After all the past trials and failures with keeping a nano reef tank I believe I have finally got it together. Well. I had a lot of help from the pple here and info I gained in the process, so wasn't really me I guess but everyone that helped to build this.
Since there was a great sale on Finnex 30gl with metal halide lighting and liking the style this is the tank I bought.
Well, never happy with things the way they are and wanting to try the ultra low nutrient system (ULNS) I removed the back chamber and took out the refugium since it is not needed for the ULNS.
I wanted a back ground, something like the foam backs I saw here, but was a bit afraid of having the foam in the tank for a long time and what it could leach if anything at all.
Instead I superglued rock I cut smooth one side. I did end up going to high though. There is more than the pic shows. The rock I glued to far up really serves no purpose since I can't place corals on it or they will be out of the water.

There are 2 big pieces on the sand bed and one large sitting on it, the rest is glued to the back.

Sept. when started.

Tank today

Added a wrasse today. Filamented Flasher. Looks like a female Red tail flasher too.

I like the way you placed the live rock. But what happens during a water change when the top 1/8th is no longer covered in water?

Won't hurt anything if corals are out of the water for a few minutes. During low tide acres of them are out of the water for much longer periods. SPS, lps, zoanthids, mushrooms, anemones, they all can handle it just fine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfOBqEPX6GM...player_embedded

couple more inhabitants of the tank

Wow thats nice Great job!!

Do any of your crabs ever venture out on top of the upper rocks? I think thats just totally interesting to see.

Actually, I don't have any crabs except a few tiny hermits but they don't seem to venture up that way.

Cool tank! I like the rockwork a lot. You've done a great job filling it up with corals. Would you mind posting a side shot?

What, I am so excited about those frags you sent me. I think all of them survived pretty good except for one. Now I just have to figure out where to put them. Thank you again. I really appreciated it.

I'm going to put some pictures up pretty soon here. Maybe you can tell me what each one is.

A couple of them are known to be touchy and take a while to open once moved so give them time. The ones on the plug are one of them, same as the Ked Reds. Don't toss them till they look like they are going to rot away. I do not remeber exactly what all I sent so pics will help ID them.
Glad you like the ones that opened already and keep the Mohawks and Raptors (both seem to be fast growers) as close to the lgiht as you can get them, especially the Mohawks. They really do best under metal halide, but if you keep them at the top they will be fine. Color will not be as intense, but still nice.

Latest sps additions.
The first I believe is an Orange didgi?
Know what the 2 in the second picture are?

beautiful tank !!!

Thanks. I am having some really good results with the Prodibio Bioclean treatment and the NeoZeo zeolith media. I was hoping for a little faster growth with the sps, but that may be a relative thing since I see tham daily and am not taking measurements, the zoanthids seem to be doing really well.
Starting with 3 polyps of Nuclear Green a couple of months ago I now have over 20.
This does puzzle me a bit though.
Zoanthus sp. are not well with the occasional loss of polyps. Protopalys are now doing very well, whereas upon starting the Neozeo I thought I would loose all types. Palythoas have done well from the start.
SPS, of which I am focused on, have colored up nicely.
LPS have done fine also. Acans, Blasto and Galaxia are feeding and growing.
When the Prodibio runs out I am considering going to the Zeovit method.
It is a bit confusing, balancing carbon, bacteria...I am still in the learning stages.
At least my stark white rock is becoming covered with coralline...finally.
Room is becoming an issue though. Must choose carefully from here on out.

wow, just wow, i am amazed, i love this tank !


is that a pygmy angel ?

Yes, it is. At first, after introducing the McCosker's wrasse, the pygmy harassed it. I was a bit worried, but now they seem to hang around each other most of the day.
Can't wait for the tank to grow out some. There are so many amazing nano tanks on this forum, sometimes I am embarrassed to post FTS of mine. Finances are the main barrier I encounter with this, but I am sure I am not the only one with this problem.
I think I may have lucked out in finding a local source for nice sps frags at $15 each though.

Ive been comparing growth on some of the corals
Oct 8th

now

Notice some red looking algae starting in patches here and there. it was on a couple of the rocks that corals were attached to and seems to be spreading. It is really short turffy looking and difficult to remove.
Anything that might eat it besides a fish?

save yourt tank from the algae send that frag to me!

Latest FTS

Right side

left side

center

Really pleased with the way the zeolith (since been running 3 hours on/3 hours off) has been doing and the Prodibio.
Still want to start coral amino acids and a coral color product. Probably will go with the zeovit products.

Very nice, this tank will be awesome once the corals start to mature.

Update pics
getting some sps growth but colors are not as bright as I would like.
I am trying some amino acid to see how that does.



this birds nest is pretty slow growing though

My favorite. Doing pretty well so far.
Oct 08 09

Today

this tank is awesome i will buy frags any time from u. good thing ur in florida!

Thanks. would be nice to get some good growth from my sps and be able to frag them some day. Don't know if they would really grow large enough in this tank though.
I want to get some of the rare zoanthids too some day. Again though, not much room.
I think I am overly anxious to see it fully covered with corals. Patience is not an easy virtue to attain when doing a reef tank, at least for me it seems.

I would like to change the title
'I think I finally did it right'
to
'Turning into a nightmare'
Algae popping up everywhere now. I need to do something to get a grip on this.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Think some Chemipur would help? I saw it in one of the fish stores here.
Now this is starting and growing fast too.

some update pics. Don't laugh at all the algae please. I AM trying.

those pics are awesome and when u say the algae is getting out of control u dont mean the blue algae right? what lights are u using because ur colors are awesome.

I actually think the algea compliments it...looks great!!!

Thanks. Yes, the blue algae and the red turf is still there in places and now a new algae, the red one in the top picture. I have quite a bit of chaeto in the back chambers and it is growing fast too. Somewhere there are excess nutrients but I am stumped on where it is coming from.
I think the salt brand I may need to change.
I have 2xT5 actinics an 150wt Phoenix 14K MH. I have to shut off the actinics for picture taking though.

is your favorite coral a tabling acropora efflurencens?

But doesn't that mean something is out of whack? I thought when algae grew there were too much nutrients, organics, something like that.
The corals do grow well and have good color, but I wonder for how long can they compete before one overtakes the other.
I am now pruning bits of algae daily from the sps and zoanthids.
When the Purple/blue algae touches the sps it turns red. Doesn't seem to harm the sps though.



Sorry. Not sure what that is. Are you making a funny? I don't now too many different kinds of corals yet.

no, was being serious..
google acropora efflurecens..you'll see

ill take some of that macro if you ever want to get rid of any. awsome tank by the way. you have some really sweet pieces.

At leaste the algae growing isnt bryosis or hair algae. It looks like a really nice macro, attractive, colorful, and doesnt seem to grow on the glass which is where I think it would become a problem. As stated before, i think the nice colors compliment the rocks pretty well, and it seems like an algae that if you were to remove it from the rock and epoxy over it then place a coral there, it wouldnt be a problem.
Your tank looks beautiful, and the colors/growth of the corals are looking better!

Oh, yes. I have seen those. The purple plate one I have in the picture is a chalice. At least that is what I bought it as. It does have eyes.
Thanks for the info. Learned a new one.



Thanks. I have a list going started in Livestock forum 'Purple Macro' for pple that want some. You have to pay the shipping, paypal fee, box, insulation and my gas to the PO and store to get the supplies. The PO has free boxes, but the rate is a flat rate and it actually costs more to ship it that way then a smaller store bought box.
About $15 total.
I can put you on the list if you want. Kind of long right now. I am trying to send out about 3 a week. About a month waiting now.



So really, this algae might actually be keeping worst algae from starting?
Man, this stuff spreads fast though, super fast.
Thanks for the compliment.

Yes, rather attractive algae removes nitrates and other nutrients from the water then slime or hair algae.