•The ‘Box - October 2020 Featured Reef

[caas1496]

I like the cart you have picked out for your rolling water change cart. Not carrying buckets is awesome! The idea for an acclimation/frag dip table is something I want to setup for my tank too. I am looking forward to seeing how yours turns out!

[shaner014]

Chugging along.

 

 

 

Couldn’t resist the MightyJet any longer.

 

 

Tentative @NanoRox placement! This is the PicoRox pair. Ignore the rubble rock that’s seeding, and media bags tossed in the display. 

 

 

 

 

[RehabReef]

5 minutes ago, shaner014 said:

Chugging along.

 

 

 

Couldn’t resist the MightyJet any longer.

 

 

Tentative @NanoRox placement! This is the PicoRox pair. Ignore the rubble rock that’s seeding, and media bags tossed in the display. 

 

 

 

 

Great looking tank!

 

I love the idea of the false wall to hide the electronics. I might have to borrow your idea and incorporate that as I'm pretty particular about cable management. Following your build. I've been looking at that MightJet. What are your thoughts on it?

[shaner014]

27 minutes ago, RehabReef said:

Great looking tank!

 

I love the idea of the false wall to hide the electronics. I might have to borrow your idea and incorporate that as I'm pretty particular about cable management. Following your build. I've been looking at that MightJet. What are your thoughts on it?

 

Thanks!

 

The false wall certainly cleans up the look. Without a DJ power strip or controller though, it could be annoying to turn off equipment for maintenance and feeding. The short answer is, it may be more annoying than it’s worth.

 

I plan to add WiFi outlet adapters to my heater and skimmer so I can cut power that way. The MP10 and now MightyJet have feed modes so that’s nice and easy. Turning off the return does cause the skimmer to overflow, so I’ll need to get the skimmer on/off working sooner than later. The reactor allows media to be replaced without turning it off, so I’m not worried there. And lastly the ATO has a controller of sorts built in so I can kill power to that without pulling the false wall too.  

 

The MightyJet is great! Perfectly silent and easily controllable. I was actually looking for a slower flow than it’s lowest setting, but for the silence, and feed mode, I’ll tolerate the lowest setting. On the highest setting and with the sine feature, there is an immense amount of potential to create enough flow for a lot of scenarios. I think a lot of smaller AIO tanks could run this pump alone with no additional powerheads (short of SPS dominant of course).

 

My MP10 provides enough flow for the tank, so the lower turnover plan was going with the BRS idea that lower turnover through a sump/chambers is fine, and the slower turnover would help my skimmer pull some bio-pellet film via longer contact time in chamber (though I’m a ways from even starting bio-pellets. I’d like to let the tank mature for 6-8 months before starting those.)

 

My short-term plan is to go with weekly water changes and heavy skimming and carbon/GFO in the reactor as needed through the “ugly phases”. This maybe the whole first year. As things settle, I’d like to try the dosing/fewer water changes approach using small amounts of bio-pellets and heavy skimming. DrewsLagoon et al. on Instagram/YouTube have had some success with this approach. I know myself, and I think long term, this export method will meld best with my habits. I have 2 young kids and a track record of waxing and waning interest in the hobby. If I can get to a stability point where monthly or even longer stretches are okay without water changes, then that’s ideal. I know I’ll have to have some Auto-dosing setup eventually to get to that point. 

 

Anyways, those are my off the cuff thoughts at this point. Happy to take any advice if someone sees flaws! 

[shaner014]

Did something questionable.

 

My trites have been lingering for 2 weeks now. I have used a whole bottle of Dr. Tims, half a bottle of MicroBacter7 and now using Seachem Stability. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Haven’t seen any diatoms along the way. Started the cycle 12/16 or 12/17 with 2ppm ammonium chloride and Dr. Tims as directed. 

 

Just Wednesday my ammonia fell to 0.25 or 0. And trites are 0.25-0.5 (API test kit struggle bus). Trates are 0-Trace. The trites have been at that level since showing up. 

 

So, I jumped on a pair of clowns I couldn’t pass up. Everything I’ve read says nitrites aren’t harmful to marine fish, and I’ll watch ammonia for any spikes. The Seachem stability I am dosing says it’s okay to stock while using it (yes.. I know that’s marketing and the real implications of doing so). 

 

I’ll do partial waterchanges if needed to keep ammonia in check and under 0.25ppm. 

 

 

 

ARC Wyoming White, and an ARC Standard Snowflake. Captive-Bred local to me. They are juveniles at just about 1” or less. Under $50 for the pair. 🤯

 

[Christopher Marks]

Those clownfish are gorgeous, wow! I can understand the temptation, what a deal. 

[Seanano]

Great start and looking tank!  I'm getting ready to set up a very similar setup,  WB20, Corona LED, IM MJ return, and Icecap k1 nano.  I have an older mp40 I'm hoping I can get away w/ otherwise trying to trade it out for an mp10.   Is the very back pane of your tank painted black as well, do you know if it is able to be removed in anyway? Excited to see this come along.

[shaner014]

12 minutes ago, Seanano said:

Great start and looking tank!  I'm getting ready to set up a very similar setup,  WB20, Corona LED, IM MJ return, and Icecap k1 nano.  I have an older mp40 I'm hoping I can get away w/ otherwise trying to trade it out for an mp10.   Is the very back pane of your tank painted black as well, do you know if it is able to be removed in anyway? Excited to see this come along.

 

Thanks! 

 

Your build sounds great too. Make sure to start a thread when the time comes!

 

The AIO panel in the tank is a smoke color, not fully opaque black. It does show my skimmer through slightly, but not enough to annoy me and I’m fairly OCD. The black panels on the back are just the same glass as the rest of the tank but they have a black vinyl coating. In fact, becareful how often you move light mounts and what not around, as they will rip into the vinyl. You could cut into it and allow light in for a fuge but it would spill the light into the tank because the sump or AIO panel isn’t fully black.

 

@StevieT has the WB tanks on his inTank Aquatics site with the vinyl removed to show the baffles and how his product works.

 

One thing I’m not sure on, but your question made me curious, is if the back glass panel is starfire too? Not that that really matters haha  

[JR!]

how is that return pump and ato? like them?

[shaner014]

13 minutes ago, JR! said:

how is that return pump and ato? like them?

Both function above expectations.

 

The return, Desktop MightyJet, is still a bit strong for what I intended, but like I mentioned, it’s dead silent and the controller box makes it ideal for adjustments and feeding.

 

The duetto is the same perfect experience I had with the Smart ATO in my last tank. Flawless for my application. Just clean the optical sensor every so often to remove build up. 

[StevieT]

54 minutes ago, Seanano said:

Great start and looking tank!  I'm getting ready to set up a very similar setup,  WB20, Corona LED, IM MJ return, and Icecap k1 nano.  I have an older mp40 I'm hoping I can get away w/ otherwise trying to trade it out for an mp10.   Is the very back pane of your tank painted black as well, do you know if it is able to be removed in anyway? Excited to see this come along.

It's just vinyl. Very easy to remove. 

[shaner014]

Some lessons are best learned by failing. I guess?

 

No, I didn't kill my new clowns. 

 

I am running the stock filter socks on this tank until @StevieT ships me the chamber one media racks he's hoarding! Well tonight I did a partial water change and decided I should pull the sock and put in a new one, the other had been running about 3 weeks. I have never had a tank with a sump, or an AIO that used socks. I also never read much about filter socks, and also broke a pretty universal rule of reefing. RINSE THINGS BEFORE PUTTING THEM IN YOUR TANK.

 

So, about 6 seconds after the new sock makes full surface contact with the water, my skimmer cup which I have had set to basically not skim at all, but run and oxygenate and break-in, is fully overflowing. After the panic wore off I realized what had happened, this also solves my mystery of why my skimmer was nuts to begin with... these darn Waterbox filter socks must have something harsh still in them. 

 

So, I raised the skimmer way up, I'm gonna wet skim some of this off over the next couple hours. I turned off the ATO and will replace the wet skim with fresh saltwater. I also tossed in a fresh bag of Chemi-Pure Blue for full blown panic sake.

 

Clowns are oblivious, and the tester zoo frag I have is still open, so whatever it is can't be too harsh.

 

Rookie mistake. Read this and learn from me! 

[shaner014]

Picked up a Todd’s Torch from a local reefer. 

 

 

iPhone/PolypLab Lens, Lightroom Mobile Edit

[Chris882003]

Hello I have the same aquarium. How is the return pump working? I would like to change out the

 one that came with it. 

[shaner014]

1 hour ago, Chris882003 said:

Hello I have the same aquarium. How is the return pump working? I would like to change out the

 one that came with it. 

 

The MightyJet is great, though I’m only just running it on the lowest setting (of the Desktop lower flow version).

 

I LOVE the feed mode functionality, lot better than trying to find a cord to unplug.

 

If the flow went lower I’d be even happier, as i wanted to lower the water height a bit actually in my display area, over time as it gunks up a bit this may happen ? 

 

Runs completely silent and have had zero issue! 

[Poodges]

Tank looks great.  I like your set up.  Those nanorox look great as well.  What do you plan to put on them?

[Chris882003]

2 hours ago, shaner014 said:

 

The MightyJet is great, though I’m only just running it on the lowest setting (of the Desktop lower flow version).

 

I LOVE the feed mode functionality, lot better than trying to find a cord to unplug.

 

If the flow went lower I’d be even happier, as i wanted to lower the water height a bit actually in my display area, over time as it gunks up a bit this may happen ? 

 

Runs completely silent and have had zero issue! 

Thanks for the reply I am looking to upgrade the stock pump. 

[shaner014]

3 hours ago, Poodges said:

Tank looks great.  I like your set up.  Those nanorox look great as well.  What do you plan to put on them?

 

I have a small Rasta frag setting on on at the moment. Was a test the water coral that’s been happy for a bit now. 

 

I have ave has a bunch of junk crammed in the display (rubble rock, media bags). So, i haven’t dialed in any placement of things yet. I also have a “Hotel Palythoa” (which is sweet!) by @NanoRox that I plan to see if I like in the open area. My ultimate goal is 2-3 scoly’s on the open bottom but I might as well grow a Zoa garden in the meantime. 

 

I hope to work further on the tank today. Been down and out with some migraine problems which is a new experience (albeit a crappy one!). 

[Chris882003]

Sorry for all the questions, I am trying figure out the filtration. I still have what came with the cub. First chamber filter sock, middle sponge bio-balls, carbon then sponge. Then the return pump. How do you have your skimmer installed and are you still running filter socks, and everything in the middle chamber? I am looking to upgrade but not sure how it all fits in the back?

Again thanks for the help. 

[shaner014]

5 hours ago, Chris882003 said:

Sorry for all the questions, I am trying figure out the filtration. I still have what came with the cub. First chamber filter sock, middle sponge bio-balls, carbon then sponge. Then the return pump. How do you have your skimmer installed and are you still running filter socks, and everything in the middle chamber? I am looking to upgrade but not sure how it all fits in the back?

Again thanks for the help. 

 

Good questions!

 

I have been running the socks up until this weekend, only out of necessity since the inTank aquatic media racks are just now being shipped. I intend to run the inTank media rack in the first chamber with filter floss, then chemi-pure blue, then brightwell bio-cubes. Second chamber has my IM Mini Max Desktop reactor, this will eventually run bio-pellets down the road, it’ll run GFO as needed in the meantime to combat nuisance algae phases. The Cad-Lights PLS-50 Elite 2 is also in the middle chamber. This required a modification to fit, involving grinding away about 2mm of non-structural acrylic all the way around the skimmer. I wanted a strong skimmer to eventually pull the bio-pellet film and to potentially push fish stocking levels. This probably isn’t advisable for most people (the overstocking). The last chamber has my neo-therm heater, XPAqua Duetto ATO sensor and return line, and MightyJet.

 

Ive yet to see an AIO where the “stock” setup is at all ideal. Tweaking and upgrading are almost always necessary for stability and long term successes.

[Chris882003]

9 hours ago, shaner014 said:

 

Good questions!

 

I have been running the socks up until this weekend, only out of necessity since the inTank aquatic media racks are just now being shipped. I intend to run the inTank media rack in the first chamber with filter floss, then chemi-pure blue, then brightwell bio-cubes. Second chamber has my IM Mini Max Desktop reactor, this will eventually run bio-pellets down the road, it’ll run GFO as needed in the meantime to combat nuisance algae phases. The Cad-Lights PLS-50 Elite 2 is also in the middle chamber. This required a modification to fit, involving grinding away about 2mm of non-structural acrylic all the way around the skimmer. I wanted a strong skimmer to eventually pull the bio-pellet film and to potentially push fish stocking levels. This probably isn’t advisable for most people (the overstocking). The last chamber has my neo-therm heater, XPAqua Duetto ATO sensor and return line, and MightyJet.

 

Ive yet to see an AIO where the “stock” setup is at all ideal. Tweaking and upgrading are almost always necessary for stability and long term successes.

Thanks for the reply now I have a good idea on what I need to order. My tank has been up for three weeks. 

Thanks again for your help

[shaner014]

Going through the phases. 

 

Added the Hotel Palythoa a few nights ago. Added the inTank media rack tonight. Adding more coral this weekend.

 

[JR!]

that frag holder on the bottom is so sick

[Chris882003]

7 hours ago, shaner014 said:

Going through the phases. 

 

Added the Hotel Palythoa a few nights ago. Added the inTank media rack tonight. Adding more coral this weekend.

 

Nice, the tank is coming along. I ordered my InTank media rack and will be ordering everything else. How long did you wait to add corals? 

[shaner014]

10 minutes ago, Chris882003 said:

Nice, the tank is coming along. I ordered my InTank media rack and will be ordering everything else. How long did you wait to add corals? 

 

Not as long as i would have liked to wait. I purchased that torch on 12/8 because it’s my grail coral. The guy was nice and held it for me for 6 weeks or so, but I still had nitrite readings slightly when I put it in.  I added a small Zoa frag about a week before that to be sure the tank could at least sustain something. To my surprise they were open and happy immediately.

 

in hindsight, I was at the tail end of my cycle, ammonia had zeroed out, and I had done a few partial water changes to edge that along. So the 5 week mark was (luckily) sufficient in this exact scenario. The problem though is every tank scenario is different. I took on a level of risk given my circumstance. 

 

My advice would be to wait until the cycle completely finishes and if possible do a “digestion test” with a known amount of ammonium chloride. 

 

The new WWC/BRS hybrid method advises waiting until coraline grows... though that’s an extreme wait, is advisable for the highest rate of success. I’d highly recommend watching their entire series on YouTube.