My first reef tank: Waterbox AIO 20g cube- 7 new coral!

[DaVinciClown]

My first tank! Excited to start the nano reef hobby.  Goal is to be 100% Aquacultured/Captive Bred with zero impact on actual reefs. 

Tank: Waterbox AIO 20g http://waterboxaquariums.com/product/waterbox-20-cube/

Lighting: Kessil a80 tuna blue with mechanical timer  (currently on for 6hrs/day in the setting of diatom bloom which has now resolved) 

Heat Source: Cobalt Neo Therm, with electric thermometer for confirmation (currently set at 77deg)

Substrate & rocks: Live Aragonite sand, 12lbs of BRS ReefSaver, 6lbs Real Reef Rock http://realreefrock.com/

Water: "Real ocean water" from LFS, top off with distilled water

Additives: Initially began cycle with BioSpira; StartSmart Complete recommended by LFS for water changes

 

Fish: 1 DaVinci Clown 

Corals: 1 Galaxea Coral 

Anemone: ?Green BTA (This guy came from LFS attached to my Real Reef Rock).  Hoping he survives and can one day host my DaVinci

 

Feed: PE frozen mysis and calanus

Water Changes: ~20% change every 1.5 weeks with "real ocean water" from LFS, daily top offs with distilled water

Current parameters: T 77, Salinity 1.025-1.026,  Using API kit: Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate ~15ppm

 

Currently approaching 1month mark! Plan to get 2 fire shrimp next week if water parameters look good. 

 

Any tips, advice, feedback is appreciated.

 

 

[ninjamyst]

never heard of waterbox company before but the tank looks great!

[DaVinciClown]

Thank you!!  So far I'm very happy with WaterBox and do love the tank design.  Purchasing was a bit of a gamble since it's a newer company with not many reviews out there

[DaVinciClown]

Is my BTA ok?  It wasn't kept in good conditions at the LFS store obviously because it was an unknown hitchhiker in a pile of live rock.  Based on some research it looks like he is starving? :/ He doesn't really have tentacles just small bulbs and his mouth is open a lot.  Should i take him out and bring him back to LFS?  I fed him a few mysis shrimp and he is able to close his whole body up around it to maybe eat.  I've had him 1 month now. 

 

http://www.karensroseanemones.net/starvinganemone.htm 

[TatorTaco]

I noticed in one of the provided pictures that you're using a hydrometer.  Has it been calibrated lately?  Do you have a refractometer you could use or verify your salinity at your LFS? 

[DaVinciClown]

Hi TactorTaco!  Yes I have a refractometer too.  Just made sure the hydrometer and refractometer are consistent.  Specific gravity was 1.027 before today's top off. 

[zoazeis]

Recently swapped my old Red Sea 130D for a Waterbox 20 AIO, definitely liking it myself! Not sure what my be the issue with your anemone, could be new tank cycling? 

[DaVinciClown]

Yay another WaterBox user!  Did you do any modifications to the tank?  So far I left the sump area as is and added chemipure.  Just ordered a small wavemaker to help with the flow- excited for it to arrive on Fri  

[zoazeis]

Only added two mangrove sprouts to the overflow entrace/protein skimmer spot, I'm giving their carbon and the bactera media a go, and then using my live sand and rock from my old tank. I also put a foot of Loc-Line on the return outlet, but nothing else at the moment. 

[DaVinciClown]

Well, the anemone looks the worst I've seen it this morning.  Thought it had detached and moved to a new spot, but it was actually in place just very shriveled.  It moved several centimeters last week to a spot with less light/flow. 

 

 

 

[zoazeis]

9 hours ago, DaVinciClown said:

Well, the anemone looks the worst I've seen it this morning.  Thought it had detached and moved to a new spot, but it was actually in place just very shriveled.  It moved several centimeters last week to a spot with less light/flow. 

 

Hmm, it could be shocked by your lights if it moved to a more shaded area? 

 

Hmm, it could be shocked from your lights if it moved to a more shaded area?

[DaVinciClown]

Maybe?  I'll try turning the intensity down a bit.    He perked up this afternoon and after doing research it seems like shrinking and closing especially after meals is quite normal (hopefully)!  He wouldn't eat today though.  I'm probably over feeding. 

 

Moved some rocks around a little and am liking the new scape  

 

 

[DaVinciClown]

New addition  

[DaVinciClown]

Paint - the orange DaVinci - is submitting to baby Poe with lots of twitchy dances.  At least no fights!  Hopefully Paint will transition to being the female eventually... 

[TubeDood]

Looks great! This is my first post on this fine site, I also recently got the Waterbox 20 along with the Kessil A80. Your tank is looking great I will follow with interest! I am hoping that light will be suitable for some LPS corals for now. We might get a second A80 after a few months if the need arises. I hope to start a tank build thread this week also!

 

Dale

[DaVinciClown]

On 1/1/2018 at 4:03 PM, TubeDood said:

Looks great! This is my first post on this fine site, I also recently got the Waterbox 20 along with the Kessil A80. Your tank is looking great I will follow with interest! I am hoping that light will be suitable for some LPS corals for now. We might get a second A80 after a few months if the need arises. I hope to start a tank build thread this week also!

 

Dale

Thanks!  Looking forward to following your tank as well   

 

Picked up 6 new frags yesterday: torch, hammer, lobo, 2 duncans, and some GSPs (isolated on their own rock!).  Will update once everyone gets acclimated. 

Since my last update also got a CUC consisting of 2 fire shrimp who are very outgoing, an astrea snail who has cleaned my entire back wall , a cerith snail, and a nassarius snail who may be dead (although I'll watch for movement over 48 hrs; found him on his back after being away for 3 days and the shrimp may be too good at cleaning ). 

 

BTA is thriving and eating a lot (yay!); now has pink/red, orange, and green coloration

[DaVinciClown]

 

@ 2 months!

[Subsea]

On 12/27/2017 at 11:22 PM, DaVinciClown said:

Maybe?  I'll try turning the intensity down a bit.    He perked up this afternoon and after doing research it seems like shrinking and closing especially after meals is quite normal (hopefully)!  He wouldn't eat today though.  I'm probably over feeding. 

 

Moved some rocks around a little and am liking the new scape  

 

 

Overfeeding is the fastest way to kill an anemone.  While I have never raised BTA, because of their deserved reputation of nuking a tank when getting sucked into pump intake.  I would have thought photosynthesis sufficient.  For certain it is for my Flower Anemone from GOM, which I have killed by overfeeding.

 

Just started reading your thread when I saw your start date,  Christmas Eve.  Happy reefing.

 

PSS:  Just looked at your last post.   Nice picture of BTA.  Love the glimmer lines from your lights.  Very nice.

[Subsea]

On 12/31/2017 at 8:07 PM, DaVinciClown said:

Paint - the orange DaVinci - is submitting to baby Poe with lots of twitchy dances.  At least no fights!  Hopefully Paint will transition to being the female eventually... 

Interesting comment.

 

some twenty years ago, while reading an Anthony Calfo book on clownfish, I came across a description of clownfish social order on  the wild reef.  At the bottom of the pyramid is immature males, then Alfa male then Super Female / Queen.  When queen dies, Alfa males morph into females.  That is probably true, but, to be blunt,  Anthony has a degree in literature which makes him an interesting writer.  I have drank whiskey & rye with Anthony, he is interesting and he is funny.

 

In my experience, when bringing in tank raised immature clowns, at some point, the female emerges to become dominant.  An Alfa males emerges and together they kill the other immature males.  This was in a 75G tank.  In that case, clowns hosted in a clam.

[DaVinciClown]

13 hours ago, Subsea said:

Overfeeding is the fastest way to kill an anemone.  While I have never raised BTA, because of their deserved reputation of nuking a tank when getting sucked into pump intake.  I would have thought photosynthesis sufficient.  For certain it is for my Flower Anemone from GOM, which I have killed by overfeeding.

 

Just started reading your thread when I saw your start date,  Christmas Eve.  Happy reefing.

 

PSS:  Just looked at your last post.   Nice picture of BTA.  Love the glimmer lines from your lights.  Very nice.

Thanks Subsea!  I will start feeding less both for the BTA and for my nitrate levels- they have gotten pretty high from all the excess Mysis.   I started the frequent feeds (originally daily, now at ~ twice/week) based on http://www.karensroseanemones.net/starvinganemone.htm and i do think the anemone looks a whole lot healthier!!  I'm excited to see the final coloration!

 

Learning to take better tank pics with the AquariumCam app  

 

 

[DaVinciClown]

13 hours ago, Subsea said:

Interesting comment.

 

some twenty years ago, while reading an Anthony Calfo book on clownfish, I came across a description of clownfish social order on  the wild reef.  At the bottom of the pyramid is immature males, then Alfa male then Super Female / Queen.  When queen dies, Alfa males morph into females.  That is probably true, but, to be blunt,  Anthony has a degree in literature which makes him an interesting writer.  I have drank whiskey & rye with Anthony, he is interesting and he is funny.

 

In my experience, when bringing in tank raised immature clowns, at some point, the female emerges to become dominant.  An Alfa males emerges and together they kill the other immature males.  This was in a 75G tank.  In that case, clowns hosted in a clam.

I think Paint is becoming the female.  She is more aggressive to Poe with occasional nibbles and chasing especially with food involved.  Poe hasn't gotten injured luckily.  Last week or so both fish did the shimmy to each other.  Since then, I haven't seen anybody do it in a while but Paint has gotten notably more dominant.

 

[blizzardscout2]

Your tank looks great! How do you like it so far? I am interested in a waterbed nano for my son's room. As to the clowns, I had a pair for 7 years until one jumped out I believe by accident as it used to surf the MP10 wave that I had perhaps too high in the tank. I digress, the larger female still showed it's dominance over the male even then, but they got along wonderfully. It is fun to watch clown pairs and their corkiness. Plus they eat anything!

[DaVinciClown]

Tank has been through a lot..

 

 

[vlangel]

Sorry to hear about that.  I hope things are getting back on track.

[DaVinciClown]