markkazdad's Eclipse Hex 5 "Destination: Procrastination"

[markkazdad]

Is that a striped hermit you have in there? I caught a couple while I was visiting family in Fl.

If you mean the hermit in the last picture of post #14, then, well, I'm not sure. That shell is from a bunch of snails my daughter captured at Gulf Shores, Ala. We brought them home and it turned out one of them was a crab, but it's a much larger guy in another tank. There were some smaller, empty shells. When we put this one into our Nano Cube, it was taken to immediately by another hermit that was looking for a bigger home, and I snagged him out and put him in the contest tank. I'll try to get a better picture of the crab itself to see what he looks like. I think it's just a red-legged hermit, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, the shell reminds me of something from Super Mario Bros.

 

[Dixie_reefer]

I have a couple of shells exactly like it from my trip. Most of the hermits i found in them were striped hermits. Just wanted to know because i wanted to know if it was reef safe. If not, then mine will just find its way to my sump in my new build.

 

[markkazdad]

I don't know. I haven't taken a chance on putting the wild-caught crab in my reef tank. He just lives in my 20L that holds my extra live rock and sand. It's nearly golf ball sized so there's a good chance that even if he is reef safe, he'd knock things over.

 

[pickupman66]

Hey man, great meeting you today. Im excited about my build too now. Unfortunately, I wont be able to do the nano in 90 but I hope to get the filtration in next week. If only the Wife would let me order it this week.

 

[markkazdad]

I have a couple of shells exactly like it from my trip. Most of the hermits i found in them were striped hermits. Just wanted to know because i wanted to know if it was reef safe. If not, then mine will just find its way to my sump in my new build.

Here is a good picture of Super Mario Crab...

 

[markkazdad]

Oops, somebody knocked me over, but I'm growing.

 

[Duffam3434]

Great So Far!! BTW could someone PM and fill me in on this whole Nano in 90 Deal? Im still pretty new here and I saw this before and was pretty lost. Thanks, and Cant wait to see New Updates!!!

 

[Mike&Terry]

Here is a good picture of Super Mario Crab...

GREAT pic!

 

[markkazdad]

Thanks! I liked it so much I made it my Facebook cover photo.

 

[markkazdad]

Mushrooms being happy!

 

[markkazdad]

I am also using this contest tank to practice using my cameras, a Pentax K10D digital SLR and a Pentax Q mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera. I still have time for some refinements, I think. This is a FTS (cropped). At the moment several of the frag discs have been knocked off rocks by crabs, so many are sitting on the sand on the front right.

"Super Mario Crab" has now changed shells. He's in the smooth off-white shell sitting on the xenia.

 

[markkazdad]

Equipment costs

It's time to total up the costs of this build.

Used equipment from North Alabama Reef Club members
20 gallon glass tank with wooden stand - $10
24" single 65w CF light fixture with moonlight and fan. Brand unknown. - $10
AquaClear 70 - $5
Aqueon 700 powerhead - $15
5 pounds live rock - $10
Sand from tank teardown - free


New equipment
Eheim Jager Thermostat Heater 50W - $17 (Drs. Foster and Smith)


Total equipment - $67

 

[markkazdad]

Livestock purchased for build

Corals and macroalgae - $70 (receipts below)

 

[markkazdad]

Corals fragged from my other nano

These are frags I made of corals that I originally received free from North Alabama Reef Club members when I was getting started last year. They have grown in my Nano Cube enough to make frags for this build.

Fair market valued using the rules sheet:

Xenia - 1 stalk = $10
2 chunks of common yellow polyps, 12 polyps @ $2 ea. = $24
Green starburst polyps, under 2" = $20
Arctic ice palys, 4 polyps @ $3 ea = $12

Total value = $66

 

[markkazdad]

Grand total

Equipment - $67
Purchased livestock - $70
Fragged livestock - $66

Grand total = $203

($136 of $500 coral budget)

 

[markkazdad]

Documenting health concerns:

Two zoa frags put in 3 weeks ago have not yet fully opened, but they are starting to peek open a little, so I haven't given up on them.

 

[markkazdad]

From the top

A few top down shots:

 

[markkazdad]

Final photography

Finishing with some fisheye views. The crab changed shells since yesterday.

 

[markkazdad]

These photos are not from the contest tank

I have a couple of shells exactly like it from my trip. Most of the hermits i found in them were striped hermits. Just wanted to know because i wanted to know if it was reef safe. If not, then mine will just find its way to my sump in my new build.

THESE PHOTOS ARE NOT FROM THE CONTEST TANK

But, I wanted to follow up about the crab we accidentally brought home since I was finally able to get a picture of it. The white balance is off; the eyes do not glow blue like that, and everything is picking up extra blue and purple from the metal halide lamp. The colors in the first photo are much closer to reality than the second, but overall should appear much more bland and beige. That's a clear plastic cup on the right of each image. Wouldn't you know it, the green hair algae and aiptasia are the closest to rendering correctly (and both will be addressed before that rock, rescued from a tank teardown, gets to graduate from this holding tank).

The crab's legs have stripes. Dixie_reefer, is this what you mean by a striped hermit? I haven't seen it bothering any of the corals in here, but YMMV.

 

[Dixie_reefer]

Yeah that looks like what I have. My lfs got a bunch in which surprised me because I have never seen them in a store before. They get really big, like 3". Mine is relatively small for this species like 1", but I did catch one that was in a shell as big as my hand! I'm going to keep my guy in the sump.