Reef Casa Studio 12 Dream Build

[416Reefer]

On 12/19/2022 at 1:05 AM, banasophia said:

Gorgeous! I love the torch and that birdsnest. Is that a sour apple birdsnest? I’ve been on the lookout for one of those for my tank. A local reefer just sold me a couple frags of his pink birdsnest, but it’s not looking too great in either of my tanks… the blue/green of yours looks amazing. 

If you are in the toronto area I’ll gladly cut you a piece.  

[banasophia]

6 hours ago, 416Reefer said:

If you are in the toronto area I’ll gladly cut you a piece.  

Ah thanks so much, I wish… I’m in Northern California. You’re lucky to live close to Fragbox… their corals all look really nice and they seem to have a great selection. 

[416Reefer]

I think I’m spoiled.  I live about 30 mins from Fragbox, which feels to me like a “long way” but when I hear how far some people drive to visit I’m pretty lucky!  I’m on tanks #3 and 4 and 90% of all the corals I have bought have been from there. 

[416Reefer]

A few changes this week.  I added an acan in front of the torch to try and hide the stem a little bit.. I havent had much luck with acans in the past but I will give it another try.  The torch is still alive after 2 weeks... which I think is a record for me.  I fed it some lps pellets today while I did my water change so I will see how it goes!  

 

I also fragged a bit off the green goddess birdsnest to put in my other tank.. it was being shaded so I figured I might as well cut that piece off and use it somewhere else.  Apart from that there isn't anything new that I've added lately.  But there is some new gear that I'll add soon.

 

I picked up a Tunze 9001 protein skimmer and a Neptune Apex A3 from Fragbox.  The Neptune is mostly for my larger tank but I am going to make it do double duty and automate the pump, skimmer and an auto feeder on the Reef Casa tank as well.  March has the patience of a saint, I must have emailed him a dozen times trying to figure out what Apex model would be best for what I needed.  I am a bit nervous to set it up but I'm sure it will go fine!

[416Reefer]

First things first… Happy New Year!

The tank is coming together nicely I think. The torch is still going strong,  which is amazing since I’ve killed one under AI primes and under Radions.. the Halo light is holding its own !

I’m not sure if the Acan will grow at the bottom of the torch though. I think it’s too shaded. Time will tell I suppose.  I’ve added a few frags of things I accidentally broke off colonies in my big tank while cleaning it !  I think it will fill in nicely. 

I’m really happy with the Apex.  I’ve got it set up to monitor my big tank but I’ve also got it set up for a feed mode on the Reef Casa.  Huge shout out to the staff at Fragbox for helping me get it set up!  I’ve just scratched the surface of what it can do but it was a great purchase. 

I think im going to let things grow in for a bit and see what does well where before I add too much more. I’m also thinking of one more fish but I’m not sure… something peaceful.  Any suggestions? 

[416Reefer]

Well I can say that after a few months I am very happy with the Reef Casa tank and light.  All the corals are doing great, and I haven't had any issues with die off, lighting or flow.  However, when I think back to what my plans were when I started I have changed pretty much everything!

 

When I set this tank up I was planning on focusing on Rock Flower Anemones, Blastos and other super easy to keep coals.  I was going to stay away from euphyllia, especially torches, and wasn't planning on keeping any SPS corals.  Well.. my rock flower experiment didn't work out because they keep playing hide and seek and while I still have a few blastos in my tank and really like them I don't think I'll be adding anymore.  

 

After saying I would never,ever get another torch my NY Knicks torch is doing amazing and looks great under the Halo light.  I also really like the hammers that I added, even after saying I wouldn't!  I am going to keep adding easy SPS corals on the top rock..  am going to just frag pieces off colonies that are doing well in my other tank and will focus on easy to keep SPS like montipora and anacropora. The light is having no problems growing them at about 50% intensity on the blues.

 

It's funny that sometimes you can have what you think is a super solid plan, only to have the tank go in a completely different (but awesome!) direction.    

[banasophia]

Looks really great! I would be a bit worried about the torch reaching out and stinging things as it gets happier though. My torch I kept in my Biocube 16 got vicious over time, though my torch in my Evo 5 is fine and doesn’t get aggressive with my sinularia, acan, or candy cane. 

[416Reefer]

33 minutes ago, banasophia said:

Looks really great! I would be a bit worried about the torch reaching out and stinging things as it gets happier though. My torch I kept in my Biocube 16 got vicious over time, though my torch in my Evo 5 is fine and doesn’t get aggressive with my sinularia, acan, or candy cane. 

Thanks !  I’ve never had a problem with torches being too happy before 😛. 
 

the tentacles are carried straight up and a bit backwards by the flow so hopefully things stay safe.  I’ll just move stuff around if I have to.  Fingers crossed !

[416Reefer]

I think right now the changes are going to start to slow down in the tank a little bit.  I did add a small piece of Hollywood stunner chalice that broke off a larger frag in my big tank and moved a few things around on the sandbed but no major purchases or additions.  

 

I am working towards getting both of my tanks reasonably automated between now and the summer so we can travel so a lot of my investments are going to go to gear rather than livestock for the next little while.  I'm getting pretty good at figuring out how to make the Apex do double duty on both the tanks.

 

All of the corals that I have put in the Reef Casa tank have done really well and the light really has held its own.  I have bought a protein skimmer but I am hesitant to set it up and mess with the tank's nutrient levels since things are going really smoothly.  I am going to start feeding the corals a bit so I may need to set it up if I start to get any nuisance algae.  I've never run a tank without a skimmer before but maybe I dont need one?

 

I am still thinking about adding one more peaceful fish, preferably one that will eat pellets.. not sure about which one though.  Does anyone have any suggestions?

[banasophia]

Looks so good… that rock flower remains my favorite… beautiful!

 

You may want to do a bit of research on Hollywood stunners in nanos if you haven’t already… I don’t usually stock chalices in my nanos because they can have long sweepers at night that may be able to reach other corals in a small tank. I had gotten a Hollywood stunner in the beginning with my Biocube 16 but I watched it at night after lights out and sure enough, very long sweepers so I removed it… and thought to myself oh, that’s why they call it a stunner, not just because it’s stunning looking but it could stun my other corals

[416Reefer]

12 hours ago, banasophia said:

Looks so good… that rock flower remains my favorite… beautiful!

 

You may want to do a bit of research on Hollywood stunners in nanos if you haven’t already… I don’t usually stock chalices in my nanos because they can have long sweepers at night that may be able to reach other corals in a small tank. I had gotten a Hollywood stunner in the beginning with my Biocube 16 but I watched it at night after lights out and sure enough, very long sweepers so I removed it… and thought to myself oh, that’s why they call it a stunner, not just because it’s stunning looking but it could stun my other corals

Thanks for the advice ! I wasn’t planning on putting it in but when a piece broke off I thought I’d try.  I’m still experimenting with what works and what doesn’t so whenever I get a free frag because I’m clumsy in my other tank I like to toss it in and see what happens. I figure that as things grow and get too big I’ll have to look at trading them in.  

[416Reefer]

 

Well this week's reefing adventures got cut a little bit short when the whole family came down with COVID one after another!  Everyone is fine but the tank was probably a bit neglected but still seems to be done well!

 

At this point I am just waiting to find a small green torch to put next to the NY Knicks and waiting for my Birds of Paradise colony in my other tank to be large enough to frag a piece off.  The Reef Casa light seems to be doing a great job growing LPS, SPS and soft corals.. I am slowly bringing up the intensity and have it at about 60% on the blue spectrum right now with a little bit of white and light blue to balance it out.    

 

I'm still debating on whether or not to set up the protein skimmer.. things seem to be doing well and I don't want to mess with things if I don't need to.  I've started feeding every couple of days so I will see if that means that I need to add it to prevent algae.  My clean up crew is a little bit light I think.. I tried adding a Halloween Hermit but he was a bulldozer so right now he is in my wife's empty Flat 6 until I get around to returning him.

 

This little tank continues to impress me.  I am going to set up a 5 gallon bucket under the stand and use it as an ATO resevoir for both my tanks.. the little backpack until I put together works well for now but we plan to travel a bit in the summer so I will need more volume for the ATO.  I also have to get my cardinalfish to start eating pellets by then too!  Any advice?

 

Things are still moving along well and I seem to have broken my torch coral curse, as the torch in this tank is now splitting into 2 heads.  I'm thinking of getting one more rockflower anemone, although you would think I would have learned my lesson!

 

[Sharbuckle]

I generally haven't liked the stax rock In the past. However, I think you've done an excellent job creating a scape for this tank with it! Great job!! 

 

Excited to follow along and watch this tank progress. 

[416Reefer]

1 hour ago, Sharbuckle said:

I generally haven't liked the stax rock In the past. However, I think you've done an excellent job creating a scape for this tank with it! Great job!! 

 

Excited to follow along and watch this tank progress. 

Thank you ! I’ve used Caribsea shapes in the past but with this tank I wanted to try something new.. I decided to just try and cram in as much colour as possible rather than try and do anything natural looking.  So far I like it but I’m not sure I’d use staxx for a bigger tank.. I’ve seen people do amazing things with it but I don’t have the skill !

[Sharbuckle]

10 hours ago, 416Reefer said:

Thank you ! I’ve used Caribsea shapes in the past but with this tank I wanted to try something new.. I decided to just try and cram in as much colour as possible rather than try and do anything natural looking.  So far I like it but I’m not sure I’d use staxx for a bigger tank.. I’ve seen people do amazing things with it but I don’t have the skill !

I think you do have the skill!

[banasophia]

35 minutes ago, Sharbuckle said:

I think you do have the skill!

Agreed!! @416Reefer your staxx scape is really awesome!!! 

[416Reefer]

10 hours ago, banasophia said:

Agreed!! @416Reefer your staxx scape is really awesome!!! 

That’s very kind ! 

[416Reefer]

Well I decided to risk it and added another torch coral this week.  The first one has done really well in this tank so I thought I would try my luck once more.  Working with hammers and torches is probably my least favorite thing to do so it was a bit stressful!

 

I moved the NY Knicks torch into the back corner (the stem was just too tall for where it was and I decided it looked a little funny.  That opened up the spot right in front for the new torch.  Hopefully the first torch doesn't mind being moved and the new one does well... it's always a bit of a coin flip with torches.

 

I have to move one of the blastos on the lower rockwork that is getting too shaded but I am going to wait for a week to let the torches settle before I stick my hand in the tank again.  

 

I added (and then quickly removed) a Halloween Hermit crab that I thought would be good for keeping the sandbed turned over since the tank isn't big enough for a sand sifting starfish but he was a bit of a bulldozer and knocked everything over so back to the store he went!

 

Hopefully the torches tolerate the move well and keep thriving!  I'm still torn about whether or not to set up the protein skimmer... I probably will in the next couple of weeks.

[Sharbuckle]

2 hours ago, 416Reefer said:

Well I decided to risk it and added another torch coral this week.  The first one has done really well in this tank so I thought I would try my luck once more.  Working with hammers and torches is probably my least favorite thing to do so it was a bit stressful!

 

I moved the NY Knicks torch into the back corner (the stem was just too tall for where it was and I decided it looked a little funny.  That opened up the spot right in front for the new torch.  Hopefully the first torch doesn't mind being moved and the new one does well... it's always a bit of a coin flip with torches.

 

I have to move one of the blastos on the lower rockwork that is getting too shaded but I am going to wait for a week to let the torches settle before I stick my hand in the tank again.  

 

I added (and then quickly removed) a Halloween Hermit crab that I thought would be good for keeping the sandbed turned over since the tank isn't big enough for a sand sifting starfish but he was a bit of a bulldozer and knocked everything over so back to the store he went!

 

Hopefully the torches tolerate the move well and keep thriving!  I'm still torn about whether or not to set up the protein skimmer... I probably will in the next couple of weeks.

Torches look pretty happy. Sorry to hear the Halloween was an annoyance. Love those things! 

[416Reefer]

Thought everything was looking pretty good this evening ! 

[416Reefer]

The Reef Casa Studio 12 has been up and running for about 4 months now and I have to say that I've been nothing but happy with this little tank.  I really like how simple it has been to set up and maintain.  Water changes are a breeze with a tank this size and the precut filter floss makes it so easy to keep the water nice and clean.  

 

I've added the media basket and that has certainly helped to organize my chemipure and other filtration.  I am considering upgrading to the Sicce pump but I'm hesitant to mess with the success I have had so far.

 

I'm really happy with how all the corals are growing.  I had a few issues with blastos at the beginning but I think that was my fault for putting them in too much light.  I can't get over how great the torches are looking, considering how much trouble I have had growing torches in the past.  The easy SPS corals are growing, although I think I need to move one of the forest fire montiporas out of the way of the NY Knicks torch.

 

I'm not sure where to go from here.. the top top ledge definitely needs more corals but I'm not sure whether I frag something out of my bigger tank or get something encrusting like a cyphastrea to give that ledge some colour.  I think the sandbed is full, especially once the acans start to grow.  

[banasophia]

It looks really great! Awesome that the torches are doing so well. 
 

Not sure about an encrusting cyphastrea there… I’m thinking that may be too much light and also would be worried about it overgrowing your other corals if it does do well there. I had cyphastrea and GSP on the back wall of my Biocube 32 and the cyphastrea grew fast and has totally grown over the GSP and covered it up/killed it off. 

[416Reefer]

Getting some really good polyp extension on my sps corals. Granted I’m not trying to keep acros in this tank but the birdsnests, montipora and anacropora are all doing well! 

[PJPS]

On 1/15/2023 at 9:02 PM, 416Reefer said:

I think right now the changes are going to start to slow down in the tank a little bit.  I did add a small piece of Hollywood stunner chalice that broke off a larger frag in my big tank and moved a few things around on the sandbed but no major purchases or additions.  

 

I am working towards getting both of my tanks reasonably automated between now and the summer so we can travel so a lot of my investments are going to go to gear rather than livestock for the next little while.  I'm getting pretty good at figuring out how to make the Apex do double duty on both the tanks.

 

All of the corals that I have put in the Reef Casa tank have done really well and the light really has held its own.  I have bought a protein skimmer but I am hesitant to set it up and mess with the tank's nutrient levels since things are going really smoothly.  I am going to start feeding the corals a bit so I may need to set it up if I start to get any nuisance algae.  I've never run a tank without a skimmer before but maybe I dont need one?

 

I am still thinking about adding one more peaceful fish, preferably one that will eat pellets.. not sure about which one though.  Does anyone have any suggestions?

skip the skimmer, I'm pulling mine from the SPS tank (eshopps nano).  They do SO little on a small tank, and fill up with mostly water - slow water movement through your mechanical after 18h is enough for an ATO to overfill over time, the sensor keeps being exposed as the pump spits water faster than it pulls, so you wet skim, and that cup ain't big.

 

As for automation, on top of various apex failsafes - autofeeder, auto water changer.  I like the auto aqua AWC.  Even if only temporarily for vacations etc, the water changes should dilute any evil.  This is my permanent setup, but 3 ugly home depot buckets do the same job.

 

 

[416Reefer]

5 hours ago, PJPS said:

skip the skimmer, I'm pulling mine from the SPS tank (eshopps nano).  They do SO little on a small tank, and fill up with mostly water - slow water movement through your mechanical after 18h is enough for an ATO to overfill over time, the sensor keeps being exposed as the pump spits water faster than it pulls, so you wet skim, and that cup ain't big.

 

As for automation, on top of various apex failsafes - autofeeder, auto water changer.  I like the auto aqua AWC.  Even if only temporarily for vacations etc, the water changes should dilute any evil.  This is my permanent setup, but 3 ugly home depot buckets do the same job.

 

 

Wow. That’s a beautiful setup.  I have an Apex that is running double duty on my reefer 200xl and this tank.  Can’t auto feed because my bangaii cardinal fish will only eat frozen mysis!