Break Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Peak FTS -10/27/17 Old FTS - 8/1/15Tank Specs Established: 6/30/15 Display: CrystalVu 30cm x 18cm x 24.5cm (13.2L / 3.4 gallons) Circulation: Aquaclear 70 w/ InTank mod - Filter floss, Purigen, Chemi-Pure Elite + Nano-Glo & Chaetomorph Refugium Lighting: Coral Compulsion 35w PAR38 LED 18k TruColor Heater: 25w Hydor Theo LivestockCleaning Crew Dwarf Planaxis Dwarf Cerith Dwarf Cowrie Florida Cerith Nassarius Vibex Lenny the Limpet Corals Zoanthids Rainbow Sakuras Pastel Orange Rainbows Pink Panthers Pink Zippers Red Velvets Sunny-D's Wild Eyes Green Nebula Ricordea Orange Ricordea yuma Ricordea yuma Rainbow Ricordea florida Green Ricordea florida Blue Ricordea florida Orange Ricordea florida Sun Coral Red Montipora Setosa Superman Montipora Ultra Acan Lord Vivid's Rainbow Delight Yellow/Purple Eco-Gorgonian Blue Bali Sea Fan History/About Reef keeping has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember; I bred fish as kid, have had dozens of tanks, and even worked in at a few local fish stores back in high school and college. Though I have been out of the hobby for a few years due to a demanding work schedule and living in an insanely expensive urban area, I recently decided to return to the hobby. For the past two years this 3.4g tank was a freshwater planted setup which housed a newt, named Sir Isaac Newton...until one fateful day he decided to test out his theory of gravity. Unfortunately, his hypothesis proved accurate and the tank stood empty for a long while. I am now converting it into a pico reef tank -- I have never kept a reef tank this small before, especially not one I plan to house SPS in, so this should provide a fresh challenge. After having quite elaborate systems in the past, I am looking to keep this tank simple, minimalist and easy to maintain. This means no skimmer, controller, doser, etc. As I share a studio apartment with my girlfriend and our very large, very fluffy cat, the system must run quiet and have an extremely small footprint. The overall vibe of this tank is a volcanic Hawaiian/Pacific reef as mandated by my girlfriend, the chief designer. We wanted to keep the tank bright with an open feel since it's up near face level. Full Set-up 1 Quote Link to comment
Break Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 Upgraded to the Aquaclear70. Had to cut the intake tube to make it fit. I switched the impeller on the AC70 out for the one on the AC20 to reduce the flow to the range I want. I will test parameters tomorrow and if all looks good, order the cleaning crew off of Reef Cleaners. Quote Link to comment
Break Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 The cleaning crew from Reef Cleaners has come in. I usually like having Nerite snails in my tanks, but I omitted them this time due to the open top -- nerites like to explore and don't mind leaving the water a little bit to do so. They would quickly become a cat toy. Decided to go with a black backing for the tank after all. My girlfriend used her mad crafting/art skills to cut up a waterproof foam mat to exact specification -- the type you would place a planted ADA tank on. The first set of corals have been ordered and will arrive next Saturday! For now, it is a snail kingdom... Dwarf Planaxis Dwarf Cerith Dwarf Cowrie Florida Cerith Nassarius Vibex Limpet LED Off LED On Full Display 2 Quote Link to comment
Break Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 I did a water change and installed the Koralia Nano in the back right corner. Tank definitely needed more flow and I finally found the right angle for the Koralia such that it isn't too much for this tiny tank. Corals have been ordered and should arrive next Saturday 8/1. Tank will pretty much be fully stocked at that point Quote Link to comment
k4ndyk1ng Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 looking good, looking forward to see this filled up Quote Link to comment
Break Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Corals have arrived ZoanthidsRainbow Sakuras Pastel Orange Rainbows Pink Panthers Pink Zippers Red Velvets Sunny-D's Wild Eyes Green Nebula RicordeaOrange Ricordea yuma Ricordea yuma Rainbow Ricordea florida Green Ricordea florida Blue Ricordea florida Orange Ricordea florida Sun Coral Red Montipora Setosa Superman Montipora Ultra Acan Lord Vivid's Rainbow Delight Yellow/Purple Eco-Gorgonian Blue Bali Sea Fan I received the Blue Bali Sea Fan due to a miscommunication, but it looks great in the tank. Keeping it alive in the long-term will be the challenge -- time to stock up on plankton, lol. And here is Lenny the Limpet checking out the Montiporas, he is definitely the most adventurous little limpet I have ever encountered. And for now, he is king of the jungle I am going to perform a water change later tonight, I will post more photos after the corals settle in and open up. 1 Quote Link to comment
yoshii Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Looking good...except for that Blueberry Gorg. Those are almost always doomed in captivity But if you are going to really try to keep it, you're also going to need some beef blood. And plan for water changes like crazy. It might actually be better to take it out and put it (and might as well add the sun coral too) in another container to try to feed it. 1 Quote Link to comment
Break Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Beef/pork blood is pretty old school, though the size is on point. I plan on feeding a base mix of: Coral Frenzy, Two Little Fishies MarineSnow, Two Little Fishies PhytoPlan. Additional feedings of reef roids, oyster eggs and rotifers. Do you have any links to documented cases or scientific reasonings that suggests beef blood to be superior? It lacks the omega-3 fatty acids I would assume these gorgonians require... I ordered a photosynthetic gorgonian and then they called to tell me it didn't look too good, so they could refund it or replace it with the Sea Fan. I requested a refund as these Blueberry Gorgnians pretty much always die in captivity (plus, too big for the tank anyway), so I was very surprised to find it in the box this morning. Then again they also failed to give me any tracking information on the shipment like they normally do, so I am not all that surprised. Unfortunately, it has a better chance in my tank than the LFS near me or I would have taken it there already. Quote Link to comment
yoshii Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 Beef/pork blood is pretty old school, though the size is on point. I plan on feeding a base mix of: Coral Frenzy, Two Little Fishies MarineSnow, Two Little Fishies PhytoPlan. Additional feedings of reef roids, oyster eggs and rotifers. Do you have any links to documented cases or scientific reasonings that suggests beef blood to be superior? It lacks the omega-3 fatty acids I would assume these gorgonians require... I ordered a photosynthetic gorgonian and then they called to tell me it didn't look too good, so they could refund it or replace it with the Sea Fan. I requested a refund as these Blueberry Gorgnians pretty much always die in captivity (plus, too big for the tank anyway), so I was very surprised to find it in the box this morning. Then again they also failed to give me any tracking information on the shipment like they normally do, so I am not all that surprised. Unfortunately, it has a better chance in my tank than the LFS near me or I would have taken it there already. I don't have any articles boomarked atm, but I'll see if I can dig up anything. I got the info from an aquarist at Scripps several years ago. It would be only one of the variety of foods for the gorg; it's just mixed in. It's not meant to be the sole food. I'll ask some friends who know more about this species and get back to you Wow that's pretty bad service :/ Quote Link to comment
Break Posted August 2, 2015 Author Share Posted August 2, 2015 Yeah, haven't had an issue with ordering from Vivid until now. Forgot to mention that I orderd and paid for 2 frags of the superman montipora and only recieved one; I have already requested a refund for it. On the flipside, Legendary Corals provided great, responsive service with no issues. Quote Link to comment
yoshii Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Yeah, haven't had an issue with ordering from Vivid until now. Forgot to mention that I orderd and paid for 2 frags of the superman montipora and only recieved one; I have already requested a refund for it. On the flipside, Legendary Corals provided great, responsive service with no issues. Oh, that is surprising. Vivid is supposed to have pretty good customer service and stuff Darwin and the crew at LC are pretty awesome! Those zoas and palys in the FTS open up for you? (pics!!) Quote Link to comment
Break Posted June 17, 2020 Author Share Posted June 17, 2020 Wow, it's been a while but I've kept this tank running over the past 5 years despite my lack of updates here. That's probably because everything that could go wrong did at one point or another and I was too busy freaking out to post - from nudibranchs to heatwaves to a giant flatworm, this little tank has been through hell and back a few times. Despite my initial design mistakes and bad luck, it allowed me to get my girlfriend (now fiance) into the hobby, so I'd say it was worth it. Current Tank Specs Established: 6/30/15 Display: CrystalVu 30cm x 18cm x 24.5cm (13.2L / 3.4 gallons) Circulation: Aquaclear 70 w/ InTank mod - Filter floss, Phosguard, Purigen, Chemi-Pure Elite Flow: VorTech MP10 Lighting: AquaIllumination Prime LED Fixture Heater: 50w Hydor Theo Cooling: Mounted Thermaltake Computer Fan ATO: Innovative Marine HydroFill + Tom's Aqualifter and mason jar reservoir (was previously Hydor Smart Level Control ATO System) Controller: Apex Jr Controller Remaining LivestockCleaning Crew Dwarf Planaxis Dwarf Cerith Florida Cerith Nerites Nassarius Vibex Corals Assorted Zoanthids Assorted Mushrooms Assorted Photosynthetic Gorgonians Some notes from the last five years: Setting up a new tank to a Lifegard Aquatics 4.1g (with Built-In Back Filter), will be transferring the remaining livestock and some of the rock. Might go back to the Hydor ATO. I regret not being able to have a quarantine tank in our tiny apartment, this led to many disastrous hitchhikers from purchased corals: A nudibranch infestation wipes out all of the montipora. A giant flatworm hitchhiked an and ate just about everything. My girlfriend managed to suck it out with a turkey baster like a boss, though. Multiple aiptasia infestations. No fun, Small tanks are tough. This was the smallest reef tank I've tried keeping and I really missed the luxury of increased water volume and amenities like protein skimmers. Future tank will house more forgiving corals. The Vortech MP10 is total overkill, but I love it. The Koralia and Tunze I had before were too fidgety. Computer fans are underrated for cooling small tanks, but they do jack up the evaporation rate. Lost some coral to a heatwave, in San Francisco, of all places. Having too deep of a sandbed without critters filtering it led to a nutrient build-up issue over the years and a bit of "old tank syndrome." My most recent attempts to thwart it have resulted in cynao blooms. The new tank will have about half the sand as before. New personal rule: no lid, no fish. Was successfully keeping a pair of Ruby Red Dragonets (this tank produced pods like crazy) that were readily eating prepared foods until both eventually went carpet surfing. Here's a two year progress pic. The Ruby Red Dragonets: The mushroom garden over the years: The tank at its peak: 2 Quote Link to comment
yoshii Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 Awesome to get an update! Thanks for sharing! Did you already move the livestock to another tank or is that planned? 1 Quote Link to comment
Break Posted June 18, 2020 Author Share Posted June 18, 2020 Unfortunately, I lost most the livestock in a recent crash. That which remains remains is still in the current 3.4g, but I'll be transferring it and some of the rock to the new tank as soon as it arrives. I'll probably need to get a media basket off of inTank, as the back chamber set-up on this tank is a bit odd, but have no idea on the dimensions until it arrives. I'll also be attempting to make a mesh top with one of the BRS kits, so we'll see how that goes. Thread for the new tank: 4.1g Desktop Reef: Round Two! 2 Quote Link to comment
Reefscape Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 @BreakHi, how did the Hydor ATO work out for you? 1 Quote Link to comment
Break Posted July 9, 2020 Author Share Posted July 9, 2020 34 minutes ago, TheonlyDaan said: @BreakHi, how did the Hydor ATO work out for you? The Hydor ATO was a great product (still have it in a box somewhere for that reason), but the Hydrofill just ended up being a better fit for this particular tank. The Hydor definitely looks sleeker and has an alarm, which the Hydrofill lacks. However, the sensors on the Hydrofill are two separate magnetic secured pieces rather than a single molded piece like on the Hydor. This allowed me to set the sensors very close to each other in terms of height- this means the ATO tops off more frequently and prevents salinity swings (doesn't take much in a tank with such low water volume). On the flip-side, you risk flooding if you don't keep the sensors clean or if they are somehow knocked out of place. Personally, I've never had an issue with either. Neither ATO comes with a pump, so I've always gone with a Tom's Aqualifter and still do. Innovative Marine does make a pump for theirs but it costs practically just as much as the Hydrofill itself 🤔 Quote Link to comment
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