121a's IM 20G - A Return After Five Years

[121a]

Hello all! It has been a while since I have been active on Nano-Reef, I see a lot has changed! Been lurking for the last few weeks deciding when to finally post our new tank thread. I was a nano-reef addict ever since I started this hobby back in 2006. I started the hobby with my dad and a 75 gallon tank which was upgraded to a 150 gallon and is still currently running. My list of tanks is far more extensive. Shortly after starting the 75 gallon, I started a 12 gallon AIO nano. From there I went to a 20 gallon w/sump. Upgraded the 20 gallon to a 40 gallon breeder w/sump. As is the case in this hobby, I changed the 40 gallon to a custom built, DIY 27 gallon w/sump. That tank was by far my favorite and most successful. It lasted for about a year and half or so and then I moved it all to a Cadlights 12 gallon. The move went fairly well and the tank survived until a heater stuck on and cooked everything. I took a break from the hobby after that point. Then I returned, of course, with a Aqueon 4 Gallon AIO Pico. That went well for a year or so. I eventually lost all my free time and could no longer sustain the tank and dismantled it. That was roughly five years ago. Since, I have graduated college, obtained a new job, and purchased a house with my partner (now going on 6 years) in Fox Lake, IL. We have been in our house since 2016. A few months back, I got bit by the reef bug and started actively searching for a new aquarium now that our house was 'lived in'. We had an empty corner in our living room, a corner that would be perfect for a nano-reef. My vision for this tank is to keep it stocked with a variety of soft and LPS corals. Mainly zoanthids and acans. I have kept everything from shrooms to exotic SPS and the zoanthids and acans are my favorites. They also tend to be more hardy and forgiving.

 

In July 2018, I found a used IM 20 Gallon AIO with stand locally for $150. It came with the top, overflow guards, the IM media rack, upgraded return pump, and a heater. Not a bad deal! Then with the tank locked down, I had to purchase the rest of the equipment. Having been out of the hobby so long, there were a ton of new products on the market but I found myself going back to the brands I knew. One thing I have learned in this hobby is to take the initial hit and buy the best equipment at the start. It makes things much easier down the road. Below is an equipment list and progress from initial setup to current status. I wanted to create this thread once the tank had been up and running for a few months.

 

The tank was setup in the middle of July with dry rock and live sand. I used a small rock from my parents 150 gallon to seed the tank. I also dosed Seachem Stability throughout the cycle. The cycle lasted about a month. About the time the cycle was wrapping up, the algae bloom started (early August). I got it just in time and added a CUC that has done a great job at keeping things clean. Upon the end of the cycle, I did a 30% water change (mid August) and continued monitoring my parameters. I wanted to wait a week or so before adding any additional live stock. Last weekend we added our first fish and two small zoanthid colonies and some pulsing Xenia. After another 20% water change on Saturday morning, I opted to purchase some additional corals (two acan frags and a Euphyllia coral).

 

Current Equipment List

• Innovative Marine 20 Gallon All-In-One (Used) w/Stand and media rack
• ReefKeeper Lite w/PB4 + SLX (New)
• Jebao TW-10 (New)
• ReefBreeders Photon 16 V2+ (New)
• AC70 Refugium w/custom LED light (New)
• API Saltwater Test Kit (New)
• CoralBox ATO (New)
• 100W ViaAqua Heater (New)
• Hanna Checkers for dKH and Ca (New)
• Salifer Copper and Magnesium test kits (New)
• eBay RO/DI system (New)
• Two Little Fishies C-Balance (New)
• Approximately 15-20lbs of dry rock (New)
• Approximately 15lbs of live sand (New)
• Instant Ocean Reef Crystals salt mix
• Chempure Elite

 

Current Livestock List (9/2/18)

• Onyx Clownfish (Axel)
• 7-8 Snails
• 4-5 Hermit crabs
• Watermelon Zoas
• Radioactive Dragon Eye Zoas
• Pulsing Xenia
• Some sort of Euphyllia coral
• Two varieties of Acans

 

Current Parameters (8/31/18)

• Ammonia: 0 - .25 (the API test kit is really hard to read...)
• Nitrite: 0
• Nitrate: 0
• PH: 8.25
• dKH: 7.8 (my target is 8, the Reef Crystals mix was the culprit for my dKH issue...)
• Ca: 496
• Mg: ? (Salifert test kit is on order)
• Temp: 78.0F
• Salinity: 1.025

 

And now for some pictures!

 

Leak Test

 

Placement

 

Messing with the dry rock

 

All the goodies

 

Still dry

 

RO/DI

 

And so it begins...

 

 

CUC Added

 

First Livestock Additions

 

 

 

 

Partner and the Cat

 

Additions from 9/1/18 ($55 for all of it, not a bad deal!)

 

Current FTS

[WV Reefer]

20 minutes ago, 121a said:

Hello all! It has been a while since I have been active on Nano-Reef, I see a lot has changed! Been lurking for the last few weeks deciding when to finally post our new tank thread. I was a nano-reef addict ever since I started this hobby back in 2006. I started the hobby with my dad and a 75 gallon tank which was upgraded to a 150 gallon and is still currently running. My list of tanks is far more extensive. Shortly after starting the 75 gallon, I started a 12 gallon AIO nano. From there I went to a 20 gallon w/sump. Upgraded the 20 gallon to a 40 gallon breeder w/sump. As is the case in this hobby, I changed the 40 gallon to a custom built, DIY 27 gallon w/sump. That tank was by far my favorite and most successful. It lasted for about a year and half or so and then I moved it all to a Cadlights 12 gallon. The move went fairly well and the tank survived until a heater stuck on and cooked everything. I took a break from the hobby after that point. Then I returned, of course, with a Aqueon 4 Gallon AIO Pico. That went well for a year or so. I eventually lost all my free time and could no longer sustain the tank and dismantled it. That was roughly five years ago. Since, I have graduated college, obtained a new job, and purchased a house with my partner (now going on 6 years) in Fox Lake, IL. We have been in our house since 2016. A few months back, I got bit by the reef bug and started actively searching for a new aquarium now that our house was 'lived in'. We had an empty corner in our living room, a corner that would be perfect for a nano-reef. My vision for this tank is to keep it stocked with a variety of soft and LPS corals. Mainly zoanthids and acans. I have kept everything from shrooms to exotic SPS and the zoanthids and acans are my favorites. They also tend to be more hardy and forgiving.

 

In July 2018, I found a used IM 20 Gallon AIO with stand locally for $150. It came with the top, overflow guards, the IM media rack, upgraded return pump, and a heater. Not a bad deal! Then with the tank locked down, I had to purchase the rest of the equipment. Having been out of the hobby so long, there were a ton of new products on the market but I found myself going back to the brands I knew. One thing I have learned in this hobby is to take the initial hit and buy the best equipment at the start. It makes things much easier down the road. Below is an equipment list and progress from initial setup to current status. I wanted to create this thread once the tank had been up and running for a few months.

 

The tank was setup in the middle of July with dry rock and live sand. I used a small rock from my parents 150 gallon to seed the tank. I also dosed Seachem Stability throughout the cycle. The cycle lasted about a month. About the time the cycle was wrapping up, the algae bloom started (early August). I got it just in time and added a CUC that has done a great job at keeping things clean. Upon the end of the cycle, I did a 30% water change (mid August) and continued monitoring my parameters. I wanted to wait a week or so before adding any additional live stock. Last weekend we added our first fish and two small zoanthid colonies and some pulsing Xenia. After another 20% water change on Saturday morning, I opted to purchase some additional corals (two acan frags and a Euphyllia coral).

 

Current Equipment List

• Innovative Marine 20 Gallon All-In-One (Used) w/Stand and media rack
• ReefKeeper Lite w/PB4 + SLX (New)
• Jebao TW-10 (New)
• ReefBreeders Photon 16 V2+ (New)
• AC70 Refugium w/custom LED light (New)
• API Saltwater Test Kit (New)
• CoralBox ATO (New)
• 100W ViaAqua Heater (New)
• Hanna Checkers for dKH and Ca (New)
• Salifer Copper and Magnesium test kits (New)
• eBay RO/DI system (New)
• Two Little Fishies C-Balance (New)
• Approximately 15-20lbs of dry rock (New)
• Approximately 15lbs of live sand (New)
• Instant Ocean Reef Crystals salt mix
• Chempure Elite

 

Current Livestock List (9/2/18)

• Onyx Clownfish (Axel)
• 7-8 Snails
• 4-5 Hermit crabs
• Watermelon Zoas
• Radioactive Dragon Eye Zoas
• Pulsing Xenia
• Some sort of Euphyllia coral
• Two varieties of Acans

 

Current Parameters (8/31/18)

• Ammonia: 0 - .25 (the API test kit is really hard to read...)
• Nitrite: 0
• Nitrate: 0
• PH: 8.25
• dKH: 7.8 (my target is 8, the Reef Crystals mix was the culprit for my dKH issue...)
• Ca: 496
• Mg: ? (Salifert test kit is on order)
• Temp: 78.0F
• Salinity: 1.025

 

And now for some pictures!

 

Leak Test

 

Placement

 

Messing with the dry rock

 

All the goodies

 

Still dry

 

RO/DI

 

And so it begins...

 

 

CUC Added

 

First Livestock Additions

 

 

 

 

Partner and the Cat

 

Additions from 9/1/18 ($55 for all of it, not a bad deal!)

 

Current FTS

Welcome back! 

 

everything is looking great so far.  🙂

[A Little Blue]

Have fun with your new tank. 

Enjoy the journey. 

[Christopher Marks]

4 hours ago, 121a said:

Current FTS

 

Great nano reef build so far, can’t wait to see what it becomes! Welcome back! 👍

[121a]

Just a quick update with some new additions. Last Sunday stopped at the LFS right down the street from us and picked up a cleaner shrimp. I have never had good luck with shrimp. I acclimated this guy for over 3 hours this time. Once the acclimation process was complete, he was introduced and quickly hid. The next morning, I wake up and check the tank, right in the middle is a big old molt. Thought it was a carcass at first until I inspected it a bit closer and found the shrimp hiding under a rock. Later that day, the shrimp was out and about. Definitely the most social shrimp I have owned.

 

Today we stopped at our favorite LFS to find a buddy for Axel the clownfish. Nothing really caught our eye but we did pickup a nice hunk of GSP, a new zoanthid frag, and a nice frag of toadstool/leather for $30 total. Went to the LFS down the street from us and they had purple firefish for $28! Couldn't pass that up and got a small one. Unfortunately it is quite skiddish and is hiding at the moment.

 

We also had a power outage a few days ago, a new piece of a equipment is on order. An APC Battery Backup and Surge Protector. I plan to only have the return pump on the UPS, I anticipate it should run 3-4 hours which is usually plenty of time for ComEd to come restore power.

 

 

 

Sasha the shrimp.

 

[Christopher Marks]

Cleaner shrimp are the best, so much personality! That’s a nice addition.

 

Good call on the UPS backup power too, you should do a test run and power just the pumps on battery while everything else is still plugged into the old power strip, just so you can be confident in the backup run time before switching over fully. Let us know how it goes, I know lots of people are looking for similar backup solutions for their tanks. 🙂

[121a]

Purple Firefish made it through the night. Has a very nice cave he found and will probably be hiding for the next week or so.

 

I will definitely report back on the UPS. We are fortunate to live next to a senior living and memory care complex, so our power outages are few and far between. However, I have lost thousands of dollars in this hobby and I think the $135 UPS will be a great peace of mind addition.

 

On a side note, I noticed not a lot of people are running the Photon V2+. I have read some reviews that say there is a disco affect with this unit and I can confirm that there is a slight disco effect. Also, I wish there was an app or a software program to program the controller. It takes a while to adjust the custom profile for when new corals are added and being acclimated. This gripe could be resolved by simply adding more profiles (and adding a feature to 'copy' existing profiles). Circling back to the disco effect, I am going to pickup some frosted vinyl to cover the two Warm White leds that are in the middle of the unit. My hope is to diffuse those particular leds to better blend the white and blue. Other than that, this unit is fantastic. The fans never come on. The build quality is phenomenal. Corals seem to be enjoying it so far!

[121a]

9/22 Update

 

Couple updates since the last post.

-Switched from Reef Crystals to DRFS Live Aquaria salt mix. Did our first w/c with it yesterday and I am very happy with how the salt mixes. It mixes quickly and was super clear the next morning. The batch of Reef Crystals I had was old so I don't think it was mixing correctly anymore. I'm going to see how this Live Aquaria salt works out before committing to a larger amount

-Added a variety of new frags and small colonies of zoanthids, hammer, ect.

-Glued some loose corals down, most notably I glued the three acans together to make them a little more cohesive

-Currently experiencing what appears to be a hair algae bloom, I am going to cut out the red and green from my light schedule and see if that helps a bit. I also just got a Hanna ULR Phosphorus checker and my Phosphate is at 1.0ppm. I changed out my CemiPure Elite and may add some GFO to combat the phosphates. I also have a few additional CUC members on order (mainly cerith snails) to help naturally cut down on the algae. 

-Modified my Photon V2+ with frosted vinyl to help diffuse the lights, I just did this mod today and it helps cut down on the

 

Both Axel (clown), Sasha (shrimp), and Norvis (purple firefish) are all doing great. The acans are constantly puffed up and I am feeding them Reef Chili from BRS. The GSP is growing as is the toadstool.

 

Setup Shot

 

Rear of Tank

 

Photon V2+ Modification (added frosted vinyl to optics to better diffuse the lights)

 

Norvis

 

Refugium

 

FTS

 

Misc

 

[121a]

Just completed a full range water test:

Ammonia: 0-0.15

Nitrite: 0

Nitrate: 0

PH: 8.3

Alk: 7.9dkh (still having issued keeping this up where it should be...)

Ca: 507

Mg: 1420

Phosphate: 0.003PPM (Checked with Hanna ULR Phosphorus Checker; It was 0.101PPM a few days ago, changed out my Chemipure Elite which is what I am attributing to the drop)

SG: 1.024 (going to raise it back up to 1.025)

Temp: 78.5F

 

I have also cut out the red and green LEDs for the time being until I can get rid of some of this GHA. I think the phosphates initially contributed to the growth and the red/green LEDs did not help matters. In the event that my rocks are leaching phosphate, I am running Seachem Phosguard as a precaution. I have noticed a sharp decline in grown. Hoping the addition CUC members I ordered will be able to cut the rest down and keep it gone. 

[ReefGoat]

Where did you get your dry rock from? Did you clean or cure it in any way or just rinse it and add to tank? 

[121a]

Minor update

The additional CUC members from KP Aquatics made it in safely after being sent to the wrong post office during shipping, causing a day delay in delivery. The order included small and larger cerith snails, red mithrax crab, some halimeda, and toadstool moss algae for the display. Hoping to take a more natural approach to phosphate control plus the algae looks nice and adds a more natural element to the tank.

 

6 hours ago, ReefGoat said:

Where did you get your dry rock from? Did you clean or cure it in any way or just rinse it and add to tank? 

I soaked it in RO/DI for about a week. I bought it from Aqua Cave. I'm starting to think the algae growth was the main result of the red and green LEDs and their intensity that I had them set at. Regarding the phosphate, when I got my Phosphorus ULR checker a few weeks back I tested and got 33ppb, or 0.1ppm. Not horrible by any means. Last I tested it was 1ppb, or .003ppm. The growth has all but stopped and my additional CUC members are making quick work of the hair algae. A second contributing factor was a lack of flow. Only the left of the tank has the algae problem, I have since re-positioned my circulation pump and changed to a more constant mode (I was using the wave function but have since switched a random flow pattern). So to combat this bloom of algae, I cut out the red/green leds from my current light schedule, added a small amount of Seachem Phosgaurd, and added some additional CUC members.

 

[ReefGoat]

Sweet! I used Billy's Reef Connection for my dry rock source. His site actually had "lab results" where he had his rock tested. I guess only time will tell if it's full of **** or not LOL. I did the 10:1 bleach method and then 1 week in RO/DI and Seachem Prime to make sure all the bleach was a thing of the past. Then I let it dry out for two days. I was just curious as to what others were doing for their dry rock to possibly prevent future algae outbreaks. I have my reds and greens set pretty low. I actually found someone on R2R with the same light as us that had shared a program that was similar to the SPS AB+ I believe it's called. I think it's a radion program. The tank is cycling so the lights off right now but i'm expecting pretty solid results from it. 

[WV Reefer]

On 9/29/2018 at 3:40 PM, 121a said:

Minor update

The additional CUC members from KP Aquatics made it in safely after being sent to the wrong post office during shipping, causing a day delay in delivery. The order included small and larger cerith snails, red mithrax crab, some halimeda, and toadstool moss algae for the display. Hoping to take a more natural approach to phosphate control plus the algae looks nice and adds a more natural element to the tank.

 

 

My Red Mithrax Crab is my favorite. He’s always out and eats bubble algae like a champ!

[BOMBreef]

Welcome back, I too am making  comeback after an almost 5 year break. I just picked up a 42g tank and started the build this weekend.

 

How's the RO/DI from Amazon working? If you wouldn't mind sharing a link to the one you got - I'm in the market. 

[121a]

11 hours ago, WV Reefer said:

My Red Mithrax Crab is my favorite. He’s always out and eats bubble algae like a champ!

Totally! Cole, my mithrax crab, immediately went to town on the hair alage. I had a zoa colony that had two tufts of alage building up, next morning it was all cleared. 

 

11 hours ago, ReefGoat said:

Sweet! I used Billy's Reef Connection for my dry rock source. His site actually had "lab results" where he had his rock tested. I guess only time will tell if it's full of **** or not LOL. I did the 10:1 bleach method and then 1 week in RO/DI and Seachem Prime to make sure all the bleach was a thing of the past. Then I let it dry out for two days. I was just curious as to what others were doing for their dry rock to possibly prevent future algae outbreaks. I have my reds and greens set pretty low. I actually found someone on R2R with the same light as us that had shared a program that was similar to the SPS AB+ I believe it's called. I think it's a radion program. The tank is cycling so the lights off right now but i'm expecting pretty solid results from it. 

Do you mind sharing? I like our current scheme but its fun to mess around with the settings. I just wish the controller allowed to store more than one custom schedule.

 

10 hours ago, BOMBreef said:

Welcome back, I too am making  comeback after an almost 5 year break. I just picked up a 42g tank and started the build this weekend.

 

How's the RO/DI from Amazon working? If you wouldn't mind sharing a link to the one you got - I'm in the market. 

Awesome! I actually got my RODI off of eBay. I bought from LiquaGen. Its a six stage unit. My incoming water is about 470, after ro its about 8, after di, 0. My only complaint is with the seller. Our unit had zero packing material to protect it. I got the unit and one of the canisters was shattered. Seller was prompt and sent out a new canister. Oddly enough, the replacement canister had zero packing material to protect it, though it made it safely. The unit itself is well built and I have no complaints about its functionality. 

[ReefGoat]

I am currently programmed for (peak) 40% royal blue, 40% cool blue, 40% violet, 10%white, 10%red and 10% green it's set to hold this peak for 5 hours then there are 2.5 hour (ramps) before and after peak times. You can tune those to your liking. This is basically the SPS AB+ profile at 40% from what the person I got it from said. I am going to be investing in a par meter so I may be tweaking these in the future. Right now the light is set to off but the program is ready to run once i'm done cycling. 

[ReefGoat]

In the future when I add the T5's to it. They will be set to run during peak hours and shut off during ramp times. 

[121a]

1 hour ago, ReefGoat said:

I am currently programmed for (peak) 40% royal blue, 40% cool blue, 40% violet, 10%white, 10%red and 10% green it's set to hold this peak for 5 hours then there are 2.5 hour (ramps) before and after peak times. You can tune those to your liking. This is basically the SPS AB+ profile at 40% from what the person I got it from said. I am going to be investing in a par meter so I may be tweaking these in the future. Right now the light is set to off but the program is ready to run once i'm done cycling. 

I will have to try that. I cut my blues down pretty significantly in favor of more white overall. I think my current setting is 0,0,50,20,30,75. With the frosted lenses, the white really diffuses better with the blues. Once the algae gets under control, and it pretty much is at this point, I may add in a bit of red and green. I know have some macros in the display that would benefit from the red and green LEDs. 

 

Just curious, why are you going to add the T5s? I can only assume it is for either coloration purposes and/or additional PAR for growth. I’ve done halide and t5 hybrids in the past (250W halide with 4x24w T5s. Color was nice but man was it a ton of light. This was on my prized 27gal nano. 

[ReefGoat]

LED's tend to have a shadowing problem even when it appears that you have enough coverage. I have been seeing a few people with spectacular results in SPS dominated tanks running T5 LED combo. It's just going to be supplemental to make very sure every coral is 100% lighted on all sides. This won't be a mixed reef. It will be SPS only so i'm going to pump as much light as the corals will take without bleaching. 

[121a]

Update, got some new stock including a yellow clown goby, frag of Utter Chaos, a torch, and some rics. Tank is going really well, algae is getting under control. I have also glued down more zoanthids. I am hoping to make an exotic zoa rock (this rock is on the left of the two larger colonies). It is a small rock that can be easily removed to glue new frags to. I have never known gluing zoas was so easy. Just be sure to wear safety glasses just in case! I have also adjusted the lighting schedule and removed the optics on two of the white LEDs. There was too much white in the center of the unit and the new setup looks awesome...in person. Stupid phone cameras suck with LEDs. Thinking of getting a used DSLR if anyone has any suggestions (I am partial to Nikon).

 

A small side note, I did catch four nudis. I think they were responsible for agitating my zoas.

 

10/7/18 Additions

 

Utter Chaos

 

Rics

 

YCG

 

FTS

 

 

[ReefGoat]

I have heard about these orange gel filters you can use over phone cameras. Then there's also apps for taking photos of reef tanks. Not sure what their names are though. So I'm no help there  You may be able to adjust the white balance on your stock phone editing app as well. I noticed that my Reef Breeders looks really well in the pictures when I adjust the lights settings to all the way white with 50 percent royal blue. The blue washout goes away. Just a couple things to try.

[121a]

I did see the orange filter, might give that a go. I did try the app, it is so so. I think I need to spend more time with adjusting the lights. I think I will try the 100% White and 50% RB.

[A Little Blue]

Any decent photo-editing app can fix crappy pics to certain degree. Not an optimal solution but it can work if you are willing to put in a little effort. 

Examples:

 

[121a]

Minor update

 

Added a variety of new zoanthids, a kenya tree, another monti, and a stylo. All seems to be doing well.

 

My API test kit keeps registering between 0-.1 Ammonia. Not sure if it is accurate or not. I noticed that the kit tests for NH3 and NH4, from what I have read NH3 is what we need to be worried about. I ordered a new test kit for just NH3. Everything looks healthy though so I am not too concerned.

 

Some upcoming changes include:

-IM Desktop Reactor: I have a bag of ChemiPure Elite and Purigen but I don't think they are receiving adequate flow through the media. The reactor will help ensure proper flow through the media

-CPR AquaFuge 2: Wanted to get some thoughts on this. I have an AC Fuge and its doing well but I want to add more water volume. The CPR fuge adds 2.5gal of water to the system. My thought would be the pump can sit in the right intake chamber and the fuge return can dump into the return pump chamber. I'm not 100% on it yet but I think it will also clean up the rear chambers a bit. The reason I want to add more water to the system is we would like to add one more clownfish bringing our total fish count to 4. Granted the YCG probably counts as like .5 of a fish.

 

Need to get more pictures posted as the tank is looking pretty good! Thoughts on the CPR fuge are welcome.

[121a]

I pulled the trigger on the IM Desktop Reactor and I am running Purigen and Activated Carbon. I have ditched the Chemipure Elite for now. Also Aqua Cave had a 10% off sale on most everything so I got the Aqua Fuge 2 from them, plus I had like $45 in rewards so my cost was only about $75. It actually fits really well and should help clean up the rear of the Fusion and also add water volume.

 

The intake pump will be located in the second chamber from the right and the output of the unit will be into the second chamber on the left. The thought is that the water will be dumped into one area and have very little chance of being 'recycled' through the fuge. I have to make some saltwater and plan to have the fuge up and going this weekend.