17 gal Kitchen Counter Reef

[rockryno]

These things are getting big!  One already split.

 

 

 

 

[HippieSquirrel]

Looking great!  Can’t wait to see it fill in.  Any plans for additional livestock or just a nem/clown setup?

[Bdub-67]

Is that playground sand??  I like the power filter surface skim set up. 

[cassianoyoung]

Very nice tank setup! I have setup an overflow like that in the past (thought I was a genius and that it was my idea LOL...) however, I did found the need to make an important adjustment. Drill a couple of small holes in the mid bottom section of the pipe (1/4 x 3 should do it for a tank that size) so that most of the water goes in from the top while skimming the surface, however some goes in through he holes. That way if your water evaporates below the line of the top of the pipe, your aquaclear will continue to run and you will not have a problem of it sucking in air. Just a friendly tip that worked well for me. Cheers!

[rockryno]

Thanks guys.  I'll keep the overflow idea in mind.  I have an ATO, so hopefully that wont be an issue.

 

Keeping it simple with just nems and the clown pair.  I've had the full blown mixed reefs and SPS specific tanks and so for this is a dream compared to those.  I just sit back, watch the clowns do their thing, and the anemones wave in the breeze.  No more worries of pests, RTN, constantly moving frags for optimal placement - no more tinkering.  Just plug and play.

[ajmckay]

Bad ass tank!   I agree with others that the simplicity is refreshing.  Don't get me wrong - I very much like the mixed reef, but there's no denying the initial impact is strong with your anemone tank.  You definitely scored a pretty awesome anemone rock with the clowns!

 

I also like the DIY stuff you did - inserting the black PVC as the overflow looks nice - what's the sound like?   The lighting fits well with the tank.

 

Oh...  And that's Taco Tuesday, right?  I can see trying something new like Taco Thursday - but that would be barbaric.

On 1/20/2018 at 12:06 PM, rockryno said:

 

 

 

[rockryno]

12 hours ago, ajmckay said:

Bad ass tank!   I agree with others that the simplicity is refreshing.  Don't get me wrong - I very much like the mixed reef, but there's no denying the initial impact is strong with your anemone tank.  You definitely scored a pretty awesome anemone rock with the clowns!

 

I also like the DIY stuff you did - inserting the black PVC as the overflow looks nice - what's the sound like?   The lighting fits well with the tank.

 

Oh...  And that's Taco Tuesday, right?  I can see trying something new like Taco Thursday - but that would be barbaric.

 

 

 

Thanks!  The tank is dead silent.  The loudest part is the kessil fan.  

 

Tacos are a weekly staple in the house!  We like to mix it up on different nights to keep things interesting

[JBM]

Digging this tank. 

 

Clean and simple

[NanoAaron]

Beautiful! And here I thought i was unique running a nem-only nano tank!! Very clean and simple build too. Definitely going to be watching this tank progress. thanks for sharing!

[NanoAaron]

On 2018-01-20 at 8:59 AM, rockryno said:

Current FTS - 

 

 

 

17.1 gal Mr Aqua low iron rimless glass tank

custom overflow

AC70 filter converted to fuge

AutoAqua Smart Micro ATO

Maxspect Gyre XF230

Cobalt 100w Neo-Therm heather

Lighting - Kessil A360WE

Could you share some more details about the AC70 filter converted to fuge? Would love to see what that looks like. 

[rockryno]

really nothing special.  I just added eggcrate to the outlet to prevent chaeto from spilling over into the display and added a grow light.  There, the chaeto just sits and grows.

 

There's some good write ups out there which provide more detail - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=601201 

[rockryno]

Still growing and now moving!  Smallest one went from one side of the tank to the other in a day.  Settled for now.

[Justind823]

Man I love this tank.

 

Makes me want to do the exact same thing with my setup! 

[YHSublime]

I did something similar with a fluval edge a few years ago, just nems and a clown. Then I complicated it. I agree, just keep it simple, let it rock, and enjoy it for what it is. This is really clean, well done!

[Christopher Marks]

On 3/13/2018 at 9:57 PM, rockryno said:

Still growing and now moving!  Smallest one went from one side of the tank to the other in a day.  Settled for now.

What a lovely system, I'm so glad to see the clowns and anemones settled in well. You'll be exporting anemones to local hobbyists before long!

[Patrick17]

Such a lovely, simple and striking set up; I love minimalist tanks like this. 

 

What are your longer term plans for this tank? 

[tcobos]

Very nice and clean!

[rockryno]

Lately, I've been contemplating skimmer options.  

 

I feed daily, and have never had this heavy of a bio load in any of my fishless SPS tanks.  There are no visible ill effects beside the daily algae buildup on the glass - I have to clean Sundays and Wednesdays to keep it looking respectable.

 

However, my HOB filter with chaeto does not seem to be doing well.  The handful of chaeto has not grown a mm in over a month, and appears to be breaking down.  I have the new IM cheato grow light ($70!) that makes everything look hot pink and I don't think its doing anything.  In the past tank with identical setups, I've had white LEDs over the fuge and had crazy chaeto growth.

 

I think I may swap the pink light out for a white LED.  If that still doesn't help, I'm thinking of removing the AC70 HOB and replacing with a skimmer.

A local club member sold me a Aquamaxx 1.5 HOB skimmer for cheap to experiment with.  I've heard great reviews of the skimmer and have tested it on the tank and it does a nice job.  However, being a 17 gallon tank, I want to make sure I wont be over-skimming if I swap and run it 24/7.

 

Any thoughts?

[Red_Blenny]

On 4/1/2018 at 9:04 AM, rockryno said:

Lately, I've been contemplating skimmer options.  

 

I feed daily, and have never had this heavy of a bio load in any of my fishless SPS tanks.  There are no visible ill effects beside the daily algae buildup on the glass - I have to clean Sundays and Wednesdays to keep it looking respectable.

 

However, my HOB filter with chaeto does not seem to be doing well.  The handful of chaeto has not grown a mm in over a month, and appears to be breaking down.  I have the new IM cheato grow light ($70!) that makes everything look hot pink and I don't think its doing anything.  In the past tank with identical setups, I've had white LEDs over the fuge and had crazy chaeto growth.

 

I think I may swap the pink light out for a white LED.  If that still doesn't help, I'm thinking of removing the AC70 HOB and replacing with a skimmer.

A local club member sold me a Aquamaxx 1.5 HOB skimmer for cheap to experiment with.  I've heard great reviews of the skimmer and have tested it on the tank and it does a nice job.  However, being a 17 gallon tank, I want to make sure I wont be over-skimming if I swap and run it 24/7.

 

Any thoughts?

 

I'd say go for it, since you feed daily and don't run any other media filtration, that skimmer will probably be good enough. Plus, most skimmer companies tend to fluff their volume rating. 

[rockryno]

I had some time today to mess around with the skimmer.  Kind of an eyesore, but it's working!

 

 

 

 

The AC70 and chaeto does nothing but collect detritus, and any slight adjustment clouds the tank.  Skimmer seems to be pulling nasty stuff.  I'll leave it on overnight.  The problem - if I want to go skimmer only, i'll need another tank with different placement on the overflow.  Hnmmm....

[rockryno]

It's been a while!  I now have 18 nems from splits.  They, unfortunately, have become much more stringy rather than bubbly, but they still have great colors and the clowns love them.  I ditched the skimmer as i didn't really see any different results with it running, and it was such an eyesore.

 

 

 

[NanoAaron]

wow thats incredible! Im jealous of all your spits... mine has only increased from 7-9.. What are you using for filtration now? 

[rockryno]

Thanks!  I've reverted back to only the AC70 with chaeto, and weekly water changes.

 

In other news, I'm a grandpa now!  We have eggs, although I have no idea what to do with them.

 

[banasophia]

On 3/22/2018 at 9:44 AM, Christopher Marks said:

What a lovely system, I'm so glad to see the clowns and anemones settled in well. You'll be exporting anemones to local hobbyists before long!

Oh and look at that - I saw this comment and checked to see who might be so lucky, and I’m a local hobbyist!!!  @rockryno my hope for my next tank is an anemone and clown tank like yours, so let me know if yours start to get too crowded and you need to rehome some. 💚💙 They are beautiful, and I love your setup!!! I’ve been trying to decide what type of tank I should get for mine. I currently have a Biocube 16... considering another Biocube, or maybe an IM Nuvo 20 G, would love to hear your suggestions. 

[Christopher Marks]

Whoa, clownfish eggs, how cool! Hatching them and saving them from being eaten can be a challenge, but it can be done if you're interested! There are a lot of great topics here: