Rupert's Bikini Bottom Paradise

April 1st 2011 - Tank of the Month · #1

Rupert's Bikini Bottom Paradise

I'm sure many of you know me, I welcome everyone to CaptiveReefs.com and occasionally help with drawing names for contests. My name is Rupert. I'm one of the oldest active members on CaptiveReefs. I'd like to thank Jason (aka Reptoreef) and Angel (aka ReefAngel) for originally inviting me to be on CR. I appreciate the opportunity to share my slice of paradise with everyone.

Equipment & Maintenance
The display tank is 1 gallon of plexiglass and is round in shape. I like the size because I can reach the bottom...as you know turtles don't have very long arms. So it was important for me to be able to get to the bottom without holding my breath. Overall my system is designed with simplicity in mind. I lack of opposable thumbs which makes even the most common task very difficult. I don't run a sump on this system and found that going skimmerless is working out well.

Water flow is provided by a Mini Air Pump purchased from Premium Aquatics. I tried other air pumps but found them to be loud and unreliable.

For lights I am running 3 LEDs...two blues and one white. Again, this has been trial and error to figure out what lighting works best. I started out with a power compact, but found the pineapple seemed to bleach. The blue actinics really make the pineapple pop!

Fortunately top off isn't too big of a deal with my system. This is by design because I lack the arm strength to lift very much water. Usually I have to get help with adding water. I also clean the algae off the front of the tank once per month.

Inhabitants

Of course with only 1 gallon of water, I have to keep the bioload low. I have Squidward and Spongebob. I also have plankton, but he hides a lot and was too hard to photograph because he is clear and small. I did have Gary the snail, but he jumped out.

Future Plans
I'd really like to add a Mount Wannahoackaloogie as I think that would really compliment the tiki. However, I think a major rock rework will be necessary to fit it in. I'd also like to add a Ring of Fire because fire is cool, especially underwater. However, I think an upgrade will be necessary to assure it has enough space to not start a tank fire.

As far as livestock, I've really been wanting to add Sandy Squirrel and Patrick, but again, I don't think my existing tank can handle the bioload. I may also add one of Jim's mesh tops to the tank and try to replace Gary the snail.