Hi everyone!
After months of researching reef tanks, equipment, livestock and watching far too many YouTube videos, I finally started my first aquarium EVER. Currently 10 days post-cycle
I am currently testing the water every 3 days cause I'm scared of something going wrong.
I'm based in Dubai, UAE, so I'll probably also be sharing my experiences with local fish stores, livestock availability, and equipment that can be found in the UAE. Hopefully this thread will become a complete journal of my reef from day one onward.
Equipment:
- Waterbox Platinum REEF 70.2+ White 178L display, 262L total system volume, 60×60×55cm display.
- Red Sea Reefer Skimmer 300 DC
- Red Sea ReefRun 5500 DC Return Pump + ReefRun Dual DC Controller
- Red Sea ReefLED G2 60 + Universal Mounting Arm
- Red Sea ReefWave 25 Wavemaker
- Red Sea ReefATO+ with external ReefCan40 reservoir
- D&D 250W Titanium Heater + Inkbird ITC-306A WiFi Controller (set 25-26°C)
- Aquatic Life RO Buddie Plus DI 4-stage 50GPD
- Eheim Twin Auto Feeder
- DIY mesh lid
- Red Sea Reef Spec Carbon 250g
- Waterbox Phosphate Media 250ml
- Live MarinePure Blocks and Balls (seeded from an established tank)
Fish:
- Ocellaris Clownfish ×2
- Royal Gramma ×1
Corals (dipped all before placement):
- Zoanthid frags ×3
- Pulsing Xenia ×1
- WWC Neon Cabbage Leather ×1
Cleanup Crew:
- Trochus Snails ×4
- Halloween Hermit Crabs ×2
- Nassarius Snails ×2
- Cleaner Shrimp ×1
Cycling:
Silent cycle, heavily seeded with Seachem Stability, API Quick Start, Biozyme 303 vials and live MarinePure blocks from a local aquarium shop. Never saw a dramatic spike. Ammonia processed instantly throughout.
Now let's get into the journey..
Setup everything in this corner, even though there are a lot of windows, it doesn't receive direct sunlight ignore the horrible cable management...
Rock arrangement & gluing
Collecting RO/DI water for the first time
18kg MarcoRocks and 20kg Aragonite Sand placed, 2-3cm depth. Filled with RO/DI water afterwards and started the long cycle.
Current state with corals marked.
Favorite coral
I hope I didn't miss anything. Very excited for the future! Looking to get a Midas Blenny next but unfortunately it's out of stock everywhere here.
After months of researching reef tanks, equipment, livestock and watching far too many YouTube videos, I finally started my first aquarium EVER. Currently 10 days post-cycle
I am currently testing the water every 3 days cause I'm scared of something going wrong.I'm based in Dubai, UAE, so I'll probably also be sharing my experiences with local fish stores, livestock availability, and equipment that can be found in the UAE. Hopefully this thread will become a complete journal of my reef from day one onward.
Equipment:
- Waterbox Platinum REEF 70.2+ White 178L display, 262L total system volume, 60×60×55cm display.
- Red Sea Reefer Skimmer 300 DC
- Red Sea ReefRun 5500 DC Return Pump + ReefRun Dual DC Controller
- Red Sea ReefLED G2 60 + Universal Mounting Arm
- Red Sea ReefWave 25 Wavemaker
- Red Sea ReefATO+ with external ReefCan40 reservoir
- D&D 250W Titanium Heater + Inkbird ITC-306A WiFi Controller (set 25-26°C)
- Aquatic Life RO Buddie Plus DI 4-stage 50GPD
- Eheim Twin Auto Feeder
- DIY mesh lid
- Red Sea Reef Spec Carbon 250g
- Waterbox Phosphate Media 250ml
- Live MarinePure Blocks and Balls (seeded from an established tank)
Fish:
- Ocellaris Clownfish ×2
- Royal Gramma ×1
Corals (dipped all before placement):
- Zoanthid frags ×3
- Pulsing Xenia ×1
- WWC Neon Cabbage Leather ×1
Cleanup Crew:
- Trochus Snails ×4
- Halloween Hermit Crabs ×2
- Nassarius Snails ×2
- Cleaner Shrimp ×1
Cycling:
Silent cycle, heavily seeded with Seachem Stability, API Quick Start, Biozyme 303 vials and live MarinePure blocks from a local aquarium shop. Never saw a dramatic spike. Ammonia processed instantly throughout.
Now let's get into the journey..
Setup everything in this corner, even though there are a lot of windows, it doesn't receive direct sunlight
ignore the horrible cable management...Rock arrangement & gluing
Collecting RO/DI water for the first time
18kg MarcoRocks and 20kg Aragonite Sand placed, 2-3cm depth. Filled with RO/DI water afterwards and started the long cycle.
Current state with corals marked.
Favorite coral
I hope I didn't miss anything. Very excited for the future! Looking to get a Midas Blenny next but unfortunately it's out of stock everywhere here.
