Gumbius Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 Hello Everyone! First off id like to thank everyone here for posting tips, advice, journals, and information about everything there is to know in this hobby! N-R has had a huge impact on the "success" of my tank so far. This tank is my first aquarium in many years. I consider myself a complete novice when it comes to the hobby as a whole but especially when it comes to coral care My Goal is to create a thriving, stable ecosystem and learn from successes/mistakes in order to set myself up for success for a future, larger tank (lagoon or 30l 🤤) My Vision for this 15cube is LPS/Softy dominant, with one or two SPS (thinking shelving monti, MAYBE a branching acro) Initial Concerns: -Biological Filtration. Not sure i have enough live rock to support my end goal. i estimate i have 10lbs or just less than. also i am running the sponge that came with my HOB. something in the back of my head is telling me i could use that space more efficiently (aquaclear 70) -RODI. The water currently in the tank is built from RO only, TDS meter indicates my ppm on fresh RO water is 4-8 ppm my next purchase will be a real deal RODI unit Equipment Aqueon Frameless Cube Aquarium 15g Aquaclear 70 HOB filter Eheim 75w heater AutoAqua Smart-Micro ATO AI Prime HD AI Nero5 Hanna dKh, Calcium, and ULR Phosphate TDS meter Refractometer API ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph Thermapen Digital therm RO Buddie (upgrading next) Fish and Inverts Ocellaris clown x2 ✔️ Rainford goby Nassarius Snail x1 Trochus Snail x3 maybe one more captive bred fish? Corals Green Star Polyp ✔️ Bambam Zoa ✔️ Scrambled Egg Zoa ✔️ Sunburst Paly ✔️ ATL appleberry palawanensis (sold to me as such, i have no idea) ✔️ plate coral frogspawn/hammer ✔️ shelving monti branching sps 5 Quote Link to comment
billygoat Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 Hello and welcome to N-R! 😁 Looks like you're off to a great start! Regarding your concerns, I've got a few points from my personal experience to share: Biological filtration - don't sweat it too much. I started my 18 gallon tank with 10 lbs. of live rock and 20 lbs. of live sand, and I've never had problems processing organic nutrients. I did toss a bag of MarinePure Gems into my sump chambers a few months ago, but honestly this was probably not necessary. As long as you avoid overstocking or massively overfeeding, I think you're going to be just fine in this department. 👍 RODI - your current setup should be okay as long as those 6-8 TDS don't represent anything particularly awful. The water I use is also RO-without-the-DI (I get it from a water machine outside my local supermarket), and it tests at around 12-15 TDS. My tank's been running for 16 months with this water and I've not encountered any problems with it so far. I love your plan too! Soft corals are all I grow, so they've got a special place in my heart. I'll be following along! 😊 1 Quote Link to comment
Ratvan Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 1 hour ago, Gumbius said: Hello Everyone! First off id like to thank everyone here for posting tips, advice, journals, and information about everything there is to know in this hobby! N-R has had a huge impact on the "success" of my tank so far. This tank is my first aquarium in many years. I consider myself a complete novice when it comes to the hobby as a whole but especially when it comes to coral care My Goal is to create a thriving, stable ecosystem and learn from successes/mistakes in order to set myself up for success for a future, larger tank (lagoon or 30l 🤤) My Vision for this 15cube is LPS/Softy dominant, with one or two SPS (thinking shelving monti, MAYBE a branching acro) Initial Concerns: -Biological Filtration. Not sure i have enough live rock to support my end goal. i estimate i have 10lbs or just less than. also i am running the sponge that came with my HOB. something in the back of my head is telling me i could use that space more efficiently (aquaclear 70) -RODI. The water currently in the tank is built from RO only, TDS meter indicates my ppm on fresh RO water is 4-8 ppm my next purchase will be a real deal RODI unit Equipment Aqueon Frameless Cube Aquarium 15g Aquaclear 70 HOB filter Eheim 75w heater AutoAqua Smart-Micro ATO AI Prime HD AI Nero5 Hanna dKh, Calcium, and ULR Phosphate TDS meter Refractometer API ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph Thermapen Digital therm RO Buddie (upgrading next) Fish and Inverts Ocellaris clown x2 ✔️ Rainford goby Nassarius Snail x1 Trochus Snail x3 maybe one more captive bred fish? Corals Green Star Polyp ✔️ Bambam Zoa ✔️ Scrambled Egg Zoa ✔️ Sunburst Paly ✔️ ATL appleberry palawanensis (sold to me as such, i have no idea) ✔️ plate coral frogspawn/hammer shelving monti branching sps new pictures every week 😄 I love your rock scape, really clever use of open space and avaliable coral mounts. I wouldn't worry overly about the water, my pico ran off LFS water that I didn't know was taken from a display tank so was hardly clean lol. Had algae issues but nothing unmanable. I think the LPS and softies may benefit from it as long as it doesn't climb too high with evaporation. I know you have the ATO but I'd keep an eye on the tank levels. Quote Link to comment
Gumbius Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 12 minutes ago, billygoat said: Hello and welcome to N-R! 😁 Looks like you're off to a great start! Regarding your concerns, I've got a few points from my personal experience to share: Biological filtration - don't sweat it too much. I started my 18 gallon tank with 10 lbs. of live rock and 20 lbs. of live sand, and I've never had problems processing organic nutrients. I did toss a bag of MarinePure Gems into my sump chambers a few months ago, but honestly this was probably not necessary. As long as you avoid overstocking or massively overfeeding, I think you're going to be just fine in this department. 👍 RODI - your current setup should be okay as long as those 6-8 TDS don't represent anything particularly awful. The water I use is also RO-without-the-DI (I get it from a water machine outside my local supermarket), and it tests at around 12-15 TDS. My tank's been running for 16 months with this water and I've not encountered any problems with it so far. I love your plan too! Soft corals are all I grow, so they've got a special place in my heart. I'll be following along! 😊 Thanks for the warm welcome. And thanks for putting my mind at ease, I'll be able to sleep at night while I wait to find the best rodi 😁 1 Quote Link to comment
Gumbius Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 15 minutes ago, Ratvan said: I love your rock scape, really clever use of open space and avaliable coral mounts. I wouldn't worry overly about the water, my pico ran off LFS water that I didn't know was taken from a display tank so was hardly clean lol. Had algae issues but nothing unmanable. I think the LPS and softies may benefit from it as long as it doesn't climb too high with evaporation. I know you have the ATO but I'd keep an eye on the tank levels. Thank you! I'm really proud of how the rockwork turned out. It is actually the final form of an original 3 big rocks that i smashed apart with a hammer and chisel. I found that "fist sized" pieces gave me alot more options And I feel much better about my water now, thanks. A full rodi unit will be here soon 1 Quote Link to comment
Reefkid88 Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 I like this,a lot !! 2 Quote Link to comment
Gumbius Posted April 18, 2020 Author Share Posted April 18, 2020 A few shots now that the sun is set different angles... clowns... scrambled eggs are my current favorite, cant wait for these to spread! sunburst paly maybe? hoping these color up when i find a spot they like in the tank bambams grow! grow! grow! grow! 2 Quote Link to comment
billygoat Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 Nice pictures! Definitely some good choices for your first corals. I like your decision to isolate that GSP on its own rock too. That stuff will grow like a weed once it gets established, and I think it will look really cool out there on its own little micro-bommie. 1 Quote Link to comment
Ratvan Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 9 hours ago, Gumbius said: A few shots now that the sun is set different angles... clowns... scrambled eggs are my current favorite, cant wait for these to spread! sunburst paly maybe? hoping these color up when i find a spot they like in the tank bambams grow! grow! grow! grow! Wow, I thought there was depth and perspective with just the head on false corkscrew view. This scape is brilliant 1 Quote Link to comment
Gumbius Posted April 18, 2020 Author Share Posted April 18, 2020 Day 2 of this journal and i already have my first bump in the road. Last night i tested the water before bed... Ammonia: .25ppm Nitrite: .50ppm Nitrate: 10ppm Phosphate: .02ppm Salinity: 1.025 Alk: 10.1 dkh Calcium: 444 I test parameters everyday, often 2 times/day. This is my first reading of Ammonia and Nitrite after my initial cycle. Cycled with Dr.Tim ammonium chloride (dosed to 2ppm) and a bottle of bio spira. Ammonia fell to 0 and nitrite rose and fell to 0 I then dosed 2ppm again to see if both parameters would fall to 0 in under 24 hours, they did not. After hitting 0s again i dosed for the 3rd time to 2ppm. this time we achieved stable water in under 24 hours. the tank is young (30 days). but has been reading 0s for 9 days in a row now, until last night. clownfish were added together on the 11th of this month coral frags were added together on the 15th SO before bed i did a water change ~45%.... This morning tested the water again Ammonia: .25ppm Nitrite: .50ppm Nitrate: 10ppm Phosphate: .07ppm Salinity: 1.025 Alk: 10 dkh Calcium: 457 Theres something dropping bombs in my tank and i gotta figure this out. Going to ask LFS to test my water Another water change when the salt mixes properly i dont think im overfeeding but cutting back for sure hmmmm im wondering if when i dipped my corals maybe something died and stayed inside the GSP? now hes just rotting away? either way ill update later today Quote Link to comment
Gumbius Posted April 18, 2020 Author Share Posted April 18, 2020 Pulled out the GSP and plucked the rubble it was attached to when purchased Found the rubble had many tiny tunnels throughout, didn't find any bodies but it smelled awful, like a fish left out for a day or two. Fingers crossed that was it but continue to fight for clean water, LFS appointment in one hour. Plucked suspect rubble ✔️ Reduced feeding ✔️ Next is LFS test to confirm parameters Big water change 1 Quote Link to comment
Gumbius Posted April 19, 2020 Author Share Posted April 19, 2020 LFS confirmed water readings Ammonia: .20 ppm Nitrite: .50ppm 50% water change done. Mixing more saltwater for next big WC if levels dont drop by morning Quote Link to comment
billygoat Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 Hm very interesting developments! Hopefully whatever you pulled off that GSP frag was the source of your ammonia troubles. Even if it wasn't a lot of rotting biomass by mature-tank standards, with a system that is not yet fully established every little thing can be potentially problematic. I think you've taken all the right steps here. Any sign of stress in your fish or other corals? Quote Link to comment
Gumbius Posted April 19, 2020 Author Share Posted April 19, 2020 2 minutes ago, billygoat said: Hm very interesting developments! Hopefully whatever you pulled off that GSP frag was the source of your ammonia troubles. Even if it wasn't a lot of rotting biomass by mature-tank standards, with a system that is not yet fully established every little thing can be potentially problematic. I think you've taken all the right steps here. Any sign of stress in your fish or other corals? GSP was upset for a while but opened back up just as big as before Zoas/Palys fully open, looking great that small monti hasnt shown his polyps yet since i got him, wonder if this is related? never kept one before, maybe they normally take a while... clowns were very excited for their dinner. swimming naturally, ive caught them a few times today doing that little dance they do when paired/pairing API kit results post waterchange Ammonia: unreadable... probably .10ppm ish Nitrite: still a solid .25ppm fingers crossed for the morning test results in other news i've just ordered the real deal RODI from brs 😁! and a little flipper magnifying glass just for fun Quote Link to comment
Gumbius Posted April 19, 2020 Author Share Posted April 19, 2020 This morning not much had changed in the way of ammonia and nitrite.. did another big water change. test results this afternoon show 0s for both ammonia and nitrite hoping my bio-filtration can keep up with whatevers going on in there now that levels are so low all corals seem great, though i have no idea what im looking for with the monti.. fish still have big appetites, checking out every tiny spec that floats by, hoping its food. my little monti 2 Quote Link to comment
Gumbius Posted April 19, 2020 Author Share Posted April 19, 2020 5 minutes ago, friar1 said: Great Scape! thanks 😁 i mustve moved these rocks around a dozen times while it was cycling 😅 Quote Link to comment
Gumbius Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 Small diatom bloom over the week chucked a few snails in there... 2 trochus 2 marg 2 nassarius 2 *cant remember* and couldn't resist a couple more frags 😁 1 rasta zoa 1 *dont know* zoa/paly? Changed salt from basic IO salt mix to red sea coral pro... RO/DI should be here any day now. started dosing coral amino got my flipper nano magnifying glass! BamBam Zoas have been acting funny, one polyp closed up 4 days ago and hasn't opened since. yesterday the polyp next to it closed up, both remain closed... all other corals look great... even the monti has had extended polyps for some time now. things i can think of that might cause this... 1. lighting (they are set higher on the scape than other zoas) 2. water flow (position on the scape also increases flow they receive) 3. nuisance algae (symptoms appeared around the same time as diatom bloom) 4. salt change (big swing in alk and mag initially, however now stable for some time) 5. external irritations (looks like maybe some of my dogs hair got caught on the frag and is tickling the two closed polyps) going to change one thing at a time to try solve this problem...strange that only the bambams are acting this way. maybe they're just being goofy you can see the bambams stuggling here. cant tell in the pic but polyps are extended! rastas gsp has shown new polyp growth top-down. excited to retake this angle when the tank matures 2 Quote Link to comment
Gumbius Posted May 1, 2020 Author Share Posted May 1, 2020 Quick Update... 5 stage RODI arrived! great to have peace of mind now that my TDS is completely 0 Bambams have opened back up. to troubleshoot the issue i dropped them lower in the tank for less light and flow, plucked that hair that was tickling them, also we've been on this new salt for a good while, maybe they just needed to get used to it? who knows what the problem was 🤷♂️... maybe none of the above. Glued my GSP down to the small island so it wont be flapping around with the current anymore Definitely seeing a new polyp/head forming on my sunburst palys! little over 2 weeks ago i placed an order for oceanbox designs overflow add-on for AC 70. hopefully that will ship soon. looks like theyre using resources to help the fight of covid, which is neat! i can wait 😀 Question about Montipora/Palawanensis growth... My frag of ATL Appleberry was cut on 2 sides before gluing and shipping, just yesterday under my blues i notices the exposed cut sides have a faint green glow to them. my question is, is this the coral healing itself? sign of growth? i expected to find more of a gradual "encrusting" where the healthy flesh would slowly move over the exposed side from top to bottom... anywhoo it seems like a good thing to me, just gonna carry on keeping everything stable as i can 😅 Quote Link to comment
Gumbius Posted October 6, 2020 Author Share Posted October 6, 2020 been a while.. installed the oceanbox designs overflow, love it! just moved the tank a couple days ago, ditched the sand bed. going to give barebottom a try tanks in "post-move" status now, aquascape to be done next when everyone chills out Quote Link to comment
Gumbius Posted November 15, 2020 Author Share Posted November 15, 2020 quick pic update added some larger corals...favia, some kinda euphyllia and a skunk cleaner Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.