Aquatop 21Gal AIO

[Dakarta]

I recently acquired an Aquatop 21 Gal AIO. It is a nice set up with LED lights, a powerful pump, a skimmer, and 3 media baskets.
Before I bought it, it had been set up for two years. While transporting the tank from the previous owner to my house, I discovered there was an anemone that had hidden in the rock work. It is a small one and with some help and advice from other members here I think it is on a good road to recovery.
There was also a good sized serpent star, a moderate clean up crew, and a coral frag. I think the coral frag is either zoas, or a paly. Not positive yet. It just started opening up fully yesterday.
I thought I would start a decent thread for it and show the progress as it goes along.

 

[DustyXB9Reefer]

Nice score! Looks like a green bubble tip.

 

[Dakarta]

Yes it is a GBTA. A great score. thought I was going to lose it at first but got a lot of good help an info when I posted about it in the anemone and clownfish section.

If I get a chance tonight I will be posting some more pics I have taken over the last couple of days.

 

[Dakarta]

Before Fish

 

[Dakarta]

woke up this morning, well it was actually afternoon since I am on nights, to find this. My peppermint shrimp molted.

 

[Dakarta]

pics from today before I headed off to work

 

[pelphrey]

Right across the river! Tagging along!

 

[Dakarta]

Well sad news. I woke up today to find one of the clownfish gone. No sign of him at all. He was there and swimming around all happy last night when I turned the lights off. He hasn't shown any signs of illness or anything so it was kind of out of the blue. Between the peppermint shrimp, the hermit, and the serpent star I assume they had a feast with him overnight. I am just curious what happened to him.
I want to blame it on the peppermint shrimp. He had been stalking the little guy. Although I can't imagine how he would kill him. Guess I will never know.
I am going to wait a bit before I replace him.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

I housed three peppermints with a clownfish, no problems, until some type of assassin killed the shrimp when I had to move them to a much smaller tank, I was going to give them back to my LFS, but they were all gone in a weeks time. Peppermints are amazing in flocks/herds/conglomerations? They seems to dance

 

[Dakarta]

My peppermint is an odd ball. He hides in his cave and comes out scurrying around every now and then. Like I said it was like he was stalking the one clown. It was weird he would follow him everywhere and when the clown would see him he would hide real quick.
feeding time is fun everyone comes out to eat but the shrimp "dances" and gets right up on the turkey baster. One time i had to reach my hand in during feeding time and the shrimp wanted to see what my hand was. That was a weird feeling.

 

[Dakarta]

Another tank update. My anemone move out of his little hole. I am taking that as a good sign. Must not have liked that spot and decided it wanted a better piece of rockscape. It took it two days for it to move to the spot it at now. It was kind of interesting watching it move. I will get pics of it's new spot tonight when I get home.

 

[revhtree]

Looking good!

 

[Dakarta]

Looking good!

Thanks.

Hopefully some new pics taken tonight and up tomorrow

 

[Dakarta]

So the tank has been doing generally well. I have not had access to a computer for a bit so haven't been able to update. I got a new clown and they seem to be getting along quite well. I also got some more corals and hope things start growing out soon.

I got really worried about a week ago. My palys and zoas stayed closed up for a few days. I stayed up one night and used my red light on the tank after lights out. I saw pods swarming them. I immediately got some acrylic and made myself a small frag rack. Since then one of them at least seems to be happier and all the polyps are opened up now and no pods are bothering it. The other one is still closed up but I though I saw it "thinking" about opening today. Hopefully it will open soon. I would hate to lose it. I also got a cabbage leather the other day and last night the pods were swarming it too. When I got up this morning it was not as full and open as it was last night when I went to bed. I think I will have to make room for it on the frag rack as well.

I got a really good deal on some other corals too. 2 Trumpets, 1 frogspawn, and 1 horn coral. These seem to be doing great and the pods are not bothering them at all.

It seems like my pods like to eat the soft stuff. It is upsetting because I would like to have them on the rock work and let them grow out. Would anyone have any suggestions on how I could rid myself of these pest pods? I mean I know pods are good but theses ones are causing me and my corals undue stress.

If I can find some free time to get some pictures I will get some new ones posted.
Happy Reefing!

 

[Tateopotatoe]

You could add a scooter blenny, mandarin goby, or some kind of wrasse. It could be temporary if you don't want to have one permanently.

 

[Bunnee911]

+1 for ORA Scooter Blenny.

 

[Dakarta]

Thank you for the info about the fish. My LFS said the only thing that would work would be a mandarin and that they didn't have any at the moment. I will look into a scooter blenny but have interest in a mandarin too. Eventually I will have a much bigger tank so anything I get will be moved later on.