Dustins reef bowl
- Build Thread
- Thread starter Dtackett
- Start date
- Tagged users None
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2014
- Messages
- 30,220
- Reaction score
- 24,063
- Location
- tejas
- What state or country do you live in
- Alaska
Dustin look great so far~
one of the neat aspects of constantly bubbling a small pico reef, is that's the pre test big tankers use to drive off CO2 from a water sample so you can get accurate alk and pH info...our little bubbled rascals are in a constant state of low co2 (provided a gas home is well ventilated) and high o2, ideally. the surface boil as bubbles pop literally increases surface area, and exchange, such that it will beat what powerheads can do regarding gas exchange in a given tank. its that darn salt creep
major aquaculture and reservoir/ waterway managers use bubbles not pumps 98% of the time for reasons including these
saltcreep was the pico reefs biggest issue w it
one of the neat aspects of constantly bubbling a small pico reef, is that's the pre test big tankers use to drive off CO2 from a water sample so you can get accurate alk and pH info...our little bubbled rascals are in a constant state of low co2 (provided a gas home is well ventilated) and high o2, ideally. the surface boil as bubbles pop literally increases surface area, and exchange, such that it will beat what powerheads can do regarding gas exchange in a given tank. its that darn salt creep
major aquaculture and reservoir/ waterway managers use bubbles not pumps 98% of the time for reasons including these
saltcreep was the pico reefs biggest issue w it
Last edited:
OP
OP
Dtackett
Valuable Member
yeah my levels are stable. at this point im just letting the little tank settle and doing nothing but my weekly water changes and feeding. this week I will be going a bit more in depth as most of this rock rubble is just too big and doesn't look right in such a small tank so I will be crushing and rinsing most of it. the duncans still aren't happy but I think its mostly an issue with flow and maybe too much light. for this reason I have taken the lenses off the light and will wait and see if this helps. the lenses being as narrow as they are could be providing too much direct light in such a shallow tank.
the acro didn't make it, but I pretty much knew it wouldn't. I gave it to a buddy in the hopes he could save it. the duncans still open but not as much as they should, that's why I think its the light. the zoas are doing great. it took a little while for them to acclimate but now theyre all open.
I still don't have a lid but I canceled my lid order. im not a fan of the clarity of these fish bowls. with a big seam and what seems like flat spots in the glass it really distorts and view so I will be looking for an acrylic fish bowl and if all else fails I will be changing the design entirely. While I enjoy my little bowl, I have to have clarity. so if I cant find a bowl, I am going to look for a 1 gallon acrylic tank or worst case, I will build a 1 gallon acrylic cube. if that's the case it will be about 7x7x7 and it will have just a little over 1 gallon capacity but will only hold about a gallon of water to allow room for the bubbles.
OP
OP
Dtackett
Valuable Member
so my buddy came and got the acro. it wasn't doing well. started to brown out. wont be trying acros in a mixed reef bowl again.
as for the duncans, I didn't think to get a pic before I started messing with the bowl today but they were opened a lot more today than they have been recently. so this confirms, for me at least, they were getting too much light because of the angle of the lenses. the lenses have been removed as stated above and now theyre starting to open. you wont see that in todays pics though... ill get a pic of it tomorrow.
the zoas are still doing great! it may seem like nothing to most of you but ive never been able to keep zoas alive and theyre doing great in this little tank. water change is tomorrow. eventually ill get my water change schedule down to a certain day each week but my schedule is pretty hectic right now so I do it when I get the chance but It is a 100% water change each week.
as for the duncans, I didn't think to get a pic before I started messing with the bowl today but they were opened a lot more today than they have been recently. so this confirms, for me at least, they were getting too much light because of the angle of the lenses. the lenses have been removed as stated above and now theyre starting to open. you wont see that in todays pics though... ill get a pic of it tomorrow.
the zoas are still doing great! it may seem like nothing to most of you but ive never been able to keep zoas alive and theyre doing great in this little tank. water change is tomorrow. eventually ill get my water change schedule down to a certain day each week but my schedule is pretty hectic right now so I do it when I get the chance but It is a 100% water change each week.
OP
OP
Dtackett
Valuable Member
yeah theyre doing great. did a water change today and noticed a couple new heads already. I also crushed all my rock and got rid of about 2/3rds of it. looks much better but I think im going to need to hunt down the perfect rock to put in the middle as a bit of a pedestal
OP
OP
Dtackett
Valuable Member
so I found some dino in my reef bowl. most likely from the LFS that I wont be visiting again, but not because of the dino....
pulled the frag out. dipped it in 3% H2o2. no tank water was mixed in. just straight h2o2 out the bottle. lots of bubbles and gunk floating around in the cup and then I saw it...
THE DINO CAME OFF! I allowed the frag to soak for about 5 minutes with an airline in it to add circulation and when I pulled it out you couldn't find any visible dino and most of the algae that was on it had come off. I will allow the frag to rest and recover for a few days then I will do this treatment again just to be sure.
that's something you have to be on the lookout for in these micro tanks. algae isn't something you just deal with, its something you eradicate as soon as you find it. you must be proactive in order to prevent an outbreak of algae from taking over your tank.
pulled the frag out. dipped it in 3% H2o2. no tank water was mixed in. just straight h2o2 out the bottle. lots of bubbles and gunk floating around in the cup and then I saw it...
THE DINO CAME OFF! I allowed the frag to soak for about 5 minutes with an airline in it to add circulation and when I pulled it out you couldn't find any visible dino and most of the algae that was on it had come off. I will allow the frag to rest and recover for a few days then I will do this treatment again just to be sure.
that's something you have to be on the lookout for in these micro tanks. algae isn't something you just deal with, its something you eradicate as soon as you find it. you must be proactive in order to prevent an outbreak of algae from taking over your tank.
Retro Reefer
Slow and steady wins the race!
Sweet little micro reef.. Must be the easiest water change ever, lol
OP
OP
Dtackett
Valuable Member
yes and no. its actually quite difficult to get the right salinity into 1 gallon of water to start lol measuring cups aren't that accurate lol.
however soon ill have a spot setup to for mixing 5 gallons at a time which will be easier. a 5 gallon bucket might not seem like it takes up a lot of room, but I got kids lol
OP
OP
Dtackett
Valuable Member
quick update. my zoas responded well to the straight h2o2 dip. no signs of dino as of yet. water is still stable. DUNCANS ARE OPEN. I moved the light so it hits the tank at more of an angle and the duncans are responding well to it. I haven't added any coral yet as ive got other things taking up my funds but I will be adding more coral within a few weeks.
OP
OP
Dtackett
Valuable Member
im currently putting together a new wishlist for coral I want to put in this bowl. apparently I want to overstock it with coral... sadly ill have to make better choices as I go which means many of these wont be able to go in the tank.
current
2 zoas frags (doing great!)
2 heads of duncans (finally doing great!)
wishlist...
candy canes
green eyed cup coral
Alveopora
big polyp blasto
THESE AMAZING DUNCANS!!! WHY DONT MINE LOOK LIKE THIS OMG THESE ARE AWESOME!
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=597+321+3181&pcatid=3181
and a few more different zoas.
current
2 zoas frags (doing great!)
2 heads of duncans (finally doing great!)
wishlist...
candy canes
green eyed cup coral
Alveopora
big polyp blasto
THESE AMAZING DUNCANS!!! WHY DONT MINE LOOK LIKE THIS OMG THESE ARE AWESOME!
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=597+321+3181&pcatid=3181
and a few more different zoas.
OP
OP
Dtackett
Valuable Member
wasn't sure if I posted this pic. tanks doing great. getting a water change on Tuesday. still no new coral but ive got little zoas starting to pop up and the duncans are getting better day by day.
drstratton
Valuable Member
Your pico is looking great! I still might try and do one some day! I have a bowl with a lid that was a cookie jar and it belonged to my grandma. My son used it as a terrarium. I need to fill it with water and see what it looks like.
Question about the H202, that's just hydrogen peroxide? I'm dealing with some hair algae and Todd told me to take the rock out and spray it with peroxide, but I didn't know that you could also use it on coral. Some of my zoa's have algae on them and I would like to get rid of it!
OP
OP
Dtackett
Valuable Member
yeah you can use it on most corals. zoas tend to be hit or miss if they will take it or not but most seem to do fine with it. the stuff you buy at walmart works fine at 3%. you literally spray it on undiluted and let it sit there and burn the algae for 5 minutes then place it back in the tank and pull the deal algae off the next day wait a few days and repeat if needed. I dipped my zoas in h202 straight out the bottle, no tank water at all for 5 minutes, dino came off zoas went back in the tank and they opened up a few days later.
OP
OP
Dtackett
Valuable Member
so its been a little over a month. ill give you my quick review of this light. its awesome lol first time ive been able to keep zoas and theyre growing pretty well. noticed a few new heads growing a couple weeks ago. this light is silent even with the built in fan. I pulled the lenses off though as they were too narrow for a tank like mine. I feel I get a better mix and less of a harsh light without the lenses. I haven't added any coral since the duncans because 1 im broke, and 2 I wanted to see how everything reacted before I went and stocked it. but everything is responding quite well and I think here in a month or so (want to purchase a few things first.. like a battery backup) I think im going to goto my favorite LFS, dump 150-200 bucks and pack this thing full.
Maritza The Vase Reef
Community Member
Peace To All.
HNY 2016..
Hey Brandon...I'm not much of a Thread or Vlog person.
I'm here.Thanks for the previous mentions on this site and anywhere else.
Sorry for those who have asked or try to find me but haven't.
I'm on YouTube.
I update my videos monthly and can be reached there easily.
And hopefully, I will be here too.
Not sure what happen to the little bowl reef set up here on the pic.
But would like to know and see an update.
As per a Fish Bowl Reef set up, I did that in the 80s with a Duetto Internal Filter.
Live Rocks, Live Sand, and at that time, Power Compact lights.
It lasted 2 years with Seahorses and they bred.
I have a video but it's on old Vid Tapes and I have hunderds of them to look through.
But I will find it and post it one day on Tube.
Good to be on here and catch up with some of the threads and comments.
Blessings To All...
HNY 2016..
Hey Brandon...I'm not much of a Thread or Vlog person.
I'm here.Thanks for the previous mentions on this site and anywhere else.
Sorry for those who have asked or try to find me but haven't.
I'm on YouTube.
I update my videos monthly and can be reached there easily.
And hopefully, I will be here too.
Not sure what happen to the little bowl reef set up here on the pic.
But would like to know and see an update.
As per a Fish Bowl Reef set up, I did that in the 80s with a Duetto Internal Filter.
Live Rocks, Live Sand, and at that time, Power Compact lights.
It lasted 2 years with Seahorses and they bred.
I have a video but it's on old Vid Tapes and I have hunderds of them to look through.
But I will find it and post it one day on Tube.
Good to be on here and catch up with some of the threads and comments.
Blessings To All...
OP
OP
Dtackett
Valuable Member
Welcome to R2R! The bowl us still up and running and doing great. Haven't added anything to it but will be in a few weeks.
