GregBox's 20gal Six Sided Reef

[GregBox]

Most up to date FTS

 

 

Tank Specs:

 

20 gallon AGA Hexagon

2x Koralia Nano’s (480 gph total)

100w Marineland VisiTerm stealth

AC 50 withRubble and Chemi pure elite

Ebay 15 LED strips 4x 402nm UV 1x 420nm Blue

Boost LED Par 30 LED

Live stock:

 

2 Orecellus Clown

1 turbo snail

2 astrella snails

2 nass snails

2 scarlet hermit crabs

1 Anemone crab

[GregBox]

It all started about 8 months ago when I bought a whole bunch of stuff on sale online to set up a 10 gallon nano. Well once I got everything that I needed together to build the tank, 2 koralia nanos, theo heater, salt, lighting, etc. I moved back home from college and started working my first post college career job. The tank sat and collected dust, we were going to Germany for 9 days to see family and I decided to try a low tech set up with the ten with a non mineralized top soil for a new carpet plant for my hi tech planted tank. Well now my salt water tank was occupied. So in the classic plague that befalls us fish keepers I found myself walking back to my car with a new fish tank….sometimes I just don’t know how it happens… well I was in love with pico tanks and set up this a 6.6 gallon petco special bookshelf tank. I bought about 4lbs of tonga branch and 8lbs of premium Fiji rock from the lfs. I also added an AC50 I had laying around running chemi pure. I let the tank cycle for about 2 months and then added some corals, basically the mushrooms and palys. Come Halloween I went and visited the old room mate at college and he gave me a bunch of frags in exchange for a 30” light that I was not using for a 20 long. Fast forward a month and you get this.

 

 

Well about a month ago I started to notice salt creep in weird areas. Low an behold the weight of the AC50 had caused the tank to start to bow and it needed to be replaced . Since the better half and I will be moving into a new place she wanted a tank that would look appropriate in the living room and I was so bored of rectangular tanks. After not finding any glass cubes in my price range I remember how when I was a little kid my dad kept a 20 gallon hex in the basement with some crazy colored guppies. So after finding inspiration from the hex owners on here I took the plunge in my six sided reefagon. I took the old sole inhabitant of the 6.6 a true perc and moved her into the tank and bought another true perc to release at the same time to try and avoid any territorial aggression. So I added about 12lbs of dead rock as a base stacked up the live rock on top of that and burried it all in about 15lbs of live sand. I also picked up another 5 lbs of pukani (spelling) rock. What I was left with was this.

 

 

After setting up the tank maybe two weeks later the xenia frag that I had gotten from my roomate died. So I checked all the water parameters everything was fine. So then I went to go to petco to get a new turbo since one of mine died in the 6.6 and I never bothered to replace it. All that sounded like an easy $2 trip to petco. But then I walk in look around and see my gf mesmerized by something in one of the reef tanks, this amazing carpet anemone. I almost hit the floor when she was urging me to buy it, now I know the rules of reef keeping with nems I should have waited and if it dies it is no ones fault but my own but I could not help myself. So we are now up to date and without any further rambling here is my most recent FTS 11-23-10.

 

Front pane looking left led’s only

 

 

Front right pane LED’s only.

 

Front pane with Compact Fluorescent day lights on.

 

Anemone Side with Day lights

 

Mushroom side with Daylights

 

FTS

 

 

 

Tank Specs:

 

20 gallon AGA Hexagon

2x Koralia Nano’s (480 gph total)

100w Marineland VisiTerm stealth (wish I had the 150w)

AC 50 with Debris Sponge and Chemi pure

Ebay 15 LED strips 4x 402nm UV 1x 420nm Blue

65watt PC with 50/50 bulb

 

Live stock:

 

2 true percs

1 turbo snail

2 astrella snails

2 nass snails

2 scarlet hermit crabs

1 Anemone crab (maybe have not seen him in a few days)

 

Corals

 

Unkown Zoas, Shrooms, Palys, Kenya Tree and 1 Carpet anemone (Stichodactyla haddoni)

Update!

 

My BoostLED PAR 30 2White 3Blue LED came in.

 

Picture of it mounted and on. I'm probably going to get one more just to be careful.

 

Will have SLR pics this weekend this is from my 8mp Droid Phone

 

[Jerfrog]

this is the coolest Hex ive seen!

[herefishy]

this is the coolest Hex ive seen!

 

Agreed! Looks really nice!

[GregBox]

Thanks Jerfrog and herefishy! I am loving the LED I highly recommend it. Hopefully its enough light for the carpet nem, but given the par data I think im just not used to the difference in color temp and lumes.

[pismo_reefer]

I really like this idea.....

[GregBox]

I really like this idea.....

 

Thanks Pismo!!!

 

So I added maybe 7~10 lbs of Bulk Reef Supply pukani rock, it was supposed to be a christmas gift from the GF but the box was a little smelly lol.

 

I tried to preserve the original shape of a pinacle but incorporate the effect of an ocean cliff slide with a rubbble zone that suggests a land slide or weathering. After lots of rock avalances, cursing, and spilling SW everwhere. I ended up with this. Enjoy.

 

[GregBox]

Update: Some signifigant Changes.

 

Well its been a hectic month in my reef, the carpet nem had to go as it was growing way way to quickly and quite frankly the fish were scared for their lives and avoiding that side of the tank. Also it turned out one of my "true percs" was an orcellis so I decided to mix up the live stock as well with a b/w o and oranage pair. Also added my new rock scape, I'm pretty happy with this one as it opened up the back of the tank for more water flow. I also added two new corals and a new long tip nem, the corals are a trumpet LPS and I forget the name of the other one I think its Galaxia. But my words are worthless with out a picture so please enjoy this SLR goodness.

 

[Braxis]

That is a beautiful tank! Do you have any new updates.

 

Edit: I am starting a 30 hex soon. Is that only one bulb?

[flick]

I love hex tanks, and ones like yours make them even better! Love all the updates (although I loved the carpet anemone) and both the old and new pair of clowns are gorgeous. Keep it up

[GregBox]

Flick- Thank you very much. I did love the carpet nem but It was as equally terrifing as beautiful, If I ever get a bigger tank I will get one again.

 

Braxis- Yes this is only one bulb! they are amazing, everything seems to be liking the light as well, I started dosing Kent Purple Tec 2.5 ml Once a week, after 3 weeks I started noticing the development of Coraline algae on my dead rock.... So i'm pretty impresssed, hopefully I can take some SLR pictures this weekend for an update, a box of ADA supplies and my freshwater tank have kept me pretty distracted.

 

Here is a picture (droid phone) of the coraline and zoa growth.

 

[Braxis]

Nice! How deep is your Hex?

[GregBox]

Braxis:

 

The tank is a standard 20 gallon Aqueon Hex so it is 18" Long 16" Wide and 20" tall.

 

How tall is the 30 gallon you are starting you may be better off with 2x 40 degree LED's

[Braxis]

Braxis:

 

The tank is a standard 20 gallon Aqueon Hex so it is 18" Long 16" Wide and 20" tall.

 

How tall is the 30 gallon you are starting you may be better off with 2x 40 degree LED's

Mine is 23" long 20"wide and 24"tall

I have been looking at the Odyssea 20" 72watt t5's

[GregBox]

Mine is 23" long 20"wide and 24"tall

I have been looking at the Odyssea 20" 72watt t5's

I had / have but am not currently using an odyssea fixture over the tank in the first couple of pictures. I use t5s on my freshwater but their energy consumption was too high for me. The led only uses 10 watts in fact my entire sw set up only uses 28 watts of power minus the draw of the heater and flows 640 gph. Not knocking t5s but seriously consider Leds I will be converting my fresh water to them soon as well.

[Braxis]

GregBox:

What did you think of the Odyssea lights?

[GregBox]

Braxis: They were okay, you get what you pay for, the reflector is not nearly as polished as an Aqualight. the fit and finish was also questionable as the light brackets would not fit properly. But in terms of reliablity it never let me down. All in all I would recommend it for use as a back up, or temporary solution, however I am biased towards the LED's so I would get more opinions.

 

-Greg

[GregBox]

SLR January Picture update.

 

Well my nem has really colored up since I picked it up it now has some green florescence. But it has also moved to a new home, down low and center in the tank. Also I have kept up with the Kent purple tec dosing and the coraline is starting to become more and more promenent. Other than that just regular water changes, and feedings. I think I could really use an aimable flash though, my pictures are leaving some clarity behind without it. Oh well.

 

Enjoy.

 

Overall Front Shot.

 

 

Bed side view

 

 

Candy Canes

 

 

Zoas and Kenya Tree

 

 

Shadow Side

 

[Fragster]

I really like how your tank has come together since you first set it up.

 

That sucks that you couldn't keep that carpet anemone, although it did dwarf your tank a bit.

 

What kind of settings are you using to shoot those pics?? The pics of my hex aren't anywhere near as nice as yours when it comes to coloration.

[GregBox]

I really like how your tank has come together since you first set it up.

 

That sucks that you couldn't keep that carpet anemone, although it did dwarf your tank a bit.

 

What kind of settings are you using to shoot those pics?? The pics of my hex aren't anywhere near as nice as yours when it comes to coloration.

 

Thanks fragster. I use an Olympus e 520 slr for the zoa picture above I used aperture mode with the ISO at 400 focus of 5.6 and set my white balance to 14000k and used a tripod. I also black the room out when I take pictures with the slr. With these setting I usually keep 1/10 photos, I took 61 photos to make my last photo update.

[Fragster]

Thanks fragster. I use an Olympus e 520 slr for the zoa picture above I used aperture mode with the ISO at 400 focus of 5.6 and set my white balance to 14000k and used a tripod. I also black the room out when I take pictures with the slr. With these setting I usually keep 1/10 photos, I took 61 photos to make my last photo update.

 

Thanks for the info, I had my white balance at like 5k, haha

 

I'll have to try and get some new pictures once I get home on Monday.

[Markushka]

This is a pretty sweet hex you have here, and that carpet nem was amazing! a pity you had to get rid of it.

[GregBox]

A Long Overdue Update

Wow, I can't believe its been 3 months since I updated but wow has my reef really colored up in that time, no major events to speak of, I lost one colony of Zoas to a Nudi branch or Stomolia snail which I removed from the tank, also since my clown are anti anemone hosting I bought a crab to keep it company.

 

All of these pictures are "Side Tank Shots" or the view that I see the tank from most.

 

Enjoy.

 

Oh course its all about these two.

 

Single pane view

 

FTS HEX Style

 

[GregBox]

Tank was taken down 10-2-11. Link to new tank coming shortly.