One more question that I haven't been able to find an answer for... Can Emerald Crabs be found in the Reefs of Hawaii? I've googled and can't find anything..

Anything from Hawaii is pretty expensive. Emerald crabs can be found throughout the Caribbean so even if there were emerald crabs in Hawaii no one would export them.

I don't need one from hawaii... just need to know if they are found in the reefs there... you know, as part of my theme.. :wink:

Well, I can scratch Emeralds off my stocking list.. They are Atlantic..

I like this Hawaiian Biotope theme going here. Seems like it could be a good creative challenge! Interested in seeing your stocking choices.

Oh I get it :biggrin:
Good idea but like I said before Hawaiian stuff is fairly pricey, how do you plan on keeping within budget? You know if you wanted you could always bump up the budget for livestock. Most will only have $150 left for livestock which as we all know is pretty small for saltwater, kind of limits the options. For example no one will likely put a clam in their tank cause it will use half their budget. Just think about it, this is canreef we can make our rules :razz:

I think alot of people joined because of the budget idea though... Plus, its not exactly a bad challenge to try and stock a tank on budget.. :mrgreen:

Could put it to a vote. I'll sleep on it for the night, and maybe you guys will see a voting thread tomorrow..

Good idea, but I don't know if a poll will work as I think only people in the contest should have a say, right? Perhaps just a thread asking all contenders to post yes or no. That may have been your idea but just thought I'd throw it out there.

Got my first bit of livestock today...

PomPom Crab (native to hawaii)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...est/pompom.jpg

3x Red Leg Reef Hermits (bought them thinking they were Zebra Reef Hermits, which are native to Hawaii)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...est/hermit.jpg

2x Turbo Margarita Snails:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...est/snails.jpg

Small Red/Purple Zoa frag.. will get another pic when they open.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ntest/zoas.jpg

Looks good!

Thanks

DUDE...... Is that Pom Pom really THAT pink as in your picture? (aren't they usually more red?) If so.... my g/f MUST have one. LOL

Yea, that pic is pretty color accurate.. :mrgreen:

Added some zoas today.

These are from my last update, but they are finally out, so updating the pic.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...test/Zoas1.jpg

These are the new ones today:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...test/Zoas2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...test/Zoas3.jpg

Nice!

Oops.. Forgot the FTS.. :wink:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3.../NovFTS10G.jpg

OMG, I love the dog !!!

Dog???? :confused: What dog?

The rock on the right hand side.....clearly a dog !!!

OK then...... :drinking:

LOL I see it too. :lol: Ruff ruff!! Bark bark?

You guys are nutz! lol

Updated first post with Nov FTS pic and updated budget. Added another Zoa frag and a left handed hermit.

Little dog, pointy ears and it is shaved...agreed? :lol::mrgreen:

Picked up 2 tiny guys today... :mrgreen: Both are just over an inch or so...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...t/10Gclown.jpg

This little guy will probably get transferred to my 75G down the road.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...t/10G6line.jpg

This tank has turned into a disaster in the past 48 hours... Lost the 6line sometime between saturday night and sunday night, come home today, and find my clown dead and stuck between the teeth on my overflow, and the Anemone has pretty much melted in the past 2 days (and now pulled out)... I will be testing the water as soon as I'm done eating dinner, but I can't understand it... I have let the tank run for a SOLID month without adding anything (1 zoa frag & couple hermits/snails). All my parameters have been where they need to be in my previous tests, so I'm at a complete loss until I get my test results tonight...

Talk about a hit to the pocketbook (and budget).... :bad-word:

That sucks. Maybe the tank never got a real chance to cycle because no waste was introduced? So as soon as some was it triggered a cycle, probably a miniature version of the real thing??

Also I've noticed salinity and temperature are probably the hardest things to manage in these small tanks. Noticed any issues? perhaps too hot in day, too cold at night?

Yikes sorry to hear that. and i was complaining about the cost of 1 dead fire fish.

The room its in stays at a fairly consistent temp, as for salinity, I manually top-off religously everyday to keep it stable (even if its only a small amount). Once I do my tests, I'll know for sure if it was a mini cycle that nuked everything, and if thats what it was, shame on me for not testing before purchasing this weekend. :neutral:

I feel for ya, my imperator angel juvy just died today....3 days i had him. looks like some lesions on him, but i am not sure. it always sucks when something dies, first new fish i have added in like 5 months. and well..

Sorry to hear this.

Thanks...

Test results.

Elos PH: 8.3
Elos NH3/4: 0
Elos NO3: 0
NO2: No Kit
Salinity 1.026 (refractometer)
Temp: 26-27C

Doesn't look like anything is out of wack.. So I am at a completely loss... neither fish had any ick that I could see. Both were eating well (for what that's worth over the course of 48hrs)...

You need to test NO2, that would have been my guess from the start as the problem.

Anyone in the NW have an Elos NO2 test kit??:lol:

That really suck. Sorry to hear that... I think I will be taking things really slow

How do you maintain o2 in such a small tank?

Surface agitation, protein skimmer, drop into overflow chamber...

Elos NO2: 0.00 - 0.02

Pretty hard to tell the difference... but its not above 0.02 (by my eye)

Could have dropped back down in the last couple days. I would definitely say that was the issue. Waste wasn't introduced to spike a proper cycle and as a result insufficient bacteria was present when the fish were added and you got a little nitrite spike.

I would try adding some food or better yet some protein skim to the tank and measure your nitrite over the next few days, if it stays at zero you'll be good.

Sand was fully Live when added.. and the tank would have had a solid 3 weeks to seed from the sand... Inverts were added end of 3rd week... I think there was enough to build up the proper cycle.

Ah well... :neutral: