JHunt's Rimless Landen 28.5g AIO

[jhuntstl]

Pitho crabs!

I wanted some CUC members that had more of a taste for turf and bubble algae.

Got them in the mail today from @reefcleaners. They come and go pretty quickly on their site, but managed to snag two males. They were in transit longer than planned, but were happy as could be when they got here. Really thankful for the mild temps this past week.

These two dudes are great! One hid from the get go, while the other explored the rock scape. Next thing I know they're tag teaming/cleaning the resident conch! I watched them chase after each other for a while after that. They add some much needed character amongst the inverts.

 

[Gedxin]

Interesting crabs! How big do those little guys get? They're like emeralds and eat bubble algae too?

 

[jhuntstl]

Interesting crabs! How big do those little guys get? They're like emeralds and eat bubble algae too?

Just gonna quote Reef Cleaners on this one.

The Pitho Crab, or Pitho mirabilis is a member of the Mithracidae family that includes Decorator Crabs and Emerald and Ruby Mithrax crabs. Their behavior is similar to that of Emerald Crabs, except they are more active and grow slightly larger. Females closely resemble Emerald Crabs, while the males look entirely different.

Pitho Mirabilis will consume a great deal of hair algae in your aquarium, they also eat complex macroalgae species like Valonia, (Bubble Algae), Caulerpa, Dictyota, and many turf algae species. The carapace (body section) of both male and female Pitho crabs grows to about the size of a quarter. Males have small claws, while the females have claws that double her body size. Both male and female crabs are non aggressive. The female's claws are defensive, the male crabs rely on camouflage alone and appear to have no ability to defend themselves from bothersome fish.

I've read too many reports of Emeralds going rogue on coral. I'm hoping these Pitho prove to be model citizens.

 

[jhuntstl]

Little dude enjoying some Ulva sea lettuce. These are in the decorator family. He grabbed some cyano out of a crevice and decorated his head with it. =D

 

[Gedxin]

What a silly crab. But adorable.

Also is that a branching cyphastrea, or monti?

 

[jhuntstl]

What a silly crab. But adorable.

Also is that a branching cyphastrea, or monti?

Not sure if ya mean the red or purple, but they're both branching monti digis! I got those both at the same time, same size. Red is just now settling in and I'm pretty sure gonna start playing catch up with his purple bro. =p

 

[Gedxin]

Didn't even notice the purple! I meant the red, but I see both now. I just got my first digi in the last coral shipment. Where did you get your red digi? It's so vibrant!

 

[jhuntstl]

Didn't even notice the purple! I meant the red, but I see both now. I just got my first digi in the last coral shipment. Where did you get your red digi? It's so vibrant!

Ebay. Not too long ago it wasn't looking so hot. Started going pale on me. Realized it wasn't getting enough light and moved it up. It just wanted to be up with his digi bro. =)

 

[jhuntstl]

 

[Gedxin]

Oh my. Huge lighting upgrade! Which one is that (Philips?) and what's the reason you've ditched the two Primes? Moar coral/SPS?!

 

[jhuntstl]

Oh my. Huge lighting upgrade! Which one is that (Philips?) and what's the reason you've ditched the two Primes? Moar coral/SPS?!

I've mentioned being a sucker for a good deal...

Yes, it's a CoralCare Gen2.

BRS had them on clearance. Between their steeeeep discount, some BRS/MD rewards, and a coupon I couldn't pass it up. Spending upwards of a grand or more on a Sky, Straton, or GNC were more dreams than reality. Orphek flagship fixtures were on clearance too. I think I'm one of many who probably upgraded.

Diffused LEDs are something I've been very interested in. Fewer hot spots, more evenly dispersed par, and significantly less shadowing. So yes, moar SPS...growth I also saw a fixture that could grow with me in the hobby.

I'll post more pics once I get it dialed in.

 

[Gedxin]

Ah yeah, I see the steep discount for the black light! From the specs it's gonna handle just about anything you could possibly throw at it. Jealous and seems like a perfect upgrade for your tank size!

Also agree with the diffuser visual improvements! I've got a 3d printed one on my Prime and am very pleased with it. I have also been toying with the idea of upgrading my light, but I struggle to justify it. You'll have to let me know how much better/quicker you think your coral grow with the new light.

 

[Vested]

That clearance sale is super tempting, did you have to get the controller as well? Your tank is looking beautiful!

 

[jhuntstl]

That clearance sale is super tempting, did you have to get the controller as well? Your tank is looking beautiful!

Thank you!!

I did. It's also on clearance. There's an extra discount once you add these items to your cart. Fixture is $536 and controller is $88 iirc.

 

[jhuntstl]

Ah yeah, I see the steep discount for the black light! From the specs it's gonna handle just about anything you could possibly throw at it. Jealous and seems like a perfect upgrade for your tank size!

Also agree with the diffuser visual improvements! I've got a 3d printed one on my Prime and am very pleased with it. I have also been toying with the idea of upgrading my light, but I struggle to justify it. You'll have to let me know how much better/quicker you think your coral grow with the new light.

It's oversized for my tank. Maybe not length wise, but I had to mount it offset to the back a bit to avoid a bunch of light spill out the front. A good amount of light is wasted at the backside, hitting my AIO cover. It was bought with the future in mind. My ideal upgrade would be 24x24x18 or 30x24x18, which this light will be perfect for imo.

 

[Vested]

Thank you!!

I did. It's also on clearance. There's an extra discount once you add these items to your cart. Fixture is $536 and controller is $88 iirc.

Thank you!

 

[jhuntstl]

Well I am a big fan of the CoralCare Gen2 so far. No regerts.

I can see! My tank is absolutely blanketed in light. No more shadowing concerns. I'd like to get a par meter under the thing eventually, but I don't think it's really necessary.

It's a simple light with little adjustability. There's overall intensity and the white to blue ratio. That's it. They really tried to idiot proof this thing. This is convenient for someone like me.

It's in acclimation mode at maybe 40% intensity with a stronger blue spectrum for the time being. Should be very gentle on everything.

I wasn't willing to use drywall anchors for this beast, so I did span a piece of tigerwood across my ceiling. Because my tank is in a corner, I had to span from wall to wall to hit a couple ceiling joists. I probably should have painted it white, but that takes time. It matches the door and is an interesting accent I suppose.

I do have one gripe with this light. It's ruined my ability to take top down shots! Gonna have to pick up one of those top down viewers that'll fit my phone.

FTS from yesterday evening. You can really see the elimination of harsh shadows if you compare to the photos below.

I added a section to the front page with monthly full tank shots. You can see some pretty significant growth in just the last month.

April

May

June

July

August

September

 

[Gedxin]

Wow, that really is huge shadowing elimination. Making me want to upgrade even more!

Looking at the progress pics is awesome too. So much growth, especially easy to see because you've been able to keep things in their spots!

 

[jhuntstl]

Wow, that really is huge shadowing elimination. Making me want to upgrade even more!

Looking at the progress pics is awesome too. So much growth, especially easy to see because you've been able to keep things in their spots!

It is pretty significant and I've hardly tapped into it's brightness potential.

It can be hard to see the growth when you're looking at the tank everyday. Going back and digging through your photos can be really rewarding. I encourage you to do the same!

 

[jhuntstl]

Going to be away from home the next few days.

Feeling pretty good about being gone. Going to up AFR dosing a bit as a buffer in case ALK demand spikes. I've got a Wyze cam setup to monitor the tank and a temperature display from my phone. My Eheim autofeeder will be dosing out a very small amount of pellets a few times a day. Got a small, very low wattage USB pump hooked up to the battery backup. Should last upwards of a day or more. After the battery backup is depleted, a backup air pump attached to an air-stone will engage and can run for 2-3 days.

My neighbor is on standby if **** really hits the fan. Honestly though, I'd rather keep people as far from the tank as possible while I'm gone haha. I'll be a few hours away and can head back if things really get crazy...

Wish me luck!