Waterbox AIO 15 Set Up - Beginner

[hoffdawg]

About 2 months ago, I had my first start to setting up a saltwater aquarium. Reading through the forums, I took my chance on a used set up and looked for around 40 gallons. I had spent a few weeks prior doing research and had listed out equipment that I thought could help me kick off my first reef tank.

I ended up buying a Red sea Reef 170 with sump. The seller gave me his whole set up which included an AI prime HD 16, kraken lid, Ice Cap K2-50 skimmer, Jebao cross flow wave pump, and a Sicca Synca 3.0 return pump. The guy was nice enough to give me salt and net. The only challenge was that the tank held 2 clown fish, sand and reef rock. My first impression was that this was a steal for $800.

I made a quick purchase and took everything home. He gave me 3 buckets to help transport reef rock, sand and water. Once home, I realized that the weight of the tank was concerning in the place I wanted to put the tank. To buy myself some time I filled the tank halfway, gave it some water movement, and bought a 5 gallon tank, heater and filter to hold the fish for a few days while I figured things out.

The AI prime wasn’t working day 1, so I ran back to Petco and bought a light. I also started to get test kits because I was worried about the 2 clown fish. The ammonia level was off the charts, so I spent the next week doing twice daily water changes, testing non stop, and trying to build back a biofilter by dosing Seachem prime, pristine and stability. About a month later, I finally went through the cycle. I was very confused during the cycle because I used his sand, rock and bioballs which were over a year old and should have had some bacteria since everything was kept in moving water. I even found nitrate within the first week which never showed back up until week 4.

I am still concerned with weight at the moment, so I’ve decided to abandon the Red Sea Reef 170 and start an Waterbox AIO 15 build. Can’t be harder than the last 2 months using the 5 gallon in my opinion, but I’d take any advice.

I will build the Red Sea Reefer but testing, water changes and monitoring all appear easier in a small tank. I know I’ll be sacrificing a little bit of stability but I have some ideas on that too which I will share.

The Build:

• Waterbox AIO 15 Penisulla
• inTank Chamber One Media Basket
• inTank Filtration Cover
• MightyJet Desktop AIO DC Return Pump (326 GPH) - Innovative Marine
• Kessil Tuna Blue A80 LED light
• Kessil Spectral Controller X
• Eheim Thermocontroller e75 Heater
• Inkbird ITC-306A WiFi Temperature Controller
• Tunze Comline DOC Protein Skimmer 9001
• Tunze 3152.000 Nano Osmolator, ATO

Sand/Rock

• CaribSea Arag-Alive Fiji Pink
• CaribSea inc Life Rock Shapes

Other

• DrTim’s Aquatic Reef One & Only Nitrifying Bacteria
• DrTim’s Ammonia Chloride
• Polyp Lab Reef Primer
• Polyp Lab Reef -Roids Coral Food
• Blue Oceans Corals Coral Rx Dip Aquarium Treatment
• Hanna Alkalinity Tester
• Salifert Ultimate Reef Test Kit
• API Marine Saltwater Master Test Kit

I’ve tried to read, watch and listen to all of your posts. If something stands out as a red flag let me know.

I went with Kessil instead of AI Prime HD 16 because of the failure with the one I bought. The fan was making a clicking noise and I took apart the AI prime and felt it was above my skill to change the fan. Even though I saw there was a fan kit. I like the fact that Kessil was fanless and could either upgrade when for the larger tank or buy an additional A80 since I already have the controller.

I have some time to consider filtration so if everything above looks okay, then I wanted to talk about stability.

In the chamber one media basket, I want to put:

• Aqua Experts Aquarium Filter Floss
• Aquatic Experts Premium Granular Activated Aquarium Carbon
• MaxSpec Nano-Tech Bio Sphere Media Ceramic

Here is where things get interesting. In chamber 2, I am considering placing the Comline Pump 2500 for a MAR 3181 Macro Algea Chaeto Reactor below the protein skimmer. Then in series or in parallel plumbing an Aquaviolet 8 Watt Classic UV Sterilizer. If I did in series, then I would place the UV prior to the Algea Reactor and try to grow pods within the reactor. I know this is likely overkill for a 15 gallon, but I am looking for the building blocks to expanding the aquarium setup with larger tanks. I am also thinking that the increased water volume in the total system may help with stability.

I’ll post pictures once the water clears, just added the sand.

 

[Ron Reefman]

IMHO you are WAY over thinking the 15g build.

I have a 40g AIO cube with lots of LPS & SPS corals, 3 rock flower anemones, a rose bubble tip, 2 mini-maxi anemones, a few shrimp, sea stars, and some small hermits and snails. I use a filter sock and a layer of extra media between the sock and the return pump. I do have a quality Reef Breeders Photon light. No skimmer, no carbon and no anything else ( also no fish). I do a 20g water change every 6 to 8 weeks. I dose Ca (DowFlake snow melt) and alk (swimming pool soda ash) every day. I add Kent Mg as needed, maybe every 2 months. I don't feed much except to the anemones and the shrimp.

This tank has been running for over a year and the corals are growing as fast as I would consider normal.

 

[hoffdawg]

Appreciate the feedback Ron. I guess I should list out my goals:

1) Maximize stability
2) Minimize water changes
3) Reduce import/export

I do want a system that is slightly “overkill” just for the reason that I want to minimize risk (even small) of tank crash. Although, I’m not sure a second heater is practical. In the 5 gallon, I’m noticing that the amount of water greatly influences the fluctuations. I want to increase the volume in the system without increasing the footprint of the system. I’m guessing that this is probably the biggest factor on improving stability at the moment.

I think the current build is pretty standard setup with the only deviation would be adding a media reactor and UV set up.

I’ve read some posts and watched a few videos that seem to indicate both end up being introduced at some point to increase stability. Usually in response to some type of problem. I haven’t seen both used together on a tank of this size and in the way that I am proposing. I’d like to be proactive without too much of a good thing having a negative reaction.

Here are my concerns with the idea:

1) Adding a pump to chamber 2 may making balancing the tank to difficult to control.
2) Too much system volume through a UV in a small setup may cause too much bacteria removal and decrease stability.

Any thoughts on adding a macro Algea reactor and UV in chamber 2? I’d take feedback on both positives and negatives with this idea.

 

[Katrina71]

You probably had issues because you used his sand. Jmo

 

[hoffdawg]

Here is a picture of the set up and his sand…

 

[hoffdawg]

Here is when I set up at home, 5 gallon rescue tank, and nitrite day one in the rescue tank using the water from his tank.

 

[Macbalacano]

Welcome to R2R! I have the same tank as you and set it up with live rock just 6 weeks ago. You can check out my tank thread under my picture for more details.

Thanks for providing all the information and sorry for all the hassle you experienced on the Reefer 170, which was also my previous tank a couple of years ago!

Just some thoughts to share with you (in no particular order):

- I would stop using API test kits. They are very well known to be inaccurate for reefing. I would use your Hanna and Salifert tests.

- I would rinse any sand in running water until it runs clear. There is a lot of information on sand on this forum. Its a lot of work but you do it once and it will save you a lot of pain and heartache in the future. I spent about 3 hours myself doing this.

- I think the last person lied to you about the age of the rock. That rock looks pretty white to me. It looks barely cycled. That likely was a big part of the problem you had initially.

- I admire your willingness to add a skimmer, UV, and chaeto reactor. To each their own, but I also think this is a bit ambitious and may not be necessary. I think there are other simpler/cheaper ways to achieve what you may be after. But it really also depends on what you plan to house for livestock. First off, with a 15 gallon, you cannot really keep that many fish. I would probably say 4 fish at most really. You could have a lot of inverts and a lot of coral, however. Right now I have 2 fish and 40+ corals and I am having a tough time maintaining detectable nitrates. Phosphates are 0.09ppm stable while using Chemi Pure Elite (has a little GFO in it). All I use is filter floss, activated carbon, and Chemi Pure Elite. I feed the fish twice a day, as much as they can eat. I do not feed the corals. I barely have any nuisance algae, and feel that if I had a skimmer or chaeto that my nutrients would bottom out to 0.

- I would personally not feed reef roids. I used to in my last tank and my nutrients, especially phosphates were all over the place. You can do your own research here too, lots of people have issues with it and high phosphates.

- I know you mentioned you want all these extra things to prevent a tank crash, but I am of the exact opposite mindset. I think having a more complicated setup, like the one you are planning, increases the risk of a tank crash. You simply have more things that can go wrong. Having more components also makes troubleshooting harder and more likely to make a mistake, more likely to miss something when it comes to maintenance, more expensive in the long run, etc. I personally think the most successful reefs are the ones that stick to the basics and do it very well. I went from a very complicated system to now a much more simpler system and I couldn't be happier.

Just wanted to share my thoughts and experience. Of course everyone is welcome to choose their own path and whichever way you choose, wishing you well on your reefing adventure. This is a great community to learn and bounce ideas from. Will follow your journey!

 

[hoffdawg]

Great thoughts, really good advice. I think I will take it and hold off for now. New tank is cycling. As promised, here is the display.

I’m thinking of purchasing a RCA Variable Flow Nozzle. The current flow appears to be directed just in front of the nozzle. You can see the sand displacemen while cycling. Day 3 now at 2PPM ammonia.

 

[Jajo1390]

I’ve got a very similar set-up to you. I get the desire to go overkill, it’s seriously fun and who doesn’t love mini versions of big things.

- Instead of the reactor, I went with a 3.7g tank for a refugium (talk about overkill!). I love it. It draws from chamber 2 (where I also have my UV) and returns into chamber 3. I think your plan for the reactor will work well. May take some tinkering to get the flow right.

- My Kessil A-80 (5 inches off the water) did not provide enough light for some of my higher-PAR corals, so I added a 12-inch AI blade Glow (instead of grow). The glow is offset by running the Kessil on high color, so it keeps that daytime look but all the corals just pop. I love the look and the corals seem much, much happier. So consider this if you find your corals (especially SPS) are struggling. If set on Kessil (as I am, love them and will always have them over my tanks), I think 2 A-80’s would be great, or a single A-160.

- Another thing, I highly recommend washing your sand even if it’s live. It took me all morning to get it running clear (seriously like 4 hours for this 15g), but I do think it helps with clouding. No worries if it’s too late

- I transitioned from reef roids to benereef and have had better control of my phosphate since. Though that was around the same time as adding the fuge, so tough to tell. If struggling with phos, consider trying benereef

-I’m running a pair of small frostbite clowns, a very small Midas blenny and a naked goby. I feel maxed out on fish, would not run more than this and will move the blenny when he grows, currently he’s under an inch.

There are WAY cheaper (and more simple) ways to do this, but I have had so much fun making this set up and keeping it going, and I’m sure you will too.

I think once you’re set up, you’re going to be really happy. Overkill? Definitely. But it’s not necessarily a bad thing if it works, and it’s good practice for moving to bigger tanks.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Just some thoughts to share with you (in no particular order):

- I would stop using API test kits. They are very well known to be inaccurate for reefing. I would use your Hanna and Salifert tests.

I have used API and Salifert test kits side by side. I get virtually the same results for both whenever I compare them. The API kits don't graduate into units as small as Salifert does, but that doesn't mean they are less accurate.

- I would rinse any sand in running water until it runs clear. There is a lot of information on sand on this forum. Its a lot of work but you do it once and it will save you a lot of pain and heartache in the future. I spent about 3 hours myself doing this.

I agree completely! I put old sand in a 5-7g bucket. Then I take the garden hose and push it up and down in the sand until the water overflowing the bucket is mostly clear. Then drain the bucket as best as you can. The tiny amount of water left behind will not be an issue!

- I think the last person lied to you about the age of the rock. That rock looks pretty white to me. It looks barely cycled. That likely was a big part of the problem you had initially.

- I admire your willingness to add a skimmer, UV, and chaeto reactor. To each their own, but I also think this is a bit ambitious and may not be necessary. I think there are other simpler/cheaper ways to achieve what you may be after. But it really also depends on what you plan to house for livestock. First off, with a 15 gallon, you cannot really keep that many fish. I would probably say 4 fish at most really. You could have a lot of inverts and a lot of coral, however. Right now I have 2 fish and 40+ corals and I am having a tough time maintaining detectable nitrates. Phosphates are 0.09ppm stable while using Chemi Pure Elite (has a little GFO in it). All I use is filter floss, activated carbon, and Chemi Pure Elite. I feed the fish twice a day, as much as they can eat. I do not feed the corals. I barely have any nuisance algae, and feel that if I had a skimmer or chaeto that my nutrients would bottom out to 0.

I agree with the comment that you are being a bit too ambitious. Take your time. Consider not adding fish until much later... if at all!

- I would personally not feed reef roids. I used to in my last tank and my nutrients, especially phosphates were all over the place. You can do your own research here too, lots of people have issues with it and high phosphates.

There are so many foods out there, and most of them are just a waste of money IMHO. Just like so many of the chemistries that are out there to try and help with your tank. Most of them aren't needed and some of them are just 'snakeoil'. Nobody dumps this stuff into the ocean to keep reefs running, why should you?

- I know you mentioned you want all these extra things to prevent a tank crash, but I am of the exact opposite mindset. I think having a more complicated setup, like the one you are planning, increases the risk of a tank crash. You simply have more things that can go wrong. Having more components also makes troubleshooting harder and more likely to make a mistake, more likely to miss something when it comes to maintenance, more expensive in the long run, etc. I personally think the most successful reefs are the ones that stick to the basics and do it very well. I went from a very complicated system to now a much more simpler system and I couldn't be happier.

I agree completely, 100% and then some. The longer I've been in the hobby (20+ years) the less I see the need for all the 'stuff' that is out there. Just take your time and it should all work out.

Just wanted to share my thoughts and experience. Of course everyone is welcome to choose their own path and whichever way you choose, wishing you well on your reefing adventure. This is a great community to learn and bounce ideas from. Will follow your journey!

Instead of the reactor, I went with a 3.7g tank for a sump/refugium (talk about overkill!). This is also to have a cool-looking Fuge just below the DT. I love it. It draws from chamber 2 (where I also have my UV) and returns into chamber 3. All I have right now is miracle mud, dragons breath and chaeto. Still looking for the right macro blend to get the look I want. No reactors or skimmers, don’t feel the need to have them.

The sump/refugium is fine. It looks cool and does provide some help with the DT.

Something to note is I felt my Kessil A-80 did not provide enough light for some of my higher-PAR corals, so I added a 12-inch AI blade Glow (instead of grow). The glow is offset by running the Kessil on high color, so it keeps that daytime look but all the corals just pop. I love the look and the corals seem much, much happier. I’m running a 12-inch AI blade refugium over the fuge for the chaeto. I already had a Nero 3 and I enjoyed the app which is why I went with AI, otherwise would have gone with the Tunze submersible. There are certainly better lights out there for far less $$$, you’re really paying for the app and control. I’m okay with that as I do like the control.

I had a Kessil A-80 for a short while. I considered it to be seriously lacking in PAR (I do have a PAR meter).

Another thing, I highly recommend washing your sand even if it’s live. It took me all morning to get it running clear (seriously like 4 hours for this 15g), but I do think it helps with clouding. Start with live-rock if you can, I’ve had problems finding it recently though.

There are WAY cheaper (and more simple) ways to do this, but I have had so much fun making this set up and keeping it going.

I think once you’re set up, you’re going to be really happy. Overkill? Definitely. But it’s not necessarily a bad thing if it works, and it will get you better at this when you eventually decide to move up in scale.

 

[hoffdawg]

You both were right on time with your advice. I’m exchanging the A-80 for an A-160, but sticking with Kessil.

I have plenty of time right now as the tank cycles. I hate to admit but I didn’t shake the Dr. Tims so I just added the rest of the bottle. I guess we can call today day 1.

I saw a video where the Reef Roids were added as part of the dip. I tested the 5 gallon for reference and my parameters are as follows:

• Ammonia at 0.25 (never at 0, probably over feeding)
• Nitrate at 0.0
• Nitrate at 1 (some pink in the Salifert)
• KH/Alk at 9.9 (still using instant ocean that I was given)
• Ph at 8.2
• PO4 at 1.0
• Ca at 470
• Mg at 1400
• SG at 1.026 (calibrated to dionized water)
• Salinity at 36

In the 5 gallon, I have 2 blue legged hermit crabs and one trochus snail. Any recommendations for a 15 gallon? Also, should I move the clean up crew to the new tank? I am concerned with contamination, or is there a good way to dip or clean the shells.

I bought a few small frags for the 5 gallon, and I am thinking I will:

1. Acclimate them and clean
2. Dip them in hydrogen peroxide and clean
3. Dip them in the Polyp Lab Reef Primer
4. Let then rest in saltwater and the Polyp Lab Reef Roids
5. Add to new tank

Any thoughts on this process?

I am a bit concerned with whatever may be going on in the previous tank. I’m also good with not transferring anything over if need be.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I'm in SW Florida and I collect all kinds of critters (various snails, crabs, anemones, shrimp, sea stars, sea cucumbers, gorgonian corals, soft corals and more) both from the Florida Keys and local SW Florida beaches and estuaries. I quarantine everything I collect for some period of time. But as the years have gone by (I've been collecting for 15+ years) the time I quarantine has become shorter and shorter. Now it's just a day or two for snails and crabs and maybe two more days for others. But the truth is, it's been very obvious to me who get to the DT and who doesn't. And the reject rate is extremely low. Maybe the odd anemone or sea star or sea cucumber who looks distressed. That's probably been 3 or 4 critters out of multiple hundreds of critters I've collected.

I think you fear of contamination is just a bit too high. On the other hand, I always quarantine fish (99% purchased and 1% wild collected) for at least 2 weeks or more. Fish are far more stressed by capture, transport and containment than all the other critters we keep in our tanks. That stress does lead to a variety of diseases that you need to watch out for.

 

[hoffdawg]

I am likely being a bit too cautious. It’s probably caused by the challenges in the way my journey has started. I have found this experience to be more about chemistry and good habits. Admittedly, I thought it would be much easier and I believe once I cycle the new tank things will be a lot better. My first dive into this project was trying to keep fish alive in a 5 gallon while cycling. I think I saw ammonia around 4ppm on at least two occasions which required multiple water changes.

Having spent the last 2 months trading water to balance the constant spikes in ammonia and nitrate, I became fairly proficient in constant testing and keeping logs. Fortunately, testing has slowed way down to once per day and just on parameters that I’m concerned with.

I have a bit of background in chemistry and biology, so as I am doing research I am starting to chart out next steps to achieve stability faster. I’m not under the illusion that some unwanted contamination of the tank can be avoided completely. However, it seems like it’s a race between beneficial bacteria and unwanted bacteria. Reducing or minimizing the concentration levels of unwanted bacteria when introducing any new inhabitants to the tank, seems like a good way to help give the beneficial bacteria a leg up in the race to stability. The alternative would be more patience and allowing the beneficial bacteria to be dominant in the tank.

From what I have read it seems like 6 months is a common target for stability post cycle and after the introduction of fish, invertebrates and corals. I’m assuming this is because after a cycle the beneficial bacteria have achieved enough population to keep ammonia and nitrate levels stable but not necessarily the population to out compete other bacteria or algae for resources. If there are other opinions on this, I would appreciate the feedback.

 

[Ron Reefman]

IMHO, I think you are certainly smart enough to run a saltwater tank. I think the issue is, you are trying to push too fast and then doing too much, too soon to try and correct issues created by moving too fast. Then the corrections start to cause other issues.

This isn't rocket science. It's actually quite easy to keep a saltwater tank if you just take your time. The 6 month time frame you mentioned is again at the early side of the tank maturity range, IMHO. I'd say it's more like 6 to 12 months. And the harder you push to get it there, the more issues you will encounter.

Again, IMHO, I think the 3 things that are the biggest causes for tanks to fail are: 1) trying to move too fast, 2) feeding the tank too much food and 2) using too many chemicals other than the basic Ca, alk and Mg.

 

[hoffdawg]

Too smart for my own good most of the time. Patience is the hard part right now as I want to start moving into the 15 gallon tank. Sounds like there is no speeding up the tank “maturing” process. Thank you for the feedback.

I’m currently cycling with Dr. Tim’s and following the fishless cycle. I started slightly above 2.0 ppm ammonia. I added more ammonia on Day 6 to get back up to 2.0ish. The nitrite levels spiked at 3.0+ around Day 3 and are now dropping.

The directions are to wait until ammonia (and I am assuming nitrite) get below 0.5 to start adding fish. I’ve also tested for nitrate and noticed that the nitrate level keeps climbing. I would assume that total ammonia into take at 3.0 would put nitrite at a max of 3.0 and a max nitrate at 3.0. I’m just counting the number of Nitrogen and doing simple math because they all have the same amount, 1 nitrogen.

Any guesses on the following:

1) How could Nitrite be at 3.0 and Ammonia at 1.0 when I only added 2.0 Ammonia to begin with. My water has no detection of either. I would think that the max nitrogen in the tank is 2ppm of any chemicals.
2) How can nitrate be at 15 ppm if the total amount of ammonia to the tank was 3.0 ammonia?

Alternative, could be bad tests. Admittedly, I’m still using API ammonia and Nitrite test. Salifert for Nitrate and other stuff.

Still waiting on the cycle, bored…

 

[Ron Reefman]

Consider not adding fish first. Try adding some CUC and some soft corals you might like. They are both easier to keep than fish, IMHO.

 

[hoffdawg]

Update on progress… waiting for Nitrite to drop.

Day	Ammonia	Nitrite	Nitrate
4	2.0	0.1	0
5	1.0	0.25+	No Test
6	2.0	2.0	10
7	1.5	1.5 (?)	15
8	1.0	2.0	25
9	0.5	5.0	35

I added 1.0ppm ammonia on day 6. I’m guessing Day 7, I had a bad Nitrite test.

I turned on the light today to see if I get a little algae build up for the CUC.

 

[ReefLife_Guy]

Update on progress… waiting for Nitrite to drop.

Day	Ammonia	Nitrite	Nitrate
4	2.0	0.1	0
5	1.0	0.25+	No Test
6	2.0	2.0	10
7	1.5	1.5 (?)	15
8	1.0	2.0	25
9	0.5	5.0	35

I added 1.0ppm ammonia on day 6. I’m guessing Day 7, I had a bad Nitrite test.

I turned on the light today to see if I get a little algae build up for the CUC.

Your tank appears officially "cycled". I would say you can stop measuring ammonia and nitrite as you have proven your tank can convert ammonia to nitrate. Now I would do a large water change to drop the nitrates to between 5-10ppm and maintain that. Now you can focus on measuring nitrate and phosphate both of which I would not measure with API tests. Don't need to measure ammonia again unless you have concern for something "fouling" your tank like something died or you accidentally spilled a cup of reef roids into the tank lol Also nitrite is not toxic to fish in saltwater so no need to really every measure that again.

Not sure on the units of the above phosphate measurement but if 1.0 ppm that is too high and is probably related to the reef roids. Be very careful with that stuff as it is very nutrient dense and not vital for coral nutrition. It is something you add later on when your tank is consuming nutrients like crazy and you want to promote maximum growth. But you have to be careful in dialing in the amount as to not add excess amounts of nutrients which leads to poor water quality.

Also you assumption that 1ppm ammonia is converted to 1 ppm nitrate is not accurate. I will find a helpful resource and post back here to better explain this cycle but in the meantime think about other sources of ammonia which would be any kind of organic material that could decay or breakdown in the tank (bacteria, plants, fish, fish food, etc.). Also, sorry if I am mixing up tanks my ADHD has a difficult time following this thread lol

 

[jimfish98]

Late to the game, but here are a few thoughts as I have the WB25g.
1- Great pump pick. I run the smaller version and it has been dead silent since day one
2- MarinePure spheres fit great in the second chamber and will boost your bio capacity greatly. I use this and run mine bare bottom in the display.
3- Refugium, sumps, and skimmers are overkill if you are not running a massive bio load. I change 5g biweekly and the fleece roller does the rest to remove stuff from the water column. With the level of stability that gives me, I stopped testing my water regularly. Every 2-3 months and its always the same.
4- There is room in chamber 3 for a drop in UV light. Amazon has a 7w one for less than $20 and they usually last 12-15 months.
5- As others said, the Kessil may not give you the par you want. You can easily replace the fan on the Prime light and for $12.13 plus shipping it is worth the attempt to boost your PAR.

 

[hoffdawg]

Thanks for the advice. I did a 50% water change, only mixed 8 gallons last night. Did a full test as a baseline and was thinking of moving CUC over but decided against it.

SG: 1.027
Salinity: 36
Ph: 8.15 (Salifert Test)
Ammonia: No Test (<0.25ppm API test prior to water change)
Nitrite: 2.0 ppm (API Test)
Nitrate: 25 ppm (Salifert Test)
Alkalinity: 8.4 dKH (Hanna Test)
Calcium: 460 ppm (Salifert Test)
Magnesium: 1410 ppm (Salifert Test)
Phosphate: 0.03 ppm (Salifert Test)

I thought the Nitrite was still too high. I’ve seen both opinions on Nitrite and I figure why rush it, patience seems to be the route to go. Once Nitrate is below 0.5 ppm, I’ll start moving thing over.

I did upgrade the light to the A160 Tuna Blue with the long term goal of getting an A360X for a larger tank. I’m pretty happy with the look right now.