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Jaybird's 20G Reef Build


Jaybird5

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Hello everyone, I already started a journal, but I think will make that where I just do updates like you are suppose to do 😅😅 

 

Anyway, I currently have a 20g High (24x12x16) with 17 lbs of dry rock, 20 lbs of live sand, I have a crap powerhead just moving the water and a preset 100w heater. I already dosed with some ammonia. Its around 4ppm right now. I plan to add a Tidal either 55 or 75 to the tank, Of course the only media I will use is filter floss, carbon and I do not know what else... 

 

I think I will have enough flow with that HOB and this powerhead https://amzn.to/2wg2YGO 

 

I already purchased this heater https://amzn.to/2o0hwGW 100W of course 

 

I just want to keep some beginner corals, I need to look more into that, but for lighting I dont really want to spend more then $200. So I was thinking just a AI Prime HD because I have heard great reviews. My LFS thinks a kessil A80 will work, I really do not think so. Another forum user is selling his AI Sol Blues for $100 each. I was thinking about buying one of those. However I am skeptical because I cannot find much info because they came out in 2012. 

 

Any help and advise is much appreciated. I look forward to learning as much as I can. 

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28 minutes ago, Jaybird5 said:

Hello everyone, I already started a journal, but I think will make that where I just do updates like you are suppose to do 😅😅 

 

Anyway, I currently have a 20g High (24x12x16) with 17 lbs of dry rock, 20 lbs of live sand, I have a crap powerhead just moving the water and a preset 100w heater. I already dosed with some ammonia. Its around 4ppm right now. I plan to add a Tidal either 55 or 75 to the tank, Of course the only media I will use is filter floss, carbon and I do not know what else... 

 

I think I will have enough flow with that HOB and this powerhead https://amzn.to/2wg2YGO 

 

I already purchased this heater https://amzn.to/2o0hwGW 100W of course 

 

I just want to keep some beginner corals, I need to look more into that, but for lighting I dont really want to spend more then $200. So I was thinking just a AI Prime HD because I have heard great reviews. My LFS thinks a kessil A80 will work, I really do not think so. Another forum user is selling his AI Sol Blues for $100 each. I was thinking about buying one of those. However I am skeptical because I cannot find much info because they came out in 2012. 

 

Any help and advise is much appreciated. I look forward to learning as much as I can. 

i think an AI Prime would work great and not break the bank account.

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The AI Sol has 8 sets of 3 LEDs (24 in total).  The four center sets have 40 degree optics, while the outer four sets have 70 degree optics.  This might be a challenge for a shallow tank (yes, a 20H is still a shallow tank).

 

Many of the bleaching reports are due to the 40 degree optics.  If you go this way, consider switching the 40s for 70s: https://shop.aquaillumination.com/collections/sol/products/70deg-lens

 

AquaIllumination-Sol-Module.jpg

 

Disclosure: I haven't used one of these before.

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Sounds good. I do not plan to get the sols. When y'all say AI Prime are you talking about the AI Prime HD or the normal AI Prime? That nanobox looks amazing. I would have to save up for quite awhile but it is doable. I just want a light that can grow anything I want. I do not want to worry about upgrading down the line. 

 

Okay but I need more water movement right now to help finish cycling. I want to run a tidal 55 should I get this now? Or just get a good powerhead? 

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On 8/24/2018 at 1:34 AM, Clown79 said:

AI Prime or nanobox pr if you want to go budget lighting micmol, mars aqua, or 2 par38's

 

The kessil a80 is more suited for 10g and under

Are you talking about the AI Prime HD or the original AI Prime? The nanobox looks amazing, but is pretty steep price wise. I could afford it eventually... 

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2 hours ago, Jaybird5 said:

Are you talking about the AI Prime HD or the original AI Prime? The nanobox looks amazing, but is pretty steep price wise. I could afford it eventually... 

Either Prime will work. Both are fantastic lights but if buying new, go with hd. It's the same price here for either one

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Well I do not know what to do... My salinity is 1.023 I know it needs to be 1.025-1.026. The water I put in my tank is from my LFS. I just bought the saltwater and put it in. Now I am debating on buying a rodi machine, so I can make my own water. 

 

 https://amzn.to/2Q0y2U6 this is what I am looking to buy. I just do not know if it would be worth the ridicule from my parents. They already think this is a money pit and it is not worth it blah blah blah.  They do not support my passion for marine life. Anyway I also thought about just buying the freshwater from my LFS and then mix it etc. 

 

So it is either buy a rodi and make my water or buy freshwater from my LFS and mix it or just sell everything and retire. 

 

I also have a question about salt mixes. Like is reef specific salt required for corals? All this stuff about supplements and calcium and alkalinity just makes my head spin lol. 

 

Thanks for the help love you all.  

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3 minutes ago, Jaybird5 said:

Well I do not know what to do... My salinity is 1.023 I know it needs to be 1.025-1.026. The water I put in my tank is from my LFS. I just bought the saltwater and put it in. Now I am debating on buying a rodi machine, so I can make my own water. 

 

 https://amzn.to/2Q0y2U6 this is what I am looking to buy. I just do not know if it would be worth the ridicule from my parents. They already think this is a money pit and it is not worth it blah blah blah.  They do not support my passion for marine life. Anyway I also thought about just buying the freshwater from my LFS and then mix it etc. 

 

So it is either buy a rodi and make my water or buy freshwater from my LFS and mix it or just sell everything and retire. 

 

I also have a question about salt mixes. Like is reef specific salt required for corals? All this stuff about supplements and calcium and alkalinity just makes my head spin lol. 

 

Thanks for the help love you all.  

 

if you can afford it get the RODI machine.  That way you can always make water in an emergency situation.

 

You don't need expensive salt.  I use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals.  Its cheap and readily available.  

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Distilled water is another viable option.  I'm not a huge fan of the little RO units, the standard 10" canisters are cheaper to maintain.  I'd probably just use distilled until you save up for a RO/DI unit.  Something basic like: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/4-stage-value-ro-di-system-bulk-reef-supply.html should be adequate.  When it comes time to replace the filters, I'd go with these: https://spectrapure.com/FILTERS-MEMBRANES-RESIN/FILTER-REPLACEMENT-KITS/CSPDI-System-Cartridge-Replacement-Kit-Standard-Twist-On-Cap

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DSFIRSTSLTWATER
4 hours ago, Jaybird5 said:

Well I do not know what to do... My salinity is 1.023 I know it needs to be 1.025-1.026. The water I put in my tank is from my LFS. I just bought the saltwater and put it in. Now I am debating on buying a rodi machine, so I can make my own water. 

 

 https://amzn.to/2Q0y2U6 this is what I am looking to buy. I just do not know if it would be worth the ridicule from my parents. They already think this is a money pit and it is not worth it blah blah blah.  They do not support my passion for marine life. Anyway I also thought about just buying the freshwater from my LFS and then mix it etc. 

 

So it is either buy a rodi and make my water or buy freshwater from my LFS and mix it or just sell everything and retire. 

 

I also have a question about salt mixes. Like is reef specific salt required for corals? All this stuff about supplements and calcium and alkalinity just makes my head spin lol. 

 

Thanks for the help love you all.  

I went with the ro buddy and it's great. I have the same tank as you 20h. You can probably get the ro buddy for around 70 bucks. I think that's about what I paid. Don't give up on your love for tanks. Just keep reading and it'll start to make sense. I started my tank beginning of March and it's doing great. Like WV said reef crystals is good salt and that's what I use. 1.023 is fine for now just when you top off evaporated water use a little saltwater and it'll bring salinity up just a tick.

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1 hour ago, DSFIRSTSLTWATER said:

I went with the ro buddy and it's great. I have the same tank as you 20h. You can probably get the ro buddy for around 70 bucks. I think that's about what I paid. Don't give up on your love for tanks. Just keep reading and it'll start to make sense. I started my tank beginning of March and it's doing great. Like WV said reef crystals is good salt and that's what I use. 1.023 is fine for now just when you top off evaporated water use a little saltwater and it'll bring salinity up just a tick.

I see what you are talking about. I do not plan to upgrade from this 20g for quite some time anyway. I think the ro buddy would be fine for now. The only problem is finding a place to use it. I have a faucet upstairs where I can unscrew the aerator. Im hoping it would connect there. For reef tanks, isn't it better to use a reef specific salt. Am I getting the right elements to sustain and nurture my reef with water from my LFS? I know I do not have coral but of course I will one day. 

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1 hour ago, Jaybird5 said:

I see what you are talking about. I do not plan to upgrade from this 20g for quite some time anyway. I think the ro buddy would be fine for now. The only problem is finding a place to use it. I have a faucet upstairs where I can unscrew the aerator. Im hoping it would connect there. For reef tanks, isn't it better to use a reef specific salt. Am I getting the right elements to sustain and nurture my reef with water from my LFS? I know I do not have coral but of course I will one day. 

The ro buddy is a good option but you are stuck buying only their filters so it can be limiting. With the other units, you can buy any filter media that's for 10" canisters and you can add canisters for further stages if you need to.

 

Also the ro buddy depending on you water quality can be inefficient. 

If your water is hard, high tds, has chloramines in it, the more stages you need for an rodi plus a special carbon block for chloramine removal.

 

I attach my spectrapure every week to my kitchen sink then remove all hoses when done.

 

 

All salt can be used for reefs. People have used basic IO for reefs for yrs, some very prominent ppl in the industry use no other and its the cheapest and widely available.

 

Everyone has their favourite salt. Go with one that has parameters that you like but realize at some point you may need to dose because regardless if your salt mixes a dkh of 11 or 8, when corals consume it and it drops, it will need replenishing. 

 

Your purchased SW from the lfs probably has a low salinity because most stores use a low salinity to save money.

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1 hour ago, Jaybird5 said:

For reef tanks, isn't it better to use a reef specific salt.

Not necessarily, but It can.  I happen to like Live Aquaria Pro Reef Salt.  It's even less expensive than Reef Crystals.  I also think it dissolves faster and is more consistent.  It's parameters at 1.026 sg are:

  • Calcium: 400-450 ppm
  • Magnesium: 1,350-1,450 ppm
  • Alkalinity: 8.0-9.5dKH
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DSFIRSTSLTWATER
12 minutes ago, seabass said:

Not necessarily, but It can.  I happen to like Live Aquaria Pro Reef Salt.  It's even less expensive than Reef Crystals.  I also think it dissolves faster and is more consistent.  It's parameters at 1.026 sg are:

  • Calcium: 400-450 ppm
  • Magnesium: 1,350-1,450 ppm
  • Alkalinity: 8.0-9.5dKH

Wow I didn't even know about that salt 😀

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I will definitely look into getting a RO/DI as soon as I can. 

 

However, since I work at Petco I get forty percent off on Petco brand. My Petco has this water and it has great reviews. I feel like it is better than going to the LFS. Opinions? 

 

IMG_1857.JPG

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10 hours ago, Jaybird5 said:

I feel like it is better than going to the LFS. Opinions?

It's usually overpriced compared to salt mix with RO/DI (which is only about $.30 a gallon).  That said, it's pretty convenient.  Make sure you still check sg.  But unfortunately, you can't make it higher in salinity without adding salt mix. :mellow:

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Yeah it was a one time purchase for me....the salinity went up .01 from putting that water in. Sigh.

 

So to raise my salinity to 1.026 I need to just add saltwater that is listed at 1.026 when my tank evaporates. I currently have a lid on my tank should I remove it? Is that the proper way to raise salinity? 

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Yes, to raise specific gravity, you can top off with saltwater.  And keeping the top open should increase evaporation.  Keep a closer eye on sg when making adjustments to salinity.  Also, calibrate your refractometer (if using one), or compare your hydrometer's readings with a calibrated refractometer.

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Well today when I got to my LFS I was undecided on to either get fish or a CUC. I asked for an opinion of a worker. He was asking me all these questions and after I told him I did a 50% water change because my cycle was over. He preceded to tell me that I was wrong in doing this because I could have started a mini cycle because of this water change. He said I should have done a 25% water change. I then told him i cycled with ammonia and he again said I was wrong for doing that. He said I should have cycled with a fish and that is what they recommend. He then said that I do not need a CUC right now because there is nothing for them to eat.

 

I was so angry after this conversation. He acted like I have no idea what I was doing. I wanted to leave. 

 

Any who I wanted either a royal gramma or this green neon goby they had.  I went with the gramma. I might go back for the goby. So I have since acclimated and added the gramma. He or she is currently hiding in a rock. I am hoping he survives this ordeal. He seemed pretty rattled I guess. I do not what else to do. I might just order my cleanup crew online. It is hard to determine what they have at this LFS i just see alot of shells. Oh well pray for me. 

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1 hour ago, Jaybird5 said:

... this green neon goby they had.

I'm not sure what fish this is.  Is it a green clown goby, or something else?

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44 minutes ago, seabass said:

I'm not sure what fish this is.  Is it a green clown goby, or something else?

Yeah I’m pretty sure it’s a clown goby. It said on the tank green neon goby. I’m going back there tomorrow for like 2 cerith, 2 nassarius, 2 astrea, and maybe a blue hermit. I want the clown goby too. But I guess I’ll find out if my gramma makes it through the night. 

 

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