Greybeard's Wide, Shallow Peninsula
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Greybeard
2500 Club Member
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Greybeard
2500 Club Member
Many years ago, when ZeroEdge was new, I saw a 30" x 30" x 12" ZeroEdge tank, mounted low, away from the wall, with a compact halide pendent hanging from the ceiling, filled with Tridacna clams and Pipefish. To this day, one of the coolest tanks I've ever seen. I've loved wide, shallow, open top tanks since that day. This is the first one I've done myself
I keep looking at Octo Aquatics and Artfully Acrylic screen tops, and keep passing on buying one. Had a BRS screen top kit in my cart the other day, and deleted it before I checked out. I _LOVE_ the open top look... but I _HATE_ waking up in the morning and finding fish jerky on my floor. I've tried open top once before. I was avoiding wrasses and such, had an anthias jump that I was half expecting when I bought him, but I even had an Ocellaris Clownfish jump... not a fish I was expecting to find on the floor. I put a DIY screen on that tank. May put one on this tank too... but I'm really trying to avoid it.
najer
Valuable Member
I would get the mesh lid, I love low and wide too, plus open top, I caved in when I lost the first jumper.
I have a 2 inch (front and back) and 3 inch (ends) internal Euro brace, I'm sure it helps but if a fish is spooked it will just bolt, could go anywhere!
I have a 2 inch (front and back) and 3 inch (ends) internal Euro brace, I'm sure it helps but if a fish is spooked it will just bolt, could go anywhere!
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Greybeard
2500 Club Member
Unfortunate, but true. I probably will, but I'm stubborn, and I'm going to put it off as long as I can. So far, haven't had anything jump from this tank.
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Greybeard
2500 Club Member
Long time no update...
As soon as it cools down enough for me to want to spend time in my shop, I'll be starting on the cabinets. Open cabinets, light oak trim and outside, to match the stand trim, gloss white inside, with glass shelves, and a white LED cabinet light. I'm really looking forward to it.
I've had some challenges... started loosing corals for no apparent reason, slowly bleaching. Triton testing says nothing wrong with the water... watched the BRS review of T5 lighting where they show the PAR readings for an 8 bulb ATI unit. In this shallow tank, I believe I was just burning everything.
Pulled a Blue+ and a AquaBlue Special from the TEK light. Now running 6 bulbs, 1 actinic, 1 coral plus, 2 AquaBlue Specials, 2 Blue+. After a few weeks, I'm starting to see some improvement, may even be bringing back a few monti cap frags that I thought were goners.
I'll run it this way for a while, see what happens. I may eventually buy a dimmable 6 bulb ATI fixture and sell off the used TEK 8 bulb unit. Eventually.
I noted what I considered to be excessive film algae growth, and a bit of cyano in the sand. Since I really don't have much in the way of corals yet, I decided to suspend Triton dosing for a while. I'm starting to believe that Triton probably needs a very mature system... a year or so... before it's as effective as it should be. I'm hooking up my old Tunze calcium doser (Kalk reactor, really). Just going to run Kalk for a while, keep the Calc/Alk up where it should be, and see how the few corals I have do. Hopefully, it'll help with the algae growth.
Also of note, I've got an invasion of brown acoels flatworms. Probably came in with some macro algae. They don't seem to be bothering anything, but I'm going to want them gone, eventually. I've seen many reports that they seem to fade out on their own... I'm in no rush, but if they don't start fading soon, I'm either going to treat for flatworms, or buy something that will keep them under control... some sort of wrasse, I'd guess. Since the tank is still topless, I'm hesitant to add a wrasse. Might be time to get a screen done for it.
I just re-read my post... comes across as depressed.
Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm in for the long haul... a few minor startup problems were expected, and can certainly be fixed. No rush... just takes time, and effort
As soon as it cools down enough for me to want to spend time in my shop, I'll be starting on the cabinets. Open cabinets, light oak trim and outside, to match the stand trim, gloss white inside, with glass shelves, and a white LED cabinet light. I'm really looking forward to it.
I've had some challenges... started loosing corals for no apparent reason, slowly bleaching. Triton testing says nothing wrong with the water... watched the BRS review of T5 lighting where they show the PAR readings for an 8 bulb ATI unit. In this shallow tank, I believe I was just burning everything.
Pulled a Blue+ and a AquaBlue Special from the TEK light. Now running 6 bulbs, 1 actinic, 1 coral plus, 2 AquaBlue Specials, 2 Blue+. After a few weeks, I'm starting to see some improvement, may even be bringing back a few monti cap frags that I thought were goners.
I'll run it this way for a while, see what happens. I may eventually buy a dimmable 6 bulb ATI fixture and sell off the used TEK 8 bulb unit. Eventually.
I noted what I considered to be excessive film algae growth, and a bit of cyano in the sand. Since I really don't have much in the way of corals yet, I decided to suspend Triton dosing for a while. I'm starting to believe that Triton probably needs a very mature system... a year or so... before it's as effective as it should be. I'm hooking up my old Tunze calcium doser (Kalk reactor, really). Just going to run Kalk for a while, keep the Calc/Alk up where it should be, and see how the few corals I have do. Hopefully, it'll help with the algae growth.
Also of note, I've got an invasion of brown acoels flatworms. Probably came in with some macro algae. They don't seem to be bothering anything, but I'm going to want them gone, eventually. I've seen many reports that they seem to fade out on their own... I'm in no rush, but if they don't start fading soon, I'm either going to treat for flatworms, or buy something that will keep them under control... some sort of wrasse, I'd guess. Since the tank is still topless, I'm hesitant to add a wrasse. Might be time to get a screen done for it.
I just re-read my post... comes across as depressed.
Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm in for the long haul... a few minor startup problems were expected, and can certainly be fixed. No rush... just takes time, and effort
OP
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Greybeard
2500 Club Member
Been on my list since I started thinking about this tank... LFS had one in stock, I just couldn't pass him by. Wife starts telling me how ugly he is... Oh well. I like him.
needbiggertanks
Well-Known Member
Nah, hes beautiful
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Greybeard
2500 Club Member
Yup, bicolor goatfish. Think of it as the marine version of a catfish... bottom feeders, constantly sifting through the surface layer of sand. Small critter preditor, excellent scavenger, will pick up whatever food manages to land on the bottom. They do get fairly large.... maybe 10" or so.
They have two barbels under their mouth, sensitive enough to find about any critter than might be hiding.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I've got brown acoel flatworms. I'm hoping the goatfish will help keep them under control. Hoping... I have no reason to think so, except that goatfish normally eat about any small critter they can find. I'd have put in a wrasse, but I don't (yet) have a top on the tank, and I didn't feel like picking up wrasse jerky off the carpet.
That's just what they do
They have two barbels under their mouth, sensitive enough to find about any critter than might be hiding.As I mentioned in a previous post, I've got brown acoel flatworms. I'm hoping the goatfish will help keep them under control. Hoping... I have no reason to think so, except that goatfish normally eat about any small critter they can find. I'd have put in a wrasse, but I don't (yet) have a top on the tank, and I didn't feel like picking up wrasse jerky off the carpet.
