Nic's ADA 60F Shallow

[Nic]

Hey guys and gals, 

 

Its been a while since I last posted about my now defunct CadLights 45 gallon. Unfortunately, I went through a divorce and have subsequently moved on to law school. Needless to say, the 45 gallon was taken down during the transition and I have been somewhat limited by my current pursuits financially. I did, however, discover that all the equipment necessary for a 45 gallon tank would end up making for one helluvan overkill ten gallon shallow tank and thus, I give you the completely overkill ADA 60F

 

Current FTS: 04/15/17

 

 

The Beginning

 

Tank

ADA 60F - Approximately 8 gallons

Established March 1, 2017

 

Curing Dry Live Rock from Bulk Reef Supply

Cured for several days and then placed into aquarium seeded with LFS rock rubble for cycling

 

 

 

Filtration

Eheim Canister Filter 

• Approximately 360 GPH
• Set up with ball valve to control output
• Custom built PVC intake to fit 7" height of aquarium

Running:

• Carbon
• Biopellets
• Phosban

Pax Bellum ARID N18 Macroalgae Based Biofilter

* All operating on a fixed loop being driven by the Eheim pump

 

Approximately 8 pounds of dry live rock seeded with LFS rubble

 

Lighting

Aquaillumination AI Hydra 52 - operating on AI Controller

 

Pump

EcoTech MP10W - operating at the lowest setting currently

 

Current Livestock:

Corals:

• Octospawn - Euphyllia sp.
• Torch Coral - Euphyllia sp.
• Oregon Acropora tortuosa
• Miyagi Acropora tortuosa
• Sympodium Coral
• Assorted Zoanthids
• Acropora latistella "Bali Shortcake" x 2
• Cali Acropora tortuosa
• Jedi Mind Trick Montipora
• Welsophylia

Anemone:

• Rose Bubble Tipped 

Fish

• Pair of "Gold Nugget" Maroon Clownfish

Inverts

• Fromia Sea Star (Dead're n a door nail)
• Ye ole standard crew of hermit and snail cleanup crew

 

 

 

Dosing

• Reef Pods
• Some kind of bacteria supplement

 

Water Parameters (April 9, 2017)

PH: 8.1

Ammonia: 0.0ppm

Nitrite: 0.0ppm

Nitrate: 0.0ppm

Calcium: 420-440

Alkalinity: 9dkh

 

The tank completed its cycle between one and two weeks ago. I initially added the Red Planet and Frogskin first, followed by the Torch and Sympodium Coral and today added the Alveopora, Octospawn, and Zoanthids. I have two orders coming in next week from Ken Hahn at ReefCorner and the guys and gals at Cultivated Reef out of Maine. They are:

 

ReefCorner:

• Miyagi Tort frag
• Cali Tort frag
• Acropora latistella "Bali Shortcake" frag
• Rainbow Tort frag
• Montipora Undata "Jedi Mind Trick" frag

 

Cultivated Reef:

• Colony of Oregon Tort Acropora
• Colony of "Electric" Miyagi Tort

 

Hope everyone enjoys checking out the new tank!

[Nic]

Anyone know how I can delete those last three images? I was trying to figure out how to link images and uploaded those three using the upload feature through the site itself. Can't figure out how to rid the lost of they'll Thanks!

[Nic]

Added the Pax Bellum and Tunze Osmolator 3155 just prior to leaving for Dallas. I'll be back on Sunday and will be able to give a more thorough rundown of the setup and operation. 

 

[Nic]

Added a beautiful Wellsophyllia Coral today

 

View from the top down

 

 

 

[J-Ranko]

Nice!  That Pax Bellum reactor looks so cool with the lighting rod down the middle. I saw one on rehype's thread, and when I looked up the price... 

[Nic]

12 hours ago, J-Ranko said:

Nice!  That Pax Bellum reactor looks so cool with the lighting rod down the middle. I saw one on rehype's thread, and when I looked up the price... 

 

Thanks J! I really love the design of the Pax Bellum and am totally sold on the utility of an algae reactor. Haven't really seen any dramatic results from its addition to the tank so far but its still fairly early on in the process. 

 

But yeah, that price tag gave me pause, as well. I decided since I intend to eventually set up a tank in the 250-500 gallon range following graduation from law school, I would go ahead and learn how to use it and continue checking off the list of possible additions to the aquarium when I set it up eventually. Maybe, by that time, it'll be a run of the mill filtration concept that costs next to nothing! (I doubt that)

[Christopher Marks]

Welcome back @Nic!

 

On 3/27/2017 at 7:20 PM, Nic said:

Anyone know how I can delete those last three images? I was trying to figure out how to link images and uploaded those three using the upload feature through the site itself. Can't figure out how to rid the lost of they'll Thanks!

I removed them for you, must have been a bug! I think one went missing though, a closeup of some polyps.

 

Those maroon clownfish have crazy markings!

[Rehype]

Looks great Nic...love that reactor 

[Nic]

10 minutes ago, Rehype said:

Looks great Nic...love that reactor 

 

Thanks Rehype! I've enjoyed having the algae reactor. Its certainly something different, even if the concept of using algae as a means of nutrient export, isn't. How do you like yours? Any noticeable benefits from using it? Any negatives? 

34 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said:

Welcome back @Nic!

 

I removed them for you, must have been a bug! I think one went missing though, a closeup of some polyps.

 

Those maroon clownfish have crazy markings!

 

Thanks Chris! Very glad to be back. I actually purchased those maroons from the LFS just down the straight. I believe they are from Sustainable Aquatics. My fiancée fell in love with them so I didn't really have much of a choice. 

[xiaoxiy]

How do you have that algae reactor plumbed into your setup?

[Rehype]

17 hours ago, Nic said:

 

Thanks Rehype! I've enjoyed having the algae reactor. Its certainly something different, even if the concept of using algae as a means of nutrient export, isn't. How do you like yours? Any noticeable benefits from using it? Any negatives? 

 

 

So far I love it. I mean ive always used algae for nutrient export with great success but this is just an easier way to contain the algae while supercharging its growth. I had mine running for only a week and it reduced my nitrates/phosphates to 0. The only negative I can think of is the fact you have to disassemble the reactor to prune the algae and I would recommend adding quick disconnects to your reactor to make this task easier. 

[Nic]

17 hours ago, xiaoxiy said:

How do you have that algae reactor plumbed into your setup?

 

I've actually got it plumbed into a closed loop, utilizing an Eheim canister filter running at 360 GPH as the pump. I have the algae reactor plumbed into the line prior to the canister filter (mainly just to insure more nutrients and waste make it to the algae prior to the canister filter for quicker growth). The canister filter is running carbon, bio-pellets, and phosphate remover. I'll see if I can get some better photos of the set up this evening. 

 

Now that I've got everything plumbed the way I want and the tank is stable, I'm going to begin planning a better, cleaner stand and storage layout. Unfortunately, I measured the interior portions of the stand I am presently using, incorrectly and both the canister filter and the reactor are too tall by about an inch, which is why they've been plumbed and are currently sitting on the floor beside the stand, which, given that I was going for as minimalistic an appearance as possible and clean lines, is really irritating to my eye, albeit, perfectly fine as far as operation is concerned. 

2 hours ago, Rehype said:

 

So far I love it. I mean ive always used algae for nutrient export with great success but this is just an easier way to contain the algae while supercharging its growth. I had mine running for only a week and it reduced my nitrates/phosphates to 0. The only negative I can think of is the fact you have to disassemble the reactor to prune the algae and I would recommend adding quick disconnects to your reactor to make this task easier. 

 

That's actually a really good idea for cleaning the reactor. Do you have any images of your quick disconnect set up on your most recent thread?

[Nic]

Not sure if you guys and gals are familiar with the tank I'm about to link to but years ago, probably back when I was still in college and a fairly new member to this board, I stumbled across this video and it inspired me to do this set up, eventually. I do intend to drill a new ADA 60F at some point, but will likely still utilize a closed loop instead of a sump. I've had a couple of terrible experiences with flooding, etc. with sumps and just prefer the closed loop, as of now. 

 

 

[Nic]

Got a large frag of Miyagi Tort and Oregon Tort. They've been on hold for about a month waiting for my tank to cycle and stabilize and have finally been added. Thanks to the guys and gals at Cultivated Reef for working with me over the last month!

 

 

 

I've got one last sizable group of corals coming in and then I'll be giving them some time to fill out. Might add a small Maxima clam or LPS of some type over the summer, at the most. 

[Nic]

Couple of updates for the morning: 

 

Learned the hard way to keep my hands out of the tank and quit fiddling with things unnecessarily. The Sebae Anemone I purchased about a week ago, who appeared to have settled in nicely and remained in one spot for days, up and moved in the middle of the night after I moved the MP 10 and apparently disturbed him. Unfortunately, he was sucked into the intake and fairly well mangled. I did manage to find him in his predicament prior to him melting and causing even bigger problems but I'm certainly kicking myself for moving the MP 10 and causing him issue. 

 

Secondly, does anyone know how I can get in touch with Pacific Sun USA? I have emailed them at least four times now without a response. I purchased a Kore 5th Doser for my old 45 gallon tank that I barely even used and would like to put it to use, eventually, with this tank, but I managed to lose the power cable in several moves over the last couple of years. It seems odd that a company with such a solid reputation for craftsmanship and quality is so terrible at customer service but maybe it's just my luck lately. 

[Nic]

Couple of shots from this morning. 

 

Acropora latistella "Bali Shortcake" like colony

 

Welso

 

Added a a few other frags and a colony of Stylophora but couldn't get good shots due to the glare from the morning sun. I'll try to get a few this evening. 

[Aquacrazed]

Very cool, how's the MP10 working out for you?

[J-Ranko]

Nems moving after changes in flow is like universal.  It seems to be the main factor that gets them moving.

 

Those are some really good sized Miyagi tort and Oregon tort!  Beautiful colors, too.  Are they standard for the prices on Cultivated Reef or did you pull some strings?   Most sellers would probably just give you one half-inch stub.

[Nic]

5 hours ago, J-Ranko said:

Nems moving after changes in flow is like universal.  It seems to be the main factor that gets them moving.

 

Those are some really good sized Miyagi tort and Oregon tort!  Beautiful colors, too.  Are they standard for the prices on Cultivated Reef or did you pull some strings?   Most sellers would probably just give you one half-inch stub.

 

Haha thank you! They are by far my favorites. They were quite pricey and I just happened to luck into them by simply asking if they had any large sized frags. 

 

I placed both of them in their permanent spots after removing them from their frag plugs. 

 

I seem to only run into into issues with inverts in this tank build. I've learned three valuable things thus far: 1. No matter what, I'm incapable of keeping a Fromia starfish from melting, 2. I can't leave a Fromi starfish in the tank and go on a trip because he WILL attempt to nuke it, and 3. If I mess with any pumps in the tank an anemone is likely to lose its life in an accident. 

 

Oregon Tort (Right) and Cali Tort frag (Left)

 

Miyagi (from above) and Forest Fire digitata

 

6 hours ago, Aquacrazed said:

Very cool, how's the MP10 working out for you?

 

It's working very well. I intend to adjust the aquascape a bit once I've given the frags and colonies a bit more time to settle in. I'm trying to keep my hands out of the tank for a bit. I've got on the reef crest mode, maxing out at half the available intensity. The Miyagi and Oregon Torts are showing excellent polyp extension in the direct flow. 

 

Im still experiencing a bit of a cyano bloom and the tank seems to produce a fair amount of algae on the glass throughout the day, though not what I would deem unusual or too excess (knock on wood).

[J-Ranko]

1 hour ago, Nic said:

 

Haha thank you! They are by far my favorites. They were quite pricey and I just happened to luck into them by simply asking if they had any large sized frags. 

 

I placed both of them in their permanent spots after removing them from their frag plugs. 

 

Oregon Tort

 

Miyagi (from above) and Forest Fire digitata

 

 

  So jealous. I want an Oregon tort like that...

[Nic]

14 minutes ago, J-Ranko said:

 

  So jealous. I want an Oregon tort like that...

 

You should give them a shout. Ask for Holly. She actually gave me a couple of large sized frags of both to choose from. The other Oregon Tort is smaller but still much larger than the standard frag and the other Miyagi was similar sized. 

[Nic]

Goals for the week

 

Moved some furniture out of my office and hope to move the stand out from under the vent so I can open that up again without it dropping the temperature in the tank by six degrees. Also hoping to clean up the plumbing and at least have it somewhat organized until I either develop and build a custom stand or find some other solution to hide both the canister filter and the algae reactor.

 

I also want to adjust my aquascape a bit to allow the flow from the MP10 to be less hindered. I'll probably do this toward the end of the week as I want to let the corals settle in a bit more without me readjusting everything. 

 

Going to to attempt to clean up some of the brown algae that's grown on the bottom of the tank without disturbing too many of the corals.

 

Longer term goals

 

I eventually intend to tend to purchase another 60F and drill it on either end, utilizing a closed loop that will likely still make use of the canister filter and algae reactor. My goal is to have as little in the tank as possible in the end, to include hanging the light fixture from the ceiling. 

[Nic]

Went ahead and adjusted the aquascape. I attempted to centralize the rock a bit more for easier cleaning of the tank bottom. I also sought to make the viewing angle for many of the corals better and to open up some room for the MP10 to circulate throughout the tank. I am satisfied with the scape currently, though not in love with it so it may change some more. The tank is only about two months old so it's still producing a butt ton of algae even though the water parameters are spot on and the algae reactor is running full speed ahead.

 

if you notice, the Octospawn isn't doing well. Unfortunately, when I went to Dallas last week, I'm assuming my cat must've been rubbing against the strip outlet and somehow unplugged my Tunze ATO. When I got back, the water level in the tank was low, salinity was high and my Fromia Star had melted. I ended up losing the Red Planet colony, ORA Frogskin frag and the Octospawn took a hit. It's still hanging in there though it doesn't appear to be really improving. Time will tell, however. 

 

[Nic]

Made an epoxy base for the Stylophora colony.

 

Right Side

 

 

Left Side

 

 

Im getting amazing polyp extension from my Acropora, which I wasn't necessarily expecting after only a couple of days of being established in the tank.

 

Acropora latistella "Bali Shortckake" frag

 

 

Acropora tortuosa "Oregon Tort" and Acropora tortuosa "Rainbow Tort" frag just to the left.

 

 

Acropora tortuosa "Miyagi Tort"

 

 

Acropora latistella "Bali Shortcake like" colony

 

 

Stylophora colony 

 

 

Montipora sp. "Jedi Mind Trick"

 

 

Ive got a few other corals in the works for next month including a UC Pink Goniopora frag, a beautiful electric green Duncan, and a very long tentacled Indo Torch Coral. I'm hoping to place these on the rocks between the sticks to help give it a more filled out appearance and to add a little more movement. 

 

Ive got two additional colonies of Acropora planned for June, an Aussie Strawberry Lemonade and Strawberry Shortcake colonies. 

 

Some shots of the additions I am making in May and June:

 

UC Pink Goniopora

 

Duncanopsammia axifuga "Electric green Duncan" frag

 

 

Euphyllia glabrescens "Indo Torch Coral"

 

 

Acropora sp. "Aussie Strawberry Lemonade" colony

 

 

Acropora microlados "Strawberry Shortcake" colony 

 

 

 

 

[Nic]

It's been a week now since I added the various SPS frags and colonies and it appears that everyone has settled in well except for one single frag that is RTN'ing. I actually think I may have set it too close to the MP10 and it started by shearing some of the flesh off. All in all, I'm not going to complain too much over one frag. 

 

Algae and cyano are are beginning to abate and I'm no longer coming home in the afternoon's to tank glass you can barely see through due to algae. 

 

Things are cruising along. Will be another couple of weeks before I make any more additions.