Reefs.org Forums

[Matt_]

The larger shrimp is preggo by the way!

[MartinE]

I always enjoy your builds Matt seems to be something new and inventive every time.

[The Escaped Ape]

The larger shrimp is preggo by the way!

You didn't.

[Matt_]

I always enjoy your builds Matt seems to be something new and inventive every time.

Thanks!

[Matt_]

The larger shrimp is preggo by the way!

You didn't.

The little guy did! I was worried they were fighting because they would stay on opposite sides of their little container whenever I looked in. But, like my dad explained to me when I was 7, "they were fighting in a happy way".

[The Escaped Ape]

Any pictures yet of your pair?


The shrimp. I'm talking about the shrimp.

[Matt_]

Other parts I haven't listed yet:

Azoo Model 180 powerhead (48gph)
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=4591

Marineland 10W Shatterproof Heater
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=18445

[Matt_]

I heated an airline with a hair dryer and bent it to conform to the right shape, siliconed it down to the bottom of the tank and ran it down the back. I'll bubble air in at night.

I also chopped up the Kydex a bit in order to create an overflow slot.

[MartinE]

Ive been pumping air into my 15gal a few hours a nite the last week or so and have seen a ph jump to about 8.2-3 from my usual 7.7-8 reading at nite and early morn.

[Matt_]

Ive been pumping air into my 15gal a few hours a nite the last week or so and have seen a ph jump to about 8.2-3 from my usual 7.7-8 reading at nite and early morn.

Yeah.

[Goldstein]

Very nice build Matt. I have been eyeing those tanks for a while to do 'something' with one.

They have a glass lid with the top? Otherwise I could see salt creep and spash from the air bubbles being a issue over time.

I'd like to do something similar but for one of those B+W starship trooper crabs (forget the name but I think they are commensal on many larger urchins)

[Matt_]

Very nice build Matt. I have been eyeing those tanks for a while to do 'something' with one.

They have a glass lid with the top? Otherwise I could see salt creep and spash from the air bubbles being a issue over time.

I'd like to do something similar but for one of those B+W starship trooper crabs (forget the name but I think they are commensal on many larger urchins)

Thanks! It comes with the wooden frame, not the glass lid. I scored, cut, and siliconed the glass to the wood myself. Only cost around $15 all told and took about 30 minutes.

Even with the lid I think there will be salt creep issues if I use air. I plan on using 2 little powerheads on timers to get an alternating gyre of flow in the tank without using an airstone, but an airstone may end up working out okay too. I'll update when I get to that point.

I think the shrimp you are talking about are Gnathophyllium sp. aka bumblebee shrimp. They are sort of commensal on Diadema urchins but the relationship doesn't seem like it is obligate. I've seen many wild photos of them just hanging out near an urchin or in a sponge or something. In any case, they will do just fine at home without an urchin.

[Matt_]

Here's the plan for the 2 pumps. There is enough space for them both to fit and protrude through the kydex. I had to DIY 2 nozzles to get a 90 degree turn on the output. Each one will be on for 4 (or 6?) hours at a time, with perhaps a 15 minute overlap where both are on. The idea is to get a gyre (of sorts) going in the tank that will alternate direction.

[Matt_]

Yet another pic. These are the Azoo powerhead nozzles, adapted to spray at a 90 degree angle. I siliconed a piece of black kydex to the end (I used a hole punch to make the circle) to make an end cap. Then drilled and dremeled a small hole on the side of the cylinder.

[Matt_]

Getting there...

[The Escaped Ape]

Wow, this is looking a lot smarter than I thought it might. Good work Matt.

Still feeling bereft of shrimp picts though. :sob:

[Matt_]

Wow, this is looking a lot smarter than I thought it might. Good work Matt.

Still feeling bereft of shrimp picts though. :sob:

Ah, thanks Tom. Coming from someone with such an eye for the aesthetic I'll take that as quite the compliment!

[The Escaped Ape]

I have an eye for the aesthetic and a great admiration for anyone who can do DIY and make it look good. Something I suck at royally.

[pslee]

Hey Matt. Nice build! How are you gonna control the two pumps? Timers? What other critters are gonna be in this tank?

[Matt_]

Hey Matt. Nice build! How are you gonna control the two pumps? Timers? What other critters are gonna be in this tank?

Hey Pat, just plain old digital timers for the pumps, one for the air pump, and another for the lights. It will all be hidden in the stand. If we have some time someday bug me to show you the LED light that Tosh is building for me.

Critters will be a 3" Palau green Nephthea colony, a 10-15 polyp Acan colony, and maybe a nice small Echinophyllia if I can find exactly the right color/size. I may do a fish, but I want to wait at least 6 months before that happens. Pleurosicya or Bryaninops sp. if I can ever find one, or an Eviota as a fallback. In addition I want to do some other neat tiny shrimp like Urocaridella or Gnathophyllium. I'll need to be extremely careful though as nothing can stress the bongos.

Nice avatar!