14 gallons of addiction

[Rufus’ goofs]

The girlfriend took a nap.

Think she's gonna be mad?

What do you mean I have a problem? I don't have a problem. You have a problem.

Okay the jig is up. I have a problem.

Hello, my name is Joe, and I'm addicted to reefing. It's been 8 days since my last live stock purchase.

I don't really have a problem. I'm fine... Okay that's a lie.

I bought this to be a frag tank to sit next to an aquarium and stand I'm making and setting up. Only reason it's running, is because I'm downsizing (Blasphemy in this hobby) my 75 gallon to a 40 breeder, and I will need a temporary holding space for my transitioning corals and fish while I'm shuffling tanks and stands.

Still don't know what I'm doing with my tomatoe clown though...;Facepalm

In all seriousness though... the girlfriend did take a nap.
Think she's gonna be mad? ;Wideyed
I might have a problem...

 

[Katrina71]

Do you only coral socially too?

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Hi, Joe!... None of us here have problems and we're not addicted. I promise, the girlfriend won't even notice. Just um, tell her it's been there for months.

Nice tank. I have the same one, but it's not a temporary frag tank. It's a sps reef, well the beginings of one. Once I upgrade to one large tank, I think I'll turn it into a frag system. That's another year or better down the road tho.

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

Do you only coral socially too?

Yeah, you know. And maybe when I'm bored on the weekends, weekdays, right after I get up, before I go to sleep. Before and after anything.

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

Hi, Joe!... None of us here have problems and we're not addicted. I promise, the girlfriend won't even notice. Just um, tell her it's been there for months.

Nice tank. I have the same one, but it's not a temporary frag tank. It's a sps reef, well the beginings of one. Once I upgrade to one large tank, I think I'll turn it into a frag system. That's another year or better down the road tho.

Haha, no not at all.

My gal was cool with it. I just had to show her where I put the freshly canned pickles, and also I have to make her a shoe rack now. ;Joyful
I think I'm lucky, she thinks I'm a dork.

I've seen your build thread, it's been a great read!

I'm thinking down the road I'd like to make it a permanent show piece. I'm thinking a war paint goby.

 

[Katrina71]

A little romance goes a long way...just sayin'

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

A little romance goes a long way...just sayin'

You know it.
There is a surprise camping trip for her birthday, but don't tell, she'll just be too excited.

 

[Big G]

I'm sure there is a local group where you could meet and discuss your addiction in person. And perhaps donate to each other some of your temptations.

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

I'm sure there is a local group where you could meet and discuss your addiction in person. And perhaps donate to each other some of your temptations.

Like... Aquarists Anonymous?

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

It's been a few days, and it's still there!
So here are some better pictures. I apologize for leaving you guys hanging with a cloudy picture! Shame on me!

I'm pretty happy with the rock work. I'm also happy it's only 4 pieces, it will make it easy to reconstruct later when it's done being a frag tank.

We actually like eating next to it a lot, but I'm pretty sure we need a bigger table if it's going to stay there.

Maybe in addition to a shoe rack, I can build a stand/ new record holder?

 

[Big G]

We actually like eating next to it a lot, but I'm pretty sure we need a bigger table if it's going to stay there.

But will your fish enjoy watching you eat fish at your table? LOL

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

I bet they'd be mortified!

Fortunately we mostly eat vegetarian. Sometimes chicken and fish, but not often.

 

[Katrina71]

Sometimes I eat crab sushi in front of mine when the hermits move my new coral frags.

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

Cruel and unusual punishment.

 

[Katrina71]

What? I offer to share.

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

So, I wanted to give a little update as well as some exposition as to how I acquired the tank as well as plans for the future.

My Gal and I went to a pet store to kill some time and while I was wandering around I found a couple nuvo's. The 10 gallon cube and the 14 peninsula. They were both out of box, and the 14 had the IM frozen food feeder as well as the algae sheet holder.
Also the white version of the Skyye led light.
The weird part was they were selling it for $170 instead of the nearly $400 retail it should have been. While right next to it, was the 10 gallon cube out of box, for the regular $200.

I asked about it and it was a display model, so I took a chance. When I got home I realized when they put the led light on, they had set the mounting plate on the inside of the tank which made the plastic screws twist down on the black coating on the back of the tank.
I'm still a little confused as to why they put that many extras on it, but stoked about the deal I got.

I didn't think much of it at the time, but there wasn't a lot of flow from the return pump. After putting in a pump with almost identical flow and physically feeling the difference, I thought I'd gotten a bad pump, so the other day I unplugged it, ran it in some RODI for a few minutes and low and behold, it works fine.
Not sure what the deal was, but after that, the sand was always in one corner or another and I always had a bare spot.

So I re-scaped.
Err.. turned it around?
Yeah that.

Not sure I'm happy with it. Kind of thinking about taking that tall piece out and getting another lump of a piece, like the other.

I also removed about 1 1/2 coffee mugs of sand to try and minimize the problem.

It's only a week into the cycle, I'm hoping to be done fiddling with it before then, and preferably at least a few weeks before introduce anything.

I'm considering doing a banded trochus snail, or maybe a nassarius snail to start, then it will be the home of my least favorite and most permanent member of my marine family for a few weeks.

Maybe even forever if he doesn't get much bigger, but I doubt that I'll get that lucky.
I would certainly like to keep this guy in solitary for the rest of his days.

Ladies and gentlemen may I introduce the bahaviourly disabled:

Scruffy. The yellow damsel.

This was him back in February.
He bit off the fins of another yellow damsel he came home with, he attacked a clown upon arrival in the tank himself and I believe bullied him to death over the next two weeks.
He moves my corals. Flips hermit crabs if they get too near his cave.

This guy is a riot. Like a literal one, but squished down into an 1 1/2" yellow Pit Fiend.

When I was talking to one of the other employees at the store later that week, he said they had a 5" tomini tang in the tank that one of the damsels killed in about 3 days.
I'm guessing I won the lottery when I picked out the healthy and active looking ones. ;Facepalm
He is the worst fish I have ever had and no matter how much my girlfriend begs me to, I refuse to get rid of him.
I complain about this guy everyday, and to be perfectly honest, I love it.
He's the antagonist in my reefing adventure.

Right now he's in my 75 gallon with a 3-4" tomatoe clown who plays sheriff and 2 little green chromis.(There used to be 3, but then Scruffy happened.)
Sometimes he'll forget his own size and start something with the tomatoe clown (who is surprisingly peaceful, really surprises me all the time.) and then get chased back into his cave promptly.

I've promised myself that when he dies, I'll bury him in the yard so I can go out everyday and tell him how happy Sea life around the world was to hear about his passing.

 

[Big G]

Amazing how such a small creature can inspire such expression with words. I like it.

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

Amazing how such a small creature can inspire such expression with words. I like it.

Thank you!
One must be careful when recalling which words the fish inspired first!

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

So I have proper stand for it. I think the records may have to relocate at some point though. This isn't exactly what I had in mind, but we already had this desk, so better to repurpose it then build/something new.

I also sold the light it came with to a coworker of mine. He's using it for a freshwater planted tank.

So I had an excuse to drill holes in the ceiling to hang my black box!

Here the tank is with some blue on it.
I need to learn me some photography though.
Me no good at pictures!;Rage

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

Its been a couple weeks since the last update, also there have been some added goodies.

First and foremost though, I broke down the 75 gallon before I went to Oregon for the eclipse. That was fun.

Migrants:
About 6 or 7 turbo snails ;Nailbiting
1 Red legged hermit crab
1 Emerald crab
1 Yellow destroyer of hopes and dreams and all that is good in the world. ;Shifty
3 frags of zoas
1 frag of palys
1 frag of clove polyps

I can not wait to pull some of the snails out and hopefully the hermit as well. I only plan on keeping them in there as long as necessary.

As for my goodies!

1 inkbird thermal controller
1 tunze 3152 ato
1 fluval aquaclear 20 HoB filter

I'd been trying to find a protein skimmer that would fit in the back, but have no faith in the performance of appropriately sized skimmers.
So I grabbed an aquaclear filter. I'm a big fan of the design, it fits well in the back and is rather quiet.

I also got annoyed with their little filter sock, so I tore the sock off the plastic frame and cut little foam pads to set in the frame.

I guess that's all for this update.
Hope you all enjoy.