pewpewkittah Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 FTS @ 10 months old I am going to be upgrading to a 40B and moving all livestock over to that tank. Overall, I had a wonderful time with this tank and I wish I could keep it... but I have enough tanks to take care of. The build so far... Tank: Mr. Aqua 12g Long Aquarium (36"x9"x8) Filtration/Circulation: Aquaclear 50 Koralia Nano 240 12lbs Base Rock 10lbs Live Sand Lighting: 36" T5HO lamp with 2 ATI bulbs (Purple+ and Blue+) Current Orbit Marine LED 36" Livestock: False Percula clown Platinum clown Six Line Wrasse Cleanup Crew: Blue and red legged hermit crabs Florida and dwarf ceriths Nerites Nassarius Future Plans: HOB Refugium ATO Unit Rainbow Bubble Tip Anemone Beginning the Build: I have been keeping freshwater planted tanks for a few years now, but recently have been looking for more of a challenge. I hope to expand my knowledge with saltwater tanks and in the future own a larger tank. But for now, my budget is limited to a small nano tank. None the less I am pretty excited to be starting this . I initially was going to do a 5.4g reef tank, but here I am upgrading before I even started. I've broken down my freshwater shrimp 12g long and will use this instead. Awesome thing is, I already have most of the gear, including a Koralia powerhead, heater and filter! I just need to clean the tank and order a new light fixture. Do you guys think I should get a Coral life, Aquatic life or just a cheap fixture(with a reflector) from Home Depot? I plan to suspend the light above the tank. Sometime next week I'll be stopping by my LFS to pick up some Fiji live rock and live sand to get the cycle started. I am still planning my list of inhabitants, but my goal is to have an ecosystem that will work together long term. This is to prevent the corals from completely killing each other. Once the tank is somewhat mature(6-12m), I would love to house a type of anemone (hammer, frogspawn or BTA). So I'd like the livestock plans kind of revolve around this. However, you never know what will happen in that amount of time Any suggestions for corals and/or fish that work well together would be appreciated. I already have a few beginner corals listed above. I will keep the journal updated with lots of pictures! Thanks for looking . Link to comment
pewpewkittah Posted March 9, 2015 Author Share Posted March 9, 2015 I started building a DIY stand this weekend for the tank, and it should be finished either today or tomorrow. I wanted to go simple with the design while also accenting the wood color, so I am leaving it unstained and just doing a clear coat. I'll upload some more pictures of the build when its done. The wood after the sanding. For my t5HO bulbs, I am going with a ATI Blue+ and Purple+. Hopefully it will give me this kind of look! Picture credit goes to apostropheapostrophe from Reddit. Link to comment
pewpewkittah Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 The tank is setup!! It's still a little cloudy. I'll probably add a little more rock at the base of the larger ones tomorrow, but I have a test to study for... Anyway, crappy cellphone pictures. I'll take some nicer ones with my camera tomorrow. Also, the lights are dimmed in these shots. Any suggestions or critiques on the scape would be appreciated . Link to comment
pewpewkittah Posted April 11, 2015 Author Share Posted April 11, 2015 I am kind of overdue for an update. To speed up my cycle, I added a bottle of Bio Spira and dosed ammonia daily to keep the bacteria alive. After about two weeks of daily water tests with results yielding no ammonia, no nitrites and about 5-10ppm nitrates, I thought it was a good time to add some livestock: a pair of false percs! Shortly after this I bought an already established 35g Deep Blue reef on Craigslist for a steal. The tank has about a dozen zoa colonies, some mushrooms, two anemones, and lots of fish! Since the clown fish pair (False Perc/Plat) that was in there was getting harassed by the other pair of skunk clowns, I decided to move them over to my 12g long and trade in the clownish I initially had. Here's how the tank stands now. Everything is still covered in diatoms unfortunately... I am not keeping the scape like it is pictured, I just threw the rocks in like this after I epoxied them together. It seems out of balanced to me. But I would like to go with three different rock islands, which seems to be a pretty popular scape with these dimensions. I wasn't happy with the T5 lights, so I bought the Current Orbit Marine and I am much happier . Corals seem to be happy too! Oh and I also installed a mesh top to prevent the clown fish from jumping out. I was also getting annoyed with the snail water marks on the outside of the tank. Here are some of the various Zoa's I've added. I haven't bothered to ID them, but they have some pretty interesting colors. Green Star Polyp Link to comment
BOBBARKER68 Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Looking good, like the aqua scape. I have this same tank and i think aqua scaping is going to be tough. Link to comment
Odyssey350kc Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Very nice tank. I like how you put all the equipment on the sides, gives it a nice clean look from the front. Link to comment
pewpewkittah Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 Nice following Thank you! Looking good, like the aqua scape. I have this same tank and i think aqua scaping is going to be tough. I appreciate the kind words!! I've moved stuff around slightly and it looks more appealing to the eye. I'll post some pictures later. I've been quietly following your thread. (: I looooooovee the stand you re purposed. Wonderful colors. I look forward to you getting your tank wet! Very nice tank. I like how you put all the equipment on the sides, gives it a nice clean look from the front. Aw, thank you! I hope to install a sump and overflow system in the future. Link to comment
ml86743 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 This is exactly what I wanna do for my next build...I love the 12 long! Ill be following along looks like a great start! I love the white clown:) I have one myself ! Link to comment
pewpewkittah Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 This is exactly what I wanna do for my next build...I love the 12 long! Ill be following along looks like a great start! I love the white clown:) I have one myself ! I didn't notice you commented, thank you so much! The dimensions are awesome... I would definitely say to set one up, like now! Or go all out and get the new 22g long! I adore my little white clown. He is quite the character. Link to comment
pewpewkittah Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 The tank is almost two months old already! Time sure does fly. Here's how the tank stands today. I am still not pleased with the rock formations. I want to make a large arch that extends at least half the length of the tank and two small islands at each end. I think I will be picking up some actual live rock this weekend to accomplish this. This would also increase my biodiversity. Later next week I will be adding a cleaner shrimp and a torch coral. My plan is to have several Euphyllias going up the arch. I am still dealing with diatoms... I thought for sure they would be clearing off by now... I have to clean the glass and sand daily because it accumulates so fast. When I remove it with the Mag Float it looks like dust coming off the glass.. That's diatoms right? My cleanup crew doesn't seem to be making a dent. It's even sticking to my Toadstool coral and pisses it off. Does anyone know the ID on some of this Zoas? (: The wonderful couple I should be doing another update within the next few days. Thanks for looking! Link to comment
BMMMW Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Any new info on this tank? Link to comment
pewpewkittah Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 Any new info on this tank? I am actually in the process of upgrading to a 40B. Should be transferred over within the next 2 weeks. But none the less, I can post an update for others to view in the future . Tank is almost 10 months old. Besides a Cyano problem in the beginning, everything has been running real smoothly for months now. Corals growing steady as well. I'll take some nice pictures in the next few hours and post them up tonight. Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 What prompted you to upgrade to a 40B from this? What happened to the Deep Blue tank you got? Link to comment
BMMMW Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 I am actually in the process of upgrading to a 40B. Should be transferred over within the next 2 weeks. But none the less, I can post an update for others to view in the future . Tank is almost 10 months old. Besides a Cyano problem in the beginning, everything has been running real smoothly for months now. Corals growing steady as well. I'll take some nice pictures in the next few hours and post them up tonight. Thanks. Love the work on the 12G. Starting mine now. Worst part so far is scaping such a small tank. Link to comment
pewpewkittah Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 What prompted you to upgrade to a 40B from this? What happened to the Deep Blue tank you got? Honestly, I need more space for corals to grow out. Even with the small colonies I have now, I feel like it's already cramped. My SO also wanted a flame angel and ultimately pushed me to upgrade. I think my current fish would enjoy the extra swimming space as well. For this being my first *solo* saltwater tank, I think I had a pretty good run. It was definitely an amazing learning experience, and having a larger tank with a sump and skimmer will give me some breathing room while I am getting my degree. The 35 Deep Blue was sold to my parents. It's in their living room and I do the maintenance for them. Helps my mom deal with stress while working from home. It houses my huge Frogspawn colony as well as other random variety of easy to care for corals. Also a few fish: 2 clowns and a long nosed hawk-fish. I am actually in the process of upgrading to a 40B. Should be transferred over within the next 2 weeks. But none the less, I can post an update for others to view in the future . Tank is almost 10 months old. Besides a Cyano problem in the beginning, everything has been running real smoothly for months now. Corals growing steady as well. I'll take some nice pictures in the next few hours and post them up tonight. Thanks. Love the work on the 12G. Starting mine now. Worst part so far is scaping such a small tank. Thank you! I appreciate the kind words. I'll have to check out your build! I always love seeing new 12g long builds. It's such a beautiful and unique tank. I would suggest getting lots of small pieces of rock. It will allow you to create a variety of scapes and not be limited by the size of the rocks you have. Link to comment
pewpewkittah Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 I have come to the conclusion my pictures are bad. But here's some photos anyways. We added a six line wrasse a few months ago and the little guy has been getting along fabulously with my clowns. Occasionally he will bully the male. Also added some rocks about 2 weeks ago to create more room for corals. More specifically mushrooms, zoas and acans. I would post a complete list of everything I've added, but honestly it would take me forever. If you have any questions about livestock I'd be happy to answer it. Right Side Left Side Link to comment
pewpewkittah Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 Some more angles Link to comment
BMMMW Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 What light is that? And are the brackets the same brand? Link to comment
pewpewkittah Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 What light is that? And are the brackets the same brand? The light is an AquaticLife 36" T5HO Dual bulbs with a ATI Coral + and Blue + bulb. The legs come with the fixture. I did use the Current Orbit Marine 36" but I wanted to try t5's for a while and see how my corals do. Link to comment
BMMMW Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 The light is an AquaticLife 36" T5HO Dual bulbs with a ATI Coral + and Blue + bulb. The legs come with the fixture. I did use the Current Orbit Marine 36" but I wanted to try t5's for a while and see how my corals do. Thanks, any input on issues I may come up to or things I can or cannot grow in the 12G long with the Current Orbit 36"? TIA!! Link to comment
pewpewkittah Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 Thanks, any input on issues I may come up to or things I can or cannot grow in the 12G long with the Current Orbit 36"? TIA!! Personally, I had no problem with growth of really any type of coral with the Current Orbit. The 12g long is such a shallow tank that you should have no issues, even SPS I had in the mid-tank level. I have two acros that grew pretty steadily. Link to comment
BMMMW Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 Awesome, thank you for this info. I am so happy to hear that I can add some SPS after only trying LPS successfully! Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.