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Crawdad’s 10 gallon custom zoa/acan frag "sandbox"


crawdads57

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I wanted to build this system to enhance my ability to propagate and to “grow” zoa rocks and LPS for my 18 gallon cube system. I consider this a “work-tank” where I can rotate things in and out of my display. The tanks are not on a shared system.

 

Latest FTS (Day 37):

 

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I wanted something shallow and with enough volume to accommodate 20 - 30 frags at a time. I also wanted to use live sand without having the bottom of the tank become a mess over time. Lastly, I wanted to match all equipment (especially lights and filtration media) as well as water parameters to my display so that acclimation back and forth was not an issue.

 

The AIO was custom built by a great guy named Dan – here is a link to the review I did on his work: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/376631-luckreef-ebay-seller-produced-frag-tank/ It measures 18 X 18 X 9.5. With all of the equipment listed below (and rock / sand, etc.) in place it gives me 10.25 gallons of real water volume. The tank is also drilled for an eventual sump / fuge, if I should decide to go that route later.

 

Tank:

Custom 10+ gallon shallow AIO

 

Lighting:

Current Orbit 18 - 24" LED with supplementary Schuber-Wright dual 3W Actinic MR 16s (soon to be 3 bulbs when I move and reconfigure some of my equipment).

*I am also using the same model and size Current Orbit on my display. I added light stands to get the Orbit up off the water level on 10/6/16. Dan built them for me - same guy that built the tank.

 

Biological filtration:

Dead rock that was from one of my old tanks years ago, cleaned with muriatic acid.

Live rock rubble from my existing display sump.

Approximately 4 lbs of CaribSea Oceans Direct Oolite in the “sandbox.”

Seachem Matrix in media bag that was brought over from my existing display sump / fuge.

Everything seeded with BW Microbacter7.

 

 

Chemical filtration:

Fluval carbon (cheap stuff well rinsed) approx. 1 cup.

BW PO4 Xport (2 cubes).

Purigen (1, 100mL bag).

*This is the same chemical filtration I am using on my display

 

Physical filtration:

Tunze 9001 DOC protein skimmer (I love this thing by the way).

Standard blue/white filter material.

* Same on display but the display has a sump with HOB for the carbon / PO4 Xport.

 

Heater:

Eheim 75W

 

Flow:

Return: Lifegard Aquatics Quiet One 1200 (max 296gph tuned down to approx. 200gph).

Korallia Nano 240 - currently only 1, may increase to 2.

 

CUC:

Trochus X 3

Nassarius X 3

Florida Cerith X 3

Dwarf Cerith X 10

Dwarf Palanxis X 6

Blue leg hermits (small) X 5 - these might get moved to my display / sump.

*(all of the above from Reef Cleaners.org)

Copepods originally seeded from Algae barn’s 5280 mix in my display.

 

*I do realize my CUC is a bit overkill, and the diatoms I had initially have been striped clean. I have been feeding a few pellets here and there for the time being and patches of diatoms pop up here and there.

 

Current coral:

6 palythoa specimens, 1 Protopaly YCP, 1 St. Thomas mushroom, and 1 Acan lord (added 9/28/16).

 

Planned additions:

Several zoas / palys purchased and on temporary hold at Planetzoa.com

3 more acan lords

1 Squat Lobster (when the time is right)

 

Maintenance:

Change 0.25 gallons daily (with larger 1 – 1.5 gallons changes sporadically when I see something that needs siphoned out for example).

Change filter material twice weekly.

Change carbon and PO4 Xport monthly.

Change Purigen every 3 months.

 

Feeding:

I feed the current palys a mix of Reef Roids and Reef Chili twice per week and a small amount of herbivore pellet / tablet food twice weekly on the same days of the week. I’ll see how these hermits fair on this feeding schedule and adjust accordingly before I go for that squat lobster. I plan to figure out a good way to spot feed him daily and since I feed my display daily this shouldn’t be a problem.

 

Parameters I am currently sticking to:

Salinity: 35ppt (Using ESV salt mix - switched from BW Neomarine)

Ph: 8.2 - 8.3

Temp: 79* F

Alk: 2.96meq / 8.25 dKH

Ca: 430ppm

Mg: 1300ppm

Nitrates: < 10 ppm

PO4: undetectable

 

As of 9/20/16 I have successfully maintained this system at these levels. These are the same levels as my display, except the PO4 which I am slowly battling with BW PO4 Xport. I have also had steady success with this product over the last 3 weeks on my 18G display.

 

 

 

First pic - Day 1: 8/29/16

 

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Pics from day 7 after getting it wet: 9/5/16

 

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Display tank pics:

 

Day 1 after TBS Live Rock (4/26/16):

 

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Approximately 5 months (9/19/16)

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

9/29/16 - Day 31: First LPS (Acan lord) added 9/28/16

 

Reduced light to 60% Blue and 30% White to acclimate. Opened right up and plumped up nicely. Fed them some frozen mysis after getting their attention with a little Reefroids / Reef Chili.

 

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Pic of same piece with some flash.

 

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Man, I really am not such a great photographer with this phone...

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10/6/16 - Day 37: New light stands from Dan.

 

Big improvement in spread and gets my light up to a more comfortable position away from the water level.

 

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