120g The Garden of Hisperides Neptunian Cube

[Sanchez]

Hello all, here is my 120g Neptunian Cube tank (no it's not an actual cube, that's the brand name). It is a recent tank transfer/ tank upgrade from an SCA 50g cube. I love this tank so far, and it's doing so well! I've been shocked and ecstatic about the amount of growth I've seen following the transfer- there were literally no hiccups seen, which is a huge blessing. The tank is a bit light on live rock at the moment because the remaining 50-60lbs of new rock was purchased as dry pukani, and is currently still cycling. I hope it will finish soon, as it takes up a large portion of my garage at the moment and a rather important storage tub. At any rate, small things right? At least the rock will be properly cycled and I avoided having to tub the livestock for weeks rather than just rock.

Neptunian Cube 120g with sump
Started (5/29/20)

Equipment:
Inkbird temperature controller
Hydor 400 watt heater
Smart ATO micro
Trigger systems Emerald 5g ATO reservoir
Jebao DCP 8000 Sine wave return pump
Ice cap 1K gyre wave pump
Reef octopus 110 INT skimmer
Redsea 90 LED x2
Jebao 4 channel dosing pump
Marine color 3 chamber dosing container + 1 single chamber
Marine Color 4 channel tubing holder
Wifi single channel multiplug
Single channel multiplug
Telescoping lightbulb fixture
Highgrow 36W red LED bulb
Small shop light


Filter Media:
Seachem Matrix carbon
Seachem Phosguard
Poly filter - or - fine/medium/coarse filter sponges, depending on my mood for the day. Still testing to see which is best and keeps the micro bubbles at bay.
Filter socks x 1
Media holder x 1
Ball o' chaeto, to become ball o' chaeto, red ogo, and green lettuce tomorrow (I'm notoriously bad at growing macro, but it seems that ever since I started dosing phyto to this tank it's taking off)
Water change schedule - Hopefully monthly or even less frequently- haven't done one yet!


Dosing Schedule:
Seachem Reef fusion 1 QID
Seachem Iodide BID, every other day
Brightwell Aquatics Magnesion QID, every other day
Seachem Reef Fusion 2 QID
Seachem Reef Trace weekly on Wednesdays
Strontium (currently Kent) Q 4 days
Brightwell Microbacter 7 weekly
Testing schedule - weekly on Friday or saturday


Substrate/Aquascape:
Carib Sea Arag Alive white sand 100lbs
Purple live rock from LFS~ 20lbs
Maori live rock from LFS- 26lbs
Pukani dry rock (currently culturing and not mature yet) 50-60lbs
Media blocks in sump


Livestock:
Powder brown tang
Yellow tang
Caribbean blue tang
Starry blenny
Black snowflake clown fish pair
Yellow tail damsel
Yellow Coris wrasse
Leopard wrasse
Tricolor (clown) wrasse
Bicolor blenny
Yellow watchman goby
Blue mandarin
Fire shrimp
Peppermint shrimp x 2
Pincushion urchins
Tiger sand conchs
Electric blue hermit crabs
Halloween hermit crabs
Emerald crabs
Dwarf blue hermit crabs
Tiger pistol shrimp
Bumble bee snails
Trochus snails
Nerite snails
Asterina snails
Cerith snail

Bristle worms-- very few and those all transplants from the Evo.

Green Star polyp x 1 mat
Branching GSP x2
Palys x1 (nebula)
Palys x MANY (not sure on the species but pretty and fast growing)
Purple rhodactus mushroom x 1
Hammer x 2
Torch x1
Green/red Montipora x1
Red montipora x 2
Rainbow mdntipora x 1
Green/blue montipora x 1
Purple Monti x 1
Lime Milliopora x 1
Strawberry staghorn x 1
Green zoa x 1
Blue zoo x 1
Mystery zoa x 2
Leathers x 2
Blue Kenya tree x 1
Sinularia x 3
Pavona x 2
Poccilopora x 1
Rainbow acans x 2
Acan lordowensis x 1
Frogspawn x 1
Cup or scroll coral x 1
Goniopora x 1
Alveopora x 2
Toadstool x 2
Elegance x 1
Brain coral x 2
Ricordea x many on one Tonga branch
Yellow ricordea x 1
Rainbow ricordea x 1
Donut coral x 1
Duncan polyp x 1
Chalice x 2
Pink lemonade SPS x 1
Oregon blue tort x 1
Cali tort x 1
Mitten reef blue teneus x 1
PC rainbow x 1
Red razzleberry x 1
Scrambled eggs zoa
Iron man zoa
Bubblegum digitata
Sunset monti
JF burning banana stylo
Joker cyphastrea
Rainbow cyphastrea
Tropic thunder monti
Vivids ultra millie
Vivids Red kiss acro
Vivids fuzzball millie
Vivid blue tort
Red indo acro
Vivids Cherry's Jubilee acro
Jedi mind trick monti
Tubs Stellata monti
Vivids amethyst pectinia
Vivids liquid lime millie
Vivids blue polyp montipora capricornis
Blue polyp Monti digitata
Sun coral
Superman monti
Rock flower anemone x7
Sherman Rose/Black Widow hybrid bubble tip anemone


Feeding Schedule:
Frozen: cyclops & brine/Nyos Gold pods, two droppers of selcon/ 2/8ths teaspoon of reef roids -- once per day
Frozen: cyclops, brine, marine cuisine, emerald cuisine, reef frenzy, mysis, reef plankton, plankton/ phytoplankton/ zooplankton/ three droppers of selcon/ Zoe/ 2/8th
teaspoon dried spirulina/ 3/8ths teaspoon reef roids/ saltwater--- once per day for all critters
Seaweed -- every day
Pellets: hikari carnivore blend/herbivore blend/ algae pellets -- every other day or so for sump dwellers and display tank
RedSea Coral Nutrition A & B - every three days
Live brine, copepods - every few days, no real schedule
Live phyto (mix of nannochloris, Nannochloropsis, Dunnaliella, Tetraselmis)- also whenever, with pods and brine

 

[Reefing Madness]

 

[Sanchez]

So, the beginning bulk of the information on this tank, and my other two tanks, are on NR. I have the links in my signature, but they're too much information to copy and paste here. So I'll have to just pick up here where I am currently on NR and keep records in both sites .

Only bad thing to happen to this tank so far is that the linkhia blue star I had acclimated for 4 hours last week died yesterday. It ejected all of its foot pods--they actually looked like bristle worms to me until I realized he was crumpled up like a limb blue noodle and done for. Bummer, but I've since learned that they are terrible investments and often time bombs in even the largest of tanks, regardless of the minimum or stability.

Also, a friend from NR shipped me some of his stunning SPS frags, which are all doing well. But they arrived yesterday with almost all of them colored up with great PE in the shipping bags-- they went into the tank and every single one had PE by 7pm. Healthy frags from a healthy system!!

Today I added red ogo and green lettuce macro to my refugium, changed the red 38W light position and added a second 36W tuna blue light because it was so dark in there. I'm not sure what the best method of lighting the refugium actually is- LED strips? Mounted lights? So far cheap or even -used from my stash in the garage- has been working well. But it seems having to use two is ignorant.

 

[Sanchez]

Finally got the rocks in today, and as I’ve always said, I’m abysmal at rock scaping so you’ll have to forgive me. It kind of grew on me this afternoon even though it’s rather imposing, but it does come across somewhat natural. Who knows I may wake up and hate it tomorrow.

 

[Sanchez]

Today was a good day Nice haul!!

 

[Sanchez]

Photo dump day














Also, I think my refugium attempts may finally be paying off! Seems the macro is truly growing this time, after I added a second 36W tuna blue light and put the 38w red light right over the fuge.

 

[Sordfish]

Nice build. What has your experience been with the tank? I am considering buying one of these but there is very little information out there. Any thoughts you may have would be appreciated.

 

[Sanchez]

Nice build. What has your experience been with the tank? I am considering buying one of these but there is very little information out there. Any thoughts you may have would be appreciated.

I have enjoyed this tank! I haven’t owned just a ton of them but it has clean pretty lines and the cabinet is easy to clean and work inside. Plenty of room to store working equipment. Quiet. Have been very pleased with it since I upgraded, and of course I wish I could have gotten a bigger one

 

[Sanchez]

Wow haven’t updated this in forever. So much has happened. All my fish got brookynella and died, save one chromis. The corals continued on and have thrived. Have made some additions to the coral main fixtures. Have finally gotten the tank restocked with fish.

Pre fish crash





post fish crash















Am now finished restocking the tank with smaller, more peaceful fish. Starry Blenny, ember blenny, flame angel, blue mandarin, green chromis, leopard wrasse, blue star leopard wrasse, yellow coris wrasse, possum wrasse, two pearly jawfish, four oscellaris variety clowns.

Coral growth is amazing currently and everything seems completely happy. Thank goodness!

 

[JustKoch]

Wow haven’t updated this in forever. So much has happened. All my fish got brookynella and died, save one chromis. The corals continued on and have thrived. Have made some additions to the coral main fixtures. Have finally gotten the tank restocked with fish.

Pre fish crash





post fish crash















Am now finished restocking the tank with smaller, more peaceful fish. Starry Blenny, ember blenny, flame angel, blue mandarin, green chromis, leopard wrasse, blue star leopard wrasse, yellow coris wrasse, possum wrasse, two pearly jawfish, four oscellaris variety clowns.

Coral growth is amazing currently and everything seems completely happy. Thank goodness!

I’m actually looking at this tank. Looks like you’re doing awesome with it.