Believe it or not, it's another Fluval 13.5

[andyjandy]

I'm not reinventing the wheel with this one but I'm trying to stay on something of a budget and will upgrade as needs must.

 

I used to have a JBJ Nanocube before moving and sadly breaking it down and selling it. I learned a lot, enough to impress the hiring manager at a local aquarium and get a job doing marine husbandry. It's not the fanciest aquarium, more like a petting zoo in a lot of ways but we all work hard and take good care of our animals. It's definitely cool taking care of sharks and rays, but what I really love is the small stuff. I love amphipods and asterina and stuff that's just a little bit out of the norm. Clownfish are great but I get to see them 40 hours a week.

 

However, there are still some resources available at my work that I can avail myself of which is great because animal husbandry doesn't necessarily pay the most! Anyway onto the good stuff! 

 

I put the InTank media basket in chamber 1 with floss on the top, carbon in the middle, and MarinePure ceramic spheres in the bottom. Chamber 2 is pretty much just filled with more ceramic spheres. I might adjust these at some point. Chamber 3 has Sicce 0.5 pump and an Aqueon 50w heater. I'm keeping the stock hood and light for now, I really like keeping evap down and fish in! I've seen some people have added LED strips and I will need to read up on that at some point. If anyone has any experience with that, I'd like to know more.

 

I acquisitioned some rock from one of our fish only tanks, it's free of any interesting life but has been in a healthy and stable system for quite some time in order to cut down on any cycling. I think I did a pretty nice scape if I say so myself!

 

I also grabbed a chunk of GSP (my boss got all the coral from a local hobbyist's tank so we have a 75 gal full to the brim with GSP, a few snips won't be noticed) and I also pulled a rock out of our reef tank that had been buried by a wrasse. Looking at it now I see some bedraggled zoas so hopeful they come back. I also took some water from that tank and dunked some clumps of chaeto in it to wash out some hitchhikers and dumped that in my tank. I already have about a million amphipods scurrying around and a small snail, plus I think a stomatella or two. I'm going to keep doing this for a while and really try to build up some biodiversity. I really want microbrittle stars!

 

That's pretty much where I am right now! My plans are to go heavy with softies- ricordea, zoas, RFAs. Presuming all goes well, I would like to get an LPS and it seems even some people have luck with montis on the stock light so perhaps that! 

 

I'm pretty undecided on the fish at this point, I'm not sure that I've ever even seen a yellow assessor in the LFS but I'm interested in that. I think 3 fish is extremely pushing it but the nice thing is if anything doesn't work out I can always donate it to work! Maybe a damsel, a goby or blenny, and then an assessor or fairy wrasse. 

 

I would like to get some sexy shrimp and a porcelain crab as well.

 

Well, that was a lot of words to say very little so thanks for reading and if anyone has any questions or input I'd love to hear it 

[Murphs_Reef]

Welcome to nano-reef, good luck 👍🏼

[kimdawg]

Sounds like you can get some great perks from work.  I got a bunch of micro brittles when I ordered the red and green macro assortment from Gulf Coast Ecosytems  It was enough to fill up half of a 20 long sump and put a bunch in the display.  I got a bunch of their riccordea and RFA and a pound of very live sand.  They are not expensive and shipping is pretty fair also.

[andyjandy]

14 hours ago, kimdawg said:

Sounds like you can get some great perks from work.  I got a bunch of micro brittles when I ordered the red and green macro assortment from Gulf Coast Ecosytems  It was enough to fill up half of a 20 long sump and put a bunch in the display.  I got a bunch of their riccordea and RFA and a pound of very live sand.  They are not expensive and shipping is pretty fair also.

That's a great trip! I'll take a look and next paycheck, I might just treat myself. 

[jadeveonclownfish]

I have had decent luck with metallic green trumpets in a similar set up if you're looking for another LPS. 

[andyjandy]

I have a used AI 32, I'm not sure if it works but I'm gonna fiddle around with it. Do you folks reckon I could run it at a way reduced percentage and use it or is it simply too much power?

[DannoOMG]

3 hours ago, andyjandy said:

I have a used AI 32, I'm not sure if it works but I'm gonna fiddle around with it. Do you folks reckon I could run it at a way reduced percentage and use it or is it simply too much power?

I am using that very light on my 13.5 Evo and I just run it at a lower setting. So far it hasn't obliterated any of my corals. I just had an Acan that didn't appreciate the direct lighting and I had to move it on the far side of the tank.

 

I have it at:

 

UV: 40%

V: 30%

RY: 50%

B: 50%

G: 2%

DR: 0%

ML: 9%

CW: 4%

 

[andyjandy]

5 hours ago, DannoOMG said:

I am using that very light on my 13.5 Evo and I just run it at a lower setting. So far it hasn't obliterated any of my corals. I just had an Acan that didn't appreciate the direct lighting and I had to move it on the far side of the tank.

 

I have it at:

 

UV: 40%

V: 30%

RY: 50%

B: 50%

G: 2%

DR: 0%

ML: 9%

CW: 4%

 

That's a beautiful tank. I got mine working and it seems to have no issues whatsoever.

 

Do you have it mounted on the tank or hanging? I'm worried it could be too much weight for the glass

[DannoOMG]

6 hours ago, andyjandy said:

That's a beautiful tank. I got mine working and it seems to have no issues whatsoever.

 

Do you have it mounted on the tank or hanging? I'm worried it could be too much weight for the glass

Neither. I made a dopey stand to attach the mount. I tuck the stand in the underside part of the tank. Fits snug.

 

Also my tank isn't gorgeous. It has a GHA issue right now. I am trying to do battle with it.

 

[andyjandy]

Quite a bit has gone on with my little tank! I have now added some Reef Nutrition tigger pods, a clown goby, a firefish, some various CUC and last but not at all least I ordered the GARF bag of bugs. I know her website doesn't necessarily inspire confidence but I got a very healthy bag of chaeto filled with all sorts of pods, microstars, worms, etc. I don't have a dedicated fuge chamber in my tank so I just mounted a little egg crate chamber with a magnet and dumped it in there for a couple days to let the life loose.  Can't wait to see what starts popping up. I totally recommend her, and she is so nice.

My next project will be to DIY a little screen top with the eventual goal of getting a better light. I made an honest go of it with the stock light but it just kinda sucks. I'm still not sure if I wanna try the AI 32 or sell it and try something else 

[andyjandy]

hey gang, tank has been plugging along pretty well if uneventfully although I seem to have dinos now. wondering if anyone had any ideas on what to do? decreasing my photoperiod and been trying to get my po4 and no3 up a bit and they both up quite a bit! they were at zero the other day. I had just fed and dosed with reef bugs when I took the water sample so that may have skewed results high.

[Tired]

Keeping the nutrients up should handle the dinos, particularly since you've probably gotten some nice stuff in on that live sand. The zero nutrients were likely responsible for the dinos popping up. 

 

Is that ammonia level accurate? A cycled tank shouldn't have any detectable ammonia. Maybe a snail died somewhere in there?

 

A fairy wrasse is a pretty active fish. Probably not a good choice for a tank this size. Not sure if you were still considering one.