Gene the Reefer
Community Member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2019
- Messages
- 84
- Reaction score
- 55
- What state or country do you live in
- Texas
About Me
Dad, finance guy, sometimes Crossfitter, and keeping fish in what little free time I have left. I started with freshwater about 20 years ago and took a crack at saltwater in 2019. It was a 10g DIY tank that was intentionally done as cheaply as possible to test the waters (DIY fuge w/ chaeto, budget EVERYTHING, etc.). I dealt with just about every issue you could have - vermitids, flatworms, aiptasia, you name it - but the tank was a...TANK. SPS, LPS, euphillia, zoas - everything flourished. Then came the great Texas freeze of 2021 and I lost lost power for a full week while it dropped to about 50 degrees in my house. Everything in the tank died except xenia and some vermitid snails. I was devastated and had no interest in restarting the tank. BUT, leading up to my 40th birthday this summer, I decided to give it another shot and July 2nd we got wet! I will avenge my old tank and make this one better in every way!!!
Plan
KISS - Keep it simple, stupid. One thing I learned from my old experiment tank is that good, consistent water quality and dipping corals will prevent most problems. Plus, I don't have a ton of time to dedicate to reefing so I need hardy fish and corals that can handle me traveling regularly. Thus, this bad boy will be softie dominated. I love nanos because you can a) reach every corner and crevice and b) fix anything with a water change.
When in doubt, simplicity and nature reign supreme for me (both in life and reefing). That means I'll avoid chemicals and equipment whenever possible - it's cheaper, better for the animals/corals, and easier to manage/maintain. So I'll choose utilitarian fish and inverts over chemical treatment, macro algae over a skimmer, and water changes over dosing.
Equipment
Tank: 14g Innovative Marine Peninsula
Stand: DIY - pics below. I forgot to take pics during the build
Light: IM Prime 16
Heater: Aquael 50w w/ Inkbird
ATO: Tunze Nano
ATO Reservoir: Dog food container from PetSmart. It's food safe and holds about 4 gallons, which lasts me about 2 weeks
RODI: RO Buddy from Amazon
Return Pump: stock that came with the tank
Livestock (in order of addition to the tank; all were named by my kids :) )
Yasha Goby (Bubbles) and Candy Cane Pistol (Shrimpy) - I've always been intrigued by the symbiotic relationship, but I honestly regret the purchase. I might see Bubbles once per day and Shrimpy once per week. They're really cool but just too timid.
Frostbite Clown (Thunder) - no idea where they got the name, but this guy is a crowd favorite. He's all over the place and not aggressive at all.
Pajama Cardinal (Boo) - "He looks like he has a costume, let's call him 'Boo!'"
Tailspot Blenny (Benny II) - My very first saltwater fish was a tailspot blenny named Benny. This is his ghost child, Benny II, and he's awesome.
Peppermint Shrimp (Weirdo Shrimp) - I had some aiptasia and this guy completely went to town! My kids thinks he looks weird and I agree lol.
CUC - Trochus, hermits, nassarius, ceriths...nothing out of the ordinary
Future Plans: MAYBE a pink streaked wrasse...MAYBE
Corals
Zoas - lots of them and looking to add more. Zoas are my absolute fave and the reason I was interested in saltwater in the first place
GSP - growing on the back wall
Clove Polyp - these guys started as one frag and grown super fast
Gorgonian
Toadstool leather - 2 different kinds, looking to add more
Duncan
Trumpet/Candy cane
Sinularia
Micromussa
Green birds nest (freebie)
Superman monti (freebie)
Macros - red grape algae, pom pom, caluerpa (easy to manage in a nano)
Dad, finance guy, sometimes Crossfitter, and keeping fish in what little free time I have left. I started with freshwater about 20 years ago and took a crack at saltwater in 2019. It was a 10g DIY tank that was intentionally done as cheaply as possible to test the waters (DIY fuge w/ chaeto, budget EVERYTHING, etc.). I dealt with just about every issue you could have - vermitids, flatworms, aiptasia, you name it - but the tank was a...TANK. SPS, LPS, euphillia, zoas - everything flourished. Then came the great Texas freeze of 2021 and I lost lost power for a full week while it dropped to about 50 degrees in my house. Everything in the tank died except xenia and some vermitid snails. I was devastated and had no interest in restarting the tank. BUT, leading up to my 40th birthday this summer, I decided to give it another shot and July 2nd we got wet! I will avenge my old tank and make this one better in every way!!!
Plan
KISS - Keep it simple, stupid. One thing I learned from my old experiment tank is that good, consistent water quality and dipping corals will prevent most problems. Plus, I don't have a ton of time to dedicate to reefing so I need hardy fish and corals that can handle me traveling regularly. Thus, this bad boy will be softie dominated. I love nanos because you can a) reach every corner and crevice and b) fix anything with a water change.
When in doubt, simplicity and nature reign supreme for me (both in life and reefing). That means I'll avoid chemicals and equipment whenever possible - it's cheaper, better for the animals/corals, and easier to manage/maintain. So I'll choose utilitarian fish and inverts over chemical treatment, macro algae over a skimmer, and water changes over dosing.
Equipment
Tank: 14g Innovative Marine Peninsula
Stand: DIY - pics below. I forgot to take pics during the build
Light: IM Prime 16
Heater: Aquael 50w w/ Inkbird
ATO: Tunze Nano
ATO Reservoir: Dog food container from PetSmart. It's food safe and holds about 4 gallons, which lasts me about 2 weeks
RODI: RO Buddy from Amazon
Return Pump: stock that came with the tank
Livestock (in order of addition to the tank; all were named by my kids :) )
Yasha Goby (Bubbles) and Candy Cane Pistol (Shrimpy) - I've always been intrigued by the symbiotic relationship, but I honestly regret the purchase. I might see Bubbles once per day and Shrimpy once per week. They're really cool but just too timid.
Frostbite Clown (Thunder) - no idea where they got the name, but this guy is a crowd favorite. He's all over the place and not aggressive at all.
Pajama Cardinal (Boo) - "He looks like he has a costume, let's call him 'Boo!'"
Tailspot Blenny (Benny II) - My very first saltwater fish was a tailspot blenny named Benny. This is his ghost child, Benny II, and he's awesome.
Peppermint Shrimp (Weirdo Shrimp) - I had some aiptasia and this guy completely went to town! My kids thinks he looks weird and I agree lol.
CUC - Trochus, hermits, nassarius, ceriths...nothing out of the ordinary
Future Plans: MAYBE a pink streaked wrasse...MAYBE
Corals
Zoas - lots of them and looking to add more. Zoas are my absolute fave and the reason I was interested in saltwater in the first place
GSP - growing on the back wall
Clove Polyp - these guys started as one frag and grown super fast
Gorgonian
Toadstool leather - 2 different kinds, looking to add more
Duncan
Trumpet/Candy cane
Sinularia
Micromussa
Green birds nest (freebie)
Superman monti (freebie)
Macros - red grape algae, pom pom, caluerpa (easy to manage in a nano)
