My BioCube - Help me make PROGRESS

[new2salt1]

Thanks Clay
Yea the top rock is very deceiving. It is actually very sturdy. If you could see the view from behind you would know what Im talking about.
I like the look of the tightly-packed rockwork too. But if that is at the expense of long-term tank health, I can do without it.
I too like less fish. Do you think 2 tiny false percs and a watchman would be good?
Also, I think I want to move the elegance so the 2 caves are visible. I just dont know where I can put it. Can you see anywhere it could go?
Also, since the elegance looks so much like an anenome when fully opened, is it possible a clown would make it home?

 

[new2salt1]

Crazy hitchhiker, cant get the camera to capture it.
There are 3. They look like clear zooanthids, but they are not in a cluster. When touched, they contract, and then POP back open.
They look very cool, but the camera wont pick them up.
Any ideas???

 

[lbaskball]

Originally Posted by 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
For that coral (elegance coral) requires intense lighting. I would suggest geting more light if you dont have so already (if you ahve stock lighting)

 

[new2salt1]

Originally Posted by lbaskball
For that coral (elegance coral) requires intense lighting. I would suggest geting more light if you dont have so already (if you ahve stock lighting)
Every source I have read says moderate lighting, and from the pics I have, I would say the elegance is more than thriving in the stock lighting. I dropped a piece of shrimp in there yesterday, and even though I missed the target, she stretched out and corralled it! Going into the 2nd week of having her, she is doing things that she hadn't done before. For example, she is starting to stretch out width-wise, not height-wise, which I have read is a sign of contentedness. She is stretched-out so far in fact that I have decided to move the zooanthids because she is starting to engulf the zoos! (See pics) I am planning on making the elegace the central coral and just decorating the live rock with frags of the zoos and some other frags. The elegance is too beautiful and based on the # of times I've heard, "Good luck, it's probably gonna die," Im determined to watch her very closely and accomodate her. With the way she ate the shrimp *(thanks for the tip Martini), I dont know if she cares to continue living her photosynthetic lifestyle!
In all seriousness though, the Hidden Reed (LFS) gave it a week to live, especially with the stress of me breaking down the tank and travelling a distance with the coral. And with the way she is responding to her new, clean home, Im thinkin - if it aint broke, dont worry about the lighting.
At the first sign of deterioration, she will be quarantined and taken directly to The Reef. I have been going there for 5+ years and they know their stuff.

 

[new2salt1]

In the top pic she is chowing on some shrimp.
Below, although not a great angle, you can see she is starting to wrap around the zoos, when there was an inch or so of space just 2 days ago. Her color is great and she shows no signs of deterioration or loss of "fleshiness," 2 signs I have been told to look for (as well as an unwillingness to open during daylight).
Comparing the 1st and last pics of the elegance, I think you can see the tenticles lenghtening a bit too. I know I can definately tell! I can no longer see into the save!!
I wonder if a clown would make a home out of her???
Anyway, I have not added any more coral or verts, and the clowns have not been brought home. I have a mated pair set aside at my LFS. I want to wait until my H2O parameters are stable for one week straight before I introduce fish. This way, if there are any negative spikes, I can treat it without fear of losing the fish.
All is looking well, and I think I may have recruited a friend into the hobby!!

 

[new2salt1]

I have a side-question for anyone who cares to chime in:
What kind of career opportunities are there for setting up/maintaining tanks??
I know a lot of companies do it. Im just wondering if anyone in the industry knows how to get in to it.
It's funny, I will have a Masters Degree soon and $60K in debt later, I will be UNDERQUALIFIED to perform a job I would REALLY like to do!!!
Seriously though, Im interested to find out if some business owners mentor/train their tank setter-uppers, or if they want you to know almost EVERYTHING before you are hired.

 

[new2salt1]

I guess I have to sell the elegance.
It is waaaaaaaay too big for this tank. It opens up further everyday and now it is pushing up against the glass and wrapping aound the zoos.
Anyone interested? See the pics:

 

[new2salt1]

As you can see, it is about to start "crawling" up the glass. Fully opened, this is a HUGE coral.

 

[lbaskball]

Originally Posted by New2Salt1
Every source I have read says moderate lighting, and from the pics I have, I would say the elegance is more than thriving in the stock lighting. I dropped a piece of shrimp in there yesterday, and even though I missed the target, she stretched out and corralled it! Going into the 2nd week of having her, she is doing things that she hadn't done before. For example, she is starting to stretch out width-wise, not height-wise, which I have read is a sign of contentedness. She is stretched-out so far in fact that I have decided to move the zooanthids because she is starting to engulf the zoos! (See pics) I am planning on making the elegace the central coral and just decorating the live rock with frags of the zoos and some other frags. The elegance is too beautiful and based on the # of times I've heard, "Good luck, it's probably gonna die," Im determined to watch her very closely and accomodate her. With the way she ate the shrimp *(thanks for the tip Martini), I dont know if she cares to continue living her photosynthetic lifestyle!
In all seriousness though, the Hidden Reed (LFS) gave it a week to live, especially with the stress of me breaking down the tank and travelling a distance with the coral. And with the way she is responding to her new, clean home, Im thinkin - if it aint broke, dont worry about the lighting.
At the first sign of deterioration, she will be quarantined and taken directly to The Reef. I have been going there for 5+ years and they know their stuff.

I am not doubting you. I am just letting you know that this coral requires a lot of lighting. It may be stretching out to gain more light. But either way I hope it is happy and I am happy that it is eating. I dont know abotu the 1 week survival thing ur LFS told you. These corals tend to die after 3 weeks if not taken care of them properly. For some it is 2 weeks. Hope to see progress though.

 

[lbaskball]

here was a picture from my old tank., The elegance is on the left next to the frogpsawn.

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by New2Salt1
Crazy hitchhiker, cant get the camera to capture it.
There are 3. They look like clear zooanthids, but they are not in a cluster. When touched, they contract, and then POP back open.
They look very cool, but the camera wont pick them up.
Any ideas???
Either a small duster of some type, or a glass anemone. It depends on if its comming out of a tube or not, and if it has tenticles or duster type feathers.

 

[new2salt1]

Its actually a nuisance, aipstasia. I got Joe's Juice to get the little critters, but they retract so fast that I can't poison them fast enough.
Any trick to this?

 

[new2salt1]

I am not doubting you. I am just letting you know that this coral requires a lot of lighting.

I'm kind of confused. I dont believe this has anything to do with you doubting me, or me doubting you. Because honestly, I have no experience from which to draw my own conclusions. So Im not really making any claims of my own about the elegance's need for lighting. It's online sources that suggest moderate lighting, not me.
Although, logic suggests that if no one is able to successfully keep this coral, who really knows what is good for them?
And the pevious owner had this coral for 6 months under this lighting.

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by New2Salt1
Its actually a nuisance, aipstasia. I got Joe's Juice to get the little critters, but they retract so fast that I can't poison them fast enough.
Any trick to this?

That being the case I doubt its aptaisia, its not typically so fast that it disappears faster than you can treat it. However feather dusters can. A pic would be most benificial in this instance. If it is indeed a glass anemone then they are not as bothersome as other species of aiptasia and can be kept as an inhabitant.

 

[new2salt1]

Originally Posted by PerfectDark
That being the case I doubt its aptaisia, its not typically so fast that it disappears faster than you can treat it. However feather dusters can. A pic would be most benificial in this instance. If it is indeed a glass anemone then they are not as bothersome as other species of aiptasia and can be kept as an inhabitant.
Hey Dark -
I went to the LFS and described what I had in my tank. The guy said, "Is it this?" He pointed to the same exact thing I had in MY BioCube, and he referred to them as aiptasia. They were really tiny. Maybe they are faster when they are tiny?
Anyway, I eradicated the problem. I boiled the rock and will make it a candle holder as soon as it stops smelling!
Oh, by the way, check out my tank. Pic #1 is entitled, "My 2 New Friends," and Pic #2 is, "A Whole New World."

 

[new2salt1]

New World:

 

[new2salt1]

Originally Posted by lbaskball
here was a picture from my old tank., The elegance is on the left next to the frogpsawn.
What happened to the elegance? Another casuality??
I think lots of lighting and live food here and there is the trick to making this coral happy. I dont necessarily think it's the intensity of the lighting, but rather the duration.
I have been watching videos of coral behavior during day and at night, and hands-down, the elegance changes its shape and color more than any of the other I've seen.
Very nice tank. Did you upgrade or what is the deal?

 

[new2salt1]

I got an engineer goby to go with my baby false perc and purple pseudo. That's my last fish.

My LFS - The Hidden Reef - had a tank 10 gal for a year and a half with an engineer in it. I thought he was an eel, and he was THE REASON I decided to start one of these. They are sooo cool when they get bigger. I am planning on a 70+ gallon tank within 6-12 months, so that's where I hope to house him when he grows.
Strangely enough, every time I look at the tank, he is hanging out in the elegance with my perc.
I also got a xenia. Already fully opened and pulsating!
I have a question:
I am going to list my corals. Anyone who knows, can you tell me the easiest / safest way to propagate these:
1. xenia
2. leather finger coral
3. zooanthids
4. elegance (probably not too easy)
Thanks!

 

[new2salt1]

C'mon, SOMEONE respond!! Please!!
How do I frag the above corals, and also, does anyone who keeps xenias dose Iodine??? Would the Iodine in Purple Up be sufficient for a single xenia?

 

[perfectdark]

I dont dose anything and I have Xenia and Zoa's among others. As long as you are doing scheduled water changes you should be replacing the trace elements your corals need to grow and propogate. I do about 15% change a week and it keeps my levels perfect. As far as fragging Xenia, they are a touchy coral IMO I let them spread on their own. Then I lift the base of them off where they are attached with a razor slowly and carfully. I havent fragged zoas yet but from what I hear its not difficult but they are extremly toxic so wear rubber gloves.
If you want to dose, my recomendation would be to test your water first. If you see a deficiency anywhere then dose other wise leave it.