[spanko]

This is my original post made on another site on 05-Feb-08

And in the beginning........
Spanko thought
My biocube 29 gallon is now about 9 months old. It is doing great. The requisite fishes and corals all of which are a hodgepodge of different things that I have come to like.
Rockwork is a wall of sorts.
I am tired of it. I am tired of islands of rock. I am tired of valleys of rock. What I do like though is those areas of the reef where the bottom is completely covered with a layer of rock on which is attached monti cap, acro, and varied encrustiing SPS.
So at that point my tank looked like this...



I sold, traded in for store credit, or gave away to friends all the fish, LPS and softies I had. I removed all of the substrate and replace only the rockwork, snails, hermits and my pom-pom crab as well as any SPS which really wasn't much but a green slimer, superman monti, and monti cap. I then began to purchase those things I found living on the reef flats. So here are the particulars.

29 gallon bio cube
150 watt Sunpod
Heater and Purigen in the first chamber.
Sapphire Aquatics skimmer and Chemi Pure Elite in the second chamber
Rio 6hf and Auto top off floats in the third chamber.
Tank is bare bottom. About 35 lbs. of rock. A small ball of Chaetomorpha.
A Koralia 1 and 2.
Geometric Pygmy Hawkfish
Chrysiptera hemicyanea damsel
Chrysiptera talboti damsel
Green Chromis
Neon Goby
Sixline Wrasse

All fish at this point were bought tiny. The largest is the sixline at 1.25". The only fish that will be permanent residents will be the sixline, the neon goby and the hawkfish. All other will be rotated out when they reach 2.5" in length and replaced with other fish, mostly damsels.

Coral are
Porites worm rock
Orange monti cap
Red monti cap
Beige with orange polyped monti cap
Beige with blue berry polyps monti cap
Bright lime green monti cap
Superman monti
Blue tip acro
Tabling acro
A tiny pc of birdnest acro that may or may not make it.
Green slimer

Motile inverts
Various snails
Various hermits
pom-pom crab
Long spined Urchin bought to eat Caulerpa, not doing it, LFS for store credit.
Tuxedo Urchin

Water changes are religiously 10% per week
Dosing is Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium every three days or when testing warrants.
Filtrating is the skimmer, the Purigen, and the Chemipure Elite.
A stock filter frame has been modded to accept phosphate removing filter pads or any other type as needed. This is run three weeks per month changed out every week The fourth week a stock pad is used to get the carbon benefit.
Fish are fed three times per week with the normal hodgepodge of frozen, pelleted, and flake food.
The coral are target fed twice per week with a mixture of coral frenzy, reef plus, and DT's phyto.

Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are undetectable.
Calcium runs from 420 - 450
Alkalinity runs 3 - 3.5
Magnesium runs 1300 - 1400

So three months after ripping the tank that was apart here is a current pic or two. I am done adding things, maybe some more coral if I see something I have to have, and will be letting it grow to become the reef flat I am looking to create.



http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...o/PICT0090.jpg



And this is the look I am hoping to copy.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y24...l_reef_web.jpg

Thank you for looking. I will update as time goes on and the coral start to grow in.

[spanko]

Here is an update posted on 02-Mar-08





http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...angepolyps.jpg











The current inhabitants are
Talbots Damsel
Blue Green Chromis
Neon Goby
Geometric Pygmy Hawkfish
Pom Pom Crab
Emerald Crab
Lettuce Nudibranch

To deal with the ongoing problem I have I did have with Caulerpa I added a Scopas Tank 2". Went back to the LFS for lack of doing anything. Yellow Tang 2". Went back to the LFS for lack of doing anything. I am now looking for a FoxFace small to try for a while. I had a sea hare also but have not seen him in a while. Not sure where he is of even if he is at this point.
I got rid of the Sapphire Aquatics skimmer and put a ball of Chaeto, bag of Purigen and bag of Chemi Pure Elite in the second chamber. It has an Azoo Palm light over it 6700K. Also a modified tray with some filter pad and carbon pad on it. It is about a 2" square that hangs on the wall between the 1st and 2nd chamber and quiets the waterfall from chamber 1 to no noise at all. I bought an Oceanic skimmer that seems to be working about as well as the Sapphire did. It is in chamber 1. Oh yeah the Stealth heater is in chamber 2 also.
I guess that is all for now. Just letting it grow out. Hope you enjoy the pics. Will update in another month.

[spanko]

Here is th 06-Apr-08 update.

Okay how about some updates. Things are going well. I have finally found a foxface small enough to go into the tank for now. He is decimating the Caulerpa, what an eating machine he is. I will keep him for a while, got him on Good Friday, and see how much of this he can get gone. Then before he gets too big it is back to the LFS for credit. I will keep an eye on the Caulepa and when, because I believe it will, it starts to come back I will find another small on to do it all over again. Also am trying a Crocea. Corals are growing water parameters are staying very good and sump in back of tank doing well. Okay here are some pics.





New fabricated screen top


Home made drip tray with phosphate pad, carbon pad, in second chamber with stealth heater, Chaeto, Azoo palm light, bag of Purigen and Chemipure Elite under drip tray.



Top down shot of Crocea



Top down of Neon Goby over tabling Acro



Straight on of Crocea.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...ontcrocea2.jpg

[spanko]

And finally the latest update of 14-Apr-08.
From this point forward I will try to keep the progress (or lack thereof) updated to this site also.

Okay here it is 2 weeks after adding the crocea. All has been well until I get home tonight. The clam is upside down. I pick it up and the shell is part way open but is not moving open or closed. The flesh inside is snot.
Water parameters
ammonia undetectable
nitrite undetectable
nitrate undetectable
phosphate undetectable
calcium 500
magnisium 1400
alkalinity 4.0
temperature 80 degress
Sg 1.025
ligting 150 MH HQI sunpod
flow from sump (biocube 29 gallon) 350 gph across the bottom in two directions from locline assembly.
In tank 1 Koralia 2 at 600 gph pointed from top back right to mid front left.
In tank 1 Koarlia 1 at 400 gph pointed from top back left to top front right.
Clam was placed at the top of the reef flat about 12 inches under the MH.

That is it. I will not try another clam in this setup. Previously in the original setup I have a Deresa that did well for about three to four months until I redid the tank for the reef flat and I traded into the LFS for credit. Had growth at outer edges of shell and looked good sitting on the sand unde 144 watts of pc lighting. Since putting on the MH I have tried a Maxima that turned to snot after about 3 weeks and this is the second Crocea, both of which have gone the same way as the Maxima.
I check real good this time looking for pyramidellid snails and did not see any.
One blue green Chromis
One Talbot's Damsel
One Neon Goby
One Geometric Pygmy Hawkfish
One FoxFace
One Emerald Crab
One PomPom Crab
Asst snails and hermits


Anybody have any idea why????????

[jimw369]

How big are the clams you have had? Do you feed them anything? Did you place any on the substrate? If so were they placed on a rock on the substrate. Ever notice any worms in the tank? Ever see any mantle damage? When open do the mantles over extend?

oOo...Nice looking croceas too!

[spanko]

All the clams were in the 2-3" range. I feed the coral twice per week some DT'd, Coral Frenzy and Seachem Reef Plus. The clams were placed in the rockwork about mid way up the tank. I have not seen any worms. Don't know, something in this setup does not let them live so I will not try again. You can see it in the post above, looks good and healthy.

[wesley6610]

Gorgeous tank for sure, what ligthing do you have on it and what kind of camera are you using also? Great close-ups of your SPS.

[spanko]

I have a 150 watt HQI MH Sunpod. The camera is a Minolta DimageZ1. It has a macro option and the closeups are taken through a 3X magnifying glass. Thank you for the kind comments.

[cappy290]

Very nice looking tank, I like what u did with it. Keep up the good work..

[Fishhead Junkie]

this is a 29BC right? i am gonna go check out this sunpod you have....i have been wanting to upgrade my stock lighting on my cube.

is that metal mesh covering the top surface to prevent jumpers??? good idea.

i like all the coralline you have growing on the back...very nice. i have got to get my tank up to speed.

very nice.

[Fishhead Junkie]

one more question...is it the 20inch sunpod??

[spanko]

Yup 29 biocube. Not metal mesh though, 3/8" pond mesh, kind of nylon I guess. Yes it is the 20" sunpod.

[spanko]

Sorry for updating so soon. I have returned the Foxface to the LFS as it has accomplished the task I got it for. CAULERPA DESTRUCTION. I will now be looking for another smaller Foxface or other rabbitfish because I know even though I cannot see any Caulerpa now, there are still those tiny runner anchors in the rock and it will come back.
So in having to catch the Foxface I had to remove the rockwork which gave me the opportunity to rescape. Here are some new pictures.

[WILLIAM1]

Tank looks great man and I even love that green corrilan on the back of the tank mine is all purple
bare bottom new coral, someone must be happy.

[wesley6610]

I mostly have red and purple, no green for me either.

[spanko]

Thank you for the comments and for looking. I like the green also but I am not sure it will last. When I changed the tank over form the mixed reef to the reef flat biotope the tank was without water for a few hours while I took out all of the sand. When coralline is exposed to air and light it bleaches. The bleached coralline first came back as green, then it started to turn purple. I guess we will see how it goes.

[aquasalt]

Stunning Nano! I meant to post a thread asking about green coralline. Mine is starting to turn green in places and was wondering what that meant. Can anybody refer me to some good literature on the subject matter?

[spanko]

Funny here I am now seeing some Caulerpa already starting to grow back. No a lot but non the less growing back. Thinking about getting another small Foxface now. The problem is will there be enough for him to eat or will I have to supplement his diet with other foods, nori, even purchase some macro algae to put into the fuge with the Chaeto to give him once in a while.
I love the challenge of trying to keep ahead of things. This is got to be the best hobby IMO. I make about 200 gallons of wine a year. It is one of the most happiest feelings I get sharing sharing the wine I make. I love to sit and have a glass with friends and family all throughout the year. (I make a kick ass Sangria to take out on the boat and drink with the other boats we raft up with and party with )but that feeling does not compare to the joy I get from 29 gallons of saltwater and the life it contains. Oh well I guess I better start looking for another small Rabbitfish and thinking about keeping it happy.
Oh yeah gonna look for a nice green Pocillopora too

[capitalb]

Wow awesome tank! Your montis and acros are phenominal. Thanks for sharing!

[spanko]

Thank you for you comment and for looking.

[jimw369]

Nice Bio-cube Spanko! I guess you gotta slap it around to keep that fan from squealing just like I do mine. hahahaha

Really...nice cube man!

[prototypep2p]

tank looks nice I like it

[spanko]

Thank you everyone. I am enjoying this biotope so far. Don't know where it will go for sure but I really can't wait for the plating monti's to grow out and look like the reef flat pictured above. Already thinking about the next evolution for the tank. Maybe a small island in the middle with an anemone and some clowns. Maybe a patch reef :grauch o:

[spanko]

Bored tonight, took some pics.

FTS


Hawk taking a look


Another of the Hawk


Purple Stylophora


Found some shrooms growing.


Talbots Damsel


Another


Like I said, bored thought I would share.

[nanoreef11]

Stunning tank. What did you use to attach the pond netting? I'm considering doing this for my biocube. Is it easy to detach for cleaning and such?

With the palm light on the back do you get a lot of light overflow around the tank. I'm going to make my 2nd chamber a fuge also but considering what light will work. My tank is in my room so I might need to enclose it. I heard of people using the coralife 18 watt light and velcro-ing it to the tank but then it runs really hot and where I live I need to keep the tank temp down as much as possible.