Coral_chef 14gal IM (more new coral 12/3)

[Coral_chef]

This will the "journal" for me an my girlfriends 100day nano reef completion tank. We are moving about 10days into the contest as well which will be fun!! ?

 

  we will be building this tank as well as a 29gallon oceanic bio cube almost simultaneously. We will probably have some post on that tank in this thread as well.

 

Neither of us have ANY ?experience with salt water aquariums so I'm sure it will be a journey. 

If you have any advice along the way feel free to share. ??

 

 

Plans:

 

Equipment:

tunze osmolator ato nano

hydor koralia 425.

innovative marine 14gal peninsula tank

innovative marine aqua fuge light 

innovative marine filter sock

marine land 100w heater(works ok, will probably upgrade)

chemi pure blue nano 

current USA orbit pro LED

 

Fish;

Psychedelic madarin dragonette,

Black clown 40$~R.i.p.

Snow flake clown 50$~R.i.p.

 

inverts:

6 of snails, And 3 hermits for 20$ already lost 2 hermits damn

pom-Pom crab. 

Small sea urchin. 

Flower anenome if we get clowns 

 

corals:

recordea floridas, 4 for 50$

1 for 20$

acans, 3 for 50$ lost one

octospawn,30$

hammer coral 30$ 

green star polyps. 2 for 30$

zoas 5 for 50$ 

anemone 30$ R.i.p.

 

400$ total spent 

 

 

FTS 5/11

 

 

FTS 5/23

FTS 9/15

 

 

[metrokat]

[HouseOf1000Corals]

? so excited and terrified at the same time haha

[Coral_chef]

Reef octopus

 

thinking of using this skimmer. 

[Coral_chef]

So we went to the LFS today, purchased our Live rock and have it curing in a homer bucket along with koralia 425, & a 100w heater. That we will be using in the tank. 

 

Also started getting a plan for our corals and livestock in our heads!! Probably doing a mixed tank with a madarin goby.

[Coral_chef]

We got a "stand" today for our tank!!

[metrokat]

On 4/22/2017 at 1:30 AM, Coral_chef said:

Reef octopus

 

thinking of using this skimmer. 

I hope it will fit - @StevieT would know

[Coral_chef]

It will. More worried about the weight. 

[StevieT]

17 hours ago, metrokat said:

I hope it will fit - @StevieT would know

 

I know they were being installed in the Fusion 20's.  Without the mounting bracket I can see it fitting, may take some trial and error getting it in the right configuration.

[1891Bro]

With this being yalls first go at a marine aquarium I'd stay away from the mandarin. What's yalls plan on feeding it?

[Coral_chef]

4 hours ago, 1891Bro said:

With this being yalls first go at a marine aquarium I'd stay away from the mandarin. What's yalls plan on feeding it?

I've been looking into copepod "farms" I saw one that you can stick in a 5.5gal. 

 

It does kinda seem like it might be hard to upkeep the food. I'm making sure I do plenty of research first. 

In other news I got my bucket cycle started. 

[HouseOf1000Corals]

Those are some good looking rocks ??

[1891Bro]

34 minutes ago, Coral_chef said:

I've been looking into copepod "farms" I saw one that you can stick in a 5.5gal. 

 

It does kinda seem like it might be hard to upkeep the food. I'm making sure I do plenty of research first. 

In other news I got my bucket cycle started. 

That is some nice rock, looks like what I got. Nice you're doing the homework on the Mandy too. No doubt if they were easy everyone would get one. Hell, I bet @Derrick1980 picked one up today. Good luck with the cycle, @brandon429 is a cycle expert, read into his thread on cycling on R2R for some rock solid advice. 

[Coral_chef]

I also think I'm going to release a bottle of copepods into the tank early into the cycle. 

[brandon429]

I hope nobody is going to dose raw ammonia or a dead shrimp to that bucket  that rock looks fine, and it'll wait underwater just fine with its bac as long as you want to take to set things up.

 

that rock is in all indications fully cycled I see coralline, though not perfect enough to appear painted, and white tubeworm fans which indicate there's living creatures on that rock and likely pods and worms too. that rock can wait right there bubbling in the bucket as long as you need to setup the tank, its skip cycle rock, ready to go if it came out of a standard live rock bin at the fish store.

 buy lots more of just that type, i like the purple stuff as opposed to waiting 3 yrs for white rock to turn that way, if not ten.

 

this rock above might bring in hitchhikers, but we have rambling threads for that when it occurs

 

[1891Bro]

6 minutes ago, brandon429 said:

I hope nobody is going to dose raw ammonia or a dead shrimp to that bucket  that rock looks fine, and it'll wait underwater just fine with its bac as long as you want to take to set things up.

 

that rock is in all indications fully cycled I see coralline, though not perfect enough to appear painted, and white tubeworm fans which indicate there's living creatures on that rock and likely pods and worms too. that rock can wait right there bubbling in the bucket as long as you need to setup the tank, its skip cycle rock, ready to go if it came out of a standard live rock bin at the fish store.

 buy lots more of just that type, i like the purple stuff as opposed to waiting 3 yrs for white rock to turn that way, if not ten.

 

this rock above might bring in hitchhikers, but we have rambling threads for that when it occurs

 

 Would bet that was real Reef rock bought dry. I only make that assessment because I just bought the same stuff. Notice the bone white parts of it. It's artificially purpled. Looks great though. 

 

7 minutes ago, Coral_chef said:

I also think I'm going to release a bottle of copepods into the tank early into the cycle. 

If you do it too early they won't survive the ammonia spike. 

[Coral_chef]

1 hour ago, 1891Bro said:

 Would bet that was real Reef rock bought dry. I only make that assessment because I just bought the same stuff. Notice the bone white parts of it. It's artificially purpled. Looks great though. 

 

If you do it too early they won't survive the ammonia spike. 

Thanks for the tips!

 

i did buy this sold as "real reef rock" it was sitting in a crowded tank with lights and a sump. 

[1891Bro]

Well yours was wet then. Mine came out of a giant cardboard box on a pallet. Still depends on submersion time. I'd still use @brandon429's cycling guide on R2R. It's a cycling bible. 

[Coral_chef]

2 hours ago, brandon429 said:

I hope nobody is going to dose raw ammonia or a dead shrimp to that bucket  that rock looks fine, and it'll wait underwater just fine with its bac as long as you want to take to set things up.

 

that rock is in all indications fully cycled I see coralline, though not perfect enough to appear painted, and white tubeworm fans which indicate there's living creatures on that rock and likely pods and worms too. that rock can wait right there bubbling in the bucket as long as you need to setup the tank, its skip cycle rock, ready to go if it came out of a standard live rock bin at the fish store.

 buy lots more of just that type, i like the purple stuff as opposed to waiting 3 yrs for white rock to turn that way, if not ten.

 

this rock above might bring in hitchhikers, but we have rambling threads for that when it occurs

 

Your saying I should drop, raw shrimp into it?

[1891Bro]

He's saying not to, based on the appearance of the rock. More info on how long the rock was submerged before you purchased would be great. 

[Coral_chef]

10 minutes ago, 1891Bro said:

He's saying not to, based on the appearance of the rock. More info on how long the rock was submerged before you purchased would be great. 

I'll call the LFS tomorrow an see if I can find out.

[SeaFurn]

I've looked into Real Reef Rock. It's man made live rock full of bacteria and just colored purple to look like corraline. 

It's not colored all the way through so if you break a piece off it will be white underneath. 

Tons of info on their process on their website. 

 

No need to throw a shrimp there!!!

[Coral_chef]

So just wondering I threw a couple dry pukani rock into that bucket. How bad will that mess with the cure?

i just had a perfect piece for the aquascape that's in my head. 

 

Picture The aquascape thats in my head ? 

That cardboard is the exact tank size hahah. 

 

Our tank still wont be here till friday

[lkoechle]

4 minutes ago, Coral_chef said:

So just wondering I threw a couple dry pukani rock into that bucket. How bad will that mess with the cure?

i just had a perfect piece for the aquascape that's in my head. 

 

Picture The aquascape thats in my head ? 

That cardboard is the exact tank size hahah. 

 

Our tank still wont be here till friday

Well "real reef rock" is already cured because it was never in the ocean to begin with.  its man made materials put in large vats to cycle with the bacteria on it.  So there's no curing because it never had hitchikers to begin with. you keeping it submerged is just preserving the beneficial bacteria it already has.  throwing dry rock is a good idea because the good bacteria from your existing LR will help seed the dry rock and make it live rock.

[1891Bro]

22 minutes ago, lkoechle said:

Well "real reef rock" is already cured because it was never in the ocean to begin with.  its man made materials put in large vats to cycle with the bacteria on it.  So there's no curing because it never had hitchikers to begin with. you keeping it submerged is just preserving the beneficial bacteria it already has.  throwing dry rock is a good idea because the good bacteria from your existing LR will help seed the dry rock and make it live rock.

Not all real Reef rock is sold wet. Got mine bone dry but had evidence of it having been wet at one time. That was why I asked to begin with.