March nTOTM ez's Aquapod 24 now Solana (from October 07)

ezcompany · 04/03/2007, 02:56 AM

Thank you for the predecessors of this program for making March nano-tank of the month happen again. Thank you for the people that have entered their nano tanks for this month as well, it would not have been possible without your tanks, and the biggest thanks goes to the people that have been following my tank for quite some time now. You guys and girls have always pushed me to do the most for my tank, and have been faithful with me on our journey.

I would also like to acknowledge my local club in the forming, the Socal Nano Reefers (SCNR) group, for they have also been a great support for this hobby.

I have had numerous experience with FW, especially with keeping Asian Arowanas. My saltwater journey started last year when the girlfriend surprised me with a 1.5 gallon pico, clownfish, shrimp, and a fiddler crab. Needless to say, I was determined to provide them with a better place to live, and thus the adventure started. (none of them are with me now)

This tank is still my rough draft for a future set up I have in mind. All the equipment I am investing in is transferable for the slightly larger project I have in mind, which hopefully one day will be born.

Please forgive me if some of the pictures conflict with one another as I am forced to use a few old pictures due to the current state of the tank. (explained below)

Here are the specifics of the system:

Tank : Current USA Aquapod 24

Age : 11 months

Lighting : Sunpod 250 14k stock Sunpaq bulb w/ external magnetic ballast

Filtration : Protein Skimmer by Deltec MCE300, AquaClear 70 hob filter with Black Diamond carbon, Warner Marine Phosar HC, Boyd's Chemipure & 100 Micron Filter Pads, 20 lbs personally selected Vanuatu Liverock and Chaetomorpha run on reverse lighting cycle 8k 8 watt bulb

Water Movement : Tunze Nanostream 6025 x 2, Maxijet 1200 return

Temperature Control : JBJ Arctica 1/10th HP (Not yet set up), Azoo clip on dual cooling fan, 100 watt Visitherm Stealth Heater, all equipment controlled by a Reefkeeper II

Channel 1: Metal Halide on 1:30 pm off 11:45 Emergency Shut-Off 84.5F off at 11:30 pm
Channel 2: Sunpod fan on, same setting as above
Channel 3: none
Channel 4: Chiller on @ 84F off at @ 81.5F (not yet set up)
Channel 5: Cooling fan on @ 82F off @ 81F
Channel 6: Heater on @ 79.9F
Channel 7: Always On (Tunze 6025)
Channel 8: Always On (Tunze 6025)

Calcium, Alkalinity, and Dosing : Currently manually dosing Randyâ€™s 2 part solution, Deltec PF509 to be installed in the next few weeks. Tropic Marin essential K & A elements 1.5 ml daily

Water Parameters :

pH: 8.2-8.4
Temperature: 79.9 â€“ 81.9
Specific Gravity: 1.030
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: <10ppm
Calcium: 400-450
Alkalinity: 9-11 dkh

Livestock

Fish:

1 Female Lyretail Anthia
1 Six Line Wrasse

Crustaceans:

5 Scarlett Hermit
1 Tiger Pistol Shrimp
3 Acropora Crabs

Snails:

x nassarius
x astreas
x ceriths

Softies:

Purple People Eater Zoanthid
Pink Elephant Zoanthid

LPS:

Red skirt neon green center blastomussa wellsi
PPE blastomussa wellsi
Neon green candy cane
Acan Lord 2 types

SPS:

Neon Green Birdsnest
Pink Birdsnest
Tricolor Acropora Tenuis blue orange yellow
Tricolor Acropora Subulata colony tan body, purple tips, neon green polyps
Unidentified White/Silver Deepwater Acropora
Patrick Monaghan Teal Stag
Garf's Purple Bonsai
Purple Bonsai
Oregon Tort
Neon Green Millepora
Blue Millepora
Red Millepora
Acropora Turaki
Tricolor Acropora Valida
Green Montipora Capricornis
Orange/Red Montipora Capricornis
Pokerstar Montipora
Superman Montipora Danae
Sunset Montipora x2
Leng Sy Cap
Purple Monster
Maricultured Purple Acropora with white polyps
Maricultured Neon blue Acropora with neon green coralite tips
Pink Catspaw Stylopora
Unidentified Acropora
Acropora Abrotanoides

Clams:

2 ORA Black and White Zebra Maximas 5 inch +
1 Blue Teardrop Maxima 3 inch +
1 Blue with Red rim Maxima 5 inch +

Feeding and Upkeep :

Random feeding schedule (whenever I feel like it)
Fish are fed cyclopeeze frozen, formula 1 and 2 flake, krill, PE mysis, Hikari mysis, Hikari mega angel formula, Vitachem and Selcon.
SPS are fed Liquidlife Coral Food II with enhanced rotifers, DTs oyster eggs.
LPS are fed cyclopeeze and reef roids.
Clams are fed supplemental DTs phyto plankton reef blend from time to time.

Water change is done once a week of 4-5 gallons using Tropic Marin regular salt. Once the PF509 is up and running I plan to use Tropic Marin Pro. Sand is vacuumed during the water change, and pumps are vinegar soaked when they turn ugly. Skimmer collection cup is emptied once a week for enhanced performance.

Going SPS

I was in the beginning shooting for a mixed reef with LPS and SPS, and found out pretty soon that many LPS pieces got simply too large and started killing my SPS pieces pretty fast, such as the frogspawn. It was then I decided to convert to an SPS dominated tank. A lot of people said it was too much work. Many said they needed PERFECT water conditions. I will say that the journey hasnâ€™t been very easy, and my water conditions aren't perfect at all, but it definitely took me for an adventure I wouldâ€™ve never have come close with soft corals and LPS. Working on the tank made me feel like I was growing and trimming my own garden everyday.

Tridacnid Clams

A lot of you may know that I am an avid clam lover, especially for Maximas. My two black and white Maximas are my most prized specimens in the tank. Me and my clams have battled through thick and thin, where one of the black and whites even arrived to me in a sopping wet box with no water in the bag. Recently however, one of my black and whites has acquired Pinched Mantle, a disease still widely unknown in our hobby. After a freshwater dip, the clam, in its weakened state was voraciously attacked by my sixline wrasse, and ended up having 2 extra holes in addition to its incurrent siphon. She is now in its own temporary acrylic box within the aquarium, healing slowly, albeit still looking horrible. Calvin415 has graciously accepted my request to build my clam his own custom acrylic box for improved flow and more light penetration, so a big thank you goes out to him! This is also the reason I cannot currently post a most recent FTS, due to this huge acrylic box sitting in the front, so please understand as the clam heals.

Fish

My female lyretail anthia has been my oldest fish in the tank. She has been very good to me, and despite the cramped space I provide her with as much nutrition as possible. A strong swimmer and a voracious appetite, she is well suited for the strong flow of my tank. A lot of people have said that anthias cannot be kept in small tanks, and I 100% agree with them. If you must have an anthia, the female lyretail is probably your only choice, where most of the others will succumb to a stress related death. The purpose of the sixline wrasse is to keep unwanted organisms at bay. Despite him gouging my clam, he is still a good fish and I do not blame him. (well, not too much)

Bonsai

Birdsnest

PPE Blastomussa

Continued...

ezcompany · 04/03/2007, 03:04 AM

A. Abrotanoides

Sunset Montipora

Monti Caps

Acans

Blue Millepora

Growth Shots:

Continued...

ezcompany · 04/03/2007, 03:05 AM

Tank Growth:

June 06

August 06

September 06

October 06

Continued...

ezcompany · 04/03/2007, 03:07 AM

November 06

December 06

March 07

That about sums it up! Thank you everyone for your time, I hope you enjoyed my tank as much as I do, good night, and good luck with your tank!

-ezcompany

Kigs · 04/03/2007, 03:25 AM

beautiful tank! congrats on the win... hope your clam pulls through. it's amazing how much your tank progressed since june '06. any more pics of the back chambers? curious as to how you organized the ac70 and the skimmer. err edit again///lol also why such high salinity?

one8thscale · 04/03/2007, 05:18 AM

congrats! Nice work! See you at the meet.

Onesaltydawg · 04/03/2007, 09:49 AM

Congrats Ez...Making our So Cal Reefers proud

SEAFLOWERS · 04/03/2007, 09:53 AM

very nice tank, well deserved recognition!

icenine2005 · 04/03/2007, 10:24 AM

Congrats EZ!

ezcompany · 04/03/2007, 12:43 PM

thank you guys!
kigs, if you look at the tank from the front, the hob is in the left, and the skimmer is on the right

i will try taking a pic though.

The rules for the April's competition will be announced tomorrow

sr71 · 04/03/2007, 01:48 PM

Man thats a nice tank, good job

junkitu · 04/03/2007, 04:28 PM

Sweet tank. Congrats EZ!

MrMexReefer · 04/03/2007, 04:44 PM

Gorgeous tank! ::wiping drool from my mouth::

vijaym85 · 04/03/2007, 05:23 PM

Great job,well deserved. I hope mine will be that nice.

Cesar357 · 04/03/2007, 07:39 PM

WOW nice set up EZ. As I have seen this tank in person it never stops amazing me how beautiful it is. Congrats on the win EZ. Oh and nice job plugging in that SCNR club, lol.

mangus7175 · 04/03/2007, 08:08 PM

Congrats!!! Sweet tank....

emerald chondro · 04/03/2007, 08:52 PM

Very n ice just a quick question, did/do your acans do well on the sandbed? because mine were doing terrible down there and ive moved them since to a rock and they're recovering (just curious)

Btw: tanks definitly an inspiration for fellow nanoers

bubblethumper · 04/03/2007, 09:57 PM

Congratulations! I'm soooo jealous of your white sandbed!

damienkee · 04/03/2007, 11:56 PM

congrate EZ!

MarvinsReef · 04/04/2007, 07:58 AM

congrats man.. much props for keeping such a clean looking tank...

shouldabenacowboy · 04/04/2007, 10:25 AM

nice tank!!!
can't wait to see the next one

sbc

ezcompany · 04/04/2007, 12:54 PM

Thank you everyone!
emerald- the acans are kept in the shade and seem to do just fine there. i hardly pay attention to them

SPS4Life · 04/04/2007, 11:17 PM

That tank is unreal good job man you deserve it.

anguswu · 04/05/2007, 08:20 AM

I should not see this tank. I need to focus my shrooms. I am jealous!

matt_schultz · 04/05/2007, 10:09 AM

nice tank. award well deserved

04/03/2007, 02:56 AM	#1
ezcompany Team RC Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 4,474	MARCH nTOTM - EZ'S 24 Aquapod Thank you for the predecessors of this program for making March nano-tank of the month happen again. Thank you for the people that have entered their nano tanks for this month as well, it would not have been possible without your tanks, and the biggest thanks goes to the people that have been following my tank for quite some time now. You guys and girls have always pushed me to do the most for my tank, and have been faithful with me on our journey. I would also like to acknowledge my local club in the forming, the Socal Nano Reefers (SCNR) group, for they have also been a great support for this hobby. I have had numerous experience with FW, especially with keeping Asian Arowanas. My saltwater journey started last year when the girlfriend surprised me with a 1.5 gallon pico, clownfish, shrimp, and a fiddler crab. Needless to say, I was determined to provide them with a better place to live, and thus the adventure started. (none of them are with me now) This tank is still my rough draft for a future set up I have in mind. All the equipment I am investing in is transferable for the slightly larger project I have in mind, which hopefully one day will be born. Please forgive me if some of the pictures conflict with one another as I am forced to use a few old pictures due to the current state of the tank. (explained below) Here are the specifics of the system: Tank : Current USA Aquapod 24 Age : 11 months Lighting : Sunpod 250 14k stock Sunpaq bulb w/ external magnetic ballast Filtration : Protein Skimmer by Deltec MCE300, AquaClear 70 hob filter with Black Diamond carbon, Warner Marine Phosar HC, Boyd's Chemipure & 100 Micron Filter Pads, 20 lbs personally selected Vanuatu Liverock and Chaetomorpha run on reverse lighting cycle 8k 8 watt bulb Water Movement : Tunze Nanostream 6025 x 2, Maxijet 1200 return Temperature Control : JBJ Arctica 1/10th HP (Not yet set up), Azoo clip on dual cooling fan, 100 watt Visitherm Stealth Heater, all equipment controlled by a Reefkeeper II Channel 1: Metal Halide on 1:30 pm off 11:45 Emergency Shut-Off 84.5F off at 11:30 pm Channel 2: Sunpod fan on, same setting as above Channel 3: none Channel 4: Chiller on @ 84F off at @ 81.5F (not yet set up) Channel 5: Cooling fan on @ 82F off @ 81F Channel 6: Heater on @ 79.9F Channel 7: Always On (Tunze 6025) Channel 8: Always On (Tunze 6025) Calcium, Alkalinity, and Dosing : Currently manually dosing Randyâ€™s 2 part solution, Deltec PF509 to be installed in the next few weeks. Tropic Marin essential K & A elements 1.5 ml daily Water Parameters : pH: 8.2-8.4 Temperature: 79.9 â€“ 81.9 Specific Gravity: 1.030 Ammonia: 0 Nitrites: 0 Nitrates: <10ppm Calcium: 400-450 Alkalinity: 9-11 dkh Livestock Fish: 1 Female Lyretail Anthia 1 Six Line Wrasse Crustaceans: 5 Scarlett Hermit 1 Tiger Pistol Shrimp 3 Acropora Crabs Snails: x nassarius x astreas x ceriths Softies: Purple People Eater Zoanthid Pink Elephant Zoanthid LPS: Red skirt neon green center blastomussa wellsi PPE blastomussa wellsi Neon green candy cane Acan Lord 2 types SPS: Neon Green Birdsnest Pink Birdsnest Tricolor Acropora Tenuis blue orange yellow Tricolor Acropora Subulata colony tan body, purple tips, neon green polyps Unidentified White/Silver Deepwater Acropora Patrick Monaghan Teal Stag Garf's Purple Bonsai Purple Bonsai Oregon Tort Neon Green Millepora Blue Millepora Red Millepora Acropora Turaki Tricolor Acropora Valida Green Montipora Capricornis Orange/Red Montipora Capricornis Pokerstar Montipora Superman Montipora Danae Sunset Montipora x2 Leng Sy Cap Purple Monster Maricultured Purple Acropora with white polyps Maricultured Neon blue Acropora with neon green coralite tips Pink Catspaw Stylopora Unidentified Acropora Acropora Abrotanoides Clams: 2 ORA Black and White Zebra Maximas 5 inch + 1 Blue Teardrop Maxima 3 inch + 1 Blue with Red rim Maxima 5 inch + Feeding and Upkeep : Random feeding schedule (whenever I feel like it) Fish are fed cyclopeeze frozen, formula 1 and 2 flake, krill, PE mysis, Hikari mysis, Hikari mega angel formula, Vitachem and Selcon. SPS are fed Liquidlife Coral Food II with enhanced rotifers, DTs oyster eggs. LPS are fed cyclopeeze and reef roids. Clams are fed supplemental DTs phyto plankton reef blend from time to time. Water change is done once a week of 4-5 gallons using Tropic Marin regular salt. Once the PF509 is up and running I plan to use Tropic Marin Pro. Sand is vacuumed during the water change, and pumps are vinegar soaked when they turn ugly. Skimmer collection cup is emptied once a week for enhanced performance. Going SPS I was in the beginning shooting for a mixed reef with LPS and SPS, and found out pretty soon that many LPS pieces got simply too large and started killing my SPS pieces pretty fast, such as the frogspawn. It was then I decided to convert to an SPS dominated tank. A lot of people said it was too much work. Many said they needed PERFECT water conditions. I will say that the journey hasnâ€™t been very easy, and my water conditions aren't perfect at all, but it definitely took me for an adventure I wouldâ€™ve never have come close with soft corals and LPS. Working on the tank made me feel like I was growing and trimming my own garden everyday. Tridacnid Clams A lot of you may know that I am an avid clam lover, especially for Maximas. My two black and white Maximas are my most prized specimens in the tank. Me and my clams have battled through thick and thin, where one of the black and whites even arrived to me in a sopping wet box with no water in the bag. Recently however, one of my black and whites has acquired Pinched Mantle, a disease still widely unknown in our hobby. After a freshwater dip, the clam, in its weakened state was voraciously attacked by my sixline wrasse, and ended up having 2 extra holes in addition to its incurrent siphon. She is now in its own temporary acrylic box within the aquarium, healing slowly, albeit still looking horrible. Calvin415 has graciously accepted my request to build my clam his own custom acrylic box for improved flow and more light penetration, so a big thank you goes out to him! This is also the reason I cannot currently post a most recent FTS, due to this huge acrylic box sitting in the front, so please understand as the clam heals. Fish My female lyretail anthia has been my oldest fish in the tank. She has been very good to me, and despite the cramped space I provide her with as much nutrition as possible. A strong swimmer and a voracious appetite, she is well suited for the strong flow of my tank. A lot of people have said that anthias cannot be kept in small tanks, and I 100% agree with them. If you must have an anthia, the female lyretail is probably your only choice, where most of the others will succumb to a stress related death. The purpose of the sixline wrasse is to keep unwanted organisms at bay. Despite him gouging my clam, he is still a good fish and I do not blame him. (well, not too much) Bonsai Birdsnest PPE Blastomussa Continued... __________________ Jin Current Tank Info: 60 cube

04/03/2007, 03:04 AM	#2
ezcompany Team RC Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 4,474	A. Abrotanoides Sunset Montipora Monti Caps Acans Blue Millepora Growth Shots: Continued... __________________ Jin Current Tank Info: 60 cube

04/03/2007, 03:05 AM	#3
ezcompany Team RC Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 4,474	Tank Growth: June 06 August 06 September 06 October 06 Continued... __________________ Jin Current Tank Info: 60 cube

04/03/2007, 03:07 AM	#4
ezcompany Team RC Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 4,474	November 06 December 06 March 07 That about sums it up! Thank you everyone for your time, I hope you enjoyed my tank as much as I do, good night, and good luck with your tank! -ezcompany __________________ Jin Current Tank Info: 60 cube

04/03/2007, 03:25 AM	#5
Kigs Moved On Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: LI, NY Posts: 2,280	beautiful tank! congrats on the win... hope your clam pulls through. it's amazing how much your tank progressed since june '06. any more pics of the back chambers? curious as to how you organized the ac70 and the skimmer. err edit again///lol also why such high salinity? Last edited by Kigs; 04/03/2007 at 03:31 AM.

04/03/2007, 05:18 AM	#6
one8thscale Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 38	congrats! Nice work! See you at the meet.

04/03/2007, 09:49 AM	#7
Onesaltydawg Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: SGV, So Calif. Posts: 1,464	Congrats Ez...Making our So Cal Reefers proud __________________ As always thank you in advance I had a hobbyist booth @ REEF-A-PALOOZA 08 & got a AquaPod 24 Union and Proud, Joint Council 42 Teamsters Local 952 Southern California Marine Aquarium Society Member Current Tank Info: Which one? 180 gallon Reef and Fish tank, 75 gallon Aggressive fish tank, 15 gallon Nano tank and QT tank

04/03/2007, 09:53 AM	#8
SEAFLOWERS Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: yorktown,va. Posts: 366	very nice tank, well deserved recognition! __________________ If humans can control the temperature on earth, then dammit I want it 70 degrees and sunny everywhere! Current Tank Info: 20 gal.sump,Euro-reef RS6-2+ Skimmer,2x175 SE 14000k Iwasaki bulbs+(2)T-5 39 watt bulbs.Mag 12 return pump, (3) Tunze nanostreams (6025)

04/03/2007, 10:24 AM	#9
icenine2005 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 530	Congrats EZ!

04/03/2007, 12:43 PM	#10
ezcompany Team RC Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 4,474	thank you guys! kigs, if you look at the tank from the front, the hob is in the left, and the skimmer is on the right i will try taking a pic though. The rules for the April's competition will be announced tomorrow __________________ Jin Current Tank Info: 60 cube Last edited by ezcompany; 04/03/2007 at 12:49 PM.

04/03/2007, 01:48 PM	#11
sr71 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 571	Man thats a nice tank, good job

04/03/2007, 04:28 PM	#12
junkitu Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 293	Sweet tank. Congrats EZ!

04/03/2007, 04:44 PM	#13
MrMexReefer Moved On Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 2,093	Gorgeous tank! ::wiping drool from my mouth::

04/03/2007, 05:23 PM	#14
vijaym85 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Queens NYC Posts: 1,242	Great job,well deserved. I hope mine will be that nice.

04/03/2007, 07:39 PM	#15
Cesar357 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 233	WOW nice set up EZ. As I have seen this tank in person it never stops amazing me how beautiful it is. Congrats on the win EZ. Oh and nice job plugging in that SCNR club, lol.

04/03/2007, 08:08 PM	#16
mangus7175 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Burbank Posts: 608	Congrats!!! Sweet tank.... __________________ "Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore" - Andre Gide Current Tank Info: 24G Nanocube and 6G Nanocube...

04/03/2007, 08:52 PM	#17
emerald chondro Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 311	Very n ice just a quick question, did/do your acans do well on the sandbed? because mine were doing terrible down there and ive moved them since to a rock and they're recovering (just curious) Btw: tanks definitly an inspiration for fellow nanoers

04/03/2007, 09:57 PM	#18
bubblethumper Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 88	Congratulations! I'm soooo jealous of your white sandbed!

04/03/2007, 11:56 PM	#19
damienkee Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 386	congrate EZ!

04/04/2007, 07:58 AM	#20
MarvinsReef Moved On Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Macomb, MI Posts: 1,778	congrats man.. much props for keeping such a clean looking tank...

04/04/2007, 10:25 AM	#21
shouldabenacowboy Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Where am I today? Posts: 529	nice tank!!! can't wait to see the next one sbc __________________ They're selling make believe, and I don't buy that anymore They're trying to put an end to guys like me - Gary Allan Cuz there aint nothing funny when a soldier cries - John Michael Montgomery Current Tank Info: Bacon

04/04/2007, 12:54 PM	#22
ezcompany Team RC Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 4,474	Thank you everyone! emerald- the acans are kept in the shade and seem to do just fine there. i hardly pay attention to them __________________ Jin Current Tank Info: 60 cube

04/04/2007, 11:17 PM	#23
SPS4Life Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mooresville, NC Posts: 110	That tank is unreal good job man you deserve it. __________________ Process of belife... Current Tank Info: 54 corner sps

04/05/2007, 08:20 AM	#24
anguswu Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Taiwan Posts: 591	I should not see this tank. I need to focus my shrooms. I am jealous!

04/05/2007, 10:09 AM	#25
matt_schultz Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: colorado Posts: 40	nice tank. award well deserved