Teenyreef's IM40 Not-So-Teeny Tank - August FTS

[teenyreef]

Here's a new top down with all the corals in their places. It's easier to see just how much I've exceeded the legal limit of corals per square inch in some spots. 

Also, I've updated the first post in the thread with the current inhabitants list.

 

 

...and here's the FTS from the previous page!

 

[Nixperience]

Looking great! Cubes are hard to activate that upper half of space. That's half the reason I got out of the cube. I just could do it. 

[teenyreef]

2 hours ago, Nixperience said:

Looking great! Cubes are hard to activate that upper half of space. That's half the reason I got out of the cube. I just could do it. 

Yeah, I agree. But although it's space that's hard to fill with corals, the extra water is nice for the fish. I definitely couldn't keep this many fish in a lagoon 25, which is the same size but just not as tall.

 

I think in the long run, the best option may be a custom tank that is just a little smaller than this one, and about four inches shorter, and then make up the extra water volume with a nice sump. But that won't happen for a long time, probably not until after I put together a much bigger tank and have someplace to keep all the corals while I redo this tank.

[ml86743]

Been awhile since I've checked this thread out, the progress is wonderful!

[teenyreef]

1 hour ago, ml86743 said:

Been awhile since I've checked this thread out, the progress is wonderful!

Thanks! How is your tank doing? Are you back home with it this summer? 

[kimberbee]

Yakko, Wakko and Dot 

[teenyreef]

1 hour ago, kimberbee said:

Yakko, Wakko and Dot 

[teenyreef]

After watching the BRS video, I order and installed the BRS "water saver" 150 gpd upgrade kit today. Basically it's a second RO membrane with some tubing, brackets, and a splitter to merge the output from the two membranes. Water pressure has to be at least 65 psi to use it, but since I have the Booster Buddie that's not a problem.

 

Sure enough, my Brute trash can was filled in half the time with half the waster water! I'm really glad I got this.

 

 

[gone_PHiSHin]

well done.  i always feel guilty about the amount of 'waste water' my RODI unit produces.

 

anyone know how bad the 'waste' water actually is?  do all the TDS go out this way?  i have a ton of houseplants that i water with plain old tap water and i've always wondered if i should just collect and use the waste water from the filter to water my plants...

[Mariaface]

9 hours ago, gone_PHiSHin said:

well done.  i always feel guilty about the amount of 'waste water' my RODI unit produces.

 

anyone know how bad the 'waste' water actually is?  do all the TDS go out this way?  i have a ton of houseplants that i water with plain old tap water and i've always wondered if i should just collect and use the waste water from the filter to water my plants...

 

Not all the TDS; you should try it

 

(Maybe not the membrane flush water, though)

[gena]

Looks great!  Those Miami Vice looking zoas though .  Totally drawn to them .

[KJoFan]

I'll be putting the wide quad over my IM40 very soon. Would you mind sharing your settings for yours?

[truepercs]

On July 5, 2017 at 0:57 AM, teenyreef said:

Yeah, I agree. But although it's space that's hard to fill with corals, the extra water is nice for the fish. I definitely couldn't keep this many fish in a lagoon 25, which is the same size but just not as tall.

 

I think in the long run, the best option may be a custom tank that is just a little smaller than this one, and about four inches shorter, and then make up the extra water volume with a nice sump. But that won't happen for a long time, probably not until after I put together a much bigger tank and have someplace to keep all the corals while I redo this tank.

Once the sps start growing, that space will be needed  

Another beautiful tank...

[truepercs]

I see that you have a wrasse, do you have a top or is it open.  I have considered a wrasse, I am not a fan of covering up the aquarium...

In talking with folks at the local aquarium store they only occasionally have wrasse jump out... all of their aquariums are open top.

[teenyreef]

On 7/9/2017 at 0:47 PM, gena said:

Looks great!  Those Miami Vice looking zoas though .  Totally drawn to them .

Those are the Vice Aquafresh zoas, some of my favorites. They're finally starting to multiply after numerous setbacks. I'm really looking forward to propagating them in the frag tank soon

On 7/10/2017 at 1:24 PM, KJoFan said:

I'll be putting the wide quad over my IM40 very soon. Would you mind sharing your settings for yours?

I'm happy to, but I'm on travel this week. I'll post some screen shots from the Bluefish app later this weekend. Good luck! 

22 hours ago, truepercs said:

Once the sps start growing, that space will be needed  

Another beautiful tank...

Thanks! I'll have to think out the sps frags once they start growing, there won't be room for half of them once they start filling in the vertical space. 

[teenyreef]

22 hours ago, truepercs said:

I see that you have a wrasse, do you have a top or is it open.  I have considered a wrasse, I am not a fan of covering up the aquarium...

In talking with folks at the local aquarium store they only occasionally have wrasse jump out... all of their aquariums are open top.

I've learned the hard way to always keep a top on every one of my tanks. Even non jumpers will jump out of an uncovered nano tank. This tank is relatively deep so the risk of jumping is lower, but I don't take any chances. 

[teenyreef]

I had one of those reefer's nightmare nights! As I was scraping the glass, I knocked the hawkins echinata off the rocks without realizing it. Later, while scraping the glass, I noticed the bare white spot where the frag used to be but I didn't realize what it was. 

Just as I was going to bed, I suddenly remembered it and looked more closely. And after checking the latest top down picture I finally figured out what was missing. Here's a pic of the great white spot in the middle of the rocks. 

I spent the next hour poking around in the tank trying to find that coral frag. I dug up everything in the sand, I looked in every nook and cranny in the rocks, and even got a step stool so I could get a look way down in the back, but no luck. 

Unfortunately while I was looking I found one of the bangaii cardinals freshly dead lying on the sand bed. And the other small one is lying on his side in the back of the tank so I don't think he's long for this world. 

The remaining cardinal, the largest one, is still doing fine, so I suspect he's responsible.  

Finally after much cursing and despair, I finally found the frag. You can see it in the first picture, on the lower right, between the green slimer and the aussie candlelight. Arrrgh. Well, at least it was undamaged. I glued it back in place along with a couple others I knocked off while I was digging around. 

On the bright side, I think there might be some signs that the katropora is finally getting some color other than green. 

It's at the bottom of this pic, just to the right of the green slimer. It's definitely getting some purple polyps finally! 

 

So then I got on the computer to process these pictures, and as I was sitting there I noticed one of the brs dosers for the IM10 was running continuously. Turns out I accidentally hit the doser button on the Apex when I was messing with the IM40 trying to find the echinata, and it had been dosing NoPox in the IM10 for about an hour. 

That works out to be about 65 ml, in a tank that usually gets about 3 ml in a whole day. 

So then I did a 50% water change, and turned off the NoPox and Acropower dosers. I put in a little Seachem Prime to head off any ammonia poisoning from the impending bacterial bloom, and emptied the skimmer cup. Hopefully things will go ok tonight, and then I'll do another water change tomorrow to help reduce the NoPox level and export some of the excess b act. 

And then finally, just as I was really going to bed, I noticed a leak in the ceiling (we've had thunderstorms all night). So I spent another hour fruitlessly searching for the source of the leak. 

And now it's 4:40 am and I'm finally going to bed. Good night, N-R! 

[RIP Sebastian]

Wow. Quite the eventful night! Sorry about the cardinals.

[debbeach13]

Dam I bet your glad that night is over. Hope you have a much better day today.

[teenyreef]

4 hours ago, RIP Sebastian said:

Wow. Quite the eventful night! Sorry about the cardinals.

Yeah, I'm bummed about them. I thought they were doing OK with the two little ones on one side of the tank and the big one on the other, but apparently not. I guess this tank is just too small for a school.

4 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

Dam I bet your glad that night is over. Hope you have a much better day today.

Thanks! So far so good, the 10g tank is looking fine today, the fish don't seem stressed and the corals look normal. 

[dropped]

Ive found in smaller schools of bangaii the large male or female will kill off the competition. I didnt have luck with 5, have seen them do well in 10-15.

[ninjamyst]

oh wow, what an ordeal!  my pair of cardinals quickly became one too with the bigger one winning.

[KJoFan]

On 7/13/2017 at 0:38 PM, teenyreef said:

I'm happy to, but I'm on travel this week. I'll post some screen shots from the Bluefish app later this weekend. Good luck! 

 

Fantastic.  Looking forward to seeing how you have yours set up. 

[kimberbee]

Yikes, I hope today went better once you woke up!! 

[DaveFason]

Get some sleep. Hopefully all will be ok. 

 

This tank is really looking great. The monti section looks incredible!