OP
OP
CD_Scapes
Active Member
CUBE UPDATE:
So first and foremost this little cube is chugging along, more green algae growth, diatoms, pods are reproducing, mushroom split and now I have 3, as well as the aiptasia growing in size. Besides all that I have been working on the plan for the upgraded tank (which was the plan all along) this fall.
FTS 4/15/23
The lovely Aiptasia is growing
Close up of the red Discosoma
BIG FUTURE UPDATE INFO:
The tank will be a Top Fin 3 gallon cube (9.1" x 9.1" x 9.3") which will sit on top of my plant stand that the current 1 gallon cube is on. I plan to add more support on the stand with a rear support, side panels, a door, and a bottom shelf to hold this current tank to be the AIO reservoir. Moving on to the equipment of the tank, I am thinking of doing an aquaclear 50 or 70 and doing the mods to make it like a "refugium"/heater holder. Filter will likely just be rubble or marinepure gems for more filtration, maybe a tiny amount of carbon but no true mechanical filtration. Reason for no mechanical filtration is the livestock of the tank. Lighting will be one of the ReefBreeders v2 freshwater lights or the Fluval plant nano to help get a more near-shore natural look. I also plan to break some rules and toss in a couple mangrove leaves after reading numerous articles of The Tint from Tannin Aquatics on mangroves it turns out they do not have a major impact on pH and such as much as people think (link for y'all to read if you want: Tannin Aquatics & Mangroves).
Moving on from equipment I ran into @LiverockRocks treasure chest packages which are smaller quantities of base rock, live rock, and sand all sent overnight in water to your door so you don't have to go to an airport! So the plan is the "Pico package" which has 3lbs live base rock, 3lbs premium live rock (hoping to get rock with sufficient Caulerpa sertulariodes), and 3lbs live gulf sand. Perfect for my little cube! Aside from the hardscape I am looking to get a nice group of pico inverts from @reefcleaners like dwarf cerith, dwarf planaxis, black ribbed limpets, marginella snails, nassarius vibex, zig zag periwinkles, mime crabs, and possible a couple green porcelain crabs and a dwarf hermit. A couple other invert ideas I had were some dwarf feather duster clusters, some flat tree oysters and maybe some cinnamon playthoa and a gorgonian that I break up into smaller pieces. Fish wise I am looking at a tiger goby for sure and then maybe a pair of neon gobies, green banded gobies, or ideally a pair of rusty gobies would be amazing.
Now this seems like a lot of fish in a 3 gallon BUT I am banking on this for the nutrients to keep the macroalgae alive, I will also dose the tank if needed. Feeding is going to be another big part with all the filter feeders, which is the other reason I will not have much mechanical or chemical filtration. I hope to keep much of the suspended particles in the water while having tons of biological filtration in rock, sand, and marinepure gems to help with all the bioload. Water changes can also be my friend here too. Feeding will have a twice a day cycle from Reef Nutrition foods:
Morning (heavier feeding):
-Phytofeast & Oysterfeast
Evening (light bursts until fish stop eating):
-Phytofeast/Oysterfeast/R.O.E/Artic-pods/PAC-pods
I believe that this should be sufficient for all the filter feeders in the tank and to get the fish fed too. I might also occasionally drop in some live BBS or amphipods for fun. I can always alter the feeding schedules based on what is working and what is not working. I will also have Brightwell NeoNitro, NeoPhos, ChaetoGro, SpongeExcel, Amino Acids, and multivitamins on hand if they ever need to get fed.
So just like that I have spread out the whole plan of what is to come in the future. Expect not too many updates until at least August of 2023 as that is when I move into my dorm for the school year. I will post the occasional update when I get the tank and most of the equipment. Thanks for reading and comment away if you have input or ideas too!
So first and foremost this little cube is chugging along, more green algae growth, diatoms, pods are reproducing, mushroom split and now I have 3, as well as the aiptasia growing in size. Besides all that I have been working on the plan for the upgraded tank (which was the plan all along) this fall.
FTS 4/15/23
The lovely Aiptasia is growing
Close up of the red Discosoma
BIG FUTURE UPDATE INFO:
The tank will be a Top Fin 3 gallon cube (9.1" x 9.1" x 9.3") which will sit on top of my plant stand that the current 1 gallon cube is on. I plan to add more support on the stand with a rear support, side panels, a door, and a bottom shelf to hold this current tank to be the AIO reservoir. Moving on to the equipment of the tank, I am thinking of doing an aquaclear 50 or 70 and doing the mods to make it like a "refugium"/heater holder. Filter will likely just be rubble or marinepure gems for more filtration, maybe a tiny amount of carbon but no true mechanical filtration. Reason for no mechanical filtration is the livestock of the tank. Lighting will be one of the ReefBreeders v2 freshwater lights or the Fluval plant nano to help get a more near-shore natural look. I also plan to break some rules and toss in a couple mangrove leaves after reading numerous articles of The Tint from Tannin Aquatics on mangroves it turns out they do not have a major impact on pH and such as much as people think (link for y'all to read if you want: Tannin Aquatics & Mangroves).
Moving on from equipment I ran into @LiverockRocks treasure chest packages which are smaller quantities of base rock, live rock, and sand all sent overnight in water to your door so you don't have to go to an airport! So the plan is the "Pico package" which has 3lbs live base rock, 3lbs premium live rock (hoping to get rock with sufficient Caulerpa sertulariodes), and 3lbs live gulf sand. Perfect for my little cube! Aside from the hardscape I am looking to get a nice group of pico inverts from @reefcleaners like dwarf cerith, dwarf planaxis, black ribbed limpets, marginella snails, nassarius vibex, zig zag periwinkles, mime crabs, and possible a couple green porcelain crabs and a dwarf hermit. A couple other invert ideas I had were some dwarf feather duster clusters, some flat tree oysters and maybe some cinnamon playthoa and a gorgonian that I break up into smaller pieces. Fish wise I am looking at a tiger goby for sure and then maybe a pair of neon gobies, green banded gobies, or ideally a pair of rusty gobies would be amazing.
Now this seems like a lot of fish in a 3 gallon BUT I am banking on this for the nutrients to keep the macroalgae alive, I will also dose the tank if needed. Feeding is going to be another big part with all the filter feeders, which is the other reason I will not have much mechanical or chemical filtration. I hope to keep much of the suspended particles in the water while having tons of biological filtration in rock, sand, and marinepure gems to help with all the bioload. Water changes can also be my friend here too. Feeding will have a twice a day cycle from Reef Nutrition foods:
Morning (heavier feeding):
-Phytofeast & Oysterfeast
Evening (light bursts until fish stop eating):
-Phytofeast/Oysterfeast/R.O.E/Artic-pods/PAC-pods
I believe that this should be sufficient for all the filter feeders in the tank and to get the fish fed too. I might also occasionally drop in some live BBS or amphipods for fun. I can always alter the feeding schedules based on what is working and what is not working. I will also have Brightwell NeoNitro, NeoPhos, ChaetoGro, SpongeExcel, Amino Acids, and multivitamins on hand if they ever need to get fed.
So just like that I have spread out the whole plan of what is to come in the future. Expect not too many updates until at least August of 2023 as that is when I move into my dorm for the school year. I will post the occasional update when I get the tank and most of the equipment. Thanks for reading and comment away if you have input or ideas too!
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