I guess it is time I post a tank thread. I do this with much apprehension because of all the beautiful tanks out there...totally intimidating. :-[
This is my newest tank, about a year old. (well, actually my newest one is sitting up-side-down in a corner waiting for my husband to build a stand) It has gone through all of the cycling problems including water so green it looked like pea soup, water so murky, I stripped the entire thing and started again, oil slick on the surface- you could scoop it off to fry egg rolls, and lastly, the infuriating cyano bacteria jungle. I got sick of it and used Chemi-clean redslime remover. It seems to have done the trick. There is some diatom on the back, but I leave it for the snails. They need something to eat.
Most of the kinks have been worked out thanks to many of you, and Phongs timely post of his tank when I was ready to strip my tank again in frustration. I removed some rock to increase flow, added rubble to the back (first slot) and removed the ceramic rings and bioballs, and added phosban and charcoal pouches to the back too. Oh, and most importantly, I put a piece of acrylic over the holes in the first section and removed the filtering sponge. I try to do 2 water changes a week because the blue Xenia doesn't like large water changes (about a gallon each time). I add a little iodine, calcium, vitamins, and baking soda weekly, and I added strontium on one occasion.
Please ignore Nemo, the one-finned Indo-Pacific Seargent Major. S/He is just a passing visitor, and waiting for the 75 gal to be set up.
My rotating Hydor is missing from the upper right because when I decided to take this picture, it popped off. It is being dried for another application of silicone.
The equipment: 12 Gal., 70 watt 10,000K MH, Aqua C remora nano ( I don't recommend this size, might as well go with the regular one), rotating Hydor, Hydor Koralia nano (I had 2, but the water was too turbulent for the Cespitularia), 50 watt heater.
Inhabitants: Chaetomorpha, Banded Coral Shrimp ( I used to say Coral Banded Shrimp, but then I realized that the shrimp was not banded with coral), hermits, snails, crocea clam, frag of Cali tort spreading on its' plug, pink birdsnest, Cespitularia/Blue Xenia, Tubipora/Pipe Organ coral, Turbinaria/purple and yellow turban coral, different Zoas, new Ricordea trying to attach to rubble, and an unknown SPS which came attached to the Turbinaria's rock which grows rapidly. If some of you look closely, you may recognize corals that were once in your tanks.
I apologize for the bad picture, we don't have a good camera. I'll post better pics of the inhabitants once I get them loaded in Photobucket.
This is my newest tank, about a year old. (well, actually my newest one is sitting up-side-down in a corner waiting for my husband to build a stand) It has gone through all of the cycling problems including water so green it looked like pea soup, water so murky, I stripped the entire thing and started again, oil slick on the surface- you could scoop it off to fry egg rolls, and lastly, the infuriating cyano bacteria jungle. I got sick of it and used Chemi-clean redslime remover. It seems to have done the trick. There is some diatom on the back, but I leave it for the snails. They need something to eat.
Most of the kinks have been worked out thanks to many of you, and Phongs timely post of his tank when I was ready to strip my tank again in frustration. I removed some rock to increase flow, added rubble to the back (first slot) and removed the ceramic rings and bioballs, and added phosban and charcoal pouches to the back too. Oh, and most importantly, I put a piece of acrylic over the holes in the first section and removed the filtering sponge. I try to do 2 water changes a week because the blue Xenia doesn't like large water changes (about a gallon each time). I add a little iodine, calcium, vitamins, and baking soda weekly, and I added strontium on one occasion.
Please ignore Nemo, the one-finned Indo-Pacific Seargent Major. S/He is just a passing visitor, and waiting for the 75 gal to be set up.
My rotating Hydor is missing from the upper right because when I decided to take this picture, it popped off. It is being dried for another application of silicone.
The equipment: 12 Gal., 70 watt 10,000K MH, Aqua C remora nano ( I don't recommend this size, might as well go with the regular one), rotating Hydor, Hydor Koralia nano (I had 2, but the water was too turbulent for the Cespitularia), 50 watt heater.
Inhabitants: Chaetomorpha, Banded Coral Shrimp ( I used to say Coral Banded Shrimp, but then I realized that the shrimp was not banded with coral), hermits, snails, crocea clam, frag of Cali tort spreading on its' plug, pink birdsnest, Cespitularia/Blue Xenia, Tubipora/Pipe Organ coral, Turbinaria/purple and yellow turban coral, different Zoas, new Ricordea trying to attach to rubble, and an unknown SPS which came attached to the Turbinaria's rock which grows rapidly. If some of you look closely, you may recognize corals that were once in your tanks.
I apologize for the bad picture, we don't have a good camera. I'll post better pics of the inhabitants once I get them loaded in Photobucket.