Reefin' 9 to 5 - Office Nano Contest Voting and FINAL RESULTS

[seabass]

Reefin' 9 to 5 - Office Nano Contest VOTING:

 

There have been a number of great examples of Nano-Reef skill, ingenuity, cooperation and community throughout this entire contest.  And now, after seven months, the 🕘 Reefin' 9 to 5 - Office Nano Contest 🕔 has come to a end.  We have 13 impressive tanks (out of 25 total entries) which remain eligible to win.  We need the help of the Nano-Reef community to help choose the winners.  Voting starts today, Friday, May 20th.

 

Each of the following contestants has submitted a summary of up to 3 pictures and 200 words describing their entries.  In addition, I encourage Nano-Reef members to check out each contestant's initial journal post (which should contain additional information about their build) before voting.  Clicking on the title/link (after the member's name) will take you to the initial post of that particular contestant.  Use the summaries and journal posts to decide who to vote for in each category.

 

 

Make sure to vote for your favorite builds and to support the hard work that these contestants put into these inspiring tanks.  Voting will remain open through Tuesday, May 31st.  Any ties will be broken by StevieT from inTank.  I wish to thank all of our contestants; with a special thank you to our sponsors @StevieT of inTank and our very own @Christopher Marks of Nano-Reef.com!

 CATEGORIES & PRIZES*

• Best Office Nano: Nano-Reef T-shirt, a Reefin' 9 to 5 (Champion) engraved acrylic award, and an inTank Tervis® Tumbler.

      

• Most Impressive or Innovative Filtration (a.k.a. "Wettest Water"): An inTank filtration pack (including a value pack of world famous inTank Filter Floss, 100mL Bagged Seachem Purigen, and 5 Packets of Boyd Chemi Pure Blue Nano).

      

• Exceptional Budget Build: Milton's Red Swingline Stapler, Bill Lumbergh's Nano-Reef mug (see pic above), and inTank surprise "flair."

      

       I believe you have my stapler.

 

BONUS AWARDS* - winners to be determined by Christopher Marks (for a Nano-Reef sticker pack)

• Outstanding Execution of a Theme
• Best Use of a Non-Traditional Aquarium
• Most Unique or Biodiverse Livestock

 

* In the event that an international contestant wins a prize category, we'll make an effort to see if shipping is possible, but with no guarantees.  In addition, where shipping is possible, international contestants might be responsible for some or all of the additional shipping and/or customs charges.

 

Thanks,

seabass

 

 

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[seabass]

 

@aclman88 Aclman's 9 to 5 Middle School Mayhem

 

Fellow 9to5ers, we made it!  I can almost hear Vitamin C’s “Graduation” playing in the background as we watch our little tanks walk down the aisle to receive their diplomas and toss their canopies.  For me, this was a learning experience filled with firsts: first time building an all-in-one tank; creating a canopy; dealing with tank collapse; and rip cleaning.  The tank started off strong, but clearly there were cracks in the foundation. A few months in, the coral began to look unhappy, after which it went downhill fast.  It was an unstable, unsightly mess.  Looking back, I realize that lack of testing and routine maintenance allowed it to fly off the tracks.  After evacuating coral, I rip-cleaned and reset the tank.

 

My advice:

• Building a tank is not easy, but doable.  Don’t rush any part of the process.  If you expect something to take a certain amount of time, set aside double (or triple) that.

• Stability is key.  Do not slack off on maintenance.  Get a schedule and stick to it.

• Don’t be afraid to admit failure, and start over.  You and others learn more from your struggle than your success.

 

Beginning FTS:

 

Ugly FTS:

 

End of Contest FTS:

 

 

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@chipz 9to5 Diminutive Desktop Distraction

 

 

Whelp. This tank didn’t turn out exactly how I planned. It was supposed to be a coral QT and grow out tank, but I guess at heart I’m more of a fish person so it didn’t take long before I added a teeny tiny tailspot blenny and a teenier tinier yasha goby with candy cane pistol shrimp. This tank is perfect for viewing the antics of these little critters right from my desk.

 

 

In addition, there are several hermit crabs and “Bubbles” the Astraea snail. Between them this cleanup crew has done a decent job keeping the detritus to a minimum, but life got pretty busy so water changes (and updates to my thread) have been sparse (to non-existent) and this has led to cyano and a wee bit of bubble algae…mostly confined to Bubbles’ shell. It has confirmed my success with soft corals and struggles with LPS and SPS.

 

 

My goals with this tank are to get it cleaned up a bit and eventually upgrade to a slightly larger tank. In the future I’d love to have a tank dedicated entirely to tiny fish, but I worry about them getting lost in a tank that is too much bigger!

 

 

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[seabass]

 

@Grundler 9to5 - The Drop-in Reef

 

For this contest, my goal was to take a tank that held a collection of frags that I couldn't part with, and transform it into a coherent aquascape. I think I have largely achieved that goal (despite accidentally nuking the tank with Flatworm Exit 3 days before the end of the contest). I'm quite pleased with the visual lines in this scape.

 

 

A secondary goal was to use primarily "round" corals. Seeing as it was a zoa garden that brought me to Nano-Reef.com way back in 2004 (on a different account), I thought it was poetic that my first contest tank be a zoa garden of my own.

 

 

While not officially part of the contest, I also greatly enjoyed getting back into the planted side of the hobby with the companion tank that I set-up in my spare 7 gallon.

 

 

 

Reefin' 9 to 5 - Office Nano Contest has been brought to you by:

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[seabass]

 

@Jaren45 [9to5] The "free" Nano

 

Here is the final fts from my 6g

 

 

 

 

 

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[seabass]

 

@kekke1082 Reefing 9to5 Keke's first nano reef contest

 

 

The concept was to create a macro haven and along the way I have learned so much about the needs of macro algae compared to corals and other livestock. I initially hoped to prove a theory that using macros at the very beginning of a new tank would help "speed up" the process of cycling, and boy did that teach me some interesting lessons!  I almost quit multiple times, I dealt with a lot of losses that were unfortunate and the result of mostly my own lack of knowledge or proper precautions taken, and yet here we are several months later and the Mini Macro Mansion has survived through all odds.

 

 

My little clown fish Eeek has made it through it all with me even after her other half Meek took a long ride on the hardwood roller coaster and wasn't found in enough time to keep swimming. I learned that me and Stony corals still have a long way to go before that relationship can be tested again 😅. The biggest lesson I learned was to have more faith in myself and my abilities, and to never stop learning, never stop trying and to ALWAYS have a lid on your aquarium!

 

 

 

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[seabass]

 
@kimdawg 9to5 Tybee Island Caribbean style tank

 

FULL TANK SHOT

 

Welcome to the 9to5 Tybee Style Caribbean tank.  All of the equipment was repurposed from my old tanks so this left my entire budget for livestock.  I knew I wanted to try new things so, I decided to focus on rock flower anemones, macroalgae, gorgonians, riccordea, zoanthids, and soft corals from my other tank.  I already had and loved my clown fish so he stayed.

 

 

I have a bunch of snails and for comic relief a cleaner shrimp, emerald crabs, and two porcelian crabs.  They are always on the move and getting into trouble.  I have had fish tanks for over forty years and can honestly say this is my favorite tank ever.  It is easy to take care of and has so many things to watch and enjoy.

 

 

In closing I would like to thank Seabass, Christopher Marks and Stevie T of in Tank for this awesome contest.  I love to participate in Nano Reef contests because they encourage me to try new things and get more involved in the community.

 

 

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[seabass]

 

 @M. Tournesol 9to5 Cubicle

 

 

During the period of the "9to5 office nano contest" debut, I was in need of a new house for a supposedly killer mantis shrimp (Gonodactylus smithii) obtained in a bundle with the live rock of my first reef (in desuetude). This contest was the event that made me pull the trigger and start my second reef tank. Moreover, this was an opportunity to try keeping Micromussa lordhowensis and mangroves.

 

I had a few mild issues like a sick fish, a dying trachyphillia and a dying Micromussa lordhowensis. But generally, keeping this setup ended up being very easy. Its position next to my bed means that whenever I lay in it, I can get a really good view of the activity of the different inhabitants of this little reef. The Stomatopoda, which ultimately happens to be very peaceful, has been a real delight to observe.

 

 

The tank is pretty much complete. If all goes according to plan, the 9to5 should be dismantled in 6~7 months and all livestock moved to a 15 gallon tank 15.7" cube.

 

 

 

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@Merthynia 9 to 5 Fat and sassy GBGs!

 

 

This little PicO has flourished with life after the unfortunate heater malfunctions that precluded it. A variety of mushrooms dot the sand bed, providing comfy perches for the green banded gobies to lounge on when they are ready to relax for a moment.

 

 

This tank is also home to a tiny blue coral banded shrimp who patrols regularly around the rock for any morsels of food that may have been missed. Zoas and palys have sprung up from the small frags placed on the rock scape and have thrived in this miniature reef. Tiny trochus, dove and nassarius snails regularly ride the spin stream merry-go-round, and the two micro hermit crabs scale the edges of the tank like they are explorers on Mt. Everest. The reef is also home to countless spaghetti worms, micro brittle stars, bristle worms and copepods.

 

 

Two mangroves peek out of the back filtration chambers. They are thriving in the sunlight that reaches through the south-facing windows. This tiny tank is such a joy in the main gathering room of the house and will continue to be enjoyed for many months yet to come. Please take a moment to glance through my journal for more pictures!

 

 

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[seabass]

 

@NoOneLikesADryTang 9 to 5 Goniopora and Alveopora Forest

 

While I’d mostly like to let my tank pictures speak for themselves, I would like to recognize my inspiration. My rock. My better half. You all know her as the tank keeper, but to me, she’s everything.

 

We used equipment we all ready had, including her favorite tank (ADA 60F), and some of our favorite coral species for the theme (Gonioporas and Alveoporas). This tank would not have been possible without her, and her patience for my antics. From my wild ideas for tanks, to my propensity for coming home with random corals. I owe all of our tank keeping success to her. She literally does everything, not just for me, but for the health of our aquatic animals as well. This tank is a living testament to her eye for beauty, and ability to envision a dream, and make it a reality. 

 

 

Finally, I’d like to thank Christopher Marks and StevieT from inTank for sponsoring this contest. Collectively, we also owe Seabass a huge thank you for all of his hard work throughout this contest. On behalf of all of NanoReef, thank you all!
 

 

 

Reefin' 9 to 5 - Office Nano Contest has been brought to you by:

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[seabass]

 

@Ratvan Ratvan's Reefing 9to5

 

Contest update time, sadly this tank did not see the end of the contest. Roughly a month into the contest the Nano Light that I have owned for four years now decided that enough was enough and stopped working completely, I replaced the power pack and this managed to give me an additional three months life out of the light before once again it stopped working.

 

 

Further to this the “Energy Crisis” with rising bills and general living costs I decided that I would condense all of my tanks down into two systems. The Fluval Evo 13.5G Mantis Murder Manor and the Lionfish liar in the RSM130D. The rock from this system went into the Lionfish Lair to start to seed the tank as the rock has been cycled for roughly two years by the time I added it to the tank.

 

However, through this I did however learn that in a coldwater system the cycling process takes roughly as long as in our tropical reefs. If things turn around on the energy price front I may consider another system, but until then I will concentrate on my remaining tropical reef tanks and reptiles.

 

 

 

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@Robbie_Maxwell 9 to 5 Montipora Cube

 

 

Unfortunately, from the get go this set up had its issues, from leaky canister filters to nuisance algae but the real killer for me was when one of the first few frags I bought came with montipora eating nudibranchs. Even though all the new coral I get is dipped before being added to the tank, it still wasn’t enough to keep out probably the worst pest possible for the type of tank I was looking to set up. Despite dipping every few days, scrubbing the bases and fragging off the affected areas they just kept coming back until I eventually lost the majority of my montis.

 

 

After this I definitely let the tank go quite a bit just out of frustration that I couldn’t do what I had initially set out to do. I left the tank sit with the remaining 3 montis and just a few easy corals like birds nest and some milka stylo and a toadstool just doing basic maintenance once a week until about 3 weeks ago where I got my hands on a few rainbow bubble tip anemones and some pavona cactus and that is pretty much the summary of this build to date.

 

 

Reefin' 9 to 5 - Office Nano Contest has been brought to you by:

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[seabass]

 

@seabass 9 to 5 - Reef in a Bottle 🏴‍☠ Caribbean Carboy

 

This Caribbean reef is my take on the classic ship in a bottle.

 

 

It features: 🦐
 ▪️ Captive bred Rock Flower Anemones
 ▪️ Native Caribbean macroalgae
 ▪️ Live sand from the Gulf of Mexico
 ▪️ A Pederson anemone shrimp
 ▪️ A Scarlet Reef Hermit, named Johnny Derp
 ▪️ Corky Finger Gorgonian
 ▪️ Caribbean blue zoanthid colony

 

 

Equipment: 💡
 ▪️ 5 gallon PET Carboy
 ▪️ PAR38 KINGBO 18W LED bulb
 ▪️ Deep Blue Heat Stik Mini 15W heater
 ▪️ 2 gallon food container sump
 ▪️ Low profile overflow strainer
 ▪️ Loc-Line Y and return nozzles
 ▪️ Ship background and pirate coins

 

The plan was to break the man-made Tonga branch rock into pieces small enough to fit through the neck, and reassemble them inside the bottle (in a true ship in a bottle fashion).  However, it was so much easier to cut off the neck, drill a 4" hole in the top, and drop in my DIY made rocks.

 

 

I previously bred the anemones in another Caribbean tank, and I already had most of the plumbing.  So I ended up spending around $200 in total.  The build started off fairly quickly; but then, for a few months, "I did absolutely nothing, and it was everything I thought it could be!"  As a result, this tank didn't get completely setup until April 30th.

 

 

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@Tamberav 9to5 - A box of oddballs

 

 

I wanted to keep it on a low budget but did splurge on a used AI prime. I had no idea where I was going with this tank but it ended up being a refuge for pest anemones. I saw someone tearing down their tank wanting to re-home their nems for free and I jumped at the chance. Most of the livestock in this tank was free. It has actually turned out a lot better than I imagined and the nems are interesting to watch.

 

 

Early on I used a freshwater light just to get started and I had a ton of algae from the tank cycling. Clean up was pretty easy. I went the natural way. I just kept up on my water changes and added a robust clean up crew. I waited and gave it time... and the algae was gone!

 

 

In the future I'd like to add something for vertical growth, perhaps some leathers. Other planned additions are red mini maxi nems and another rock flower nem or two. I also plan to add an anemone crab and sexy shrimp and am considering maybe some blue plating sponge. The Sharknose goby will eventually make my 80g his home.

 

 

Reefin' 9 to 5 - Office Nano Contest has been brought to you by:

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[seabass]

Ineligible Contestants:

 

Here are the other contestants which didn't submit a summary and therefore aren't eligible to win.  Some got much further than others.  However, there are some amazing entries here, so I thought I'd post them all.  Click on the pics to take you to their journal threads.

 

@allesluge

 

@Chowder's Reef

 

@Cryolath

 

@empresto

 

@fenderchamp

 

@FishI

 

@growsomething

 

@Hasted

 

@kimberbee

 

@Maas101

 

@MainelyReefer

 

@Murphs_Reef

 

 

Reefin' 9 to 5 - Office Nano Contest has been brought to you by:

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[Tamberav]

So many great tanks! I am sad to see some that didn’t make it to the end. I hope they keep going as some of them were so very unique! 

[Tamberav]

Btw it is cool to see nano-box still in circulation/use. Perhaps this contest got them pulled out of the closet? My cat ruined two of mine... ugh. I have one left that needs a fix and put it back into use. 

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

24 minutes ago, Tamberav said:

Btw it is cool to see nano-box still in circulation/use. Perhaps this contest got them pulled out of the closet? My cat ruined two of mine... ugh. I have one left that needs a fix and put it back into use. 

We still have two in use. I also have a mini tide that needs to be wired again… Some idiot (me) tightened it too tight after taking it apart and cut the wires. They are terrific pico and nano lights. 

[Tamberav]

5 minutes ago, NoOneLikesADryTang said:

We still have two in use. I also have a mini tide that needs to be wired again… Some idiot (me) tightened it too tight after taking it apart and cut the wires. They are terrific pico and nano lights. 

 

Ya, I keep hoping Dave will one day show back up ready to make more. 

[aclman88]

Good luck to all the contestants!  It was definitely a great chance to try something new for a lot of us.  I salute you all!

 

 

Also, huge shout out and thanks to @seabass for all his effort in making this a reality and @inTank for sponsoring this contest and amazing community.

[kekke1082]

I'm still stoked just to have made it to the end and still be part of the contest! This was so much fun! 

[seabass]

3 hours ago, aclman88 said:

and @inTank for sponsoring this contest and amazing community

Definitely, without @StevieT and @Christopher Marks, we wouldn't have had this contest.

 

It was a bit of work for me, but it was also a lot fun to do.  I hope that all the contestants enjoyed participating, and that the Nano-Reef members who were following along, learned something new, were inspired, and/or got some good ideas for the future.  I love the camaraderie that is exhibited in these contests, and just how willing everyone is to try to help their competitors be successful.

[DevilDuck]

First time voting on one of these contests! Some great tanks and it wasn't easy voting. Great job everyone!

 

[Christopher Marks]

Thank you @seabass for all your dedicated efforts checking in with everyone throughout the competition and helping everybody keep on task! You are amazing! ❤️ 

 

So many fun tanks, I am perpetually awestruck by the ideas and concepts everyone comes up with for these competitions, it's so cool to watch them come to life. I hope everyone has enjoyed having these little reefs as a part of your own '9 to 5' work weeks, I really hope to see these continue onwards to maturity.

 

Lots of fun prizes up for grabs, I need to snap a photo of this beautiful trophy too, wowee it's shiny! 🤩

[Merthynia]

Big thanks to @Christopher Marks @seabass & @StevieT! This was a great excuse to set up a small tank.

[Tamberav]

I love what @StevieT is selling... but they never break or stop working so that is bad for business 

 

Package from 2015... I am still using the cobalt maxijet to mix salt to this day. 

 

 

 

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

12 hours ago, Tamberav said:

I love what @StevieT is selling... but they never break or stop working so that is bad for business 

 

Package from 2015... I am still using the cobalt maxijet to mix salt to this day. 

 

 

 

I’m jealous. I’ve never gotten hand drawn pictures in any of my orders from inTank. I guess I’ll just have to keep ordering until I do! 

[Tamberav]

11 hours ago, NoOneLikesADryTang said:

I’m jealous. I’ve never gotten hand drawn pictures in any of my orders from inTank. I guess I’ll just have to keep ordering until I do! 

 

[seabass]