pics of 10gal thus far

[bronco300]

:happyfish well i thought i would try to add pictures, not sure if i did anything right, attached them if nthing else???so this is what i have so far... just two damsels, blue yellow tail, and a black and gold damsel...then i have some pulsing xenia on the rock and starting around the bottom of it...hope this works, if not, how in the world do i put pics on here??? lol thanks
Luke P

 

[bronco300]

here are a couple more of it... any comments on what you think would liven it up even more, let me knwo, i'll take in account any advice, id like to add some zoanthids, i think thats how its spelled..
Luke P :happyfish

 

[exile415]

what' kind of subtrate is that ? if you can LS is good for reef, IMO

 

[sweetdawn]

glad to see the pulsing xenias made the transition looking good see they are a prettier color under the light. the one on the shell was in the process of splitting. if you put it close enough to the rock it will spread to it.

 

[bronco300]

it is just coral, i figured it would work just as nicely, but then decideed a couple days ago i didnt like it, so i bought some live sand to switch it out,now i just have to figure out a good time to switch it, any ideas on what the best way would be??? thanks.

 

[tuningvis]

sooner the better

 

[partsman]

YEP ..................sooner the better - 4 sure.
i like the simple rock layout though ...plain but simple ....plenty of room for additions also.
myself ....i kinda crowded my 12 gallon nano with to much live rock and am considering removing some to make a bit more room.
i also am using a mixture of fiji pink (L.S.) and crushed coral - looks pretty natural i think.
ya might just want to consider taking some ( most ) of the crushed coral out and adding some live sand and mix them together as i did. it's gonna be pretty hard to remove ALL the crushed coral anyway .
just some advice from an ole guy ..........lol
MB

 

[bronco300]

thanks, its gonna be a treat in the first place to try and not throw away the crabs crawling around, lol. i'll probably try to do it today. My damsels ove their rocks, especially the one on the left because it has holes leading everywhere through it, i like it.
Luke P.

 

[bronco300]

so how would you suggest changing it out??? one person at a pet store told me putting the water into a bucket with the rock, and then a container for the fish, then just switch it out, put the water and rocks in, let it settle some, then the fish....you think thatll work??? thanks
:happyfish
Luke P

 

[tuningvis]

yep
that'll work unless you spill all the water...
you may want to make a batch of water a day before you switch
just in case you dont retreave all the water
the lower the water level when you add the sand the better

 

[partsman]

Originally Posted by Bronco300
so how would you suggest changing it out??? one person at a pet store told me putting the water into a bucket with the rock, and then a container for the fish, then just switch it out, put the water and rocks in, let it settle some, then the fish....you think thatll work??? thanks
:happyfish
Luke P
depends on what your final result is going to be - .....no crushed coral and all sand or a mixture of both ?
i have a mixture of live sand and crused coral - i feel it gives a more realistic look personally.
if this is what your wanting to do also - remove the rocks first - place in a sterile container (covering the rocks ) - then the fish and inverts .... seperate them if there's any chance of danger of course. remove and save as much water as you can unless you have more available . i used a bowl or plate to pour the water back in on as not to disturb or cloud the water as much.
just pull out as much crushed coral as you want and add the sand ( live sand - i suggest) as not to loose your bacteria count much. the sand and crushed coral will mix by themselves anyway over time so it's not really necessary to mix it up to much anyway.
run your pumps untill it clears and replace the rocks - fish etc.
add the water as slow as possible to prevent clouding and if you have any type of sponge filters - clean them before adding your livestock .
i used the arag-alive fiji pink sand with my crushed coral and probably have a 25 % crushed coral and 75 % sand mix.
more sand the better to prevent detris and waste build up also - eliminates cracks and crevises for the waste to collect in.
experiment a little with percentages of your sand/coral mix first if you want - i did and am very happy with the look .
good luck .
remember ............if ya needed to go fast - ya should have left sooner ...lol
M.B.

 

[bronco300]

alright, well i actually already have saltwater made, i have about 5-6 gallons ready all the time so i dont have to make some up each time i want to change water or add some...i should spill any, i hope not, or someone wont be happy with the carpet, lol..thanks!

 

[firefish21]

Where in Indiana are you located?

 

[bronco300]

:happyfish thanks partsman, i actually missed your entire entry because i was repsonding to the previous when you replied yours...so do i dont need to put the rock in the water when i take it out?? i'll have to play with the percentage comparison...id like to have mostly sand, but we'll see. thanks for your help.
firefish, i am in central indiana, sometimes northern. why do you ask??
Luke P

 

[partsman]

Originally Posted by Bronco300
:happyfish thanks partsman, i actually missed your entire entry because i was repsonding to the previous when you replied yours...so do i dont need to put the rock in the water when i take it out?? i'll have to play with the percentage comparison...id like to have mostly sand, but we'll see. thanks for your help.
firefish, i am in central indiana, sometimes northern. why do you ask??
Luke P
Bronco,
i must have missed that statement about the " rock "................
yes - please keep the rock covered in water at all times - preferably the same water you had in your tank before returning it to the new set up.
one more thing . if your pre mixing your water and saving it as i do ( only i buy it pre mixed , ro already ) - make sure you aeriate it first if storing it longer than a few days - we don't want to give our buddies any stagnet water .

 

[bronco300]

thanks, the water that i just premixed i have been running an airpump into it for about 4 days or so.....how many days should i put the air pump in again before putting it into the aquarium....i have everything set to start the transfer, went and bought nice new containers as to not accidently get some mixed junk for previous used containers...should be interesting, wish me luck! lol

Luke P

 

[bronco300]

hellooooo, well later that night...the transfer is complete and the little guys are enjoying their new sandy bottom...i have a couple pics of the tank looking very bare, lol...and the other of a little crabby enjoying his sand, lol. They seem to be doing alright, the task took a little longer than expected....and actually when i picked up one of the rocks, my blue damsel had hidden inside it, luckily he is ok(so far)..i definitely love this bottom so much more...i did leave some coral at the bottom, cant really see any yet though. But anyways, it looks great to me, thanks for all your help!!
Luke P.

 

[partsman]

Bronco300,
looks pretty good to me - i was comparing your original pic to the present and at first thought i saw something different - not .other than the sand and a little different shadows - probably more reflection from the sand.
looks real nice - a lot of work getting ther - but well worth it in the long run.
as far as areating your reserve water - i would just areate it about an hour or so before using it. no reason to do so while it's stored - it will keep quite a long time if in a sealed container. just protect it from any dirt - dust -etc.
i see you have a mexican turbo snail - good choice - their an awsome eater aren't they ?. mine are like small tanks - eating everything in their path except for the good stuff - coriline algae and feather dusters - corals and such ...............just algae and left over junk.
your off to a good start - good luck and remember ...............
if ya needed to go fast - ya should have left sooner .........lol.
michael

 

[bronco300]

lol, thanks, i am definitely enjoying my first trip into the saltwater realm...wish i had a few more corals to liven it up, unfortunately i am a poor college student, lol....I really like the snails alot too....their mouth are just V6 motors always running...and every now and then i'll give them some seaweed and they just flock to it right away. lol now what...maybe i'll have to post another topic about suggestions of whats next...thanks for your help.
Luke P