Lee's 425 liter peninsula reef

[LeeJiYoung]

Hi guys, this is my 425 liters reef tank from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. It's been cycling for 3 days and I can't wait to pack it with corals and livestocks ( I know, I know, patient is a must for this hobby, I will keep on waiting for it to cycle then :p ). Anyway, do you guys have any suggestions for the livestocks of this shallow tank ?

Tank specs: 

-Dimension: 138cm x 81cm x 38cm

-Sump: 100cm x 50cm x 30cm

-Chiller: 1HP titanium coil

-Skimmer: Octopus Regal 200-S Skimmer
-Bio-filter: 65 liters refugium in sump (  still working on it, basically I'm looking for chaeto, caulerpa and some mangroves ).

-Lighting: 3x Hydra 52HDs 

 

Updated 10:38pm :

Just install a cheap DIY LED light for the fuge chamber:D hopefully that will be enough for the upcoming macroalgae. 

The filter sock is stucked with detritus, will have to clean it up now.

The shrimp 🍤 that I put in 2 days ago is decaying with a not-really-lovely-looking form and the smell is just...🤢 

And I have turned all the light with skimmer off to let the cycle process faster. 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

Update 26/05/2018:

i decided again to turn the light on and just let the tank cycles . Skimmer is also on and reverse photoperiod for the chaeto which I’m trying to grow it bigger with a manual dose of 5ml Seachem Flourish Iron per week. 

 

As I predicted, the diatom is blooming everywhere in the tank. On the tank glasses, the weir of the overflow, sandbed, rocks 🤘. The reason for this, is because I want the diatom to be there and consume all the silicates that presents in the tank itself and they will go away naturally when they are starved out of silicates. 

Edited May 26, 2018 by LeeJiYoung
Updating tank

[M-A-T-T-Y]

No suggestions from me, just wanted to say that tank looks fantastic and the hardware seems top notch!
Would love to see a pic of the sump setup too

[LeeJiYoung]

6 minutes ago, M-A-T-T-Y said:

No suggestions from me, just wanted to say that tank looks fantastic and the hardware seems top notch!
Would love to see a pic of the sump setup too

Sure, I will take a pic of it after finish my work and get back home. I am currently in my office.  

[Christopher Marks]

Welcome to the community @LeeJiYoung! 👋

 

You have a built a very impressive nano reef, I love the peninsula design and your aquascape with the peak above the water line. Beautiful work! Will this be your first reef aquarium, or do you have others? Can't wait to see the sump, nice plans for a refugium it sounds like.

 

I am a big fan of very small fish like gobies, perhaps there is one that is right for you? There are also many reef friendly invertebrates, cleaner shrimp are quite active and interesting. How is the selection at your local shops? What kinds of coral and fish do you like? 🙂

[LeeJiYoung]

2 hours ago, Christopher Marks said:

Welcome to the community @LeeJiYoung! 👋

 

You have a built a very impressive nano reef, I love the peninsula design and your aquascape with the peak above the water line. Beautiful work! Will this be your first reef aquarium, or do you have others? Can't wait to see the sump, nice plans for a refugium it sounds like.

 

I am a big fan of very small fish like gobies, perhaps there is one that is right for you? There are also many reef friendly invertebrates, cleaner shrimp are quite active and interesting. How is the selection at your local shops? What kinds of coral and fish do you like? 🙂

Thanks Chris, I'm thinking of getting some small fishes that are swimming in group like Chromis or Anthias, perhaps a tang would be nice ?  I'm quite afraid that the shallowness of the tank will not allow me to get one.

It will be a mixed reef with different kind of LPS, SPS, softies to create a smaller scale of the biotope from nature. 

[Red_Blenny]

Love the shallow tank. 

[Nocturnal]

Love the scape. I'm planning a large peninsula build and I'm wondering if I can do something similar with rock above the waterline.

[Christopher Marks]

7 hours ago, LeeJiYoung said:

Thanks Chris, I'm thinking of getting some small fishes that are swimming in group like Chromis or Anthias, perhaps a tang would be nice ?  I'm quite afraid that the shallowness of the tank will not allow me to get one.

It will be a mixed reef with different kind of LPS, SPS, softies to create a smaller scale of the biotope from nature. 

A group of chromis or cardinal fish of some kind would be lovely! 😍

 

Keep us posted 😊

[LeeJiYoung]

1 hour ago, Nocturnal said:

Love the scape. I'm planning a large peninsula build and I'm wondering if I can do something similar with rock above the waterline.

Definitely yes ! You can 👌

4 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said:

A group of chromis or cardinal fish of some kind would be lovely! 😍

 

Keep us posted 😊

Just edited my post with the sump pics. Hopefully, that will be enough to grow Macroalgae:). 

[M-A-T-T-Y]

7 hours ago, LeeJiYoung said:

Just edited my post with the sump pics. Hopefully, that will be enough to grow Macroalgae:). 

I enjoy a good Reef Tank, but something about seeing all the tech in the cabinet along with a  sump I just love!
 

[LeeJiYoung]

Update! 

Some GHA has appeared, the end of the cycle is near ?  

 

I will wait for 1 more week to make sure everything is great, and then do a 30% water change. I don’t test for amonia or nitrite, because base on what i have researched, just looking at stages of the display tank will let you know if the cycle is complete or not. In my case, GHA = cycle is nearly completed.

Some quick shots before bed, cycling with lights on. 

I will stock up the tank as soon as possible 😄 , currently on week 3 of the cycle. 

[LeeJiYoung]

Update 😄 ! 
The tank after 3 months running 
Corals: GSP, Toadstool and Pipe Organ Coral. 

Fish: 1 Copperband butterfly.
CuC: 3 Halloween Hermit Crabs, 3 Trochus snails, 1 cleaner shrimp, 3 star fish and 1 lawnmower blenny.
And my 2 mangrove trees is also growing 😄