My First Reef Build

[LinZ]

Although I picked up the initial components of my first saltwater tank about 5 months ago from someone selling it for $100 in our local fish group, I spent that time researching and planning out upgrades. I also got incredibly lucky that someone in our local fish group (Raleigh, NC) was moving and rehoming her Biota royal gramma, neon blue cleaner goby, court jester goby, and (non-biota) yellow-banded possum wrasse, which was pretty much my short list of aquarium inhabitants.

Along the way, I set up a frag QT tank in an EVO, and this last weekend after lots of waiting, QT time and planning, I finally upgraded my whole system.

This is an IM Fusion AIO 20 Long. In the back I have their auto fleece roller, an ATO, a Finnex titanium 100w heater (on an inkbird of course), a sack of chemi-pure blue, and the IM caddy with the stock media.

I have an inTank refugium basket in there that is just holding live rubble for now, but I got the Tunze Eco Chic refugium light. I have some macro in the main display but may move it back there if the nitrate load calls for it.

My main focus going forward will be filling it with corals! I'd like a mixed reef. I have a mushroom rock I am trying to downsize to free up some space in the back right corner. I have a very large rainbow trachy, a rainbow pectinia, and a carpet mushroom I will be picking up this weekend to start QTing. I also may have gone a little nuts with the WWC live sale event and have an assortment of corals arriving Friday including an aussi lord, a gorgeous mint Asian lord, some micromussa, blastomussa, goniastrea, favia and zoas. The local reefer I am getting the high end stuff from is also throwing in a few freebies I think an acans, a few zoas and a branching cyphastrea. Not sure how I am going to fit all these in my EVO for QTing but I'll make it work!

Anyway, wish me luck! It's been a smooth journey so far and I've been really enjoying the saltwater experience after keeping freshwater for over ten years.

 

[edsbeaker]

Great start and good luck!
If you aren’t already testing for alkalinity and calcium, you will probably want to start that after you add the corals to the display tank. Water changes alone may add enough to replenish what is used since it is a smaller tank, but you’ll want to keep an eye on things to assure your parameters stay stable.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I like the RFA you have in your tank! Thanks for sharing with us!

 

[Staghorn]

Looking good, keep it up

 

[LinZ]

Great start and good luck!
If you aren’t already testing for alkalinity and calcium, you will probably want to start that after you add the corals to the display tank. Water changes alone may add enough to replenish what is used since it is a smaller tank, but you’ll want to keep an eye on things to assure your parameters stay stable.

I've got a Hanna checker for Alk and figured if that's low, it's likely calcium and magnesium are also low. I've got Reef for All on standby. I'm transitioning to Red Sea Coral Pro salt once I get my massive shipment of corals in, and so far have been doing well with 20% water changes every couple weeks.

 

[LinZ]

I like the RFA you have in your tank! Thanks for sharing with us!

Thank you! There are two more good holes in that rock that I hope to stick a couple more in for some color variety! I really love them! Might also get them a pair of sexy shrimp :)

 

[Fish Fan]

Looks like your off to a great start, good luck with your tank!

 

[Fish Fan]

I've got a Hanna checker for Alk and figured if that's low, it's likely calcium and magnesium are also low. I've got Reef for All on standby. I'm transitioning to Red Sea Coral Pro salt once I get my massive shipment of corals in, and so far have been doing well with 20% water changes every couple weeks.

This is a good plan, and that's a good salt mix with a high starting Alk, so you should only have to maintain it, which is good. I'd watch your salinity, you have an ATO, so that's great. I believe salinity is the #1 parameter to stay on top of because when salinity fluctuates, every other parameter fluctuates with it. After that, if you can only test for one thing, I'd test for Alk because Alk fluctuates much more than Calc or Mag (and some people don't bother testing for Mag at all).

Best of luck, please post back if you have any questions and we'll try our best to help!