Sean's 20 Gallon FOWLR Aquapod/Sunpod

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[Microcosmos]

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Hi! My name is Sean and I have had a Sunpod/Aquapod combo for about two years now. I have about 45 lbs. of LR in there, a small toby puffer named (imaginatively, but always by everyone who walks by the tank) "Puffy", 2 false perculas named "Nemo" and "Marlin", a yellowtailed blue damsel "Dory", a bangaii (or whatever they are calling them these days) cardinal that has been dubbed both "Stripes" and "Spikes", and a yellowtailed blenny named "Rocky" due to his penchant for hiding in rocks with only his head poking out. Underneath the rocks (I know this because I saw them there when I had to take the tank apart to move) are about 6 or 7 nassarius snails that survive on detritus and are terrorized by Puffy instantly if they decide to show whatever passes for their little snail faces (the snails don't have names because I let other people name my pets, and no one has ever seen them to be able to name them!). On the LR is a thin crust of living things (imagine that!) like macroalgae, tiny sponges, tiny feather duster worms, coralline algae, other kinds of worms (the ones that stick waaaaay out to pick up food particles and then snake back into their hidey-holes; I don't know what those are called).

I got the sunpod aquapod combo because I was inspired by an incredible deal in Drs. Foster & Smith's catalog, but after 2 failed attempts to ship the aquapod (once it showed up broken, and the second time it showed up shattered; the sunpod was fine but I returned it both times) I ended up having my LFS order it for me (for an extra $75.00 or so) and it arrived in pristine condition, not even a dent in the packaging.

The first time I set it up I let the LR marinate for about 3 long months with MH light on it for a limited time every day and the circulation provided by the pump that came with the tank. When I added fish, they soon died off one by one and I had a hard time figuring out why because everything tested fine... But there was one thing I didn't test for: oxygen! I added an air pump, then added some new fish 1 or 2 at a time, and have had not one fish die since (even during the move, when the replacement water was 60 degrees or so (I had purchased 2 1/2 gallon jugs and kept them near the heater, but in October I guess it was still that cold in the place).

 

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So, do you think a bubble tip would survive Puffy, or should I get rid of him/her if I want to add anything living that doesn't have a spine? Also, what are those worms that snake out of rocks for long distances to scavenge for detritus?

 

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It started out fine, then shriveled up, then moved, then spread out again! I think it's happy now, but it does still occasionally shrivel up, only to spread out again the next day... I think it might be because my 250W MH light is on for 12 hours at a time, which might be a bit much for an anemone, though the fish don't seem to mind at all. I might adjust that if the anemone starts to look funky, but so far it is full-colored, and its mouth doesn't seem to be gaping, or open at all for that matter!

 

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Here's a better picture of Rocky, sorry for the messy glass!

 

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Here's another shot of the whole tank, after my most recent move (I've moved twice since I got the recent crew, I can never get the rocks into exactly the same position! I think the layout worked out okay though). I got Frank , but I lost Nemo (Marlin is still present and accounted for, but lonely; he tries to cuddle up with Puffy at night, and Puffy seems okay with it--sometimes).

 

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Well, it's been a while since I've posted, and lo! I've moved again, along with my traveling fish. I think I'll stay put a while now! All the remaining 5 fish are happy, but as I mentioned in another thread my beloved Frank the Bubble Tip is dead, killed by a surprisingly aggressive series of attacks by Rocky the Blenny. The remains were devoured by the Unseen Nassarius Crew in one night.

My new place has humongous windows with no real curtains to speak of, so hair algae is a bit of a problem, but coralline is also growing as are various live-rock inhabitants. Still, my rocks are mostly green and therefore not very "reeflike", but I'll post another pic of the new setup since the move one day soon...

I'm thinking about getting rid of Rocky and replacing Frank, and slowly moving towards true reefdom by adding a frag or two here and there...I'll definitely post if/when that happens too!!!