Edwardfish Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 Hi everyone, over the quarantine (not a quarantine tank) I decided to break my boredom by setting up a 20 long with a 10 gallon sump. Have built the stand from 2x4s and plywood and built the diy sump from a standard 10 gallon with cut to fit baffles. The tank is a 20 standard 20 long with a hole drilled in plumbed with 3/4 in pvc not the quietest but does its job. DIY “overflow” from a abs plastic sheet really just is a surface skimmer. The light is a 16” used sb reef light I got for a good deal. 20lbs dry rock from a local with 20lbs of sand I had to order. Going to seed tank with a piece of rock from my cousins established tank. Here is the aqua scape as of now if anyone has any suggestions let me know! Once the sand comes in I will have everything up and cycling. Already tested everything to make sure it all holds water and doesn’t leak. 3 Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted May 24, 2020 Author Share Posted May 24, 2020 Here is the sump lay out the far right is the intake and will hopefully have a protein skimmer later on once I save up, the middle will be a refugium w cheato, and the left is the return section. And suggestions lmk. (Cords are all over until I plug them in and know where I want them to be.) Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share Posted May 29, 2020 Added the sand, few lbs live rock, a bottle of fritz turbo start, and a 1/4 teaspoon Fritz ammonia. Everything is running well cycle in now under way. Here is a picture of the tank. 3 Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted June 6, 2020 Author Share Posted June 6, 2020 Zero ammonia as of two days ago going to get the lfs to check the nitrites you be safe(I never got that test cause i though if ammonia is gone and nitrates are showing up they are gone). Hopefully will add the first fish within the next week. Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 First live additions to the tank 2 astrea snails and two tiny blue legged hermits, soon will add the first of (probably 3) fish a fire fish. After that it will be a few hardy corals to start with then the two other fish will be a pink streaked wrasse and a tail spot blenny. 2 Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted June 11, 2020 Author Share Posted June 11, 2020 Got a fire fish at the lfs today and he has acclimated much better then I expected has been out in the open since I got him/her and readily eating pellets. Thought he would be hiding a lot but I’m not complaining. 2 Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted June 14, 2020 Author Share Posted June 14, 2020 Added 3 more Cerith snails to help aid the clean up crew and also got a hitch hiker nassarious with some cheato I added to the sump to help help lower nitrate and phosphate. Going to add some zoa frags soon and another Fish in 2-4 weeks. I was wondering if a flasher or fairy wrasse would work in a 20 long, they look so cool and are pretty easy to find. Can anyone lmk if there is a species of them that would work. 3 Quote Link to comment
Tamberav Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 Really nice start! I am betting all that rock is what is making the firefish feel right at home and no one to bully him. I small McCoskers or Carpenter's might work..just know what you are buying as some fairys and flashers get bigger. A Lubbock's also may work. Only do one though. Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted June 14, 2020 Author Share Posted June 14, 2020 1 hour ago, Tamberav said: Really nice start! I am betting all that rock is what is making the firefish feel right at home and no one to bully him. I small McCoskers or Carpenter's might work..just know what you are buying as some fairys and flashers get bigger. A Lubbock's also may work. Only do one though. Thanks, really hoping everything turns out looking nice soon! Ill definitely ask around the lfs what they think about a flasher or fairy wrasse too, much prettier and more common than the original planned pink streaked and less cryptic. 1 Quote Link to comment
Tamberav Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 I think the pink streak isn't really crypic but the other pygmy wrasses are. My friend has one that checks out his frag wrack and weaves around the rocks like a sixline would. The fairys/flashers and are certainly out in the water all the time and easily available though. 1 Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted June 17, 2020 Author Share Posted June 17, 2020 Got my first few corals the other day. Two cheap frags of zoas to see how well they will do one that I do not know the name of is always open and happy and the other (Eagle eyes) is much more finicky and opens and closes a lot. Here’s a photo any one know what these are? 1 Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted June 18, 2020 Author Share Posted June 18, 2020 Another coral added this morning, nice sized 8 head candy cane with most of the polyps beginning to split. Good deal from a local reefer. Coral not too happy but had been in the tank for only and hour. What do y’all think? 2 Quote Link to comment
Cencalfishguy56 Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 44 minutes ago, Edwardfish said: Another coral added this morning, nice sized 8 head candy cane with most of the polyps beginning to split. Good deal from a local reefer. Coral not too happy but had been in the tank for only and hour. What do y’all think? Hey man I have a sumped 20L as well but I used vinyl tubing for my overflow and return, idk if you want to change out the pvc but my tank is pretty much dead silent. I imagine pvc can get pretty loud, I know it’s not common but my tank has been running for 4 years no problems! Just an idea. Love the start to this tank, I’ve also had a pink streak in the past when they were much easier to find and found that they were much more active than my current six line as he hides more in the rocks than the pink streak. A tail spot blenny is a fish I’m looking into as well, tons of character and great littles fish to have! 1 Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted June 18, 2020 Author Share Posted June 18, 2020 19 minutes ago, Cencalfishguy56 said: Hey man I have a sumped 20L as well but I used vinyl tubing for my overflow and return, idk if you want to change out the pvc but my tank is pretty much dead silent. I imagine pvc can get pretty loud, I know it’s not common but my tank has been running for 4 years no problems! Just an idea. Love the start to this tank, I’ve also had a pink streak in the past when they were much easier to find and found that they were much more active than my current six line as he hides more in the rocks than the pink streak. A tail spot blenny is a fish I’m looking into as well, tons of character and great littles fish to have! Thanks for the idea about the vinyl I will definitely keep that in mind if I need to change a pot upgrade the tank but the pvc is too loud or at least doesn’t bother me right now lol. I also think I’m just going to wait for the pink streak and tail spot now even if it takes a little while to find I think they are really interesting fish. Thanks for the advice! 1 Quote Link to comment
Cencalfishguy56 Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 4 hours ago, Edwardfish said: Thanks for the idea about the vinyl I will definitely keep that in mind if I need to change a pot upgrade the tank but the pvc is too loud or at least doesn’t bother me right now lol. I also think I’m just going to wait for the pink streak and tail spot now even if it takes a little while to find I think they are really interesting fish. Thanks for the advice! No problem! I’m on the hunt for a TSB as well, but you’re on the right track, I’ve found divers den usually will have them every now and then 1 Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted June 19, 2020 Author Share Posted June 19, 2020 Here are some full tank shots a diatom bloom is taking place but I’m not too concerned hopefully it will just pass soon. What I am concerned about is what looks like little patches of hair algae on the front glass. Hopefully that disappears soon may need to increase water changes 😕 nitrates are about 15 or so and phosphate is about 0.1. Planning on getting some Duncan’s and sunny d zoas from a local and maybe a purple Stylo. If anyone is local to DFW and planning to throw out some frags lmk lol. 2 Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 Couldn’t help my self and got what I thought was a steal for 40+ sunny d Palys, ≈8 heads of a Duncan and a free god sized frag of purple Stylo and a tiny little frag of birds a paradise that hopefully will take off in a month or two. Saw some red bugs on one frag and dipped everything in a iodine dip and af protect dip and scrubbed every inch of the plugs. Here are the pics of the frags now, will post more later. 1 Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 Sunny d’s opened up and the Duncan was but I didn’t like where it was so I moved it and pissed it off a little. Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted June 28, 2020 Author Share Posted June 28, 2020 Here are some shots of the tank with the frags glued down where they should be, Duncan has really perked up but one of the tips on the Stylo looks likes it’s starting to bleach but that may just be from it falling after I didn’t glue it once. 3 Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted June 28, 2020 Author Share Posted June 28, 2020 ^that was a late post today at the store I picked up a new bicolor who is still getting used to his surroundings. He’s so interesting running all over the rocks like he can’t sit still lol. I hope he does well I’ll keep this updated. 2 Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted July 9, 2020 Author Share Posted July 9, 2020 Here’s a pic of the now very comfortable blenny! 2 Quote Link to comment
Edwardfish Posted July 9, 2020 Author Share Posted July 9, 2020 Also moved the eagle eyes they were really starting to reach for light in their old spot.(they are really pissed now) 1 Quote Link to comment
Cencalfishguy56 Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 18 minutes ago, Edwardfish said: Also moved the eagle eyes they were really starting to reach for light in their old spot.(they are really pissed now) It’s crazy because I have some zoas that reach for light and others that are fine, I’m experimenting with some palys right now on a lower ledge of a rock, love the bicolor, my LFS has one that’s been there for well over a month, thinking about picking him up 1 Quote Link to comment
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