A shabby reef tank - a snapshot of my IM peninsula 20

[neontetra777]

Hello nano-reef community. 

I want to share with you my IM peninsula 20 that was set up in July 2018 when I moved to the northeast. Amazed by the IM aluminum stand that seemed to me like a genius design, I bought this tank when it first came out in 2017. I would say that it is a nice quality tank with high clarity glass, but the AIO design comes at the expense of not being able to have a sump. It is also difficult to aquascape a narrow tank such as this.

 

Since the setup, I had battled against all the common issues a reef newbie could imagine. To my own surprises, I persisted through these challenges. I'm happy to emerge from the aiptasia takeover (thanks to two peppermint shrimps), dinoflagellate bloom(thanks to the IM UV light), hair algae disaster (thanks to countless times of manual removal), crazy alk swings (thanks to malfunctioning smart plug that isn't so "smart" after all).

 

Now the tank is in a stable stage and all corals are growing at a desirable rate. I call it a shabby reef tank because as you can see, I don't have any showpiece corals. I don't have any single frag over $50. When I visit a LPS, I would marvel at the bounce mushrooms and the crazy looking scoly and zoas, but I know I couldn't convince myself to buy something so expensive only to watch it die in a few weeks. So I walk away with the $20 dollar frag which takes forever to grow into a decent colony. But at this stage in my life, I'm content with my choices. One day though, I will build a massive SPS tank equipped with all the bells and whistles. 

 

I used to be shy about sharing my tank on IG because I felt like I had nothing to show for. @Cannedfish actually inspired and encouraged me to start an instgram account and just document my tank with my camera. So here are some shots of my little reef. 

 

Full tank shot (September 2020) - 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tank residents - 

 

Bili the tail spot blenny

 

 

Mimi the melanurus wrasse

 

The couple. 

 

Some shots of my corals -

 

the little SPS corner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full tank shot (December 2020) - happy to report that the tank has been doing very well for the past two months. I re-scaped it to allow for better flow and less detritus build-up and I have enjoyed the new scape. I did have to remove the container full of sand which was originally set up to be the sleeping cave for the melanurus wrasse (mimi) but it seems like she's fine with or without the sand bed. She does cruise around the bottom of the tank at night tank to look for a comfortable and secure hiding place which is both funny and a little disheartening to watch. 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2020 by neontetra777
new full tank shot.

[WV Reefer]

8 minutes ago, neontetra777 said:

Hello nano-reef community. 

I want to share with you my IM peninsula 20 that was set up in July 2018 when I moved to the northeast. Amazed by the IM aluminum stand that seemed to me like a genius design, I bought this tank when it first came out in 2017. I would say that it is a nice quality tank with high clarity glass, but the AIO design comes at the expense of not being able to have a sump. It is also difficult to aquascape a narrow tank such as this.

 

Since the setup, I had battled against all the common issues a reef newbie could imagine. To my own surprises, I persisted through these challenges. I'm happy to emerge from the aiptasia takeover (thanks to two peppermint shrimps), dinoflagellate bloom(thanks to the IM UV light), hair algae disaster (thanks to countless times of manual removal), crazy alk swings (thanks to malfunctioning smart plug that isn't so "smart" after all).

 

Now the tank is in a stable stage and all corals are growing at a desirable rate. I call it a shabby reef tank because as you can see, I don't have any showpiece corals. I don't have any single frag over $50. When I visit a LPS, I would marvel at the bounce mushrooms and the crazy looking scoly and zoas, but I know I couldn't convince myself to buy something so expensive only to watch it die in a few weeks. So I walk away with the $20 dollar frag which takes forever to grow into a decent colony. But at this stage in my life, I'm content with my choices. One day though, I will build a massive SPS tank equipped with all the bells and whistles. 

 

I used to be shy about sharing my tank on IG because I felt like I had nothing to show for. @Cannedfish actually inspired and encouraged me to start an instgram account and just document my tank with my camera. So here are some shots of my little reef. 

 

Full tank shot (September 2020) - 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tank residents - 

 

Bili the tail spot blenny

 

 

Mimi the melanurus wrasse

 

The couple. 

 

Some shots of my corals -

 

the little SPS corner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Very nice. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

It looks great! You also take some wonderful photos!

[Cannedfish]

Awesome tank with even better photos! I'm excited to follow along not only on IG but also on NR! For all those wondering and those who want to see more great pictures his IG handle is @neon_stegosurus. 

[billygoat]

Hmm, I dunno friend, I've seen some shabby reefs in my time, and I am not quite convinced that this is one of them... 🤔😄

 

The tank looks great! Just goes to show that you don't need super expensive frags to put together a lovely reef. Great to have you here at N-R! 

[mitten_reef]

10 hours ago, neontetra777 said:

this makes me miss my rastas colony.....😍

great photos 👍

[Reefkid88]

Incredible pictures and tank !!! You have done great. 

[Finlay]

Looks Great!!!!!!!! Very nice photos! You have a talent

[neontetra777]

some new close-ups of my corals. 

 

 

 

 

 

[ReefGoat]

Shabby my @**. This is good stuff. I like it a lot!!

[Craig.]

I really like the look of this tank, and the corals look super healthy. Your photos are fantastic too!

[neontetra777]

38 minutes ago, ReefGoat said:

Shabby my @**. This is good stuff. I like it a lot!!

i legit laughed out loud. thanks for the encouragement. 

36 minutes ago, Craig. said:

I really like the look of this tank, and the corals look super healthy. Your photos are fantastic too!

thanks Craig!