CD_Scapes
Active Member
FTS
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The Cubeeee
My dreams are finally coming true, I'm getting one of my favorite tanks and the size is perfect for my current living conditions in my college dorm at Bemidji State University. I have always like the look of cube tanks no matter if it was freshwater or saltwater. I've had a few tanks over the past couple of years from my first 1.5 gallon Tetra plastic cube to my Fluval spec and my 15 gallon reef, then we have my current 5 gallon reef. While talking with an ex-LFS worker who upgraded to a 120 the conversation turned to me possibly upgrading my tank. She mentioned that her 29 BioCube was empty and it was going to be donated, I asked she then asked if I wanted it instead. A bit taken back and excited were understatement, it will come with the stand, pump, WaveMaker, and skimmer. The tank is a bit dirty, but for$10 I think I can clean out the tank and call it a good day . Some of my biggest inspirations for my tanks come from @billygoat's gorgonian garden, @yoshii's macro tanks and @SaltyBuddha's macro display. If I am talking about project inspiration I have to include one of the greatest biotopes of all time @yardboy's 2008 TOTM Florida biotope, that is and could go down as one of the greatest biotopes of all time. All of these people have one thing in common, they have natural or nature style tanks with corals and macro living/growing in the same tank without the fancy *obnoxious* blue rave lights on their tanks (that I know of). A lot of the live stock is chosen for it's natural looks or how well it will fit into the tank, placement of corals or fish choices are thought out o how they will interact with not just the scape but also the other livestock. I would like to say they have almost been my reef senseis, or at least that is how I view them. Without their knowledge, kindness, and ambitious ideas I believe my reef hobby would be different or even non-existent. So, I thank you for helping build my reef hobby (even if you did not realize that you helped) With all this said, let's get into all the information you guys actually came here for.....The tank!
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Scaping:
The ideal goal for the tank is to create an island scape or an arch scape, I can't really scape this tank as much as the other tanks due to the choice of getting Florida aqua cultured rock. The other part is the tank will be moved 4 times a year (3 times this year); to college, home for winter break, to college after break, and lastly home for the summer. The plan is to use base rock for most of the scape and then use the 10 lbs of KP Aquatics aqua-cultured rock to get all the goodies! I'm thinking of creating a lagoon/shallow water tank with a "sea" of caulerpa prolifera and toadstool algae with the island rock scape and maybe even a second smaller island as well.
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Livestock:
Livestock wise I will most likely go with a large sum of gorgonians, some wild zoas, a couple RFAs and maybe some caribbean mushrooms. Fish wise the tank will probably have a pair of gobies, hopefully a filefish pair or free-swimming fish, and a blenny too. Lots of things up in the air for motile inverts, ceriths and maybe turbo or two as well as some nerites would be the main snails, maybe some nassarius as well, was also thinking a bit about some cooler inverts and thought about maybe getting some "flashier" hermits and a few feather dusters.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Cubeeee
My dreams are finally coming true, I'm getting one of my favorite tanks and the size is perfect for my current living conditions in my college dorm at Bemidji State University. I have always like the look of cube tanks no matter if it was freshwater or saltwater. I've had a few tanks over the past couple of years from my first 1.5 gallon Tetra plastic cube to my Fluval spec and my 15 gallon reef, then we have my current 5 gallon reef. While talking with an ex-LFS worker who upgraded to a 120 the conversation turned to me possibly upgrading my tank. She mentioned that her 29 BioCube was empty and it was going to be donated, I asked she then asked if I wanted it instead. A bit taken back and excited were understatement, it will come with the stand, pump, WaveMaker, and skimmer. The tank is a bit dirty, but for$10 I think I can clean out the tank and call it a good day . Some of my biggest inspirations for my tanks come from @billygoat's gorgonian garden, @yoshii's macro tanks and @SaltyBuddha's macro display. If I am talking about project inspiration I have to include one of the greatest biotopes of all time @yardboy's 2008 TOTM Florida biotope, that is and could go down as one of the greatest biotopes of all time. All of these people have one thing in common, they have natural or nature style tanks with corals and macro living/growing in the same tank without the fancy *obnoxious* blue rave lights on their tanks (that I know of). A lot of the live stock is chosen for it's natural looks or how well it will fit into the tank, placement of corals or fish choices are thought out o how they will interact with not just the scape but also the other livestock. I would like to say they have almost been my reef senseis, or at least that is how I view them. Without their knowledge, kindness, and ambitious ideas I believe my reef hobby would be different or even non-existent. So, I thank you for helping build my reef hobby (even if you did not realize that you helped) With all this said, let's get into all the information you guys actually came here for.....The tank!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scaping:
The ideal goal for the tank is to create an island scape or an arch scape, I can't really scape this tank as much as the other tanks due to the choice of getting Florida aqua cultured rock. The other part is the tank will be moved 4 times a year (3 times this year); to college, home for winter break, to college after break, and lastly home for the summer. The plan is to use base rock for most of the scape and then use the 10 lbs of KP Aquatics aqua-cultured rock to get all the goodies! I'm thinking of creating a lagoon/shallow water tank with a "sea" of caulerpa prolifera and toadstool algae with the island rock scape and maybe even a second smaller island as well.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Livestock:
Livestock wise I will most likely go with a large sum of gorgonians, some wild zoas, a couple RFAs and maybe some caribbean mushrooms. Fish wise the tank will probably have a pair of gobies, hopefully a filefish pair or free-swimming fish, and a blenny too. Lots of things up in the air for motile inverts, ceriths and maybe turbo or two as well as some nerites would be the main snails, maybe some nassarius as well, was also thinking a bit about some cooler inverts and thought about maybe getting some "flashier" hermits and a few feather dusters.
