Brian's Fluval M40

[BrianGriff]

So lets get an equipment check:

 

Tank:

• Fluval M40

Lighting

• $15 Ebay 3watt white/blue Led
• 2 Truelumen Led Strips (1: 12k white, 1: 50/50 12k & 453nm Blue)
• AquaIllumination Prime Led

Pump & Wavemakers:

• Sicce Syncra Nano
• Hydor Koralia 240

Heater:

• Tetra 50watt submersible

Auto Top Off System:

• Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155

 

So now the livestock:

• Started with dry/white rock
• 5lb Live Sand Bare-bottom

Fish:

• Pair of Premium Midnight Clowns
• Picasso Clown
• Gold Neon Goby
• Black Ice Snowflake Clownfish

Corals:

• Xenias
• Kenya Tree (Grew to size of softball, brought back to store)
• Green Star Polyps
• Zoas
• Xenias
• Mushrooms
• Blue/Purple Cloves
• Green Xenias
• Red Montipora

 

 

So, obviously people might be curious to the backstory of all this. Lets go to where everything was started. 10 gallon Freshwater tank -> 55 gallon freshwater, planted with oddball, cichlids, and made into Fowlr. 55 was going to be reef after all fish were added. I had a pair of Mocha clowns, baby Hippo Tang, cleaner shrimp, sleeper banded goby, (and the cause of death of the tank) the annoying coral beauty. So I did not have a ISO tank. Yes, we all had mistakes. All my fish were bought at respectable places, and the coral beauty was bought looking healthy at a different store. Ended up giving my entire tank Ich. Took down the 55.

 

Onto the 75 gallon 40b custom sump, Fowlr Aggressive. Beautiful Porcupine Puffer ~6-8", by far the best fish with the best personality. Larger Sleeper banded goby, 5", the Niger Trigger, 5", and baby Snowflake eel. So knowingly when I bought the puffer, he was going through ich treatment (natural ich treatment) which was doing nothing (owner was attached to him, so he was doing it as easy for the puffer as possible). I ended up buying him even with ich (greeted me everytime I was in the store). I also bought the niger trigger and sleeper banded goby shortly after. Setup a 40B iso tank for all 3 (might as well treat them all at once)[copper treatment, and yes I know the puffer is sensitive to copper, i did my research.] They all made out fine. While vacationing in NH, I visited a lfs. I always liked eels, so i picked one up. GUESS WHAT! ich. He brought ich. So sadly all 4 into copper treatment. While I was treating this, my 75 had a slow leak on one of the corners....took it all down. Brought the puffer back to the store he came from. (all fish were fully cured before bringing back to places).

 

Onto a 120 gallon freshwater - monster oddballs planted

 

This tank crazy journey made me realize more and more. Bigger fish tanks, the longer the maintenance! More buckets to carry, etc.

 

So finally hit the nano stage.

 

So The history of the Fluval M40:

Waited about 4 weeks till I put anything in. Bought Xenias, green star polyps, kenya tree, and zoas. The xenias shriveled to nothing. (first light). On the other hand, Kenya tree was BLOOMING in the middle of the tank. As this was happening, i bought a pair of midnight clowns. Ended up having marine velvet. (one was also picking on the other.) treating them, 1 died. Bought a gold neon goby and a picasso shortly after. Picasso and midnight then fought, midnight lost. Picasso slowly whithered away (stopped eating). Down to the gold neon goby....going great....then not noticing him for like 4 days. Looked around the tank, then in the sump of the tank. Dried up in the filter floss.

 

FISHLESS! but time to focus on the corals. Bought the rest of the corals listed. Also upgraded light recently to the AI Prime. This tank has been fishless for about 3 months.

 

Will post some pictures when I resize them.

 

 

Taking all suggestions for fish. I want something either unique, colorful, or something that is fine.

[HarryPotter]

Upload photos to photobucket and then paste the IMG link here. You get full sized beautiful pictures

 

Sounds like a cool plan

[BrianGriff]

Time to get those pictures going

 

Started this tank early 3/2015

 

First coral added 4/4/2015: (xenia)

 

Added a few more corals about a week or two later: (gsp and kenya tree with sponge at base)

 

One of the Midnight Clownfish: (second one at back <- before marine velvet shows its ugly face)

 

The gold neon goby:

 

After the chaos of marine velvet added some Zoas:

[BrianGriff]

So thats a small bit of the pictures from the start of the tank.

 

Here are some more current ones:

Full tank shot:

 

Closer shot of the corals:

 

 

Another shot of the corals towards the left side:

[BrianGriff]

And the most current: today 10/7/15

Added a black ice snowflake clown

 

The montipora is not bleached out looking as the picture shows, it is almost a darker pink almost red color. As of right now I am having a bit of a green hair algae attack. Planning on getting some Phosban.

 

 

Does anyone recommend Phosban or something else to help fight it off.

 

And another questions:

My corals, some I have had a lot longer than others, but none have seem to grown at all. The one coral that did grow before hand was the Kenya tree that grew quite large that I had to give away. A lot of people say GSP and xenyas spread like mad, but mine havent done much, if not have gotten slightly worse.

 

My current parameters:

Calcium - 480 ppm

Alkalinity - 8.4 dkh

Magnesium - 1360 ppm

Nitrates - Next to untraceable - 0

 

I planned on getting a phosphate test (obviously causing the algae)

 

But before a lot of this algae recently, my corals were not growing anyway....Just curious on opinions.

[JabaReef]

Love the scape man how are you liking the edge wanted to get one as my countertop tank originally but the fiancé vetoed having the tank on our kitchen counter, and ended up with a Nuvo 30L