Cuttlefish tank

[flampton]

Well I think I have an idea how I'm going to set up a tank for a single bandensis. Please let me know what you think, problems etc...

a 37 gallon oceanic systems glass tank 24.5/18.5/21
a 4-6in DSB with sugar fine sand for nitrate reduction. One thing I wonder is how much will these guys disturb the bed?

Some PC lighting

a cpr aquafuge with protein skimmer for nutrient export utilizing chaeto.

around 25 lbs of live rock with some more rubble in the refugium.

also a tridacnid squamosa, maybe some mushrooms and some cleaner snails.

Please any opinions?

Thanks
Eric

 

[Opcn]

Go for the shelf style live rockfrom Tonga if you can, Its easier to build ledges which cuttle fish enjoy.

 

[Paradox]

Bandensis wont disturb the sand bed too much.

Is the aquafuge/protein skimmer a HOB or a sump? be sure to have the water that enters this unit to go through a filter media or it will easily build up detritus in the chaeto and you will have a nitrate factory.

 

[Opcn]

Detritus builds up in a mechanical filter and produces nitrate too. A remote DSB is a good wayto deal with nitrate, that andtunicates. I just discovered a booming tunicate population in my mysis tank, if the population continues to flourish I can send some out, ask me in a month or so.

 

[Paradox]

I was just refering to fillter media that can be changed easily.

Chaeto has often been found to build up with detritus. One method reefers have tried to prevent this is to have the chaeto in a ball against a flow that will cause it to tumble, preventing detritus to build up. I personally just have filter media straining the water input which I just take out and repalce every week.

 

[flampton]

Its a HOB, so I guess I have to think about this a little more. I'm not sure if I could install some type of filter media or not. Maybe I'll look into a siphon overflow and a floor model. I kinda wanted to stay away from water leaving the aquarium. Has anyone plumbed a refugium area in the back using acrylic pieces?

 

[Paradox]

You can also ensure that you are good with cleaning the fuge. I used a hang on the back before and it did collect a lot of detritus. just ensure you have enough room to do a little maintenance on it. You can pull the chaeto out every week or two and rinse it in a bucket to get all the detritus out. When the chaeto is out, vacuum the insides of the HOB.

Ive made a few custom fuges. I always felt that they were more effective when the shape of the fuge was wider rather then deep and skinny. This is because once you get a lot of growth, the density of the macro will hinder light going through. So I often got a thick layer of macro just floating on the top, wasting space below it.

One solution I used when I had little space and no sump was to custom build a fuge that sat on the back edge and a small shelf behind the tank. This makes the fuge higher then the tank and allowed me to make it a little wider then the space just behind my tank. I then used a maxijet to pump water up to it. The return of the fuge was lower then the input, so it would just pour back into the main tank through a hose.

If you have the option, a sump is always the best way to do this. It will be more money, but will save you some headaches in the long run. There are numerous benefits of having a sump, but this can easily double the cost of the system. If this is not an option, it more then possible to have a successful sumpless ceph tank. I did for 5+ yrs!

 

[Thales]

Ive made a few custom fuges. I always felt that they were more effective when the shape of the fuge was wider rather then deep and skinny. This is because once you get a lot of growth, the density of the macro will hinder light going through. So I often got a thick layer of macro just floating on the top, wasting space below it.

Some people deal with this by running the light on the side of the fuge rather than on top of it.

 

[muskox]

I have also been setting up a cuttlefish tank and would like to know what you think.

I have a 20 gallon tank (yes, I know it's small)

SeaClone 100 protein skimmer

AquaClear filter and powerhead

Very little live sand and one live rock

I'm not sure what kind of lighting to use though

Oh, and I have a skunk cleaner shrimp (I don't know what I'm going to do with him)

 

[Jean]

you need more live rock and sand, cephs produce HUGE quantities of waste, way more that similar sized fish, keep the lighting low cephs are not comfortable in bright light. Find a new home for the shrimp or he'll be cuttlefish dinner!

J

 

[DHyslop]

Chaeto has often been found to build up with detritus. One method reefers have tried to prevent this is to have the chaeto in a ball against a flow that will cause it to tumble, preventing detritus to build up. I personally just have filter media straining the water input which I just take out and repalce every week.

I've found that in my systems a round clump of chaeto isn't very useful--only the outer reaches ever get any light and the older stuff inside discorporates. I stretch the clump out over a "table" I made in my 'fuge out of eggcrate.

I agree that good mechanical filtration is important to stop detritus building up in the sump/'fuge area. I've heard of people buying a half dozen filter socks and just throwing them all in the washing machine with a little bleach when you're ready for a new one. I might try that now that I own a washer

Dan

 

[Opcn]

If thats what you want your primary tank like you need a fuge.

Edit: re: Chaeto. My aquarium buddy (only other guy I know with a reef tank) bought a bottle of aquapods two years ago, it had about an inch total of chaeto in it, since then that inch in his tank and mine has grown to at least 4 pounds. The nutrient export is not in the continued life of the algae, but rather in the continued growth, if you get good light to part it wont matter if the center of the ball is barely hanging on, because the edge will grow rapidly and then you go through are remove all of the extra chaeto and get your self back down to a small ball, unless pod production is your goal, in which case you should be leaving it to fall to bits slowly (very very slowly indeed)

 

[Jean]

I've heard of people buying a half dozen filter socks and just throwing them all in the washing machine with a little bleach when you're ready for a new one. I might try that now that I own a washer

Dan

Run them through an extra rinse cycle, all the bleach must be neutralized, if you can smell any chlorine at all.....it's too much! If we need to bleach any of our tanks we spend a week or so neutralising them!

J

 

[Thales]

Weekly water changes would help too. I think the seaclone is not a good enough skimmer to rely on as primary filtration.