Vicki's 14G biocube

[vickiwilson]

All of my animals seem to give me that face at least once a day.

Thinking about the swap i thought i'd do a comparison of one of the corals i bought last year.  I got a small hybrid hammer, this is it the day after the swap:



This is it today:

[Twizted1]

Looks good.

[vickiwilson]

Thanks

[vickiwilson]

I haven't updated in ages so i figured it was time to update everyone on this tank just in time for this tank to be taken down.  I got a fantastic deal on a 40b and will be starting a new tank thread for that once i have finished building the stand (it's almost done!)

This little 20g tank has been amazing, i've learned so much since i started out not knowing what the hell i was doing in 2011.  My hope is that the upgrade will go smoothly; i'll be taking it nice and slow and running this tank along side the 40b and even after the new tank has cycled and i've slowly moved things over i will keep trusty 20 going in case i have any disasters.

For now enjoy some recent photos, i'm going to post a photo of the coral early on and one from today because i'm always amazed by the growth and changes corals go through.

Hybrid hammer:





Pink Birdsnest, Green Syplopora and fluffy millie:







Staghorn:





Devils hand:





My tank also has an incredibly 'healthy' population of brittle starfish





I've been collecting them up when i can and handing them out to the local people.  When the tank is finally torn down if i have any left i'll advertise them if anyone wants any.  They're surprisingly friendly, when i clean the tank i normally end up with some on my arms.

[Twizted1]

Looks good. Never seen that many stars in such a small space. I was just thinking about you today. lol I am thinking of trying to fix the cube I purchased from you. And I was wondering how your tank was doing. Thanks for the update.

[vickiwilson]

Thanks, i haven't seen that many before either.  I suspect that when i left my parents to look after my tank one weekend my mother went crazy with the feeding and the tank had a population boom.

Oh cool, i was wondering if you had used it for anything, if you get it fixed i'd love an update.

[delta1190]

what is see looks awesome i like the zoas and the starfish i have a 28 gallon nano cube they are great tanks good pics http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/5369/8jpu.jpg

[lazylivin]

The tank looks great. You have done a great job keeping the corals, they all look colorful and healthy. Have you ever tried a Blue Velvet Nudibranch for your flatworms?

Check this out

[vickiwilson]

The tank looks great. You have done a great job keeping the corals, they all look colorful and healthy. Have you ever tried a Blue Velvet Nudibranch for your flatworms?

Check this out

Thanks! 

I considered one and after watching it suck up flatworms in those videos i would get one just for that.  I wouldn't even need to watch tv it'd be so entertaining. 

I do however have a plan of action.  When i move to the new tank i'm starting from scratch, new sand, new rocks.  I plan to chip the corals i have off the rock and in the case of the monti cap i'll break it off in pieces and keep a few pieces and sell the rest.  When i move the corals i will dip then and blast with a baster.  I figure if any of the sneaky buggers get by the dip and the blasting it will be minimal and i can dose the tank with flatworm exit to take care of any stragglers.  This will also hopefully solve the majano problem the tank has too.  I will treat and kill any that are near corals and burn the rest with fire.  Once the corals and fish and as many inverts (including starfish) as i can save are moved i plan to dose the 20g and all remaining rocks with flatworm exit.  There will be zoas and mushrooms left on the rocks, i will remove some and move them to the new tank and leave the rest.  If i can unflatworm the rocks they will go into the new sump with the zoas and mushrooms, if not i will attempt to remove as many of the polyps as i can and ditch the rock. 

This is going to be a slow process, i will have both tanks running side by side and move everything over a few days, buckets of water to dip corals in and acclimate fish will no doubt take over my living room.  I imagine water will be everywhere.  But at least this time i can plan it, deal with issues and not go from a tub on the floor into a quickly prepped tank. 

From now on i will dip and qt everything, i learned my lesson!

Tonight i cleaned the return pump and fragged some corals   First time i've really fragged anything intentionally so i'm pretty pleased with myself.  Ive' got 3 frags of pink birdsnest, 1 green stylopora, 1 green tipped staghorn and 1 and a baby heads of hybrid hammer.  (tank lights are off)

[Twizted1]

Do you still have the pc lights on that tank? Your corals are going crazy!

[vickiwilson]

No I have 2 full spectrum LED bulbs about 8 inches above the water.  They're going nuts, I can't quite believe the growth on some of these corals.  And envy thing grows, lps, sps, leathers, zoas.  I don't run a skimmer and do 5 g a week water changes.  I do dose alk and ca everyday. 

[bbtm64]

Looks fantastic!

[BuckeyeFan]

Very nice


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[vickiwilson]

Thank you.  Well it looks like my tank stand will be ready next week to move into my house so i guess I better start a new tank thread for my upcoming 40b

I've also got a few frags for sale and will put them up after Christmas, I'll also be offering free brittle starfish and I've got some small limpets to give away too. 

[bbtm64]

Very nice looking tank, Vicki!

[vickiwilson]

Thanks!  It'll only be up a few more months and I'll be sad to see it go. 

[vickiwilson]

Love this coral, can't wait to give it more room to grow in the 40b, it's pressing up against the glass right now.