33 gallons of Awesome!

[eva]

Hello everyone! I've been meaning to start this thread up for a while but never had any time until now...

I ended up buying that 33 gallon with the Ecosystem filter. We (my boyfriend and I) have turned the HOB filter into a fuge and it is currently housing a couple of nassarius snails, a deep sand bed and a whole whack load of chaeto.

A set of used T5 lights came with the tank but we also picked up a 36" Coralife Lunar Aqualight that has the LED moonlights. We also managed to pick up some great live rock at 4 dollars a pound! It came from an established (and gorgeous) 210 gallon that was being broken down because the owner was moving. We bought 38 pounds from him, thinking it would be enough to fill the tank for now but once we got it in the tank, we were thinking it could definately still use more rock.



I want to detail my costs list for any prospective SW newbies that are interested in approximate startup costs:

$300 - 33G tank, stand, T5 lights, 10G tank, Ecosystem filter, mag float and other little accessories
$150 - Coralife Lunar Aqualight with LED moonlights
$150 - 38 pounds of Fiji LR
$245 - 30 pounds Caribsea Aragamax Sugar Sand, two MaxiJet 1200, one MaxiJet 600, Instant Ocean salt mix, one 150w Visi-therm heater, one 100w Visi-therm, water conditioner, hydrometer, thermometer
$112 -Clean up Crew: astrea, margarita and nassarius snails, blue leg and left handed hermits; PurpleUp and Kent Stronium/Molybdenum, aquarium gloves

Future costs:
More supplements, a lighting timer bar, lighting suspension kit and of course: FISH and corals.

Pictures coming on the next post!

 

[eva]

With T5's

With Lunar Aqualights

Mini fuge with deep sand bed

Lights up

And two side shots

 

[joeyjoeq]

Not a bad way to spend $1000 ... looks good so far

 

[Lorna]

Eva looks great......you should have a relatively short cycle as you used cured live rock .......on the right track.....

 

[FishGeek]

*thumbsups *thumbsups *thumbsups *thumbsups *thumbsups *thumbsups *thumbsups *thumbsups *thumbsups *thumbsups

 

[TRe]

definitly off to an awsome start just a few questions first i know you said you got t5's but how many total watts??? edit: just looked i guees its 96x2
also that hob filter what kind was it??? also what kinda light are you using over it??

 

[Rush07]

Is the mini fuge a HOB or is it with the sump. Hard to tell from the pics........

 

[TRe]

Is the mini fuge a HOB or is it with the sump. Hard to tell from the pics........

We (my boyfriend and I) have turned the HOB filter into a fuge and it is currently housing a couple of nassarius snails, a deep sand bed and a whole whack load of chaeto.

well there u go

 

[eva]

Thanks everyone! I am quite pleased so far with the progress.

The LR was out of water for under an hour while we moved it from downtown to ladner but even that produced the smallest amount of die-off ever. Ammonia never registered on test kits and neither did nitrites. For the first week we had 10 ppm for nitrates but after that, we've had all zero's for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate with the latest tests being done last night. Even after we added the CUC, nothing! I heart cured rock. Although I was eager to go through the process of curing the rock and seeing what kind of life will come out, this cured stuff works for me as well!

The HOB filter was an Ecosystem filter that housed Miracle Mud and Caulerpa. Instead we added the DSB and some chaeto. Here is a link to the filter: EcoSystem Aquarium 40 - Hang on Ecological Aquarium Filter

The light used for the fuge is a 13w power compact.
The wattage of the T5's are 39x4 at 6500k for total wattage of 156.
The wattage of the Aqualight is 96x2 at 10,000k for total wattage of 192.

So yes Tre, you're right, we don't have a separate sump but only the hang on back fuge.

 

[Lotus]

Looks like you're off to a great start!

The chaeto is usually considered better than caulerpa anyway. You'll probably still have life pop up on your rocks over the next few months anyway, so keep an eye out for cool stuff.

 

[TRe]

a guy at one of the lfs' around here told me to stay away from miricale mud...he actualy said the best thing would be barebottom is this true or no???

 

[eva]

I'm sure there are advantages to both methods, although I think you mean barebottom in the display tank? I think in a tank with any substrate there is a chance of it becoming a nitrate trap but I think with manual stirring and live bacteria with worms and other inverts running through the sand bed will stir up the bed sufficiently enough so that it is NOT a nitrate trap.

Bob Fenner actually is an advocator for Miracle Mud but he does reccomend the use of a protein skimmer with it.

 

[eva]

There is something I am concerned about that seems to be abundant in my LR...here are a few pics...its a white root like thing growing. The hermits don't seem to eat it...any clue what it is and how to get rid of it? Thanks

 

[TRe]

although I think you mean barebottom in the display tank?

no he was actually talking about the fuge....he said long term your better off with a bare bottom fuge....most of the stuff i hear at the lfs goes in one ear and out the other (since i dont trust half the stuff that they say) but this guys actualy owns a smaller store but has the nicest corals around and thats the only reason i trust him... if he was full of bs his corals couldnt possibly be this healthy and i do mean helthy

 

[Mushroomman]

Live rock looks great. Keep us updated. Any stocking plans as of yet?

 

[Joe Fish]

I believe in the DSB method in display and/or fuge if it's big enough. Just syphon the sand about every 6 months or so. Clean up crew should keep it fairly clean.

 

[eva]

Thanks Mushroomman, I am actually super pleased with the LR as it was fully cured, not to mention, really porous and covered with coraline...the only problem are those root things...anyone know what it can be?

Stock lists! We are looking to get an anemone in there but we are waiting until the tank matures and until we find the most perfect healthy specimen. Either one black and white ORA perc, tomato, maroon or pink skunk. Most likely the black and white as it's what my boyfriend wants...I already vetoed out his wanting an emerald crab lol.

So:
one clown
one six line wrasse (i love their eyes)
one yellow clown goby, possibly a black clown goby as well but I don't think they would get along?
And maybe a year down the line, would love to get a pair of twinspot gobies...depends on how big my pod population would be at the time and if we can find some healthy specimens.

As far as corals go, this will be a major softies tank! Lots of ricordia mushrooms, some pulsing xenia, frogspawn, colt coral and I would love some yellow sun polyps. I understand what their requirements are and have the perfect shady area for them too! Lots of feather dusters...I'm open to suggestions of other corals as well. *celebrate

 

[eva]

A few new additions to the tank added over the past week...check them out!

Some xenia that I thought was pulsing..and after I bought it home, I realized in my haste to find one that was that size, I ended up getting some non-pulsing xenia lol oh well. The frogspawn is a frag from my 48 gallon. It made the move very well and is now huge!

Also picked up a cleaner shrimp. He is very curious!

And I picked up some pink/orange ricordea mushrooms and a large purple feather duster. The mushroom rock came with a couple feather duster hitchhikers itself!

 

[shift_9k]

Your tank looks amazing. Did you ever figure out what those white things were?

 

[eva]

Yes I sent a message to the WetWebMedia crew with a few pictures. Robert Fenner said that it was either Bryozoan or some type of sponge. Either way it is not harmful and should be gone in a few months. I have actually noticed some recession in the height of a few of these things.

Oh yes and we can add about another $205 for a lighting suspension kit, the timer bar, nitrate test kit, the corals and shrimp...no fish yet