3rd Time's a Charm

[Dos Ocho]

FTS - October 7th, 2018

 

 

FTS - August 4th, 2018

 

 

 

FTS - June 9th, 2018

 

 

FTS - April 21st, 2018

 

 

 

FTS - March 4th, 2018

 

 

FTS - Feb 4th, 2018

 

 

 

I've officially been a reefer for 1 year now, and have started tank #3!! Funny how this hobby can quickly become a passion. My biocube is doing well, and after some setbacks my low tech 10 gallon is coming around. Tank #3 is my biggest one yet and hopefully the best one of the bunch! Here are the specs:

 

Tank: Standard Aqueon 40 Gallon Long. Glass tops. Back of the tank painted black.

Sump: 20 gallon long with Oceanbox Designs Sump kit   33 gallon long with Oceanbox Designs Sump Kit

Lighting: NanoBox Duo Tide x1 ; NanoBox Duo Flare ; NanoBox Fuge Light ; NanoBox Mini Tide

Heater: Finnex 300W Titanium with InkBird Controller

Mechanical Filtration: None yet, but trays in the sump for filter floss, Carbon, GFO, etc... No skimmer but room for one if needed.

Biological Filtration: 30lbs ReefCleaners Dry Rock, 40 lbs Caribsea Fiji Pink in Display, approx 5 - 7 lbs Caribsea Flamingo Reef in Sump ; 6lbs Fiji Mud in fuge and display

Circulation: Reef Octopus Varios-2 (On setting 3 of 5) return pump, Vortech MP10 (Tidal Swell Mode - ~45% power; Battery Backup), Hydor Koralia 425 with Wavemaker controller (1min on / 1min off)

 

My tastes in reef livestock is starting to align with one of my older passions - plants. I've had an interest in plants and landscaping ever since i bought my first house way back when, and that is translating to my reef tanks. The more i learn about and see macro algae, the more interested i am in having a true macro-heavy tank. I've added some to my biocube and my 10 gallon, but they have been afterthoughts. This tank is designed for macro to be the centerpiece of my theme. My inspirations are numerous, but specifically tanks done by hey, vlangel, brad908, subsea, weetabix7, and others i'm sure i am missing. I've been gathering supplies since October and am trying to be as patient as possible as i put everything together. This HAS to be my last tank. My girlfriend and wallet insist! 

 

First the tank. This one is in the basement and i have somewhat limited space. After a lot of back and forth, i decided on a 40 long. The biggest complaint i read about this tank and it's 55 gallon big brother is difficult aquascaping due to it's narrow width. I found this to be true but ReefCleaners was able to send me a lot of small rocks and i am pleased with how it turned out. I have 4 main island structures, and put a bunch of rubble rocks on top of the sand. I wanted a lot of cycled rubble rock for small coral islands, or anchors for macroalgae. I will have flexibility to move them around as needed. The 4 big islands rest on the glass and i added sand around them, so they are staying put. Ended up with about a 1 3/4" - 2" sandbed. Wanted it a bit deeper than my other tanks to allow room for roots. 

 

The sump / refugium has 3 chambers like a standard sump. I am impressed by the quality of the Oceanbox kit. Caulking it in was kind of a PITA and doesn't look pretty, but all chambers are sealed up and the water flows exactly like it should. The first chamber has room for a skimmer but most macro tanks i've seen don't use skimmers due to the algae sucking up all the excess nutrients so i think i can get away without one. I had two big mesh bags laying around and some Matrix media and rubble, so i filled up the bags and put them in chamber 1 for extra filtration. 

 

Chamber 2 is the fuge and i want this to be more of a display fuge. I have a large rock structure in the middle, and added some more rubble on top of the sand. I put a layer of Fiji Mud on the bottom, then topped it with the last of the Flamingo Reef sand i had leftover from my 10 gallon. The plan is for macro in the fuge, and perhaps a paly or Xenia as well. I'll keep a couple snails in there to clean any pest algaes and diatoms. The fuge is equivalent to an 8 gallon tank IMO, so plenty of room to scape and design a nice mini-tank below! 

 

The Oceanbox kit provides two media racks leading to chamber 3 where i have the heater, return pump, and a Tunze Osmolator ATO.

 

The Display is going to be divided into two parts. The left side has a NanoBox Duo with the traditional blue / white lights. The MP10 is on the left side of the tank. This side will have more traditional corals. Softies and Gorgonians are the plan for this side. The right side is where i plan to put the bulk of the macro. I had Dave make me a Duo with a Flare LED configuration. This side has two small islands and an open space for what i hope becomes a nice Halimeda field. I really like Mermaid's Fans, Shaving Brushes, and other Halimeda so i hope to have a nice mix. I also want some Rock Anemones and will put them on both sides of the tank, but probably most of them on the Flare side. I put a layer of Fiji Mud on the bottom of the Flare side under the sand for the plant roots. This side has the return and a Koralia for circulation. 

 

I built the stand myself and tried to keep most of the cords organized and out of sight. I built my own power strip with PVC boxes and mounted it to the ceiling of the stand. 10 outlets total plugged into a GFCI protected outlet. I bought a fan and installed it on the left side of the stand. I installed a vent on the right. The fan is connected to the InkBird so the thought was it can turn on and blow air over the sump if the temps get too high in the summer. We'll see how it works. I live in Nebraska and i am not going to have to worry about heat for a while! 

 

The stocking plan is not very firm. Both of my existing tanks look nothing like i originally planned so I'm staying flexible. These are living things and don't always do what we want them to do. I got the tank wet in mid-December and it is cycled now, so i am getting fish Saturday. I want 3 schooling fish so I'm looking or Chromis or Cardinalfish. I'd also like a Goby to cruise the bottom so 4 fish are on the schedule for now. Probably won't get much more than that. I really want some Rock Anemones so when they come i want a few Porcelain Crabs. I will probably get a shrimp or two, most likely Peppermint to control Aiptasia. I've been gathering a bunch of snails in my biocube for this tank, so a mix of Astrea, Cerith, and Nassarius snails for cleaners. 

 

Any corals will be softies. I don't have much luck with the stony corals and don't really want to kill anymore trying to make them work. I'm leaning towards a Green Nepthea on the big Island as a centerpiece. I really love my Pink one in my biocube. Going to try my hand at Gorgonians too. Considering clove polyps, zoas and palys, and Ricordia Mushrooms. I'll probably have an island of GSP eventually too just for S&G's. I want Rock Anemones and was thinking of Green and White for the Flare side, and perhaps a couple cool Ultras on the Tide side that will pop under the blue lights. Maybe 6 or 7 scattered around. I'm not willing to deal with the pains of other anemones (BTA, Condys, etc...), but they sure are pretty! 

 

As far as macros, still researching the best ones for my design. Halimeda is catching my eye as of late, and i do have experience with them. I'll have to sprinkle some red in there too. I recently bought some Padina for my biocube. While it is very pretty, just doesn't go with the design flow of my cube so that will be one of the first additions to the 40. Planning on buying from Gulf Coast Ecosystems, KP Aquatics, and ReefCleaners mostly. My LFS's in my area are fantastic, but don't have much algae selection. 

 

So......................................Here we go again!! As always, thanks for checking out my posts and any suggestions are welcome! Pix of the stand and initial setup below. Happy Reefing everyone!! 

 

[Dos Ocho]

The Stand

 

[Dos Ocho]

The Scape

[vlangel]

I will definitely be following.  I also love macro algae.  And I am honored that you mentioned my tank.

[Dos Ocho]

Thank you! You’re tank is fantastic! One of my favorites! Quick question. What methods do you use to anchor your algae, specifically red’s? I’m wanting varieties that ideally will anchor themselves to rock and sand. I have Dragon’s Breath now that I love, but seems like it’s either free floating or I have to wedge/glue it onto rocks. 

[jesseatam]

This sounds super cool, especially how you have the mud on the planted side. Following 

[vlangel]

9 hours ago, Dos Ocho said:

Thank you! You’re tank is fantastic! One of my favorites! Quick question. What methods do you use to anchor your algae, specifically red’s? I’m wanting varieties that ideally will anchor themselves to rock and sand. I have Dragon’s Breath now that I love, but seems like it’s either free floating or I have to wedge/glue it onto rocks. 

Yep, dragon's breath is a pain.  I do the same thing, wedge it between rocks or  also I have a dead gorg skeleton that is like a spikey tree and sometimes I wedge it between branches.  A  red algae that will grow on rock is red titan.  There is more than one variety, one is a very fast grower and one is very slow.  The fast growing variety shows up everywhere so it needs to be controlled. Codium is a nice green macro algae.  I also like halimeda and would love a forest but my tank is bb.  Someday when I keep something other than ponies I would like to have shaving brush, mermaid fan and macros that grow in a sandbed.

[Dos Ocho]

Thanks for the tips. I will admit that after the rock i glued my Dragon's Breath to cycled and got coraline on it, it does look natural. Still a pain! I'll be on the lookout for Red Titan. 

[Dos Ocho]

Got my fish today. Went with 3 Chromis and a pair of Striped Blennys. These Blennys are supposed to be more carnivorous than their other cousins so I hope they leave the algae alone when it comes. My girlfriend insisted on them. They are all getting along and exploring their new home. The chromis seem to like swimming in front of the MP-10 and going for a ride. All 5 ate some frozen brine after the transfer and look very healthy. 

Waiting for my Flare Duo (Will be here Monday) and my Fuge light (Supposed to ship early next week. Now I’m waiting for the Diatom bloom, will add some cleaner snails, and plan on some Algae in 3-4 weeks. 

[Dos Ocho]

The Blennys have found their home in the tank. They both curl up in this rock at night.

[Dos Ocho]

Moving along. The diatoms are here!! Got my Duo flare but the power supply was bad. Dave is sending a replacement and I hope to have the Flare and the fuge light up and running this week. The fish are fine for the most part. Unfortunately one of the Chromis is bigger than the other two and is a bit of a bully. A few chases here and there but nothing major. The other two have plenty of swimming space and hiding spots. The Blennys are model citizens so far. No aggression between the two. All 5 are eating well and appear healthy and happy.

Starting to see life in the dark fuge already. A few pods and pineapple sponges. Also seeing those small, curly white snail thingies. The name escapes me but I have tons in my other two tanks so that’s good. Also transferred two stocky Ceriths into the tank this week. 

Slowly but surely!!

[Dos Ocho]

Let there be light!!! Got the Flare Duo hooked up this morning and knew it would look different, but it really does look like 2 separate tanks. I love it! Hoping it works out the way i want it to. Bought some snails and shaving brush from John at reefcleaners.org. 15 Florida Ceriths and 10 Dwarf Ceriths. One of the Florida's turned out to be a hermit crab so in the 10 gallon he went. I'm going to need a lot more snails but this is a good start. Grad total so far is 2 Astreas, 5 Stocky Ceriths, 14 Florida Ceriths, and 10 Dwarf Ceriths. All are scooting around and eating the green film that is appearing. Diatoms are winding down. I also added a chunk of Dragon Breath Algae from my Biocube on the Flare side. The shaving brush had a rough trip to my house so it's not looking great, but hoping the root balls are healthy and start sending out new shoots. There was some Halimeda attached to the roots of one of the brushes so hoping that takes off too. I put them on the blue side of the tank because the flare was not running yet.  I'm going to get a cheap zoanthid frag at my LFS tomorrow and see how he does on the blue side. 

 

So i am planning a major change to my setup already. I realize now that i don't like taking care of 3 tanks. So i came up with this idea of expanding the fuge area of the 40 tank and transferring the livestock in my 10 gallon to the new fuge of the 40. I have a 33 long that i am going to turn into a sump which should give me a much larger fuge to accommodate the 10 gallon inhabitants. Going to transfer the rocks, caulerpa, Xenia, crabs and snails to the new fuge. I will transfer the existing fuge rocks as well because they are already cycled. I plan on using my existing NanoBox mini and a fuge light Dave built for me as lighting. Also going to put a small powerhead in the fuge and connect it to my Hydor wavemaker. It's going to be a stressful transfer (mainly for me!) and hoping to be ready to go in 2 weeks. I'm going to use new fuge mud and sand. I really hope this works well and doesn't blow up in my face. Fingers (and toes) crossed.  

 

Enjoy the pix! 

[vlangel]

Nice!

[JosephD]

Everything looks awesome. I'll also be starting a 40L. Was wondering what overflow box you're using. 

[Dos Ocho]

Thanks. The overflow is an Eshopps Eclipse S.

[JosephD]

5 minutes ago, Dos Ocho said:

Thanks. The overflow is an Eshopps Eclipse S.

That is what I thought it was. Also considering that overflow box.

 

Was it not possible to get the water line above the bottom of the black trim?

[JosephD]

6 minutes ago, Dos Ocho said:

Thanks. The overflow is an Eshopps Eclipse S.

Also, do you know what the glass thickness of your 40 long is? I'm considering removing trim and euro/cross bracing the tank with glass strips. 

[Dos Ocho]

If I turn my return pump to full power, it does take the waterline to just under the black trim, but I didn’t want it at that speed so I deal with it. Doesn’t bother me as much as it did when I first fired it up, but it is kind of annoying. The glass thickness is just a hair under 1/4” so maybe 3/16”? 

[Dos Ocho]

Quick update, bought a cheap $15 zoa at my LFS and it’s doing well. Almost 100% of the polyps are opening, fully expanding and laying down flat. Also transferred a shaving brush from the 10 gallon. No more changes until the sump swap which I’m hoping will be done next Saturday. 

[TatorTaco]

Looks terrific.  I can't wait to follow your progress. 

[got2envy]

ooooh very rare seeing this size/dimension tank. I had a 40 long for many years....following

[Dos Ocho]

Thank you! You’re right about the 40 long, don’t see too many reef tanks in that size config. I fully admit it is not ideal for scaping, but I love the tank. Really wanted a 4 ft tank but didn’t want a huge tank either. So far it is working well for me.

[Dos Ocho]

My Orange Ricordia was getting smothered by teal shrooms in my Biocube, so i moved it over to the 40 yesterday. He's getting adjusted and is starting to swell back up. If he does good, i'm thinking of making the rock next to him "Ricordia Island". It's one of the goals i had for my 10 gallon until all the shrooms melted and i had to change course. 

 

Some of the shaving brush from my ReefCleaners order are starting to perk up. Possibly have a new shoot already (did not show up well in a pic). Starting to transfer items out of my 10 gallon in preparations for the sump upgrade. Moved a shaving brush, rock with a brittle star, and my Astrea snail. Added some more snails to the 40. 2 Nerites from the Biocube, 2 Stocky Ceriths, and 2 more Astreas. The Ceriths have been laying eggs like crazy all over the tank. Really hoping some of them make it. Fish are fat and happy, and overall things are moving along. 

 

I have everything but my baffle kit for my new sump / fuge. If all goes well, that will be next Saturday's project. Waiting for that to be done, give the tank a week or two to stabilize, then i want to get some more algae going. Still pondering my coral stocking list, but definitely going to be softies. That's about it. (Also changed my post title, someone else already took "Here we go again" ) 

[Dos Ocho]

New Shaving Brush spikes!! Still waiting on the new sump kit. Lots of diatoms but the snails are working hard. These Ceriths seem much more nocturnal than the ones in my cube. Interesting....

[Dos Ocho]

Still in a holding pattern waiting or the sump kit. Sounds like it will ship very soon so i'm sure i'll have it this week and will be ready for the transfer next Saturday. 

 

The tank is well. Diatoms are slowly declining and i've noticed not as much film algae is collecting on the glass. The new shaving brush spikes are growing. There was some halimeda attached to one of the brushes that is also starting to put on new growth. Strangely enough, i am already seeing spots of coralline on the rocks. I did not expect it so soon, but I'll take it!! Pod population is growing and i think i saw a small worm slithering on one of the rocks too. I have a large number of stomatella snails in my biocube, so i dropped a few in the 40 the other day. Just building up the biodiversity. 

 

The existing sump is still in the dark with no light and i see some chunks of pineapple sponge taking hold. I love that stuff so they will definitely go in the new sump when the time comes. 

 

The zoanthid and orange ricordia are both thriving. Taking it slow, but looking good so far.