Deep-water NPS biotope - pico style!

[biophilia]

It might be a while before any major update so I'll just post a few videos. I really want to make sure this refrigerated auto-feeding system is reliable and ammonia/nitrite levels stay stable before ordering a big shipment of coral and sponges for this little pico. So far so good.

The few changes I've made:
The actinic-only lighting from 21ledusa.com was impossible to photograph and washed out the orange colors in the coral. I ended up ordering a second 12" LED strip from them which is a 2:1 combination of 12K and actinic LEDs. The two LED bars together and dimmed to about 40% is exactly what I was hoping for - a dim purple-blue hue with just enough white to show off the yellow color in the sun coral and dendro.

Added a gold banded coral shrimp (Stenopus zanzibaricus) which is sort of visible in the video below

Beyond that, I held off on fragging the sun coral - after deciding I'd like to feed it for a week or so first and make sure it's acclimated and opening regularly. Lights come on from 4:45-9:45PM every day so I'm target feeding it at 6PM religiously with the hopes of training it to stay open during lights on. So far so good. I turn off the pumps, squirt a bit of food above it and it opens within a few minutes and remains open for the entire lights-on period. The Diodogorgia is gradually showing more and more polyps by the day. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Some videos in the meantime:

the pico during lights-on:



my other tank shortly before lights out (Nuvo 10 gallon) just for fun:

 

[biophilia]

Managed to score a black sun coral (Tubastraea micrantha) colony! One of my favorite NPS species so I’m really excited about that. Will be delivered next Tuesday.

On the lookout for a frag of the gorgonian Menella sp., but having a hard time locating one.

Changing my feeding recipe slightly after speaking with one of the biologists at the public aquarium I volunteer at. Now using a mixture of cyclops, Reef Roids, Phyto-Feast, Oyster Feast, and Artemia culture water leftover after sieving the nauplii out. The thought is that the culture water is full of bacterial and (possibly) viral picoplankton. This mixture should be adequate to keep smaller polyped deepwater gorgonians once I can get ahold of one.

I still need to figure out a way to keep Porifera in this tank without exposing them to air during large volume water changes. I may experiment with inverting a bottle or cup over them while siphoning the tank.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Managed to score a black sun coral (Tubastraea micrantha) colony from a private seller online! One of my favorite NPS species so I’m really excited about that. Will be delivered next Tuesday.

On the lookout for a frag of the gorgonian Menella sp., but having a hard time locating one.

Changing my feeding recipe slightly after speaking with one of the biologists at the public aquarium I volunteer at. Now using a mixture of cyclops, Reef Roids, Phyto-Feast, Oyster Feast, and Artemia culture water leftover after sieving the nauplii out. The culture water is chalk full of bacterial and (possibly) viral picoplankton. This mixture should be adequate to keep smaller polyped deepwater gorgonians once I can get ahold of one.

I still need to figure out a way to keep Porifera in this tank without exposing them to air during large volume water changes. I may experiment with inverting a bottle or cup over them while siphoning the tank.

Black sun is awsome. WOW. I have more NPS coming . It's a surprise. Stay tune

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Wet your appetite, since your getting some sun coral

 

[danielsalt]

Wet your appetite, since your getting some sun coral

Holy mother of suns those are stunning ;Jawdrop

 

[Xdub4314]

I realize its a year later but I am really excited about this little tank. Updates?

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I realize its a year later but I am really excited about this little tank. Updates?

I forgot, who's tank is it?

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

It might be a while before any major update so I'll just post a few videos. I really want to make sure this refrigerated auto-feeding system is reliable and ammonia/nitrite levels stay stable before ordering a big shipment of coral and sponges for this little pico. So far so good.

The few changes I've made:
The actinic-only lighting from 21ledusa.com was impossible to photograph and washed out the orange colors in the coral. I ended up ordering a second 12" LED strip from them which is a 2:1 combination of 12K and actinic LEDs. The two LED bars together and dimmed to about 40% is exactly what I was hoping for - a dim purple-blue hue with just enough white to show off the yellow color in the sun coral and dendro.

Added a gold banded coral shrimp (Stenopus zanzibaricus) which is sort of visible in the video below

Beyond that, I held off on fragging the sun coral - after deciding I'd like to feed it for a week or so first and make sure it's acclimated and opening regularly. Lights come on from 4:45-9:45PM every day so I'm target feeding it at 6PM religiously with the hopes of training it to stay open during lights on. So far so good. I turn off the pumps, squirt a bit of food above it and it opens within a few minutes and remains open for the entire lights-on period. The Diodogorgia is gradually showing more and more polyps by the day. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Some videos in the meantime:

the pico during lights-on:



my other tank shortly before lights out (Nuvo 10 gallon) just for fun:

Where u at @biophilia ?