2(+) Year Retrospective of a 12g Nano

[goldenmean]

Today, January 22, 2008 is the 2nd anniversary of the first first livestock being added to my 12g nano. Alonzo bought me this LFS custom built acrylic tank for me for Christmas 2005. Saltwater and sand were added before New Years. Then Live Rock was added Jan. 2nd. I cycled the tank with just the die off of the LR.
No damsel nor deli shrimp. I didn't know of the deli shrimp method and I am grateful that the LFS did not recommend the live fish method. I took a water sample to be tested every week and after 3 weeks I was told my tank had cycled and I could add a couple of hardy corals and the CUC.

I have gone through all my pics - there were a ton of them - so this Retrospective will be pic heavy. The first here show the top and the equipment area of the tank. There are only 2 rear chambers separated by a bubble trap. The overflow chamber has a built in skimmer powered by a Rio 600 with rejuvenating venturi Powerhead. 2nd chamber has the ATO, heater and return pump.

The hood came with sunpac 32W PC lights and the cooling fan. I later added the moon lights.

The other pics are of the LR after it was added Jan. 2 2006

Much more to come.

[BarbMazz]

Good thread idea, Jeff.... It will be fun to see how your perspective has changed over the last two years, too... going from a beginner to the level you're at now.

[goldenmean]

Thanks Barb.
This has been a great lil tank and I felt it deserves a chronicle of its own and I never started one for it. I wasn't sure how much I would remember but i spent a couple hours going through probably 2000+ pics and the memories came flooding back. I think I can create a interesting and helpful thread. I have noticed a lot of new people here at RS that have justed started up nano tanks. I wanted to share with them my experience - the ups and downs.

The story will continue this eve after I get home from work with more pics.
No I am not going to share all 2000+ pics. LOL There are a lot of crappy pics. I have greatly narrowed it down.

[BarbMazz]

Have you noticed how many people are "working" but still here on RS? Like you, and me, and Al, and a whole bunch of others?

I look forward to seeing the pictures later tonight!

[BigAl07]

Happy Anniversary!! Great beginning to a GREAT Chronicle

[Jason25]

Happy Annivesary, I am one of those "working" but here as well,lol.

[BigAl07]

Originally Posted by BarbMazz

Have you noticed how many people are "working" but still here on RS? Like you, and me, and Al, and a whole bunch of others?

I look forward to seeing the pictures later tonight!

what's your point?

[Whiskey]

Great idea for a thread! Can't wait to see what it looks like now.

Whiskey

[goldenmean]

As I said after 3 weeks my LFS told me my tank had cycled and they recommended a CUC and said I could get a couple of hardy corals.
I started with 6 blue leg hermits, a couple of scarlet hermits, 6 astrea, & 4 nassarius snails. I also got a rock with some purple mushrooms and a colony of Green Star Polyps. I was fascinated with the hermits and fell in love with them. They are no where near as bad as their reputation! I had lots of hermit pics but my camera then did not have a macro setting so they are all blurry.

[goldenmean]

Two weeks later I visit my LFS and pick out a nice colony of bright orange zoanthids. Looking at my pics it took several days for them to really open up all the way. I did have a HitchHicker Crab that I never could identify. It was in the Zoa's rock and it never came out. I would see a leg or two come out of its spot searching for food.

At about the one month mark i did get a good hermit pics. This one blue leg was moving to a new shell and he went back and forth a few times. Obviously a nassarrius snail had died . . . or been killed. I wasnt feeding the tank yet so I dont know what the nassarius could have been eating at that point so he could have starved. Notice the aiptasia in the substrate behind the hermit?
I learned about Joe's Juice early on in my reefing. I also had a mojano that moved around a bit and did spit. I think I kept him for a couple of months and then he too got the Juice.

[goldenmean]

A couple weeks after I added the orange zoas I added a Red Open Brain (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi). He was bright red with neon green markings and he was kind of shaped like a pair of lips. Here is a pic of him on the first day and the second pic is after he had been in the tank for a couple of weeks.

The 3rd pic is a FTS at one month

[goldenmean]

Another 2 weeks pass and I HAVE to go to the LFS.
I picked out a colony of neon green Caulastrea aka trumpet, candy, candy cane coral. I placed him near the top of the tank because I knew she would want more light.

[goldenmean]

I waited 2 more weeks and added a magenta mouth fungia.
The fungia doesn't look so great here but he had just been added to the tank.
Wait till you see him later.
I also added two scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp.
This brings us to the two month mark from when the first livestock was added.
I have done a little re-aquascaping
Check out how large the Trachy gets during the day.

I tried to go slow. I added one coral at a time and waited 2 weeks between new coral.
Notice I still have not added any fish.
Also I have not yet discovered RS but I am about to.

That all for this eve. RS is about to upgrade servers and I got the new Coral Magazine in the mail today.

[sasquatch]

Nice Jeff! take your time and play it out, really liking the additions!

[goldenmean]

Here are some more pics of the fungia.
The first one is two weeks after it had been added to the tank
The next pic is about 4 months after.