Synergy's 2012 12 gal Cube

[Synergy]

Hi Everyone,

I'm really looking forward to another great nano contest, last year's was a great experience. You can check out my build from lat year here: http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members-reefs/synergys-12gal-zen-nano-12101/

I will be using the same tank as I did last year, the previous structure has been moved to a different tank.

Equipment:
Tank: JBJ 12 gal DX
Lighting: 2x24w PC (1 50:50 and 1 10k) and 3x3W Blue LEDS
Flow: Stock JBJ return pump and Korallia Nano 240
Filtration: No skimmer. Run carbon and filter floss in back chambers.
Heater: Via-aqua 50W submersible
Rock: Marco dry rock and Rock Mags for aqua-mags
Bare Bottom

I plan to try to keep things simple, well in SW terms at least, so top off and any dosing needed will be done by hand, Livestock will be relatively "easy" corals (mainly softies, zoas, mushrooms). The majority of the corals will come from my existing tank although I'm sure I will find some things at the LFS and swaps that will catch my eye.

[Synergy]

Some teaser build shots.

Here are the rock mags from aqua-mags that I bought last year but never ended up using. Going to try to incorporate one or both this year, Not sure how well they will fit into my plan though. (Pics are from 2011)
http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members/synergy/albums/synergy-s-pics/1813-pict0196.jpg

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members/synergy/albums/synergy-s-pics/1811-pict0198.jpg

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members/synergy/albums/synergy-s-pics/1814-pict0197.jpg

My mess from building my rock structure.
http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members/synergy/albums/synergy-s-pics/2579-pict0009.jpg

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members/synergy/albums/synergy-s-pics/2580-pict0008.jpg

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members/synergy/albums/synergy-s-pics/2581-pict0016.jpg

I have tried for minimalist aquascaping on my past two tank so I have come to really like using the plastic rod, ziptie and two part epoxy method to making rock structures. The possibilities are nearly limitless and I really like the open look you can create. My envisioned outcome for this tank is probably something you would never see on any natural reef but I think overall it will look rather unique and very pleasing.

I will try to get some more build pics up this weekend. Hoping to get some water in before Monday!

[larryandlaura]

Awesome bring on the water!

[thepanfish]

Yeah, we need a scape shot as well!

[Synergy]

Been a few days without an update and A LOT has changed. I'll start from the beginning. Finished my rock structure a few weeks ago and stuck it in my main tank to try to get some good bacteria on it since I wont have a sand bed or a lot of rock.

The inspiration for my tank came from a tank I saw a few years ago, It had a large rock with some torch corals on top that formed sort of a tree and GSP growing on the bottom. The owner must have moved on to bigger and better things because The tank was never finished. I would have loved to see how it would have looked if it were to grow out.

Going off that idea, I decided to make a xenia "tree" with GSP "grass". I had considered a few options of coral for the "Tree" such as yellow polyps, zoas, and encrusting gorgonian. I choose the xenia because i feel like its growth will best resemble the tree shape I am going for, as an added bonus its fast growth should help make this end result a possibility in a relatively short time.

Here are what you all want to see, a few shots of the structure I pieced together.

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members/synergy/albums/synergy-s-pics/2597-pict0012.jpg

You can see the acrylic rod that runs through the "trunk of the tree" which is inserted in the hole I drilled in the flat rock I posted a few days ago as a teaser.

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members/synergy/albums/synergy-s-pics/2598-pict0013.jpg

The "branches are a mix of tonga branch and broken up marco dry rock. Everything is held together with zip-ties, acrylic rod and two part epoxy. The "branches" balance eachother out allowing the structure to stand upright on the small flat base.

Here is the official start photo showing the "tree" and the rock-mag I put in.

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members/synergy/albums/synergy-s-pics/2600-pict0241.jpg

Im not sure if I will be keeping the rock-mag. It is nice in that it hides the powerhead but not sure how it will look when everything grows out and I still need to figure out what coral I would add on it. Maybe something blue or yellow and it could look like a cloud or the sun respectively. It will stay for now.

Here is a side view.

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members/synergy/albums/synergy-s-pics/2599-pict0237.jpg

And here is the xenia a local Ann Arbor reefer gave to me that will go on the rock "tree".

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members/synergy/albums/synergy-s-pics/2601-pict0213.jpg

I'm not really sure the price for this frag as It doesn't really have a stalk as the xenia pricing goes by, seems more like a mat? About 2 inches by 2 inch. Any advice on pricing would be appreciated. Was thinking somewhere between $20-$30???

The xenia has only been in the tank a few days and is already starting to grow onto the bottom glass, really amazing. Will be separating the frag into smaller pieces to place on different branches of the tree to speed up the spreading.

Hope you enjoy the update!

[Sir Patrick]

This is going to be very cool!!

[AJ :)]

Looking forward to this tank's progress. :)

[rosebud161616]

Heh I was using the same tank for inspiration! It will be cool to see how we both implement different variations of his tank especially with our tanks being so different!

[Synergy]

Heh I was using the same tank for inspiration! It will be cool to see how we both implement different variations of his tank especially with our tanks being so different!

LOL, we were definitely using the same tank for inspiration. I like your taste! I agree, should be really fun seeing how the tanks differ. Cant wait to see what coral/corals you use for the "tree". I think frogspawn or hammer coral would look awesome! I really considered it but with the size of the "tree" I built it would cost to much or take too much time to get the look I wanted, might work better in your smaller tank.

As far as stocking I plan on going with just the xenia for the tree. I would also like to place a few mushrooms on the flat base but i'm not sure if they will get shaded out by the xenia above. GSP covering the bottom and I might make a couple mounds of zoa rocks in the GSP to give it some color, sort of like flowers in a meadow.

I was thinking about a pair of clowns and a few sexy shrimp for non-coral livestock.

[jimsflies]

I don't suppose a link or photo of the "inspiring tank" is available?

[rosebud161616]

LOL, we were definitely using the same tank for inspiration. I like your taste! I agree, should be really fun seeing how the tanks differ. Cant wait to see what coral/corals you use for the "tree". I think frogspawn or hammer coral would look awesome! I really considered it but with the size of the "tree" I built it would cost to much or take too much time to get the look I wanted, might work better in your smaller tank.

As far as stocking I plan on going with just the xenia for the tree. I would also like to place a few mushrooms on the flat base but i'm not sure if they will get shaded out by the xenia above. GSP covering the bottom and I might make a couple mounds of zoa rocks in the GSP to give it some color, sort of like flowers in a meadow.

I was thinking about a pair of clowns and a few sexy shrimp for non-coral livestock.

Sounds very cool! I like your idea of the "flowers." I was thinking of doing some zoas in the tree to make the tree look in bloom, but that's a cool idea in the grass!

BTW... it looks like your xenia might actually be anthelia, which would explain the mat. It can grow crazy out of control (much worse than xenia) so I would bet you could get that tree covered pretty easily! Jim had also put a price for anthelia on the list, I just don't remember what it was off hand. That might help with your pricing.


I don't suppose a link or photo of the "inspiring tank" is available?

Synergy, I hope you don't mind if I post this here for Jim. This was the last picture that he posted of the tank:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a295/ferrao11/contest%20tank/bonsai020410-1.jpg

[Synergy]

I don't suppose a link or photo of the "inspiring tank" is available?

I wanted to post a link to the thread but didn't because it's on another forum. If it's OK with you I can add a link to my original post?

[Synergy]

I wanted to post a link to the thread but didn't because it's on another forum. If it's OK with you I can add a link to my original post?
Ooops Rosebud beat me to it. Yup that's the one! Wish he would have kept updating. Those torches were stunning!

Thanks for the ID on the antheila Rosebud, looks like the frag will be right around the $20-30 I thought with the price at $10 per 1.5". I will need to read up on athelias now.

[Synergy]

Time for an update!

I moved a rock with GSP into the tank. Im going to give it a few days to get accustomed to the tank and then trim some pieces off and glue them on the bottom, then put the rock back into the tank it came from. Also moved a few small pieces of rock with some corals onto the tree to try to increases the microbial life of the tank. Although, since the whole thing was cycling in another tank for awhile I dont expect much although I have noticed a few pods and bristle worms crawl from the rocks into the tree. I will be removing them from the tank once I glue the anthelia onto the tree next week, so ill make a price list next week once I remove the rocks and glue the GSP down.

Here is the pic of how the tank looks now:

http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members/synergy/albums/synergy-s-pics/2608-pict0205.jpg

I did some water test and the results were great:
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0
Calcium 440
Kh 8

I started to break the anthelia into separate chunks so I can spread it around the tree. Its pretty amazing how fast this stuff grows.

I will get an updated shot once I start placing it in the tree. Should be sometime next week.

[nate_newton]

Thats an interesting idea. Reminds me of a planted freshwater with the gsp

[Synergy]

Thats an interesting idea. Reminds me of a planted freshwater with the gsp

Thanks! Yeah, the GSP does give it a planted tank feel. Should be a lot of movement in the the tank when it is all grown out!

I finished fragging up the antheila today and began to place it into the tree. It looks like I have a lot more of it now that it is spread out. I was able to glue some pieces down that had rock on them, but others are just placed in the tree, they should take hols in a few days. I turned the Korallia off in the meantime so they don't fly around the tank.

Here is a pic showing some of the anthelia spreading onto the glass bottom. I am going to keep this piece there until the GSP starts encroaching so I can track the growth rate of the coral. You can see the GSP rock in the background.

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/PICT0246.jpg


Other than that I picked out a few mushrooms from my main tank that I will eventually move over to the base of the rock. I will snap some pics new FTS once the anthelia takes hold onto the tree.

[Synergy]

Most of the anthelia has started to attach to the rocks. I turned the korallia on for a few minutes and only a few pieces blew away. I turned the powerhead off and repositioned them, I will give them a few more days to attach.

http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/PICT0245.jpg

The big chunk to the right is the frag plug, I plan to leave it there for a few weeks to let some pieces attach to the tree and then move it to a new place and repeat. This should be easier than trying to break it up spread it around.

I looked through my other tank and found a two headed frag of neon candy cane coral that I think I will add to the base of the tree and two small frags of zoas. I'm not certain they will get enough light, so I might put them in for a week or so and see how they react, and move them if necessary. I think I'm going to attach all the coral to the base of the tree and let the GSP grow out the whole bottom.

I will try to get new pics up each week to really track the growth. The mushrooms, zoas, and candy cane should get added over the weekend.

[Synergy]

Update!!!!

I took some pics last week but never got a chance to post them so here we go!

Here is a the pic I posted a few weeks ago of the anthelia growing on the bottom and below it is the picture from last week. The growth rate of this stuff is impressive.
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/PICT0246.jpg
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/PICT0255-1.jpg

The GSP is starting to grow onto the bottom as well. It isn't growing as fast as the anthelia but now that it has attached I expect the growth rate will increase.
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/PICT0257.jpg

Two heads of candy cane and some mushrooms
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/PICT0260.jpg

Close up of a mushroom, also you can see a small frag of Kenya Tree in the background.
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/PICT0258-1.jpg

A piece of anthelia found its way into a small opening in the rock, I kinda like how it looks.
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/PICT0261.jpg

Top down shot, some of the rocks with encrusting gorgonian will be removed when I find room in my other tank. I have a piece growing on the rock-mag that I think I'm going to keep though
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/PICT0274.jpg

A close up shot of the anthelia
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/PICT0277.jpg

One last pic of the tree
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/PICT0281.jpg

Overall the tank is doing well. It is running warmer than I would like, the tank runs between 80-82 degrees daily. I am going to start keeping the feeding door open hoping the increase in evaporation will help keep the tank a little cooler, I have had some troubles with xenia and high tank temps in the past.

I haven't done a water change in weeks and the water currently in the tank was from an old set-up, Some of the anthelia is changing a lighter color, im not sure if it is just adjusting to the lights or if there is a deficiency in some element, I have read that iodine is important for their growth, I dont have a test for iodine so I guess Ill just try to be more diligent with water changes.

The only inhabitants besides the coral at this point are a hitchiker stomatella snail, bristleworms, pods etc. Algae growth really isn't an issue but I plan on adding a snail and hermit crab to keep things clean.

[Sir Patrick]

Are you feeding this tank? Softies lightening color can tell you they need to be fed- or you are on the right track and they are missing some chemicals.

[rosebud161616]

I find that anthelia will look completely different within the same system depending on light and flow. As you have seen, the stuff can get everywhere and grow very quickly. I am constantly pulling small pieces out from all over our system and it always amazes me how different anthelia cam look, even when given the same water conditions.

[Synergy]

Are you feeding this tank? Softies lightening color can tell you they need to be fed- or you are on the right track and they are missing some chemicals.

I'm not currently feeding the tank, I have a bottle of zooplankton that I tried broadcast feeding a few times but didnt see any response from the corals. I also read that anthelia have a poor feeding response. I do spot fed a few of the mushrooms and the candy canes some pellets. Any recommendations on some food you think I might get a response from the anthelia with?


I find that anthelia will look completely different within the same system depending on light and flow. As you have seen, the stuff can get everywhere and grow very quickly. I am constantly pulling small pieces out from all over our system and it always amazes me how different anthelia cam look, even when given the same water conditions.

I am starting to notice this, thanks for the reassurance. I have a row of blue LEDs towards the back of the tank and the anthelia under them are the lightest in color, the anthelia that is shaded under the tree is a much deeper blue. Also the anthelia directly in the flow is very short whereas the stalks in indirect flow are much longer. It is pretty amazing how different it appears.

[Sir Patrick]

You most likely wont get a feeding responce from the anethelia, but they will thrive with the dissolved nutrients from tank feedings.

[Synergy]

You most likely wont get a feeding responce from the anethelia, but they will thrive with the dissolved nutrients from tank feedings.

Thanks for the tip. I have been adding a few flakes/pellets to the tank every once and awhile lately. Hope to get some fish sometime soon and then the feedings will really increase.

In other tank news!

I took a video of the anthelia the other day. Color is pretty accurate, maybe a little less blue than it appears in real life. It doesn't have the color that it originally had but it is still growing rapidly so I am not too concerned. I havent had the powerhead on lately but I think the flow is still good, might try turning it on next week and see how everything responds.

EKEN0008.mp4 video by cmrae - Photobucket@@AMEPARAM@@http://vid991.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/EKEN0008.mp4@@AMEPARAM@@vid991@@AMEPARAM@@991@@AME PARAM@@af34/cmrae/EKEN0008@@AMEPARAM@@mp4 (http://s991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/?action=view&current=EKEN0008.mp4)

I will put a price list up sometime this weekend or next week and will try to get some pics of the GSP, it is really starting to take off. The mushrooms below the tree are looking nice also. I need to pick up some salt so I can do a water change though, lots of crud accumulating on the bottom of the tank.

[Synergy]

Did some water testing today:

Nitrate:0
Calcium 460
KH: 5

Started dripping some baking soda to raise it up by 1 dKH, and will drip some more in two days. I did a 10% water change the other day with reef crystals, so I'm not sure if the KH of the makeup water was really low or what. Will test the next batch for sure.

GSP has been growing great. mushrooms look excellent. Picked up a nice red one from fish doctors the other day.
The Anthelia has looked better, I think it might be getting too much light, the pieces out of the intense light look much better. Although I bet the low KH hasn't helped any.

[rosebud161616]

Hang in there. That anthelia is a weed. Get your dKH up and I bet it will look a million times better.

[Synergy]

Growth shot of the GSP. I glued several small pieces on the glass in various parts of the tank. They have all experienced similar growth, this one just happens to be easier to photograph.

The frag attached to the glass and has continued to grow in this direction, must have something to do with the flow.
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/PICT0257.jpg

How it looks currently, I would say it has easily tripled in size in the past month. The new polyps are still small though. Hopefully the growth continues and I can get the bottom covered!
http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/cmrae/PICT0288.jpg

[Synergy]

Not too much has changed in the tank. The anthelia isnt improving, but isnt getting worse. The first few weeks the growth was unreal and then all of a sudden nothing. I didnt change anything in the tank either so I am a bit baffled. Over the past few weeks, I have tried to increase the pH and iodine. Neither had much of an impact.

I have started to move most of the anthelia that I can scrape off the rocks to my other tank to let it recover. Going to place some light green GSP type coral into the tree along with whats left of the anthelia. Still determined to figure out what is causing the decline in the anthelia so I dont want to take it all out.

The mushrooms in the tank are looking great, and the GSP continues to grow nicely on the bottom. Will get some pictures early next week, once I glue the light green GSP into the tree. Had my eye on some frogspawn at fish doctors, might pick that up too.

Any other tips for helping the Anthelia? I have tried to increase the pH, Iodine, increase dissolved organics. But nothing has really helped. I'm a bit stumped but have read that anthelia and xenia have been known to just crash for no reason (that we know of yet) so maybe I am just one of the unlucky ones, but after having it grow so well for weeks is frustrating.

[phishcrazee]

Not too much has changed in the tank. The anthelia isnt improving, but isnt getting worse. The first few weeks the growth was unreal and then all of a sudden nothing. I didnt change anything in the tank either so I am a bit baffled. Over the past few weeks, I have tried to increase the pH and iodine. Neither had much of an impact.

I have started to move most of the anthelia that I can scrape off the rocks to my other tank to let it recover. Going to place some light green GSP type coral into the tree along with whats left of the anthelia. Still determined to figure out what is causing the decline in the anthelia so I dont want to take it all out.

The mushrooms in the tank are looking great, and the GSP continues to grow nicely on the bottom. Will get some pictures early next week, once I glue the light green GSP into the tree. Had my eye on some frogspawn at fish doctors, might pick that up too.

Any other tips for helping the Anthelia? I have tried to increase the pH, Iodine, increase dissolved organics. But nothing has really helped. I'm a bit stumped but have read that anthelia and xenia have been known to just crash for no reason (that we know of yet) so maybe I am just one of the unlucky ones, but after having it grow so well for weeks is frustrating.
I dunno about the anthelia, I have to cut it back in my 75g :) I would definitely turn the powerhead back on, they like flow. From the video clip, they look a bit bleached(?) but it may just be the video and the variety of anthelia. I have the regular pink stuff growing a few inches from the surface under 250W MH's. I do think they like or at least don't mind a dirtier tank......

[AJ :)]

It looks like you have lots of anthelia ! Are there any fish in the tank?