Tioman Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Greetings I am back to the hobby after a 25 year hiatus. Back in the day "yes I'm old" I built a 120 gal reef tank from DIY pond parts and grow lights, I ran the tank for about 4 years but a busy life got in the way. Now that I have more time I thought I would build small, simple, cheap tank "so much for cheap" to play with. It will be modelled after a dive location I visited a couple years ago in the South China Sea, Palau Tioman. The build: Tank: IM Fusion 10 gallon kit with stock 18w Led light Filtration: 12 pounds live rock, 10 pounds Fiji pink live sand, floss and 34g RowaPhos in the stock media basket. Heater: Cobalt Neo-therm 75w Circulation: Stock pump, Tunze 6020 powerhead Replaced with Vortech MP10w Dec. 2015 Stand: Fluval M40 black with levelling glides installed The upgrade wish list: Tunze ATO: Purchased Upgrade light: Purchased Kessil 160 Apex controller: Purchased Apex Jr. with VDM InTank Basket: Purchased RO/DI unit Apex Feeder: Purchased Vortech MP10w: Purchased Live stock wish list: A couple clowns Inverts Indo corals native to Tioman Live stock as of of Sept. 27 Emerald crab: Evicted to LFS due to bad behaviour 2 Sexy Shrimp "Thing One and Thing Two": July 4, Returned to LFS Dec. 20 after dining on the half the Pocci and harassing the Acro 2 Venus Anemone Shrimp: July 23, Missing 1 in rockwork Nov. 2015 Blue Legged Hermit Crab: July 4 to August 4 RIP 6 Cerith snails: July 8 2 Trochus snails: July 23, 1 RIP Nov. 2015 Blue Spruce Pineapple Coral: July 7 Green Pocci: July 7 Green Leather X2 "Multiplying": June 26 Pulsing Xenia: July 10 Evicted to LFS due tank domination issues Nov.22, Dec. 20 returned from tissue left after removal Snowflake Clown: Bubbles Aug. 3 White tip Plate Coral: Aug.5 Snowflake Clown: Walter Aug. 23 Reverse Superman Montipora?: Sept. 22 FrogSpawn: Sept. 22 Stomatella Snail: Found Sept. 27 Garf Purple Bonsai Acropora: Nov. 14 Red FlowerPot Goniopora: Dec. 20 Day one June 26, 2015 Link to comment
flobees Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Hello and welcome back. I have also been to Pulau Tioman not recently but about 30 years back. It's totally deserted then but now there is lots of hotels and Resorts if I am not mistaken. I am born and grew up in Malaysia. I now live in Ohio. Hoping to go back with my family next year maybe we will go to Tioman for a visit . Link to comment
Tioman Posted July 4, 2015 Author Share Posted July 4, 2015 Thank you flobees love your avatar. We stayed at the Berjaya Tioman, a western style resort just outside of the main town. There are a lot of small beach hotels and dive resorts. The other side of the island is also starting to be developed as a rock climbing meca. The diving was amazing and reefs are pristine and protected by the Malaysian government. Link to comment
Tioman Posted July 4, 2015 Author Share Posted July 4, 2015 Well a week in and all sorts of critters and wildlife are making their debut. July 4/15 Green Leather Does anybody know what the blue thingy's with white stripes are below the leather? Molusc? Link to comment
Tioman Posted July 6, 2015 Author Share Posted July 6, 2015 Went to the LF$ to pickup some Nitrate reducer and came home with that, and some inhabitants for the glass hotel. An Emerald Crab, Blue Leg Hermit and a couple Sexy Shrimp, so much for self control. Link to comment
markalot Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Hi Tioman, welcome back to the hobby, good luck! Link to comment
teenyreef Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Welcome and good luck! I'll be following your thread with interest - I think having a specific theme in mind can really help jump start creative ideas. I couldn't really tell from your history - has the tank cycled already? Link to comment
Tioman Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share Posted July 7, 2015 Thanks Mark Thanks Teeny: Yes for the most part I was lucky and received the seasoned live rock and water out of a local reefers tank after she remodelled her 100 gallon,10 year old tank. I ran the live rock and her water in a 5 gallon bucket with a heater and powerhead for two weeks then everything went into the Fusion with 5 gallons of fresh saltwater. I then ran the tank for another week and tested with 0 Nitrates,Nitrites, Ammonia and Phosphate, did another 1.5 gallon water change and then decided to add a couple inhabitants. Link to comment
Huffy Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Awesome start! I love these IM 10g tanks! Looks like you got some great live rock! Link to comment
teenyreef Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Looks like you're doing it right! Link to comment
Tioman Posted July 8, 2015 Author Share Posted July 8, 2015 Huffy: Thanks, IM makes a great tank, I was lucky and received the rock from a local reefers tank. Teeny: Thanks, one step at a time, when mine looks half as good as your tanks, I'll feel that I am starting to do it right. Picked up a couple small frags a green pocci and a blue pineapple, from the lady that supplied the rock, pictures to follow. Link to comment
Sk8n Reefer Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 nice, coming along well- green poci's are nice and have great polyp movement from the flow. Welcome back- we all tend to creep back it seems! good luck and enjoy- there are a lot of new improvements - especially with lighting and chemicals. Check out GFO - great phospahte remover. Test kits still suck though Link to comment
Tioman Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 Sk8n Reefer: Thanks, I agree on the test kits, I will tryout some GFO. I had to go back to the LF$ to return a new Tunze 6020 powerhead that would stall every time I turned the power off and I would have to push the impeller to get it going again and ended up with carbon, 6 cerith snails, more live rock and a new powerhead. it is amazing how money disappears in that place. Link to comment
Tioman Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 Some photo's including the new inhabitants The Rock The Green Pocci and the Blue Pineapple The Green Leather and it's spawn Link to comment
Tioman Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 Caught the Emerald Crab dining on the Green Pocci so he got the eviction notice, I had noticed quite a bit of coraline algae disappearing and thought it was likely him, we thought if we feed him pellets and sea weed he may ignore the corals, apparently not, so back to the LFS. Link to comment
Tioman Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 After returning the Emerald Crab to the LFS I had a credit burning a hole in my pocket, so I picked up a Pulsing Xenia that was mounted on a nice rock. Likely needs to be moved somewhere else in the tank but wanted to get it in the water and acclimatized. Link to comment
Sk8n Reefer Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 so far my Emerald has been a model citizen. I'll keep my eye on him though, Xenia can be a blessing and a curse- it does so well it can become a nuisance - more depending on what your planning on keeping with it. Tanks looking good! Link to comment
Tioman Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 Thanks Sk8n: I would like to have a couple of Clowns at some point and it was suggested that the Xenia was a good substitute for an anemone in a small tank, so I thought I would give one a try, I like the movement it adds to the tank. I have heard they can be a nuisance to hard corals and that does concern me, I may have to move it away from the leather. I do not have a set in stone plan for the tank, I may take my wives suggestion and take some photos and do a layout and follow the plan, but that seems a little more organized that I normally run my life:). Any words wisdom for the next step would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment
Tioman Posted July 13, 2015 Author Share Posted July 13, 2015 My InTank basket and ATO should be delivered today, exciting times. Still working on the camera settings for our Canon G11, any suggestions would be appreciated. The new scape, work in progress that may never end . Link to comment
Tioman Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 Well just about month and the tank is coming along just fine, "considering who's taking care of it". Dropped by the LPS today and picked up a couple Trochus snails and a couple Anemone shrimp to add to the cleanup crew, after a couple hours under the drip acclimation they went to work. Industrious little fellows, wish I could say the same about myself Looking forward to getting a couple fish in the tank but decided to wait for a bit longer for the tank to mature. Link to comment
Huffy Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Well just about month and the tank is coming along just fine, "considering who's taking care of it". Dropped by the LPS today and picked up a couple Trochus snails and a couple Anemone shrimp to add to the cleanup crew, after a couple hours under the drip acclimation they went to work. Industrious little fellows, wish I could say the same about myself Looking forward to getting a couple fish in the tank but decided to wait for a bit longer for the tank to mature. Looking good! I wish I could find trochus snails near me! What fish are you planning on adding? Link to comment
Tioman Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 Hi Huffy: Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I purchased a Snowflake Clown this weekend and I think I may get a some type of Goby in the near future. Lost the Blue Legged Crab This weekend, Thing 1 made a valiant effort to save him "see attached CPR pictures" Sexy CPR Link to comment
Tioman Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 It was a good August long weekend at my household, my birthday is coming up in a couple weeks and my wife ok'd a purchase at the local LF$. Apex Jr. with the VDM, Kessil 160 and Apex Feeder, and for good measures a used Nikon DLSR. This tank may be becoming the most expensive 10 gallon in history. Also picked up a Snowflake ocellaris and a White tipped plate coral. WOW there is nothing easy about setting up the Apex Jr, I am not sure I would describe it as "Less Hassle More Control" the techs were great but man you would think they could make it for 8 year olds like Mac. When it is up and running it will be great, the Kessil 160 makes the corals POP compared to the stock light, great purchase. Christmas in August Link to comment
Huffy Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Nice equipment! Your corals are going to love that Kessil. When I started my build I was trying to decide between the AI prime and the Kessil. Link to comment
Tioman Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 Thanks Huffy, I had the same dilemma, decided to go with the Kessil because of the expandability. We currently in a condo but looking for a house, my wife has an idea for a in-wall over the door custom tank in the future that the Kessil will work well for. After purchasing the Kessil I love the colors and the quality of the build. I do like the low profile look of the AL Prime much better and I think it is a better value. From what I have heard it is a lot easy to program than the Kessil with the Apex Jr. Link to comment
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