dustybuddy's Fluval Spec III

[dustybuddy]

Starting off my tank. Only the tank with added water. No salt, no live sand, no rock, no equipment... just because my tank got delivered first. Even the ripples on the surface of the water along with the led light are enjoyable.

 

A view of it's placement on my desk. Will definitely move some of my computer gear whenever I do water changes and if I ever get around to setting up an auto top-off.

[SURVEYMAN46123]

Ill be following along.   Been looking at keeping one of these as a zoa specific tank.

 

 

[Brian1313]

I want one of these for my desk at work.  Ill be watching along

[dustybuddy]

Here's an update. 

 

I've replaced the included pump with a 80 gph pump, added a pound of live rock, added 2.5 pounds of live sand, installed a heater, and introduced 3 bumblebee snails, a fire shrimp, a hermit crab, and a small urchin. I have 3 pounds of dry rock that I'll be adding tonight and then once I can find a suitable nano fish, I'll be adding that as my last occupant. Overall, I've spent around $160 so far including the tank. The only large purchases to be made now are the skimmer ($100) and possibly a replacement for the lighting ($250) if I decide on adding anything other than soft corals. 

 

I used to have a 55 gallon tank with a sump, refugium, skimmer, etc which was far more expensive and time intensive to upkeep, and I constantly was stressed by it. In the end, had to tear it down. My goal for this tank was to keep my budget under $500 to start and keep it as inexpensive as possible to keep my inhabitants healthy and happy. I also did not want to deal with a lot of upkeep. Going forward, I'll only be utilizing bi-weekly water changes and a skimmer to maintain water conditions and I'll be feeding my fish and inverts pellets every 2 to 3 days. 

 

Took some quick pictures before heading into work. Let me know if you guys got questions.

 

                

[dustybuddy]

Another Update

 

Added a micro lord, a ricordea yuma, and a bright green mushroom. Added a red dragonet goby as well as some more snails. Been really digging the margarita snails. Last invert/fish adds will be 3 sexy shrimp in the next week or so and then I think my bioload get's too heavy after that for the mixed reef that I want.

 

I have the tunze nano ATO and Mame skimmer on the way along with some supplies to build a nice little refugium in the back mostly for the goby needing pods to eat. Will start dosing with Kent Nano A and B, Magnesium, and Iodide along with some coral food. Last step will be to upgrade my lighting with a nanobox tide sometime in the near future. 

 

[HarryPotter]

Good luck with the goby, I do not think that a tiny refugium in a 10g can produce nearly enough pods to support one. 

[dustybuddy]

Ya sort of an irresponsible decision, but I'm also getting live pods from the LFS every two weeks and will hopefully start a copepod farm soon. So far, he's been doing well and I still see tons of pods all over the glass and rockwork. 

[dustybuddy]

Recently added the Innovative Marine's ChaetoMax as a light to the in-back refugium. Also started a copepod farm in a separate two gallon container for the red dragonet goby. He's been going strong for the last three weeks but I'll definitely be supplementing with monthly orders from algaebarn along with the refugium till I upgrade to a larger tank (decided to get a 22 gallon shallow long when i move in two months). 

 

Also got the Kessil A80 Tuna Blue, which has really helped all the coral open up. Wanted the nanobox but couldn't justify the price or power for a 2 gallon tank.

 

There's 5 more acan frags and a blue yellow yuma mushroom coming in the mail tomorrow so pictures to come.

 

 

[dustybuddy]

            

[dustybuddy]

The red dragonet goby jumped out last night. Seems like my copepod farm will be dismantled in the near future, and I'll probably replace him with a red spotted goby. In the meantime, I need to build a cheap lid for my tank. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

[Christopher Marks]

Sorry to hear about the jumper 🙁

 

There are a few different DIY mesh screen kits out there, you should be able to find a kit or materials for yours: https://www.marinedepot.com/search?Query=mesh+screen.

 

How has your MAME skimmer been working out?

[dustybuddy]

8 hours ago, Christopher Marks said:

Sorry to hear about the jumper 🙁

 

There are a few different DIY mesh screen kits out there, you should be able to find a kit or materials for yours: https://www.marinedepot.com/search?Query=mesh+screen.

 

How has your MAME skimmer been working out?

Hey Chris! As a long time lurker on nano-reef, it's cool to get a reply from you!

 

The mame skimmer def had to be broken in but it's been working pretty well these past few weeks. I think the key is to not get too strong of an air pump and set up the ATO at the perfect height for it. The biggest pain is just cleaning the tubes along with the glass.

 

Thanks for the link. Will def need it when a red spotted goby shows up on liveaquaria. Have enough inverts to keep me interested for now though and I'm moving soon. When i do move, I want to get a 30 gallon shallow lagoon style with viewing angles from all sides. Been thinking of either getting the deep blue or possibly getting one built. Wish there were more options.

 

Forgive the poor camera skills but here's an update on the tank.