Snazzy 12g Nano

[Snaz]

Some background on my solitary tank. I have had this little Aquapod 12 since August 2008 which as of today is almost four years. I have customized the tank including:

- Cheato refugium in one rear compartment.
- Upgraded return pump.
- Overflow lifted 1 cm.
- Replaced stock light with DIY 16 x 3W Bridgelux LED (50/50 blue and white) with dimmers.
- DIY ATO.

I have a busy household with kids and their hobbies so while front and center in the family room this tank cannot look messy. The All in One (AIO) achieves this look with hose and wires tucked away neatly so attention is focused on the contents of the glass and nothing else.

So some big reefers will no doubt chide me for a measly 12 gallons as some skimmers hold more than my display but I think big things can be done with little tanks. Nano tanks are not harder to maintain as many will falsely advise and are quite suitable for beginners.

Now my tank was in a holding pattern for over a year with minimal maintenance while I looked after my newborn daughter and I lost a lot of my favourite corals including all my beloved zoas. Now that my youngest is running around and a badly needed lighting upgrade(LED) six weeks ago in April 2012 I have a renewed interest in this tank. I am collecting again what I lost and trying some more difficult corals. The tank is a little bare right now but it will soon look full again.
Keith.

[Snaz]

Here are a few pictures I took today with my little Canon PowerShot.

[Borderjumper]

beautiful! That closed zoa polyp in the first picture has a nudie on it.. Grab It

[subman]

Great looking nano Keith! Love the collections of zoas. Need a FTS!

Originally Posted by Borderjumper

beautiful! That closed zoa polyp in the first picture has a nudie on it.. Grab It

Great eyes!

[Tom R]

Hi Keith

The nano is looking great.

Tom R

[Snaz]

Originally Posted by Tom R

Hi Keith

The nano is looking great.

Tom R

Thanks Tom. If you are still in Cloverdale I would love to bring my six year old over to see what a big reef looks like sometime. Bribe you with a beverage?

[Snaz]

Originally Posted by subman

Great looking nano Keith! Love the collections of zoas. Need a FTS!

Thank you. The last shot is essentially a FTS.

[Borderjumper]

Originally Posted by subman

Great eyes!

No, an IPad that makes it easy to enlarge images!

That nudie has been feeding on that particular zoa for a while, that's why he's an exact color match. I bet if you pop that frag off the rock he's living underneath it.

[Snaz]

Originally Posted by Borderjumper

That nudie has been feeding on that particular zoa for a while, that's why he's an exact color match. I bet if you pop that frag off the rock he's living underneath it.

I took the frag off as you suggested and inspected the base of all three pieces and they appear to be solid glue with no obvious hiding places. I gave it a good going over but did not see the little bugger.

I did find one on another colony which I was able to suck up with a pipette... I think I may use the Salifert FWE on all my zoas colonies but I need to come up with some magnification as my eyes are not what they once were.

[Snaz]

Originally Posted by Borderjumper

beautiful! That closed zoa polyp in the first picture has a nudie on it.. Grab It

Lol, as soon as I made this post I saw the nudie too! Its lights off now and I can't find it! I have a few pest issues to deal with as the pictures illustrate. My two large plates of Echinopora are being stung by an Aiptasia, I bought a peppermint shrimp last week but he went over the false wall and is somewhere in the maze of compartments doing me no good.

The nudies are new and worrisome, this is the fourth I have seen in two weeks, the other three I was able to catch. I have nothing that eats them so I could be in big trouble. No zoas purchases until I get that sorted out.