Goodgreef
Community Member
I have been posting these pictures to my local reef club as I go along. Thought I'd participate more here as well and share my progress. The plan is to have this be a some lps but mostly sps tank. I'm starting off with some easier care coral that I won't regret being in there once I get the more sensitive coral 6 months down the road. I'm 6 weeks out from the time I started cycling. Everything leveled out around the 3rd week and by the 5th week I have my nitrates below 2ppm. The green hair algae that I haven't plucked out is being eaten by the cleanup crew and starry blenny and what remains is starting to brown from lack of nutrients as my algae scrubber is taking it all away.
My current stock list including cleanup crew:
Turbo snails
Nassarius snails
Scarlet hermits
Astrea Snails
Orchid Dottyback
Starry Blenny
Yellow eye kole tang
(Future suggestions for fish or invertebrates appreciated, I want to add maybe 3 more fish at the most and this will be a shrimp free tank)
My fish get along well. I was a little worried after reading mixed reviews about starry blenny and kole tangs together, but they are both very docile. The blenny likes to perch anywhere he can and watch me. Both he and the tang have taken to eating the garlic seaweed I give them as the algae dwindles and the tang likes the occasional mysis and brine shrimp. He is still pretty shy but swims freely if I am out of view.
Current coral:
Favite/Brain coral
My current equipment/tank items:
Reefbreeders Photon48 LED
AquaC Urchin Pro Skimmer with Rio 1400 pump
DIY Algae Scrubber with Jebao DC3000 pump
Trigger Systems Ruby30 Sump
2x Jebao WP-25 with Twin controller
Rio 2500 return pump
BRS Reef Saver Rock
Seaflor Special Grade sand
AWI Typhoon 5 stage 75gpd RODI
Tunze ATO 3155
Jebao DP-4 dosing pump
Seneye Monitoring system
Currently I run no reactors as the algae scrubber is meant to handle much of that reduction combined with the skimmer. I do have a bag of carbon sitting in the first chamber of the sump. I am considering getting a carbon reactor, as a FW veteran I just can't see myself not running carbon on a tank as it can neutralize a lot of unwanted contaminates and provide clear water. Parameters are good currently. NH3 is 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates less than 2ppm, Phosphates showing 0 on Hanna Checker. My beneficial supplements are a little high as I try and zero in the dosing, which I have minimal now as I don't have but 1 hard coral to soak it up yet. Cal 440, Mg 1420, dkh 9.5. Ph is 8.21 average but fluctuates between 8.13 at night and 8.24 during the day. Raising the dkh has seemed to lessen that. The past two 24 cycles it has stayed between 8.17-8.22. And after enough rambling the photos below.
My current stock list including cleanup crew:
Turbo snails
Nassarius snails
Scarlet hermits
Astrea Snails
Orchid Dottyback
Starry Blenny
Yellow eye kole tang
(Future suggestions for fish or invertebrates appreciated, I want to add maybe 3 more fish at the most and this will be a shrimp free tank)
My fish get along well. I was a little worried after reading mixed reviews about starry blenny and kole tangs together, but they are both very docile. The blenny likes to perch anywhere he can and watch me. Both he and the tang have taken to eating the garlic seaweed I give them as the algae dwindles and the tang likes the occasional mysis and brine shrimp. He is still pretty shy but swims freely if I am out of view.
Current coral:
Favite/Brain coral
My current equipment/tank items:
Reefbreeders Photon48 LED
AquaC Urchin Pro Skimmer with Rio 1400 pump
DIY Algae Scrubber with Jebao DC3000 pump
Trigger Systems Ruby30 Sump
2x Jebao WP-25 with Twin controller
Rio 2500 return pump
BRS Reef Saver Rock
Seaflor Special Grade sand
AWI Typhoon 5 stage 75gpd RODI
Tunze ATO 3155
Jebao DP-4 dosing pump
Seneye Monitoring system
Currently I run no reactors as the algae scrubber is meant to handle much of that reduction combined with the skimmer. I do have a bag of carbon sitting in the first chamber of the sump. I am considering getting a carbon reactor, as a FW veteran I just can't see myself not running carbon on a tank as it can neutralize a lot of unwanted contaminates and provide clear water. Parameters are good currently. NH3 is 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates less than 2ppm, Phosphates showing 0 on Hanna Checker. My beneficial supplements are a little high as I try and zero in the dosing, which I have minimal now as I don't have but 1 hard coral to soak it up yet. Cal 440, Mg 1420, dkh 9.5. Ph is 8.21 average but fluctuates between 8.13 at night and 8.24 during the day. Raising the dkh has seemed to lessen that. The past two 24 cycles it has stayed between 8.17-8.22. And after enough rambling the photos below.
