20g long urchin pad/murder mangrove/home for displaced corals; and 50g macro/gorg scape

[mitten_reef]

This tank emerged as a place to relocate Ivan the Terrible, my hitchhiking rock boring urchin, from a macro-dominated 50g. It will also house some LPS corals that the Valentini puff in the same tank has decided are rather tasty.

Figured I could have some fun with it, so it will be a bit of an experiment. For the moment, it is by a window that only gets morning sun. I have three mangrove seedlings that I've moved over, and have since ordered ten more for this tank. I may play around with potting a few in mud in-tank...

I will periodically add macro cuttings, with the expectation that Ivan may eat any macros I place in here.

I'm thinking to keep it for cool inverts, and maybe a small goby or two (mantis ended up moving in, but I might consider a small angler fish down the line). The intention is to create something low tech, low cost, low effort, and nice to look at since it is in our living room.

Equipment
Aqueon 20 gallon long glass tank.
Spare Finnex freshwater LED, to be used only in the later half of the day. I'll need to play around with the lighting schedule on this one.
Aquatop heater with guard, I think 100W.
Hydor Koralia powerhead.
Need to add HOB of some sort, thinking AC 70.

Hardscape
??? lb live rock that was sitting in someone's fallow tank for a year before given to me for free.
Aragonite sand.

Critters
Ivan the rock boring urchin.
Glockenspiel the mantis (Geonodactylaceus sp).
1-3 LPS from my DT (one turquoise Caribbean rose coral, two hitchhiking cup and tube corals).
Assorted snails.

Here it is, set up to make sure the rock is cycled (hence the lower water volume, I'll be fixing that soon). Basically tossed the seedlings in for the moment.

Scape is incomplete, since it will need to make room for two additional rocks. Some nice hair algae on these rocks...Ivan will appreciate it.

Ivan (deleted the vid since I dunno if it was working).

can we talk about that giant shell on the floor? any cool story?

 

[cosmicbread]

I can definitely give you some recommendations. What kinda vibe are you going for lagoon, tide pool, reef?

Thinking "shallow Caribbean mangrove forest", and actually, it would be kind of neat to try to making this a biotope (or as close to one as I can get it), since the existing fauna and at least two of the rocks are from that area already.

 

[cosmicbread]

can we talk about that giant shell on the floor? any cool story?

Ah yes, my mom found it at a friend's garage sale for $25 many many years ago! Apparently these people had had it for ~30 years before.

Not a super cool story, but we've been lugging it around with us since I was a toddler and it weighs as much as a large pony.

 

[FangsAndGames]

Like this?

 

[FangsAndGames]

heres a marine life list of my time in the carribean


Yellow head wrasse





Royal Gramma





Spanish hogfish





Bicolor Damsel





Rock Beauty





French Angelfish





Stoplight parrotfish





Hawaiian Black Triggerfish





Tarpon





Spotted Ray





Mahi Mahi





Nurse Shark





Barracuda





Three spot Atlantic damsel





Horse eye jack





Dusky damsel





Beau Gregory damsel





Yellow head damsel





Black shoulder tand





Jewel damsel





Stripped blenny





Banded butterfly fish





Four eyed butterflyfish





Gray angelfish





Blue reef Chromis





Queen angelfish





Sergeant major damsel





Blue head wrasse





Blue Caribbean tang





Porites





Sea fan





White encrusting zoanthid





Elkhorn coral





Stag horn coral





Platygyra





Tubastrea

 

[cosmicbread]

heres a marine life list of my time in the carribean


Yellow head wrasse





Royal Gramma





Spanish hogfish





Bicolor Damsel





Rock Beauty





French Angelfish





Stoplight parrotfish





Hawaiian Black Triggerfish





Tarpon





Spotted Ray





Mahi Mahi





Nurse Shark





Barracuda





Three spot Atlantic damsel





Horse eye jack





Dusky damsel





Beau Gregory damsel





Yellow head damsel





Black shoulder tand





Jewel damsel





Stripped blenny





Banded butterfly fish





Four eyed butterflyfish





Gray angelfish





Blue reef Chromis





Queen angelfish





Sergeant major damsel





Blue head wrasse





Blue Caribbean tang





Porites





Sea fan





White encrusting zoanthid





Elkhorn coral





Stag horn coral





Platygyra





Tubastrea

Haha, thank you. Do you think I could fit a Mahi Mahi in a 20g?

Hmm...you know, it would be neat to put some more brains in here to keep the rose company. idk. I'm not in a rush with this one, need to sit on some more research.

 

[FangsAndGames]

LOL. Every time I share this list someone always says that

 

[cosmicbread]

LOL. Every time I share this list someone always says that

Just continuing the time-honored tradition here!

 

[sfin52]

What did Ivan the terrible do to get him banished?
Speaking i just came up with the name for my little Rock boring urchin. Mine is vlad the impaler
I guess what he did is how you came up with the name. I like the tank and scape its going to be sweet.

 

[Viking_Reefing]

Haha, thank you. Do you think I could fit a Mahi Mahi in a 20g?

Of course you can. Just stick it’s head in the tank, damp towels around the rest and you’re good.

 

[cosmicbread]

What did Ivan the terrible do to get him banished?
Speaking i just came up with the name for my little Rock boring urchin. Mine is vlad the impaler
I guess what he did is how you came up with the name. I like the tank and scape its going to be sweet.

Well, he showed up in my other tank as a hitchhiker (seriously had no idea he was in there for months, then one day BAM -- urchin) and since I am focused on macro algae in that display, I didn't want to chance him suddenly taking a liking to it, as I had heard they do. He never touched it (maybe cuz I stuffed him with nori) but I didn't wanna push my luck, especially with how difficult it is to source macro these days.

So...what else was I to do but set up another tank?

"Vlad the Impaler" is a rockin' name, btw.

 

[sfin52]

Well, he showed up in my other tank as a hitchhiker (seriously had no idea he was in there for months, then one day BAM -- urchin) and since I am focused on macro algae in that display, I didn't want to chance him suddenly taking a liking to it, as I had heard they do. He never touched it (maybe cuz I stuffed him with nori) but I didn't wanna push my luck, especially with how difficult it is to source macro these days.

So...what else was I to do but set up another tank?

"Vlad the Impaler" is a rockin' name, btw.

Thanks. Didn't think of if it till read ivan the terrible.
I agree what else where you to do. Will Ivan eat the roots of the mangroves?

 

[cosmicbread]

Thanks. Didn't think of if it till read ivan the terrible.
I agree what else where you to do. Will Ivan eat the roots of the mangroves?

Good q, been wondering that but it shouldn't be an issue. For the moment, and because I'm a little (stir) crazy, my plans have shifted a little. I'll have the mangrove jar in the tank, but the jar will protect the roots from the munchies. The rest will be planted in a dedicated bin next door, so I can focus on good growth and training prop roots.

I've layered it with leftover aquasoil from my freshwater tank, two kinds of mineral mud I had sitting around, and a fine sandy substrate also leftover from the freshwater build. I will also fertilize with Flourish tabs.

Actual planting needs to wait til I have more water. I plan to replenish with recycled stuff from water changes. Also researching light options...maybe T5, or a Kessil A360.

 

[cosmicbread]

Tank is coloring up and the diatoms are receding; haven't added anything other than some snails. Might pop in 2-3 blue legged hermits.

Still ruminating about other inhabitants. Almost bought a yellow clown goby the other day...
Maybe a pair of ORA green-banded gobies would be cool.

Added my peach hammer from my other tank since it decided it didn't care for increased flow, and it seems to be quite happy shoved into a little corner for the moment.

If you look closely, you can see Glockenspiel staring out of her hole in this one.

Ivan has been cruising around and enjoying itself.

The Tree Bin has become a spare 5g that has moved to my room, so I'm not taking over the living room with my experiments. Still not sure if this will be a permanent home for these seedlings as they grow. Working on rigging a PVC mount for the light I bought them.

And a shot from my 50g macro/gorg scape, still dancing with the diatoms. Maybe I will merge it with this journal...

 

[FangsAndGames]

Looking good

 

[FangsAndGames]

Ever think of adding sponges?

 

[cosmicbread]

Ever think of adding sponges?

Absolutely, but I am hesitant since most of the sponges you can buy don't seem to fare very well in captivity.
I have quite a few hitchhiking sponges that are doing ok, however.

 

[sfin52]

Looks really good

 

[cosmicbread]

Looks really good

Thanks Stefan!

 

[samnaz]

Hey do you have a thread for your macro algae tank?