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RE: My 50g FOWLR

argi — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:32:19 GMT

[b]DRRT (4/21/2008)Maybe my tang thinks it doesn't need iodine in its diet.

Or maybe he just hasn't found the taste for it yet (or never will).

The rainford goby normally gets along fine with most fish as long as it is a fairly peaceful tank.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:16:30 GMT

Noctiluca (4/20/2008)

It is harvisted today and used as an herbal suppliment for human consumption. Very rich in iodine.

Maybe my tang thinks it doesn't need iodine in its diet.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:13:23 GMT

The latin name is Condus crispus and Irish moss was the only common name I could find. Being that they are from lower light areas with lots of current, I figure my low lighting will be ok and that I can place it near the output. I am debating with my wallet wether or not to get a powerhead for additional flow. I was thinking about the Koralia 2 or 3.

After I get my lights, my next addition will probably be a Rainford Goby. Will that be ok with the livestock I already have?

RE: My 50g FOWLR

Noctiluca — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 08:37:47 GMT

FYI Irish moss usually occurs as a red/purple curly leafy algae. Found mostly in low tidal environments in the North Atlantic. It got its common name because it was used for sustanance by the Irish during the patato famine. It is harvisted today and used as an herbal suppliment for human consumption. Very rich in iodine.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

argi — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:41:15 GMT

Sorry if this is a silly question, but is the Irish Moss the red plant? When I think moss I think green. I am not very good at knowing about the different algae's so I am not too sure about fragging it.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:21:15 GMT

Oops, I hit the wrong button.

Well, I might as well say that on the rock you will see, there is a lot of empty space where there was a ton of nuisance algae. The first day (yesterday) I added the rock, the achilles tang (which ate all the hair algae off the shroom rock) completely ignored the rock. When I came home from work, it was ALL gone, and the Irish Moss untouched.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:06:59 GMT

Finally, pics

This is my newest mushroom. It fell (probably some hermit checking out the shell it's on) and I rescued it from the rock below. Then while I was fixing the filter output, it was blown into the sand. It now resides lower in the tank in what seem like a safe place so far.

This is my first mushroom, now in full bloom. Plus one neat pic when the lights came on in the morning.

AND NOW, THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR, THE IRISH MOSS!!!

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:19:36 GMT

Ok. So I know you said that macroalgae should be reserved for a refugium, but since I can't afford one, I got some anyway. Now I have a rock with some beautiful Chondrus crispus, or Irish moss.

I wasn't a complete fool and got a random thing without knowing how to care for it. I know that they live in deeper waters, so the fact that I have about 4 watts per gallon, which I will when I get my new lights next week, will be fine. I also know that everything fares well in a cycled and "clean" tank, which I have. Is there anything else I should know?

And one more long term question: should it be getting big, is there a way to "frag" it and sell it?

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:38:53 GMT

Well, the zoos were short lived. Not that they died, but they were getting nipped at by the hawaiian puffer. To be expected, but you never know, the valentini ignored them. So I removed them and added another mushroom frag. Yea!

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:52:58 GMT

LOL! Too late!

I got the job and start on Wednesday.

I got my lights and have cautiously added two corals, a mushroom and a zooanthid rock.
The shroom has been nipped by the valentini, but I don't think it liked it as it did not look happy and has not had another taste test. The hair algae that was covering the rock is gone, the achilles ate all of it.
The zoos will probably have to be returned. The Hawaiian puffer has decided they are worth eating and has probably taken at least one bite from each polyp.

Here are my pics, enjoy.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

argi — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:44:49 GMT

Congrats!!! But be careful. I got my first job at a Pet Store when I was 15 and for the past 23 years I have made a career of it (even through college I worked at a pet store).

Discounts are the only way I can afford this hobby, LOL.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:31:51 GMT

Whooo!!!

I get my lights tomorrow!!! And I may be getting a part-time job at my LFS!! Yeah!! With the discounts I might be able to get more lighting opening more doors!!!

Yeaaaaahhhh!!!

More updates as stuff happens.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:53:54 GMT

What about macroalgae that will live under 2 watt per gallon?

RE: My 50g FOWLR

argi — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:14:51 GMT

From what I understand they will simply pick at everything. If you were to try it possible some type of mushrooms would do ok, or maybe a leather coral. But those are big maybe's.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:38:09 GMT

Well, I pulled a fast one, I never took any pics of my 1/2 bright 1/2 not so bright tank. I also betrayed you guys cause I bought my first aquarium related purchase not from marinedepot. It wasn't my fault, you don't carry the mini PC screw in bulbs, so I got them from BigAls. The bad thing is it takes a couple days to get stuff from Cali, and a week from NY to Vegas. So I won't get them till Friday.

Until, then, I was wondering if there are any corals that toby puffers might be less inclined to eat. I always wanted a reef, but don't want to take out my puffers. At least I removed the trigger. I will only have ~ 2 watts per gallon, so I am limited.

Thanks,

RE: My 50g FOWLR

argi — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 05:26:28 GMT

Most LFS will carry replacement light strips that you should be able to get. The incandescent aren't as popular so you may have to ask them to special order them. Or you can also look in the reptile section (or specialty store) as incadescents are used quite a bit for reptile tanks.

HTH,

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:30:21 GMT

I am lazy and don't feel like taking any pics. But I will expand on my current lighting situation. In the previous pics, there is only a 30w flourescent light, nothing special. A client of my stepdad had an old tank he claimed to be 80g with the same footprint as my 50g. So we picked up the tank and he also gave us some of his old equiptment. Needless to say, there were reciepts in one of the boxes for fish related items dating back to the eighties (I wasn't even born when he was actually using that tank). I measured the box the tank was in and it turned out to be the same size as the one I already have. I figured I could splurge a bit and set up a dual tank system with two overflows, two return pumps, and one shared sump. That way I could keep fish that would fight in the same system but in separate tanks. Cool right? Well, the tank is cracked beyond what I am willing to repair. So that is a no go for me.

Then I looked in the box of supplies he gave me. There were two air pump, one broken, the other working but extremely loud and large. The filter the guy used was a diatomic canister filter. I tried to set it up, but I can see why they don't sell those ones any more. It was hard to install and even harder to remove. I can't see how cleaning that thing could have been easy since you have to pull out almost all of it just for regular maintenace. And it was the noisiest thing in the world.

Ok, the good part. It came with a light hood. BUT, it is only 24" long and holds two screw in bulbs. It had two incandescent 15w bulbs, but I replaced them with 50/50 20w PC screw-in bulbs. Now it looks weird because half the tank is receiving about 65w of light and the other only 15.
Question - does anyone know where I could get another light hood to match? Marine depot doesn't carry any.

Thanks

P.S. The feather dusters I was so happy about getting, some were eaten by the achilles.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 23:11:14 GMT

I like this pic of my valentini:

I hope you do too.

More updates later - I got a new light!

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 23:09:39 GMT

Fixed the rest:

DRRT (2/15/2008)

Thanks for looking at my tank.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 23:07:28 GMT

I was fixing my thingy in photobucket and all my pics are moved, so I'm reposting them.

DRRT (2/23/2008)

Here is a pic of my valentini puffer sleeping on a suspended air stone:

This is my prized achilles tang, I've got it in the last week of Aug. 2007, it is fat and healthy:

This is a rock with a bunch of small feather dusters on it. They have almost transparent crowns, but I know for sure all but one in the pic has the crown extended:

And this is my poor regal tang. I have had it for a year and a half. Unfortunately, it has HLLE which was caused by my inexperience and therefore lack of varied diet and stable water conditions. It was also originally housed with a humu trigger, which bullied it. It is now fairly happy with the achilles picking on it very rarely, and its color is much improved from before:

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 23:30:17 GMT

Here is a pic of my valentini puffer sleeping on a suspended air stone:

This is my prized achilles tang, I've got it in the last week of Aug. 2007, it is fat and healthy:

This is a rock with a bunch of small feather dusters on it. They have almost transparent crowns, but I know for sure all but one in the pic has the crown extended:

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:25:28 GMT

I am working on getting a pic of each fish, but the puffers are scared of the camera, the regal tang hides all the time, and the achilles is too fast. As soon as I get some decent pics I will post them. I even got one of the valentini sleeping on an airstone.
But unfortunately I don't have my camera and can't upload the pic.

But I do have this:

The valentini's teeth have since been trimmed, not to perfection, but they are much better.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

argi — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:37:00 GMT

I can relate on the no money thing, so many things I want and so little money for them.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:01:15 GMT

Ok, I measured it:
48" long
14 1/2" wide
16 1/2" deep

RE: My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:13:14 GMT

Thanks for the compliments.

I'm not at home right now, but I can guesstimate, it's about 4' long, 12" wide, and 14" deep. I think that's wrong because my calculator says that's only 35g.

There's no skimmer, just the Rena. No money I don't think my next paycheck will cover the lights, so I'll just have to wait.

RE: My 50g FOWLR

clowninout456 — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:59:36 GMT

WOW, i havent seen a tank with decorative corals in a long time. it looks different but GOOD....

RE: My 50g FOWLR

argi — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 15:39:28 GMT

Looks much bigger than a 50 gallon tank, what are the dimensions? Are you using a skimmer or just the Rena for filtration?

My 50g FOWLR

DRRT — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:14:03 GMT

I've been with this forum for a while, but never showed off my tank except when I had questions. I've been wanting to convert to reef, but money and time constraints have prevented me from doing so.

So here is my tank. It is 50g with a Rena x3 canister filter and a 30 or 40 watt light. That will be the first thing I upgrade when I get my next paycheck.

Stocking list:
Achilles Tang
Regal Tang
Valentini Toby
Bluespotted Toby
Coral Banded Shrimp
7 Hermit Crabs

Thanks for looking at my tank.