Craggy Island Nano Reef

[HeckleFish]

Hello all,
I took about a 10-year-break from pouring good money into a 150-gallon bucket.
I had been noticing a friend had a nano reef in his loft (We live in lofts that are industrial and downtown. We be cool like that.) and he said it was his daughter's boyfriends and for some reason it was left in his unit.
As the moths went, I could see that it was not being taken care of, so I asked if I could rescue it.
I am now the owner of a Fluval Sea ECO 13.5 with a dead kenya tree and a clown we have named Hecklefish.
This is what I got a week ago.

In the week I have aquascaped and scrubbed.
I have been doing 25% water changes every day. I have no idea what they were doing regarding water and assume it was tap. Ammonia is still 1 ppm.
Added a zoa that I picked up for next to nothing.
This is it today:

I missed reefing as it was a great form of therapy for my Depression, OCD, and ADHD-PI.
Everyday I do a little scrubbing.
The unit is completely stock and I can see it needs some upgrades.

Lighting: AI Prime 16 Any other suggestions? Cheaper?
Top: Krakenreef Fluval EVO 13.5 Lid
Wavemaker: Hygger Mini Wave Maker Magnetic DC Powerhead with LED Display Controller for Saltwater Tank, 1600 GPH
Return pump: The stock one seems to not be moving much water at all. Suggestions?
Filtration: What should I be doing with these chambers?

I'm going to be doing my typical overboard build of everything. I'm designing the stand in Tinkercad. I'm trying to build in everything to the stand and automate as much as possible.
ATO: Fzone Aquarium ATO Auto Top Off Refilling System with Dual Optical Sensor
Reservoir for an ATO: Looking at this. So far I'm not seeing a lot of evap
Water-change reservoir for salt water: Just standard plastic 10L container
Water-change reservoir for removed water: Just standard plastic 10L container
Dosing tanks: Three-tank unit Do people even dose in something this small?
Dosing pumps: Jebao DP-3
Filter changes: What should I be running in the chambers? Right now chamber one is live rock rubble and heater. Two is the black-sponge holder with a Biomas packet.
Thoughts on these?
InTank Chamber One
InTank Chamber Two
A small refugium inside the stand: Is there an easy way to plumb a small fuge under this?

My thoughts were to use something similar to a probe holder that would secure the ATO drain into the tank alongside water change lines. Like three straws. Anyone know of something out there?
I'm thinking about using two of these and hard plastic tubes.

Your thoughts are welcome along with if anyone has hardware.

The end goal is to fill it with soft and LPS.

 

[zdrc]

I like your aquascape. The branching island looks good.

Lighting: I have the Nicrew A30 with the dual channel controller on a 12 gallon aquapod. It grows mushrooms, LPS and a chalice well, but SPS might want more light. Which light you need will depend on what you want to grow. I think the AI Prime would probably work great.

Pump and filtration: If you are adding an additional wavemaker, the stock return pump can work fine. I think the measured output for the stock return pump should be about 100 gph. If the flow seems super weak, try cleaning it. For filtration you have many options. I actually just run some large pore sponges in my 12 gallon aquapod for biological and that's it. I have problems keeping my nutrients from bottoming out so filter floss, protein skimmer, or a mini fuge would be counter-productive. Hell, I could probably get away with no filtration media at all. I would start with a bit of biological media, and see how the tank does. If you find your nitrate and phosphates are too high, you can add some mechanical filtration like filter floss (needs to be changed multiple times a week to have any effect) or a protein skimmer (they make small ones that fit the Evo), or make one of the chambers into a small fuge with some macro algae (you need to remove the algae regularly for it to actually reduce nitrates and phosphates). In my experience, most of my nutrient export is done purely with water changes. You can run some carbon, but, in my opinion, carbon is used excessively in this hobby. There are good times and places to use it, but I don't think it should be used all the time. In fact, there is a connection between Head and Lateral Line Erosion in fish and the use of activated carbon. It needs to be replaced with fresh carbon every couple weeks as well.

Dosing: I'm sure people set up dosing pumps on tanks that small, but it seems like overkill to me. Most of my dosing is done just with water changes (this only works if you're doing large % water changes). It probably wouldn't hurt to have a doser on such a small tank, but it might be hard to tune the dosing amount? Maybe someone else can chip in on that.

Fuge: An external fuge is overkill here IMO. You can retrofit one of the chambers to be a minifuge as I mentioned already. They make submersible LED lights that can fit in the chambers that could be used to grow chaeto. I bought that exact light to set up a fuge, but I found that I didn't need to grow any chaeto to keep my nitrates low. You could also get a HOB fuge.

ATO: I have that exact ATO and I like it a lot. Personally, I would just buy a small food safe bucket with a lid and use that as a reservoir. Will the reservoir you linked work with the plumbing for the ATO? I'm not sure if it will.

Wavemaker: In my opinion, that's too strong of a wavemaker. I have the Jebao SOW-3 in my 12 gallon and I run it on the lowest setting. I have a fairly strong return pump though. Perhaps it would work on it's lowest setting. I don't know about the Hygger, but the Jebao stuff is generally well respected.

I think a few things you mentioned are definitely overkill and borderline incompatible with such a small tank especially if you're just growing softies and LPS. If you're so inspired, maybe it would be worth it to get a larger tank? You could possibly use the Evo as a fuge?

 

[HeckleFish]

Lighting: I have the Nicrew A30 with the dual channel controller on a 12 gallon aquapod. It grows mushrooms,

I'll look into that. Unless I can find a used AI Prime, I'm willing to spend less if I can.

If you're so inspired, maybe it would be worth it to get a larger tank? You could possibly use the Evo as a fuge?

Unfortunately for the coming year I'm stuck in a unit that limits me to a 10 gallon tank. Looking at buying a home at the end of the year and the wife says she wants a room dividing tank.

Surprising as I'm already a bike racer which means half our budget goes to cool bike stuff. Now this.

 

[Sniffingkrylon]

I have a Noo-Psyche k7 mini, it’s a 60 watt led, I like it. Has like a 24 inch spread and it’s pretty freaking bright. And it was only 90$ shipped. Check it out. As for pumps I have a 9 gal I run a sicce 1.0 maybe you can run that or 1.5.

 

[HeckleFish]

I have a Noo-Psyche k7 mini, it’s a 60 watt led, I like it. Has like a 24 inch spread and it’s pretty freaking bright. And it was only 90$ shipped. Check it out. As for pumps I have a 9 gal I run a sicce 1.0 maybe you can run that or 1.5.

Ordering a K-7 Mini on Monday. Looks like it does everything I want. An AI Prime is $250 in a local shop + $35 for a mounting arm.
My only issue with the K-7 is I think I would prefer a more rigid arm mount, but that can be sorted out later.

My ammonia is still 1.5 ppm, so I'm still swapping water. Picked up some inserts for the second chamber of Something, something Blue. Threw away the package and forgot to read it.
Been advised to just run the blue light until I get a better light as the stock one breeds red algae, which I have noticed.

Hecklefish and I had a little talk tonight and I think I showed him who's running the show.

Hecklefish is named after, Hecklefish, the sidekick on The Why Files - Hecklefish Highlights

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Aquascape looks really good!!!

 

[HeckleFish]

Aquascape looks really good!!!

Thanks. My hands are still recovering from not wearing gloves when I was using the mortar.
I had a stand mocked up in TinkerCAD, but yesterday someone in our building moved out and left a perfect base cabinet for free.
Saving every day.

 

[HeckleFish]

So I spent a bunch of time designing a base for this tank on TinkerCAD with the intention of spending way too much time and way too much money on it. Even more fun since I live in a loft with no garage or work area. But the fish gods looked down upon me and a neighbor set out this cabinet for free because they are moving. This thing is the same exact material and build quality as the Red Sea stands and I had to do nothing but wheel it in and drill a hole in the back Will hold my RODI system, storage tanks, supplies, test kits and iPad which I track my parameters with.

I cut up some egg crate to use for dividers in chamber one to run some filter pads until I can get an InTank box for chamber one. Adding a mini skimmer to chamber two this afternoon.

Ordering the new light today, not liking the green hair algae I'm seeing.

 

[HeckleFish]

Time for an update:
I've always had a knack for finding deals on stuff and that continues.
I had planned on buying a Noopsyche Mini light for the nano and ordered one from their direct site. $88 delivered. Great deal. Order says 7-14 days and it would update me through the Shop site. Ten days go by and no update at all. Still says pending. I had believed that by ordering from the direct site, they were shipping from a US location. I've had similar transactions with Chinese manufacturers that did this. I reached out by email, chat, and facebook when I realized it was Lunar New Year approaching and everything shuts down for a couple of weeks. All I wanted to know was if the LNY was going to delay shipping. Zero response from every attempt to contact them. I would have been fine if they just typed back to say yes. Meanwhile the green hair algae I was growing with the stock Fluval light was slowly being handled by the Turbos.

Then one day I meet a local sitting on a huge mountain of equipment from display tanks, frag tanks, rock, reactors, lights, everything. Literally a three-car garage full. If Hoarders TV show did an episode on reefers, he'd be the guy.
I went to pick up a $30 Mars Aqua light just to get me by til the Noopsyche arrived. Instead I ended up with an AI Prime 16 HD with mount for $100. At that same exact time my phone dings saying I just was refunded my $88 from Noopsyche. Score!

I had also been accumulating frags from different reefers from $5 - $10 each so the display is a bit of a cluster. But here it is sitting on the free, Red Sea quality stand.

I also ended up with a second Hygger Mini Wavemaker which is on low in the back to add a little better flow.

Now tonight's score from the same guy.
Two Trigger Systems 5 gallon reservoirs
Complete Tunze 5017 Water Level Controller
Leather coral the size of a softball (free)

One will be RO for top off, the other for salt for auto water changes. He has a third one I'll get for waste water from the changer.
Also picking up a four-pump Bubble Magus dosing system and dosing chambers. He just has to dig them out.
I'm hoping that I can figure out how to harness the Bubble Magus unit for water changing.

Everything I've been picking up has been super inexpensive.
The goal is to buy a house this year and be free of the 10-gallon limit of our loft. I may just buy everything from him piece-by-piece and store it.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Time for an update:
I've always had a knack for finding deals on stuff and that continues.
I had planned on buying a Noopsyche Mini light for the nano and ordered one from their direct site. $88 delivered. Great deal. Order says 7-14 days and it would update me through the Shop site. Ten days go by and no update at all. Still says pending. I had believed that by ordering from the direct site, they were shipping from a US location. I've had similar transactions with Chinese manufacturers that did this. I reached out by email, chat, and facebook when I realized it was Lunar New Year approaching and everything shuts down for a couple of weeks. All I wanted to know was if the LNY was going to delay shipping. Zero response from every attempt to contact them. I would have been fine if they just typed back to say yes. Meanwhile the green hair algae I was growing with the stock Fluval light was slowly being handled by the Turbos.

Then one day I meet a local sitting on a huge mountain of equipment from display tanks, frag tanks, rock, reactors, lights, everything. Literally a three-car garage full. If Hoarders TV show did an episode on reefers, he'd be the guy.
I went to pick up a $30 Mars Aqua light just to get me by til the Noopsyche arrived. Instead I ended up with an AI Prime 16 HD with mount for $100. At that same exact time my phone dings saying I just was refunded my $88 from Noopsyche. Score!

I had also been accumulating frags from different reefers from $5 - $10 each so the display is a bit of a cluster. But here it is sitting on the free, Red Sea quality stand.

I also ended up with a second Hygger Mini Wavemaker which is on low in the back to add a little better flow.

Now tonight's score from the same guy.
Two Trigger Systems 5 gallon reservoirs
Complete Tunze 5017 Water Level Controller
Leather coral the size of a softball (free)

One will be RO for top off, the other for salt for auto water changes. He has a third one I'll get for waste water from the changer.
Also picking up a four-pump Bubble Magus dosing system and dosing chambers. He just has to dig them out.
I'm hoping that I can figure out how to harness the Bubble Magus unit for water changing.

Everything I've been picking up has been super inexpensive.
The goal is to buy a house this year and be free of the 10-gallon limit of our loft. I may just buy everything from him piece-by-piece and store it.

Laughing at your cat’s face lol! They always have resting b**** face!

 

[HeckleFish]

It's a mess right now but the two reservoirs fit fine on the one side but I think I'll move the shelf up on that side so I can put a cabinet slide out under them to make it easier to fill. Maybe also cut the shelf back by half and use that area for dosing.
On the left side I'm going to remove the X shelves since they are load bearing and place the drain reservoir on that side. Looking for an American DJ power bar for the left side to mount and get a desk cable fixture to clean up the hole in back. Then it's cable tie city.

Laughing at your cat’s face lol! They always have resting b**** face!

That's Jackie. Incredibly empathetic cat. If you're sick, she will stay by your side 24/7. We tend to refer to her a Nurse Jackie, cuz she's not above cutting a *****.

Not in picture, Mugs the 28-pound Maine Coon.

 

[AydenLincoln]

It's a mess right now but the two reservoirs fit fine on the one side but I think I'll move the shelf up on that side so I can put a cabinet slide out under them to make it easier to fill. Maybe also cut the shelf back by half and use that area for dosing.
On the left side I'm going to remove the X shelves since they are load bearing and place the drain reservoir on that side. Looking for an American DJ power bar for the left side to mount and get a desk cable fixture to clean up the hole in back. Then it's cable tie city.

That's Jackie. Incredibly empathetic cat. If you're sick, she will stay by your side 24/7. We tend to refer to her a Nurse Jackie, cuz she's not above cutting a *****.

Not in picture, Mugs the 28-pound Maine Coon.

OH MY! That is a big cat…I know they are known for being big but still lol. It’s a dog sized cat hehe.

 

[SaltyinTennessee]

Looks like it is starting to fall into place, it’s looking good. But be careful a small tank is like the gateway drug and next thing you know you are planning a big build.

 

[HeckleFish]

Added a shade for the AI Prime from 3DReefing on Amazon. We will no longer be blinded while sitting in the same room as the tank.
Has anyone using this felt the need to bump up the light output to compensate for the diffuser?

 

[larryl]

Nice tank, thanks for sharing.

 

[HeckleFish]

Right now I'm fighting the urge to change this up to a floating reef aquascape. So very hard.

 

[HeckleFish]

Took a road trip into the foothills near Yosemite to check out stuff a guy was giving away. Picked up a bunch of old live rock and reef sand. And the little brother to my rescued tank. A Fluval EVO 5. Going to make it my zoa tank.

 

[HeckleFish]

So I ended up picking up a Bubble Magus doser with three reservoirs for $100.
Now just waiting for Amazon to deliver new hoses and holder for them. And figure out what to dose.

I put on a RFG with the stock pump and there is barely any flow coming out of it. The water surface has a film to it. Time to order a better return pump.