New 2.5

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mihkaail

New Member
G'day everyone, from ANU.

Hi again, just started classes this week and will start fixing my tank up on friday/saturday. will take photos and try to figure out how to post them soon, i hope. tank is a glass, curved cornered tank, getting PCs and have already bought:
Aquaclear200
50w heater
1kg salt
hydrometer/thermometer

Will be getting some cured LR and crushed marble substrate (coral sand is $30 for 4kg) thursday. just wanted to ask how much LR should i add? And what happens if i dont have a cleanup crew? i havent seen any hermits or snails around here but am still looking.

Btw, with the initial buildup of cyanobacteria, has anyone tried adding an antibiotic to the (empty) tank? i was thinking of adding maybe half a 250mg capsule of Ammox or Erythro when i get the cyano.

And i was wondering what fish i'd be able to get away with in a 2.5 almost cube; i couldnt find sexy shrimp here and even a cleaner would cost me 120bucks. i saw some nice captive clowns, damsels, bicolour blenny, a sickle clown goby (i think they'll get some more in soon), firefish, watchman gobies, and a 10 inch emperor angel! (i'll get him anyway, whatever you guys may say)

Well, sorry to bombard you guys with questions. All you devoted/trusted/whatever members please reply.

Thanks
 
Sugar Magnolia

Sugar Magnolia

New Member
Hmm, well let's see. Posting photo's on here is easy. OPen an account with www.photobucket.com and upload your pics to there then when you want to post them here just copy the tags under your photo at phototbucket and paste them into your post.

For the LR aim for about 4-5 pounds for a 2.5 gallon tank. Clean up crew is a must. You can order snails and hermits online

You may not have an outbreak with cyano, but if you do, it's best to try and take care of the problem naturally rather than the chemical approach. Sucking it out with a turkey baster and increasing the flow generally takes care of the problem. Also adding a small refugium for nutient export will help.

As far as fish go, I really don't recommend fish in such a small tank, but if you absolutely are dead set upon having a fish in there look for one of the smaller gobies. Red headed, green stripe, neon, clown goby...etc. Basically anything that stays under 2" would be fien. If you do put a fish in there, be sure you are dilligent with the weekly 10% water changes.

I hope you're kidding about the emperor angel.
 
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mihkaail

New Member
Thanks Sugar Magnolia

Was thinking of getting about 2 kilos of LR (about 4.4lbs) or whatever else my budget would allow. Just one thing, if my LR has been cured at the LFS for about a month+, and my water has been cycled (in an empty tank) can i add corals into the tank at the same time? I have to take the bus to the LFS and although it's only about half an hour, it's a little bit of a hastle.

Any more advice people?
 
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incysor

New Member
mihkaail said:
Thanks Sugar Magnolia

Was thinking of getting about 2 kilos of LR (about 4.4lbs) or whatever else my budget would allow. Just one thing, if my LR has been cured at the LFS for about a month+, and my water has been cycled (in an empty tank) can i add corals into the tank at the same time? I have to take the bus to the LFS and although it's only about half an hour, it's a little bit of a hastle.

Any more advice people?
Click to expand...
It's not a good idea.

If you buy the rock and have a half hour bus ride home, there's gonna be some die-off in the rock. You will have a small cycle from that when you add the rock to the tank. I'd add the rock, test your water in 3-4 days and if everything is clear then go get some coral. It's more of a hassle, but less expensive/less hassle in the long run.

B
 
M

mihkaail

New Member
Thanks Incysor

Okay, will call the LFS after class today, have to check if the lights have arrived. Btw, thinking of going with 22w on a 2.5 (that would be 2 11w PCs) is that too little/too much?

If he has them today then i'll get them today with the LR. Anyone out there know of a good way to break liverock? the last time i was there, the LR was huge; apparently, in australia, everyone has tanks at least 80litres. And what are the consequences of breaking LR? the ones in the LFS had beautiful pink/purple coraline growing on it and if i break it, i'm sure the inside isnt as nice.

Also, whats the word on bioballs? good, bad? currently have an aquaclear 200, will remove the foam but will keep the carbon and thinking of getting the aussie equivelant to chemi-pure; but i still think i need some bio filtration media.

Anyway, gotta run to pay for uni bricks now, cheers all; and thanks for the replies.
 
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mihkaail

New Member
Hi again, this must be a very dead thread.

Anyway, added the LR, spiked up a little, changed half water, now no nitrite, ammonia. very low levels of nitrate though 5ppm. The liverock came with some black sea slug in it (about 3-4mm long with two eyestalks like a snail), a snail of similar proportions, a reddish orange snail (even smaller) and a few small bristle worms. What should i remove guys?

Today i also went back to the reliable but expensive LFS and picked up:

2 small red orange shrooms
1 medium sized greenish shroom with tiny reddish pimples
12/13 blastomussa polyps
6 brown zoos

Also found two adult pods with them.
Trying to upload pics now. Will post as soon as i can.

Thanks all.
 
Sugar Magnolia

Sugar Magnolia

New Member
I wouldn't remove anything until you have a postive ID on them. Can you snap some pics of the things in question so we can get a look at them?
 
M

mihkaail

New Member
Hi Sugar Magnolia,

I cant seem to sign up for photobucket. the supposed email within 24hours hasnt occured. But it's okay, i've id'd the nudibranch, it's a zoanthid eating one. so i've removed it into an isolation betta bowl along with another, sacrophyton eatinf nudi i found yesterday.

Also found a couple more snails, a few peanut worms, a bristleworm, a tubeworm, and at least 2 adult pods. Going to go to the LFS now to buy a tiny golden sacrophyton frag the owner will sell me for $39. i know it's a bomb but i think it looks great. Also hoping to add what they call a 'glass scavenger shrimp' looks like an anemone shrimp for $6.50. Would'ne added sexy shrimp but another (cheaper) LFS can get them on order, for upwards of $60, each!

At the cheaper LFS, i saw a yellow clown goby but he was a little sickly so i asked the guy to order in the citrinis goby for next week. I think he's just about the only fish small enough to get in the tank happily.

Btw, forgot to say that i added two small xenia frag trees yesterday; but unfortunately, they seem to be unhappy (maybe cos i just added them?) they expanded about half way then contracted. this happened about 4-6 times yesterday. This morning, they're contracted (light not on yet). Is something wrong with them? i really hope they make it cos for a long time, i considered this species very tough to keep.

I also saw two mated pairs of Two-Spot-Goby (Signigobius biocellatus) and was wondering if i could get away with a pair of them insyead of my citrinus goby.

Anyway, just hope someone out there can learn from this experience. Thanks for the replies guys.

Cheers
 
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mihkaail

New Member
Hi

Blastos here are okayly priced, im in canberra AU. I think they were $3-7 per frag. I dont really like them that much though, just brown and green. Really dunno why anyone in the states would pay for them, just dont seem that nice, i just use them cos i cant get zoos here so theyre my fillers in my tank now
 
S

sadielynn

New Member
Mihkaail
we also have 2.5 we have a clarkii in ours with a few hermits and 3 snails in it no shrimp as they are jumpers and we have no hood
 
J

Jen

New Member
micro

I have also just started a micro reef. I have a few shrooms and a few zoas in it currently with some snails and bristleworms. I have been waiting to add a yellow neon goby. He is currently in my 20 and very happy there. I was reading your thread with interest. I was sort of thinking that I could just leave mine as a bristleworm only tank. They seem to be multiplying faster than I can get them out. I plan to remove the piece of live rock and try to to a fresh water dip and see if I can encourage a few of them to move out. Cutting live rock is ok, just put the cut half down so you do not have to look at it. I have cut several pieces so far. I could not access your pictures, said they could not be found. Good luck with the tank.
Jen
 
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