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Hello all!

 

I have been a long time lurker in all of the reef forums, but have always found nano-reef.com to have the most helpful information and some of the most kind and connected members! I have read through all of the posts related to the featured aquariums and find all of them an inspiration. This is my first ever forum journal. I have had freshwater community/planted and cichlid tanks since I was in grade school but upgraded to reef tanks in 2015 with a 55 gallon mixed reef. I moved in 2016 and transferred everything in my 55g to a standard 29g nano tank. I was very proud of my discosoma dominated 29g until the spring of 2018 when vermetid worms got out of control; that in combination with the birth of my son and my own medical issues led to a complete tank teardown and a multi-year hiatus from the hobby.

 

My wife and I just moved to a new home in April of 2021 and I had the itch to start a new tank before we even had our house packed up. After multiple months of preparation, the same 55g display that got me into the reefing hobby began cycling again on 7/11/2021. I hope this journal chronicling my dive back into the hobby may serve as a resource and guide to other reefers on a similar journey; in the same way so many of your journals, featured aquariums, and posts have helped me.

 

It should be noted that this tank is a budget build...about as budget as builds come. I am a humble social worker and my wife is a stay at home mom to our two children. There will be no fancy equipment, dosing pumps, and reactors on this tank. Most of the equipment I am using is recycled from my old tanks. There are a lot of tanks in this and other forums that use a lot of high-end gear, which I think is great and produces fantastic results, but is just not something I can duplicate. I have always struggled to find a good blog documenting the set up and progression of a budget build. I hope that other budget reefers can look to my process and set up and have a guide to replicate my (fingers crossed) success.

 

As far as a stocking plan goes, this will be a softie tank. The tanks I find most appealing look wild and almost overgrown; this has been my philosophy and style with my planted tanks and has continued into my reef keeping. As a result my livestock selection and methods may be quite different than many of the SPS dominant reefers. For this tank I intend to only stock around a dozen coral species and let them grow out and cover the rocks. I loved my mushroom dominated tank and plan to have a variety of different types in this tank as well. I would like to try my hand at a zoanthid garden too. I may or may not stock all of the corals below. I would much rather have a few huge colonies than have a ton of corals that need constant pruning. I am also considering adding some macro algae to my display. I am not 100% on this and need to do some more research before I make any purchases. As far as inverts go I intend to purchase a mix 'n match special from ipsf as well as a custom cuc from reef cleaners a few months apart as needed...other inverts I will be hand picking out from my LFS.

 

(Edited) Coral stocking plan:

Toadstool Leather (Sacrophytum spp.) - Added 9/2/21

Waving Hand Anthelia - Added 9/2/21

Various Mushrooms (Discosoma, Rhodactis, Ricordea) - Added  9/10/21, 9/5/21)

Various Zoas/Palys - Added 9/10/21, 10/19/21)

Finger Leather (Sinularia flexibilis) - Added 9/5/21

Cabbage Leather (Sinularia dura) - Added 9/5/21

Blue Star Polyps - Added 9/10/21

GSP (Briareum spp.) - Added 9/5/21

Pom Pom Xenia (Xenia spp.) - Added 9/5/21

"Blue Zing" birdsnest (Seriatopora) - Added 10/14/21

Blastomussa - Added 10/19/21

Golden Plume Gorgonian (Pseudopterogorgia bipinnata) - Added 9/10/21

Rusty Gorgonian (Gorgonia spp.) - Added 9/5/21, 9/10/21

Kenya Tree (Capnella spp.) - TBD

Candy Cane (Caulastraea) - TBD

Leptoseris - TBD

Pavona - TBD

Chalice (Pectiniidae spp.) - TBD

Hammer (Euphyllia) - TBD

Duncans (Duncanopsammia axifuga) - TBD

 

(Edited) Macro Algae stocking plan:

Shaving Brush (Penicillus dumetosus)

Pencil Cap (Penicillus capitatus)

Mermaid's Fan (Udotea spp.)

Money Plant (Halimeda spp.)

Christmas Tree (Rhipocephalus phoenix)

Flame Algae (Bryothamnion spp.) 

Red Gracilaria - in refugium

Sea Lettuce (Ulva) - in refugium

Fern Caulerpa - in refugium

 

(Edited) Fish stocking plan:

2x Naked Dot Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) - Added to DT on 8/07/21

1x Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus) - Added to QT on 8/14/21, Added to DT 9/19/21

1x Orchid Dottyback (Pseudochromis fridmani) - Added to QT on 8/14/21, Added to DT 9/19/21

1x Coral Beauty Angelfish (Centropyge Bispinosa) - Added to QT on 10/22/21

 

Fish removed from stocking plan in edit:

1x Blenny (Tailspot, Lawnmower, Starry, Bicolor)

1x Yellow Coris Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus)

5-7x Green Chromis (Chromis viridis)

2x Pajama/Banggai Cardinals

1x Six-line Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia)

1-3x Damsels from Chrysiptera genus

 

(Edited) Invert stocking plan:

7x Astraea Snails (Added 10/19/21)

5x Cerith Snails (Added 9/9/21)

30x Dwarf Cerith Snails (Added 9/9/21)

7x Nassarius Snails (Added 9/9/21)

6x Nerite Snails (Added 9/2/21)

12x Periwinkle Snails (Added 9/2/21)

12x Hermit Crabs (Added 9/2/21)

1x Tiger Pistol Shrimp (Added 9/5/21)

1x Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Added 8/31/21)

Mini Brittle Stars (Added 9/2/21)

Spaghetti Worms (Added 9/2/21)

Bristle Worms (Added 9/2/21)

3x Trochus Snails (TBD)

1x Fighting Conch (TBD)

2x Emerald Crabs (TBD)

1x Brittle Starfish (TBD - may need help choosing a reef safe species)

 

Inverts removed in edit:

3x Ninja Star Astrea Snails (Delivered but didn't survive trip from RC)

 

I will be writing some follow-up posts later today and into the week documenting my progress so far including my DT setup, QT setup, aquarium/parameter log, as well as some pictures.

 

Happy reefing!

 

EDIT: attached most recent FTS

 

PXL_20211208_005609875.jpg

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DT Tank Specs

Display: Standard Aqueon 55g (48" x 14" x 21")

Sump: Eshopps WD-125CS (24" x 12" x 16")

Rock: A mix of 70lbs of oceanic rock with 15lbs of Reef Saver

Sand: 4" DSB (Mix of Special Grade and Fiji Pink from previous tanks)

Lighting: 48" Current USA Orbit Marine LED

Heater: 2x 75W Eheim JAGER TruTemp Heaters

Circulation: 2x Hydor Koralia Nano 425 GPH Powerheads

Return: Rio+ 1400 Return Pump (420 GPH)

Skimmer: Eshopps PSK-75

Filter Media: 100% Polyester Quilt Batting, Chemi Pure Blue/Elite in sump

Top Off: Tunze Nano Osmolator in an Aqueon 10g Reservoir (20.25" x 10.5" x 13")

 

QT Tank Specs

Display:  Standard Aqueon 20g high (25" x 13.25" x 17.25")

Lighting: 24" Current USA Orbit Marine LED

Heater: 2x Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therms (1x 25w, 1x 75w)

Circulation: 1x Hydor Koralia Nano 425 GPH Powerhead

Filtration: Aqueon HOB QuietFlow Aquarium Power Filter 75 (This filter is empty except for 1 gallon of plastic Bioballs)

Notes: This is a bare bottom tank with 2 pieces of 3/4" PVC and 2 pieces of 1/2" PVC. Depending on where I am at in my QT procedures I sometimes run Chemi Pure that I just let sit in the bottom of the tank.

 

I started preparing for this build within the first month I moved in to my current home. Below is a log of all of the steps that I took in preparation.

 

Prologue: Week One

5/12/21 - I started a bleach cure on the 70lbs of dried out LR that I used in my previous 10g nano tank and 55g reef tank. The rock had been allowed to dry and was stored in sealed 5 gallon buckets in my garage. First I turned over every rock and scraped off a vermetid shell graveyard off every piece of rock with a plastic chisel. Then I rinsed off all of the rock with a hose and placed it into a cleanly rinsed 44g Brute bin. I followed the 1:10 ratio (Bleach:water) for the cure with 20g of water from my hose and 2g of unscented bleach - Thanks BRS for the investigates series! About every other day over the course of this week I would get a good grip on the Brute bin and swirl the water around as best I could.

5/13/21 - I started a leak test on all four of my tanks (55g, 29g, 10g, and Eshopps sump). My process in leak testing is to fill up each tank 25% every 24hr and then let it sit for a day or two after it has reached 100% and inspect each tank daily. I sat all of the tanks onto a level spot in my garage and filled them up 25% with my garden hose. I inspect the tanks each day before I turn the hose on to fill them up further.

5/14/21 - Leak test day 2 - 50% full and no leaks spotted

5/15/21 - Leak test day 3 - 75% full and no leaks spotted

5/16/21 - Leak test day 4 - 100% full and no leaks spotted

 

Prologue: Week Two

5/19/21 - I ended the bleach cure. I dragged the Brute from my garage into my driveway and carefully removed each piece of rock using long rubber cleaning gloves. I chiseled off more bits of organic material that I could find and rinsed off each piece of rock for 30 seconds or so using my hose. I placed the bleached rock onto an old wooden door that I let sit in the sun on my driveway. I will note that all rocks that were stained with algae (green or pink corraline) were COMPLETELY white. The only rock that was not white was a piece of real reef manmade rock I got from my LFS. A few pieces still had hints of green but I'd say 95% of all the rock was completely bleached white. All areas with corraline coverage were as white as snow.

5/20/21 - All my tanks had been full for 4 days and looked great. I did have a small concern that my 55g had a leak on one of the bottom seams, but I was pretty sure I just splashed some water with the hose that got trapped underneath and couldn't evaporate. I planned to set it up on the stand and do a 2nd leak test while leveling the tank in my living room just to be safe. Today I also tested both my 48" and 24" Current USA lights - all of the LEDs and the controllers worked.

5/21/21 - Over the weekend I had purchased around 10lbs of dry rock from my LFS. I wanted to make sure I had a variety of pieces for my aquascape. Using this rock and the 70lbs of rock that has been drying for 2 days I began a natural cure in 1.020sg saltwater using Reef Crystals in the same Brute bin using around 20 gallons of water from my house. This time the bin was located in my utility room right behind the access area to where my QT tank will sit (will have pictures below). I dosed Prime (double the recommended dose) to begin the cure. Today I also tested all of my old pumps and heaters by placing them in water and plugging them in. I used a multimeter to detect stray voltage. I found that one my old Koralia 600s was leaking stray voltage and tossed it (gave me a nice zap). I plugged in an old 150w Neo-therm and set it to 80F and plugged in 3 power heads for flow. I drained all of the tanks that were being leak tested in my garage and started leak testing my brand new 20g high that I purchased by filling it up 25%.

5/24/21 - I purchased a bunch of stuff from BRS including brand new 75W Eheim heaters, a Hanna phosphate checker, a Hanna Nitrate checker, a Hanna Copper checker, Salifert pH, Ammonia, and Nitrite test kits, 1g of Bioballs, a bottle of Microbacter7, a bottle of Microbacter Clean, a 2oz bottle of Dr.Tim's One&Only, a 4oz bottle of Dr.Tims's One&Only, 2x Ammo alert badges, a 75g/day RO/DI unit, and 2 small bags of Chemi Pure Blue.

5/25/21 - Filled the 20 high up to 50% for the leak test - no leaks detected

 

Prologue: Week Three

5/27/21 - I filled the 20 high up to 100%. Had a tough week at work and didn't feel like lifting 5g buckets until today. I received my BRS order today and everything arrived and was accounted for - everything was packaged expertly. I followed the instructions on the Microbacter clean and dosed the recommended initial amount to my LR cure bin.

5/28/21 - 20 high had no detectable leaks. I drained it and began to prep it for painting after letting it dry for a few hours. I taped it off as best I could and began and with a few 2" brushes and cheap foam rollers I bought at a craft store. Used basic non-toxic acrylic craft paint. Put on two coats over the course of a few hours.

5/29/21 - I finished painting the 20 high with a third coat. I painted the back, both sides, and bottom leaving only the front viewing panel unpainted. While the paint dried I broke in my new RO/DI unit and it worked perfectly (still need to buy a TDS meter). I set up the QT with all of the equipment, used RO/DI water along with Reef Crystals to make saltwater. Unfortunately....I discovered that the 20 high had two small chips in the front viewing pane....I wish I would have seen these before painting...Oh well.

5/30/21 - I began a fishless cycle in my QT using the 2oz bottle of Dr.Tim's and 1.5ml of ammonia hydroxide (bought years ago at a hardware store).

5/31/21 - Completed my first tests of the QT system using Salifert test kits...NH3 0.25ppm; NO2 0ppm; pH 8.0; sg 1.020 (using one of my refractometers). Today I also added 1.5ml of ammonia hydroxide to the LR cure bin.

6/01/21 - Tested the water in the LR cure bin...NH3 0.5ppm; N02 2.0ppm; pH 8.0; sg 1.020. I also added 1.5ml of ammonia hydroxide to the QT (I followed all of Dr.Tim's fishless cycling instructions online with the exception of using ammonia hydroxide instead of ammonium chloride...have noticed no ill effects as of today's posting).

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Prologue: Week Four

6/02/21 - [LR] NH3 0.5-1.0ppm; NO2 2.0ppm, sg 1.019; [QT] NH3 0.5ppm; NO2 <0.1ppm; ph 8.0; sg 1.020

6/03/21 - [LR] NH3 0.5ppm; NO2 1-2ppm; [QT] NH3 0.5ppm; NO2 0ppm; pH 8.15

6/04/21 - I began dosing 5ml/day of Microbacter7 into both my LR cure bin and QT. I also added 1.5ml of Ammonium hydroxide to the LR cure bin and QT. I measured and set up my 55g stand and display tank in the position I wanted it in my living room. I used a level and made adjustments until it was positioned in what would end up being its final position. I pulled my garden hose through my living room window to fill it up for a 2nd leak test. Since I was only concerned about the bottom seams I filled it up 100%

6/05/21 - [LR] NH3 1-1.5ppm; NO2 2-4ppm; pH 8.0; [QT] NH3 0.5-1.5ppm; NO2 1-2ppm; sg 1.018

6/06/21 - [QT] NH3 0.5-1.5ppm; N02 0ppm; pH 8.0; sg 1.020

6/07/21 - [QT] NH3 0.5-1.5ppm; N02 0ppm

6/08/21 - Added Ammonia Alert Badge to QT; I stuck my head under the stand of my 55g DT every day the last few days and checked for leaks. I took a dry tissue and wiped all of the seams and never wicked a single drop of moisture. I considered the tank leak free.

 

Prologue: Week Five

6/09/21 - [QT] NH3 0.5ppm; pH 8.0; I measured NO3 (Nitrate) for the first time with my Hanna Checker and measured 0.62ppm. I also spent a good part of my day painting five coats on the back of my DT with the same acrylic paint I used on the QT.

6/10/21 - [QT] NH3 0.02-0.05 (Free Ammonia...of the four stages this is considered "alert", under 0.02ppm is "safe"); sg 1.022; After testing I completed a 50% WC using freshly mixed saltwater. I used my spare 29g aquarium sitting on its stand in my utility room as a saltwater mixing station. I used instant ocean salt mix with RO/DI. I also replaced all the batteries in my digital thermometers and installed a digital thermometer in my QT which reads 78F...as of this post I have never seen it fluctuate more than 0.5F. Gotta love the stability of those Neo-therms.

6/11/21 - [QT] sg 1.020; I added 2ml of Prime in the morning before I went to work. After work I went to my LFS and purchased a mated pair of Naked Dot Clownfish for $100. I was actually planning on buying a pair of good 'ol classic Ocellaris, which had been on sale for a little over a week at my LFS for $40 BOGO...they had a 75G tank of maybe 50 juveniles. However when I walked in straight to that tank the BOGO sign was gone 😞  They had a pair of Black Saddle Clowns for sale for $70 which I strongly considered purchasing...their coloration was unlike any fish I have ever owned and they seemed lively, but I didn't know much about them other than they were known to be more aggressive than O clowns. I had been observing them and all of the clownfish in the store for around a month and asking the staff to feed them for me once a week. They had two pairs of naked dot clowns that were honestly my favorite pair of designer clowns in the shop at the time. I would have preferred a pair of Picasso clowns (my favorite designer clown), but they had none. I thought for $20 more than the pair of standard O clowns the Naked Dot pair was a deal. The guy in the store softly pushed me toward the pair of $200+ Mocha Storms, but I thought that was absurd for a pair of clownfish... at least with my budget...as cool as the Mocha Storms do look. He did tell me that he has been keeping an eye on the Naked Dots for a few months and has noticed them pair up nicely and begin to grow in size (which I noticed as well)...so I purchased them along with a pack of frozen spirulina gut loaded mysis, a pack of frozen marine cuisine, and 2.5oz of locally made garlic color enhancing flake. I drip acclimated the fish in a clean 5g bucket for around an hour before releasing them into the QT with the lights off.

6/12/21 - [QT] NH3 <0.25ppm (ammo alert still on "alert"); NO2 <0.1ppm; pH 8.0; sg 1.020; Later in the evening I attempted to feed the fish which greedily went after the frozen and nibbled at the flake. For feedings I use an old red lobster take out container that has been rinsed thoroughly and never been touched by detergents...I cut the frozen cubes into 1/8 pieces and mix it up by adding a 1/8 mysis cube and 1/8 marine cuisine cube along with a flake the size of my pinky nail. I use a 3ml dropper to put around 10ml of tank water into the container and stir the food up. I set a 1min timer using my google home and begin feeding. I only squirt in a little food at the time and feed what the fish will consume in 1min before the timer is up. I discard the uneaten food.

6/13/21 - [LR] NH3 0.5ppm; NO2 1-2ppm; NO3 >5.0ppm (beyond what my LR Hanna Checker can measure...didn't feel like re-testing); pH 8.0; sg 1.018; added 1.5ml ammonia hydroxide to LR cure bin; [QT] Fish aggressively ate frozen and flake...looked healthy, and well acclimated, boldly swam throughout the tank; I performed a 50% WC after their feeding using 1.020 sg saltwater and added 20 drops of Cupramine to a high flow area in the HOB filter.

6/14/21 - [QT] Fish were fed twice today and ate like pigs; I added 22 drops of Cupramine (2 on accident). Directions would have had me add 40 on the first day and 40 on the second day to get to a therapeutic dose on day 2 but I chose to cut the instructions in half and ramp up to a therapeutic dose in 4 days instead of 2; [LR] NO3 31ppm; performed around a 75% WC on LR cure bin after high Nitrate test result.

6/15/21 - [QT] Added 18 drops of Cupramine to account for my 2 drop mishap yesterday..fish still doing great

 

Prologue: Week 6

6/16/21 - [QT] I decided before I added the final drops of Cupramine that I should test the copper level using my Hanna Checker first and I'm glad I did. The Copper level was 0.84ppm. Therapeutic dose is between 0.5-0.6ppm for Cupramine so I was already well over. Most fish can tolerate levels up to around 0.8ppm from what I read. Fish looked fine with no signs of distress and continued to eat their 1min fill at both their AM and PM feedings. I did not add the last 20 drops of Cupramine.

6/19/21 - [QT] Ammo Alert has been stuck on "Alert" (0.02-0.05ppm Free Ammonia) essentially since I put the badge on the tank. I know these things need time to calibrate but it was starting to concern me a little bit... I used some of that algebra from high school I never thought I'd use to find the amount of Cupramine in ml I would need to dial in the Cu level to 0.60ppm if I were to do a 50% WC and pre-treat the 10g of WC water with Cupramine. I did the math...did the math a second time....did the math a third time and then dosed the Cupramine in my two 5 gallon buckets of 1.020 saltwater (wrote my equations down on a piece of scratch paper which is long gone...I could duplicate it but am too lazy atm). By golly, after the 50% WC when my Hanna Checker stopped flashing the Cu test read 0.60ppm! HOT DOG!!

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I've never been good at photo-documenting my tanks. Improving in this area is a goal for this tank...any advice on how to do so would be much appreciated.

 

These photos were taken on 8/22/21. The clowns were moved to the DT on 8/07/21 after 57 days in QT including a 30+ day Cupramine bath and 2 Prazipro treatments.

 

More pics of under the tank including my sump and QT setup to come.

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Welcome to NR and back to reefing. Your not alone there are several members keeping simple tanks in fact we call them KISS tanks. Keep It Simple Stupid. Also some people are running no mechanical filtration using live rock and water changes to maintain stability. As you mentioned there are some outstanding softie tanks on this forum. I hope you enjoy many years with your new/old set up it looks like a great start.

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Prologue: Week Seven

6/26/21 - [QT] Ammo Alert still at "alert"....(0.02-0.05ppm); sg 1.020; Copper 0.61ppm

6/27/21 - [LR] NH3 (>0.5ppm); sg 1.020; NO2 0.5-1.0ppm; NO3 11ppm; pH 8.0; PO4 0.93ppm

6/29/21 - Performed 50% WC on LR cure bin and 25% WC on QT. Instead of using drops I put 1ml of Cupramine into the 5gal bucket using the following equation [(0.381) x (strength of target dose in ppm) x (# of treated gallons) = (Cupramine dose in ml)]. My equation was 0.381 x 0.55 x 5 = 1.05(ml). I did not test copper after the WC because I had performed previous WC using this equation with good results AND I was running out of Cu test kits..

07/03/21 - [QT] Copper 0.66ppm; sg 1.020; ammo alert has finally stabilized on "safe"; fish have been doing very well eating both of their feedings every day never missing a bite. No signs of disease or distress. I turned on the lights in the QT tank using the lighting schedule I plan on starting off in my tank. The blues come on at 4:00pm and slowly ramp up to 40% intensity over 30 minutes, the whites come on at 4:15pm and slowly ramp up to 40% intensity over 30 minutes, the whites start ramping down at 8:00pm and turn off at 8:30pm, the blues start ramping down at 8:15pm until they hit 10% at 8:45pm and stay on at 10% as a moonlight until 11pm

 

Prologue: Week Eight

7/10/21 - [QT] Ammo Alert "Safe"; sg 1.019; Copper level 0.49ppm; I added 0.5ml Cupramine; I noticed a film/detritus layer forming at the bottom of the tank and the beginnings of salt creep on some of the equipment; The tank really is starting to look more established and less sterile. Fish are still eating great. I tested LR... NH3 <0.15ppm; NO2 0ppm; NO3 15.9ppm; pH 8.0; PO4 0.83ppm...it seems that my LR is nearing being completely cycled and naturally cured. I have been dosing Microbacter7 and Microbacter Clean per instructions for most of the natural cure. I also purchased eggcrate and mesh screen to create my own screen tops, a power strip, new tubing for my return pump, more spare batteries for my thermometers, and a small bottle of Prazipro

 

Week One

07/11/21 - I aquascaped the tank and filled the tank with 25g of freshly mixed saltwater and 25g of pre-mixed saltwater that I had stored in 5g buckets. I set up my DT equipment including 2 Eheim heaters set to 78F and Rio 1400 return pump. I checked for leaks again and found none. I set up and tested my ATO after filling my my 10g ATO reservoir with RO/DI. I set up a digital thermometer in the DT sump and tested the sg...1.022. Uno and Dos...what we decided to name the clownfish have been in QT for 30 days and Cu bath for 25 days.

7/12/21 - I added 3oz of DrTims to the DT and added an ammo alert badge to my DT's sump

7/13/21 - Added 4ml of Ammonia hydroxide to the DT (enough to dose up to 2ppm with my 10% ammonia solution)

7/14/21 - [DT] Ammo 0.15-0.25ppm; NO2 2.0ppm; I got zapped by my other Koralia 650 while testing and threw it away; I added 2 Koralia 425s on one end of the tank angled towards the overflow box

7/16/21 - [DT] Ammo alert "safe"; sg 1.021; added 4ml Ammonia Hydroxide.. [QT] Ammo alert "safe"; sg 1.019; Cu 0.62ppm; fish eating, active, appear healthy; have been in Cu bath for 30 days

7/17/21 - [DT] NH3/NH4 <0.15ppm; sg 1.022; NO2 2-4ppm; pH 8.0

 

Week Two

7/20/21 - [DT] sg 1.020; pH 8.0; NH3/NH4 0ppm; NO2 <0ppm - NOTE: my wife gave birth to my daughter yesterday 6 weeks earlier than her due date unexpectedly and my daughter went directly into the NICU, as a result the tank moved squarely to the back burner...I still tried to keep up with maintenance the best I could

7/22/21 -[DT] sg 1.021; added chemi pure to sump; [QT] Cu 0.53ppm; sg 1.019; I performed a 75% WC, cleaned what appeared to be diatoms on the bottom glass with a sponge; post WC Cu 0.13ppm; sg 1.020

7/24/21 - [QT] sg 1.021; ammo alert "safe"; I dosed 5ml (1tsp) Prazipro per instructions

 

Week Three

7/27/21 - Fish eating; noticed diatom bloom picking up on glass/PVC; sg 1.022 in QT

7/30/21 - [QT] Topped off tank - it had been 4-5 days

 

Week Four

8/01/21 - [QT] sg 1.020; cleaned diatoms on glass+PVC; 25% WC (sg 1.022); fish eating; fish appear to be growing

8/02/21 - [DT] sg 1.020; ATO reservoir down to around 25% in 3 weeks; noticed a small leak in the plumbing on my overflow which I fixed with plumber's tape

8/07/21 - [DT] sg 1.021; pH 8.0; ammo alert "safe"; N03 38.3ppm; In preparation for fish transfer to DT I programmed the light on the DT to have the same schedule/intensity as what the QT has been at for a month...I then moved Uno and Dos to the DT. I noticed what appeared to be a bacterial bloom (cloudy water) in the QT so I turned the lights off after moving the fish.

 

Week Five

8/14/21 - [DT] Performed a 20g (around 30%) WC w/ 1.020 sg SW; turned heaters down 1 degree F because the temp has been hovering around 79.7F; After the WC parameters were... sg 1.022; PO4 0.21ppm; NO3 21ppm; Ammo 0; Nitrite 0; pH 8.0; Fish happy/eating. In the morning I completed a 100% WC on the QT and deep cleaned the filter, pumps, and glass. I went to my LFS and purchased an Orchid Dottyback for $30 and a Yellow Watchman Goby for $30. I considered also buying a Tailspot Blenny but decided against it. I brought the fish home and drip acclimated them for about an hour before releasing them in the tank with the lights off.

8/15/21 - All fish eating and appear healthy

8/16/21 - [QT] Goby appeared to move the PVC on the bottom of the tank; the PVC stayed in the exact same spot while Uno and Dos were in QT

8/17/21 - [QT] sg 1.021; Ammo alert badge changed from "safe" to "alert" for the first time in awhile; completed 50% WC with 1.020 sg SW. I also changed the filter pad on the DT

8/19/21 - [QT] Today was a stressful day. I couldn't find the YWG and eventually found it behind one of the heaters... she only ate one bite.. I have seen her eat every day up until this point. The dottyback appeared more timid where previously it was boldy swimming in the tank and would dart into the PVC elbows. Ammo alert safe; sg 1.021

8/20/21 - [QT] WG appears to be stressed and was darting around the tank; appeared to startle easily and would dash all over the corners of the tank before hiding behind the heaters or filter out of sight; YWG not observed to eat; Dotty back appeared more timid and now is hiding behind the Neo-therm. Dottyback still eating though. Ammo is safe.

 

Week Six

8/21/21 - [QT] YWG and Dottyback completed 1 week in QT YWG same odd behavio and not eating; easily startled when tank is approached; splashes up at the surface in attempts to dart away; Dottyback still hiding behind heater and eating but timid; ammo safe; [DT] Uno and Dos eating and healthy; sg 1.021; NO3 20.5ppm; PO4 0.5ppm

8/22/21 - [DT] Performed 10% WC with 1.020 SW; dosed Microbacter7 adjusted heater 2nd time to lower temp from 80F to target 78F; Removed old chemi pure and replaced with 1 bag of chemi pure elite and 1 bag of chemi pure blue; I also performed 25% WC in QT with 1.020; put one of the cycled bags of Chemi pure from DT into QT

8/24/21 - [DT] Uno and Dos eating; 78F; QT fish timid; YWG hiding behind chemi pure...not observed to eat; Dottyback hiding behind Neo-therm..appeared to eat

 

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Week Seven

8/28/21 - I fed live brine to the fish in the DT and the QT, the clownfish were fat and happy! I've never seen clownfish with bellies so plump! LOL...I didn't observe either of the QT fish eat, but they have been pretty reclusive so I'm not too worried. I have pretty much seen the dottyback eat every day otherwise. Today I pulled the trigger on switching salt mixes. I am ready to start increasing salinity in the DT to prepare for more livestock (inverts) and chose to use Brightwell's NeoMarine. Generally I trust Brightwell products, but I ultimately chose to make the switch because it's what my LFS uses and I figure it might make acclimation easier for inverts I purchase there. Plus if I ever need to grab a bag in an emergency or purchase pre-mixed SW I know where to grab it. I mixed 44 gallons of SW in my Brute and also mixed 5 gallons of SW in my DT ATO reservoir. I will be topping off both tanks with SW until I reach my desired salinity which I calculate will take around a week along with a few WC. I also purchased a new Eheim heater for my Brute SW mixing tank...my old 150W Neo-therm got stuck on the highest setting so it was time to trash it.

8/29/21 - [DT] sg 1.021; pH 8.0; NO3 24.3ppm; PO4 0.26ppm; I performed about a 33% WC (20gal) with 1.025 SW, switching from Instant Ocean to Brightwell salt. I tested the Brightwell before the WC...NO3 0.01ppm; pH 8.3-8.6; I made sure the ATO SW was 1.025 which required a couple gallons of RO/DI; I also finished my eggcrate+screenmesh lids to the tank which fit almost perfect; I dosed 20ml of Microbacter7; Fish looking great!!...after the WC sg = 1.023

[QT] sg = 1.020; performed 25% WC (5gal); For the last day or two I noticed the ammo badge looked "alert" or "safe" depending on what light it was in, figured it was just time for WC, I would have done a 50% but I didn't want to raise salinity too quickly; post WC sg = 1.021; I removed the carbon and dosed 5ml Prazipro per instructions; Dottyback behavior appeared normal, was still hiding a lot but poking out when no one was around...she darts out during feeds to grab a few morsels; YWG was not happy her carbon bag was removed, but otherwise appeared healthy.. no obvious signs of ill health other than maybe losing a little color.  Does not look emaciated despite not having visually seen her eat in a week.

 

ALSO!.. today I ordered a Super Mix n' Match special from IPSF and will receive:

- 6 baby bristle worms

- WonderMud

- Liquid N-Reducer (live nitrifying bacteria in a bottle)

- Anthelia Polyps Frag

- 6 Nerite snails

- 6 Periwinkle snails

- 6 Hermit crabs

- Reef Amphipods

- Live Sand Activator ("includes live sand, 6 Grazing snails, 6 MicroHermits and tiny worms")

- Lime Green Leather Coral Frag

- 6 spaghetti worms

- Coralline Algae Booster (4" x 4" plastic sheeting aged and covered in coralline)

- 6 mini bristle stars

 

It's time to get some CUC, try out a few corals, and activate this DSB! I will provide an update when I receive my shipment and acclimate the arrivals. I am also planning on providing an update this week concerning my WD filter/sump which will include photos.

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Very detailed journal!!!!  This will be a wealth of information for those also setting up a larger K.I.S.S style setup like yours!!!!  I love your plans for this tank and really look forward to seeing the progress 😊.

 

I'm sure you've probably seen this setup.  This is my favorite inspirational tank of all time.  I'm imagining something like this for you down the line!!!!!

 

 

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On 8/24/2021 at 9:01 PM, stevie1493 said:

I've never been good at photo-documenting my tanks. Improving in this area is a goal for this tank...any advice on how to do so would be much appreciated.

Take a thousand pictures at different settings and post the best one!

I get a lot of reflection on my tank from ambient light and windows as well. All of my photos for my current tank are taken at night with all room lights turned off.  Otherwise, it really is taking many many shots in hopes of getting one really good on. Also use a tripod and remote trigger whenever possible. Play with your lighting until you find something that your camera likes. Some people use filters, but I don't have much luck with them.  There are some great tank photographers on here. @mitten_reef and @Cannedfish come to mind off the top of my head.

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12 hours ago, gena said:

I'm sure you've probably seen this setup.  This is my favorite inspirational tank of all time.  I'm imagining something like this for you down the line!!!!!

Thank you for your kind words and encouragement 😊 I do remember this tank and agree that having a scape dominated by a few large colonies flanked by large leathers is what I'm going for. Still grappling with whether or not to include macros bit I'm leaning towards going for it.

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Week Seven - Update!

 

8/31/21 - I got confirmation that my IPSF order shipped from Hawaii today...very excited for corals in this tank!! Expecting delivery by 4:30pm on 09/02/21. I have been testing salinity every day since I filled my ATO with 1.025 SW just to be sure I don't go over my target salinity of 1.025. DT is hovering around 1.023-1.024 depending on how well my eyes are working at the time of the test. I decided to go to my LFS today to buy a tiger pistol I have been observing for the past month or so...but alas, it was dead in the tank when I got to the store 😥 Soooo....I noticed that their Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp were on sale for $40 and bought one instead. I still plan on getting a tiger pistol sometime to pair with my YWG. I brought the shrimp home and floated the bag, after temp acclimation for 20m I began adding 1/2C of water every ten minutes until the 1.025 sg LFS water on the bag was closer to the 1.023 DT water. Took around 90 minutes after dumping half the water out of the bag multiple times before adding more DT water. I released the shrimp into the tank after pouring him and all the shipping water into a net, adding only the shrimp to the tank - it looks healthy 🦐

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10 hours ago, stevie1493 said:

Thank you for your kind words and encouragement 😊 I do remember this tank and agree that having a scape dominated by a few large colonies flanked by large leathers is what I'm going for. Still grappling with whether or not to include macros bit I'm leaning towards going for it.

I thought of that tank when I read your plans for your tank!!!!

 

One of my favorite macroalgaes, that I was just reminded of the other day, is ochtodes.  It's an amazing blue/purple color and grows in a ball shape.  I highly recommend that one to take a look at!!!  Grows fast and is an excellent nutrient exporter!!!!

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20 hours ago, Pjanssen said:

Take a thousand pictures at different settings and post the best one!

I get a lot of reflection on my tank from ambient light and windows as well. All of my photos for my current tank are taken at night with all room lights turned off.  Otherwise, it really is taking many many shots in hopes of getting one really good on. Also use a tripod and remote trigger whenever possible. Play with your lighting until you find something that your camera likes. Some people use filters, but I don't have much luck with them.  There are some great tank photographers on here. @mitten_reef and @Cannedfish come to mind off the top of my head.

Thanks @Pjanssen, I haven't been taking any decent photos since we moved.  but the more active photographers on the forum is @jservedio and @ECLS Reefer, so I'd suggest the OP check out the journals by those two.  

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21 minutes ago, mitten_reef said:

Thanks @Pjanssen, I haven't been taking any decent photos since we moved.  but the more active photographers on the forum is @jservedio and @ECLS Reefer, so I'd suggest the OP check out the journals by those two.  

I think @Cannedfish is on a social media strike again 😢

 

If I can be of any help, I’m always around.

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On 8/22/2021 at 12:13 PM, stevie1493 said:

this will be a softie tank. The tanks I find most appealing look wild and almost overgrown; this has been my philosophy and style with my planted tanks and has continued into my reef keeping.


I love it.  I share many of the same sentiments.  I want a mostly softie tank too dominated by Pulsing Xenia with GSP covering the back wall.  I had FW tanks before that had tons of Java Moss with either countless baby guppies hidden away from their hungry mothers or colorful cherry shrimp (red and blue varieties) with some salt & pepper pygmy cory catfish.

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I never did fresh water.  Been Reefing for 50 yrs and especially enjoy inverts & softies for their simple demands.  Four months ago, I started up 55G as an ornamental seaweed mixed garden lagoon and very much enjoy it. Pictures are better when sun goes down.

image.jpg

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11 hours ago, gena said:

One of my favorite macroalgaes, that I was just reminded of the other day, is ochtodes. 

I'll keep an eye out - I have a couple hundred $$$ burning a hole in my pocket and am eyeing live-plants.com but just seen ochtodes is currently out of stock with them. Anywhere else you would look to find it?

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4 hours ago, ECLS Reefer said:

If I can be of any help, I’m always around.

Appreciate it - just checked out your Instagram. Love all the photos especially the Clownfish hosting in different corals. Are those mocha storms?

 

Here's my hand at photography today brought to you by my 2 year old android.

PXL_20210901_233723868.jpg

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4 hours ago, Seadragon said:

I had FW tanks before that had tons of Java Moss with either countless baby guppies hidden away from their hungry mothers or colorful cherry shrimp (red and blue varieties) with some salt & pepper pygmy cory catfish.

Corydoras are among my favorite fish of all time. My favorite FW tank was a planted 20 high with dozens of Anubias, panda corydoras, a dwarf gourami pair, and lemon tetras. I've thought about setting up a similar tank but don't want to start a 2 front war for my $$$. For me once you go reef you never go back xD

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39 minutes ago, stevie1493 said:

Appreciate it - just checked out your Instagram. Love all the photos especially the Clownfish hosting in different corals. Are those mocha storms?

 

Here's my hand at photography today brought to you by my 2 year old android.

PXL_20210901_233723868.jpg

I have two tanks- the mochas are babies and in my Evo. The clown harem is in the big tank, and the orange oscellaris in there is a particularly good little model. Thanks for the compliment! I’ve learned everything from @Cannedfish, but he’s taking a social media vow of silence lately 😢

 

Im more than willing to impart what I’ve learned from him, using an actual camera over a phone. I love seeing people post reef pictures! 

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@ECLS Reefer I notice you have photos of both a yellow coris wrasse and flame angel. I plan on keeping both of those species in this tank (maybe a coral beauty or midnight angel instead of flame) - any thoughts on keeping those fish beyond the common knowledge out there?

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50 minutes ago, stevie1493 said:

@ECLS Reefer I notice you have photos of both a yellow coris wrasse and flame angel. I plan on keeping both of those species in this tank (maybe a coral beauty or midnight angel instead of flame) - any thoughts on keeping those fish beyond the common knowledge out there?

Not really- I’ve heard that dwarf angels are a bit of a lucky draw on whether they behave and leave the corals alone. I feed my tank like crazy to sustain everyone in there, so I’ve never seen him nip, but as they grow I definitely keep an eye on his behavior. They can change their outlook on their neighbors too as they get bigger. The wrasse has grown a lot since he went in, and I watch him for harassing snails, but he’s been a model citizen too. I don’t think I can keep ornamental shrimp in there with all the different invertebrate molesters (the hawk fish being a definite offender), but otherwise the wrasses and that one angel have been good. 

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12 hours ago, stevie1493 said:

I'll keep an eye out - I have a couple hundred $$$ burning a hole in my pocket and am eyeing live-plants.com but just seen ochtodes is currently out of stock with them. Anywhere else you would look to find it?

I see that.  You can buy macroalgae on ebay and etsy...keep an eye out there.  Or maybe another hobbyist.  I saw someone here has a macro tank with a ton of ochtodes.  Can't remember who it was though.  Maybe @Tigahboy?  Perhaps they sell/ship.  I used to sell it when I had it.  It takes off very easily once it's in the tank.

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