My Expensive Box of Water

[Jon in SW Ohio]

A newer hobby for me, and one that has already given me countless hours of enjoyment, my Nano Reef.

I've had to make a few modifications to the original tank so I could keep some of the more exotic creatures I wanted such as Christmas Tree Worms and a Crocea Clam, but "modding" the tank is also part of the fun.

The Tank

The "Watch Dog", my Royal Gramma

Christmas Tree Worms

Crocea Clam..its vibrant colors are near impossible to capture with a camera

Spaghetti Finger Leather Coral...the same color as a Hi-Lighter Marker

Pulsing Xenia...each little "hand" opens and closes constantly

Striped Mushroom Coral

Frog Spawn

Open Brain Coral...still "waking up" in this photo

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[Jon in SW Ohio]

And finally some of my favorites, the Zoanthids

Jon
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HERBALAIRE

 

[lienluu]

Looks awesome Jon! How long have you had it running? What size tank is it? Do you have a chiller on it?

This is my latest addition to mine, a red Goniopora

 

[Jon in SW Ohio]

Incredible Goniopora!! Isn't that what they call a flower pot coral? I am again humbled by your aquatic skills.

I've had it going for about two months and it is a 12 gallon AquaPod. I haven't needed a chiller yet since I am a big fan of air conditioning and computer fans and the tank stays between 78 and 80. The founder of the NanoReef forum actually has his store 5 miles down the road from me, so I lucked out when starting it up.

Jon
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HONDA CROSSROAD

 

[lienluu]

These things get addictive don't they? Yours is coming along really fantastic! You're lucky to have someone you can go to in person for help!

Any plans for another one yet?

 

[Jon in SW Ohio]

I'm about out of room on this "starter tank". Maybe a little room for some more zoas. There are four incredible coral dealers within 10 miles of me, and something tells me I'm going to eventually need a much bigger tank with a few more metal halides for stony corals. Maybe eventually a coral greenhouse like the one guy near me...definitely just as addictive as orchids. Now to get those guys into orchids:evil:

Jon
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[couscous74]

Coral greenhouse? ... WOW!

Nice stuff you guys got there :clap:

 

[bwester]

Wow yall, thats amazing!!

 

[Marco]

Those are great boxes of water!!! Lien what kind of you got swimming around those tanks? I would love to see picture if you have any.

 

[Heather]

Spectacular Jon - I am humbled by YOUR aquatic talents as well.
The clam is gorgeous. I don't think I had seen photos since that addition.

 

[streetmorrisart]

That is just awesome. I love your Royal Gramma...been eyeing those in books and at the Shedd since I was tiny. My husband wants a Nano in the worst way and I'm tempted to make that his (er, our) next gift!

I have a tetra tank filled with live plants and am working on a fancy goldfish tank. Just waiting on some dollars! It's always up for grabs whether I like fish or orchids more.

Robin

 

[Jon in SW Ohio]

Do your research before buying anything. I can't stress this enough.
The Royal Gramma is a pretty fish, BUT I would never recommend them. He is the only swimming creature I can have in the tank. When I first got him, the first thing he did was swim over and bite the face off my Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, killing it nearly instantly. If I were to try and add another fish, he would quickly go into Kill Mode, because this is HIS tank. He is also a very shy fish, and spends most of his time in the rockwork or darting out quickly to grab some food and back into one of his holes. To sum it up, an a**hole fish that you almost never see...but he is pretty. Maybe I should have bought that six-line wrasse instead...

Also, these little tanks are not necessarily ready to go out of the box. The new model of AquaPod I got is great compared to some of the others, but isn't without it's problems. The heat exhaust for the hood is not adequate, and coupled with the hot running stock pump will quickly take your tank up to 85 degrees. I ended up making a few upgrades to keep my temps between 78 and 80 degrees, added a refugium in the back filter area with some macroalgae, and added some expensive lighting so I could have a clam and some stony corals, so if you decide to get a tank let me know and I'll point you in the right direction. Basically, be prepared to shell out some money because nothing in this hobby is cheap.

Jon
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[L I Jane]

All I can say is Magnificent!!!!!!!!

 

[streetmorrisart]

Thanks for the info, Jon. This is why I have saltwater aquarium books on my shelves and have never succumbed. There are so many easy freshwater fish (relatively speaking, and only after having done it for 20+ years) that I'd almost rather stick to them. I'll have to find a gentle way to break the news to my man though--his eyes light up every time he sees these little glowing boxes!

Best of luck with your killer fish...

Robin

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

Great! I'm a reefkeeper too...I have a 55 gal tank (lit by 4 55wt pc's) with Montiporas, Caulastreas, Pavona,and loads of loads of mushrooms...fish include a tricolor wrasse, maroon clown, hippo tang, cleaner wrasse,coral beauty angel, and royal gramma. I also have a 39 gal, with mushrooms, 2 oscellaris clowns and a baby Koran angel. And yes, I have a nano-tank...not reef though. Its a 10 gal tank dedicated to local stuff...a spider crab, hermits, mud crabs, mud snails, and perwinkles. Since I added a pc bulb, I have lots of Ulva and Gracillaria...until they eat it all up. Take care, Eric

 

[Park Bear]

beautiful setup Jon...you are worse than me, I thought I added hobbies fast and jumped in head first, but I think you might have me.....I am a little older and my restaint now

 

[Gideon]

Very nice, I love marine tanks, use to own one many years ago...but then I started dating my wife...and priorities changed...funny how that happens...anyway, my friend is still very happy with it, along with the 23 others he now owns

 

[Jon in SW Ohio]

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I must agree. So here's my newest coral, an encrusting red Goniopora. Look familiar?

This photo was taken an hour after being put in the tank, so the polyps aren't as extended as they are today.

Another good sign, the small pink "rings" are a coral that was all but dead and unnoticible when I bought the porite rock with the christmas tree worms. Now they are growing back quickly and starting to get some color. I am guessing they are an Acan or a Favite, but not sure.

Jon
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Hemp

 

[adiaphane]

It is looking great, Jon! Now all I have to do is get a bigger apartment, find room for orchids, and a room for tanks.

 

[Marco]

It is looking great, Jon! Now all I have to do is get a bigger apartment, find room for orchids, and a room for tanks.

I thought you swore off of fish ever since that 300 gallon tank incident with the arrowana? oke: