Nano Reef Aquarium (3g-34g) Mr. Microscope's 25 Gallon Cube [Archive]

Mr. Microscope

11-27-2011, 12:02 AM

Hello All,

This tank has been in my head since at least 2009 while I was doing my first SW tank (3 gallon pico) back in NYC. I've got more space now that I moved back to the Midwest. So, it's upgrade time!!! It's going to be a Mr. Aqua 25 gallon cube with a Mr. Aqua 7 gallon cube for sump/fuge, a stand being built by my father-in-law, an MP10 (I have controller and wet side, I still need to get the dry side), and I finally finished the LED's today. So, I decided to start the thread.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/LED04.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/LED03.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/LED02.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/LEDs01.jpg

There are 28 LED's in all being driven by two Mean Well ELN60-48P's controlled by the BoostLED Typhon LED Controller. 8RB, 4CB, 4TV, 2 660 Red, 4CW, and 6 NW. I also installed a 1 watt 450nm moonlight in the middle. I have it over my frag tub right now until I get the tank up and running.

Livestock plans
Instead of softies like in John Ciotti's tank, the plan is to do a bunch of SPS on top. The bottom will consist of zoas/palys, and some LPS like acans. Maybe I'll have a green toadstool in there somewhere. I also have a clam that will go on the sandbed and I'd like to add a couple plates as well. Later in the project, I may attempt some sun corals or dendros in the dark parts of the pillar. Fish will consist of a clown pair, a tailspot blenny, and maybe a cardinal.

I have the following projects to finish:
Build Sump/Fuge

This project is coming along well. I have all the pieces sealed together with Aquarium Sealant. All that's left is to cut slots for the overflow from the fuge to the return and drill a hole for the locline flare. Then, it just has to be sealed in place. I haven't decided whether or not to paint it yet. That'll depend on how accessible the rear is from the stand. Here's is the design so far:

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Sump03SideB01.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Sump03sideA01.jpg

Build Rock Pillar

Rather than getting a bunch of LR and stacking it up, I've decided to build a rock pillar out of dry rock. Once that's finished, I'll put it into my frag tub and let it build up the goodies in there. I still have to do all the work on this one. That includes purchasing all the rock, acrylic rod and acrylic base. I'm planning to get my rock from John Maloney at Reef Cleaners (http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-ask.tpl&product_id=106&category_id=15&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=34). So, far I've purchased shells, and snails from him and have been extremely satisfied each time. I'd like to achieve a tank similar to John Ciotti's Upside Down Reef (http://reefbuilders.com/2010/07/31/upside-nano-reef-john-ciotti/). I really like a lot of sand showing. So, I'd like to keep most of the rock in the top middle to top of the tank if possible.

http://reefbuilders.com/files/2010/07/7.jpg

Plumbing
I've been kinda dreading this aspect of the project not so much for the skill involved as the cost. I'm finding that plumbing parts are WAY pricier that I anticipated. Of course, there's always the fear of destroying my tank while drilling, but I still have my old JBJ Picotope. So, I'm planning to drill a practice hole or two on that first before attempting the cube. I think I have most of it planned out, but still have to finalize on a few decisions before taking the plunge and making the big purchase.

That's all for now. Updates coming!

Sir Patrick

11-27-2011, 12:07 AM

This will be a cool one to watch!

Mr. Microscope

11-27-2011, 12:15 AM

Thanks Sir P! 'Hoping for TOTM status in a year or two.

Sun357

11-27-2011, 06:36 AM

Interesting LED setup. I'd like to see how it works out. Good luck! =)

~Fred

larryandlaura

11-27-2011, 09:06 AM

Very nice cant wait to see more!

2pairs

11-27-2011, 10:51 AM

I am glad to see this build start, and I will be following along.

MizTanks

11-27-2011, 11:55 AM

Sweet sweet sweet!

whitetiger61

11-27-2011, 01:10 PM

this is going to look great..im planning on something similar to the right side of a 50 breeder when i scape it..not as elaberate but something different..keep up the great work..it will be something you can enjoy for several years.

Rick

Mr. Microscope

11-27-2011, 06:11 PM

Thank you everyone for the support and kind words!
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3_wwcvitlLc/SrMnH7Lg3JI/AAAAAAAABYA/dzXECFgARj0/s400/futurama_good_news_everyone.jpg

My father-in-law brought the stand over today. I gotta say, he did an amazing job! It's covered with white acrylic to match the light I built. The front door has a lock on it and the side doors open as well. Maintenance will be a breeze with this puppy! It was extremely satisfying to get the tanks out of their boxes. I don't know if it'll be finished by the time the baby comes, but here's hoping!

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTS20111127.jpg

2pairs

11-28-2011, 06:26 AM

That is a great start, I am looking forward to the rest of the build.

MizTanks

11-28-2011, 10:52 AM

Wow looks like your inlaw dad should go into business :) very nice looking/working stand!

Badfish

11-28-2011, 11:43 AM

That is a great looking stand, how did he finish the edges with a router? After looking at your frag tank thread I know this i going to be an awesome tank. Are you still planning on drilling?

Mr. Microscope

11-28-2011, 12:58 PM

Wow looks like your inlaw dad should go into business :) very nice looking/working stand!
Hmm...good idea! I'll mention it to him.. Seems like the kind of thing he'd be interested in.

Thanks MizTanks!

That is a great looking stand, how did he finish the edges with a router? After looking at your frag tank thread I know this i going to be an awesome tank. Are you still planning on drilling?
Thanks Badfish. Nope, no routering. I wanted a clean, straight-edged look. What you may be seeing it the wood which was painted white in addition to the white acrylic which covers three sides and the top. I don't have the top piece on yet since I need to drill holes in it and it still has it's protective coating.
Yup! Still planning to drill. Two holes for the Herbie and one for the return. Wish me luck!

Mr. Microscope

11-28-2011, 01:44 PM

POLL!!!

Black Moon Sand or Regular Sandy Colored Sand?

2pairs

11-28-2011, 02:10 PM

I am a white - regular sand person, but have seen some tanks that look sweet with black.

MizTanks

11-28-2011, 02:21 PM

Personally I don't like the black look. It's white for me :)

Mr. Microscope

11-28-2011, 08:02 PM

I pulled the trigger on my BRS order today. I'm still not 100% sure about everything, but I couldn't pass up the Cyber Monday discounts. Here's the design. I decided to attach the image rather than post them in the thread. The images large and text inside them is kinda small. So, you really need to zoom in to see the details.
3823
Plumbing soon!!!
:smash: :smash: :smash:

Mr. Microscope

12-03-2011, 09:50 PM

So, I placed my order with BRS for plumbing and ReefCleaners for the rock.

As usual, John from ReefCleaners helped me out and found exactly what I was looking for. Rock and Roll ReefCleaners! Seriously, why would anyone order snails, rock, and macros from anywhere else?

BRS customer service was also pretty good. They responded to my emails. I ordered on Cyber Monday and got the discounts. BONUS!

2pairs

12-06-2011, 12:17 PM

Looks like you are off to a great start!

Mr. Microscope

12-06-2011, 08:11 PM

Hey there Captive Reefers!

My dry rock came in the mail today from ReefCleaners. In addition to the 15 or so pounds, I also purchased a box of dry rock rubble to use as filler pieces. Here's what I got. John Maloney hand picked these pieces for me and I couldn't be happier!

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/DryRockPieces.jpg

I'm really impressed with how clean and porus these rocks are. They fit together very well. I was playing around with them here. As you can see, they are standing on their own quite well. Though, I'm still planning to use some acrylic rod to keep everything in place.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/DryRockPillar.jpg

After I have the pillar built, I'm going to put it in the frag tank to stew until I'm finished with all the plumbing and ready to get the tank wet.

Sir Patrick

12-06-2011, 11:45 PM

Looking forward to seeing the rockwork wet!!

2pairs

12-07-2011, 06:18 AM

Great rock work, this is going to be sweet.

Mr. Microscope

12-09-2011, 11:59 AM

I placed an order with Tap Plastics last night. I'm getting a 13" x 13" sheet of 1/2" thick acrylic for the base and three feet of 3/8" fiberglass rod to piece together the rockwork. I was going to go with acrylic rod, but read on another pillar building thread that fiberglass rod holds up better than acrylic. I'm not super worried about strength because the rocks I got practically piece together on their own, but there is one on top that will be doing some acrobatics. Plus, I want this thing to be solid. I can't tell how many hours I lost completely restacking rockwork in my pico after I decided to move something, "just a little bit".

Badfish

12-09-2011, 12:47 PM

Sound like a good plan, I'm dig'n the scape. Have you given any thought to drilling holes for plugs? I did that to my rock and it makes placing frags so easy.

2pairs

12-09-2011, 05:28 PM

Sound like a good plan, I'm dig'n the scape. Have you given any thought to drilling holes for plugs? I did that to my rock and it makes placing frags so easy.

I think drilling holes ahead is a great idea!

Mr. Microscope

12-09-2011, 07:06 PM

Sound like a good plan, I'm dig'n the scape. Have you given any thought to drilling holes for plugs? I did that to my rock and it makes placing frags so easy.
I've considered that, but I'd like to avoid the appearance of any plugs in the display. I was thinking about using a diamond coated saw blade on a dremel to remove the stubs and trim away excess round edges. Then, I'll wedge the coral in best I can to avoid an unnatural look.

EDIT: The more I think about it, the more that idea is scaring me. Maybe I'll drill after all. ...

Badfish

12-15-2011, 11:15 AM

Mr. Microscope

12-15-2011, 12:04 PM

Here's how my drilled frag rock came out; I was happy with it. It was worth the trouble, no more having to pick up knocked over plugs from the sand.
http://media9.dropshots.com/photos/881776/20111206/161445.jpg
Nice! That's going to make an awesome zoa garden! Thanks for the inspiration. What sized drill bit did you use?

Mr. Microscope

12-17-2011, 01:50 PM

It Begins!

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/pillarbegins.jpg

I'll also be drilling today. Wish me luck! I'm planning to drill a practice hole or two on my old picotope first.

With luck, this thing will be wet in a few weeks!

Badfish

12-17-2011, 04:04 PM

Good Luck, and I used a 1/2" mason bit on the zoa rock.

2pairs

12-17-2011, 04:52 PM

Good luck with the drilling. Are you drilling the back or bottom?

Mr. Microscope

12-20-2011, 04:04 PM

Bottom, and it was a success! I spray painted the back of the tank and overflow last night. Gonna add a few more coats, but a can't wait to rip the newspaper off and see how it looks!

Mr. Microscope

12-22-2011, 05:27 PM

Progress is being made!

I successfully drilled the tank last weekend. I also drilled holes in the stand to make way for the plumbing. There is a nice piece of acrylic on the top of the stand as well. This will only show for about an inch on each side, but it's the little details that give a setup that extra boost.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/standtop20111222.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/stand20111222.jpg

Finally, the rock work is coming along very well! I've successfully drilled holes in the rock and cut pieces of fiberglass rod to stick the thing together. I just have to get some superglue and two part epoxy to secure the whole thing together. Then, it's into the frag tub to start cooking.

Plumbing time!

2pairs

12-23-2011, 06:32 AM

It's looking like it will be wet soon.

Mr. Microscope

01-11-2012, 02:04 PM

So, I'm continuing to work on the plumbing which is almost done, but nothing work taking a photo of yet. I have, however finished another aspect of the build. The rock pillar!

I used this stuff from Premium Aquatics:
http://premiumaquatics.com/prodimages/images/TER-12GL.jpg

At $20, it's a little expensive for epoxy, but I'm extremely happy with how well it works. It cures incredibly fast! Between kneading together the two components and being rock solid occurs in just two minutes. My favorite aspect of this glue, however, is that it doesn't have any smell. That meant that I could take my time and really enjoy the building process in our apartment without my wife complaining that everything about my hobby stinks up the place.

Here's what I built:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/rockpillarconstructed.jpg

These rocks came from Reef Cleaners. As I mentioned before, John Maloney helped pick out the pieces for me. This is mined stuff. So, I'm not going to have to worry about additional crap during the cycle.

I planned out several areas with intended purposes. First, I decided to make more than just the mushroom shape. Although, I kept this aspect of the build, there would have been no space for other corals on the bottom. So, I came up with this little arch.
Fun fishy swim through zone!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/rockarch.jpg

It has lots of space for corals. Frag plugs fit perfectly in little holes here.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/bottomarchsiderocks.jpg

Again, I made this area on top to serve as an SPS garden:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/toprocks.jpg

Finally, it's hard to tell from the photo, but this area is recessed underneath the SPS garden. Since it's in the shadows, I plan to eventually use it for some Sun Corals. Though, that won't be until the tank has been nicely established and I'm ready to crash it. LOL!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/underrockspace.jpg

I took a little time to draw in the corals.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/coralsonrocks.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/coralsonrockstext.jpg

I have most of these corals going in my frag tub right now. The only ones I'm lacking are the Torch, the Sun Corals, and the Tub's Blues. I want the Torch for my clowns to enjoy and for some added movement to the tank.

MizTanks

01-11-2012, 03:34 PM

Awesome build and awesome narration! Love your eye for detail :)

2pairs

01-11-2012, 04:47 PM

Looks like it is going to be great setup.

Mr. Microscope

01-17-2012, 10:31 AM

So, I'm continuing to work on this thing between baby feedings and mostly on the weekends. This weekend I got a considerable amount done and ran into more hurdles.

The plumbing is done for the most part. Here's what I've got going above and below, behind the overflow:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/plumbing02.jpg
The Herbie is made of 3/4" and the return is 1/2".

I have since used some silicone to attach the overflow. I've been testing the seal and having issues. To start out, the seal looks pretty sloppy. It feels pretty solid, but after some research, I learned that there is not really a good way (at least not super permanent) to seal acrylic to glass!
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2458/headdesk.jpg
WTF!!! I thought everyone made their overflows out of acrylic! I'm thinking I'll go get some glass cut and seal that in place first. Then, attach the acrylic overflow in front of it.
That also means that I'm likely to have issues with my sump/fuge. I made the patricians out of acrylic for this as well. I think I'll have to redo it. At least the acrylic wasn't expensive.
Delays, delays, delays..

The second hurdle I encountered occurred this morning. I decided to put my rock pillar in the tank just to see how it looks. During this process, part of the structure came apart. I'm all out of epoxy and will have to get some more to re-secure the pieces. Though, I'm going use a more standard two part and super glue this time. I think the stuff I used is okay for more solid pieces, but on a small scale doesn't seem to hold up so well.

Finally, another thing on the list of projects to check off the list is this shelf:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/lightshelf.jpg

I rigged this up with a couple of 20" brackets and a 15" x 15" piece of acrylic. As you can see, I haven't taken off the protective coating from the acrylic yet, but I anticipate that it will look pretty clean once I do. I'm going to set my LED build on top. It is centered over the tank about 8" up (I guess that will make it 9" from the surface of the water). I'm thinking that I might want to add some optics to my LED after a while.

That's it for now..
http://bristolbay.com/image/digging.gif

Badfish

01-17-2012, 02:05 PM

I took a little time to draw in the corals.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/coralsonrocks.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/coralsonrockstext.jpg

SAY WHAT??? And I thought I planed my tank well.... Bravo Sir.

Mr. Microscope

01-18-2012, 12:47 PM

Thanks Badfish!

Badfish

01-19-2012, 06:54 PM

WTF!!! I thought everyone made their overflows out of acrylic! I'm thinking I'll go get some glass cut and seal that in place first. Then, attach the acrylic overflow in front of it.
That also means that I'm likely to have issues with my sump/fuge. I made the patricians out of acrylic for this as well. I think I'll have to redo it. At least the acrylic wasn't expensive.

I also did a lot of research and calling around on this; I found a company that swears it works and they have been doing it for years but most Pros say that they would only use glass with an acrylic cover. I made my overflow out of just acrylic and siliconed it(a few times), but it always leaked so I installed a durso standpipe. You could try that instead of having to get more glass cut. It works great but makes the box really more of a cover for the pipes then an overflow. All I really care about is that my tank looks clean and it doesn't overflow my sump when the pump goes out. Your right about seams being sloppy, I remember when adhering the two it was a pain to work with but I found the black silicone seemed to worked a little better for some reason. Still leaked though...

Mr. Microscope

01-20-2012, 09:22 AM

I also did a lot of research and calling around on this; I found a company that swears it works and they have been doing it for years but most Pros say that they would only use glass with an acrylic cover. I made my overflow out of just acrylic and siliconed it(a few times), but it always leaked so I installed a durso standpipe. You could try that instead of having to get more glass cut. It works great but makes the box really more of a cover for the pipes then an overflow. All I really care about is that my tank looks clean and it doesn't overflow my sump when the pump goes out. Your right about seams being sloppy, I remember when adhering the two it was a pain to work with but I found the black silicone seemed to worked a little better for some reason. Still leaked though...
Thanks for your advice here. Last night I had a free hour while the baby took a nap. So, I took my swiss army knife and went at it with the overflow seal. I have it out now. When I get the glass cut, I think I'm going to use some tape like you would with painting a wall to make the seal look a little cleaner. Also, I was using some silicone that came in something like a toothpaste tube. This resulted in a lot of inconsistent dabs as I squeezed it out by hand. I think I'm going to get one of those calk guns to help with that end of things. It's frustrating because the silicone has a strong acetic acid smell (vinegar) and my wife hates it! Now, I have to, "stink up the house again with [my] hobby." :roll_eyes:

Badfish

01-20-2012, 10:06 AM

I used the small tubes at fist as well, but soon switched to the caulk gun. Your right makes it easier and a lot more consistent, it just might be a tight fit getting a caulk gun in a 25 gal cube. You should be fine if you careful though. I was able to build mine in a gerage so I didn't have to hear my wife complain, just have eyes burn...

Get a Caulk Tool (https://www.buyprocaulk.com/) if you don't already have one, Lowe's sells them cheap and they make the seams look great. Yup a caulk tool, some razorblades and a lot of paper towel with acetone were my best friends when I was building my tank.

Mr. Microscope

02-22-2012, 02:17 PM

Update 2012.02.22

Almost wet...

FTS 2012.02.22
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTS20120222.jpg

The plumbing is FINISHED! I'm in the midst of water test number two. I've put together and taken this thing apart enough times now that I could do it in my sleep.

The first water test was moderately successful, in that I noticed leaks and knew I could fix them. There was a small leak at a joint of the overflow, and also in some of the plumbing. I added another layer of silicone (clear this time, I accidentally bought white the first time, D'oh!) to the overflow and used teflon tape on the threaded joints. Additionally, I came across a silicone fusing tape at the hardware store when I was picking up the teflon tape. It was only $10, so I figured WTH. It was very easy to use and sticks to itself. 'Might not be necessary, but it's a little added insurance the helps me sleep at night. It's the red stuff:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Plumbing20120222.jpg

Here's a crappy pic of the sump/fuge...poor lighting + iPhone = :(
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/sumpandfuge20120222.jpg
You can see the basic layout that I sloppily siliconed in place (pfft! whatever..). Everything in there is acrylic. It should be glass, but I'm getting really tired of all this. So, I just went for it. This is the 7 gallon Mr. Aqua cube. It's a pretty low volume of water for the sump, but was really all that would fit in my stand. I'm considering to replace the whole thing down the road with a larger custom acrylic setup from glasscages.com.

I T-ed off the return pump and am using a ball valve to go into the fuge. I'll close it off for the most part to have a reduced flow. Also, in the fuge is a small drain at the bottom that leads to the return area. This essentially turns the whole fuge into a water supply for the return in case I have excess evaporation.

One thing I noticed during the first water test is that my pump was a bit loud. I'm not sure if maybe there was air in there or what, but if that keeps up, I'll have to replace it. Right now I have a Maxijet 900 in there. Verdict pending..

This morning, I put water in just the overflow to test the seal again (water level is above the lower pipe (gate valve checks out!)). You can see I had some glass cut and siliconed the acrylic overflow in front of it. So far, so good. If I don't see any leaks when I get home I'll do another complete water test of the whole setup. If that checks out till the end of the week, I'll be making about 30 gallons of RO/DI and get everything going.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/overflowtest20120222.jpg

Wish me luck!

2pairs

02-22-2012, 06:14 PM

I don't think you need luck, I think you will get it just the way you want it.:)

Mr. Microscope

02-22-2012, 09:11 PM

Thanks for the encouragement 2pairs! :) The tank is now full for the second water test. Everything is going well so far. I have the gate valve tuned just right too. Silent as can be..with the exception of the Maxijet. I got some air bubbles out of it, but it's still loud. Maybe it'll quiet down overnight.

Sir Patrick

02-22-2012, 10:10 PM

Looking forward to the next update!!

Badfish

02-23-2012, 08:17 AM

Nice Job can't wait to see it full.

MizTanks

02-23-2012, 09:45 AM

The anticipation has been killing me!! Fill it up already would ya!!! LOL

Mr. Microscope

02-23-2012, 10:19 AM

Movie soon!

Mr. Microscope

02-23-2012, 07:52 PM

Here we go! Water test #2. Everything seems solid.

IMG_3499.mp4 video by Mr_Microscope - Photobucket@@AMEPARAM@@http://vid876.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/IMG_3499.mp4@@AMEPARAM@@vid876@@AMEPARAM@@876@@AME PARAM@@ab321/Mr_Microscope/IMG_3499@@AMEPARAM@@mp4 (http://s876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/?action=view&current=IMG_3499.mp4)

Mr. Microscope

02-28-2012, 01:17 PM

FTS 2012.02.28
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTS20120228.jpg

All the plumbing seals held during the test last week. So, over the weekend I positioned the rock pillar and added sand. Then, I filled up the tank with salt water. The dust finally cleared last night and I added some live rock this morning from my frag tank to seed the dry stuff and get everything going. I'm considering today the first official day of reef life in my new cube. I can't believe it's finally happening. I feel like celebrating!

Whoopie!!!

2pairs

02-28-2012, 02:03 PM

WOW,
Congrats on day one.:)

I will celebrate with you and have a glass of wine.:):):)

Mr. Microscope

02-28-2012, 08:37 PM

WOW,
Congrats on day one.:)

I will celebrate with you and have a glass of wine.:):):)

Thanks 2pairs! Might have to crack open a bottle myself. :thumbsup:

Sir Patrick

02-28-2012, 10:02 PM

I am a little late.....but celebrating out this way also!

Looks good!

Tropical Buff

02-29-2012, 09:04 AM

Very impressive build now looking forward to the livestock additions

Mr. Microscope

02-29-2012, 09:19 AM

I am a little late.....but celebrating out this way also!

Looks good!
Thanks Sir P!

Very impressive build now looking forward to the livestock additions
Coming very soon! I'll be ditching my frag tub and essentially transferring all the livestock and live rock to this tank. I tried to pull my clowns out of there last night. FAIL! They are way too smart. LOL!

Badfish

02-29-2012, 10:50 AM

About Time! Kidding.. I can't wait to watch this bad boy grow in to a reef.:highfive3:

Mr. Microscope

02-29-2012, 10:55 AM

About Time! Kidding.. I can't wait to watch this bad boy grow in to a reef.:highfive3:
You're telling me.. LOL! This thing has been three years in the planning and at least six months of work.

Mr. Microscope

03-06-2012, 01:48 PM

Update 2012.03.04

Hello All! This post is a couple days late, but here it is. I successfully transferred over all the coral and live rock from my frag tank into my cube. It's an utter mess right now with frags everywhere, but I'm starting to clean it up.

Here's a FTS and side view. The tank is actually viewable from three sides, but these images give the basic idea. The contrast between the white rock and black background was messing with my camera. Also, the blue LEDs were really pushing the detector to the edge.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTS20120304C.jpg
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTSSide20120304.jpg
Once the rock pillar colors up and takes on a well established bacteria colony, I'll begin to remove some of the excess live rock that was added from my frag tank.

A note on the LED's: The setup is about 9 inches about the water and even with all the overhangs I have from the rock pillar I am seeing ZERO COLOR SHADOWING! Woohoo!

Here are some SPS frags that I'm growing out to be placed on the top of the rock pillar.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/fragrack20120304B.jpg
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/fragrack20120304.jpg

The hermit crabs are hamming it up.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/upsidedownhermit20120304.jpg

As for the clowns, they immediately established territory in the little cave right behind the clam. This is awesome because this location is dead center in the front of the tank (I was afraid they'd choose some stupid area in the back.). So, I see them all the time. They're actually starting to show signs that they are trying to host the clam. I'm not so sure I like that. I'll be getting a torch soon. So, hopefully they will realize that that is a bit better.

Here's a close-up of the centerpiece of my SPS garden so far. It's a Palmer's Blue Millepora. Thanks poidog! ;)
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Palmers20120304.jpg

I'm also really excited about this minty looking milli. Hopefully, it will be ready to add soon.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/MintyMilli20120229.jpg

That's it for now. Mr. M out!

2pairs

03-06-2012, 03:16 PM

That is quite a start, in no time it will look great.
Good job.:thumbsup:

Mr. Microscope

03-07-2012, 12:14 PM

Thanks 2pairs.

BTW, it's official. My clowns ARE hosting my Derasa clam. D'oh! It seems to be getting used to it though. I just hope it doesn't decide to close up on one of them. Video to come.

Mr. Microscope

03-07-2012, 09:25 PM

Facepalm...
Here's a video of my clowns hosting the clam. They really seem to go at it more when the lights start dimming down (second part of the video).

NewProject3.mp4 video by Mr_Microscope - Photobucket@@AMEPARAM@@http://vid876.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/NewProject3.mp4@@AMEPARAM@@vid876@@AMEPARAM@@876@@ AMEPARAM@@ab321/Mr_Microscope/NewProject3@@AMEPARAM@@mp4 (http://s876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/?action=view&current=NewProject3.mp4)

Mr. Microscope

03-13-2012, 11:15 AM

New Livestock 2012.03.13

Hello All,

I went to a local swap this past weekend and picked up a few pieces.

First on the agenda was this captive bred Bangaii Cardinal pup:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/cardinal20120312.jpg
This guy acclimated extremely fast. He started eating right away and hangs out with my clownfish. They all seem to be good friends.

I also got a beautiful porcelain crab from Pacific East Aquacultrure. I couldn't get a picture of it, but it's one of the purple guys. Though, I've never seen one quite like it. The feeders are an intense blue! Pic to come as soon as it shows itself.

For corals, i got a nice sized mini colony of ORA green birdsnest, a couple polyps of Darth Maul, Blue Hornets, and some kind of morph off of Untouchables. I also found a nice torch for the clowns. They haven't found it yet, but it's only two heads. So, perhaps when it gets bigger. Additionally, I found some clove polyps. I think they're papaya cloves. Here's a pic under the blue LED's. You can see the torch in the background.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/DMandUntouchable20120312.jpg

BC United

03-13-2012, 09:14 PM

This tank is going to look great. I am glad to see you went with a captive-bred Banggai, for the sake of conservation.

Sir Patrick

03-14-2012, 12:10 AM

Nice man!

Growing out those frags, on the rack, to attatch to your aquascape?

MizTanks

03-14-2012, 06:00 AM

That's pretty wild your clam is hosting those guys! Doesn't seem bothered a bit.

Mr. Microscope

03-14-2012, 07:17 AM

This tank is going to look great. I am glad to see you went with a captive-bred Banggai, for the sake of conservation.[/QUOTE
Definitely! Thanks BC!
[QUOTE=Sir Patrick;142787]Nice man!

Growing out those frags, on the rack, to attatch to your aquascape?
Yep. Gonna let them settle a bit first. I've already got a nice spot picked out for the cloves. Though, I'm also starting up my zoa collection again.

That's pretty wild your clam is hosting those guys! Doesn't seem bothered a bit.
I moved the clam recently. The clowns are leaving it alone now. I think it was just too risky to let them mess with it day in and out. Hopefully, they'll find the torch soon.

Badfish

03-14-2012, 11:59 AM

Mr. Microscope

03-14-2012, 12:09 PM

Nice pick ups Mr. M.

My wife has a purple porcelain crab in her pico, they are more reclusive than the white anemone ones but you're right they do look a lot cooler. Does yours look like this? http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/invert-index/porcelain-crab-19805/
Basically, but the purple is a little darker and purplier, and the feeder arms are an intense blue. Like blue tang blue. Yes, it is reclusive. I haven't seen it since putting it in there.

Funny. I used to have one in my pico too. That's why I ended up getting this one.

I love to watch them feed. Also, they're the most reef safe of any of the crabs. Probably because they're not a crab at all, but a type of lobster.

Badfish

03-14-2012, 12:18 PM

they're not a crab at all, but a type of lobster.

Oh really? Huh, learn something new everyday, thanks for the info.:thumbsup:

Mr. Microscope

03-14-2012, 12:56 PM

Yup. If you get a chance, take a look at their tail. It's usually tucked underneath them, but it looks very similar to that of any other lobster.

jimsflies

03-14-2012, 08:07 PM

Oh really? Huh, learn something new everyday, thanks for the info.:thumbsup:

I didn't know that either. But here is a good read I found:
Anomura (Mole Crabs, Hermit Crabs, King Crabs, Porcelain Crabs and Squat Lobsters of BC (http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/AnomuraMoleCrabsHermitCrabsKingCrabsPorcelainCrabs andSquatLobstersofBC.html)

Mr. Microscope

03-15-2012, 09:05 AM

Cool article! Thanks for sharing.

Mr. Microscope

03-21-2012, 10:30 PM

Update 2012.03.21

Hello All,

There's been some changes with my tank, both to the livestock and equipment.

For starters, here's a new FTS:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTS_20120321.jpg

I mounted most of the SPS frags I had in my rack on the top garden space. Now I just have to sit back and let them grow! I also mounted the new clove polyps at about the middle of the column and found a great spot for the torch. I have to say it's looking quite happy now. The yumas were also moved up to a semi-shaded area of the rocks.

I had a small outbreak of diatoms on the rock pillar last week. After a 20% water change, they've gone away and there is now a little bit of algae building up, but I think that is already starting to go away as well. The main reason I had this build up may have been due to lack of flow to the filtration. The MJ900 just didn't have the oompf for the near four foot head. Everytime I fed, the water would look cloudy for a whole day. So, I switched to a Mag Drive 3. I've very happy with the new turnover. The tank cleans up much faster now. Also, I got some Chemi-Pure Elite. Though, I've decided to only run that once a week overnight. I find it strips the water a bit too much for my liking. My zoas don't really react well to it.

Now that you've gone though all that, here's a little treat. I realize the FTS's don't really do the tank justice. So, here's a little movie to give you a better idea how the tank looks up close. Enjoy!
FTS20120321.mp4 video by Mr_Microscope - Photobucket@@AMEPARAM@@http://vid876.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTS20120321.mp4@@AMEPARAM@@vid876@@AMEPARAM@@876@@ AMEPARAM@@ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTS20120321@@AMEPARAM@@mp4

More to come!

BC United

03-22-2012, 08:54 AM

Mr. Microscope

03-22-2012, 09:33 AM

The tank looks nice!
I run chemipure elite in my 29 gallon and I have no luck with maintaining zoas long term, even though everything else seems healthy; maybe the problem is with the chemipure elite as you say it is for your tank. You stated that you were going to run chemipure elite once a week overnight. Have you tried this protocol before and found it effective? I find that mesh bag that holds the chemipure elite substrate, and probably the fine particle substrate itself, traps a lot of debris. I clean the mesh bag in tank water when I do a water change. You may want to clean the mesh well when you take the chemipure elite out of the tank. I would be concerned about what the chemipure elite introduces into the tank after it has been out of the tank for a week. On the other hand, if you are only running it over night, the chemipure elite may not have time to trap much organic debris to be a concern. And if you have tried this protocol before and it works, then also probably not a concern.

^^ Great discussion here! ^^
No, I haven't tried this method yet, but I read about someone who did it on occasion and claimed to have success. I'm keeping SPS and zoas in this tank. So, really, the carbon and GFO is for the SPS. Also, I started using it is because of the cloudiness in my tank, but the new return pump seems to be helping a lot with that. I may have changed too many parameters at once to know what is doing what. Nonetheless, I think a general scrubbing of the water once a week should help with clarity and any smells from left over food (sigh, my clowns eat anything, but the cardinal will only take frozen!).

I used to have a 3 gallon JBJ picotope and ran Chemi-Pure Elite constantly. I noticed that everything in my tank was pooping out, then would start to do well again after about three months of adding CPE. Then, I'd change to a new bag of CPE and everything would go to $hit again. Though, the effect was so subtle, that it took me about a year to notice. I added it to my frag tank once and noticed the same thing happen. Zoas shrunk up and looked sad. After running the CPE in my cube, one of my zoa frags was looking sad just after the overnight. So, I'm starting to get more and more skeptical about the utility of this stuff.

As for getting detritus in the bag, I put it in a chamber of the sump after a bunch of filter floss. So, most detritus should be getting caught by the floss first, but you bring up a good point about introducing bad things back into the tank that get caught up in the bag and sit around for a week. I am considering putting the bag in a HOB on the side of the fuge and just turn it on once a week. Then, the bag would at least remain wet all the time. Right now, I'm just putting it back into the container.

....pending further thought and discussion..

MizTanks

03-22-2012, 10:13 AM

NOW this makes sense! I ran Chemipure Elite in my 8g nano for almost 2 years. Couldn't keep a zoa alive and trust me, I tried! All toll I lost about 15 frags. I finally gave up.
I no longer run it in my 26g and my zoas, 9 different types in all have gone crazy with growth! See what I mean :)

Mr. Microscope

03-22-2012, 10:50 AM

Mr. Microscope

03-24-2012, 08:41 PM

Well, I haven't posted a lot of images of the corals up close. So, I did a little photo shoot the other night. Enjoy!

For starters, here's my favorite new addition. I think they're papaya cloves:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/cloves20120323.jpg

My other favorite new addition is this torch. It keeps looking happier and happier everyday. Here's a little hypnotic movie of it under blue LED's:
IMG_3606.mp4 video by Mr_Microscope - Photobucket@@AMEPARAM@@http://vid876.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/IMG_3606.mp4@@AMEPARAM@@vid876@@AMEPARAM@@876@@AME PARAM@@ab321/Mr_Microscope/IMG_3606@@AMEPARAM@@mp4

Here's those new zoas under daylights this time. I think they're equally impressive. The Blue Hornets are taking some time to come around, but that's how I got them and they were cheap. So, I figure I can wait for them to grow and color up. The Unthouchables are still looking healthy and the Darth Mauls are getting bigger!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/newzoas20120323.jpg

I got this acro about two months ago. I haven't been able to identify it yet though. Please help if you know what it is. I really like the polyps. It started out kind of a dull green, but is starting to turn red at the base.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/unknownacro20120323.jpg

I love these yumas. They've had several babies for months, but the big ones were always covering them up until recently. The big guys finally moved far enough away to give the babies some light and a chance to grow up.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/yumas20120323.jpg

My hermits never cease to amuse me. About a month ago I fragged some of this colony of Radioactive Dragon Eyes and Green Bay Packers. A few of the polyps fell off the plugs and landed on rubble sitting around my tank. One happened to stick to a little shell. Yesterday, I noticed that one of the hermits decided to move into the shell. I now have a walking zoa!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/HermitwithRDEs20120323.jpg

Here's one of my left handed guys hanging out in the acans. Testing fate IMO. I like how the baby acans are a little striped. They almost look rainbowish at times.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/hermitandacans20120322.jpg

Mummy Eye Chalice looking sexy as usual!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/MummyEyeChalice20120322.jpg

I love this maze favia (or at least I think that's what it's called, please correct me if you know better).
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/maze20120323.jpg

Here's some of the ORA Green Birdsnest that I got at the swap. It broke into three pieces when I tried to get it off the plastic blue ORA plug. So, I mounted them all in various spots on the pillar.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/GreenBirdsnest20120323.jpg

I've got a few ORA Red Planet frags. The one on the lower right (under the Garf Bonsai) has been under my light for a very long time. The one on the left is newer. You can see a huge color difference. I'm continuing to raise the intensity of my LED's. I'm guessing over time, they will balance out and the green will turn into a hot red pink.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/redplanets20120323.jpg

Finally, here's the Derasa. Happy as a clam!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/derasa20120323.jpg

More updates to come! ORA Pearlberry coming tomorrow!

Mr. Microscope

04-16-2012, 04:52 PM

Update 2012.04.16

Hello Everyone. It's about time for the monthly updates.

I'm getting a little bit of algae build up on the pillar, but there isn't any on the live rock. I'm not too worried about it as I'm continuing manual removal and weekly water changes. I'm hoping to have it starved out eventually.

I also treated for flatworms the other day. I didn't have too much of an infestation, but I wanted to get on top of it before it got out of hand. Unfortunately, I'm still seeing a some but the population has been severely reduced. So, I have plenty of time to get some more Flatworm eXit and try again. One odd thing though, is that I may have lost my dwarf cerith population. They are all on the sandbed and not moving. If they're all dead though, they haven't caused a cycle. All the corals look okay. I'm keeping my eyes pealed for signs of stress, but so far so good. I read that ceriths can go dormant. I'm hoping that is just the case.

On to the pics! To start: Here's the latest FTS. No new corals, but I've mounted several more in place on the display rock and several are really starting to settle in and grow.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTS20120415.jpg

I took a couple shots from the sides to give a little better perspective on how the overall tank looks:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTSTilts20120415.jpg

...and a clam's eye view of the pillar:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/clamseyeview20120415.jpg

The SPS is doing well. The Palmer's Blue Milli is getting extremely polypy! Who says SPS can't be, "flowy?"
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/palmersbluemilli20120415.jpg

Here's a movie to prove my point:

palmersbluemilli20120415-1.mp4 video by Mr_Microscope - Photobucket@@AMEPARAM@@http://vid876.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/palmersbluemilli20120415-1.mp4@@AMEPARAM@@vid876@@AMEPARAM@@876@@AMEPARAM@@ ab321/Mr_Microscope/palmersbluemilli20120415-1@@AMEPARAM@@mp4

The GARF Bonsai is really spreading. Soon, it should be from the frag rock to the pillar:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/bonsaiacro20120415.jpg

Finally...drumroll
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Tu-dah!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/happyhostingclown20120415.jpg

One of my clowns started hosting my torch last night. Check out this movie! Ahhhw yeah!

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/ScreenShot2012-04-16at43819PM.png

Hopefully, the other clown will get into the act too. My LFS is getting in a new Aussi shipment this week, and they're keeping their eyes pealed for another torch for me. I'm planning to get several more for the bottom in addition to some more papaya cloves.

I'm debating on adding another fish as well. It'll either be a tailspot blenny or a six line wrasse. Though, I might just hold off on another fish all together. I not running a skimmer right now, and would likely have to add one if I get another fish.

MizTanks

04-16-2012, 05:21 PM

I experienced the exact same thing using FWE and creith snails. I left them alone and it seems the majority recovered. It also affected my bristle worms in much the same way. But then again I double dosed and killed all the FW on the first treatment :)

On another note, sweet pictures! I'd go with a Tailspot Blenny :) those lil guys have awesome personalities!

Mr. Microscope

04-16-2012, 05:43 PM

AJ :)

04-16-2012, 06:00 PM

D'oh! Glad to hear yours recovered.

I've been told tailspots are a lot of fun. Maybe I can find on this weekend.
Looking good! There sure are alot of those colorful sticks in there. :)

Nice video of the clown and torch, I was a bit skeptical with the size of the torch, but that nice vid show how easy the clown is. Nice touch with the music too. I can imagine the cardinal in the back ground playing the sax as it bobs down and back!

BarbH

04-16-2012, 11:13 PM

Nice tank and have enjoyed reading your build

Mr. Microscope

04-17-2012, 08:46 AM

Looking good! There sure are alot of those colorful sticks in there. :)

Nice video of the clown and torch, I was a bit skeptical with the size of the torch, but that nice vid show how easy the clown is. Nice touch with the music too. I can imagine the cardinal in the back ground playing the sax as it bobs down and back!

Thanks AJ! LOL about the cardinal with the sax!

It's funny. My Bangaii hangs out with the clowns like he's one of them. They're all very social.

---------- Post added at 08:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:45 AM ----------

Nice tank and have enjoyed reading your build

Thanks BarbH! More updates to come! ;)

AJ :)

04-17-2012, 02:34 PM

Mr. Microscope

04-17-2012, 04:12 PM

Have your clowns spawned for you yet?

I would be surprised if they will allow anyfish very close then.

The female clown in our senior center tank is always biting me when i have my hand in the tank.

They're still pretty young. I didn't think they started to spawn until they got larger, but I could be wrong. They are both about the same size right now. So, I don't think they've figured out who is the female. Neither one is really dominant yet either. They have been showing interesting behavior though. They sleep flat up against one another in a small pocket of my rockwork. It's really cute. Also, one of them occasionally picks at a small spot on the rockwork as if there were eggs there. Maybe they're just practicing for the real thing.

Senior center tank? Cool! I hope there's one of those around when I get old.

AJ :)

04-17-2012, 07:31 PM

They're still pretty young. I didn't think they started to spawn until they got larger, but I could be wrong. They are both about the same size right now. So, I don't think they've figured out who is the female. Neither one is really dominant yet either. They have been showing interesting behavior though. They sleep flat up against one another in a small pocket of my rockwork. It's really cute. Also, one of them occasionally picks at a small spot on the rockwork as if there were eggs there. Maybe they're just practicing for the real thing.

Senior center tank? Cool! I hope there's one of those around when I get old.
Well maybe they will surprise you. But once they start look out!

We just installed a new 195 from Great Lakes Aquariums at our local senior center. The 180 was getting pretty rough as it was a used tank.

Mr. Microscope

04-18-2012, 09:42 AM

Well maybe they will surprise you. But once they start look out!

We just installed a new 195 from Great Lakes Aquariums at our local senior center. The 180 was getting pretty rough as it was a used tank.

Awesome! They deserve it. Is there a tank thread for it?

Mr. Microscope

04-27-2012, 09:49 AM

Update 2012.04.27

So, I've been battling some bryopsis lately. The fact that I killed off all of my snails hasn't been helping either. In comes ReefCleaners to the rescue!

I got a new army of dwarf ceriths. Also, I picked up some dwarf plexis snails, some additional nassarius vibex, and I'm giving virgin nerites a shot. Additionally, I decided to add some macros to the display in a hopes of starving out the bryopsis. I got some grape calurpa, and some flame algae. Also, being added to the mix next week will be some Red Gracilaria. Check them out!

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/GrapeCalurpa20120426.jpg
This particular breed of grape calurpa is much more controllable than others. So, I'm not concerned about it getting out of hand.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FlameAlgae20120426.jpg
I LOVE this flame algae! It goes from orange to purple and even glows a little under RB LED's. I can't wait to see if the Red Gracilaria is similar. Overall, I'm really digging how these macros have added to the look of my reef. I really feel like it's starting to look like a little ecosystem now.

Finally, here's a little treat. I finally caught a glimpse of my porcelain crab. I'm starting to see it more and more now. He found a new favorite spot upside down under my yumas. I love how it's feeders are bright blue and orange. My wife pointed out to me that he's missing a claw. I don't know how he could have lost it unless the hermits decided to team up on him or something. I'm sure the new one will come with the next molt. Here's a cool movie:

PorcelainCrab.mp4 video by Mr_Microscope - Photobucket@@AMEPARAM@@http://vid876.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/PorcelainCrab.mp4@@AMEPARAM@@vid876@@AMEPARAM@@876 @@AMEPARAM@@ab321/Mr_Microscope/PorcelainCrab@@AMEPARAM@@mp4

Badfish

04-27-2012, 10:24 AM

Man, your tank is looking great!
I do know porcelains drop their claws a lot easier than most crab as a defense mechanism but your right they grow them back pretty quickly.

MizTanks

04-27-2012, 10:31 AM

You took the words out of my mouth about the grape :) I'm loving that flame algae too! Did you consider raising your mag to get rid of the bryopsis? Just wondering....Sweet video of your porcelain crab. I really miss mine. When I transferred her from my 8g to the 26 she just disappeared and I haven't seen her since :(

Mr. Microscope

04-27-2012, 10:39 AM

Man, your tank is looking great!
I do know porcelains drop their claws a lot easier than most crab as a defense mechanism but your right they grow them back pretty quickly.
Thanks Badfish! Yeah, just wish I knew what he was defending himself from. Hope I don't have some crazy secret predator in there.

You took the words out of my mouth about the grape :) I'm loving that flame algae too! Did you consider raising your mag to get rid of the bryopsis? Just wondering....Sweet video of your porcelain crab. I really miss mine. When I transferred her from my 8g to the 26 she just disappeared and I haven't seen her since :(
Thanks Miz! I didn't think about raising Mg. Thanks for the idea. I'll have to do some research.
Yeah, I got this crab about a month and a half ago and it's just now starting to show itself. It's been incredibly cryptic. I imagine you'll see yours again. If you have lots of rock it could be a while though.

Sir Patrick

04-27-2012, 11:26 PM

If you decide to raise your mag, do so with the kent tech-m brand.

In your reaserch, I am sure you will find that this brand is the one that will knock out your bryopsis problem.

If you have the time though......I have heard, from a secret source, that the tech-m raises salinity, and thats what really wipes out the bryopsis, and not the actual mag dosing.......just in case you feel like monitoring your mag, as well as your salinity, during the process of eliminating the bryopsis. So far, as yet to be proven, no one knows why the tech-m, and not other megnesium suppliments, wipe out bryopsis.

Just in case you are in the mood to experiment.......figured I would throw it out there. :thumbsup:

rosebud161616

04-29-2012, 10:29 AM

I actually read where someone did experiments with magnesium dosage (and other common bryopsis eradication methods) and found that tech-m has a small amount of copper in it, which was believed to be what got rid of the bryopsis. As Chris said, who knows what the real reason is but make sure to use the tech-m!

I personally have had really good luck with lettuce nudis. They're main food source is bryopsis so they do a number on it!

Mr. Microscope

06-04-2012, 09:25 PM

Update 2012.06.05

**** All!

This update is long overdue! What can I say? Life is busy for a new dad. I got out a better camera for this update. 'Gotta start with a new FTS FTW!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTS20120604.jpg

New fish!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/4line20120524.jpg
I got this little beauty from DiversDen. It’s a four-line wrasse. I really like to colors of this guy. The fins have a kind of royal purple hew from the right angle. He started out eating only frozen, but now he’s into pellets too. It swims in more areas of that tank than my clowns or bangaii do. It’s fun to watch him go in and out of the rocks.
Here's couple more candid shots with the four-line.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/howdySPS20120604.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/montionbottom20120604.jpg
You can see in this pic that I moved my red cap monti down to the bottom. There it stays.

Fan/power
I was tired of there being a million cords behind my stand. Also, I had a Tupperware box that I made to accommodate my power strips that sat on the side. Ugly, ugly, ugly! I salvaged a couple 12 volt fans from a piece old lab equipment that was going to get junked. I drilled another hold in the back of my stand and installed one of them blowing out as exhaust. I was then able to move the power strips inside the stand. I still have a few cords hang out the back, but it looks a heck of a lot better than it did.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/sumpandfan20120604.jpg

Skimmer
Special thanks to member, “floppybass“, I now have a protein skimmer! A Bubble Magus NAC3. It’s working like a charm! ‘Pulling out tons of crap! I clean it about once a week.
To make room for the new skimmer, I moved my fuge to an area in my sump that I built for a smaller skimmer.

New coral placement
In addition to moving the monti cap, I’ve mounted quite a few more of my corals. I put several zoas up top as well as mounting my Vivid Rainbow Acro that has about fully encrusted it’s plug. It’s an intense lime green right now, but I’m also starting to see some purple in it.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/topdown20120604.jpg

Battling Algae!
My porcelain crab molted a while back, but I don’t think he survived it. As a result, I had a huge outbreak of hair algae. It took me a while to figure out that this was the cause of it. My SPS browned out, stopped growing, and in a few cases started to recede (STN). This was about a month ago. Since then, I’ve been working hard to get rid of it. This has been my strategy:

Added protein skimmer
Increased water changes -> 15-20% once or twice a week.
Less feeding -> Still daily feeding, but frozen every second or third day instead of daily. Sorry bangaii! (he only eats frozen). Most days, it’s just pellets and I make sure the fish get almost all of them.
Replaced Chemi-Pure Elite with a fresh bag
Scrubb-scrubb-scrubbing the rocks with a toothbrush (this seems to actually work rather than spreading it around. I guess my flow, overflow, and return are fast enough to get it out before it settles in.
Manual removal with some fine and course tweezers for the bigger patches.
And finally, Mexican turbos!

So far so good! The SPS is making a great comeback. They stopped receding and now have more color than I’ve seen yet. Hopefully this will maintain as I continue to cut back on nutrients in the water and continue to ramp up my LEDs.

And a couple shots from the sides:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/sides20120604A.jpg

The rock pillar is coloring up!
After scrubbing the algae away from my rock pillar, I noticed that my rock is really starting to color up! There are lots of patches of pink, purple, and red coralline. It’s like watching another coral growing. Fun fun!

LED canopy with hinges and new mesh top
When I first put up my LED build, I had it resting on some clear acrylic about 9 inches from the water. This left us practically blinded while sitting on the couch. As a stop gap measure, I cut up some pieces of cardboard as light blockers. Again..ugly, ugly, UGLY!

As a solution, I ordered some sign white opaque acrylic cut to size and attached it with some nice looking hinges. I now have light blockers that match the white acrylic of my setup. It really cleaned up the look. The hinges make maintenance easy as well.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/fullstand20120604.jpg
You can see here that I've also added a mesh top. At first I didn't think it would be necessary, but I have heard a few splashes since adding the four-line wrasse. Hopefully, it will prevent any carpet surfing. Thanks poidog for helping me build it..er building it for me!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/hoodandmesh20120604.jpg

MP10 upgrade and short pulse with wave
I was running the old blue MP10 controller, but I came upon a great deal for the newer Ecosmart controller. The additional features are kinda neat. I used to run my MP10 in Reef Crest mode 24/7. Now, I’m playing around with the short pulse. I’ve found a good balance and have the water rocking really well. Not quite a wave, but probably the best I can do considering the height of my overflow and the fact that the tank is a cube and not rectangular. Check out this video.
miniwave.mp4 video by Mr_Microscope - Photobucket@@AMEPARAM@@http://vid876.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/miniwave.mp4@@AMEPARAM@@vid876@@AMEPARAM@@876@@AME PARAM@@ab321/Mr_Microscope/miniwave@@AMEPARAM@@mp4

No new corals, but new stuff to come on Father’s day!
So, I still haven’t added any corals since my last update. I got these pink guys a few months ago and fragged the colony a while back.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/pinkzoas20120524A.jpg
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/pinkzoasRB20120524.jpg
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/pinkzoas0220120524.jpg
They came from a very low light tank. So, I’ve been slowly raising them up the side of the tank. Once I reach the top, I think I may add them to the display, minus the frag plugs. I was originally planning to sell them and I still might, but they’re starting to grow on me as they get better and better color. What do you think? Should I keep them? Long story short, nothing new in the tank coral wise.

I haven’t really had the time or money to invest in new corals these past few months. However, for Father’s day, my wife is going to take me to my favorite LFS and let me get a few pieces. I’ve been fantasizing about it for weeks already! I can’t wait! Hopefully, they’ll have a sale going on.

That's it for now!
Mr. M out..

BC United

06-05-2012, 09:08 AM

Great update, fun to read. The tank looks great and I like the lower placement of the monti cap. I think that caps can be hard to place in a small tank because they will block so much light as it grows, if it needs to be placed up high. Hopefully your SPS make a rull recovery; that had to be maddening to see them start to dive. They look pretty good to me in the pics, but I am a SPS newbie. When I was battling algae in my tank, someone at my LFS told me to use a toothbrush on the liverock and it was one of the best suggestions that has come from the LFS. I think I always scrubbed the rocks immediately before water changes to aid in removing bits of algae. Scrubbing with a toothbrush never really seemed to catalyze the spread of algae, and I am sure that I did not remove all the bits of algae that came off the rocks. Now, I routinely use a turkey baster to blow any dentritus build-up off the rocks before water changes. It is amazing how much can build up over a few weeks in my tank. A better skimmer is an upgrade for me some day down the road.

Mr. Microscope

06-05-2012, 12:44 PM

Mr. Microscope

06-17-2012, 10:31 PM

Happy Father's Day all!

I hope you've all had a great weekend! Now that I'm a dad, I rarely get new corals anymore. So, for Father's Day, I requested a trip to my favorite LFS. The whole family came and we had a lot of fun. It was like Christmas! I feel I made out pretty well.

Here's my haul!
To start out, I got this amazing torch. Unfortunately, the pic doesn't do it justice. It has yellow metallic tentacles and pink tips. The yellow really looks amazing under blue LED's. I'm especially excited about this piece because it fits in the spot that I actually built in my rock pillar for a torch. See my original pillar coral layout plan here (http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members-reefs/mr-microscopes-25-gallon-cube-19247/page4.html#post137494).
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Yellowtorch20120616A.jpg

Second, I found a little orange fungia. At the store it looked all orange, but in my lights it has purple tentacles and a slight purple rim around the edges. I went to the store wanting bigger corals, but I've always wanted one of these. So, I bit down.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/fungia20120616A.jpg

Lastly, I got this nice big deepwater SPS. I think it's called an anapora. I'm not sure how it's going to color up, but it's pink and white right now. It's in photoacclimation, but will go on the top with all the other SPS in a few weeks.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/anapora20120616.jpg

As a bonus, a friend won a free $10 frag and gave me the ticket. I picked out this Blasto frag.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Blasto20120616.jpg

I also won some free Astria snails. I'm not a big fan of them since they can't right themselves when upturned, but they seem to be doing a good job cleaning so far. 'Guess I'll keep them for the time being.

That was it. Time for a little update. I realized i haven't posted much about my acans yet. They're doing amazing in my tank. They started out with only two polyps when I first got them.
(Lower right pic)
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/allLPS20110916.jpg
Last time I counted there were thirteen. Seven of those grew in just the last three months! Here some oohs-and-ahhs under RB LED's.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/RBacans20120616.jpg

That's it for now!

2pairs

06-18-2012, 05:44 AM

The tank is looking real good.
That is a good haul for F- DAY,:thumbsup:

Mr. Microscope

06-18-2012, 07:36 AM

Thanks 2pairs! Hey, what does, "2pairs" mean BTW?

2pairs

06-19-2012, 07:15 AM

Thanks 2pairs! Hey, what does, "2pairs" mean BTW?

It didn't come from a poker hand as most would think, it came from several years ago when I decided to learn how to raise Seahorses. I needed a screen name on seahorse.org and because I had 2 pairs of breeding seahorses it just made perfect sense.

Mr. Microscope

06-19-2012, 08:31 AM

It didn't come from a poker hand as most would think, it came from several years ago when I decided to learn how to raise Seahorses. I needed a screen name on seahorse.org and because I had 2 pairs of breeding seahorses it just made perfect sense.
Impressive! I've always thought seahorses were cool. I especially like those pink dwarf guys. My wife thinks they're weird though. 'Just bobbing up and down all day. LOL!

Mr. Microscope

06-27-2012, 09:17 PM

I took a few shots with the blue LEDs on tonight. Recently, I mounted all those pink zoas. Most of them are on the pillar now, but I decided to expand to the overflow. I'll be putting SPS on the back wall as well as zoas. It's going to be a fun new rock scaping project.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/overflowrocks20120627.jpg

Some more zoas up close (Pinks, Zombie Eyes, Organisms)
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/RBzoas20120627.jpg

Just for fun..Yumas!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/yumas20120627.jpg

MizTanks

06-27-2012, 11:22 PM

Wow very nice!

Mr. Microscope

06-29-2012, 08:58 AM

Thanks Miz!

Mr. Microscope

07-05-2012, 04:31 PM

Water Change!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/waterchange201206.jpg

2pairs

07-08-2012, 06:13 AM

Wow! This is coming along nicely. A little more time to grow and fill in and this will really be eye candy.

Mr. Microscope

07-09-2012, 10:24 AM

Wow! This is coming along nicely. A little more time to grow and fill in and this will really be eye candy.
Thanks 2pairs! I'm getting pretty close to being fully stocked, at least on top of the pillar. It really is fun watching it fill in. Last night, I knocked a big chunk of birdnest off the top of the pillar and it fell directly into my clam. D'oh! The thing is still closed tight this morning. I hope it survives.

Mr. Microscope

07-09-2012, 03:54 PM

Update 2012.07.09

Out with the Wrasse-hole!

So, here's the story. I added a four-line wrasse about two months ago. At first he seemed like a pleasant addition, but he soon became extremely territorial and aggressive. He chased my clown pair away from their happy area and within the last few weeks has been harassing them nonstop! One of my clowns is in pretty bad shape and has many tears and chunks missing of several of its fins. The clowns resorted to jumping out of the water whenever the wrasse came near. Luckily, I have a mesh cover. They were doing it so often, that this is how the tank would look after a few hours:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/evidence.jpg
Notice all salt water droplets dried on the sides of the tank.

I decided enough is enough and I had to get him out of there. I tried for couple days using a net (leaving the net in all day, baiting it, etc.), but the wrasse was too smart and too quick. A friend suggested I use his fish trap. It's this one (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+21246+20398&pcatid=20398):
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Categoryimages/normal/p-70536-62960-61-fish.jpg

It took all day and I put enough food in my tank that I probably don't have to feed anyone for like three days, but eventually I had myself a trapped wrasse!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Itsatrap.jpg

The funny thing about the trap was that my bangaii cardinal seemed to love it! He hung out in there all day while I was waiting for the wrasse to go in. At the end of the day, when I shut the trap door, I had captured myself a four-line wrasse, one of my clowns, the bangaii cardinal, and two hermit crabs! LOL! The wrasse is now in holding and awaiting his new home. Fortunately for him, he's going to have a great one! The same friend with the fish trap is starting a 125 gallon frag tank. So, he's going to go in there and keep things in order. I'm very happy for him as he'll now have an appropriate amount of territory and no one else in his way. Here's the final shot of him. I think he's flipping me off here.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/wrassehole20120709.jpg
After putting him in the holding pen he was kinda freaked out. The clowns came up to check on him. At first I thought they were like gloating, like "nanner-nanner-nanner..ppppppttttt!!!" but I think they're genuinely concerned for the meany. They did the same thing when the bangaii got stuck in the trap. Gosh, I love those clowns. They're even forgiving of the fish that bullied them.

On to a new chapter in the tank! Peace has been restored. I think I'll cool it on adding any fish for a little while unless I can find a baby tailspot blenny. I've heard tailspots can be mean too, but I figure if it's smaller than the clowns it might behave itself. The wrasse was much bigger than the clowns by far. I think that might have had something to do with his behavior issues.

I'm open to suggestions for other fish as well. Feel free to chime in!

That's it for now,
Mr. M out!

BC United

07-10-2012, 07:58 PM

MizTanks

07-10-2012, 10:21 PM

I had a Tailspot for about a year and he never bothered anyone. Truly one of my favorite fish :) Glad you caught the wrasse safely and peace has been restored.

Mr. Microscope

07-11-2012, 09:06 AM

Nice story, had me smiling:) Sorry for the poor beat up clown though. The wrasse does look like he is giving you an evil eye looking out from the trap. I had never heard of a 4-line before this. I have not had a problem with my six-line. He is slightly smaller than either of my clowns though. Have you considered getting a second banggai? I wish there were more tank raised banggai's on the market.
Yes, the four-line was new to me as well. It's truly a beautiful fish. I think if I had more space for him the situation would have been better.
Yes, I've have been thinking about a second bangaii, especially since I recently learned how to sex them. I found out mine is a male (also tank raised BTW). I probably won't get a female though. I'd be maxed out on fish, and I want to explore other fish. I had a pico tank before this one, but didn't really get to experience fish with that tank. This is my first tank large enough for a few fish. Also, the bangaii gets along so well with my clowns right now. I'm afraid there may be some tensions if there was a pair.

I had a Tailspot for about a year and he never bothered anyone. Truly one of my favorite fish :) Glad you caught the wrasse safely and peace has been restored.
Thanks Miz! I keep hearing how awesome the personality of the tailspot is. Hope I can find one. Though, I'm thinking my next addition will be some kind of invert. Maybe a shrimp. I'm also strongly considering a colony of micro porcelain crabs. They're about the size of a dime or smaller. So, I'm thinking of getting like 10. Supposedly, they hang out together. Should be uber cute!

Mr. Microscope

07-20-2012, 10:10 AM

Here's a fun video of my favorite hermit (complete with nassarius photo-bomb LOL!). I think it's funny that my, "Zebra Hermit" chose such an appropriate shell.
zebrahermit.mp4 video by Mr_Microscope - Photobucket@@AMEPARAM@@http://vid876.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/zebrahermit.mp4@@AMEPARAM@@vid876@@AMEPARAM@@876@@ AMEPARAM@@ab321/Mr_Microscope/zebrahermit@@AMEPARAM@@mp4

Mr. Microscope

07-22-2012, 12:06 PM

The LED's aren't on yet, but I couldn't help but notice how pretty the blue SPS look with the morning sunshine pouring in.

Cali-tort:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/calitortinmorninglight20120721.jpg

Palmer's Blue at dawn:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/PBmorninglight20120721.jpg

BC United

07-22-2012, 05:06 PM

I like that second shot with the morning light coming in the from the right.

Mr. Microscope

07-25-2012, 01:51 PM

Crab!
I love these left-handed guys I picked up. They kinda look like scarlets, but have purple claws, and orange eyes and antennas.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/lefthandedhermit.jpg

Mr. Microscope

08-15-2012, 08:22 PM

By now y'all have probably seen my TOTM images (if not, here they are (http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/tank-month/mr-microscopes-nano-22795/)).
Here are some suplimentary images not featured in the article. Enjoy!
Vivid Rainbow Delight
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/vividrainbowdelight20120725.jpg

Tealy acro turning purple
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Tealandpurpleacro20120725.jpg

Red Planet
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/RedPlanet20120725.jpg

RDE's
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/RDE0120120725.jpg

Pink zoas
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/PinkZoas20120725.jpg

Red monti cap
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/MontiCapRB20120725.jpg

HDDPE
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/HDDPE20120725.jpg

GARF Bonsai acro
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/GARFBonsai0220120725.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/GARFBonsai0120120725.jpg

Tierra Del Fuego acro
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/delfuego20120725.jpg

Calitort
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Calitort20120725.jpg

Birds of Paradise birdsnest
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Birdsnest0320120725.jpg

Anacropora
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Anacropora0220120725.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Bangaii0220120725.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Clowns0920120725.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Clowns0820120725.jpg

I love it. Looks like they're dancing here:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/ClownsDancing20120725.jpg

BC United

08-16-2012, 09:38 AM

The SPS look awesome in those pics. Like the "dancing" clowns too.

Mr. Microscope

08-18-2012, 08:12 AM

"Are you sure this is only 25 gallons?"
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Clowns1020120725.jpg

Do you think he's looking at his reflection or gazing into the world of the food god?
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Bangaii0120120727.jpg

Mr. Microscope

08-18-2012, 08:51 PM

Tuh-tuh-tuh-TORCH!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Torch20120818A.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/YellowTorchRB20120725.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/yellowtorchmacro20120725.jpg

Yuh-yuh-yuh-YUMA
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Yumas20120818A.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Yumas20120818C.jpg

Killer Zoas. First shots I've been able to get of them since I got them five months ago. The Darth Mauls grew from two to ten polyps and the Untouchables grew from two to seven.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/nightmares20120818.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Untouchables20120818.jpg

Rainbow Acans!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/orangeacans20120818A.jpg

Mr. Microscope

08-19-2012, 07:21 PM

Clown Fish Dance Party Y'all!!!
uhns uhns uhns uhns
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Clowns0820120725-1.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Clowns0720120725.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Clowns0620120725.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Clowns0520120725.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Clowns0420120725.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Clowns0320120725.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Clowns0220120725.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Clowns0120120725.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Clowns20120725.jpg

Mr. Microscope

09-04-2012, 10:07 AM

The day has finally come! Both of my clowns are now hosting the yellow torch. They're starting to demonstrate dominant behavior with one another as well. Exciting~!

ClownsHostingTorch.mp4 video by Mr_Microscope - Photobucket@@AMEPARAM@@http://vid876.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/ClownsHostingTorch.mp4@@AMEPARAM@@vid876@@AMEPARAM @@876@@AMEPARAM@@ab321/Mr_Microscope/ClownsHostingTorch@@AMEPARAM@@mp4

dputt88

09-04-2012, 01:17 PM

i wish my clown would host something!!

Mr. Microscope

09-04-2012, 02:16 PM

Give them some euphyllia near to its happy spot. It might take a while, or never happy, but so far I've been lucky twice. The first time, one of my clowns (the more adventurous one), found my green torch. The mate wouldn't go near it though so the first one stopped (also the green one died for some reason). Now they're into this gold one. It's a bit bigger than the green one was. The funny thing is that although the more adventurous clown found it, the other clown seems to like it more than the first one. LOL!

dputt88

09-04-2012, 03:43 PM

there is a nem in its happy spot and a large yellow torch... he just wants to be evil.

MizTanks

09-04-2012, 03:56 PM

Clowns are just evil period!!

Mr. Microscope

09-04-2012, 04:18 PM

there is a nem in its happy spot and a large yellow torch... he just wants to be evil.
Lame! Maybe catch the clown, and put it in a container with the nem for a day or two. See if they get along after that.

Clowns are just evil period!!
I think you have clown fish mixed up with actual clowns..which of course everyone knows are evil.

MizTanks

09-04-2012, 04:32 PM

Lame! Maybe catch the clown, and put it in a container with the nem for a day or two. See if they get along after that.

I think you have clown fish mixed up with actual clowns..which of course everyone knows are evil.

Nope not mixed up at all-lol-clown fish are the Cujo's of the sea!!! Lmao!!

Mr. Microscope

09-05-2012, 09:36 AM

Yikes! Haven't seen that yet. Hope mine stay civil.

MizTanks

09-05-2012, 12:40 PM

Dont worry. Im just a clowner hater-lol. My sis talked me into getting one and all the dang thing ever did was lay in wait for my hand to enter the tank. Which it did often. OUCH!! Cujo bite me every dang time. Pure evilness he was. I gladly gave him to a friend who just loves him. Go figure ;/

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

Mr. Microscope

09-05-2012, 04:52 PM

dputt88

09-05-2012, 05:01 PM

that pretty much sums it up

MizTanks

09-05-2012, 05:42 PM

LMAO! Yup sure sums it up alright :)

Mr. Microscope

09-07-2012, 09:46 AM

So, my Yumas have been thriving. They're growing and leaving behind babies as they spread. Yesterday, I found a baby Yuma with two mouths! I'm guessing this is quite rare since I did a search and couldn't find anyone else talking about it (aside from Florida Rics of course). Funny, cause it's oval shaped instead of circular like all the others. Kinda neat!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/DoubleYuma.jpg

BC United

09-07-2012, 10:00 AM

Cool. Do you directly feed your Yumas anything?

Mr. Microscope

09-07-2012, 10:37 AM

Cool. Do you directly feed your Yumas anything?
No. I used to feed them back when I had them in my frag tub, but I haven't really done any target feeding since I moved them into my cube (about 6 months). They've been growing better than ever in the last few months since I established them in a permanent spot. They're in a place with lower current and medium to low intensity lighting.

Here's something funny though. One of them tried to eat a huge asterina when they were back in the frag tub.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/yumaeatingasterina02.jpg

Then, they started to fight over it. LOL!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/yumaeatingasterina01.jpg

In the end, no one got that meal.

Mr. Microscope

09-18-2012, 11:41 AM

Update 2012.09.17

Hello All,

Again, I’m overdue for a monthly update on my system. To start out, here’s the latest FTS:

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTS0220120917.jpg

As, you can see I recently took down the Anacropora from it’s spot on top of the pillar next to the Palmer’s Blue Milli. It was directly in front of the MP10. The sensitive SPS was getting it’s flesh torn off by the laminar flow. Also, I had moved a smaller piece of it several weeks ago and that piece seemed much happier (better color and polyp extension). So, I figured the rest of the colony needed to get moved as well. Unfortunately, I was unable to remove the whole colony at once. There are now several pieces of Anacropora sticking out the side of the pillar. They seem to be dramatically improving in health.

It’s been about a month and a half since I installed the Finnex heat controller. So far, so good! I realize my tank has been swinging quite a bit on warmer days. As the weather gets cooler though, I expect that to level off.

Several months ago I saw a post on reefbuilders about Salifert Coralline Amino Acids. I decided to give it a shot. Right now I’m using about a half dose. The directions say 5mL/25 gallons once per week. I’m adding 3mL to my water change batches and am two weeks into the trial. ‘Haven’t noticed any difference yet, but I’ll keep posting about it.

Probably the biggest addition I’ve made to my tank in a while is starting an Acan garden. Yes, I finally go the acan bug! I’ve had one colony of red ones for a while and have been impressed with their growth and how fun they are to feed. So, I thought I’d take the plunge. I’ve acquired some rainbow pieces (Thanks Windy City Reefs!) and slowly established them with some dry and live rubble. Here it is. I can’t wait to watch it fill in.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/AcanGarden0120120917.jpg

The rainbows really pop with blue LED’s.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/acans20120917.jpg

Finally, I just figured out how to use the macro function on my seven year old P&S. LOL! Here are my first attempts. The top-down look the best, but I couldn’t use my tripod for them. So, they’re a little shakey.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Calitort20120917.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Candlelight20120917.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Macro0220120917.jpg

This guy is really starting to get big.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Birdnest0120120917.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/GreeenSPS20120917.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/RedPlanet20120917.jpg

I recently remounted the stylo to the back wall. It was getting crowded out by the green birdsnest and milli.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Stylo20120917.jpg

I’m really happy about this shot as it is the first time I’ve been able to capture the true colors of this beauty. For some reason, the blue/purple always looked grey in pics. I guess top-down is the way to go for this one.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/PalmersBlue0120120917.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Derasa20120917.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/macro0120120917.jpg

Not a macro shot, but kinda a neat reflection shot. Also, there’s a neat rainbow on the glass. I think this comes from the LED’s. Looks like I need some cyan.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/reflectionrainbow20120917.jpg

Mr. Microscope

09-24-2012, 01:38 PM

Hello All,

A while back, a friend gave me an Urchin that came in as a hitchhiker on an SPS colony (Thanks poidog!). Please chime in if you have a positive ID on this guy. I eagerly took it (relatively confident it wasn't a rock-borer) and acclimated it to my tank. It's been in there a couple months, but I hardly ever see it. It's quite small and from what I can tell, nocturnal. The few times I have seen it has been while the lights were out. Yesterday, I finally saw it with the lights on and was able to get a few good shots! It seems to have grown a little since I first got it. Check it out!

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Urchin01A_zpsf9fed4b4.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Urchin03B_zps72e412d9.jpg

dputt88

09-24-2012, 02:42 PM

MizTanks

09-24-2012, 02:53 PM

Wow! Great job dad!! :-) That is definitely a sweet setup!

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

Mr. Microscope

09-24-2012, 04:58 PM

pencil urchin! good deal, they sell them at my LFS occasionally. im pretty sure they dont get very big, and will keep your rock 100% free of GHA. they are great for getting rid of that stuff if you have it. and yes most urchin are most active at night.

penil urchin.... also known to eat zoas.

Sweet tank tho, not to sure how I haven't noticed this one :shrug:

Thanks dputt and chort! My friend poidog just posted to me that he thinks it's an Echinometra Viridis. Google image search seems to back it up as well. The wiki page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinometra_viridis) is educational.

Wow! Great job dad!! :-) That is definitely a sweet setup!

Thanks Miz!

MizTanks

09-24-2012, 05:07 PM

Thanks dputt and chort! My friend poidog just posted to me that he thinks it's an Echinometra Viridis. Google image search seems to back it up as well. The wiki page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinometra_viridis) is educational.

Thanks Miz!

Your welcome! FYI-the Pencil Urchin I had just about wiped out all the coralline from my LR and cleaned my glass of it as well. I found him a new home :)

Sir Patrick

09-24-2012, 05:36 PM

I havnt popped in, in a while. Glad I did!

Your tank has gone CRAZY!!!!

Nice job man.

Mr. Microscope

09-25-2012, 09:33 AM

I havnt popped in, in a while. Glad I did!

Your tank has gone CRAZY!!!!

Nice job man.
Thanks Sir P! Reef-on!

Mr. Microscope

10-03-2012, 09:30 AM

I figured out a few more tricks for using the macro function on my P&S. 'Got the tripod back out and took a few more shots. Enjoy!

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/AO0320121001.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Blasto0120121001.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/UT0220121001.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/EHB20121001.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/JD20120930.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/JD0120121001.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Orange20121001.jpg

These all came from the same colony, but have morphed into three different varieties.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Pinks0220121001.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Pinks0420121001.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Pinks0320121001.jpg

BYE!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/HC0120121001.jpg

BC United

10-04-2012, 08:33 PM

Love the acans....been thinking about picking up a frag for some time.

Mr. Microscope

10-05-2012, 10:06 AM

Love the acans....been thinking about picking up a frag for some time.

You won't regret it! They're fun to feed. I got that rainbow one with the teal sides from windycityreefs.com. They call them Jade Dragons.

Mr. Microscope

10-16-2012, 09:48 PM

NEW FISHY!!!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/TS11A.jpg
I finally got that Tailspot Blenny I've been wanting. It's a little bigger than I intended, but he seems to have acclimated well. I got him eating Hikari Seaweed Extreme pellets (after they dissolve). The territory he chose is on top of the pillar. I'm really excited about that as no other fish really hang out up there. He found a little hole and stays there most of the time with his little head poking out like a finger puppet. He's also apparently not camera shy. :)
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/TailspotA.gif

dputt88

10-16-2012, 11:28 PM

Sweet fish

Mr. Microscope

11-02-2012, 07:40 AM

Fun photo time!

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/KKR0220121027.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/HDDPE20121027.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/EHAcans20121024.jpg

MizTanks

11-02-2012, 08:32 AM

Very fun for my eyes! Great pics of some beauties :)

BC United

11-10-2012, 09:35 PM

Love that first acan shot!

Mr. Microscope

11-16-2012, 09:43 AM

Thanks guys!

Mr. Microscope

11-16-2012, 09:47 AM

Hello All,

It’s been far too long since my last comprehensive update. So, I’ve got a pic heavy whopper for you today. To start out, here’s the obligatory FTS:

FTS 2012.11.12
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTS0120121112.jpg

I took about fifteen pics to try to get this FTS, but it just wasn’t in the cards for me that night. I think it looks overexposed and the colors are all wrong. On the plus side, as I was taking the pictures for the FTS, I accidentally got a cool blurred shot of my bangaii as is swam across the frame. It reminds me of an X-Wing. :lol: What d’ya think?
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/X-WingBangaii.jpg

Here’s a FTS from today 2012.11.14. I took this with a flash. It sort of illustrates colors of the corals a little better. The rock pillar certainly isn’t green though.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/FTSwithFlash20121114.jpg

Out with the old..
I’m in a bit of a transitional period with my tank right now. Some corals have outgrown the tank and I’m finding myself pairing down on SPS. The ORA Green Birdsnest that I had on top and front became way too big and were starting to grow into other SPS. So, I got rid of these two colonies. Here’s the last pics I took of them a week or two before selling them to some locals.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/LargeGBN0120121016.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/SmallGBN0120121016.jpg

Also, my GARF Bonsai refused branch out and up and continued to encrust along the rocks like a monti. It was starting to eat my Red Planets and encroaching on other corals. I never noticed it from across the room. So, sadly I had to let it go. There is still a little bit left that I couldn’t pry off the rocks. That stuff is also becoming a pest as it grows so fast. I might have to kalk paste it.

Here’s…..
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/GARFBonsai0220120725.jpg

what used to be….here:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/BonsaiCavity20121112.jpg

That first shot was from late July and this thing spread at least twice as far in the last few months.

On a related note, that zebra hermit seems to have taken up residence there along with my tailspot blenny. The zebra hermit never seems to leave this area. If he does, he quickly returns. It’s funny as I didn’t think hermits established territory.

Here he is up close:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/ZebraHermit20121112.jpg

On a sad note, both of my Turbo snails recently died. The big one went first, and the small one a few days later. It was odd, while the CUC was eating the big one that died, the small one was hanging around it like morning it. I have no idea why they died as there was plenty of algae for them to eat. All other snails seem fine.

In with the new..
There have been a few new additions lately. As part of a trade for my Bonsai, I got some old school Mowhawks. I added them to the base of the pillar next to the yellow torch and some remnants of ORA Green Birdsnest.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Topdownmowhawks20121112.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Mowhawks01C20121107.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/mowhawks20121027.jpg

I also added a small frag of Hawkins Echinata which seems to be doing okay.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/HawkinsandDingDangs20121112.jpg

There have also been a couple additions to my acan garden. It’s been growing like wildfire since I’ve been target feeding the acans at least twice a week. My orange rainbow acans that I got just three months ago have grown from two heads to eleven! Others have added at least two or three heads or babies in the last month or two. I can’t wait to see how everything fills in the in the next few months.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/AcanGardenside20121112.jpg

Here’s a close-up of one of my favorites.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/SEAcans20121112.jpg

A Cryptic Creature
Previously, I posted pics of a sea urchin that’s been in my tank a while. It only comes out at nights, but I was able to get those shots because it was in the middle of a hollow rock. Though, the view was mostly obstructed. Recently, I’ve been seeing it out in the morning. So, I grabbed my camera and got some unobstructed shots with the flash. I hope I haven’t blinded it since it is my understanding that they have photosensitive cells all over their body, essentially making them one big eye. It seems fine though. Check it out. These are my best shots yet. It’s growing so fast!
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Urchin0120121105.jpg
I never noticed this cool star pattern before.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Urchin0220121107.jpg

Speaking of taking pictures early in the morning with a flash, here’s the first non-blurry shots I’ve taken of the clownfish. They sleep VERTICALLY in the nook of the pillar. Sometimes they’re outright shoved up in the corner of it snuggled up next to each other.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/SleepyClowns0120121109.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/SleepyClowns0220121109.jpg

The battle continues…
I’m still having issues with algae. I’ve also been picking at small patches of cyano. It got really bad during the last couple weeks. In addition to isolated patches of algae on the display rock, I was competing with GSTGOE (Green $hit That Gets On Everything). I literally had to clean the glass everyday of a thick film of it. The snails were having a field day, leaving trails all over the place. That was kinda fun to see though.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/SnailTrails20121109.jpg

Two days ago, I changed the filter floss (I try to change it weekly, but it had been in there at least three). I also exchanged bags of Chemi-Pure Elite. I was trying to push it to three months on the last bag, but I think it was used up. I always write the date that I put a new bag of CPE in the tank on the container. The last time I changed the bag was the end of August. So I made it about 2.5 months. I guess I’ll change this one after two months.

As a final measure, I put this unsightly thing in the display behind the rock pillar (notice a three other Birdsnest frags recently mounted above the RDE zoas).
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/DTFugeBottle20121112.jpg

In addition to starving out the algae with chaetomorpha in the display, I’m hoping to increase the pod population. There’s a large hole cut out of the bottom of the bottle, and I poked a few holes along the sides.

Finally, I’ve altered my feeding schedule to mostly frozen every other day, and about every other feeding I use more and target feed the acans and my fungia. My old schedule was frozen one day, pellets the next. Also, I was probably feeding too heavily too frequently.

But I think I've scored a victory
In the last two days I've noticed a dramatic, night-and-day difference in the cleanliness of my tank. Algae is already starting to disappear and I haven't seen ANY film on the glass. I'm hoping this trend continues as I keep up with water changes.

There’s one acspect of cleaning my glass that I don’t mind, and that’s little fingerprints on the outside.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Theoprints20121112.jpg

Here’s the culprit:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Theoatthetank.jpg

He loves the tank too!

(Haha! This post has too much text...continued on the next post)

Mr. Microscope

11-16-2012, 09:48 AM

Growth!!!
I’ve been seeing particularly good growth in the last few months. The tiny frags of high-end SPS I purchased in the beginning have fully encrusted the plugs and are starting to branch out. Here are some progress pics:

Vivid Rainbow Delight getting blues and purples.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/VividRainbowDelightProgress20121113.jpg

ORA Red Planet is getting a nice pink and branching out. I have two frags of Red Planet next to each other coming out of the side of the pillar. So, they should join together soon. When they start to table they will do so appropriately off the side.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/RedPlanetProgress20121113.jpg

Here’s a milli I got that’s turning a rose color. The funny thing is that the original branch that came on the frag plug hasn’t put out any additional branches. It just encrusted the plug and all of these branches came out of the encrustation in the last five months.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/RoseMilliProgress20121113.jpg

Here’s a better pic of it up close:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/RoseMilli0220121112.jpg

Some unknown acro I got at a LFS is now looking almost teal and has awesome polyp extension.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/TealAcroProgress20121113.jpg

I got a Tierra Del Fuego frag a while back and mounted it to the pillar. It hasn’t started branching out yet, but is certainly encrusting well.
This pic is from 2012.07.25
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/delfuego20120725.jpg
And here it is today. I made a little animated .gif to kinda get a 3D effect. I hope no one has a seizure looking at it.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Tierra-Del-Fuego-3D-20121107.gif

My Calitort is making nice progress. The branches are getting longer and getting deeper colors.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/CalitortProgress20121113.jpg

At one point I tried to sell this frag of Hawaiian Ding Dang People eaters for $15. No one took it, so I mounted it to the back wall. Six months later it’s become a respectable mini-colony.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/DingDangNukeProgress20121113.jpg

Here the colors are a more accurate:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/DingDangwallcolony0220121112.jpg

That's all for now. Thanks for checking out my tank!
Sorry about the huge delay. As you can imagine I've been a little preoccupied with the new baby human. He's been crawling around for a while now and is almost walking. Yikes! Hopefully, I'll have time for a regular monthly update in December.

MizTanks

11-16-2012, 10:36 AM

Wonderful update!! Totally enjoyed reading this post with my coffee :)

Mr. Microscope

11-16-2012, 10:53 AM

Thanks Miz! I put a lot of time into it. Between taking photos, processing the images, and writing the update I easily spent hours. LOL! It's all fun though. Glad you enjoyed!

BC United

11-16-2012, 09:45 PM

Thanks for the post. They're always fun to read and the time and effort your put into them certainly shows. I am months overdue on posting on my tank, but will get back on track once life settles down a bit. I don't mind my son's little finger prints on the outside glass of my tank either:)

Mr. Microscope

12-21-2012, 01:27 PM

Update 2012.12.21

I decided to try a three day black out to help combat my GHA and a small breakout of cyano. I thought I had the cyano licked, but it showed its dirty face again after a day or so. So, I'll be treating that with some Chemi Clean as soon as I can get my hands on it.

A couple notes about the black out:
I wrapped the tank with aluminum foil. Being completely covered resulted in very little evaporation, but it also made the tank heat up. It went from it's normal 73 to 80 over the course of a day and a half. I unplugged the heaters and it went down to 79, and returned to normal after I removed the foil. I think the heat change caused a tiny bit of bleaching in my SPS because they turned just a little whiter than they were before the blackout. I don't think this was a result of lack of light. The colors, however are almost back to normal already. All other corals seemed unaffected.

On the good side though, I actually did make a considerable dent in the GHA and have the least amount of I've seen in a long time. So, I'll continue to do the following:
WAY lighter feedings; pellets first to the clowns and tailspot, and then a limited amount of frozen for the spoiled bangaii cardinal who won't take anything but.
Target-feed LPS only once/week
Change out filter floss every two or three days
Frequent small water changes
Treatment with H2O2 with the rocks that aren't attached to the main pillar
Manual removal of patches with tweezers and toothbrush

The snooty, only-frozen-food-fish:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/bangaiiflash20121130.jpg

I'm also planning to stop using Chemi-Pure Elite, switch to Purigen, and maybe DIY a little reactor to use Phosban.

The black out wasn't without it's hijinks however. My tailspot blenny somehow managed to jump into my overflow within the centimeter of space between the mesh cover and the overflow teeth. After unwrapping the foil from around the tank for the mid black out feeding, I didn't see him anywhere. Finally, I thought to check in the overflow and sure enough. He was in there picking at the sides of the glass. I tried to get him out, but unfortunately it's too tight to reach my hand all the way in and there's no way I was going to net him in there. After the black out was over I didn't see him in there anymore and assumed the worst. He was no where to be found in the overflow or in the display. I checked the sump wondering if he somehow made it down there, but no luck. On the plus side, I didn't smell anything dead and I figured not finding him at all is better than finding him dead.

A week later, I was doing some maintenance in the sump and saw something moving in the reflection of the glass. To my amazement, my tailspot was swimming around in one of the baffles of my sump! He somehow made it though the overflow pipe, past the gate valve, around the filterfloss that was completely covering the output of the overflow pipe, and into the sump. I was so excited! I took some pictures and told him that I was going to share them with the community as punishment for being such a trouble maker. Here he is looking a bit sheepish and embarrassed next to the skimmer:

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/TailspotinSump0120121214.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Tailspotinsump0220121214.jpg
I cleared everything out of sump and carefully captured him in a cup before putting him back into the display.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Tailspotflash0120121130.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/tailspotflash0220121130.jpg

I'd heard tailspots have a lot of character, but I had no idea what I was in for with this curious little guy. I love this fish. I think his colors are awesome too.

In other news, I took got an even better pic of my cryptic sea urchin. He was hanging out one morning under my monti cap that is very close to the glass. I was able to get very close with the camera. Here you can even see the podia (tube feet) quite well.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/Urchin20121117.jpg

As a part of combating GHA, I placed an order with reefcleaners for some hermit crabs.
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/BlueHermit20121215.jpg
I got a variety and they seem to be helping. I also got a few chitons, but after a few days they all died. Not sure why, but oh well.

I've also discovered a new hitchhiker in my tank which is odd since I haven't added any coral. It's a ball anemone and I've since discovered one more on the opposite side of the tank.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/BallNem20121215.jpg
After doing some research I believe it is a Caribbean variety (open at night, closed during the day). I think my hermits probably came from the Caribbean as well. So, they must have come in on one of them. LOL! They are very tiny right now. Some people say they are good citizens, others say that they are a threat to fish and inverts when they get larger. Also, they supposedly split quite fast. I don't care either way. I actually fed this guy a pellet the other day. I think they're really cool. If they get out of hand I can always wipe them out. Though, I'd love to set up a pest-nem biotope pico for in the future.

Okay, enough text. Here's some more fun pics I took of my acans yesterday. They're popping out babies like crazy. So, I thought I'd focus in on them (taken with blue LED's):
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/acans01b20121217.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/acans0220121217.jpg

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/acans0320121217.jpg

I recently got some BBEB's. These guys really need lower light. So, they're not doing very well yet, but are showing signs of improvement:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/BBEB20121217.jpg

Finally, here's a Satosa pic for ####s&giggles:
http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab321/Mr_Microscope/satosa20121217.jpg

That's it for now. New FTS later.
Mr. M out!