My now nano-reef tank (Dial-up danger)

[lordroad]

Thought I'd refresh the saltwater image section *crazysmil

Below is a whole tank shot (dated late June 2005):

My new green star polyps:

My button polyps...

(These were moved to the other side of the tank, as the pic above shows.)

The brown zoanthid colony up close and personal:

And here are some more shots below, kind of miscellanous.

Early tank shot, algae-free (pretty much), when the snails and crabs were introduced.

Ok, this was taken a day or two before my honeymoon some three weeks ago, when the scroll algae began to form...

Here's the algae (padina sp.) now:

And some shots of my starfish, a brittle star. They are detritus eaters and members of what we call the "clean-up crew."

Stats:

Fish:
1 true percula clownfish
1 green mandarin

Inverts and corals
3 blue-legged hermit crabs, 1 zebra
2 astrea snails
3 cerith snails
1 emerald mithrax crab
1 brittle starfish
1 red fromia star

Rock cluster of button polyps, or zoanthids
Green star polyps

My reef tank has been one of if not the most enjoyable aquarium system in my house. There is always something new happening, and even the troublesome algae is intriguing and arguably attractive.

My site, joshday.com, details some of my exploits in salt water. Also, I have an article by my good friend Flave about the basics of setting up a marine tank. That can be read here. Though it's not mentioned in the article, he waited a good month and a half before introducing a single crab. Patience is one good virtue to have in the saltwater arena.

I also have more pics on my blog.

For some more fun reading, check out these threads in our nano saltwater section to get the step-by-step info on how OCCfan, Cichlid-Man, and I began our nano tanks. Even if you have no interest in saltwater, I think all three are good reading and pretty fun.

http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=26026

http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=25240

http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=25994

July, 27th, 2005 update: Two attached pictures are my full tank shots now, minus the scroll algae, and my mandarin over the green star polyps.

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Awesome lord!!

Love the GSP, i've heard they are pretty easy to keep...would you agree? I've been thinking about getting one.

(My thread isn't as in depth as others )

 

[OCCFan023]

nice lord, I love the before and after type pictures of seeing progression. It seems like a week ago you just started the tankm, and now its time to add corals, damn whered that time go (maybe just contemplating school year but mostly fish tank process )

Do you think your going to leave your tank as is fish wise and just focus on corals now, or do you think youll be adding a second fish to replace your firefish?

The tank is looking awsome, keep it up! And i gotta say this again that scroll algea is saweeet, all im getting is like a mass attack of cyano algae lol.

anyway I gotta get going, The Deadliest Catch is starting haha, nice pics again man

 

[1979camaro]

looks good lord

 

[lordroad]

Thanks for the compliments guys.

C-man, I got lucky with my GSP. They are hardy and good beginner coral and look great, but often they don't open until a week. I lucked out with mine... I think you should go for it and get some.

OCC, right now the plan is to stick to the lone clown and monitor how the corals affect the pod populace. If it's a negligible impact, I'll try another mandarin, a much larger and fatter specimen. I've also learned a few more tricks... a report on wetwebmedia has said they consume roe or fish eggs in addition to pods.

You going to try some corals while you go fish-free?

 

[phOOey]

love it, i really like you live rock, it looks like you've mange to find some ineresting pieces. what type is it?

 

[lordroad]

One on the right is Fiji, then tonga branch, and the nice scroll and coralline covered one is fiji.

 

[amberdawn1986]

Wow, you have a beautiful tank....Wish I had the space to put one, or for that matter, the money to set one up....LOL...I wouldnt even began to know how to do the up keep on a saltwater tank...LoL I have a 20 gallon freshwater tank......

 

[Shaunna]

I think that algea is pretty. Looks very good. I do not know anything about saltwater so I really can't say too much here. I do remember reading your original post abput the mandarin and I am glad everything seems to be going well. Has it done good the whole time? It looks like a very interesting fish, very pretty as well. Did you get married recently? I did not know... Congratulations!!! Little fish keepers in the future?

 

[lordroad]

Thank you for the nice words Amber and Shaunna.

The tank has changed a lot since those pics. The scroll algae has been replaced by a mat of red encrusting algae that looks like coralline but is actually some form of macro. I miss the scroll, it was really cool and unique.

I have some new mushroom corals and a neat crocea clam and scallop. I'll have to take a new pic pretty soon.

Mandarin is still going on strong. I should update that thread with a new report, same with my blog... been slacking with that as I haven't had anything bad to report, knock on wood, he's doing great, same as always.

Got married back in March... as for junior fish keepers, maybe in 2 years, five at the most

 

[Mushroomman]

Good to hear everythings going well.

 

[amberdawn1986]

Im glad to hear everything is going well for you!

 

[swordtailraiser]

AWESOME tank!!!!!great job.i like ur set-up ^_^

 

[dbacksrat]

did you intentially add that padina, or did it come as a hitchiker?

 

[lordroad]

Hitchiked with the largest rock. Unfortunately all traces are gone now, replaced by a harder, coraline-like encrusting macro. Nowhere near as cool or pretty.

 

[angel51431]

Now I'm a totally-freshwater person, so all i can make are superficial comments, but that scroll algae looks very, very cool. I'm so used to the simplicity of freshwater algae that it really is amazing how different marine algae can be and still bear the same name. Very nice

 

[lordroad]

Here are some new pix...

Note the white beneath the clam's mantle... it's not gaping, but rather new shell growth.

 

[Shaunna]

Looks soooo cool. I am glad you updated this thread because in all the posts you have replied in I have been wanting to hijack and tell you that I absolutely love your avatar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know nothing about Mandarins (?) but I read your "expirament" post and I have looked at all the pictures of him/her. It was by far my favorite fish in the POTM contest (although I voted for a different one because of the photo quality), but I gotta say that it looks like things are really going well for him. I think that it is an absolutely beautiful fish and I am so glad you got that shot. I was actually thinking that you had done some enhancing and stuff to the picture because it looks like something cosmic and far out in the avatar. Now I know it is just the corals behind him. Imagine that... some corals are pretty cosmic, too!! Anyway, enough rambling. I just wanted to say thanks for the update and tell you that I love the picture!!! Btw, the others are good, too!!


edit... I meant to ask... is that little round looking thing his nose? It looks like the nose of an iguana or something!

 

[Limi310]

That is a really sweet picture of the mandarin! I too have been wanting to compliment the change of avatar. Glad to see he is doing so well, I read your thread/story and was wondering.......

 

[lordroad]

Hi guys, thanks for the nice words, sorry I missed your posts!

Come to think of it, Shaunna, I don't think he has a nose! The round thing is actually his mouth so he's like an ant eater in that sense. The mouth extends into almost a small trunk which pierces through sand and crannies in the live rock.

Most LFS with saltwater sections carry mandarins, usually both the green and the target or spotted varieties. Often they are in the live rock tanks and take a bit to find... but watching them swim is a trip in itself, they buzz around and hover, almost like a puffer but much cooler.