BurningChrome Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Hello all, I have been lurking and learning for a few weeks and have been impressed by all the nano tanks the members here have created and shared. I came to nano-reef because I have developed an interest in reef tanks and am thinking about entering into the hobby. I have been doing weeks of research, but that simply cannot out merit the years of experience here on the forum. So before I went further, pushing the buy button, I thought I would get some opinions on the equipment and my plan. I plan to buy the IM Nuvo Fusion 30L. I like the long, shallow profile. I think the size is about right for a first tank and have seen a lot of positive reviews. so here is my planned equipment list IM Nuvo Fusion 30l and stand Captive Purity 75 gpd RO filter system Cobalt Aquatics 150w Heater Tropical Marine Expert Test Kit Set IM Filter packs to begin with lights, protein skimmer and media reactor to come later I am planning on the IM skimmer and Media reactor and lights I am still researching. I was looking at the maxspect Razor R420R but I am concerned this may be too much light for such a shallow tank. Rapid LED might also be a good option for me as I am an electronics technician. In the tank I plan on 50# AquaMaxx Eco Dry Live rock bonded with D-D AquaScape Epoxy 15# CaribSea Dry Aragonite Special Grade Reef Sand Red Sea Coral Pro Salt Mix Here is the plan 24-48 hour water test on the tank. Place the tank and sculpt the dry rock, then add the substrate fill with 1.023 salt water, add heater and after 1 hour heat the tank Measure and record water parameters, ammonium, nitrate, nitrite and ph. add 1 vile of Bio digest and a few flakes of food Wait 4 weeks, topping off the water daily and measuring the parameters weekly. Also, add bio Digest weekly. After the cycle is complete preform a 50% water change, add lights and snails. At week 8 add a pair of clowns., protein skimmer, an ATO and media filter. At week 10 add a Midas blenny. At week 12 add a Yellow Tail Damsel fish After this I plan to introduce some soft coral yet to be determined and maybe a few other invertebrates. I am on the right track? have I selected proper equipment? Current FTS: 3/29/15 Current Equipment: Innovative Marine Fusion NUVO 30L Innovative Marine Fusion NUVO 30L Stand Cobalt Aquatic 150W Neo-Therm Heater - Set at 76 2 Hydor Koralia 425 Circulation and wave pump Hydor Koralia Wave Maker - set at alternating 10 second Hydor Smart Level Control TOM Aqua Lifter Kessil A160WE Kessil Spectral Controller Livestock: 2 Pajama Cardinals Parameters: Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0.2 Nitrate 7 pH 8.2 Alkalinity 9 Salinity 35ppt I elected to go with 2 cardinal, will follow with 2 clowns and finish with a royal gamma, then on to corals.... Link to comment
BurningChrome Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 Well I hit the "Buy" button. This will proabably turn into a build thread... Added two Koralia Nano 425 power heads and used BRS Dry rock since it was in stock. I also switched to the Red Sea Marine Care Test Kit. Those power head will likely be replaced, but I figured they would have some utility mixing water etc once I purchased better ones. Link to comment
RK_tek Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Welcome to the habit(insert nun joke). Link to comment
GokesReef Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Lookin good - seems like a solid plan. Link to comment
MC5858 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 The problem will be keeping to the schedule. I started 6 weeks ago and I already have two Clownfish and a couple of coral frags. I swear I'll stop adding things and watch the progress but there's lots of empty real estate begging to be filled. Link to comment
yomon347 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Sounds pretty solid. My 20h took 5 weeks to cycle with dry rock and dry sand. I only tested nitrite the first four weeks because its easy to test for and a clear indicator of progress. Link to comment
BurningChrome Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 Thanks for all the encouragement. I ordered the stuff and then got on a plane and went to Jersey for the week on business. Everything has arrived, except the tank and stand and I'll post pictures of the gear later today to tomorrow. Question, I have a reflectometer that I use for brewing beer, can I use it for salinity also? Edit: turns out that refractometer won't work, no worries though i have a hydrometer. Link to comment
BurningChrome Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 Gear Photos Link to comment
BurningChrome Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 So the tank showed up yesterday. I inspected it and all in all I guess it arrived ok. The glass all appears to be in perfect shape, however the pump came loose in shipping and the 1/2" to barb connector broke. Found a part at home depot and fixed it. Also the top plastic plate is not very secure, but the pump pushes water and seems to work for now. IMG_0504 by brokendaggerplus1, on Flickr Also one of the filter baskets had a broken handle, probably not a big deal. I did some aquascaping and then added salt water. Failed to clean the sand, so it was a cloudy mess until it settled. IMG_0507 by brokendaggerplus1, on Flickr I mixed the salt water a little low, 1.022, was aiming for 1.026. I got the fix and am not too worried. The tank is now clear, at 76 degrees and has had a dose of bio-digest and ghost feeding has begun. I'll measure amonium later tonight. IMG_0519 by brokendaggerplus1, on Flickr The pink spot is the reflection from a pink light. EDIT: Took some water to a friends place, refractometer reads 1.025. Ammonia reading was .04mg/ml Link to comment
Slowtwitch Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 That's a lot of rock in that tank. Plenty of nooks and crannies to fill up. I probably wouldn't bother checking your ammonia level for a day or two. It will take that long for stuff to start breaking down. Looking forward to following your progress. Link to comment
BurningChrome Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 too much rock? I was going for 1.5 lbs per gallon, and I think I only got to 1 - 1.2 lbs. Does it look too busy? I agree, but measuring water parameters is -er- fun... Link to comment
Daveluce Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 too much rock? I was going for 1.5 lbs per gallon, and I think I only got to 1 - 1.2 lbs. Does it look too busy? I agree, but measuring water parameters is -er- fun... If you like it, that's all that matters. But if that tank was mine, I would break all those big pieces up and make some more interesting structures. Now is the perfect time, since it's dry rock. Build is looking great so far! Link to comment
Allathlete5 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 too much rock? I was going for 1.5 lbs per gallon, and I think I only got to 1 - 1.2 lbs. Does it look too busy? I agree, but measuring water parameters is -er- fun... Honestly, it's all about personal preference. If you like it then that's all that matters. I prefer a little less clutter, but I don't think that looks bad at all. Good start, look forward to seeing some updates in the future. Link to comment
Slowtwitch Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Personal preference, I'd pull some out. Depends on what you want for an ultimate look though. Remember that the corals are going to fill up that space even more. Link to comment
sedatedlabmonkey Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I like the full look personally. As everyone else said, its a matter of aesthetic opinion. Its your tank. If you like it go with it! My 2¢ Link to comment
Reefin Ric Flair Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 Looks like a great, solid plan! Following this one to see what you develop. Weighing in on the amount of rock, I'd go with less or some smaller, more varied pieces but that is my personal opinion of course. If you are into in then push forward and enjoy the hell out if it. Like I said, your build looks great and I'm waiting for notifications to see more Link to comment
BurningChrome Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share Posted February 19, 2015 Thanks everyone. I did make a modification with the rock on the far right, but I already glued the others in place with aquarium epoxy. I think I will go with what I have, but next time I might go with a more minimalistic approach. Light seem to be the most confusing element. I am strongly considering the Kessil A160. But do I go with Tuna Sun or Tuna Blue... too many options. I am drawn to the Kessils because the system seems expandable and they seem to be rimless friendly. Hanging a light might not be realistic right now and the gooseneck appealing. While cycling, how often should I ghost feed? Link to comment
BurningChrome Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 Today is day seven. I measured all my parameters: Ammonium 0.8 Nitrite 0.2 Nitrate 2 pH 8.0 Alkalinity 8 Salinity 1.025 Alkalinity seems low. could the dry rock be effecting the alkalinity value? I ordered a refractometer which will be here Tuesday as I don't have a lot of confidence in the measurement. I also ordered a Kessil A160WE with gooseneck and 90˚ adapter which will arrive Monday. I also added one vial of Prodibio BioDigest. All in all, I think everything is going as expected. Link to comment
Slowtwitch Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Natural sea water typically runs between 7-8 so I don't think you alk is low. Link to comment
Azedenkae Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Yeah your alk is fine. As for ghostfeeding, I generally do it whenever ammonia has gone down to 0.5ppm or less. Without nitrite or nitrate being too high either. Link to comment
BurningChrome Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Thanks Slowtwitch and Azedenkae. I made an assumption that the alk was low based on the Red Sea Coral Pro Salt label, which indicated that it would be 12.3 to 12.7 at 35ppt, but it is good to hear it in the normal range. Good advice on ghost feeding, thanks. Link to comment
BurningChrome Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Kessil A160WE arrives, very nice. IMG_0524 by brokendaggerplus1, on Flickr Link to comment
Slowtwitch Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Looks good with the light on. Time for some color soon. Link to comment
BurningChrome Posted March 26, 2015 Author Share Posted March 26, 2015 It has been a while since I posted. It was a long wait for the tank to cycle, 5 weeks. After feeding the tank and getting 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, I had the opportunity to go into Bakersfield on Saturday. While there, I found a store and picked up a bottle of copepods, phytoplankton and two pajama cardinals. After 45 min of drip acclimation they went into their new home. I had some difficulty getting them to eat flake food or freeze dried food, but on Tuesday I was able to locate some frozen mysis, brine shrimp and cyclops which they will eat. I was worried that the uneaten food would create an ammonia problem, but so far so good. These guys are shy and will hide if anyone approaches the tank. This makes feeding difficult, but they are eating. Hopefully they will become accustom to me over time and not be so timid. I can't find any copepods in the tank, so I think they gobbled them all up. I have no algae in the tank, which surprised me, so no snails. I was afraid they would starve. Anyway here is a picture of the more adventurous cardinal, FTS to come later. DSC_0002 by brokendaggerplus1, on Flickr Link to comment
Azedenkae Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Great to hear that they are at least eating. Don't worry too much about the eaten food - that's why you cycled the way you did! Something will take care of it. ;D Of course that doesn't mean it's fine to overfeed either, but yeah, new fish do take time to start eating heaps. Link to comment
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