My 55g reef build. - Page 2

JoeVandal49 · 05/22/2014, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sponger0

Yes those are bam bams. The color change is what is called color morphing. Happens alot with zoas.

so if i were to frag some of the greens off, would they maintain that color and form a new colony all that color?

JoeVandal49 · 05/22/2014, 09:44 AM

Also, thanks for the suggestions on the background guys.

sponger0 · 05/22/2014, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeVandal49

so if i were to frag some of the greens off, would they maintain that color and form a new colony all that color?

Possibly. But cant say for definate.

JoeVandal49 · 05/22/2014, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sponger0

Possibly. But cant say for definate.

So is the green likely a morph from the bam bams, or are the bam bams a morph from the green?

I would assume the green is the morph based on the prevalence of bam bams in the hobby?

Just trying to get my mind wrapped around it.

Thanks for the response!

sponger0 · 05/22/2014, 10:06 AM

The green is a morph from the bam bams. If you lool at it, youll see the rim is the same as the bam bams

JoeVandal49 · 05/22/2014, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sponger0

The green is a morph from the bam bams. If you lool at it, youll see the rim is the same as the bam bams

Yes, they are the same, i did notice the greens seem to be a slightly duller orange on the brim, but thats the only difference.

I may try to frag some of the greens off down the line and see if they carry their morph to a new colony.

Thanks for the info!

JoeVandal49 · 05/22/2014, 12:34 PM

Anyone have suggestions on a HOB protein skimmer for a 55g. I would like something that is solid quality, but dont want to break the bank, since im on a pretty tight buget.

I know these things dont always come together (quality and affordability) but if i had some ideas, i could search for used or hunt for a deal.

Being new to the whole hobby, i am a bit overwhelmed by all of the options, and they all seem to have hit or miss reviews.

sponger0 · 05/22/2014, 12:34 PM

Reef Octopus HOB BH-1000. Good for up 100 gallon. Quiet and works very well

Red Eyed Reefer · 05/22/2014, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sponger0

Reef Octopus HOB BH-1000. Good for up 100 gallon. Quiet and works very well

+1 I have the BH-1000 on my 55g, works good, no complaints.

I did have to cut the intake pipe to be a little shorter for my water level.

Looking good.

JoeVandal49 · 05/22/2014, 01:36 PM

Thanks guy, ill look into that model. Appreciate the suggestion.

JoeVandal49 · 05/22/2014, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Eyed Reefer

+1 I have the BH-1000 on my 55g, works good, no complaints.

I did have to cut the intake pipe to be a little shorter for my water level.

Looking good.

What sort of clearance do you need Red Eye Reefer from tank to wall?

Im sure i have enough, just want to verify.

Red Eyed Reefer · 05/22/2014, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeVandal49

What sort of clearance do you need Red Eye Reefer from tank to wall?

Im sure i have enough, just want to verify.

I want to say 4 inches is the minimum you would want/need, when I get home from work I can measure real quick for you.

It's pretty slender. I know for a fact 6 inches would be enough.

HTH

JoeVandal49 · 05/22/2014, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Eyed Reefer

I want to say 4 inches is the minimum you would want/need, when I get home from work I can measure real quick for you.

It's pretty slender. I know for a fact 6 inches would be enough.

HTH

Thanks!

I believe i have a little over 6 inches of clearance back there, but will also need to double check.

I purposely left it at around 6 inches i believe of clearance because i knew i wanted a hob skimmer and refugium back there, and one of the refugiums i was looking at needed over 5 inches of clearance, so im pretty sure i went to six just so everything wasnt so tight fitting.

Thanks again.

Red Eyed Reefer · 05/23/2014, 09:51 AM

5 inches is how far my tank is from the wall, and it just fits.

JoeVandal49 · 05/24/2014, 12:32 AM

Thanks Derek!

JoeVandal49 · 05/26/2014, 03:22 PM

Got a little update. Hadnt planned on adding anything besides additional cleanup crew for a little while, but the lfs had this LTA that i just couldnt pass up.

It wasnt an impulse buy per say, as i wanted one and had intended to have one in this tank, so i did do quite a bit of research, just wasnt intending to add one this soon. I know adding one this early to a tank is not recommended. I do work from home so can keep a close watch.

But then i saw this guy, and he looked healthy, was a nice good size, and was a great price. He hadnt attached his foot in the LFS for about a week, because the sandbed he was in was not deep enough, only two inches or so. His stalk/foot is 6 inches long, and when i saw him he was just laying on the sand bed, other than not being attached he appeared to be healthy to my untrained but researched eye. Because he hadnt attached yet, i was able to get pretty much a steal, so i decided i had to give it a try.

After a bit of reorganizing, i was able to build up an area of my sand bed to 5 inches to accommodate his long stalk. He is buried and attached to the bottom glass, and has been there for two days. He has opened up entirely it seems, and ate today like a savage on my first attempt to feed.

If he trys to move too much, i may be screwed, but for right now, he seems to appear pretty happy where he is.

Just thought i would share. Please excuse the dirty back glass. Havent cleaned in a couple days because i dont want to do anything that could possibly disturb the LTA
Please feel free to bring any comments or criticism. Thanks for following!

JoeVandal49 · 05/27/2014, 11:08 AM

Am i mistaken that he looks pretty good?

Also is his stalk ok uncovered the length that it is?

I buried it deeper real gently a couple times, but he seems to like it with a bit of length exposed like it is. He seems happy as far as i can tell, and i dont want to keep burying deeper if he likes it how it is and potentially stressing him out.

Red Eyed Reefer · 05/27/2014, 01:47 PM

Don't know too much about nems yet, just know they need good lighting and stable water parameters. Yours looks good to me, but I have little experience with them. I know the mouth shouldn't be open or sagging, and it doesn't look deflated - so that is good.

Hopefully someone else chimes in...

JoeVandal49 · 05/27/2014, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Eyed Reefer

Don't know too much about nems yet, just know they need good lighting and stable water parameters. Yours looks good to me, but I have little experience with them. I know the mouth shouldn't be open or sagging, and it doesn't look deflated - so that is good.

Hopefully someone else chimes in...

Yea, today he was looking even better to my untrained eye. Mouth seems to be tight, opening when fed, or pitting out digested food, then tightening back up.

I posted in the anemone forums as well.

Thanks for the response! Was starting to get lonely in here, lol.

Red Eyed Reefer · 05/30/2014, 08:46 AM

How's the LTA settling in?

JoeVandal49 · 05/30/2014, 11:43 AM

Hey Derek,

He seems to finally be settling.

He un dug his foot several days in a row, being in one spot for less than 12 hours at a time.

His mouth has remaind tight other then spitting out digested food. my crushed coral substrate is very course, and i thought that might be a reason for him un burying his foot. I decided to try the cup method. I got some fine dry sand, and reburied it. I gut some rubble rock at the bottom, stuck it in the cup, waited awhile for its foot to attach to the rubble rock, then i filled in the cup gently with the fine sand. So far so good. he has been in that spot for longer than any other spot, about 24 hours now.

He seems to hate any direct flow, so i had to adjust my flow, and get him on a spot where there is nothing direct. Im hoping he sticks in this spot, we shall see.

Red Eyed Reefer · 05/30/2014, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeVandal49

Hey Derek,

He seems to finally be settling.

He un dug his foot several days in a row, being in one spot for less than 12 hours at a time.

His mouth has remaind tight other then spitting out digested food. my crushed coral substrate is very course, and i thought that might be a reason for him un burying his foot. I decided to try the cup method. I got some fine dry sand, and reburied it. I gut some rubble rock at the bottom, stuck it in the cup, waited awhile for its foot to attach to the rubble rock, then i filled in the cup gently with the fine sand. So far so good. he has been in that spot for longer than any other spot, about 24 hours now.

He seems to hate any direct flow, so i had to adjust my flow, and get him on a spot where there is nothing direct. Im hoping he sticks in this spot, we shall see.

Glad to hear it!

Good looking nem, I hope it stays happy for you !

JoeVandal49 · 05/30/2014, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Eyed Reefer

Glad to hear it!

Good looking nem, I hope it stays happy for you !

Thanks. I hope it does too. He has stayed fully extended for the most part, color looks good still, mouth tight etc, so hopefully he stays put for awhile. I purposely didnt add clowns as my first fish because i knew i wanted a nem, and i ddint want them to pester it until it acclimated.

Hoping this is the spot it settles. Its not as ideal for me, but it seems like it is more happy then the other spots, and is still viewable with my minimal rockwork so thats whats important at this point.

JoeVandal49 · 06/02/2014, 11:08 PM

So a little update.My LTA was in the cup until the evening of 5/30. He decided he didnt like it there and took off.

Since then he has been attached and moving around on top of this rock work. Any time i tried to bury its foot it seemed to only stay put for a short while. He has been attached on top of this rockwork by far longer than any other one spot, although he has moved around of top of the rockwork slightly.

Its just a little confusing for me because i figured he would like his foot in the sand and less flow, but the top of this rockwork has some of the highest flow in the tank, and his foot is really long so he does quite a bit of swaying in the flow.

At this point im just gonna let him be and hope he settles somewhere. he still semms healthy. so i dont want to stress him by continuing trying to get him to stay in the sand. I only have one coral at this time, some Zoas, so thats not a worry at this point.

05/23/2014, 09:51 AM	#39
Red Eyed Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Bellingham, MA Posts: 193	5 inches is how far my tank is from the wall, and it just fits. __________________ - Derek Sic semper evello mortem tyrannis Current Tank Info: 75 gallon w/ 20L sump in the works.

05/27/2014, 01:47 PM	#43
Red Eyed Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Bellingham, MA Posts: 193	Don't know too much about nems yet, just know they need good lighting and stable water parameters. Yours looks good to me, but I have little experience with them. I know the mouth shouldn't be open or sagging, and it doesn't look deflated - so that is good. Hopefully someone else chimes in... __________________ - Derek Sic semper evello mortem tyrannis Current Tank Info: 75 gallon w/ 20L sump in the works.

05/30/2014, 08:46 AM	#45
Red Eyed Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Bellingham, MA Posts: 193	How's the LTA settling in? __________________ - Derek Sic semper evello mortem tyrannis Current Tank Info: 75 gallon w/ 20L sump in the works.

05/22/2014, 09:44 AM	#27
JoeVandal49 Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 360	Also, thanks for the suggestions on the background guys.

05/22/2014, 10:06 AM	#30
sponger0 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 6,659	The green is a morph from the bam bams. If you lool at it, youll see the rim is the same as the bam bams

05/22/2014, 12:34 PM	#32
JoeVandal49 Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 360	Anyone have suggestions on a HOB protein skimmer for a 55g. I would like something that is solid quality, but dont want to break the bank, since im on a pretty tight buget. I know these things dont always come together (quality and affordability) but if i had some ideas, i could search for used or hunt for a deal. Being new to the whole hobby, i am a bit overwhelmed by all of the options, and they all seem to have hit or miss reviews.

05/22/2014, 01:36 PM	#35
JoeVandal49 Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 360	Thanks guy, ill look into that model. Appreciate the suggestion.

05/24/2014, 12:32 AM	#40
JoeVandal49 Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 360	Thanks Derek!

05/26/2014, 03:22 PM	#41
JoeVandal49 Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 360	Got a little update. Hadnt planned on adding anything besides additional cleanup crew for a little while, but the lfs had this LTA that i just couldnt pass up. It wasnt an impulse buy per say, as i wanted one and had intended to have one in this tank, so i did do quite a bit of research, just wasnt intending to add one this soon. I know adding one this early to a tank is not recommended. I do work from home so can keep a close watch. But then i saw this guy, and he looked healthy, was a nice good size, and was a great price. He hadnt attached his foot in the LFS for about a week, because the sandbed he was in was not deep enough, only two inches or so. His stalk/foot is 6 inches long, and when i saw him he was just laying on the sand bed, other than not being attached he appeared to be healthy to my untrained but researched eye. Because he hadnt attached yet, i was able to get pretty much a steal, so i decided i had to give it a try. After a bit of reorganizing, i was able to build up an area of my sand bed to 5 inches to accommodate his long stalk. He is buried and attached to the bottom glass, and has been there for two days. He has opened up entirely it seems, and ate today like a savage on my first attempt to feed. If he trys to move too much, i may be screwed, but for right now, he seems to appear pretty happy where he is. Just thought i would share. Please excuse the dirty back glass. Havent cleaned in a couple days because i dont want to do anything that could possibly disturb the LTA Please feel free to bring any comments or criticism. Thanks for following!

05/27/2014, 11:08 AM	#42
JoeVandal49 Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 360	Am i mistaken that he looks pretty good? Also is his stalk ok uncovered the length that it is? I buried it deeper real gently a couple times, but he seems to like it with a bit of length exposed like it is. He seems happy as far as i can tell, and i dont want to keep burying deeper if he likes it how it is and potentially stressing him out.

05/30/2014, 11:43 AM	#46
JoeVandal49 Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 360	Hey Derek, He seems to finally be settling. He un dug his foot several days in a row, being in one spot for less than 12 hours at a time. His mouth has remaind tight other then spitting out digested food. my crushed coral substrate is very course, and i thought that might be a reason for him un burying his foot. I decided to try the cup method. I got some fine dry sand, and reburied it. I gut some rubble rock at the bottom, stuck it in the cup, waited awhile for its foot to attach to the rubble rock, then i filled in the cup gently with the fine sand. So far so good. he has been in that spot for longer than any other spot, about 24 hours now. He seems to hate any direct flow, so i had to adjust my flow, and get him on a spot where there is nothing direct. Im hoping he sticks in this spot, we shall see.

06/02/2014, 11:08 PM	#49
JoeVandal49 Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 360	So a little update.My LTA was in the cup until the evening of 5/30. He decided he didnt like it there and took off. Since then he has been attached and moving around on top of this rock work. Any time i tried to bury its foot it seemed to only stay put for a short while. He has been attached on top of this rockwork by far longer than any other one spot, although he has moved around of top of the rockwork slightly. Its just a little confusing for me because i figured he would like his foot in the sand and less flow, but the top of this rockwork has some of the highest flow in the tank, and his foot is really long so he does quite a bit of swaying in the flow. At this point im just gonna let him be and hope he settles somewhere. he still semms healthy. so i dont want to stress him by continuing trying to get him to stay in the sand. I only have one coral at this time, some Zoas, so thats not a worry at this point.