MrRedAmber
Community Member
MrRedAmber's Aquatop Recife 24g Reef Tank
Hey everyone! This is a build thread for an Aquatop Recife 24g reef tank that my partner and I have been working on. We’re new to the hobby and started this tank back in the middle of September. It’s been exciting, frustrating, depressing, challenging, beautiful, and an eye opening experience. We have learned a lot from since we started the tank and are always trying to learn more! Please share with us your comments, questions, suggestions, or concerns. We appreciate your feedback.
The Build:
The Tank’s Stock Equipment:
Some Upgrades We’ve Made Along the Way:
Hey everyone! This is a build thread for an Aquatop Recife 24g reef tank that my partner and I have been working on. We’re new to the hobby and started this tank back in the middle of September. It’s been exciting, frustrating, depressing, challenging, beautiful, and an eye opening experience. We have learned a lot from since we started the tank and are always trying to learn more! Please share with us your comments, questions, suggestions, or concerns. We appreciate your feedback.
The Build:
- Aquatop Recife Tank & Stand Combo https://www.aquatop.com/products/recife-eco-24g-tank-stand-combo
- AquaMaxx HOB 1.5 Protein Skimmer w/ Bubble Stopper https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/aquamaxx-hob-1-5-hang-on-back-protein-skimmer-w-bubble-stopper.html
- AI Prime 16 HD LED Reef Light https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/prime-16-hd-led-reef-light-black-body-aqua-illumination.html
- Jebao OW-10 Wavemaker Powerhead
- Aquatop 100w ( At least I think it’s 100w ) Glass Heater https://www.aquatop.com/collections...-aquarium-submersible-glass-heater-100w-gh100
- Duetto ATO https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/duetto-dual-sensor-complete-aquarium-ato-system-xp-aqua.html
- Aqueon 5.5 Gallon Tank, used as an ATO reservoir https://www.petsuppliesplus.com/cat...uariums/blacktanks/aqueon-aquarium-black/4393
The Tank’s Stock Equipment:
- The first thing that completely failed on us was the protein skimmer and it may have very well been our fault. After cleaning the skimmer one day, it simply would not turn on when we connected the power. We suspect that we may have gotten water some how in the female cable that connects to the power supply. Or we may have damaged the pump on the bottom of the skimmer. Otherwise the skimmer performed well and did its job. After the skimmer broke, we then upgrade to the AquaMaxx HOB 1.5. This thing is a beast and we couldn’t fit it into the AIO sump on the back so we had to mount it on the side of the tank. Though, looking at this post https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/doh-boy’s-24-gallon-aio-“built-thread”.751658/post-7881266, it looks like we can fit it into the back if we setup the plumbing properly. We recently got this skimmer ( less than a week ago ) so I can’t write a fair review for it. I’ll give it another month or two and write something formal, but it’s easy to setup and it’s working well so far!
- Since day 1, the return pump’s nozzle (Is that what you call it? ) from the 4th and final chamber of AIO sump is leaking water back into the chamber. It seems like the plumbing from the return pump to the nozzle isn’t creating a seal to stop the water from leaking back into the chamber. This is not a huge issue as it’s a very small leak but annoying none the less. We’re probably going to replace this at some point with a Jebao DCS-2000 . This is something I still need to research as I don’t have enough knowledge about how to setup the plumbing for this properly.
- Let’s talk filter media. The tank features a vertical series of 3 media boxes that originally came with carbon, some phosphate reducing media (some type of phosguard?), and ceramic rings. Initially the carbon box was floating to the top so we then placed it underneath the phosguard*. This was annoying. After about a month in we then started running a series of 11oz chemipure blue https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/chemi-pure-blue-boyd-enterprises.html, 180g of MarinePure ceramic media gems https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/90g-gems-ceramic-media-marinepure.html. and the original ceramic rings that came with the aquarium. I don’t know if replacing the phosguard* with the media gems was the right move, what do you think?
- The 1st stage of mechnical filtration is a filter sponge that has always been out of stock when I’ve looked for it. https://www.aquatop.com/collections...r-the-recife-eco-series?variant=5929717301280. I would like to replace this at some point with filter floss or some other method of mechanical filtration. I don’t have much knowledge and would appreciate any suggestions here.
Some Upgrades We’ve Made Along the Way:
- Replacing the protein Skimmer ( see 1st bullet point of the previous section ).
- Changing the stock filter media ( see 3rd bullet point of the previous section).
- Adding a powerhead.
- The flow generated from the return pump is ok, at some point we learned that not having enough flow in the aquarium was contributing to algae and nutrient problems we are having in the tanks.
- Adding an ATO.
- For a while we had a 5g container of RO/DI water sitting next to the side of the aquarium where out ATO would pull water from. This was ugly and we now have the Aqueon 5.5g tank in the bottom of the stank and it fit perfectly! We had bought another 2.5g Aqueon tank as a backup if the 5.5 didn’t fit. We want to look into a use for this 2.5g tank now, perhaps a refugium?
- Algae! Ugh, this is by far the most unsightly and annoying part of the hobby. It seems like we’re constantly cleaning cyano and brown hair algae in the aquarium. With the powerhead, upgraded protein skimmer, and chemipure, we’re hoping to start to turn the tide in our favor and slowly gain control over the nuisance algae. There are some other things that we’d like to also implement such as a refugium, more water changes, making our own RO/DI water with a 7 stage system, and perhaps something like chemiclean. We understand that there’s no magic bullet to solving this problem and we believe the solution is an ensemble of things we could implement and do better. Idk, we’re willing to try anything at this point, what do you think?
- The nitrogen cycle! It’s been a while since we’ve had our tank tested (2w-4w) but when we did have it tested, we were not always 0’ing out on ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. We figure this is because of the tank’s young age and will eventually balance out as the tanks establishes itself.
- Lack of Coraline algae. We feel like we’re doing something wrong because we don’t see any Coraline algae growing in our aquarium. Perhaps as the tank establishes itself and we get better at maintaining proper water quality will we then start to see Coraline. It’s a bit depressing to see cyan and hair algae take over.
- Replacing the filter sponge with a filter sock or filter floss.
- Replacing the return pump.
- Adding a refugium. We hope that this will help starve out the nutrients that the nuisance algae is taking up.
- Perhaps adding another light. The current live rock upside down “Mushroom” design leaves the left sight of the mushroom dark. I’d like to get another light to add more coverage over there.
- A digital thermometer. Currently we have none, it’s hard to know what temperature the water really is.
- A Ph and TDS meter. For quality testing, ya know?
- A 7 stage RO/DI system. It’s a hassle to go to the LFS across town for just water, we’d like to make it at home where we can use our own choice of salt and ensure the quality of it ourselves.
- 2x ocellaris clownfish.
- 4-5x snails, I don’t know what they are but they are not nassarius snails. They seem to like eating the algae on the glass and some on the rock if that helps?
- 1x serpent starfish.
- 1x blue legged hermit crab.
- 1x GSP.
- 1x Xenia.
- 1x Zoanthid.
- 1x SPS. Name is not known, any help would be appreciated to identify.
- 1x type of plating coral? Type or name is not known, any help would be appreciated to identify.
- 1x mushroom? Type or name is not known, any help would be appreciated to identify.
