goobafish Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Updated Picture: Hi everyone! Welcome to my tank's thread. Here you will find my many mistakes, successes and hopefully join me in the fun I am having with my first reef tank. I started using Aquariumate to track everything with my tank, so it really keeps me on the ball.I am trying to keep this updated with what is current as it has gone through a lot of changes. Updated this on April 1st.Tank: IM Nuvo 20 GallonStand: Wood stand 24"x15", custom shelving and cable management installedLighting: 2x IM SKKYE LED Lights (18w 50/50 white/royal blue), 1x PAR 38 (36w full spectrum)Heater: 50w Eheim Jager heaterSkimmer: IM Ghost Skimmer - DesktopMechanical/Chemical Filtration: IM Custom Caddy - Filter Floss, Chemi-pure Blue, Poly-FilterChemical Filtration: IM MiniMax Media Reactor (1/2 carbon with gfo tumbling on top)UV Filter5 watt external with variable flow (currently set at 200gph for algaeBiological Filtration: Refugium built in IM Custom caddy lit with a 25w PAR38 w/reflector through the back of the tank)Flow: 2x IM Spin StreamWavemakers: 2x Jebao RW-4Water Source: Puratek Vertex RO/DI 100gpdSalt: Reef CrystalsAuto Top Off: TCA-200Fish:Whitebanded Possum Wrasse - Wetmorella albofasciataYellowbanded Possum Wrasse - Wetmorella nigropinnataSpikefin Goby - griessingeri gobyInvertebrates:11 Cerith Snail3 Nassarius Snail3 Nerite Snail4 Astraea Snail5 Trochus Snail7 Red-Legged Dwarf Hermit Crabs2 Emerald Crab1 Cleaner Shrimp1 Peppermint Shrimp2 Lettuce NudibranchFoodLive Copepods - self culturedLive Rotifers - self culturedDoc's Eco EggsMarine SnowFrozen Mysis ShrimpFrozen Baby Brine ShrimpReef-RoidsFauna Marin SPSTest Kits:RefractometerAPI AmmoniaSeachem Nitrite/NitrateSalifert MagnesiumSalifert CalciumSalifert Alkalinity/HardnessSalifert PhosphateSalifert IodineHanna Iron CheckerAdditives:Kent Coral-ViteKent MagnesiumKent CalciumKent Alkalinity BufferKent Stromium & MolybdenumSeachem FuelSeachem IodineSeachem Trace ElementsRedsea Coral Colours A+B+C+DRedsea NO3:PO4-XZeovit Coral FertilizerZeovit Sponge PowerZeovit Amino Acid LPSZeovit Pohl's ExtractRefugium Phyto: Concentrate Nanno and TetWater Parameters:Ammonia: 0Nitrite: 0.05Nitrate: 5Calcium: 450Magnesium: 1450Alkalinity: 10 dKHSalinity: 1.026Phosphate: 0.0310x filter:Other Pics [/spoler]Old Update Equipment:Tank: IM Nuvo 20 GallonStand: Wood stand 24"x15", custom shelving and cable management installedLighting 2x IM SKKYE LED Lights 18w eachHeater: 75w Eheim Jager heaterSediment: AragoniteFiltration: 13lb Live Rock in tankFiltration: 5lb Live Rock rubble in baffles of back reservoirFiltration: IM Custom Caddy - Chemi-pure Blue, Filter Floss, Poly-FilterFlow: 2x IM Spin StreamFlow/Wavemaker: Jebao RW-4Skimmer: AquaEuro Nano SkimmerWater Source: Puratek Vertex RO/DI 100gpdSalt: Instant OceanAuto Top Off: TCA-200Fish:Green Clown GobyCitron Clown GobyInvertebrates:11 Cerith Snail2 Nassarius Snail3 Nerite Snail4 Astraea Snail5 Trochus SnailTest Kits:RefractometerAPI AmmoniaSeachem Nitrite/NitrateSalifert MagnesiumSalifert CalciumSalifert Alkalinity/HardnessSalifert PhosphateSalifert IodineHanna Iron CheckerFood/Additives:Live Copepods - self cuturedLive Rotifers - self culturedDoc's Eco EggsMarine SnowFrozen Mysis ShrimpFrozen Baby Brine ShrimpReef-RoidsFauna Marin SPSKent Coral-ViteKent MagnesiumKent CalciumKent Alkalinity BufferKent Stromium & MolybdenumSeachem FuelSeachem IodineSeachem Trace ElementsRedsea Coral Colours A+B+C+DRedsea NO3:PO4-XZeovit Coral FertilizerZeovit Sponge PowerZeovit Amino Acid LPSZeovit Pohl's ExtractRefugium Phyto: Concentrate Nanno and TetWater Parameters:Ammonia: 0Nitrite: 0Nitrate: 1Calcium: 450Magnesium: 1350Alkalinity: 10 dKHSalinity: 1.026Phosphate: 0 Original Post: After reading so many of these and learning so much, I figured I should start one of these for my first saltwater aquarium. Seems like a great way to keep track of things and get feedback.I have a lot of experience with freshwater fish, i've done planted tanks, discus, and many different cichlids. But after moving to an apartment many years ago I haven't kept anything. After stumbling on this forum I couldn't help but start up again .The stuff:Equipment:IM Nuvo 202x IM SKKYE LED LightsStandIM Custom caddy2x IM Spin stream50w Eheim Jager heaterSupplies/Basics:RO/DI systemSaltAragoniteLive rockLive rock rubbleMagnet scraperThermometerTimerGravel cleanerFish netRefractometerReef master test kitTurkey basterFrag toolsThis is what I still plan on getting:Filter flossPurigenChemi-pureSet the tank up for a water test last night, love how the lights look.Got the stand built and picked up the water today. Need to borrow a drill to get the cabinet doors on .Started the setup this evening. I have 1 inch of substrate in there and the salted r/o water. Just waiting for the sediment to settle to put the LR in. For filtration I filled up two of the sections in the back with LR rubble (taking out one of the caddys) and put a sponge on top of the rock. The heater is installed in the back as well. After cycling I plan on taking out the other stock caddy and adding a custom caddy with filter floss, purigen, and chemipure.Stocking plan: Still not sure on this, but something like:1 Firefish1 Goby1 ClownfishNessarius/Cerith snailsFor corals, I think I will start with some mushrooms, zoa, and green star polyps, any other ideas?Excited to get started! Pictures!http://s34.photobucket.com/user/goobafish/slideshow/Reefers%20AnonymousClick here for the rest: Link to comment
jeremycee Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Congratulations on the new tank and welcome to reef keeping! Sounds like you are off to a great start with all of the equipment and plans to stock. Those corals sound perfect for beginners. They are very hardy and will do really well under the proper water conditions. Good luck with your cycle and don't be afraid to ask questions. There are tons of really helpful people on this forum!! Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Thanks! I hope it looks as nice as some of the other tanks I see on this site, all I see is murky water so far . After the sediment settled enough to level it, I added the LR and turned on the heater/pumps going to have to do some aquascaping tonight. Link to comment
reefernanoman Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Great start! My friend who is new at reefing got the same setup(tank and light) like yours. It was my suggestion. Good luck. Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Thanks! Anyone see a problem with adding Cleaner Shrimp to the stocking list? How many would be good? Or maybe a pair of pistol shrimp to go with the goby? Link to comment
jeremycee Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Thanks! Anyone see a problem with adding Cleaner Shrimp to the stocking list? How many would be good? Or maybe a pair of pistol shrimp to go with the goby? i would do ether/or usually one pistol shrimp per tank in a small volume of water as there are cases where they tend to be aggressive towards each other. also one cleaner shrimp would be okay. The cleaner shrimp will def be more active in the tank and you'll see it more often vs the pistol. sometimes they are so small they pick a spot in the back where you never get to see them Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Sounds like a good plan, thanks. Got my aquascaping done, not sure if I am happy with it yet, and the sediment has settled down quite. Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 The sediment has finally cleared and its starting to look nice. I am having trouble wiping the tank down without leaving any streaks through . While trying a few different ways of cleaning the glass this morning I spotted a hitchhiker from my live rock, a baby starfish. It is so small, was hard to snap a shot of. So awesome! Do I need to start feeding this little guy? Anything incompatible with starfish? Thanks! Link to comment
jeremycee Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Isopropyl alcohol with a soft towel and then microfiber cloth is what I use to clean without streaks. Those are asterina hitchhikers will scavenge on the leftovers in your tank from feeding. but I've also known some who have talked about those preying upon their corals as they get bigger. I usually pick then out when I find them. Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 Awesome, will try that. Found another hitchiker. Very tiny, and not sure if this pic will help. I think its a bristleworm? Link to comment
jeremycee Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 can't tell, bristle worms are okay when they're small as they will filter through your sand and stuff keeping it nice and clean but they can get big and irritate corals in the future. I would wouldn't worry too much about that lil guy. just be sure to lookout for the fireworms variety as those can do serious damage to corals. there is a thread here that will explain more about hitchhikers if you are worried about it. http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/132956-the-ultimate-id-thread-before-you-post-whats-this-look-here/ Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 Thanks, awesome thread. I am now 5 days into cycling, and unless I am misreading my test kits, my ammonia has dropped and I already have trace amounts of nitrites. Just noticed a new growth on one of the rocks, no idea what it is but it seems to be getting larger. Link to comment
jeremycee Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 could be some type of macro algae. what kind of test kits are you using? Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 I have a few kits, trying to figure out whats easiest for me to read. API, Seachem and an Ammonia alert. As of this afternoon looks like my Ammonia is near zero and nitrites are slowly rising. Link to comment
jeremycee Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 i have found that the api tests are the easiest for me to use and also pretty accurate for testing things like ammonia,nitrite, nitrate, alk, and phosphates. you should try and snap some pictures everytime you do your tests so you can compare/reference them on your tanks cycling progress Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 Really good call. I can even use some photo editing software to compare colors to the chart. Link to comment
jdog Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Do you have a full picture with the lights on? I was wondering how the lights looked? Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 Yep. Sorry, I am working on my camera skills with the tank, its taking a lot of practice. Here you go: Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 Trying to come up with a plan for stocking the tank and looking for places I can find the fish i'm looking for. I am thinking: Ocellaris Clown (some sort of hybrid with black) Green Banded Goby Citron Clown Goby or Dottyback Cleaner Shrimp CUC (Snails only) Finding it very difficult to put together a compatible stock list for such a small tank, but its been fun to research. Link to comment
jeremycee Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 i usually checkout liveaquarias website. you can enter in your tanks water volume and they give recommendations as to which types of fish are compatible for you. and also let you know if they are difficult to care for or if they are reef safe Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 Yep, that site is great, been using it to look at coral too.Ammonia has been zero for almost a week now, nitrites have fallen to below 0.05 and my nitrates are at around 5. Things are looking good, decent algae growth. Apparently the local aquarium society is having a coral cutting workshop tonight, so I am going to get some firsthand experience before I invest in tools. Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 A few updates: Both nitrites and nitrates dropped a ton after a 10% water change in the morning, leaving the tank almost clear of nitrites and nitrates of around 2. Really grateful that the store pulled the LR from their sump and gave me live sand to start off, really started off my tank nicely! I got a 75w heater to replace the 50w, as at maximum temp the 50w was only just adequate, and I wanted to be able to compensate for opening a window every once in a while. I picked up an AquaEuro Nano Skimmer and installed it last night, fits great! Had a great time learning to frag last night, got to try my hand at fragging softies, LPS and SPS, so I got to learn a bunch. I will get a picture up soon once I have started stocking it! Updated stocking plan: 2 Black Ice/Snowflake Clownfish (is it better to get the same type, or different?) 1 Yellow Watchman Goby 1 Pistol Shrimp Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 Sorry to people following, I am posing everything a few days after it happens as I am just spending so much time watching the tank and learning. Some major updates in the last bit: After a few days of no ammonia or nitrites and really low nitrates, I decided it was time to start stocking up. Parameters: Ammonia: 0, Nitrites: 0, Nitrates: 1, Salinity: 1.024, Temperature: 81 After the cycle was complete I swapped out the last media basket I had left for a custom caddy with Chemipure Blue, Filter floss and poly-filter. I started with a couple snails and a pair of beginner coral frags (a zoa and a Green Star Polyps) to see how they would do with the water chemistry and the little bit of algae that started to develop. A few days later after everything looked healthy and happy, with all my parameters above staying constant I added 6 more snails to combat growing algae, a and a couple coral frags. Finally time for fish! My local store had a sale on clowns, both designer and regular, but I opted for something more simple to start off in case I had any issues. I picked up a black Ocellaris Clownfish and a orange Ocellaris that is less than half the size. I picked up 8 more snails to fight the ever-growing diatom algae, and more coral to fill out the tank. I was given a small "pack" of frags by some local fellow hobbyists, unfortunately they vary so much in care level and requirements that I am not sure how long they will last. I am also having trouble exactly identifying them and ensuring they are healthy. The fish have been in my tank a week now and are happy and healthy. Most of my coral is looking really great with growth already showing on the Zoas and Palys. The clean-up crew is not really keeping up with the algae growth, and I think I need to vary up my snails a little more. Got some new equipment which I will post up top, and will write up my experiences with a few of em. Wow, i've done a lot of shopping . I will update my equipment and stock list in the original post and get some pictures up. I really need a macro lens, as taking pictures of coral is quite difficult. Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 17, 2015 Author Share Posted February 17, 2015 Some pictures from the last little while, sorry about the quality on some, half DSLR, half phone. Some of these frags look much different now that they have been in my tank for a bit. I will also post pics of the frags I am unsure of what they are. These next pictures are pretty low quality, so I am not expecting for any help id'ing them, gotta get that macro lens I thought this was Green Montipora, but it seems to have a few "mouths" coming out: Kenya Tree?: Red Montipora?: Link to comment
goobafish Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 Everything is going great so far, fish are happy and eating, corals look good, eating, and are changing rapidly. Algae: So the diatom algae continued to spread despite my cleanup crew over the last week, so I am kept adding new snails to the tank depending on where I was seeing the spread. Hopefully I have put together a crew that will do the trick, as they cleaned up quite a bit of it over the last day, but at the same time I hope it isn't too many snails when this algae is at bay. I had a lot of trouble finding the snails at LFS, as many staff seem to be misinformed about what the snails do/eat. Multiple stores did not stock Trochus Snails, because Nassarius snails are "better sand sifters and algae eaters". From my understanding they only eat excess waste, and not diatom. I was also advised against any kind of Conch because they "eat other snails". CUC: 7 Cerith Snail, 2 Nassarius Snail, 3 Nerite Snail, 4 Astraea Snail, 5 Trochus Snail Corals: With the algae under control, and the snails/me cleaning the detritus off the rock and corals almost everything has started opening up, and quite a few pieces are growing new polyps at a very fast rate. Corals from every family are doing well, an Acro frag has sprouted a new head, every paly and zoa have also sprouted and begin spreading. The coral I was told was Pink Sun started showing a yellow center when the lights are on. Equipment: Been really impressed with everything I've bought so far with the exception of the ATO, whose instructions were barely English, and I ended up needing to makeshift a solution to ensure the sensor would sink in the reservoir. I also installed the ATO tubing touching my tank, and when the pump shut off, the tank began to siphon out into the reservoir and minorly flood my apartment . I was home testing the unit, so I caught it really quickly and there was no damage. Love the Jebao WP-25, feels like it creates great flow and at a fantastic price. Not sure what setting it should be on for a 20 gallon. Questions: I created two little areas for Zoas and Palys in the sandbed, pushing the plugs into the sandbed and putting some live rock around. Is this a decent idea, or should they all be kept on a bigger piece of LR so they can spread? I bought a piece of live rock from a shop's sump to place corals on, and on further inspection it has many little black worm-like things on it. I was unsure of what to do, so I left it out of the tank and am keeping it sealed covered with water. Any ideas? Link to comment
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