My Best DIY has born

[SHNICI]

Not sure from where to start, but I'm keep working on it since 3 years ago, and I hope one day just to move it in really big tank - all what I done here, which is coming my really long turn DIY test and learning.
Have really many photos to post in, and I hope I'm not boring you! If just go to the next thread But here will see many DIY and probably a lot of mistakes and success which expire me to keep doing it and I really enjoy it.
I'll try day by day to post everything what's on my mind.
And here is how it is the moment:

 

[SHNICI]

Later on I'll bring you to the story, but 1st:
-that's my system at the moment, with almost all the corals and all in (I know isn't fully stocked, and most of the corals aren't on them place, but that's at the moment):

 

[SHNICI]

And here is closer look to what's inside (sorry, but I do like o take shots as crazy )

 

[SHNICI]

And few more, after I'll begin my story from the next one:



Thank you for watching, if you have any question just post or PM me please

 

[SHNICI]

Reef Tank 365 - Reef Tank 365!**Enter here for a chance to be featured**

Hello Reef2Reef'ers! Let me preface this post by saying that your tank doesn't have to be packed full of mature sps coral colonies and have the best gear to be included, or even have coral at all (FOWLR are welcome!). But we will need a decent photo. :) We want to start a new series of threads...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[SHNICI]

So, some intro and info about me:
I'm born in Bulgaria, under Romenia, in Ruse, since I was a child my Dad make at home few FW aquariums (early 80's), so since I was 6 year old I member fishtanks all around me xD
After few years maybe 5-7 the tanks gone (after huge accident as I know).
When I become 14 I bought my 1st FW tank by myself (in Bulgaria is really hard to find marine/salt water store at all, tere and today the hobby is like tabu. Keeping the FW tanks near my 22y. after I just gift them all to someone when I had to move away from my parents house.
2015 I arrive in UK, 2016 I go in one fish store with many other animals in (having survived 10+ years Grammostola Rosea - Tarantula and few other spiders)

I love the invertebrates and the reptiles (have accessories for them in my computer shop). When I was in the shop, my Fiancee ask me to buy few colorful fish (guppies) and I told her "starting once with fish, you will be unable to stop me to have more and more .... And the "game" start again... I just bought few (probably bought 10-15 or 20), don't remember exactly
After year going from FW shop to another and all around me LFS I was watching and watching the marine fish and corals..., in a moment don't member how, I start to read about the SW hobby mainly for the reef, the corals and the invertebrates in. So colorful, so lovely, and nice looking tanks I discover online, they grab me like a candy - child or Marshmallow xD.
Later on In a moment I start to prepare SW tank small one 2g just to see can I do it or no. At this time the FW start boring me, because I done the perfect close biotope system, like in the FAT BOOKS wasn't able to do anything else in, it was Planted Jungle style FW tank, everything was completed and sometimes for 3-4 weeks I don't had to do anything on it even the water wasn't evaporating out of the system.

So ..., let go more, I can't stay on one place and just watching, my hands have to be all the time in the water to do something, and reading from many sources how hard is the SW hobby I decide to go in and start it. In really short time I cycle completely the 2g tank with the help of cured LR, start to buy snails, after hermits (later on, I realise the hermits aren't my desired animal for reef tank) which start to kill the snails because of the shells, and because I don't like animals killing another and taking advantage of them, I go rid of the hermits, giving them back to the LFS. From there I got as a gift few dying corals, Gorgonian, GSP some mushrooms and after whyle I realise hospitality is good think for me. I'm still buying corals which are on the way to not to make it. And love to rescue them.
I turn off the FW tank, giving everything to few friends of mine and to the LFS, left only with a plastic box full with plants and shrimps (still alive till today in the box only with air and air-sponge filter, light and all is working well w/o anything else

 

[SHNICI]

I was using the 2g tank for a whyle, during that time I was still reading and learning, and all was thriving in, it was amazing, I extend it to one nano tank 25-30l (Aqua one nano 30 or something like) and all in

My 1st rock sculpture which I build by my self from 4 separate dry LR (hiding "cave" )
Crushed shells for gravel Shaving brush for something green and you see red grape stalks

here playing with rearranging and newer red grape + few snails and few hermits
Something which surprise my LFS was I was able to find and I got NANO skimmer, the small one with pump/impeller ever I saw it's under 20-25cm tall and only 10cm footprint, it was really doing the job, it's UP to 80l rated.

days later got more life in

Tuxedo Urchin, which sooner start to drive me mad eating all the macro algae which I prefer (at this point I start to read more and more and open my Account in R2R to get some answers and read more about the hoby)

 

[SHNICI]

Really there I put in so many corals, really too much for that small tank and volume of water

After while I attach to the main tank another 2 x10l which I convert in refugiums and sump

I found my 1st "pest" hitchhiker when this mantis hit my finger during I was holding LR in the water and I found the hole it hide in.

My 1st nudibranche after my zoas

I was discovering completely new world..., every single moment I was discovering something new in the water

 

[revhtree]

WOW very cool! Thanks for sharing!

Also be careful with those clamps! Mine rust!

 

[SHNICI]

WOW very cool! Thanks for sharing!

Also be careful with those clamps! Mine rust!

my rust too, but I'm washing them sometimes and let the dry, can't prevent the salt creeps from touching the metal spring, and they stay on the rim, because often I need to use them there to attach something somewhere.

Thanks for sharing and commenting on my thread @revhtree !

 

[SHNICI]

Late 2018 (November I had to go in another country for over 2 weeks - in Bulgaria), and now? What the heck I'm doing with all my reef slife ? I don't have ready cycle tank, I don't have anything where to leave it to be safe.....
And I just empty completely the FW tank, all give all my stock from to friends and to one lovely LFS. Literally for about a week and half I manage to finish with all the job (1st time building SW tank, I mean that's completely different level from the small tank, where daily put some routines on.
I bought many different bacterias cultures (probably found 5 or 6 don't member exactly), all prepared SW in from the LFS, bought second hand: Skimmer Reef PRO 500 (TMC), found 2 reactors Phosban 150 (for GFO and GAC), from the LFS got huge amount of rubles all cured for long time, got from there and Fluidised sand bed and few others bits and pieces, got and Maxspect Celestial (spot) light (which I still use for some purposes (it come with the full spectrum COB and COB blue-purple for algae growth ).
I just had enough time (2 days before the Air Flight) to put all together and to make it ot work, which I finish just 2 hours before the airplane to Was a lot of fun, sweet and tears without any single hour of sleeping
During the cycle time I bought and another fish tank, which wasn't completely ready for my purposes and I don't had the free time to prepare it, but it come in with complete plastic/acrylic cover, so I used that one to cover my tank, because of the evaporations..., wasn't able to find cheap enough ATO to refill the water, and that was near 20 days away with near 1.5l. evaporation per day
So now some photos during that speedy journey:
After some of the photos here, I'll put and links with more photos, which are more detailed and/or from different angles, as I like to take many shots (sorry for some of the blurry photos, at that time the camera wasn't that good)

Stripping down the FW tank

More IMG

Cleaning Prot skimmer

Some LR which I bought and I don't like how it look (was dry for a while and not worth it for me ising it like this)
before

After(the same bits)

More IMG (in details)

Fish tank Cycle (for almost 2 weeks) and filled with the creatures and the corals from the small tank

During the cycle

Filling it

All ready

More IMG

And VIDEO after all (2 hours before I have to fly): ->VIDEO<- (sorry, by some reason the R2R forum can't recon it as a MP4 video )

 

[SHNICI]

After one month all was thriving, was looking really nice:

 

[sfin52]

So, some intro and info about me:
I'm born in Bulgaria, under Romenia, in Ruse, since I was a child my Dad make at home few FW aquariums (early 80's), so since I was 6 year old I member fishtanks all around me xD
After few years maybe 5-7 the tanks gone (after huge accident as I know).
When I become 14 I bought my 1st FW tank by myself (in Bulgaria is really hard to find marine/salt water store at all, tere and today the hobby is like tabu. Keeping the FW tanks near my 22y. after I just gift them all to someone when I had to move away from my parents house.
2015 I arrive in UK, 2016 I go in one fish store with many other animals in (having survived 10+ years Grammostola Rosea - Tarantula and few other spiders)

I love the invertebrates and the reptiles (have accessories for them in my computer shop). When I was in the shop, my Fiancee ask me to buy few colorful fish (guppies) and I told her "starting once with fish, you will be unable to stop me to have more and more .... And the "game" start again... I just bought few (probably bought 10-15 or 20), don't remember exactly
After year going from FW shop to another and all around me LFS I was watching and watching the marine fish and corals..., in a moment don't member how, I start to read about the SW hobby mainly for the reef, the corals and the invertebrates in. So colorful, so lovely, and nice looking tanks I discover online, they grab me like a candy - child or Marshmallow xD.
Later on In a moment I start to prepare SW tank small one 2g just to see can I do it or no. At this time the FW start boring me, because I done the perfect close biotope system, like in the FAT BOOKS wasn't able to do anything else in, it was Planted Jungle style FW tank, everything was completed and sometimes for 3-4 weeks I don't had to do anything on it even the water wasn't evaporating out of the system.

So ..., let go more, I can't stay on one place and just watching, my hands have to be all the time in the water to do something, and reading from many sources how hard is the SW hobby I decide to go in and start it. In really short time I cycle completely the 2g tank with the help of cured LR, start to buy snails, after hermits (later on, I realise the hermits aren't my desired animal for reef tank) which start to kill the snails because of the shells, and because I don't like animals killing another and taking advantage of them, I go rid of the hermits, giving them back to the LFS. From there I got as a gift few dying corals, Gorgonian, GSP some mushrooms and after whyle I realise hospitality is good think for me. I'm still buying corals which are on the way to not to make it. And love to rescue them.
I turn off the FW tank, giving everything to few friends of mine and to the LFS, left only with a plastic box full with plants and shrimps (still alive till today in the box only with air and air-sponge filter, light and all is working well w/o anything else

Have t and scorpions. Raise Dubia roaches for them.

 

[SHNICI]

Have t and scorpions. Rause Dubia roaches for them.

I don't want to stress my Rosea that much, it's over 11 years old now..., I make it during the ears to slow it down on growing and molting It was supposed to die probably 2-4 years ago, but it's still doing well..., I stop to count the skins, after 2-3 of the regular for it life span .. (even now I don't member how many skins and it's gone ..). It's my LOVELY Spider xD.
But can't take it out and touch it anymore.., it was stressed during one molting from friend of mine, and after it's attacking always, have to touch it with rubber gloves only... before (5-6 years was able to play with it w/o problem even if isn't fed at all for longer)
I have mealworms few generations old 7-9, and use them to feed the grammostola once per month or month and half, it's always happy xD
Sometimes start just to jump in the box around for unknown reason, like it's catching something but nothing there, even no vibrations near it.

 

[fishguy242]

coming along nicely

 

[SHNICI]

coming along nicely

Thank you mate, I'll continue soon the long story, to have it well documented, that's one of the reasons since the beginning I made thousands of photos, just and mainly for that purpose