Lynn's 20g clown tank.

[lcstorc]

Well I have had this tank up and running for a while now. It has changed so many times and I have always just chatted about it on my reef chronicle.
Originally it was set up over a year ago as a QT tank. Then it was what I called my science experiment. Basically I left it up w/LR and water and pretty much ignored it. I had more fun than you would believe watching all sorts of critters come out of the LR when left alone.
All this time it had a simple HOB bio-wheel filter and a peppermint shrimp who was in time out for picking on a coral.
Well several months ago I just couldn't stand an empty tank anymore so I bought a pair of Clarki clowns for the tank, added some sand and started maintaining it.
Long story short I bought an Aqua C Remora skimmer and finally have some filtration going so of course I then needed to replace the 15w flourescent light. I got a Nova Extreme T5 light set up and things started looking good.
Bought my husband a red corris wrasse and put him in that tank for the short term so we can watch him start to change colors. He will quickly outgrow this tank and move to the reef but he is there now.
Had to remove my flameback angel from the reef since it was finally witnessed terrorizing my LPS corals and he got moved into my clown tank as well.
A week or two ago I woke up one morning to find the female clown dead. No reason that I can determine. The paramaters are great on the tank. No signs of illness and nobody was beating her up at all. One of those unexplained deaths.
So yesterday I replaced her.
Once again I had my pair of clowns and was happy. They got along immediately and the new one is eating great.
Then today I went to the LFS to get some water.
Why do I do this to myself?
Came home with a gorgeous RBTA. The price was great and it is the most beautiful anemone I have seen at a LFS. Hopefully the T5 lights will be enough but I think they will on that small of a tank.
So we now have

A 20g tank.
An Aqua C Remora skimmer
A red corris wrasse
A Brazilian flameback angel
A pair of Clarki Clowns
A RBTA
A scarlet hermit crab
3-4 snails of various types

I will post pics as soon as the anemone comes back out. It attached almost immediately and is already starting to come back out. Hopefully in another hour or so it will be expanded and I can get some good pics.

[sasquatch]

WAY to GO Guys!!!!! now thats a great story, in fact it makes me want another,yikes! I guess it will just about dominate the 20 in a short time, we be waiting for pics!

[bluespotjawfish]

Yippee yeah!

[kathywithbirds]

Oh wow, that's cool. I was trying to talk Mike into a 55 gal but he is on the fence, expense vs. moving in a year vs. it's his mother's place. He'd like one though.

Put up a pic of that wrasse! Didnt' know they could change colors.

[lcstorc]

It looks completely different as an adult than as a juvinile.
Right now mine looks like this.

Here is a link that shows what the adult looks like.
Gaimard Coris WrasseAlgae

You wouldn't believe it is the same animal at all.

[lcstorc]

I am so excited.
Woke up this morning and walked by the tank. Wasn't really looking but I noticed the anemone had moved up slightly and was moving oddly. Actually looked in the tank and one of the clowns was snuggled in all comfy.
I hope the clowns pair up and share the anemone but one found it awfully quick. It was still dark so I am not sure which was in the anemone but one found it.
I will try for some very quick pics before work but since the lights don't come on for several hours I may not get anything worth posting.

[Triggerjay]

not to get off topic, but how did your frogspawn turn out?

Jason

[Woodstock]

Awesome thread Lynn & Frank

Beautiful wrasse and congrats on the clown finding the anemone!

[lcstorc]

The frogspawn saga is not going well though it is still going. We cut two more heads off this weekend since the flesh was falling off. This leaves one head that was going back and forth from looking awful to fine. I am becoming more and more convinced the Chevron is playing a part in the Frogspawns issues so we moved it to the other side of the tank this weekend. Away from where he likes to hang out.
Hopefully I will be able to save the last head.
Couldn't get any pics of the clown and anemone this morning. When I went back with the camera everybody was awake since the house lights were on and the clowns were back swimming around the tank.
I am very pleased though at how quickly the anemone settled in. Hopefully it will decide it likes it in the tank and will do well for me. I have had bad luck with anemones in the reef but this is a whole different setup that is really there just for the clowns and the anemone.
The wrasse and the flameback are temporary residents. I am trying to talk Frank into getting rid of the flameback and I think I have almost done it. The wrasse is going to get big so it will have to move to the reef if it gets too big or if the bio-load proves to be too much for this tank.
Ever since I have put the lights and skimmer on the tank it is looking and testing great.

[Woodstock]

How do you like the skimmer? Has is produced a lot of skimmate? I loved my remoras.

[lcstorc]

So far I think I am loving it. Not a lot of skimmate yet but it is definitely working and is producing some. It is still a bit noisy but the instructions that came with it said it could be for the first couple of weeks so I am just waiting. It's really not bad, but I can hear it. No microbubbles at all which kind of suprised me since I have heard several people talk about that and it was another thing listed in the instructions as a possible short term problem.
I think it is probably overkill for this tank but then again I love skimmers that are overkill. It fits right in with the G4+ on a 125.

[rebekwl]

Sounds like everything's going great. I can't wait to see pics! I LOVE Corris Wrasses, they are so pretty!

[lcstorc]

A couple of quick pics. Not that great but better than nothing.

[lcstorc]

And a few more.

[bluespotjawfish]

Nice BTA and fishies. I see why you couldn't pass it up!