Kat's Esoteric Biotope
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OP
OP
This tank is still chugging along 
Growing Chaeto like a boss
Inhabitants are 2 sexy shrimp and some Virgin Nirites, micro hermit crabs. The Majanos have migrated, some are still in the pots, some hopped out and are attached elsewhere. They haven't multiplied. I have a small tuft of a macro algae - very coarse, grows all knarly. I like it a lot but have yet to get an ID on it.
The display now has tiny flat worms that I've been sort of culturing - for Blue Velvet Nudibranchs!!!! They grow exponentially when I add phyto to the tank. They came from my old tank, from the fuge, I had a bad case of them and some of the GSP came from there. I did a 1 or 2 FWE treatment a really long time ago, the thing with these FW is that they get immune and come back stronger from the treatments. They're a very small size which is odd they were huge in my old fuge. I don't feed the tank much, that's probably why the asternia starfish attached my potted Sunny Ds and devoured them. Punks. Once in a while I will throw in some 0.05micron sized pellets for the sexies and crabs.
The chaeto started as a couple of pieces that came by accident from my old fuge. There isn't any back chamber to speak of in these tanks so it is in the display, wraps itself around the tree till I trim it back.
I really would like to find a new home for this tank. I can't bring myself to tear it down so somebody that likes Blue Velvet nudibranchs and minature gardens please PM me.
Growing Chaeto like a boss
Inhabitants are 2 sexy shrimp and some Virgin Nirites, micro hermit crabs. The Majanos have migrated, some are still in the pots, some hopped out and are attached elsewhere. They haven't multiplied. I have a small tuft of a macro algae - very coarse, grows all knarly. I like it a lot but have yet to get an ID on it.
The display now has tiny flat worms that I've been sort of culturing - for Blue Velvet Nudibranchs!!!! They grow exponentially when I add phyto to the tank. They came from my old tank, from the fuge, I had a bad case of them and some of the GSP came from there. I did a 1 or 2 FWE treatment a really long time ago, the thing with these FW is that they get immune and come back stronger from the treatments. They're a very small size which is odd they were huge in my old fuge. I don't feed the tank much, that's probably why the asternia starfish attached my potted Sunny Ds and devoured them. Punks. Once in a while I will throw in some 0.05micron sized pellets for the sexies and crabs.
The chaeto started as a couple of pieces that came by accident from my old fuge. There isn't any back chamber to speak of in these tanks so it is in the display, wraps itself around the tree till I trim it back.
I really would like to find a new home for this tank. I can't bring myself to tear it down so somebody that likes Blue Velvet nudibranchs and minature gardens please PM me.
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Hi Kat,
Kinda whimsical theme going on here, which is nice, but what's all that fishing line and that five-sided lure doing in there? :wink:
Kinda whimsical theme going on here, which is nice, but what's all that fishing line and that five-sided lure doing in there? :wink:
OP
OP
Hey you. It's a bird house, it prefers to face the back of the tank. This tank turns 1 year old tomorrow! Can you believe it! I'm going to have to clean it up for some cute pictures.
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Looks good! Thanks for the updates!
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OP
Today is the day! Happy birthday to the Pico. I really can't believe it has been a whole year. I started it on April 21 and then it crashed when a sea slug tore in half and nuked the tank. At least that is what I think happened. So I had to re-start it. It's alive and well, on autopilot mostly. I change the water about once a month I think. The flat worms are now I think enough to sustain a Blue Velvet but I've been waiting 2-3 weeks for the LFS to get them in. It's funny, a year ago when I re-started this tank for this contest, I wanted it to be a nudibranch habitat. Peechurs!
The tree has so much going on now. The GSP branches are obvious and so is the red macro that fills the middle. But there are also tiny bunches of pulsing zenia and blue cloves here and there from the attempts to get them to cover the branches.
It's still a pretty cute tank.
The tree has so much going on now. The GSP branches are obvious and so is the red macro that fills the middle. But there are also tiny bunches of pulsing zenia and blue cloves here and there from the attempts to get them to cover the branches.
It's still a pretty cute tank.
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revhtree
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Happy birthday!!
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Thanks for following along.
So 2 days later the Blue Velvet is a very strange critter. It prefers to sit in the branches of the tree, prolly thinks he's a bird or something. I did discover that he doesn't like the surface of the sand, even though the flat worms are mostly in the sand, he prefers the smooth surface of the tree trunk to slither up. But then he just sits on the branches so I'm unsure what his goal in life is. I wonder if they are also photosynthetic creatures and prefer to get some sun. The pico lighting is rather poor and the tree top does get the best view.
OP
OP
So I had won a Mame skimmer a while back and I had intended eventually to use it on this pico. I didn't want to take the lid off in the winter time because the temperature would seriously drop. Then I couldn't take off the lid short of breaking it. Took a few tries to get it done, mostly it was meeting JBJ at RAP-NY and then calling the guy they said to call. Got the lid off, installed a chinese LED light that CADlights had sent me for my CAD fuge in the big system and I was ready. Today I installed the Mame skimmer, no idea yet how it's working, that break in period you know.
I also put the 2 strips of Ecotech lights on the sides so I have a pretty well lit tank again. The 3rd strip burnt out, hope these stay for a while.
The tank temperature goes down to 77-77.5 with the a/c on at night. I have a betta heater in there but it's probably died as I don't feel it warm to the touch. I had another betta heater somewhere but i can't find it.
New additions to the tank are 2 marine shrimp. The feeder kind. I could be wrong but I think they are eating the flatworms.
I also put the 2 strips of Ecotech lights on the sides so I have a pretty well lit tank again. The 3rd strip burnt out, hope these stay for a while.
The tank temperature goes down to 77-77.5 with the a/c on at night. I have a betta heater in there but it's probably died as I don't feel it warm to the touch. I had another betta heater somewhere but i can't find it.
New additions to the tank are 2 marine shrimp. The feeder kind. I could be wrong but I think they are eating the flatworms.
Now wouldn't that be interesting if the best natural 'cure' for flatworms is the humble feeder shrimp
OP
OP
Right? I tried a small experiment with putting some of the FW into a cup with one feeder shrimp. That didn't work out, it was just a cup, the shrimp was frantic, the FW werent feeling it either. So I will just observe the findings in the pico itself.Now wouldn't that be interesting if the best natural 'cure' for flatworms is the humble feeder shrimp
OP
OP
So this tank was upgraded to a Fluval Spec V just a couple of weeks ago.
Yes it's still alive.
Thanks to Ecoxotic who also owns Current USA, I got a spiffy new light to use over the Fluval.
They sent me an Orbit Marine LED light that fits like a glove over the tank. It comes with a controller and remote. Low profile and sleek, I like it a lot.
They also sent me a pretty cool t-shirt
Also thanks to Muraki, on another forum, I now have a new Mini-jet 606 pump on this baby. The flow was instantly awesome.
At JBBs suggestion I also bought a JBJ Modular surface skimmer but I have yet to install it. Bought it from Amazon. The thing cost $3.50, the shipping was $5.99 and this is the lovely "little" box they sent it in.
Yes it's still alive.
Thanks to Ecoxotic who also owns Current USA, I got a spiffy new light to use over the Fluval.
They sent me an Orbit Marine LED light that fits like a glove over the tank. It comes with a controller and remote. Low profile and sleek, I like it a lot.
They also sent me a pretty cool t-shirt
Also thanks to Muraki, on another forum, I now have a new Mini-jet 606 pump on this baby. The flow was instantly awesome.
At JBBs suggestion I also bought a JBJ Modular surface skimmer but I have yet to install it. Bought it from Amazon. The thing cost $3.50, the shipping was $5.99 and this is the lovely "little" box they sent it in.
OP
OP
Thanks for asking, just tore it down 2 days ago. I really wasn't giving it the attention is deserved. Somebody liked the tree for their kids tank and so the tear down happened a couple of days ago.
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