MrGlass's 30 Gallon Tall Nano

[MrGlass1024]

So I set up a new tank. 

 

After 3 years in the hobby I think I've made all the possible mistakes and I'm finally trying to do things right by automating as much of the upkeep as possible and getting my hands out of the tank. Life gets hectic, jobs get demanding, kids need raising, I guess everybody knows the spiel. 

 

My last tank, which I loved, was a Fluval Flex 8 Gallon AIO. The tank almost got killed by some scented sticks that triggered a huge bacterial bloom. I lost in a night 5 sexy shrimp, the friendlies cleaner shrimp I ever saw and a few coral. Almost got my 2 clowns as well, they've been with me from the start survived my noob mistakes: a tank crash, a 1000 mile move, heater malfunction and a cooler malfunction. No worse feeling then seeing them gasping on the bottom of the tank. Fortunately I moved them fast in to a temporary tank pumped a lot of O2 in an got them slowly back into shape.

 

Anyway, enough back-story, let's get to the new set-up!

 

 

Tank was set up on the 08 Nov 2020 assembled and aquascaped in a day, took longer to make the RODI then to set up the tank, it helped having everything already bought and waiting and I got real lucky with the rock, the aquascape almost built itself, rock fit like Legos, I used barely any cement.

Tank: 30 Gallon/120 Liter Jewel Lido

Filtration: Stock in-tank filter converted to refugium with Tunze eco chic refugium light 500grams of Seachem Matrix and a bit of Chaetomorpha Stock Return pump 160 g / h 600 l / h

Heating/Cooling: Inkbird Controler with Stock 100w Juwel Heater & 2 usb fans

Flow: Jebao sw 4

Lights: Aquamedic cube 50 & 2 Juwel Led Blue 438  8 hours lighting schedule for the juwel 6 for the aquamedic.

ATO: Tunze Nano Osmolator oldest piece of kit that pump is damn near indestructible 

Skimmer: Tunze Nano 9004

UV: No name uv light rated to up to 30 gallons fits perfectly under the pump in the stock filter

Dosing: Grotech NG1 single line dosser, will be dosing All for Reef after the tank stabilizes and I can calculate the consumption

Automation: Techkin smart plugs, I can control lights and pumps from my phone

Feeder: Juwel Autofeeder feeding pelets once a day on the lowest setting

Monitoring: My old Mate 20 Pro the got it's screen shattered, turned into a makeshift streaming device: The Live Stream

 

 

 

Stocking:

The toughest two clown fish this side of the great barrier reef. Pic & Poc

Coral:

Zoanthids, GSP, Duncan, Goni, Various Mushrooms (that I though were dead but now are coming back), Green toadstool, Finger leather (that might not make it) Green Kenya Tree, Red montipora digitata (very sad at the moment) Chalice Coral, CandyCane, Elegance Coral, Gorgonians and Pulsing Xenia which got hit among the worse but still hanging in there.

 Clean up crew:

A Hermit Crab that I had no idea was still alive, I actually dropped his shell on when I was moving the coral, he sat on the floor next to the aquarium for about 2 hours I'm not sure how he's still alive. A bunch of  Brittle Starfish babies and a Trochus snails

 

I guess that's it, I'm sure I'm forgetting something but I'll try to update this post as often as life allows it. If anybody wants any extra details I'm happy to answer. 

 

 

 

 

[Gravity]

Looking good. How did you cycle your tank?

[MrGlass1024]

7 hours ago, Gravity said:

Looking good. How did you cycle your tank?

When I started it up I moved the Matrix filter media from the Fluval (did nor rince it so it had a bit of gunk on it ) and added about a double recomended dose of dr. Tims bacteria. About 5 days later moved in the live rock and the inhabitants. Used this method before with minimal impact, usually some diatoms on the sand that go away in about a week.

 

[debbeach13]

Looks live the upgrade went very smooth. I like the scape. Every one looks happy already. Very nice for only being set up for a week.

[MrGlass1024]

 

 

Small update.

 

The tank is looking good, everything seems to be recovering well, just a bit of dino on the sand.

The monty is starting to get its color back and even starting to grow over the dead spots, might not have been as dead as I thought.

Everything else is puffy and happy with a couple exceptions the xenia, gsp & gorgonians are slow to recover, probably the low nutrients.

Gonna do some tests and most likely a water change.

 

 

New additions.

 

Added a small RBTA that decided to go down to the spot in the tank that has the least light and flow in the tank. He looks happy and plump, if he keeps that spot I'm happy since he's nice and central and wasn't planning on adding anything there anyway. I'll hold of on adding any coral and fish for the future until the tank stabilizes and matures.

 

I've put in a new cleaner shrimp to replace the one I lost, he adjusted quickly to the tank and made the clowns definetly feel more at ease, they're not as jumpy and going for food more agressively.

 

Also added one more hermit crab, a couple of nassarious snails and four small banded trochus. The hermit I put next to the monty and he had it clean of algae in the first hour he was in the tank, guess he was hungry.

 

Added some amphypods and copepods in the refugius togeder with some live mysis that were swiftly devoured.

 

 

Other stuff.

 

I managed to make a live stream of the tank with the help of a Raspberry Ri and an webcam, now I can check out the tank any time. If anybody wants to know how it's done, I'm gonna do a full guide soon. You can check out the stream here 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[farkwar]

/Like

 

My second reef tank was a 30 tall

 

Loved the dimensions

 

I think I replaced that tank like 4 times(due to seam leaks) from when I started it, til it was retired.  It sat on an old oak TV stand most of its lives.

[The Rainy Day Aquarium]

I feel like this tank is going to look amazing when it all fills in. I really like the layout. I've always wanted to setup a live stream of my tank but have never gotten around to it; looking forward to seeing how yours is set up! 

[MrGlass1024]

On 11/21/2020 at 6:03 PM, The Rainy Day Aquarium said:

I feel like this tank is going to look amazing when it all fills in. I really like the layout. I've always wanted to setup a live stream of my tank but have never gotten around to it; looking forward to seeing how yours is set up! 

Hey, thanks for the kind words! Here's the little tutorial I promissed on how to set up the live stream. Hope it helps!

[MrGlass1024]

On 11/21/2020 at 5:58 PM, farkwar said:

/Like

 

My second reef tank was a 30 tall

 

Loved the dimensions

 

I think I replaced that tank like 4 times(due to seam leaks) from when I started it, til it was retired.  It sat on an old oak TV stand most of its lives.

" most of its lives." I love that! this is my 5th tank I think but as long as it has a piece of the original in it I still feel like it's just the same tank reborn bigger and better. 

[MrGlass1024]

 

Small update:

 

Did some water test on Sunday everything looks good still no detectable nutrients but I saw some cyano starting to grow in the lower right corner of the tank so I dosed chemiclean and a 3rd the recomended dose on Monday. Will wait to see results then do a 20% waterchange.

 

Also started messing around with my old fuji xe1 and recorded some clips of the tank, all I can say color grading aquarium video is not that easy.