My Reefer Madness Nano Tank Diary

[mshollenberger]

UPDATED 3/1/2006 12PM

Tank
2006 Nanocustoms Modded JBJ 12DX 4.24
- Bulb Type Actinic Blue
- Second bulb Actinic Blue
- Third bulb 7100K Daylight
- Rear Sump Lighting 13w 6700K Daylight & PONY 118 Integrated
- Ballast Control Dual Powercord
- Installation Options Complete System
- Fourth Bulb 50/50
- Moonlighting R2 Solution 5 LED Moonlight
- Finnex Titanium Heater - 050w
- Coralife Dual Power Center
- Corallife Thermometer
- Nimble Nano Magnet

Substrate
- (12lbs) Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Reef Sand

Water
- Catalina Water

Live Rock
Premium Aquatics
- (15lbs Small Pieces) Premium Marshall Island Rock
- (2-3lbs) Rubble for Refugium

Corals
- Long Tentacle Green Plate
- Blue Crocea Clam
- Pulsating Xenias
- Feather Duster Worm
- Florida Ricorida
- Many Different Color Polyps

Fish
- Percula Clown
- Randalls Goby

Cleaner Crew

Shrimps
- Pistol Shrimp

Crabs
- TBD

Snails
- TBD

I would like comments on the following proposed components much of which I garnered through research, pictures and so forth. I could be completely of base, please let me know.

 

[skipm]

Before you decide on your liverock check out the Pukani rock, I
have a friend that just bought some from www.reefermadness.us and it is awsome. The rock has some of the most interesting shapes and tons of color. He said it was very light too. He put an 88 lb box in a 90 and says he has too much rock in it, he has 4 inches of space in the front of the tank.
Your stocking list sounds fine to me, remember that a clam <2 inches will need to be target fed phytoplankton in order to survive.
Keep us updated on your progress.

 

[EDGRAY]

uuuuuuuu sounds good cant wait to see it running and stocked like that .... :shock:

P.S: goby fan here can you tell me witch one are you deciding on.

 

[mshollenberger]

uuuuuuuu sounds good cant wait to see it running and stocked like that .... :shock:

P.S: goby fan here can you tell me witch one are you deciding on.

Thanks and a good question. I'm not really sure yet. Maybe it would be best for me to come up with some options and see if they are acceptable in terms of tank size.

- Yashia Goby?

Firefish Goby?

Yellow Clown Goby?

Any suggestions?

Thanks[/img]

 

[mshollenberger]

Stonogobiops spp.

Amblyeleotris spp.

Cryptocentrus cinctus

NO Valencienna spp.

Amblygobius spp.

Gobiodon spp.

Paragobiodon spp.

Gobiosoma spp.

Eviota spp.

Trimma spp.

 

[EDGRAY]

uuuu the yasha with redbanded pistol shrimp(randall's p.s) will sound good i always wanted a pair of those.... but the trimma are pretty too and small....

Elacatinus puncticulatus (love them)
Ctenogobiops tangaroai (really nice)
Amblyeleotris randalli (faisty)
Stonogobiops nematodes (shrimpy :lol
Elacatinus multifasciatus (favorite)
Elacatinus oceanops (doctor)

anyways all of them seem really nice choice but my favorite are the yasha,trima,greenbanded,redhead,yellow watchman and gold or blue neon goby (but ill kill for a shark nose goby really hard to find but a mix of gold an neon goby really cool)

you could even keep 2 if the small spicies.... look at me for example i own 3 kinds of goby's

redhead goby
greenbanded goby
yellow watchman goby
fire fish
clown

and still wish to keep more gobies but no space maybe when i get my 70g ill pack it with gobidae.

 

[mikeguerrero]

Mshollenberger,

I'm excited and can hardly wait for your first set of pictures to post. My advice to you is to go slow.

Naturally you want to be up and running before you have learned to crawl and when you fall it hurts.

Take your time with this tank, there is very limited real estate and if you want it to shine you don't want to rent it out to just any corals.

Regarding the fish, I'd get the Yosha goby with shrimp paired up. Tank raised nemos are played out, and they can grow quickly.

Try the goby line, lots of colors and they are really tiny and fun to watch... Great personalities....

JMO,

Mike G

 

[skipm]

I also say go with a goby that will pair up with a pistol, either the yasha or the hi finned red banded along with the randalls pistol are a great nano pair IMO.

 

[mshollenberger]

uuuu the yasha with redbanded pistol shrimp(randall's p.s) will sound good i always wanted a pair of those.... but the trimma are pretty too and small....

Elacatinus puncticulatus (love them)
Ctenogobiops tangaroai (really nice)
Amblyeleotris randalli (faisty)
Stonogobiops nematodes (shrimpy :lol
Elacatinus multifasciatus (favorite)
Elacatinus oceanops (doctor)

anyways all of them seem really nice choice but my favorite are the yasha,trima,greenbanded,redhead,yellow watchman and gold or blue neon goby (but ill kill for a shark nose goby really hard to find but a mix of gold an neon goby really cool)

you could even keep 2 if the small spicies.... look at me for example i own 3 kinds of goby's

redhead goby
greenbanded goby
yellow watchman goby
fire fish
clown

and still wish to keep more gobies but no space maybe when i get my 70g ill pack it with gobidae.

Ed,

Thanks for the response. This is great fun getting back in the hobby after many year absence. The new technologies are awesome to say the least.
I will be looking at the various Gobies you reocommended and hopefully narrow it down to 2 or 3 over the coming weeks.

Michael

 

[mshollenberger]

Mshollenberger,

I'm excited and can hardly wait for your first set of pictures to post. My advice to you is to go slow.

Naturally you want to be up and running before you have learned to crawl and when you fall it hurts.

Take your time with this tank, there is very limited real estate and if you want it to shine you don't want to rent it out to just any corals.

Regarding the fish, I'd get the Yosha goby with shrimp paired up. Tank raised nemos are played out, and they can grow quickly.

Try the goby line, lots of colors and they are really tiny and fun to watch... Great personalities....

JMO,

Mike G

Mike -

Thanks. I can't wait either. I feel the old bug catching again, especially after seeing your 12g. I know its not easy to do what you did. I have always been a fan of the Gobies. Can you/someone elaborate on the relationship between the Goby and Shrimp?

So, I take it you would stay away from the nemo's? My two year old son is going to be very dissapointed. Any options?

Thanks again

Cheers

 

[mshollenberger]

I also say go with a goby that will pair up with a pistol, either the yasha or the hi finned red banded along with the randalls pistol are a great nano pair IMO.

Skipm -0

Thanks for the feedback. I really like the hi finned red banded. Very cool looking fish.

 

[mshollenberger]

Tank Location

Here is a picture of the eventual tank location. It will be on the angled wall near the chair. The wall that has an outlet

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

 

[EDGRAY]

Looks like the perfect location.... your place looks nice too

 

[reefman23]

avoid the elegance coral...there is a disease that is being studied that leads to the death of almost all specimens.

otherwise very nice.

Jesse

 

[mshollenberger]

Looks like the perfect location.... your place looks nice too

Ed -

I hope so and thanks for the kind words. I just hope I don't get buyers remorse and wish I would have gone with the 24g. It was a hard decision on whether the 24g would have been a bit much tank for that area. No idea.

 

[mshollenberger]

avoid the elegance coral...there is a disease that is being studied that leads to the death of almost all specimens.

otherwise very nice.

Jesse

Thanks for the input. I will add this to the research info list.

 

[EDGRAY]

i do think that space will be fine for a 24g too looks kinda big but atleast with a 12g is not gonna look to crowded and if you do... you can always get another tank../ :lol:....

 

[mshollenberger]

i do think that space will be fine for a 24g too looks kinda big but atleast with a 12g is not gonna look to crowded and if you do... you can always get another tank :lol:....

EDGRAY -

My thoughts exactly

 

[aromano]

Just some info about the Elegance Coral...

They are beautiful corals and this is a real shame, but I have found that it is not the coral to blame! It is in fact the industry itself to be to problem.

A few years ago, this used to be among the hardiest of the corals to keep in captivity, but due to the fact that this coral has been over fished in its previous shallow water collection zones, and now they are being collected from deeper waters. The newer coral varieties usually have purpler and thinner tentacles, and are reputed to be less hardy and have very short lifespan in captivity.

 

[mshollenberger]

Just some info about the Elegance Coral...

They are beautiful corals and this is a real shame, but I have found that it is not the coral to blame! It is in fact the industry itself to be to problem.

A few years ago, this used to be among the hardiest of the corals to keep in captivity, but due to the fact that this coral has been over fished in its previous shallow water collection zones, and now they are being collected from deeper waters. The newer coral varieties usually have purpler and thinner "tentacles", and are reputed to be less hardy and have very short lifespan in captivity.

Wow, that's really unfortunate. Stupid question but can't they grow enough of these corals in captivity to feed these home reefs?

I'm actually suprised since I would imaging it would cost less to raise them than it would to harvest them. Although im sure thats incorrect.