My first attempt at Reefing

CollinsLL2 · Apr 25, 2017

Update: Things seem to be going pretty well, the algae has let up quite a bit. I've added a few more crabs, and a Yellow Tang (I know he needs a bigger tank than my 20g, he's very small and Before he gets much bigger I will have a 75g up and running) and they seem to be helping a lot. I put a frag plug that was covered with algae in the QT tank with just the crabs and they had it completely cleared off over night. The tang grazes the rockwork all day, which is what I hoped for when I got him, but I guess I got lucky on that? He also eats the same flake food I feed the clowns and seems happy. (I read they can be picky eaters, and don't always eat algae). Things seem to be growing well, colors are looking good. I have noticed with my zoas that they don't seem to be spreading. The polyps are for sure getting noticeably bigger, but no new ones yet, is that normal? Here's some pics:

I accidentally Broke the Digitata you see in this picture.^^^ (right of the nem above the GSP) Long story short, water change syphon end in tank, kid yelled, dogs barked, head turned, digi broke. But both parts seem to be alive still. Will it survive? Did I just accidentally frag it?

Hard to see in this picture, but my Pink Goniopora has opened up and stays open now (before it was always fully closed and retracted, I was worried it wouldn't make it and felt really bad about killing it) It even has 2 or 3 new little baby polyps.

More new growth here^^^ (lower left 2 polyps)

azreeftank · Apr 25, 2017

As others have stated great start but I would ditch the Marine snow and instead feed your fish daily something like LRS frozen or Rods frozen. Not only will your fish appreciate daily feedings but that will also feed your corals without the massive amount of nitrates that Marine Snow puts in the tank. Your tank looks like a great start. Have you considered a HOB skimmer?

ItouchedThebutt · Apr 25, 2017

I have a question.. Is there such a thing as to much live rock in a tank? I have a 10 gal nano being cycled and im just getting alittle paranoid i guess? It seems like i have tl much but its 10lbs like they say. Heres a picture of how it looks..

CollinsLL2 · Apr 25, 2017

Going to be changing over tanks soon, so instead of starting a new thread, I'll just update progress on that in this thread. I picked this tank and stand up used for a pretty good price, and decided to fix it up a bit.
The tank wasn't drilled when I got it, just didn't think to start taking pictures until after the drilling. The plan is to build overflow boxes for the left two 1 inch bulkheads, and the center two 3/4 inch bulkheads will be for my returns. The bottom of the tank is clearly labeled as tempered glass.

I hate seeing cords and plumbing, so the back had to go black. I used plastidip in case I ever want to change it or remove it. Was my first time using this stuff, but I ended up getting the hang of it lol.

Next the sand needs a good sanding, then it will get painted.

I started with the doors.

And for now that's as far as I've made it. Its hard to tell from the pictures but the paint I used is a really hard high gloss white designed for wooden furniture. It should look really nice when it's finished, hopefully it can hold up to the saltwater drips that are bound to happen and the cleanings that white furniture requires with 3 kids and 3 dogs :D

CollinsLL2 · Apr 25, 2017

azreeftank said:
As others have stated great start but I would ditch the Marine snow and instead feed your fish daily something like LRS frozen or Rods frozen. Not only will your fish appreciate daily feedings but that will also feed your corals without the massive amount of nitrates that Marine Snow puts in the tank. Your tank looks like a great start. Have you considered a HOB skimmer?

Thank you. I have stopped using the marine snow for now. I put what's left of the bottle in the freezer and hopefully can still use it later down the road. I do still feed the reef roids, but have cut down to 1 time per week instead of every other day. I considered getting a skimmer, but I knew from the start I wanted a bigger tank, and wanted a sump system for it. So I figured it would be better to do more frequent water changes while I'm using the 20g, and save the money for a larger skimmer when I upgrade.

CollinsLL2 · Apr 25, 2017

ItouchedThebutt said:
I have a question.. Is there such a thing as to much live rock in a tank? I have a 10 gal nano being cycled and im just getting alittle paranoid i guess? It seems like i have tl much but its 10lbs like they say. Heres a picture of how it looks..

As far as I know you can't have too much so long as it doesn't become a weight issue for the tank. If you're happy with how it looks you're good I would say, if you feel like it's too crowded pull some out. As long as you have a safe place for your good bacteria to grow and do their job then you're good.

ItouchedThebutt · Apr 25, 2017

Okay because this my first saltwater tank ever and i gotta say im nervous but very excited. Its crazy how much life is in a saltwater tank other then fish and corals alone. Thank you!!

CollinsLL2 · Apr 25, 2017

So I was trying to think of the best way to make my overflow boxes, and I came up with this using scraps of glass from building a sump. My question is will it work? what are the pros vs cons of using this design? Thanks in advance for any input. :)