courtneykeeps
Active Member
I've finally managed to setup another reef tank and the aim here is to build a long-term mixed (but mostly macroalgae dominant) tank and keep it going for as long as possible!
Let's start with the tank...
It's a second hand rimless aquarium from Aqua One. Shout-out to @paulAdonis for that! The dimensions are beautiful...60cm L x 40cm D x 30cm H. Shallow enough to give a slick low profile and make maintenance easier, a great amount of depth to play with and just enough length to give a nice wide canvas.
I took this opportunity to paint another stand and this time I was going for oceanic-earth vibes. I think it worked out! For me the stands are still very important and I like them to feel deliberate rather than just functional. One day I'll get my hands on one of those glass stands!
Filtration is an external canister (Oase Biomaster Thermo 350). This works great for my use case and this particular unit is whisper silent. I'm running it at 24 degrees as I usually do so there's a good bit of buffer in case of heatwaves! It was less of a problem when I was living in an air conditioned apartment in Canada, but now I'm back in the UK it's a real threat lol.
Lighting is the ONF Flat One +, held by a Liti Aquaria light stand. I had a real hard time getting this light, involving multiple 6 hour coach rides but IMO it was worth it as I've always wanted these lights and it was a solid bargain. Every time I look at them I can't help but admire the design. So far easy to control and everything inside is responding well to it.
I have a Chihiros doser that I need to setup so I can dose nitrates and phosphates. We'll see how soon I need to add alkalinity, calcium and magnesium. I'm trying out natural seawater and doing larger water changes than I would normally. I find mixing salt quite tedious and knowing that I need to use the water up before the next delivery is enough motivation to do regular water changes.
The hardscape is rockwork from iQuatics that was recommended. They had some really nice intricate pieces and they reckon this was bottom of the barrel stuff! The cream just be amazing. I wanted to create a open valley feeling with lots of layering to really enhance the depth and create interest.
I've already added macroalgae and coral; a lot of Halimeda, Caulerpa, Augophyllum, Codium and Gracilaria. There's also two species of Green Star Polyps (at first I thought it might just look different due to growing conditions but I think they're actually different - they look and behave very differently), a rainbow Fungia and a gold encrusting Fungia, a mix of zoas, a pink Stylophora, a pink furry mushroom which is incredibly aloof and finally some unidentified gorgonians.
So far so good. The tank is in the ugly stage and based on the way I set this one up, it's reinforced my suspicion that the more seed material you start with, the less of an ugly stage you'll end up with. So you can tell I didn't start with much on this one! My last tank had loads and pretty much skipped the ugly stage altogether.
For a cleanup crew I have a small army of Dove snails, a Nassarius snail and a Banded Trochus.
I'll update as things develop and I start adding livestock!
Let's start with the tank...
It's a second hand rimless aquarium from Aqua One. Shout-out to @paulAdonis for that! The dimensions are beautiful...60cm L x 40cm D x 30cm H. Shallow enough to give a slick low profile and make maintenance easier, a great amount of depth to play with and just enough length to give a nice wide canvas.
I took this opportunity to paint another stand and this time I was going for oceanic-earth vibes. I think it worked out! For me the stands are still very important and I like them to feel deliberate rather than just functional. One day I'll get my hands on one of those glass stands!
Filtration is an external canister (Oase Biomaster Thermo 350). This works great for my use case and this particular unit is whisper silent. I'm running it at 24 degrees as I usually do so there's a good bit of buffer in case of heatwaves! It was less of a problem when I was living in an air conditioned apartment in Canada, but now I'm back in the UK it's a real threat lol.
Lighting is the ONF Flat One +, held by a Liti Aquaria light stand. I had a real hard time getting this light, involving multiple 6 hour coach rides but IMO it was worth it as I've always wanted these lights and it was a solid bargain. Every time I look at them I can't help but admire the design. So far easy to control and everything inside is responding well to it.
I have a Chihiros doser that I need to setup so I can dose nitrates and phosphates. We'll see how soon I need to add alkalinity, calcium and magnesium. I'm trying out natural seawater and doing larger water changes than I would normally. I find mixing salt quite tedious and knowing that I need to use the water up before the next delivery is enough motivation to do regular water changes.
The hardscape is rockwork from iQuatics that was recommended. They had some really nice intricate pieces and they reckon this was bottom of the barrel stuff! The cream just be amazing. I wanted to create a open valley feeling with lots of layering to really enhance the depth and create interest.
I've already added macroalgae and coral; a lot of Halimeda, Caulerpa, Augophyllum, Codium and Gracilaria. There's also two species of Green Star Polyps (at first I thought it might just look different due to growing conditions but I think they're actually different - they look and behave very differently), a rainbow Fungia and a gold encrusting Fungia, a mix of zoas, a pink Stylophora, a pink furry mushroom which is incredibly aloof and finally some unidentified gorgonians.
So far so good. The tank is in the ugly stage and based on the way I set this one up, it's reinforced my suspicion that the more seed material you start with, the less of an ugly stage you'll end up with. So you can tell I didn't start with much on this one! My last tank had loads and pretty much skipped the ugly stage altogether.
For a cleanup crew I have a small army of Dove snails, a Nassarius snail and a Banded Trochus.
I'll update as things develop and I start adding livestock!
