10 GALLON CARRIBEAN (SORTA) MY FIRST BUILD THREAD

[kekke1082]

I moved the macro that the fish seem to love so much into the breeder net but i dont have the highest hopes for it. I really love the look of it and under blue light i shows bright pink orange and red. 

[kekke1082]

Update time! So I've got an aqamai kps in the tank now for flow, i somehow have created an HOB algae scrubber without intending to do so. I acquired an aquaclear 50 (i think its the 50) that i added some rock rubble to bc my ph was not staying consistent. I also added some filter pads to it to trap large debri. I treat it like filter floss and have been removing it once a week or so. 

So far i have also added a few more hermits, snails and a few small frags. Although they aren't caribbean or even floridian (haha) i have a little clown in with my mollies plus a little molly baby in the makeshift in tank refugium. Its still not the prettiest tank but so far i am happy with it. I'm possibly moving (again) into a different apartment and i should be able to set up at least 2 to 3 more tanks which means I'll be starting a new thread at some point after the holidays!! Ok time for pics (one very bad pic of the clown moving too fast for my camera). Fts to come later. Question? How do you get videos to load? Anytime i attempt to post videos the files are too large. Anyway to post them here besides using youtube links? I do not have a channel and don't think i have ever posted on youtube at all. 

[kekke1082]

I've also discovered what looks like ball nems/ball mushrooms on two frag plugs i received with the xenai and additional crabs. They are both super tiny and kinda cute so i will leave them for now. 

[A.m.P]

Looks like it could be a ball anemone, cool hitchhikers, could potentially eat super-small or frail fish when they huge but unlikely.

[kekke1082]

1 minute ago, A.m.P said:

Looks like it could be a ball anemone, cool hitchhikers, could potentially eat super-small or frail fish when they huge but unlikely.

Thats what I've read about them. I'm hoping this is the non fish eating type but im looking forward to watching it grow bc it is quite interesting. I do worry about the occasional baby molly being eaten but they breed so quickly at its current size i dont see the ball nem eating that many. Also that Aqamai kps is a powerful little pump but i think its just the right tool for the job for my tank. This one may end up as more of a mixed reef with more caribbean species instead of a biotope although biotopw was my original plan.  

[kekke1082]

Time for a little update. 

 

Finally got my Vipraspectra out of storage starting it out at 35% blues 0% whites on 4 to 6 hours a day. Took the other pumps out finally. So far the flow rate has been perfect for this tank with just the aqamai and the aquaclear. 

 

My macros are starting to show some growth, as well as the two corals. I caught my hermits picking at it and I had to move the mushroom to the in tank refugium and it seems to be doing well there. Doesnt appear to be unhealthy but alao hasnt shown any growth. The last mushroom i had (in my old nano) grew large very quickly and were starting to reproduce not sure what i did different in that one that i havent done in this tank. I am hoping the move to the refugium will help it to grow. 

 

Really thinking about changing the scape to make room for some other algae, but dont want to mess with it too much. 

I have 2 zoas coming in and the hobbyist i am buying from is throwing in a monti cap as well (kinda excited this will be my first sps coral) and also planning to add some gorgs in the next week or 2 probably going to order from gulf coast ecosystems for the gorgs if i cant find them locally. 

 

It also seems that i will be setting up a second nano reef (either 5 or 10). The clown is being quite the little ahole and i wanted more nano peaceful fish for this tank initially. My fiance is in love with the clown and wants to learn more about aquarium keeping anyway and i want to grow more macros. I picked up 2 tanks from petco and have my old 5 gallon i previously used as my nano reef. One of the 10s is already designated for my baby kribs. 

 

Any suggestions on what macros to add to the scape? Once i move the ahole clown to his own tank, I'll be wanting to add a few nano fish to the reef. That one will be mostly green macros i think with a DSB and mangroves as well and just gsp and mushrooms. I want to create a semi bullet proof first reef for my fiance.  Now what you all have been waiting for....pic time (i apologize in advance for the crappy pics 😂 i really want the new pixel but cant justify spending that much on a phone for the camera) 

[kekke1082]

The low nutrient struggle has finally come my way. My nitrates have been super low almost undetectable, and for some reason my pH has also been super low. Going to pick up some eight four to try and raise my pH. Had my water checked at my LFS as well since im pretty sure my kit is expired (the dates have rubbed off a bit) but they got the same readings i got so idk. My salinity is stable at 1.025-6, haven't tested my alk and calcium yet but thats next. Want to get these levels stable and consistent before i put any gorgs in the tank. The monti cap that i was gifted seems to have completely bleached really not sure why on that one. I've moved it to a more shaded spot with good flow and still no recovery. I wil probably remove it and allow the skeleton to dry. Its quite a pretty piece. May give a smaller frag of montipora a try but we shall see. I'm mostly wanting more mushrooms and gorgs. Pic update after the light's go on for today 

[A.m.P]

Lack of nitrates can kill monti's pretty quickly IME.

[kekke1082]

On 2/8/2021 at 1:46 PM, A.m.P said:

Lack of nitrates can kill monti's pretty quickly IME.

Thanks for the info! I didnt know that. I'll have to get new liquid test kits think i may switch to salifert 

[kekke1082]

THE BAD, THE UGLY, AND THE WORST.....

 

Unfortunately the Sort of caribbean reef is no more.... 

 

As most of us in the US are aware, many states in the south and midwest recently dealt with unprecedented long lasting cold fronts, winter storms, and the resulting power outages. I too suffered many aquatic loses due to the weather and subsequent power outages. 

 

While out of town for valentines day woth my fiance my roommate informed me that the power had gone out in our apartment. The utility company expected power to be restored in just a few hours but that wasnt the case. Having been out of town and no ability to quickly return, i was unable to properly protect my tanks from the cold. Between my reef and 20gal freshwater tank,  i lost over 30 fish (breeding pair of kribs and their fry included), several coral, and also some equipment (i think the outage fried the motor of one or two Hob filters). 

 

On top of this catastrophe, i had been notified by my roommate that we would also need to vacate our apartment due to management changes and other really weird and probably illegal things going on with the new property management company (she's seeking a lawyer to help with that situation). We originally should have had until the end of May this year to relocate or choose to renew but that has since changed and due to the time restraints i was unable to find an alternative solution and had to sell off or trade all of the remaining surviving livestock from both aquariums. 

 

I'll post the final pics of the sort of caribbean 10 gallon nano reef here to pay homage to its untimely demise. Although the loss of my second reef tank in less than a year due to moving, i am looking forward to being able to reset and try again once myself, my fiance, and our roommate find another complex hopefully soon. Once i am able to do so, i will post another build thread and share the link in this thread for those that may want to follow along. The journey was short lived but i learned a lot and will definitely be doing some things differently once the new place is set and i can buy some new/different equipment. Thank you to all that have liked, followed, commented and shared in the ups and downs of my little box of ocean. 

[billygoat]

Sorry to hear about the losses. It's definitely been a hell of a time for a lot of people in the south/midwest over the last few weeks. Here's hoping that everything gets back on track soon and that your next reef is the best one yet! 😁👍

[kekke1082]

1 hour ago, billygoat said:

Sorry to hear about the losses. It's definitely been a hell of a time for a lot of people in the south/midwest over the last few weeks. Here's hoping that everything gets back on track soon and that your next reef is the best one yet! 😁👍

I appreciate the words of encouragement! It has definitely been a weird start to the year but on to bigger and better things in the (near) future hopefully. Im looking forward to trying something different. My roommate has gotten really interested and if i can convince her AND my fiance I'll set up a 55 gallon in the communal space of the new place and do something in the 20 long for myself.