10g Helio Reef - First Reef, From Brazil

November 2, 2021

So this is my first post and I'm so happy to start the Journal for my first reef attempt.

A little context before I start with the aquarium specs: I'm from Brazil (sorry about the poor language 🤭) and fairly new to the hobby as a aquarist. Before that, about 15 yeas ago, I had a

briefly experience: A 4g pico with little to no equipments: very simply softs corals donated from a friend, no filters, water changes from tap. Had a huge algae burst and lost every living habitant in the first month, and since that day I've being waiting to start over but with structure and knowledge to maintain a heathy reef. This year the idea to rebuild a marine aquarium came back and I started to research about reefkeeping again, and got pleased to discovered how popular the nano and pico systems are now, and how easily it is to maintain them, compared to 15 years ago.

I hope you guys enjoy my little journey. I think we will notice some differences in equipment, products in use and maybe fauna because I'm based in Brazil, so some equipment simple equipment might be very expansive in comparison, or unavailable, or because some different national reef keeping "manners".

Tank Specs

Display: 10g - 45x28x30cm I got from second hand, extra clear display.

Rock: DIY from a fellow called Calvetti (@reef_calvetti)

Sand: Reeflowers Pearl White Sand 1-1,5mm

Lighting: Gako Q2 18w from China

Heating: Atman heater 100W

Cooling: Sunsun Cooling fan 2 heads

Controller: Coel Temperature Controller - Range from 26,0º-27,0º Celsius.
Wavemaker: Jebao SW2 wavemaker set to minimum flow (250l/h), W1 mode

Skimmer: None

Filtration: Ehein Liberty 200 Hang-on

Filter Media: 500ml Seachem Matrix + 100ml Purigen

Top Off: JBJ nano ATO

Aquarium Lid: Custom DIY

Doser: Jebao JECOD DOSER3.1

Dosing: Tropic Marin All for Reef - 1ml alternate days

Maintenance Routine

Daily: Feed with New Life Spectrum Optimum Flakes

Every 3 days: Micro Scrubbing Bubbles routine for 4 hours during night time

Weekly: Feed LPS with Bcuk First Bite Lps Coral Food

Every 2 Weeks: 30% Water Change with Aquaforest Reef Salt, remove algae from display with magnet, rinse filter bags and test Alkalinity

Fish

1x Gramma brasiliensis - Wild

1x Amphiprion ocellaris - Captive bred

Corals

Seriatopora caliendrum

Seriatopora "Birds of Paradise"

Goniopora Eletric Green

Torch Green

Hammer Solomon

Hammer Gold

Trumpet Kryptonite

Trumpet Pink

Leptastrea Golden

Organ Pipe

Pulsing Xenia

Carpet Green

Cloves Papaya

Mushroom Green/Blue Striped

Mushroom Green Spotted

Mushroom Gold

Palythoa Cat Eyes

Palythoa Armor of God

Palythoa Sunny Day

Palythoa Utter Chaos

Palythoa Green

Palythoa Mohawk

Zoanthus Oompa Loompa

Zoanthus Blue Hornet

So, I filled the tank about 4 months ago. The tank equipment have being incremented slowly, on a monthly basis. The next step is definitely the lighting, I ordered the Maxspect Jump 65w and intend to run around 50-60%.

Pics from the first day: 07.05.21:

3 weeks later, after the stabilization of nitrogen cycle with the first habitant:

2x Amphiprion ocellaris - Captive bred

At this point I run some tests to prepare for some coral introduction: KH: 9.2, Mg: 1400, Ca: 440.

The first coral 1 week later: Hammer Solomon

After the success with the first coral I got courage to introduce new species: Trumpet, Torch,Organ Pipe and Pulsin Xenia.

After almost 4 months I keep adding corals, thinking in the aquascape. I started a palythoa "garden". Also returned 1 Clownfish to the store and purchased 1 Gramma brasiliensis (1 week before this species commercialization got prohibited because its endangered). The last addition is this nice eletric green Goniopora.

This is the last picture I got, around 2 weeks ago:

I will keep you guys updated, when the photoperiod starts I will take a today's picture. I need to improve the photo quality, will try my wife smartphone which have better cameras.

Hope you enjoy!