Man, i just realized how bad the pics look. When the water clears in a few days ill try to get some better pics that do it justice.
Have you thought about maybe a pair of Harlequin shrimp for this tank? It would be small enough that they wouldn’t get lost and they are really interesting creatures.
so what kind of tank do u plan on this being??
you couldve got one of these at the ECA yard sale for $100 (stand included)…but that was a while ago…some guy there with a table had some rediculous deals this year…
anyway, im just interested on your overall plans for fish, corals, inverst, w/e…
Are you sure it was a solana? $100! Man, i thought i got mine cheap!!
As far as plans for the tank, im going to stock it with some of the more rare fish/corals/inverts available. I dont necessarily mean high dollar, just some of the more uncommon stuff. It will be SPS/Zoo dominant but i might keep some LPS. As far as fish, the only one i know for sure will be a yellow assessor but they are a little pricey and hard to come buy. The tank is not completely cycled yet but i added 6 hermits tonight to help clean up the rock. I put in 5 scarlets and 1 electric orange. Im going to slowly add to the CUC over the next couple of weeks and should be ready for my first fish in about a month or so. Here is a better pic of the rockwork. The water is still a little cloudy, i think the main reason is because im running skimmerless right now.
^^^ Phallic lOl
My GF did it…uh yeah…my GF {:-}
actaully im not sure if it was a solana, but it was the same size and setup…
ill just now be able to try to keep sps…
another question, since you dont have corals in their removing anything from the water, do u still test from calcium and other things and this point…or do u wait till ur done cycling and all??
The only thing i have tested so far is SG, temp, and NO3. My nitrates are right around 25ppm right now. To be honest, ill probably never test for Ca, Mg, and Alk becuase all of my water changes will be done using tank water from my 75g. That way i wont ever have to dose the Solana. I only plan to test for temp, SG, PH, and nitrates on a weekly basis unless something doesnt look right. I do a weekly 10g water change on my 75g. Instead of dumping the water, i will use 3g to do a weekly waterchange in my solana at the same time. Right now im doing weekly 5g waterchanges to accelerate the cycle.
Most SPS are VERY challenging to keep, not many people in the clube keep more than one or two types sucessfully. Having low nitrates and phosphates is just as if not more important than high levels of Ca and Mg. Make sure your nitrates are less than 10ppm and your phosphates are undetectable. Since your running T5’s your going to have to keep them in the top half of the tank or higher. You should aim to keep your Mg and Ca near NSW levels, but a stable range near NSW is acceptable. What i would do if i were you is start testing NO3, PO4, Ca, Mg, and Alk once a week for at least 4-6 weeks. If your keeping every parameter in the proper range with minimum flucatuations then i say go for it. Try something easy first, like a moni cap or a monti digitata. I fragged my green digitata recently and just got an orange frag last night. When you ready i might have the green one available and i know where we can get you an orange frag. The best thing to do is take your time. Most SPS are very challenging and can lead to disappointment. I would also suggest you get frags from local reefers until your over the learning curve. There is no point in practicing wild caught. Trust me, i thought my system was tight and im only having marginal sucess with SPS. The good thing is the only SPS i have killed are frags from fellow reefers.
im already on the right path…ive inquired about the testing kits i would need yesterday at DPA…
Im always tempted to try the SPS i see in the frag tanks at ECA for $10. Me personally, I’ve never been too big or a risk taker or gambler, so i always back down, although the price is relatively low.
I will do like you recommended once i acquire the additional kits. Once I learn beyond the basics and can keeps things in the proper ranges like you said, I will definitly be ready for a trade or purchase from ya.
It can be tricky to get your Ca, Mg, and Alk to fall into place. Just remember that they are all related and its difficult to get one right without the other two. If you have a good saltmix they should be about right already. As you being to keep SPS and other Ca/Mg demanding animals you will need to dose to compensate for the amount they take out of the system.
When you think your ready, ive got a green digitata frag you can try your hand at. Relatively easy for an SPS.
[quote=“logans_daddy, post:30, topic:816”]
When you think your ready, ive got a green digitata frag you can try your hand at. Relatively easy for an SPS.[/quote]
Yeah, unless your big #$&@ aemone decides it wants to sit exactly where the digi just encrusted and you lose the only sps that was growing good in your tank. 
That sucks, but its ironic that you mention it. My new big a$$ RBTA reaches out its tenticles about 2-3" from where my digitata is. That’s what motivated me to frag it last week.
Hey Shawn, whats the status on your tank? Based on the pics, looks like it is pretty nice.
Nice rock work! I really like aquascapes with an open design. I think this tank is going to look sweet once the corals are added and grow out some.
Thanks ento!
Ian - Right now, the status of my tank is DIATOM HELL!
Ive got so much going on right now that im not in a big hurry with this tank. I added 5 scarlet hermits and one electric orange hermit about a week ago to help clean up. Right now im doing about a 4g weekly WC using my DT water. I think not having a skimmer is really holding me up, but Xmas really has my finances tied up right now. I was running the stock skimmer but it was so loud i couldnt sleep at night, not to mention that its impossible to dial in. I should be able to purchase the tunze nano skimmer in a month or so. Im also going to need to add a fan as well, my temps are hitting about 86F in the afternoon. Im hoping to be ready for the first fish early to mid january.
When my 30ish gallon bully tank (where I keep my fish I don’t like) finally cycled and the diatoms exploded on the glass I threw one of those turbin snails from DPA in there and I swear that guy climbs out of his shell some nights with a scrub brush and gets that tank SLOTLESS. I just relocated him to the 55 to help fight the new light syndrome algae.
Anyway more pics when it cleans up!
Are turbos the retarded ones that fall over and cant turn themselves rightside up? I feel like a newb all over again, i havent bought one snail or crab in over 4 years.
Well there’s turbin snails and turbo snails…When I was looking at them last the turbos were doing the retard flips but they can right themselves. The turbins just look like well a turbin lol. Fat at the bottom and then up into a point at the top. Due to there shape they MAY or MAY NOT be able to get themselves back up, but I haven’t had an issue with the one I have. I know the astrae (sp?) snails are the ones that can’t fix themselves, so dunno about the towel head. They were pinkish in color, which is the actual reason I ended up getting the turbin (Gf: “Oooh those ones are pink and pretty…”) been very happy with the large turbin and large turbo snails that I have.
I’ve found that the larger snails do a much better job and are more neat about there poop. They stop for a day or so and leave a nice pile of crap. Then a few smaller ones to get into the spots the big ones can’t fit.
Updated pics?
nope!
I should be ordering my skimmer this week. Once i have the skimmer and fan installed i will finish adding a clean up crew and possibly my first fish in a couple of weeks.