From Nano And Beyond

[@ombomb]

Some basic info:

Current nano (as it was a couple of months ago anyway):

Will be moving to this 48"x24"x24" (that's a 22" monitor on the left for reference, as wide as the nano):

Tank / sump bought from Keith at Windsor Aquatics who sponsors the site and I can highly recommend. Stand made by a local joiner with wood around a 60mmx25mm tubular steel skeleton.

I'll be moving across about 20KG of live rock and a well established refugium contents including a lot of cheato, sand and some live rock.

Initial set up will be:

HydorKoralia 4 x 2
Seio 1100
Ocean Runner 3500 (sump pump)
Metal halide lighting (2 x 250W)
Flourescent lighting (2 x 52W T8 actinic + 2 x 36W power compact actinic for main tank)
Flourescent lighting (2 x 36W power compact for sump)
TMC 400 protein skimmer
Phosphate reactor
UV steriliser
20KG live rock from nano
25KG live rock currently curing

Stock moving from nano:

Occelaris clown
Watchman goby + pistol shrimp
Cleaner shrimp
Various hermits +snails
Leather toadstool
Frogspawn coral
Torch coral
Trumpet coral
Pocilipora (2 colonies)
Various mushrooms
Plate coral
Various zoanthid
Kenya tree
Green star polyps

Proposed additions:

Leopard wrasse x ?
Occelaris clown X 1
Kole tang X ?
XXXXX tang x ?
XXXXX blennie x ?
XXXXX anthias x ?
XXXXX coral x ?

The new LR is about ready and I'm currently going through the fun process of making enough RO water to fill the tank, been at it three days now and you can see the progress... Should be salty by Friday with everything hopefully moved on Sunday.

TBC

(pleas excuse the obvious signs of alcholol indulgence )

 

[SkiFletch]

Looks great man. Hardware sounds good, livestock sounds good, this one's been in the making a while huh? If I may suggest on the livestock front, get a group of say 3 leopoard wrasses, hopefully one will turn into a gorgeous green supermale

 

[@ombomb]

This one's been bubbling under for over a year, take a lot or persuasion, moving from a flat to a house (not JUST for the tank of course...) and a LOT of persuasive chats with the girlfriend.

Managed to keep her in the dark about the majority of the costs so far too

 

[@ombomb]

what a moron... http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...p;#entry2050619

 

[kj23502]

Well at least you noticed it before it was stocked your lr and fish

OMG, that's the same size tank that I picked up!!!

I'll be watching you

 

[@ombomb]

did the move today, had the new rock in the tank for a few days and thought it was time

bought a new clown to try and pair the existing one and accidentally bought a Kole tang as well

here's how it looks now:

new tang :

clowns seem to be getting on VERY well so far, no aggression between them at all, the large clown seems more than happy to share the toadstool it's been hosting for about 10 months with the new one despite the fact it chased the tang off:

video of the tang (ignore the moaning from my GF at the end ):



Got soft and moved the six line wrasse across (after holding it in the sump while I added everything else first), still want the leopard wrasses but that'll be a few months down the line while the fuge builds up a decent stock of pods to keep them happy. Don't think the goby has found the pistol shrimp yet, but all the corals are out and look happy, so all in all, couldn't really have gone any better, didn't even spill much water . I spent a lot of time this afternoon siphoning water from one tank to the other, so I didn't have to acclimitise anything, just out it in a tub and then straight in the new tank. Made life very easy.

Still going to add some anthias, ideally some deep sea anthias (or if not lyre tail), some leopard wrasse, another tang of some sort (keen on orange shoulder at the moment), maybe a dwarf angel if i'm feeling brave and some smaller bottom dwellers, hard corals will be added in volume in a few months.

Also planning to change the bulbs in the halides, the ones I have now were bought second hand with the luminaire and i prefer a bluer light, can anyone recommend a good like temp?

 

[@ombomb]

clowns playing nice:

 

[kj23502]

Looks AWESOME

Your clowns are cute.

 

[@ombomb]

thanks

fingers crossed on the clown front

both were sold as true perculas, but personally i think they're occilaris

they'll have an anemone to call home eventually

 

[@ombomb]

all still calm on the clown front and the little clown is eating.

not seen the tang take food i've offered it yet, but it is eating algae off the rock and seems to b e following the wrasse around like a small puppy

 

[BigC]

Dig the new tank setup @ombomb. I liked the old one as well as it was one of the initial inspirations for my setup.
Regards
BigC

 

[@ombomb]

thanks bigc, there's a long way to go, but i'm pretty happy with it so far, just need to get the tang eating food i've added as well as grazing

birthday is next month, birthday wishes = tank fund

 

[BigC]

birthday is next month, birthday wishes = tank fund

Mine was last weekend, spent the lot and some.
Lets know what you get.
Regards
BigC

 

[littleme1969]

Stunning!.. Love the scape too its spot on, so dont go moving it around!..lol
Thats one impressive toad you have there and the clowns seem very happy together. The Tang is also very freaky looking Love the pop eyes..lol Great stuff keep the pics and vids comming

 

[@ombomb]

Not much has been happening, just waiting to make sure everything is stable before adding much else, think we're about ready for some new additions though.

Meanwhile some pics of some of the less photographed enhabitants:

This is about 2 inches, filter feeder, no idea what species though, have a couple in the tank as hitch hikers from the orginal rock which I only found when I upgraded.

As above, hitch hiking filter feeders from old tank which I only recently discovered, i have at least 6 of these all less than 1 inch.

Couple of nice feather dusters actually growing out of the rock (i.e. no visible tube), have lots of these, largest over 1.5 inch crown. There's another bivalve in this one, some hitch hiker zoas and a self propogated coral.

Finally a good photo of some brittle stars poking out of the rock, no idea how many of these I have, but they're all ove the tank. When I moved the rock in from the ld tank I had to spend about 10 minutes catching brittle stars which had jumped of the rock and were being swept round by the current. Max size about 2 inches.

Finally a photo of the Goby / shrimp which have been very obliging and settling in a cave right at the very front of the tank and both seem way more active in their new home.

Hopefully will be getting the nano back up and running very soon and may be some corals and / or fish over the weekend