My First Reef Tank

[eaa]

Hello everyone,

It's been an adventure on freshwater for almost 6 yrs. And the past year during pandemic having seen so much reef tank on youtube. Fortunately, I have a friend, now I'm consider him as my mentor on saltwater world.

We have a lot discussion on saltwater and especially reef, most of them until the dawn.

 

Finally after a couple of months of series discussion, I start to sketch and designing the tank, cabinet and visualizing the tank's look like.

 

And because of the tank is on my attic, there's a lot to consider about tank situation. It's almost 31⁰C during  dry season. I really want this tank to succeed, anyway I prepared a chiller for the tank and set the temp on 26⁰C

 

I want to make a nice and simple LPS, with not so much corals, maybe 4 or 5. The tank is 45x45x45 cm with back sump. Although I have an ATO, the tank covered with a glass lid to minimize evaporation.

 

Lighting : Red Sea Led 50

Pump : Eheim Compacton 1000

Skimmer : Marine Sources HOB 150

ATO : Kamoer ATO

Wave maker : Jebao SLW 10

 

The tank is on cycling day 1 with light intensity 30%.

 

A new adventure awaits.

 

 

[eaa]

Day 11 with some corals.

[debbeach13]

Welcome to NR and to reefing. Having a local mentor will be so great. I hope you enjoy tour new tank for years.

[eaa]

Thank you for the warm welcome @debbeach13. I started this journey after a long discussion with my friend who also my mentor for the last 3 months before I finally made this.

[eaa]

Close up of Tridacna Crocea today

[eaa]

Inhabitants are:

- Tridacna Crocea

- Cynarina Lacrymalis
- Torch Coral

- Bubble Coral

- Candy Coral

- Seriatopora Green Birds's Nest

- Montipora Red Digitata

- Coco Worm

- Zoanthids

- Plate Coral

- Favia

- Discosoma (a gift from my friend)

Edited October 26, 2021 by eaa
add info

[eaa]

Daily broadcast feeding of phytoplankton 5ml and weekly Red Sea Reef Energy Plus 2ml. Water change weekly 10%.

[less than bread]

Welcome and beautiful pictures!

[eaa]

4 hours ago, less than bread said:

Welcome and beautiful pictures!

Thank you @less than bread, the pictures taken with my camera without a proper lens filter. Waiting the lens filter, it should arrive this week.

[eaa]

FTS of cycling tank day 18, diatoms are on the sandbed and the rocks. Ammonia and nitrite test kit should be arrive any minute now. I'm gonna test those 2 and we'll see whether I have to do WC or not today.

[eaa]

Water change is in order, 10% with salinity 34 ppt.

[eaa]

Day 24 cycling, lots of Diatoms on the sand and rocks. Water change ahead of schedule instead of tomorrow.

[eaa]

Day 32, 1 month old, yeayy. Nitrates level is receding as expected. Add skunk cleaner shrimp and nassarius snail. I'm thinking adding purple firefish for the fish, just 1.

 

I'm so happy to see a lot of copepods on the wall, i think they're munching diatoms.

 

Diatoms are everywhere but slowly disappearing.

 

Lighting duration 11 hrs, 50% blue and 25% white.

 

 

[eaa]

Shrimp seems happy, roaming around the tank. Unfortunately Seriatopora Green Birds's Nest is not gonna make it, I think it's too early. On the other hand, Montipora is doing good.

Edited November 15, 2021 by eaa
add picture

[eaa]

Add new schedule for skimmer, on at 6.00 pm and off at 8.00 am.

[eaa]

Picture of inhabitants and pods

[Ratvan]

Gorgeous photo's again, really like the pod one too

[eaa]

Well thank you @Ratvan .

[eaa]

Finally ugly stage is coming, got a lot of diatoms, hair algae (I think), and bryopsis. Medicating the tank with fluconazole, as I researched on web it's a lot success story with it.

I got cuc with snails, but I don't know the name. In Indonesia the LFS call it turbo snail.

So far LPS and zoas are good. I think there's a new polyp on favia, what do you guys think?

 

Medicating with fluconazole day 2, bryopsis a little whitish and transparent.

[eaa]

At last the snails are doing heavy damage to the alga, an on going battle between snails and diatoms, clearly they've won. Another week or so, I have to give them something to eat.

[eaa]

3 months is a milestone for me, sign of coralline at the top of the middle rocks. Alas my torch coral died, accidentally sucked by the hose while I was doing weekly water exchange. New inhabitants are mushrooms, new zoas, and purple anthelia, I also moved the bubble coral, christmas tree worm, and tridacna (hidden behind bubble coral). Adding amino + phytoplankton every other day on Tuesday, Thursday, dan Saturday for corals and feed the fishes with mysis + scallop every day (small amount). Fluconazole works in fighting the bryopsis, no sign of them until today (knock on wood).

[eaa]

It's almost 4 months on 13 February, so far so good. Purple Anthelia is growing significant since last month.

[debbeach13]

The tank looks super. Nice puffy corals.

[eaa]

On 2/7/2022 at 8:11 PM, debbeach13 said:

The tank looks super. Nice puffy coral

Thank you

[eaa]

4 months since I started the tank, everything is on track. Still long way to get maturity. Progressing slowly, I'm still reading for corals to fill the emptiness on the rocks at the right side. Water exchange always once a week 10%. Feed the fish everyday with pellets and mixed of frozen mysis, shrimps, and scallop and feed the coral 3 times a week with red sea energy plus 2ml and phytoplankton 6ml. The light is on for 10 hrs/day with 60% blue and 30% white on the way to 70% blue and 35% white. Wavemaker is set on the lowest and turned off 1 hour/day at 12.00 pm, I kind of like to see everything in the just stay still for a while.