Miniature .75g 11/3/02

[brandon4291]

I included the ruler in the center of the aquascape to show the spacing of the tiny frags. Part of effective dense aquascaping is getting lucky in finding tiny tiny frags that can be glue closely to one another. Its taken 2 1/2 months to find all these frags, and Im very happy with the array. Thanks Aquarilease and Hi-Tech Lubbock

Some of the brown/greenish montipora have two to three branches and yet are no more than one inch across the widest points. The caulastrea group is 1.5 inches long and has ten healthy polyps on it, and it takes up the largest single-specimen space in the minature aquascaping.

 

[brandon4291]

If a reef is going to be 100% sealed to prevent evaporation, then measures will have to be taken to control oxygen production and carbon dioxide uptake internally. This is done with a densely-stocked baffle refugium, an internal division that keeps caulerpas lit constantly while allowing for a dark cycle in the front part of the display. The dimensions of the miniature refugium, which is highly stocked with copepods and regularly fed, is one 1 inch front-back X 4.5 inches tall X 4 inches wide.

Im posting this rear angle update because many first-time viewers may not read the first three pages.

 

[brandon4291]

--Snapped this pic just after my boxer crab had molted, wasnt quick enough to catch him unzipping out of his former shell. The one on the left is the molt, the one on the right is the Lybia Tesselata.

Boxer crabs are one of the most ideal specimens to keep in a pico reef. They are long-lived and hardy, not nearly as tough as shrimp species to keep, and can be purchase very very small. This one is a little bigger than a pencil eraser and is colored bright red and white, a classic marine specimen.

 

[brandon4291]

I really believe that caulerpa growth would not be as strong in this system if it weren't for the rear-angle lighting. The fact that the Azoo palm light is on the vertical plane means light hits the top and the bottom areas of the refugium equally, and it only has to go one inch deep, so even the rear macro is well-lit 24x7.

I feel one reason the miniature sand bed is still so clean after 5 months is no bulk waste products accumulate due to the circulation and the degredation by the pods.


My non-concise version of Refugium Workings:


As arthropods/crabs/shrimp reduce higher wastes (which still have protein value to a creature the size of a pin-head) into particles sized for protozoans and bacteria, each animal group in the chain extracts the various energy compounds it needs for survival. Animals higher on the chain require more varied foodstuffs to meet metabolic demands, and by the time you are at the bacterial level, select compounds are all that is needed to sustain life. The wastes liberated by metabolizing these compounds are just basic elements to a large extent; Carbon, Nitrogen, Iron, Phosphorus and Oxygen for example-- nutrients the caulerpas are in short supply of! (not so much oxygen as this refugium is lit constantly) The key is to not exceed the uptake rate for any given nutrient.

A working refugium, both on the macro and micro-level, is a natural engine that runs a reef better than any man-made approach provided your intial bioload (fish and required fish food) is in proportion to the uptake rate of the refugium system.


Brandon M.


I laid some of the macro out on top of the tank to show how much fits into the small space, this is removing about half of it. In all honesty Id say two pounds of plant material have been produced in the last 5 months.

 

[brandon4291]

This is an important measure of the Mini75- the volume of the baffle refugium. earlier posts stated something like the left-rear 25% of the aquarium was converted into the internal refugium, its actually more like the left-rear 12% upon closer inspection.

I harvest one full handfull of c. racemosa out the refugium usually once a month. Its amazing to think this weight in my hand was not there earlier, its a bound matrix of all the nitrogen products and elements that a skimmer would normally remove. A good portion of the exported caulerpa is water, but the new plant material comes from the system---fully degraded coral slime, food particles, and systemic wastes are converted into plant matter by the engine of photosythesis.

 

[brandon4291]

Monthly update pic#647

The montiporas have new extensions now, arms that were pointing sideways have offshoots 1/4 inch pointing towards the light, about 8 new growths total. The one large orange montipora on the powerhead has grown down to conform along the sides about half an inch. Coralline and GSP growth hold the rock structure together, so when I move it there is no falling. GSP's have some irritating chemicals, but its not too bad and they really only cause local tissue damage on a healthy SPS specimen. I try to space them with tweezers accordingly as they grow.


The system consumes more calcium and carbonate than I once thought. Liquid C-Balance is doing well and is very simple! Long term calcium stability is apparent when SPS corals slowly spread over nearby rocks to gain their base foothold. These guys are slow---they will be very nice in June. See June update pic 4 mos from now... the tiny boxer crab is in the lower middle, below the two-head candy coral frag. hes just crawled over the red blastomussa group and caused them to retract.

B

 

[cmagallon1]

you truly are the nano reefer!


sweet job!

 

[Anonymous]

brandon429:

you really should seriously consider writing a book about this stuff, and getting published

 

[wombat1]

Ditto. I kept thinking about my next "BIG" tank, but now I'm constantly thinking of my next "smaller" tank after seeing yours. Just don't let it go to your head :wink: :wink: :wink:

 

[brandon4291]

I am officially forced to buy you boys a beer the next time I go surfing or diving in your vicinity.


As far as the book deal, Im all for it as long as PFB will write the prologue and introduction. :twisted: how about it bub?


Thanks guys

Brandon

 

[Anonymous]

I am officially forced to buy you boys a beer the next time I go surfing or diving in your vicinity.


As far as the book deal, Im all for it as long as PFB will write the prologue and introduction. :twisted: how about it bub?


Thanks guys

Brandon

I got dibs on the editing. :wink: I could do some of the photography, too. hehe

 

[brandon4291]

John Id take you up on the editing, you can fix my evil first-person habit.
I, you, it, they are my friends ever since 7th grade.


Photog. questions:
1. How do you guys get such sharp closeups? Mine always distorts if I get closer than three feet. Remeber, this is a Kodak WM special. Comes with matching printer...

2. Without my flash, the whole picture is washed out. even with the large blinds open in the living room. If you guys are getting this powerful up close detail apparently you need good lighting--wheres it coming from?

Thanks


here is a shot of the powerful lighting for the M75. Its two 13w pc's which are very bright and can be easily fan-cooled. Larger setups will not need to fan cool them if they have remote ballasts such as on the Azoo Galaxy Lights. Each 7700K white bulb has been replaced with a combo 13w pc bulb/plug n go. This is 26 watts over 3/4 gallon BTW, a chief reason its okay to grow montipora in tiny reefs if you can keep them cool enough.

 

[brandon4291]

HEat SPike May 31st, central ac went out all day. uggh!


The system is not a total loss. Just as you said Matt! most of the copepods are alive but I feel I've lost most of the micro-sandbed fauna. The boxer crab is alive a eating coral tissue that has sloughed, the xenia is alive, and all the montipora has its color and tissue still. I suspect it may regrow but now it looks retracted and stressed. Montipora has not bleached, perhaps the polyps will emerge again. All blastomussa and caulastrea in the Mini75 is lost due to the AC outage. Lost about 45% of the corals in my first pico reef accident ever, two years from startdate. Let me classify this failure in its correct context: I don't consider death of these corals as a result of pico reefing; cooling system failure is an ugly and random variable that most reef systems of any size face---I woudn't wish it on my worst enemy. Anyway, the system can be rebuilt in time for the Omnimax display June 21st here in Lubbock So, its not a total loss. Matt and Seamaiden thanks for your input it greatly helped.

Brandon M

 

[Anonymous]

brandon429:

given what the tank went through, especially considering its size, and the potential for any decomposition to completely ruin that small a volumed habitat-the fact that the tank looks as good as it still does is just a fine testament to what you've done for 'pushing the size envelope'

kudos

now go write the damn book!!! :wink:

 

[LA-Lawman]

sorry for the disaster bro.... how did the caulerpa survive. did it go sexual with all of the nutirents and such. can it be salvaged???

 

[brandon4291]

Hey Ben hows it going? Believe it or not, the caulerpa racemosa did not crash, the little baffle refugium developed some microalgae infestations but Ive now carefully scraped it out and recovered the tiny system. Started buying new frags as well, this time Ill include much more montipora. And, my LFS had in some of the rarest orange, red and yellow zoanthids Ive ever seen and wouldnt you know they hooked me up! Ive made a detailed list with pics of what survived and what didnt, as well as several pics that show SPS growth during the life of the first round. Couldnt get them up this weekend, but will tonite. Half of the SPS survived 6 hours or so of 100 degree water I swear, but they were in the direct flow of the powerhead and this must have been enough radiative cooling to keep them from burning alive. As Vitz has stated (even before I had final pics) the LPS wilted away as did half the SPS> good call bro. Ill get those final pics on tonite, as well as the rebuild and restock pics.

THanks guys

B

 

[fishfanatic2]

This has got me hooked on nanos! How much do one of these things cost?
I'm thinking of a 2.5-3 gal. desktop style.

 

[LA-Lawman]

I noticed a fan behind the tank Brandon.... is it on a timer or is it something you turn on on hit days.... Maybe a thermo-probe could be rigged in the future to turn on when the tank hits a certain mark....

I am thinking of doing this for my 20g.... i want to perfect my skills on a bigger tank before i tank before i take the plunge to the sub gallon tanks...

if you need a candy frag. I will fed-ex ya one..... let me know

watch out for those zooanthids.. be sure you wash your mits and such... there have been some horror stories on the web lately... i have some green, pink, orange and a few yellows... i am very careful on how i handle them if and when i do....

 

[brandon4291]

That's excellent advice Ben. You know, I don't know much about thermal chillers but I could picture how handy it would be. Just recently I saw a $90 unit at a LFS that utilized a large CPU DC fan to cool heatsinks attached to a plastic probe. I kept thinking a good chiller would circulate internal liquid or be actually "cold" as opposed to strict passive radiation.

Is this like the ones you are describing? The fan is actually a required hassle so far. It is the chief reason for my salt creep, but also required to cool the intense lighting. If a chilller could replace it then the unit would be much more usable at an office than with the bulky fan and wiring.

Fish I just read the post and noticed I didnt answer. Sorry man, Im rather scatter brained at times it wasnt on purpose! I have about $250 into the system, and I would agree that if you were to take one to work a 3+ gallon would be a better choice because it is less requiring of daily attention as far as temp monitoring and system assessment.

Thanks Fish if you get one give us those pics

 

[Anonymous]

That's excellent advice Ben. You know, I don't know much about thermal chillers but I could picture how handy it would be. Just recently I saw a $90 unit at a LFS that utilized a large CPU DC fan to cool heatsinks attached to a plastic probe. I kept thinking a good chiller would circulate internal liquid or be actually "cold" as opposed to strict passive radiation.

Is this like the ones you are describing? The fan is actually a required hassle so far. It is the chief reason for my salt creep, but also required to cool the intense lighting. If a chilller could replace it then the unit would be much more usable at an office than with the bulky fan and wiring.

heh-we sell them-called a 'mini-chiller'-saw it in our display cabinet, and i was gonna ask my boss what he can tell me about them-i'll let you know if he has any info/specs-when i remember to ask him :wink: