Coming along!

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

I started this hobby in ‘05 with a 65 gallon tank, upgraded that to a 125. That tank went through its ups and downs and eventually crashed, water turned gray, smelled like rotten eggs.
I got home just in time to watch the last couple of snails fall off the glass. That was heartbreaking.
Fast forward a few years, I was living on my own and set up a 20~ gallon cube, upgraded that to a 65 and moved it into my (now) wife’s apartment.
That apartment flooded and we were without power for weeks.
I put up an ad on facebook and gave away all of the livestock free because I didn’t want it to die.
Moved out of that apartment and into a house, I bought a biocube and retrofitted a hydra into the mh bracket that came with it, and ran that tank for a year or so, bought a 40b and did all hob equipment, that was the easiest and most convenient tank I’ve ever run.
We eventually bought a house and I sorta lost interest in the tank, eventually I gave away all the livestock.
I still have the 40b in the garage but I set it up as fw for a bit, then ran a 75g planted tank.
I really tried to enjoy the fw tank and it was successful but I was bored.
So I bought a new tank, a max nano xxl.
I’m waiting on the special grade sand to come but I kept most of my old rock, so now I’m starting to set it up.
I think I like the scape well enough, but I’m sure I’ll change it. Ive learned some lessons along the way, so I kept the rock low for sticks to have room to grow, and it’s away from the glass on all 4 sides enough that I’ll be able to clean the glass.
I’ll be carbon dosing with home made nopox and I’m going to give that all for reef a shot assuming I can keep my ph up.
My skimmer is going to pull air from outside and it will be run through carbon before going into the tank.
The Red Sea lights probably grow coral but the spectrum seems pretty narrow so I’m looking at options, currently considering adding a couple blades, I hear tale they make a nice blanket of light and the coral glow might be nice.
Anyway, the sand arrived while I was writing this out so tomorrow I’ll get this thing filled with rodi and reef crystals.
I’ll be switching up to coral pro once I start getting inverts but for the ugly phase reef crystals should work fine.

 

[Peace River]

Thanks for sharing your journey. Good luck with your new adventure!

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

Thanks for sharing your journey. Good luck with your new adventure!

Hey, thanks!

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

Thanks for sharing your journey. Good luck with your new adventure!im still trying to figure out how to delete stuff on here, I haven’t been on a forum in years

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

Pics

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

I’m not sure how I feel about the rock, but I know for sure that it looks much better in person than in photo.
There’s not as much negative space as I’d like so I think I’m going to pull the big chunk on the right side out. And rearrange a little tomorrow .

 

[Bohemian Waxwing]

I like it! I think you should keep it so you have more space to place coral and also more hiding spots for the fish and inverts.

but who am I to argue with Mithrandil

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

Yesterday, 4/7/25 I dosed nitrobacter 7 and some of that Dr Tims ammonium chloride. I also added a little (1tsp) of sugar, knowing how bacteria can more easily multiply when they’re given a carbon source, and I figured it was a pretty safe bet since there are no animals in it.
Anyway, I was under the assumption that microbacter 7 contained nitrifying bacteria but after reading more about it on their website it’ seems kinda vague.
At any rate I can’t keep nitrifying bacteria out of my tank now since there’s an ammonia source, so even if Brightwell didn’t put it in there, it’s coming.
The tank was so cloudy this morning I couldn’t see any rock.
The skimmer is running but the air valve is in the all the way closed position.
Biofilm here I come!

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

After filling it with water I discovered that I hate the scape. Well, maybe not so much hate but I want a radical negative space cool scape. So I bought 20lbs of shelf rock, 20 lbs of reef saver and 10 lbs of base from Marco rocks. That should be here tomorrow. So this weekend I’ll be doing a scape!

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

I’ve also been working on a few projects while the tank cycles. 1st up, I knew I wanted to pull air from outside so I ran a line from my skimmer intake into a brs co2 scrubber which I filled with carbon. Then drilled a half inch hole in the drywall and ran a hose into it. It’s going to suck air from between my drywall and block, it leads up to the attic so I figure that’s outside air, the carbon should capture anything I don’t want in the tank. If this doesn’t work I’ll patch the hole and run co2 media.

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

Up next I added the rs ato, and I wanted a nice looking reservoir. Why they gotta be so spendy?
So I decided to go for thereefcan. At 10 gallons, I knew it was going to be big, I just didn’t realize it would be comically large under there. Oh well, just means I can go on vacation!
I also got a nice big strip light mounted inside and did a terrible job at routing my wires.
Next up is a motion activated rechargeable light, Amazon, $20 it kicks on automatically when I open the cabinet and off 20 seconds after I close it.
The tank is getting there!

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

Still need a dosing pump, wave makers and a heater but I have plenty of time and space. I’m also going to plumb in uv and possibly an algae reactor. We’ll see if it’s needed.
Not having a sump has its advantages.

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

I hated the rock work, it was mostly old and leftover from previous tanks - so! I bought 20 lbs of shelf, 20 lbs of whatever the regular MR rock is and 10 lbs of base.
I present to you all (if anyone is interested)
My new scape!

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

And a top down shot

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

I got a “jar package” from TBSaltwater a few days ago, in it was some base rock, some of their premium rock, some sort of macro algae and a few hermits, plus live sand.
I sifted the live sand so that I wouldn’t have big chunks, the fines will be mixed into the special grade soon enough. I found a few starfish, brittle stars I think but light brown, not nearly black like my old tank had.
The bigger pieces went into a mesh bag and are sitting in the rear chamber of the tank.
It’s got some hitch hikers but I haven’t seen any mantis shrimp or gorilla crabs yet which I’m thankful for.
I’m keeping an eye on it though.
So here’s some of the cool stuff I’ve got so far.

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

The tank has been up and running for a few weeks, tested ph yesterday and it’s 7.6, so I don’t think running the skimmer line outside made much difference for the ph.
I think I’m going to modify the msk900 (I think that’s what it’s called, very little info online) to be a recirculating skimmer with co2 scrubbing media in line.
I may also be dosing Kalk instead of afr, decisions, decisions..

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

I added 2 of the Hydor rotating thingys to help dead spots at bay. I’m thinking about getting a gyre for this tank, I’d just like to make sure the dry side can be submerged because I think the back wall would be the best spot for it. We’ll see.
It’s coming along!

 

[Anna K]

I got a “jar package” from TBSaltwater a few days ago, in it was some base rock, some of their premium rock, some sort of macro algae and a few hermits, plus live sand.
I sifted the live sand so that I wouldn’t have big chunks, the fines will be mixed into the special grade soon enough. I found a few starfish, brittle stars I think but light brown, not nearly black like my old tank had.
The bigger pieces went into a mesh bag and are sitting in the rear chamber of the tank.
It’s got some hitch hikers but I haven’t seen any mantis shrimp or gorilla crabs yet which I’m thankful for.
I’m keeping an eye on it though.
So here’s some of the cool stuff I’ve got so far.

Those are cool!