New 14g nano-cube

[bumble]

Well it's been about a week and everything is still alive ... The chiller is working wonders and keeping the temp down ~80-82. Everything seems to be flourishing quite well, to well in fact. I have 5 kenya's now around 4-7" each and a huge patch of xenia's, and the green brain when fully expanded takes up an area about 5x5x4, I think it's almost to big. The Kenya's propegated and I have a few small pieces ~1" I've glued down

Good news however is I found a lady on craigslist coming tomorrow night to buy 4 of the kenya's @ $12 a piece + about 1/2 the xenia's for $14. I found out a place near by sells various frags attached to liverock in the range of $10-$30. They also buy coral and give you 20% off so I plan to trade the other kenya and get some basically free corals :-). I'm hoping to find either Fluorescent Green Leather, Dwarf Colored Feather Duster or a Bubble Coral. good/bad corals for a 14G? Other than the standard drip method any other tips on acclimating these to my tank?

I've also come to terms with I need to sell some fish. I'm going to bring in the tomato + royal gramma and get a nemo, but I'm keeping the watchman goby + starry blenny for now.

[bumble]

A buddy also said I should replace the lights every 6-9 months. true?

[YLChik]

I would skip the bubble coral for now until you get more accustom to keeping a tank.

3 fish sounds like a decent plan - esp with the ones you have picked.

pc lights - yeah that's about right 6-9 maybe 9-12. I change mine out when I see the algae explode ( usually about 9-12 months). ( Also not saying that is the best way to go about it, just my reality )

[bumble]

Thanks for the info. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep the watchman goby or not, he is very cool and he's starting to come out more. The starry blenny although very cool also loves to hide in his caves. I might trade the watchman in for something like a Cave Transparent Goby or a Orange Spotted Goby that have a bit more color to them. I just don't know yet.

I really want to make the tank vibrate with color and have ppl be amazed when they see the stuff in there.

[YLChik]

I am a huge fan of blennies and goby pistol shrimp pairs - you could look into a smaller goby and pistol pair for your tank.

I personally like the Hi Fin Red Banded Goby

[bumble]

Any tips for removing the kenya's or the xenia's? do I just grab and pull (lightly) or should I cut the kenya's near their base?

[YLChik]

if you can break off the part of the rock they are attached to that is one way

I think you can also razor blade the kenya and then attach it to a rock with fishing line

I have never fragged xenia myself, but I think you can "peal" it off the rock with a razorblade and your fingers.

PLEASE wait on the pealing method until you read up on it - I would hate to give you bad advice. I have always just broken off pieces of the rock.

[bumble]

Thanks, ya it seems like the concesus around the net is to either break off the rock or peel the xenia's. As for the Kenya's either break the rock, peel it if possible or cut it as close to the base as possible being I want the tree totally gone then try to peel.

I might be at 20 posts soon so I can post some pics :-)

[YLChik]

You can always use the go advanced button and add pic as an attachment.

We LOVE pics here at TRT

[TheReefDaVinci]

Tagging along...

[bumble]

Well I think I boiled most everything........

Over the weekend the chiller started smoking like a chimney. Luckily I was at home or this coulda been a lot worse. Some of the wires had melted down to nothing but the copper on the inside. OK I shut that off, stopped the pump to it. and did all that to shut it off. Then like an idiot I forgot the guy I bought it from installed the light upgrade so I get home from work Monday and the tank is around 97 and everything is shrunk beyond belief. So I tore the light fixture out. and did a water change to bring the temp down. This morning the temp was around 85ish corals are all still tiny but I think alive and one of my prides, the brain (which my clown ahd hosted with) is hard as a rock and it's soft green spaces are what look like disentigrating.

Not a good morning

Other than just venting my actuall question is this. When I got it the tank had three lights running, he said he upgraded it. well now I've only got 2. I know to use the all blue one, as for the other do I use the dual white, or the white/blue tube?