20L Barely Contained Chaos Tank

[Tickolas]

So here's my little pico tank as of this morning. The guiding principle for this tank is Barely Contained Chaos. Weird things happen in this tank, and thus I learn. It's also absolutely hilarious to watch some of the interactions, especially between the Nassarius snails and the hermits.

Stock list and names at the end =)

As mentioned, this is a mostly named tank! Here's all our livestock (at least, the ones I know of)

• Scarlet reef hermits
  • Uno
  • Due
  • GNAAAAHHH
• Porcelain crabs
  • Rultan
  • Tultan
• Nassarius snails
  • Visslan
  • Tisslan
  • Tasslan
• Dove snails (at least 3)
  • Gunde (yes, all of them)
• Sexy shrimp (4)
  • Kostas (females)
  • Dallas (males)
• Trochus snail
  • Keitaro
• Feather duster worm
  • Unnamed as yet.
• Colonista snails (who knows how many)
• Aquilonastra (At least 5, they went and did a fission!)
• Various worms (bristle, tube, spaghetti)
• Harold Flatworth the First, the mystery worm (or possibly sea cucumber)
• A clam, happily attached to the surface of the central rock and noticeably filter feeding.
  • Ford Prefect. Hitchhiker turned native.

As for corals and algae, here's what we have:

• Pulsing xenia
• Discosoma ("Yellow splatter")
• Kenya tree
• Jasmine polyp
• A few heads of Duncan
• Montipora, orange-ish
• Chalice, "Space invader"
• Chaetomorpha tangles
• Dragon's breath
• Marimo balls

Tech has been upgraded piecemeal. We have a simple hang-on filter pump, an Aquael plastic heater and an Aquael Leddy Duo Marin for lighting. May add a tiny wavemaker at some point.

Fun fact, this whole project started back in February as a jar of "Aqua Dragons". One day I intend to try and have a colony of Artemia in here again =)

 

[Tickolas]

Now here's something you don't see every day. A Blue tuxedo urchin and Due the Scarlet reef hermit nomming off one of our marine-adapted Marimo balls =)

 

[Tickolas]

I hereby name our globular chaos bringer... Unicron.

 

[Tickolas]

Unicron had to move back to the store unfortunately. It actually nommed that entire moss ball and like half of each of the others. Got a feather duster instead =)

 

[Subsea]

Following along. Nice looking live rock! I like natural reefkeeping. Providing multiple food webs that become sustainable is a goal in my animal husbandry (TLC, Tender Loving Care)

Providing the right mix of players has always intrigued me. After 55 years, it has not gotten boring.

 

[Tickolas]

Following along. Nice looking live rock! I like natural reefkeeping. Providing multiple food webs that become sustainable is a goal in my animal husbandry (TLC, Tender Loving Care)

Providing the right mix of players has always intrigued me. After 55 years, it has not gotten boring.

Thanks! Very much an improvised tank, this. Started out as an "Aqua dragons" aka Artemia tank if you'll believe it and kind of... escalated. Got some snails and hermits, the Artemia all died in a bacterial bloom and now it's a reef invert tank =)

 

[Tickolas]

So we have a clam now too, may actually be the biggest creature in the tank. Came with some live rock I bought for my new tank and rather than have it suffer the indignity of cycling I just plopped it in this tank. Seems to be opening up (literally). Neat, never thought I'd have a live clam at home =)

 

[Tickolas]

The local reef shop had a discount on Chalice corals, so I picked up this little Space Invader. Hopefully its stingers aren't long enough to hit that Monti. Need to move the Discosoma a little too.

 

[Tickolas]

Broke up a huge hermit fight the other day. Gnaah had been fully pulled out of his shell, so I moved him into his own bucket until he could crawl back in. Also went and got a few more cerith and ninja star shells from the LFS, seems like these guys are too fancy for Nassarius shells. Both Uno and Due immediately swapped shells. Now they all seem pretty chill, good stuff.

 

[Tickolas]

The local fish store finally got some yellow clown gobies in, so we decided to get one yesterday. First fish in the tank! Already swimming freely and eating. Good stuff =)