Diver's Paradise: Take Two!
- Thread starter FeliciaLynn
- Start date
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Thank you
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Thank you, Mike!
Nano sapiens
Guest
Tank is looking very nce!
I see that you had a reboot due to sand bed issues. Sand beds are one of my favorite topics, so I thought I'd share some info/techniques that should be helpful in maintaining a thriving tank for the long term.
IMO, at least occasional vacuuming of an accessible shallow sand bed is very important to a system's health. But, there is another part of this process that is often overlooked which I find especially important for nano reef aquariums due to the usually high ratio of livestock to water volume.
Whether medium or fine grain, advective forces will push the detritus down into any sand bed. Basically, the more flow the further down the detritus will decend. Same is true if there is an obstruction in the way of the flow, such as live rock (see 'Reef Aquarium' Vol. 3, pgs. 263-264 - Sprung/Delbeek for detailed analysis). Because of this phenomenon, I vacuum under one base rock area every 3-4 months and then move on in a few months to a different base rock, etc. This way I avoid disturbing too much all at once, which could potentially destabilize a tank (especially if this process hasn't been done before). The amount of concentrated detritus removed from these locations is staggering! This is for shallow sand beds only as deep sand beds are a whole different proposition
It's a bit of extra work, but more than any other process I credit this 'under the base rock' cleaning technique to the health and longevity of my 6+ year old Nano.
I see that you had a reboot due to sand bed issues. Sand beds are one of my favorite topics, so I thought I'd share some info/techniques that should be helpful in maintaining a thriving tank for the long term.
IMO, at least occasional vacuuming of an accessible shallow sand bed is very important to a system's health. But, there is another part of this process that is often overlooked which I find especially important for nano reef aquariums due to the usually high ratio of livestock to water volume.
Whether medium or fine grain, advective forces will push the detritus down into any sand bed. Basically, the more flow the further down the detritus will decend. Same is true if there is an obstruction in the way of the flow, such as live rock (see 'Reef Aquarium' Vol. 3, pgs. 263-264 - Sprung/Delbeek for detailed analysis). Because of this phenomenon, I vacuum under one base rock area every 3-4 months and then move on in a few months to a different base rock, etc. This way I avoid disturbing too much all at once, which could potentially destabilize a tank (especially if this process hasn't been done before). The amount of concentrated detritus removed from these locations is staggering! This is for shallow sand beds only as deep sand beds are a whole different proposition
It's a bit of extra work, but more than any other process I credit this 'under the base rock' cleaning technique to the health and longevity of my 6+ year old Nano.
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Just a quick update with the new corals from MACNA.
New scoly from Exotic Reef Creations at MACNA
New acans from Gonzo Corals at MACNA. My photo doesn't show it, but its a pretty nice mini colony. It has like 7 big heads and a ton of little babies.
Hulk acans from Gonzo Corals at MACNA. I love the teal color of these.
Purple, baby blue, and green micromussas from Gonzo Corals at MACNA.
Green fuzzy mushroom and the new superman mushroom from Gonzo Corals at MACNA.
Some of my zoas.
Tiger Derasa
Hammer
New bicolor frogspawn from MACNA. The purple patch isn't visible in the photo.
One of my BTA's.
Some rock flower anemones.
Sexy shrimp and my favorite rock flower nem.
New scoly from Exotic Reef Creations at MACNA
New acans from Gonzo Corals at MACNA. My photo doesn't show it, but its a pretty nice mini colony. It has like 7 big heads and a ton of little babies.
Hulk acans from Gonzo Corals at MACNA. I love the teal color of these.
Purple, baby blue, and green micromussas from Gonzo Corals at MACNA.
Green fuzzy mushroom and the new superman mushroom from Gonzo Corals at MACNA.
Some of my zoas.
Tiger Derasa
Hammer
New bicolor frogspawn from MACNA. The purple patch isn't visible in the photo.
One of my BTA's.
Some rock flower anemones.
Sexy shrimp and my favorite rock flower nem.
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Thanks!
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Check out this awesome present I got! Its a 3rd Edition copy of Charles Darwin's "Coral Reefs" printed in 1897. I love antique books, so its so amazing to have an antique book by a famous scientist about coral reefs.
It has really cool fold out maps.
Lily had to investigate of course.
It has really cool fold out maps.
Lily had to investigate of course.
FeliciaLynn
Guest
They do seem very accurate! Its so neat to see what the level of knowledge was in 1897. I haven't read much of it yet, but from flipping through it, its fun to see blurbs about specific corals in the hobby.
Kensington Reefer
Supporting Member
Don't let the cat pee on that awesome find!
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Definitely one of the best gifts I've received in a long time
FeliciaLynn
Guest
Lily is very well behaved and has never peed anywhere but her little box. She just wanted to see the new book.