Dirk’s Waterbox 20G

DirkCourage · Oct 11, 2020

After much planning, setup and organizing, I’ve got water in the Waterbox! Dosing Dr. Tim’s tomorrow. Past that, I plan on taking my sweet time filling it up.

Waterbox 20 gallon Cube

Equipment:
Ai Prime 16 LED
Vortec MP-10 powerhead
Sicce 1.0 return
Eheim 100W heater
Tunze 9001 skimmer
Reef Keepers Prism ATO
Filter cup w/floss + carbon in chamber 1

Stocking Plan (straight down the fairway):
2x Clowns
1x Goby + Pistol shrimp (love a High Fin Gobi)
1x Dottyback (Orchid/Purple/Bicolor)
1x Cleaner Shrimp
1x Emerald Crab
1x Pom-Pom or Porcelain crab
+ urchin or sexy shrimp (and usual CUC of course)

Corals:
Softy and LPS dominant
GSP and Xenia (crazy right?)
Zoanthids, Cloves, Alveopora, Euphilias, Favas, Acans
Not so into Singularia, leathers

spideybry · Oct 12, 2020

Def take a pic once you got the lights up, looking forward to seeing this tank up and running. The scape is looking cool.

stylolvr · Oct 16, 2020

Looks good! +1 on another photo with the lights on. I'm compiling gear for this same setup and look forward to watching your progress. What will you be using the 2nd chamber for?

DirkCourage · Oct 16, 2020

stylolvr said:
Looks good! +1 on another photo with the lights on. I'm compiling gear for this same setup and look forward to watching your progress. What will you be using the 2nd chamber for?

Thanks! I do have a couple slightly better pics. I’ll be installing the lights (leaving them off a couple months), the ATO, and skimmer. (I am absolutely shocked by the level of daily evaporation!) I have a Tunze 9001 that will go in chamber 2.

In a fit of buying frenzy, I bought an In-Tank media rack for Chamber 2 before I had the tank. Didn’t grasp that they would compete for space back there. It looks like I can fit the skimmer in there with a little DIY on the media rack though. I have a couple extra pieces of branch rock in there during the cycle, and will aim to keep them in there.

DirkCourage · Oct 25, 2020

Day 14 Update

Barely been two weeks, and it’s already been a learning experience!

Started my cycle with Dr. Tim’s, and things seemed to be moving along ok. Ammonia was dropping, Nitrites went up to 4ppm and fell to 2, and then Nitrates... I had a devil of a time reading my Red Sea nitrate tests. I was out of town a few days and decided to dose some more ammonia as it fell below 1ppm. I finally decided to do a high range Nitrate test later on and registered sky high nitrates! Confirmed with a Salifert kit. So, five gallon water change yesterday and another today. Should’ve done 10 at once I think but that’s difficult to manage. Anyways, seems like cycle is pretty complete! Just have to get that number down.

Finally had time to install Ai Prime and Tunze 9001 skimmer, the finishing touches (if there is such a thing.) Pleased with the light, though I feel like that will take some time to get dialed in. I don’t plan on lighting for the first couple months.

The skimmer was a trial. I managed to fit it within the chamber 2 In-Tank media basket with the magnet attaching to the basket itself. Tight fit, but allowed me to get the proper depth for the skimmer. I was worried about this thing, as all night it just bubbled over with water in moments. Forum feedback was it might take days to break in, and to turn down the airflow. Did the water change this morning, and crazily the skimmer was immediately performing as it should!

There’s zero signs of algae at the moment, so I think fish soon followed by some crew.

spideybry · Oct 25, 2020

Looking good so far. What will be the first addition?

Skimmers usually needs to develop that biofilm and it should be okay - I let mine just sit in the sump for a bit until I tried turning it on a few times and now it is running like a champ. Skimmers are usually finicky.

Also, having a pretty light on the tank will encourage turning it on lol.

DirkCourage · Oct 25, 2020

spideybry said:
Looking good so far. What will be the first addition?

Skimmers usually needs to develop that biofilm and it should be okay - I let mine just sit in the sump for a bit until I tried turning it on a few times and now it is running like a champ. Skimmers are usually finicky.

Also, having a pretty light on the tank will encourage turning it on lol.

Thanks! Yeah, schedule got a bit thrown off. Skimmer situation not so straightforward but seems ok now, slowly opening the air valve until it is tuned.

Starting with a pair of clowns for sure. I have a pretty quality LFS that will have stock coming in for next weekend and I might see what they have. Also, eyeing some pricey Gladiator Clowns on LiveAquaria :$

LagunaGlide · Nov 11, 2020

How is the tank going? I am impatiently awaiting my WB 20 cube to arrive.

Jib · Nov 11, 2020

Really interesting scape. Can't wait to see it filled in with corals.

DirkCourage · Nov 11, 2020

Hah! I’m flattered someone is paying attention to this build. It’s been a busy time, but things have proceeded pretty nicely. Long update:

Tank cycled up nicely, and I ordered a pair of Black Ice clowns from LiveAquaria. There were cheaper options, but I decided I’ve already dropped so much cash on this endeavor I could at least splurge out for my centerpiece fish. And centerpieces they are! They both have their own personalities (the male is chill and a bit of an explorer, the female is def not chill.) I was pleased with LA’s customer service, as I had a few questions, and the fish themselves arrived in great shape. I’ve settled into feeding them daily with TDO Chroma-Boost which they go absolutely WILD for, way more than frozen mysis! Planning on adding goby/shrimp pair in the coming weeks, but am very undecided on fish #4.

Only issues, I’m not sure where my nitrates are right now. My tests had me around 10ppm, did a 10% WC and had my LFS test water quality. LFS said I was at .5! I don’t quite know what to make of this discrepancy, and think I’ll have them test again this weekend. Everything looks healthy, though I can see some very small whitish strands on some of the rock, which may be bacteria. I’m keeping an eye on this.

Still can’t get the skimmer to perform. I tried adjusting the height a little more, but still just fills with water in minutes. I’m just going to chill on it for now too.

WiscoFishNut · Nov 11, 2020

Looking good! On the dottyback, I would avoid purple. I had one in my first tank and he ended up being a menace.

Everything Aquatics · Nov 11, 2020

Nice tank I have the same one

DirkCourage · Nov 15, 2020

Added a cleaner shrimp, a couple nassarius snails a trochus today. The cleaner shrimp is AWESOME. It’s beautiful to look at and is always up to something, I’m so happy to have it. Almost a disaster though. After drip acclimating for an hour, I went to grab a net to put it in the tank and knocked the bucket over! Grabbed him and threw him right in. He seems OK!

My LFS has been very spotty in the snail department, not that I’ve any serious algae right now. I also have the sneaking suspicion the hermits have straight up murdered the few in there.

The white gunk on the rocks was concerning. It blew right off with a turkey baster, seems to be bacterial. I increased the flow, and am trying to overfeed a bit. My nitrates were at 5 on Friday, compared to .5 last week (according to LFS.) Think if I hold it between 5-10, I can keep this stuff from growing.

stylolvr · Nov 15, 2020

Coming along nicely! With the new/small bioload, the skimmer just may not have much to pull out of the water. I'd give it a rest for a bit and try again if you notice your numbers/algae starting to trend in a negative direction. I'm not familiar with your model, so can't help with technical specifics. Glad to see the clowns are doing well!

DirkCourage · Nov 15, 2020

stylolvr said:
Coming along nicely! With the new/small bioload, the skimmer just may not have much to pull out of the water. I'd give it a rest for a bit and try again if you notice your numbers/algae starting to trend in a negative direction. I'm not familiar with your model, so can't help with technical specifics. Glad to see the clowns are doing well!

Thanks! I was kind of thinking that with the skimmer. You think I should just turn it off then?

stylolvr · Nov 16, 2020

I think you'd be ok to turn it off for a few days or more and keep an eye on the tank. Lots of folks run these smaller systems successfully without a skimmer. I don't plan on running one on the 20 cube I'm putting together. Small (~10%), regular (weekly) water changes is the plan.

DirkCourage · Nov 22, 2020

A busy weekend for the reef, I added a Wheeler’s Shrimp Goby, Randalli pistol shrimp, and some banded trochus snails. I’ve decided this will be it until the new year, at which point I’ll start looking at some corals before last fish. I’m going to try and dial in the parameters a bit more. Thought I had been raising the salinity to 35ppt, but turns out my meter was out of calibration. So, definitely can be better in that department

All were ordered through LiveAquaria and once again came on time and in good condition. Was going to drip acclimate the snails and shrimp together but thought better of it, so it was a long Friday night performing three acclimations! The pistol shrimp is/was TINY, 1/2” max though it’s extremely hard to tell as they’re semi-transparent and then there’s water refraction. I could barely see it in the bag. He’s made his home under a rock near the front of the tank. I got a rather lazy shrimp right now. A little work on the burrow and he’s awol. Rather like a college kid with cinder block furniture in his first apartment...

The goby seems right at home and has found a cave that’s nowhere near the shrimp. I do hope they meet up one day :/ The coloration is quite pretty, though he’s been mostly hidden.

I’m quite happy with the trochus snails! They’re attractive and very active. I had let some film algae build up on the glass and they’re on the case. The white bacterial stuff seems under control. Increased flow helped, and hoping the snails take care of the rest. With some real CUC in here, I’ve decided to try an increased light schedule. I also ordered some pods through Algae Barn. Hoping these will help out the goby and just get some biodiversity going.
(Also pictured, one of my hermits ditched his shell and is now tumbling around in the flow. I put some shells near him, but this doesn’t look great. This bums me out.)

DirkCourage · Dec 8, 2020

Well, first real bummer today. I swear the universe was messing with me. I hadn’t been planning another fish until the new year, but then happened to see a Tail Spot Blenny become available at Divers Den. Thought I ought to jump on it. Why not? They seemed hard to come by these days. The tank seems to be clicking along.

I swear, ever since that order I just kept seeing posts and complaints about LiveAquaria. Then today, fish was DOA. Lots of poop in the bag. Floated it to temp, even started to bag acclimate, but it was clearly dead. Claim filed. Sad face. I guess these things happen, but it’s a real bummer. Think it would have been a good home for the little guy.

Otherwise, things have been going well. I’ve gotten my salinity in line which has helped Alk & Ph. I’ve been running a full light schedule with minimal algae, just enough too keep the trochus going. After an early “on again, off again” thing, the pistol and goby have paired up right in the front of the tank! I’ve been barely seen the pistol, but I think he’s grown already. Think next step will be a couple corals. I’m off adding a fish for a bit.

DirkCourage · Dec 25, 2020

Christmas update! Exciting times in the tank as I put in my first corals! Purchased from a local fragger with a spectacular selection. Gorgeous and healthy frags, I’ll be visiting him again very soon. Helped pick out some good ones. One of the zoa frags has what looks like a ricordia head on it, I’m excited to see that grows out. Looked closely at some fireworks polyps, which he pointed out had Aiptasia on them (apparently common with this species.) Decided against risking that, but if he has clean frags in the future I will jump on them.

First selections were straight down the fairway: toadstool, rhodactis mushroom, and some Bam-Bam zoanthid frags. Dipping went smoothly, placed them on the rock while I thought about permanent positions. Woke up to find them all blown into the substrate (it’s true then, Lagoon Mode pushes more water than Reef Crest.) so, kind of epoxied them in place in a rush. Happy with placement on these, but will plan next carefully. Everything seems content and polyps extended.

With the lights up, algae started to take off so more snails added to the CUC. One of my hermits had seemingly been struggling, and finally died. LFS had a Halloween Hermit, so he has taken its place. It’s BIG, like bigger than it seemed in the store.