Lemon's 2013 new build

[yikai]

Hey Lemon, any reason why you opted for a FW dip for the live rocks instead of a hyper-salinity dip?

Will it affect the integrity of the rocks (ie. bacteria in the rock, good hitchhikers, coralline algae) ?

i was wondering if anyone was going to ask me this.

Hypersalinity dip is better. i performed it once and the effect is much faster and more dramatic. worms and crabs crawl out within the first minute.

i used a FW dip because i did not have salt at home to mix up a pail of extra salty water. i used NSW for my tank. as for bacteria, yes of course, with a FW dip it will kill some but definitely not much. 30 mins is not enough to destroy the rock, and not nearly enough to kill everything. even live rock that have been left out of water but covered with a damp cloth can survive.

[veliferium]

i was wondering if anyone was going to ask me this.

Hypersalinity dip is better. i performed it once and the effect is much faster and more dramatic. worms and crabs crawl out within the first minute.

i used a FW dip because i did not have salt at home to mix up a pail of extra salty water. i used NSW for my tank. as for bacteria, yes of course, with a FW dip it will kill some but definitely not much. 30 mins is not enough to destroy the rock, and not nearly enough to kill everything. even live rock that have been left out of water but covered with a damp cloth can survive.

Thanks for the heads up!

Guess I'll be practising the hyper-salinity method!

Hope to see more photos of your set up and will be looking forward to your first addition in your tank

[yikai]

Thanks for the heads up!

Guess I'll be practising the hyper-salinity method!

Hope to see more photos of your set up and will be looking forward to your first addition in your tank

i was just lazy la haha.

no salt to mix so just use FW. hyper salinity also safer for your rocks.

[yikai]

some pictures of the scaped tank without lights. lights should come next week.

I underestimated the 2.5ft width. although difference is only 1ft from my previous tank of 3.5ft width, it makes a world of difference. I am unable to do a "3D" scape with multiple layers front and back, and instead have space for only a linear scape.

just a simple double non symmetric rock mounds. should look less raw when corals grow over them.

[bellinayu]

Love the scape! Did you had in mind how you wanna scape when choosing yr rocks or you just came up with this scape with what you have? Welcome back to this hobby.

[yikai]

Love the scape! Did you had in mind how you wanna scape when choosing yr rocks or you just came up with this scape with what you have? Welcome back to this hobby.

hi belle, thanks very much!

i always liked scapes like this. isolated rock mounds separated by sand. in my previous tank i also had a scape similar to this, but more elaborate because the tank had bigger space.

i don't choose the rocks to fit the scape, i just choose random rocks. but i always roughly know what i want in mind first. what i usually do is choose rocks of various sizes, and with alot of surface texture and shape. that way when stacked, there are more surfaces to join and gives it a more smooth and natural look.

i try to avoid rocks that are horizontally flat or boulder types with big round sides and edges. these are useless for stacking and give alot of awkward contact points that do not look smooth when stacked.

hope that helps in answering your question

[yikai]

sump tank

There's a small section set aside for refugium. the water supply here is one way only supply from a separate pipe directly from the overflow. water from sump doesn't flow into the refugium, but water from refugium flows into sump. there's a valve to control the amount of water flowing from the overflow directly to the refugium.

the cabinet has a small cut out to view the refugium from the outside. right now it's just miracle mud. i'm thinking of keeping this refugium lightly stocked with small gobies and slow moving fish. and small soft corals as decor.

[yikai]

sump tank is small and cluttered.

just enough space for the skimmer, and two filter socks to receive the water from overflow. the copper coil for the compressor is here as well. aside from this compartment, just some extra live rocks and a bag of ceramic rings.

[vt_snowman87]

Nice rocks.. i also like the refugium idea, like another nano project, cool.

[hammy]

Lemon! can i ask what is the setting for your water leval and air intake for the deltec SC skimmer... currently I am toggling with th setting and not sure which is better ...

[yikai]

Nice rocks.. i also like the refugium idea, like another nano project, cool.

thanks vincent!

i like the fuge too. but it's a double edged sword. if it's ugly and overrun with algae, it'll be an eyesore.

[yikai]

Lemon! can i ask what is the setting for your water leval and air intake for the deltec SC skimmer... currently I am toggling with th setting and not sure which is better ...

Hi Hammy,

the water level is 2 inch just below the neck and body interface of the skimmy. the air intake is set at about 3/4.

are you using the same model? i find the SC series fantastic.

[hammy]

Hi Hammy,

the water level is 2 inch just below the neck and body interface of the skimmy. the air intake is set at about 3/4.

are you using the same model? i find the SC series fantastic.

Mine is a smaller brother SC 1455... but work based on the same principle. I feel they are so much better ... previously 851 too high, 701 need too much space.. this is good!

[surreal1228]

Bros lemon. What is the y shape pipe on both return pump?

[yikai]

Bros lemon. What is the y shape pipe on both return pump?

hi,

it's a valve to prevent backflow into the sump if the return pumps fail. actually don't really need, since most well designed sumps can facilitate water backflow when pumps are off.

[surreal1228]

hi,

 

it's a valve to prevent backflow into the sump if the return pumps fail. actually don't really need, since most well designed sumps can facilitate water backflow when pumps are off.

Oh i see. Nice. Thanks bro.

[yikai]

some updates.

I decided to stick to using a CR. trying out the reef octopus. heard it's not too shabby

[yikai]

MH arrives tomorrow. for now the tank is running on spare T5s.

It's been more than a week since water etc went in. Used NSW and matured cured live rocks. Added Two Little Fishies Biopronto and Fauna Marine Ultra Bio daily. great products for bacterial additives.

Because of the pre-existing matured rocks and active dosing of biological filtration cultures, there was negligible to no cycling. water parameters are as per normal, with the exception of Ca and Salinity being on the low side due to NSW.

With that, i introduced some inhabitants. All of them are small gobies which do not impact much in terms of bioload. At this stage, one must be careful not to overload the system with too much bioload. slowly and a little at a time.

here's a gorgeous shrimp goby that is very seldom seen.

Amblyeleotris latifasciata. I don't believe there's a common name for this goby. It is paired with Alpheus randalli, the red/white striped pistol shrimp.

The second photos shows the same fish in an agitated flared up posture with change in color and a widened mouth, as another goby was intruding its turf.

[yikai]

Here's another goby that I am extremely excited to own. I first came to learn of this species about three years ago around the same time the white cap goby (Lotilia graciliosa) made its debut in the aquarium scene. One specimen came from Iwarna's cebu shipment, but the fish was not in good condition and it died.

This week, with the help of Fuel, I found two. I paired them up and the pair now live in the same burrow with also, a pair of Alpheus ochrostriatus pistol shrimp. 4 occupants in one burrow, a feat i am quite happy with.

This is Cryptocentrus leucostictus, the Saddled-prawn goby.

some pics of the largest one (i presume the female) exploring the peripheries of its burrow. Also a pic of it in a holding tank prior to introduction.

[yikai]

a video of the interaction between the goby pair and shrimp pair. watch in 1080 HD.

[cheemi]

Beautiful. I wish I can de comm everything and set up something similar like yours.

[ACCK]

What a video ! Gorgeous fish

[yikai]

Beautiful. I wish I can de comm everything and set up something similar like yours.

Haha. My tank now is barren except for sand, rocks and a few tiny gobies. if you like goby-shrimp interactions, a small 1ft tank or 2ft tank is enough. 2 inch sandbed, a rock, a goby and a shrimp and you're good to go!

What a video ! Gorgeous fish

Thanks! I was surprised all 4 worked out and are now living happily in a burrow.

I also have a Lotilia (White cap goby) + rubromaculatus shrimp pair. this tiny fish is living in my sump together with the japanese Bellae sandsifter goby.

In my display tank is also a pair of Priolepis boreus, and a lone Priolepis sp which i don't know the ID. next week i am going to take back my Priolepis nocturna (Fullmoon goby) from fuel. I passed it to him as a breeding pair before i decommed, but one of them died. the lone one is no longer useful for breeding so it's coming back to me.

too bad all these Priolepis gobies are too shy for any pictures.

[MarcoVan]

Wow. This tank gonna be a goby theme? Looking forward to your introduction.

I love gobies myself but gosh the super gorgeous eviotas and trimmas are hard sought ><

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[yikai]

Wow. This tank gonna be a goby theme? Looking forward to your introduction.

I love gobies myself but gosh the super gorgeous eviotas and trimmas are hard sought ><

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

nope.

not a goby themed tank haha. gobies are great starter fish as they are hardy and have very low bioload. the tank can catch up to additions slowly this way.

gobies are beautiful but many are yes, difficult to obtain. and they need a dedicated small tank. many will disappear in a big tank.