12g Long Reef tank build

[BeardSellsYYC]

Hey all, I have been in the hobby for about 30 years now, 2 year I had to shut down my fully self sustained bio cube reef due to a basket ball sized Anemone dying, recently me and my GF have decided to do a 12g Long build, haven't decided on inhabitants yet most likely 2 clowns and a nem then using a color tone greens and pinks and a full GSP "grass bed" on the bottom of the tank.

 

Tank:

12 Gallon Long AquaTop tank 35.4"(L) x 8.25"(D) x 9.5"(H) 

 

Lighting:

AI Prime HD Reef Light

 

Water:

Pure RODI from my local shop

 

Salt:

Instant Ocean Sea Salt

 

Flow:

ECO slim Hygger wave maker

No name wave maker for cycle

 

Equipment:

MarinePure High performance Biofilter Media-Block 6 pieces cut at 6"L x 1"W x 1"T (this should be more then enough even without live rock and sand)

FZONE Auto Top Off

Power Center Day/Night Timer with Wave maker timer

MicroBacter7

Amazon Stand rated at 200lbs

Orphek Coral Lens Extra wide

Tekco Plus Portable Refractometer

 

Undecided Equipment:

Hygger Mini Wave Maker 1600gph

EHEIM Skim 350

 

Livestock:

Purple Painted reef rock roughly 10-12lbs

5 Astrea Snails

5 Yellow tipped Hermits

 

Coral: Plans to get

GSP "grass" mat across bottom

Zoa Garden

Red/Green Montipora (grafted together)

Hollywood Stunner Chalice Coral

 

I plan to have the chalice and montis all on the left side and the Zoe garden on the lower end, need some idea for the floating shelves as well 

 

I started with a Kessil Light but later decided to use my AI Prime with custom settings. the stand was bought off Amazon, I am currently cycling the rocks to make sure they are 100% clean. 

 

Next week I will empty the tank refill with Distilled water add the salt and the games begin!

 

It took me 8 years to get my cube to be 100% self sustained requiring no water changes for literally 10 years. So hopefully I can work that magic again with this tank.

 

Forming the rock scape, we siliconed the main pieces together as well as I add silicon "feet" onto the rocks as I am keeping a bare bottom and did not want the rock to contact the tank.

 

Tested the Kessil but its too blue and the prime just has SOOO many options and customizations you would be crazy to use anything else.

 

 

Final Fit and finish, rocks are in place with floating shelves and swim space on the right.

 

FZONE auto top off, what a fabulous improvement on the old float valves we used to use. next I need to build or buy a custom "clean looking" reservoir 

[BeardSellsYYC]

Started the cycle today, we measured out the salt water and got it to 34-35ppm, then added it to the tank using the new little ATO pump (fantastic and easy), going out today to buy a Shrimp to add for 72hrs to start cycle, as well I ordered Brightwell Aquatics MicroBacter7

 

Benjamin's Aquarium a local reef store provided me with 15g free RODI water

 

Filling the tank, the closed tub on the left side will hold RODI top up water until I can get a custom reservoir made.

 

amazing salinity meter made the job easy, come along way since using the little manual ones you fill with water with the float leaver. aiming for a steady 34-35ppm

 

Tank is full added in 2 powerheads, a Jeabo with a wave controller (this will stay), and a no name one that will be removed after cycle completes (unless i want more flow).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BeardSellsYYC]

amonia is almost zero, nitrite and nitrate is zero, cycle complete so I added in my clean up crew and turned the light on,

 

5 Yellow Tipped Hermits and 5 Astrea Snails

 

Trying my new reef Camera lenses on my phone, need a lot more practice

 

 

 

 

[BeardSellsYYC]

Tanks been running now roughly a month, I added snails and crabs in last week and everything was good for a week, snails are all dead it seems like now, ammonia is between 0.5 and 1.0 (side note crabs seem to be ok)

 

other readings are 

Nitrate 0

Nitrite 0

pH 8.0

KH (hardness) 120

GH (general hardness) 180

 

I have only used RODI and instant ocean sea salt, I don't know enough about parameters to know if my bottom 3 are bad or good? also not sure why the snails died

salinity measures at 1.026 and temp is steady at 78-79 degrees.

 

Appreciate any help from you fellow reefers

 

[ReefGoat]

Ok here’s the deal. Your tank has not been running for a month. You posted the start of your tank on Oct 6th. 
 

you’re using dry rock and no sand. Bare bottom tanks take a little more care and are a tad more difficult to get started in the beginning. Theyre not going to cycle near as fast as a tank with sand. They’re obviously way easier and cleaner to maintain as the tank matures. Here’s what I think is going on. 
 

you fishless cycled but you used the dead shrimp method for your ammonia source instead of following the Dr. Tim’s fishless cycle method, with ammonium chloride. Which is a way more efficient way of cycling your tank than dead shrimp. In my opinion you’re rushing this. You only started on Oct. 6th. What is that like 2.5 weeks, almost 3? I’ve never started a dry rock tank and successfully completed a cycle sooner than at least 4 weeks. I question wether your tank is truly cycled.

 

onto your second problem. You’ve added a CUC crew. But what are they eating? Is there much for a bunch of scavengers and herbivores to eat in a 2.5 week old tank that may or may not even be cycled? 
 

The combination of no food and the presence of ammonia is likely what’s killing your CUC. I say slow down a bit. ESPECIALLY with a brand new bare bottom and Carib sea life rock. 

[Sprinter70]

To add to all that reefgoat said above, definitely went quick here and just so you know, 0 ammonium, 0 nitrate and 0 nitrite means your cycle has not even started yet, not that it is complete.

 

Best scenario:

If you can, bring the livestock back to where you got it and keep your lights off until you have 0ammonium and 0 nitrite and some nitrates showing up. If your livestock starts to canabalize your ammonia is going to skyrocket and you can crash your cycle if your ammonium gets too high (over 2 is risky).

 

Runner up scenario:

Try to find a few pieces of live rock and add them to your tank, I caution you it is hard to find good clean live rock that is free of pests, but it will be an immediate partial cycle and some food for your livestock.

love the tank build and can’t wait to see how it shapes up, but just another word of warning, GSP will outgrow and smother everything, unless you do chalice corals , galaxea or other stinging corals on all the rocks (these will sting every other kind of coral to death), you will only have GSP in short order.

 

[Sprinter70]

Just to explain crashing your cycle, elevated ammonia in the tank can kill the bacteria the process nitrite to nitrate and can even kill the bacteria that process ammonia (I think I got that right). But it’s a good way to work yourself in circles for a few months with an empty tank.

[BeardSellsYYC]

57 minutes ago, ReefGoat said:

Ok here’s the deal. Your tank has not been running for a month. You posted the start of your tank on Oct 6th. 
 

you’re using dry rock and no sand. Bare bottom tanks take a little more care and are a tad more difficult to get started in the beginning. Theyre not going to cycle near as fast as a tank with sand. They’re obviously way easier and cleaner to maintain as the tank matures. Here’s what I think is going on. 
 

you fishless cycled but you used the dead shrimp method for your ammonia source instead of following the Dr. Tim’s fishless cycle method, with ammonium chloride. Which is a way more efficient way of cycling your tank than dead shrimp. In my opinion you’re rushing this. You only started on Oct. 6th. What is that like 2.5 weeks, almost 3? I’ve never started a dry rock tank and successfully completed a cycle sooner than at least 4 weeks. I question wether your tank is truly cycled.

 

onto your second problem. You’ve added a CUC crew. But what are they eating? Is there much for a bunch of scavengers and herbivores to eat in a 2.5 week old tank that may or may not even be cycled? 
 

The combination of no food and the presence of ammonia is likely what’s killing your CUC. I say slow down a bit. ESPECIALLY with a brand new bare bottom and Carib sea life rock. 

Appreciate the response, I did not know that bare bottom would have a slower effect but it makes sense. there is a bunch of film on the glass as I have had the lights on for 2 weeks so that's what they are eating, I will let it sit another 2-3 weeks and see where its at. thanks a bunch!

[Sprinter70]

2 hours ago, BeardSellsYYC said:

Tanks been running now roughly a month, I added snails and crabs in last week and everything was good for a week, snails are all dead it seems like now, ammonia is between 0.5 and 1.0 (side note crabs seem to be ok)

 

other readings are 

Nitrate 0

Nitrite 0

pH 8.0

KH (hardness) 120

GH (general hardness) 180

 

I have only used RODI and instant ocean sea salt, I don't know enough about parameters to know if my bottom 3 are bad or good? also not sure why the snails died

salinity measures at 1.026 and temp is steady at 78-79 degrees.

 

Appreciate any help from you fellow reefers

 

I would recommend more robust test kits than the strips. There also is not much testing needed this early on without corals consuming minerals from the water. For now, a nitrate and phosphate test kit will be good to know when to do water changes to keep these parameters where you want them. For salinity, I know from experience that the cheap electric meters can degrade over time, for such an important parameter I’d recommend a second tool to keep it honest. A refractometer and calibration fluid are my go to but a calibrated hydrometer would work as well. As you add corals, calcium and carbonate test kits should be the next to your arsenal. If the values are off from your salt mix specs early on, something about the test kits or your methods may be off, but over time the corals should consume these from the water and depress the values between water changes. Once you start dosing to correct values for calcium and alkalinity between water changes, it will be time to get a magnesium test kit.

[BeardSellsYYC]

55 minutes ago, Sprinter70 said:

I would recommend more robust test kits than the strips. There also is not much testing needed this early on without corals consuming minerals from the water. For now, a nitrate and phosphate test kit will be good to know when to do water changes to keep these parameters where you want them. For salinity, I know from experience that the cheap electric meters can degrade over time, for such an important parameter I’d recommend a second tool to keep it honest. A refractometer and calibration fluid are my go to but a calibrated hydrometer would work as well. As you add corals, calcium and carbonate test kits should be the next to your arsenal. If the values are off from your salt mix specs early on, something about the test kits or your methods may be off, but over time the corals should consume these from the water and depress the values between water changes. Once you start dosing to correct values for calcium and alkalinity between water changes, it will be time to get a magnesium test kit.

agreed I got rid of the electric one other then using it to spot check temp, I have a Portable Refractometer

[Reefkid88]

Salifert tests are the bare mimimum I would say are good to use. A quality kit for sure,but test water with those strips is asking for trouble. 

[BeardSellsYYC]

Week 4 update

 

snails are all dead, Crabs are alive and doing well, so I will wait another month before getting snails. Brown phase has started although its hard to see with the purple rocks so that's a bonus. I have set the lights to acclimation mode for 30 days at 20% just so I can still see the tank during the day, using Deadlight program. 

 

I also added in some more Biofilter Media-Block to compensate for having no sand, it hides nicely behind the rock but is still visible from the one side (ill have to figure out a way to hide it better)

 

eventually I will order a AI 30" Blade and a AI wave maker I think.

 

So far I have done 1 x 25% water change, not really testing the water just taking advise from you guys and going to let it do its thing for another month or more.

[growsomething]

Have you checked out wvreefer's 12g?  Flow only, no filter.  Interesting successful tank.

 

[Staticmoves]

3 hours ago, BeardSellsYYC said:

So far I have done 1 x 25% water change

Hi there. no water changes until your No3 (nitrate) or Po4 (Phosphate) start creeping up. if you do, and you bottom out Po4, it can stunt the cycle and or spur on a Dino outbreak.

if you don't have any coral yet, best to run without lights for the first few months to let biofilm build on rockwork before algae. just toss a piece of algae wafer in the tank daily for the crabs.

general No3 Po4 numbers to start with.

No3 5.00ppm

Po4 0.05ppm

if they reach No3 8-10ppm and P04 0.08-0.10ppm........... time for a water change. (This is a little nugget I would tuck in your book of trick's) do a little reading on it before you take my word for it, as well as the no lights for a few months.

 

following along...............

[BeardSellsYYC]

I wanted to try to find a piece of established live rock for my tank to help finish/kickstart the cycle properly and luckely I found a local reefer selling GSP on a rock from a gorgeous tank, so for the cost of a fish store rock I got a larger piece with the coral that I mainly want in my tank, Seemed like a win win

 

the light didn't seem like enough spread as the GSP wasn't opening after 2 days in the tank so I added my Kessil on one side (until I buy a blade) and I came home today to almost all of the rock 50% open which is great. Now we just sit and wait another month or 2 for everything to be stabilized and perfect

 

Kessil Tuna on one side and the AI prime on the other, I hate that it doesn't look symmetric but that's ok until I splurge on a blade

 

Heres a photo dump trying my Camera lenses, CPL Polarized, 15k Orange and 20k Yellow, 

 

 

 

 

 

no lense

 

 

[growsomething]

That is a great move for this tank.  Should go well if'n you have good water from here on out.  I really like the way the tank looks on the right side, but then I like natural sunlight, the way things look when snorkling vs diving.

[BeardSellsYYC]

week 6 update:

 

we have diatoms and brown algae.......lots of it, GSP looking more healthy every day.

 

Should be ready by January to add my first fish and an Anemone.

 

 

[BeardSellsYYC]

Week 7 update:

 

Diatoms are slowly dying down and disappearing and I found a new tank friend! maybe a hitchhiker from the GSP rock? either way we have achieved first new life (other then the 5 added crabs who I can see motoring around at night)

 

 Diatoms slowly receding 

 

New friend appeared today, had to have come from the GSP rock, but either way signs of life feels really good after 8 weeks of nothing

[BeardSellsYYC]

Week 8 update

 

added some new friends a local reefer was having a deal $10 per zoa frag, literally cant say no to that. along with a galaxy chalise