Luckyduck
Well-Known Member
So after an 8 year hiatus the boredom of CoVid brought me back to reefing! I had many tanks in the past, several reefs (20 long, 24 gallon nano cube, 36 Bow Front & a 75 standard size) and two species specific (65 gal hex w/seahorses and a 24 gallon jbj cube w/Frog Fish). I absolutely love the hobby, even have an ocean scene in my arm tattoo sleeve!
So one good thing I got from CoVid...
I set up a 15 gallon Aqueon Colum tank.
-30 lbs of life rock not live rock
-20 lb bag of Caribsea Arag-alive Hawaiian Black gravel
- CPR small hang-on-back refugium with Brightwell Aquatics Koral Lagoon Substrat which houses my heater and air driven protein skimmer. Return chamber holds 5 Xport Bio Cubes from Brightwell and a nano bag of Chemi-pure blue. Over top its lit with a 5w blue and red led growlight which I run opposite my main display for 12 hrs. Inhabitants are 2 Mangroves, a Softball sized Chaeto ball and a crap ton of pods which I did not add, they came from the Chaeto and are multiplying like mad!! Love it!
-Rio 600 pump that feeds the refugium
- AI Prime 16HD
- 2 Jebao SW2 wave makers
Parameters
Temp: 78F
Salinity: 33-34 PPT
Calcium 470 (working on getting it down a little)
Alkalinity 9.8
Magnesium 1350
Phosphates .08 also working to lower a touch
PH 8.2
Nirtates 5ppm
Ammonia & Nitrites 0
I also test for Iodine, Iron, Potassium & Strontium.
Additives: I have an obsession with Brightwell Aquatics so ya...
Reef Code A&B
Magnesion
Potassion
Iodine
Ferrion
Strontion
Borochrom (I rarely dose)
Replentish
Koralle VM
And for meds and dips I use:
Fish Recover M & Koral MD
I started the tank out on the 15th of May with...you guess it Brightwell Aquatics Microbacter Start XLM and Quikcycl for a fish less cycle. By day 18 I was ready to go! I started stocking with several corals over the next week:
Star Polys
Green polyped Mushroom leather
Green Echinata
Orange Ricordea yuma
Orange zoos
Pink zoos
Pink tube/green polyp Gonipora
Orange maybe Hob Goblin Leptoseris
& a tiny baby Orange Fungia
Livestock:
Black Ocelarius
Orchid Dottyback
Green Clown Goby
2 nessarius, 2 cerith & 2 margarita snails
Feeding:
PE Mysis
Reef Roids
Red Sea AB+
Brightwell Restor
Brightwell Golden Phytoplankton Med & Sm
Testing Equipment:
Refractometer. Red Sea Algae Control, Marine Care, Foundation pro & Trace colors. Salifert Strontium. Hanna Alkalinity, Phosphates & Ultra Low Iron. And the occasional ICP 40 analysis. RODI for top offs.
I'm so excited to be back to the Hobby! I plan on keeping mostly corals and keeping lots of show pieces. Buying as frags so I can get more for less! Most likley done with Fish as I've probably already hit my max for such a small tank with so much rock. Hope you guys enjoy it!
So one good thing I got from CoVid...
I set up a 15 gallon Aqueon Colum tank.
-30 lbs of life rock not live rock
-20 lb bag of Caribsea Arag-alive Hawaiian Black gravel
- CPR small hang-on-back refugium with Brightwell Aquatics Koral Lagoon Substrat which houses my heater and air driven protein skimmer. Return chamber holds 5 Xport Bio Cubes from Brightwell and a nano bag of Chemi-pure blue. Over top its lit with a 5w blue and red led growlight which I run opposite my main display for 12 hrs. Inhabitants are 2 Mangroves, a Softball sized Chaeto ball and a crap ton of pods which I did not add, they came from the Chaeto and are multiplying like mad!! Love it!
-Rio 600 pump that feeds the refugium
- AI Prime 16HD
- 2 Jebao SW2 wave makers
Parameters
Temp: 78F
Salinity: 33-34 PPT
Calcium 470 (working on getting it down a little)
Alkalinity 9.8
Magnesium 1350
Phosphates .08 also working to lower a touch
PH 8.2
Nirtates 5ppm
Ammonia & Nitrites 0
I also test for Iodine, Iron, Potassium & Strontium.
Additives: I have an obsession with Brightwell Aquatics so ya...
Reef Code A&B
Magnesion
Potassion
Iodine
Ferrion
Strontion
Borochrom (I rarely dose)
Replentish
Koralle VM
And for meds and dips I use:
Fish Recover M & Koral MD
I started the tank out on the 15th of May with...you guess it Brightwell Aquatics Microbacter Start XLM and Quikcycl for a fish less cycle. By day 18 I was ready to go! I started stocking with several corals over the next week:
Star Polys
Green polyped Mushroom leather
Green Echinata
Orange Ricordea yuma
Orange zoos
Pink zoos
Pink tube/green polyp Gonipora
Orange maybe Hob Goblin Leptoseris
& a tiny baby Orange Fungia
Livestock:
Black Ocelarius
Orchid Dottyback
Green Clown Goby
2 nessarius, 2 cerith & 2 margarita snails
Feeding:
PE Mysis
Reef Roids
Red Sea AB+
Brightwell Restor
Brightwell Golden Phytoplankton Med & Sm
Testing Equipment:
Refractometer. Red Sea Algae Control, Marine Care, Foundation pro & Trace colors. Salifert Strontium. Hanna Alkalinity, Phosphates & Ultra Low Iron. And the occasional ICP 40 analysis. RODI for top offs.
I'm so excited to be back to the Hobby! I plan on keeping mostly corals and keeping lots of show pieces. Buying as frags so I can get more for less! Most likley done with Fish as I've probably already hit my max for such a small tank with so much rock. Hope you guys enjoy it!
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