaccessible places. I think I might rather add only maybe 5-6 small corals, maybe frag my zoo's, and then let it grow organically.
I dont think I would be able to fill my tank with as much coral as some of the talented people here have, but I find it hard to believe 20 pounds of LR laid against a tank and walls will be conducive to a healthy reef (over the long haul).
Your thoughts?

 

[perfectdark]

Most people use additional powerheads and get them to blow behind their LR for more flow. I like that idea, because now sky's the limit as to how I want to place my LR. Only think I do is try to make sure the LR pieces are not jammed together like a puzzle where particulates can get trapped and theres no way of getting them out.

 

[new2salt1]

Originally Posted by PerfectDark
Most people use additional powerheads and get them to blow behind their LR for more flow. I like that idea, because now sky's the limit as to how I want to place my LR. Only think I do is try to make sure the LR pieces are not jammed together like a puzzle where particulates can get trapped and theres no way of getting them out.
I dunno, I'd still think there has to be a ton of junk that you can't get to, right?
Have you or anyone you know had a reef tank last say - 2 years or more - where the back wall was covered?? And when I ask this question, I of course am curious if they can have longevity without large die-offs, or the need to break the tank down and rebuild?
My goal is not to make a pretty tank that lasts a few months. I want it to be self-sustaining, outside of feeding and water changes. I dont want to have to remedy a situation once a week. Maybe 6-8 corals total, 2 fish, and a c.u.c.
Im interested in who has done this long term and how they set-up their LR.
Or, maybe because of the diminutive size of these reefs, they HAVE TO BE broken down and re-done every 6 months.
Im new so Im curious. I have seen other tanks STUFFED with LR and coral and Im wondering how long a tank like that can stay healthy. I dont want to emulate a poorly laid plan, going broke along the way.

 

[new2salt1]

Also, with how I am setup now, how many fish should I keep? Of course I have to have a clown, and then I thought one of those angry-looking yellow watchman, possibly the coolest fish ever!
Is that max in a 14 gallon tank? I already have 2 large turbos, 2 decent sized hermits, 5 sm hermits, 3 sm snails, an emerald crab, and a coral banded.
Thoughts?

 

[new2salt1]

Or would you skip the watchman b/c the Shrimp will occupy the cave?
How bout a clown and a small yellow tang? No good?
What species go well with a clown in a 14 gal?

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by New2Salt1
I dunno, I'd still think there has to be a ton of junk that you can't get to, right?
Have you or anyone you know had a reef tank last say - 2 years or more - where the back wall was covered?? And when I ask this question, I of course am curious if they can have longevity without large die-offs, or the need to break the tank down and rebuild?
My goal is not to make a pretty tank that lasts a few months. I want it to be self-sustaining, outside of feeding and water changes. I dont want to have to remedy a situation once a week. Maybe 6-8 corals total, 2 fish, and a c.u.c.
Im interested in who has done this long term and how they set-up their LR.
Or, maybe because of the diminutive size of these reefs, they HAVE TO BE broken down and re-done every 6 months.
Im new so Im curious. I have seen other tanks STUFFED with LR and coral and Im wondering how long a tank like that can stay healthy. I dont want to emulate a poorly laid plan, going broke along the way.
The issue we have containing these little biotopes is, they are bound by walls. IMO there is nothing you can do to have a completly maintanence free system, or self sustaining where your interaction isnt required. You can minimize the amount of work needed by doing some different things. But in the long run you are eventually going to have to, clean your filter media, syphon out chambers, rinse bio balls or LR off.. etc etc.. it just part of good tank husbandry. The larger the system the better off you are and maintanence on them isnt as frequent but its still there. Also you bioload is going to play an enormous role on how much maintancence and how often it needs to be done. Having space in your LR IMO is a great idea and a goal.. do I think you get 100% flow around everything all the time? No but 90% is without a doubt obtainable and every so often blowing your LR off with a PH is needed. We dont have the luxury of upwelling currents changing patterns etc. we need to create them. There are pleanty in here that have their nanos up for years and have not had huge die offs, tons of LR, obvious minor dead space but good house keeping schedules and their tanks thrive. just my 2 cents.

 

[clay12340]

I don't see a problem with your rockwork so far. The top rock looks like it could potentially fall, but stability can be deceiving and that may not be the case.
Wide open rock structures do help in offering less dead spots inside the rock. I prefer the look of more tightly packed structures, but it probably does waste some of the rock's potential. Many of these dead spots are taken care of by your clean up crew. Most of these little guys will pick at any tiny crevice and clean up any detritus or waste that is missed there.
A local guy's tank has a fairly interesting solution to the problem. He built a frame out of pvc pipe to hold his rock. He drilled holes in it every couple of inches. He then plumbed a power head to it in order to keep flow going through the middle of his rock pile. His tank is considerably larger and it would be harder to hide the pipes in a small tank, but a flexible hose or thinner diameter might still be doable.
As to actual tank maintenance you shouldn't have to do much more than water changes and feedings and basic equipment maintenance. Good live rock is pretty self-sufficient and your livestock will take care of itself for the most part assuming their needs are met and they arn't being stressed. Equipment failures and unexpected diseases are always a possibility, but shouldn't be the norm.
Why do you rinse your LR PerfectDark?
Stocking limits can go both ways. I prefer a bit of the Spartan look with similar species and limited numbers. Visually it is more pleasing to me.
On the practical side, I feel that it helps me avoid competition with corals and unneeded stress with fish. Personally, I think this has a lot to do with my relatively limited number of deaths over the last few years. However, I could be over-estimating the overall magnitude of these effects. Any number of other factors, not the least of which is luck, could have as much or more to do with this.
One thing I will say for your plan of having a limited number of inhabitants and letting them grow into the tank is that even if it isn't better than stocking it to the max it certainly isn't worse. Nothing says you can't start off with 2 corals and add some more later if you arn't happy with it.

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by Clay12340
Why do you rinse your LR PerfectDark?

So far with these small cube tanks I have found that build up accumulates rather quickly in the rear chambers where your filter media is. Every couple of months I pull the LR out of the rear chamber (did this with the Bio balls too before I replaced them) In the bucket that is taking my old water I syphon about 1/4 of my water into it and kinda rinse my LR off in it. Any large particulates get washed off. Then I stick my syphon in the empty chambers and syphon the sediment off the bottom of the chambers which I have found to be alot. For some reason it just gets real dirty back there and my trates go up. When I do that everything normalizes.

 

[new2salt1]

Originally Posted by PerfectDark
The issue we have containing these little biotopes is, they are bound by walls. IMO there is nothing you can do to have a completly maintanence free system, or self sustaining where your interaction isnt required. You can minimize the amount of work needed by doing some different things. But in the long run you are eventually going to have to, clean your filter media, syphon out chambers, rinse bio balls or LR off.. etc etc.. it just part of good tank husbandry. The larger the system the better off you are and maintanence on them isnt as frequent but its still there. Also you bioload is going to play an enormous role on how much maintancence and how often it needs to be done. Having space in your LR IMO is a great idea and a goal.. do I think you get 100% flow around everything all the time? No but 90% is without a doubt obtainable and every so often blowing your LR off with a PH is needed. We dont have the luxury of upwelling currents changing patterns etc. we need to create them. There are pleanty in here that have their nanos up for years and have not had huge die offs, tons of LR, obvious minor dead space but good house keeping schedules and their tanks thrive. just my 2 cents.
Thank you for your well thought out response.
I am not trying to make it "maintenance free." I've been keeping fresh tanks long enough to know that's not possible.
Im thinking though that I am going to keep the back of the tank exposed.
As far as adding a second pump, listen to this idea:
Im thinking I could drill 3 holes in the back of the tank close to the tank floor. Then, I could get a small splitter and run 3 air tubes into the drilled holes.
This would be a simple and (very) cheap way to get additional flow.
What do you think? The splitter that I am referring to is very small, maybe the size of slice of chewing gum, and it has 3 little knobs that allow me to change the airflow going to each individual air tube.