My new 120L Reef tank

[Peach02]

Hi I'm Brad, this will be my tank build thread, I wasn't sure if this tank classifies as a nano or a cube so I put it here in member tanks
All measurements will probably be in metric the system

Thismorning after 6 months of saving and 2 weeks of work I got myself a

aqua one : aqua Reef 120

We also bought;
10Kg sand
hydrometer
Thermometer
6 25L saltwater bucket thingabobs
1 25L freshwater bucket thingabob

I then began cleaning the sand

Once clean we put the sand into the tank

Then I began poring the water in first putting it in a large bucket to poor it easiler and with more stability I then started to pore it in with 2 cubs a jug and poring the buckets once the water was a few cm above the sand

Then the tank began to overflow into the sump and skimmer etc and the tank is now full of water I'll let it cycle for 3 days and then add live rock 3 more days and then add 2 clownfish and maybe a single coral

(Tank as of now with no lights on)

pH = 8.4

Hydrometer was in the green so 1.025 - 1.020

Nitrite is 0 mg/L

Ammonia roughly 0.25 mg/L

Nitrate about 0-5 mg/L

24th of January 2019 signing out

So in the last few days I’ve added about 6kg of live rock to the tank and the return pump is much quieter now that I think about it
The live rock had a snail, algae, some honeycomb shaped thing and some really small shrimp that are a few mm long pictures soon. I also added a chemical which will help reduce ammonia in the hope that the snail will survive
I named the snail Napoleon because he was the first living thing in the tank that was visible and not algae
I’ve attached photos and a video of the shrimp bellow

Sorry for poor quality on this one it was hard to get a good shot of the shrimp and it would be greatly appreciated if someone could tell me what it or the snail is?

31st January 2019

 

[coley650]

Hi Brad! Looks great! That seems quite quick to add fish though IMO as the tank won’t have cycled in that time as there’s nothing in there that’s kick started the nitrogen cycle of breaking down ammonia to nitrite and then nitrate (I didn’t see if you were using an ammonia source and bacteria dose so apologies if that’s the case). It’s a small tank for the fish to go through a nitrogen cycle in a brand new system with no beneficial bacteria (BB) built up for nutrient management and wouldn’t want you to suffer any losses. What method for cycling are you using?

Is the live rock you’re using cured and are you adding something to build up the BB? Cycling the tank can be a bit of a minefield as people have different preferences, ATM colony, live rock, dead rock, real reef rock.

Keep us updated on your progress and water parameters and welcome to this mega addictive hobby!

 

[Peach02]

Hi Brad! Looks great! That seems quite quick to add fish though IMO as the tank won’t have cycled in that time as there’s nothing in there that’s kick started the nitrogen cycle of breaking down ammonia to nitrite and then nitrate (I didn’t see if you were using an ammonia source and bacteria dose so apologies if that’s the case). It’s a small tank for the fish to go through a nitrogen cycle in a brand new system with no beneficial bacteria (BB) built up for nutrient management and wouldn’t want you to suffer any losses. What method for cycling are you using?

Is the live rock you’re using cured and are you adding something to build up the BB? Cycling the tank can be a bit of a minefield as people have different preferences, ATM colony, live rock, dead rock, real reef rock.

Keep us updated on your progress and water parameters and welcome to this mega addictive hobby!

Thanks for the insight I've added this to the sump which grows bacteria apparently
As for the rock I'm pretty sure it's live rock and has been in a display tank for a few months so I'm not sure

 

[coley650]

I’ve never used them personally so will be interested to see how you get on with them! Have you tested your water yet, how’s it looking?

 

[Captain Quint]

Welcome to R2R and the awesome pics. We are here for you if any questions arise. @coley650 has given some good advice as slow and steady in the hobby will show good results.

It would be a good idea to purchase a refractometer as it is more reliable than a hydrometer.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

Welcome and congrats on the new tank. +1 on the refractometer and taking things slow and steady. Here is a little info that might interest you. There is an excellent section explaining the cycle process and what to expect.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

 

[Peach02]

I’ve never used them personally so will be interested to see how you get on with them! Have you tested your water yet, how’s it looking?

Tested it last night and this is what I got

pH = 8.4

Hydrometer was in the green so 1.025 - 1.020

Nitrite is 0 mg/L

Ammonia roughly 0.25 mg/L

Nitrate about 0-5 mg/L

 

[Captain Quint]

Tested it last night and this is what I got

pH = 8.4

Hydrometer was in the green so 1.025 - 1.020

Nitrite is 0 mg/L

Ammonia roughly 0.25 mg/L

Nitrate about 0-5 mg/L

Hi new friend. The hydrometer is not honestly accurate and it's a pretty big swing showing of 1.020 and 1.025. Please look into a refractometer or have your LFS check your salinity. It is not a huge deal at the moment with a tank cycling but it will be when the nitrogen process is complete and you get closer to adding fishes.

 

[Peach02]

Hi new friend. The hydrometer is not honestly accurate and it's a pretty big swing showing of 1.020 and 1.025. Please look into a refractometer or have your LFS check your salinity. It is not a huge deal at the moment with a tank cycling but it will be when the nitrogen process is complete and you get closer to adding fishes.

I’ll look into it but I forgot what the measurement read and just remembered it was in the green and the 1.025-1.020 was all I could remember

 

[Peach02]

Updated 31st Jan 2019