[Another] 20 long

[youincolor]

[ANOTHER] 20 Long

 

• Aqueon tank
• Current T5 2x24 watt
• Koralia 2
• 200 watt heater
• Everything controlled by a Reef Keeper Lite
• Small amount of healthy live rock, new sand seeded with old
• Assorted corals
• 2x Sexy shrimp
• 1x Cowrie

I recently transferred everything out of a stock Biocube 8 into a temporary 20 long while I build up my 40br again.

About 3 weeks out the cube:








The huge wall hammer colony was something a friend held for me when I took my tank down about 6 months ago. That was the only thing that wasn't in the Biocube. I dumped everything in, topped off with salt water, and haven't touched it since besides topping up the RO. No cycle, not going to be one. Pretty sweet.

I actually kind of like the minimalist look of an 8 gallon tank's worth of live rock, although I have buckets of old rock in the shed. I sort of just want to leave it alone for now and see what happens.

Just corals, no fish (thanks to the maxi-mini nem), one cowrie, two sexy shrimp, and no snails or hermits.

This isn't my first tank, I've had many. I have all the equipment to build up my 40br again, I just need the time. This will do for now.

 

[youincolor]

I'm thinking I want a possum wrasse in here as my first fish. I wonder what time of year they become available?

[youincolor]

i have a cpr hob overflow and a return pump, i think once i add a fish or two ill set up a 10 gallon sump and start running my skimmer (reef octopus).

[youincolor]

 

[youincolor]

Well it took two tries and about 4 hours total, but I have successfully modified my IKEA computer desk turned tank stand to accommodate a sump, and installed said sump!

 

I had to baby proof it, but that doesn't mean I had to paint it...

 

New guts.

 

Best thing on any tank I set up, ATO.

 

ATO pump and jug.

 

True gate valve to dial down the flow of water out of the tank to combat the dreaded slurp of an external overflow.

 

Back of the tank. Another aqua lifter to keep siphon in the overflow and to restart in case of a power outage (which happens frequently enough around here...)

 

Everything is still getting used to the extra flow.

 

Anyway thats about it right now. I have nothing in the sump at the moment, I might grow macro, or put more rock in there to cure it for the next tank I have to set up. I don't want to run the skimmer in there unless I have to. I am dripping Brightwell Kalk+2 in the ATO to help keep levels in check. I am hoping that I can rely on kalk solely for this for a while...

[Dr.eclipse]

purdy tank! (:

[d9hp]

Beautiful hammer...one of my favorite corals.

[gutterguy]

Looking great! I really like your sump setup.

[tymanzz]

Dang man, slick setup. Lookin real nice.

[Lee Van Reef]

I love the minimalist look. Makes it look a lot bigger

[youincolor]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone! This is my build up back to reefing, I took about 6 months off after tearing down a 58 gallon, but once a Biocube snuck in the house it was all over. Now I have my old 40 drilled and ready to go once I have the time.

 

Beautiful hammer...one of my favorite corals.

Yeah me too. I've had that guy for years now, even when I took 6 months off a friend kept it for me. I'm really glad to still have it.

 

Looking great! I really like your sump setup.

Thanks, I was hoping to keep it clutter free and leave open options for what to do with it.

 

 

I love the minimalist look. Makes it look a lot bigger

That's the idea! I'm thinking about rescaping though, I have buckets full of prettier rocks I could use now that I can keep the cycled stuff in a sump.

[nor_cal_nano]

BUUUUMP! YOU OUT THERE? What happened to you dude?

 

Come back and revive that 40b. That was one of the best looking tanks on here.

 

Took me a minute to find one of your threads. I coulda swore your sn was Jtimberwolf. Lmao

[youincolor]

Resurrecting this thread from the dead (I hope)

 

Thanks nor_cal_nano, who apparently quit as abruptly as I did back in 2011. I had some major family problems that June and obviously took quite a hiatus from the website. Thing is though, the tank kept going, and I had just enough time and effort to keep it limping along.

 

I have put much more effort into it in the past year, and I think even with spending a minimal amount of money on livestock, and a minimal amount of time on it, it looks pretty good. Let me know what you think:

 

FTS

 

Left

 

Right

 

Photos were quick shots with my iPhone 5, which looks about as good as my Nikon anyway. Bulbs are new ATI's, 1 Blue Plus and 1 Coral Plus. Everything is doing well, and I'm stoked I still have my massive anchor hammer coral. Going on about five or six years with that guy!

[youincolor]

FYI just in the vein of closure, I sold this tank off and basically all my reefing stuff in May of 2014. I had moved with it, TWICE, and it never looked as good as it did in the photos above where it just sat growing coral for like two years, and I barely touched it.

 

I am back at it though with an antiquated Biocube 8 (in my signature), so maybe in a year or two I will have been dumb enough to start another 20L or something.