20 Gallon Long Reef

pixelbit · Jun 15, 2018

Thought I might post some photos. The candy cane was inflating properly a week ago, but had shrunken - so I’m not quite sure if that is due to the tank finishing the cycle or possibly the lights. The photo here is the day it was put in the tank, I’ll have to get one with it currently. The snails seem fine though, happily plowing through the sand.

pixelbit · Jun 19, 2018

Just a small update - added another trocus for the other rock pile, a firefish, and another coral frag (an Acan). The trocus has already made itself comfortable, roaming around the rock work, cleaning up the ugly diatom bloom happening now. The Acan appears to be doing well, I situated it just above the sand, almost directly underneath the lights for now. I also lowered the flow in the tank, which appeared to be a bit high. Now it should be around 377 GPH, or just shy of x20 times the water volume per hour.

I thought I lost the firefish, not having seen it the next morning. Turns out, he had dug himself a little hole to hide under, right by the arch. I'd read about that behavior but never saw it before, so that was neat.

The nassarius snails have been roving about the tank, now that I am feeding some mysis shrimp. I fed them some pieces to see what they do - they pretty much pounce on the shrimp and devour them.

I'm slowing cranking up the light power, realizing I probably have it a bit low. I estimate I am running the Kessil at 20% intensity? So I'll keep cranking it up a bit each day, until I hit 50% or the corals cry mercy. I suppose having a controller would help with this, but I can do it manually for now. I'm a bit hesitant to just jump to a higher intensity, considering how shallow this tank is.

pixelbit · Jun 21, 2018

Well, it turns out the firefish was suicidal. After figuring out on Tuesday he was fine and dandy, on Wednesday, he decided to jump through the smallest hole on the glass cover and kill himself. I'm glad he wasn't a very expensive fish, but this is still incredibly frustrating and not a great start to stocking this tank.

Thankfully, the corals are doing well and seem to be responding to adjusting the light a bit higher in intensity.

pixelbit · Jul 20, 2018

A small update on the tank - things have been going well. The first diatom bloom came and went. I did a water change and another bloom started. I believe it may be time to swap out the filters in my RODI unit, which I will do. The first trochus snail died, but the second has been all over the tank helping keep things in order. I also started seeing some hair algae growing, so I think we may be at that phase.

I did gather some more corals, since the tank is quite bare without any fish. I got another Acan, this one a nice green color. The other one I got has been feeding well, and is adapting to the lights, coloring up nicely with a neat shade of blue. I got an Alveopora, which seems to be doing well, and one of my all time favorites a plating montipora. I know I'm taking a bit of a chance popping that one into the tank so soon, but so far he appears to be doing well.

I also started testing my Ca, Alk, and Mg, and will start dosing a BRS 2 part setup soon. My Alk and Ca are a bit low, so I am hoping it is because the corals are taking them up.

I switched up the filtration a bit, moving the Polyfilter to the last step after the skimmer, and got some filter floss at the front end to catch some debris. It seems to be placing less demands on the Polyfilter, and I change the filter floss whenever it gets dirty.

Progress is moving forward, slowly, but I'm glad the corals are doing well. It will be nice to get some fish in there soon!

NY_Caveman · Jul 20, 2018

pixelbit said:
A small update on the tank - things have been going well. The first diatom bloom came and went. I did a water change and another bloom started. I believe it may be time to swap out the filters in my RODI unit, which I will do. The first trochus snail died, but the second has been all over the tank helping keep things in order. I also started seeing some hair algae growing, so I think we may be at that phase.

I did gather some more corals, since the tank is quite bare without any fish. I got another Acan, this one a nice green color. The other one I got has been feeding well, and is adapting to the lights, coloring up nicely with a neat shade of blue. I got an Alveopora, which seems to be doing well, and one of my all time favorites a plating montipora. I know I'm taking a bit of a chance popping that one into the tank so soon, but so far he appears to be doing well.

I also started testing my Ca, Alk, and Mg, and will start dosing a BRS 2 part setup soon. My Alk and Ca are a bit low, so I am hoping it is because the corals are taking them up.

I switched up the filtration a bit, moving the Polyfilter to the last step after the skimmer, and got some filter floss at the front end to catch some debris. It seems to be placing less demands on the Polyfilter, and I change the filter floss whenever it gets dirty.

Progress is moving forward, slowly, but I'm glad the corals are doing well. It will be nice to get some fish in there soon!

Sounds like things are progressing nicely.

pixelbit · Jan 16, 2020

Wow...it has been a long time since I updated! Shortly after my last update, the tank had a diatom bloom, which I figured was normal. Then a little algae bloom, also I thought was normal. Then came the cyano. A lot of cyano. I spent the last year and a half battling it. It covered everything, and what ultimately got it under control, was finally getting some chaeto and a refugium light (the IM LED one, that is pink colored). I did change some equipment around, swapping out the small test tube-like skimmer for a full sized CPR BakPack2 Reef. The powerhead for this is in the tank proper (not in the AIO sump section). I also moved the heater out as well to provide it better circulation. I increased the flow from the gyre, and started doing partial water changes every 2 weeks. I also stopped using RODI. While I think everybody can agree that RODI water is superior than tap, I just couldn't justify wasting all that water to create the RODI. So now I just use tap, but it allows me to perform more frequent water changes rather than hesitating to create the RODI water and figuring out what to do with the waste water.

The cyano has receded now, though the ordeal did have some causalities. In an effort to lower nutrients in the system, I am fairly certain all snails died, as did the candy cane coral, mushroom, and another which I forget what it was. The micromussa colonies are still alive - though I did lose a few polyps. I did get a zoanthid frag, which remained closed for all this time. I did move it the other night to a new location and it is finally opening up! The chaeto is growing nicely and the tank now seems stable. I got a few cerith snails and some red hermit crabs as a cleaning crew, which seem to be doing their job, albeit slowly. My focus now is to grow the coral colonies I have, and maintain the water quality. With the refugium, I believe I can start target feeding the corals now as well.

This has certainly been a journey, filled with lots of frustration. Ironically, this is the longest running reef tank I have setup so far, so there is something to be proud of! I'll get some photos and post soon! If you wanted to know what the tank looked like over the past year...just imagine a maroon colored rectangle.

pixelbit · Jan 17, 2020

Well, maybe I spoke too soon. I came home last night to find my CPR skimmer not running...more specifically, the RIO pump. I really hate these pumps. My micromussa were all withdrawn as well. After cleaning out the pump (there was nothing to clean), it refused to start. I noticed what looked like smoke coming from the impeller chamber as well. I'm fairly certain the pump is fried, and was sending voltage into the tank. I noticed this morning, after shutting off and removing said pump, the corals were back to normal, no longer withdrawn.

Now I am considering a few options. I don't want to replace the RIO pump, since this thing failed in two months and I've never had luck with them. My main option is to purchase a new skimmer, looking at the AquaMaxx HOB 1.5. But then I am now considering two more options - either adding a sump (10 gallons) so I can regain some space in the 20L, add more working space for all this full sized equipment, and increase volume...or making a 75 gallon I am setting up into a reef tank. The 75 option would require I purchase a second Kessil A360...which I'm not too excited to do either. Plus I am not necessarily enthused about the higher volume water changes that need to be done.

In short, right now I am without a skimmer.

pixelbit · Jan 21, 2020

After debating on what to do next, I've decided to install a 10 gallon sump for the system, with an AquaMaxx WS-1 skimmer. The refugium should be just under 4 gallons, the sump around 7 gallons total.

pixelbit · Jan 24, 2020

This weekend I am going to work on the sump. I should have most of the pieces ready to install, except for the HOB overflow. In the interim, here are a few recent images of the tank so far.

Somebody wanted to come say hello!

The zoanthids are finally opening up in their new position.

These are some of the Micromussa. I originally bought the as blue and now they are orange!

And here is the other Micromussa colony. They are supposed to be green, but they have changed recently.

Both colonies I got as single polyps, but they have since sprouted a few extra polyps since then. None recently as the tank has been stabilizing, so hopefully they can get back on that growth pattern.

pixelbit · Jan 25, 2020

I got the sump baffle kit today from Fuji Cube. I installed it, and just waiting for it to dry. I also got the AquaMaxx skimmer. Overall, I really like the sump kit, much nicer than if I tried to make it myself! The overflow is coming on Monday, so hopefully I can get a skimmer back on this tank soon.

Here is a mockup of how it will look mostly setup.

pixelbit · Jan 31, 2020

Little update - I finished attaching the baffles to the 10 gallon. (Funny story, this kit only fits the Aqueon 10 gallon...I had something else. Thankfully PetCo was running their $1/gallon sale and picked up this tank for cheap!) The sump looks great and the cut pieces are much cleaner than anything I could have done. I got the plumbing parts and overflow, which I started gluing together last night. This weekend, I should be able to finish installing the sump and get it running. I'm going to perform a water change on the tank before switching it over as well.

Regarding lighting, I keep messing around with it. I lifted the height to 11" off the water for a bit better spread, and reduced intensity again. I also switched out the glass cover for an egg crate top. The one Micromussa is still being a bit angry, as is the Zoanthid. I am going to warm the spectrum a bit and leave it there for a week to see how the corals respond.

pixelbit · Feb 1, 2020

The sump is installed! Removing the AIO part I created really freed up some space. I'll probably rework the aquascape as well. The clownfish is enjoying the extra space as well! Everything seems to be running quite well. The skimmer is so quiet! The overflow, after adjusting my water height in the sump, is rather quiet. The IM MightyJet, I'm very surprised at. Even with the head, it seems to be performing great, so I can keep it at the same setting. Hopefully this upgrade will make it easier to maintain the tank!

pixelbit · Feb 17, 2020

I have been running the sump now for a few weeks, and everything is looking great! The corals have started to look as they should. I purchased two more frags, a torch coral and what I believe is a plating montipora. They appear to be adapting well. I did notice I was losing quite a surprising amount of water daily, so invested in the Tunze ATO Nano. So far it seems to be working quite well, and has made life easier. I've switched over to using RODI water again, for both top off and saltwater mixing. I also finally got a refractometer for salinity.

I'm finally enjoying my tank again!

tlips · Feb 20, 2020

pixelbit said:
I have been running the sump now for a few weeks, and everything is looking great! The corals have started to look as they should. I purchased two more frags, a torch coral and what I believe is a plating montipora. They appear to be adapting well. I did notice I was losing quite a surprising amount of water daily, so invested in the Tunze ATO Nano. So far it seems to be working quite well, and has made life easier. I've switched over to using RODI water again, for both top off and saltwater mixing. I also finally got a refractometer for salinity.

I'm finally enjoying my tank again!

Looks good man. Im getting all my stuff needed for my sump. Ive got my baffles on the way, then I need to get the overflow box. What size and brand did you get?

pixelbit · Feb 21, 2020

Thanks!

The baffle kit is from Fuji Cube. It was very nicely priced, and fit the Aqueon tank perfectly. I liked the adjustable water level and nice fit and finish of the product. The overflow is from Marine Depot, their in-house nano overflow.

tlips · Feb 21, 2020

pixelbit said:
Thanks!

The baffle kit is from Fuji Cube. It was very nicely priced, and fit the Aqueon tank perfectly. I liked the adjustable water level and nice fit and finish of the product. The overflow is from Marine Depot, their in-house nano overflow.

Nice man. I’m gonna get an eshopps overflow and I ordered a baffle kit off eBay. I found a nice one with good reviews. Fiji cube seems high priced