Questions about my New Nuvo 16 Gallon

[saahilrtrivedi]

I upgraded from a Fluval Edge 6 gallon to a Nuvo 16 gallon about a month ago.
I've got some questions that I hope someone can answer.

Tank is stock. Has two IM lights (8 watts each) and one Wavepoint light (8 watts).
Livestock is: Two Occ. Clowns, One Royal Gramma. Some snails and hermits. One peppermint Shrimp. One orange starfish with black tips.

Corals: Assorted Zoas, two small hammers, one minuscule hammer, GSP.
Some of the Zoas are showing signs of growth and I've seen a couple new polyps sprouting up. It likely helps that I recently began feeding Coral Frenzy.
Anemone: One Condy Anemone, had it for a couple months. Two small BTAs (pinkish) that I bought recently.

I'm going to post the various questions in the next posts.

 

[saahilrtrivedi]

First Question: My current aquascape has a lot of small arches where the fish can swim through and two protected caves where my fish can hide.
The clownfish enjoy the arches and the royal gramma likes the bigger cave.
I'm not sure how nice the aquascape looks and I can't figure out if I like it or not.
It's also not the most functional for corals in terms of space on the sandbed.

I was also thinking a higher aquascape would look nicer.

I was considering setting up a large single arch type of aquascape using reef putty. I've attached some pictures of other tanks with a similar aquascape.

Should I stick with my current aquascape or switch it up?

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm9.staticflickr.com%2F8170%2F8052263936_57067beb50_b.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nano-reef.com%2Ftopic%2F311719-nuvo-16%2F&h=768&w=1024&tbnid=PpW1PYjIWPdalM%3A&zoom=1&docid=mTu0imoueFs-xM&ei=TsVCU6nuCO2GyQHGiIHwCw&tbm=isch&ved=0CHEQhBwwBQ&iact=rc&dur=1564&page=1&start=0&ndsp=10

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aquaticlog.com%2Fshowcase%2Fimage.jpeg%253FimageId%253D1806&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aquaticlog.com%2Fshowcase%2Fdashboard%3FaquariumId%3D719&h=478&w=800&tbnid=a-TJn-OB1AaU_M%3A&zoom=1&docid=RU4k39bp3uxolM&ei=TsVCU6nuCO2GyQHGiIHwCw&tbm=isch&ved=0CJUBEIQcMBE&iact=rc&dur=507&page=2&start=10&ndsp=20

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nano-reef.com%2Fuploads%2Fgallery%2Fcategory_2%2Fgallery_79360_2_6105.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nano-reef.com%2Fgallery%2Fimage%2F39276-nuvo-16-gallon%2F&h=455&w=640&tbnid=_IIBRJlHCXFs8M%3A&zoom=1&docid=sN9rAv4GhQmh0M&ei=TsVCU6nuCO2GyQHGiIHwCw&tbm=isch&ved=0CI8BEIQcMA8&iact=rc&dur=241&page=2&start=10&ndsp=20

 

[saahilrtrivedi]

Second Question:
I recently bought a BTA that the seller described as a pink bubble tip.
It might just be bleached...but it is white with pink tips on the end. (Not a coney anemone though)

It ended up in a really weird spot sticking out of a gap between two rocks. It was facing the front of the tank not the light.

I decided to place it somewhere else and went to move the rock. I didn't realize it was attached firmly to both rocks and as I picked up the rock the anemone was ripped in two.
There was barely any resistance so I'm sure it was in the process of splitting at that point.

Both anemones were placed in protected areas where they could retract if in danger. The bigger piece seems to be doing fine.

Should/Can I feed them or should I let them be?

 

[saahilrtrivedi]

Third Question:
My two small hammer corals have not been opening much in my new tank. They are both in the middle of the tank with low/medium flow.

The clownfish are all over one of the hammers so it is not too surprising that it is retracted, however, in the clownfish had the same behavior in the old tank and the hammer was still open. (Similar placement, one 8 watt Wavepoint fixture which is still directly above the hammer).

Any suggestions on how to get either one to open more?

 

[dherrera83]

I have a 16g nuvo. Aquascaping looks nice, its all on how you like it. Dont move the BTA cause it will just keep moving till it finds a good spot. Check ur levels and keep up with water changes. Might have been something from the transfer.

 

[saahilrtrivedi]

Fourth Question:
My Condy anemone, which was white when I bought it, is taking on a green color.
I believe this is good since it seems like it was bleached when I bought it and is now becoming healthy).

However, it is rarely expanded to its full size. When it was white in color it would usually be much larger.

It is also not in a crevice but right on top of the highest rock in the tank.

I've posted two old photos when it was white and a very recent photo.





Edit: not sure why the last photo is upside down.
But you can see how small the anemone is.

 

[saahilrtrivedi]

I have a 16g nuvo. Aquascaping looks nice, its all on how you like it. Dont move the BTA cause it will just keep moving till it finds a good spot. Check ur levels and keep up with water changes. Might have been something from the transfer.

Thanks for the response

Haven't checked levels in a while, new testing kit is on the way.
I do a 30-40% water change every 2 weeks.

I'm not going to move the BTA anymore, and it seems to be happy. I'm considering feeding it some fish though.

About aquascape: I do like the aquascape, especially the various arches for the fish. If I make the aquascape higher (I don't plan to add any rock) I would lose the small arches that the fish swim through).

Main concerns about scape are: too low, not enough sandbed room

 

[saahilrtrivedi]

Bump

 

[dherrera83]

You really dont need to feed the bta. I never really feed mine. It will just pick up food as it flows by during feeding time.

Try not to over feed till the tank settles.

The aquascape looks good the way it is but its up to you. I would add a bit more on either the left or the right. Just to give it a bit more shape.