First saltwater aquarium with a used 29 gallon display tank and 10 gallon sump (the entire setup is about 5 years old).
Current status:
Larger live creatures added, learning! (Jan 2025)
To do:
Continue to learn about sump, filter setup (ongoing)
Learn about compatible creatures (e.g. fish) for "nano" reef saltwater tank
Done/Archive
Disassembled, cleaned and painted the stand (Oct 2024)
Determine lighting to be used (currently planning for soft corals and fish, peppermint shrimp) - it was suggested to consider possibly a couple lights instead of one (AI Prime?) (Oct 2024)
Setup tank, sump, fill with water to check for leaks, test basic equipment (e.g., water pump, heater) (Oct 2024)
I would go for 2 strip light fixtures like AI blades, been reading good stuff about this one too if you're looking for more of a budget option. Good luck with the build, smaller tanks with sumps are always so cool to see
Cleaning equipment with citric acid / water mix (a few references: 1, 2, 3). Seems to work well. Resembled the stand following cleaning and painting it. Inventory of the used and new equipment:
29 Gallon display tank with cover (used)
10 Gallon sump (used)
Inkbird WiFi ITC-308 Digital Temperature Controller (new)
Aqueon Pro Heater PA100W-H (used)
Plus a 75W heater
Imagitarium IMAG-PH2 Submersible Pump (20W), MAX 303GPH (used)
Used to help keep the hang on back (HOB) overflow siphon active
Jecod DCP Sine Wave Water Return Pump (DCP-2500) (new)
Aqueon Submersible Pump AQ3000 (85W) (used, replaced with Jecod)
Seems to be missing parts like the threaded inlet and outlet attachments so not yet able to connect the return line from the sump to the display
First creatures added were part of clean up crew (snails: Trochus, Baja nassarius, Astria, Cerith). Next a pair of clownfish (Ocellaris and Darwin), soft corals (Zoanthids: radioactive dragon eyes, Rastas, and scrambled eggs). Most recently added gold thread toadstool and pipe organs and one more fish, Bicolor Blenny. So far so good, some brown algae appearing and what seems to be Aptasia also an Asterina sea star or two. (Believe the names are correct, welcome corrections).
