My SPS Waterbox Peninsula Mini 15

[howaboutme]

Thanks for the acknowledgement @brandon429 !

I see these threads all the time but I don't get involved. Everyone has their opinions and that's okay. Unfortunately, we are in a world of impatience coupled with each company's ability to market their products efficiently. My formula errs to the side of minimalism. I would never use those products. In fact, I have a personal theory/opinion that those products are the one's the cause the dino's and/or tank crashes we have been seeing. If you go back years ago before those products became prevalent, you'd never get so many threads about dinos. Again, I have no data, just assumptions. It seems that one of the main things in common between anyone w/ dinos is bac in a bottle. I'm sure there are exceptions of course. This hobby is great because we really just don't know. That's what keeps us coming back.

I also would never start my tank w/ any kind of live rock, from a retailer or a fellow local reefer. I need to know (to the best of my abilities) what goes into my tank. I also don't buy the current assumption live rock = no dinos.

To reiterate, I started with dry rock (to be honest, dead rock from a previous build years ago that has been dry for 4/5 years), ghost feeding for cycling. That's it. Other than 1.5/2 weeks where I saw some nuisance algae on the back wall, I have NOT had the uglies or any dinos. I also didn't panic those 1.5/2 weeks. I kept up maintenance and cleaning and it went away. Of course, I may get nuisance algae tomorrow. If so, I'm happy to report back to be transparent.

I don't dose and I don't test. I do monitor with my Reef Angel controller. (By the way, anyone w/ the patience, I'd recommend Reef Angel. IT-JUST-WORKS. That's it. Weekly wc's and feeding is all I do.

I'm starting another tank and I will do the same. I'm not going to do a transfer. I'm going to cycle that tank first then bring stuff over from this tank. We'll see how that goes.

I recommend any reefer to the research necessary and then form your own opinions and path forward based on the information given to you. Don't take anyone one or two suggestions as fact.

 

[brandon429]

Well said. I view your way as about one of three total proofs in reefing that it’s even a possible scenario and without this group free cycling wouldn’t have a chance to bloom at all, critical niche covered here


fully agreed the standard bottle bac has its utility too I’ve bought it before to avoid a wait.
also I’ve linked to your thread for dinos control technique not just cycling

 

[howaboutme]

Well said. I view your way as about one of three total proofs in reefing that it’s even a possible scenario and without this group free cycling wouldn’t have a chance to bloom at all, critical niche covered here


fully agreed the standard bottle bac has its utility too I’ve bought it before to avoid a wait.
also I’ve linked to your thread for dinos control technique not just cycling

There is no dispute that bac in a bottle works. But the way the rhetoric is today is that it is the only way. That is simply not true. Again, we are a closed system. Only put in your tank what you know.

 

[howaboutme]

Sexy shrimp making an appearance. He's grown so much. Also in the photo is his favorite food, the green slimer in the background. He munches on polyps, slimer gets angry, slimer recovers, polyps get eating, rinse and repeat.

Nom, nom? I love this view of snails.

UNS 75s build in progress! Fun stuff.

 

[howaboutme]

Almost ready to retire this thread!

 

[brandon429]

It was an exercise in pure reef control the whole way, animals were kept in perfect marine conditions. well done

 

[brandon429]

The utilitarian application of this thread to updated cycling science cannot be understated. It solves universally for the 30 day mark, it validates the already-known dating from a common cycling chart which everyone loves to debate when api says so.

I’ll be linking to this for years, you’re ending the tank in a full control manner preserving all life for the next round its complete graduation of reef tank, it’s moving from b.s. into masters territory
next iteration.


I dont care what stew someone made in a reef tank, 30 days is the max time it takes to cycle. We can change out the funkwater they made, using MB7 or any other molasses-slow bacteria, on day thirty at worst (their rando mix usually boosts to half that time) and what’s left adhered will handle what your tank just handled.


This directly means your thread enables testless cycling for others given this submersion date compliance and clean water start. Your ramp up was not haphazard, it was controlled and metered by design so you didn’t need the big fresh change at the start but your start date timing will be an enduring start date many folks will wind up using, that’s certain. We will be able to track out hundreds of complete cycles like yours now in others tanks therefore cementing submersion date cycling as a very very cheap and reliable way to get the job done. It’s not about careful coaxing and dosing and testing at all. The number of days underwater can be a sub for good testing access.

 

[howaboutme]

Thanks @brandon429! This tank is doing amazing for sure. To be honest, I am surprised at how well it's been. I really had no clue (does anyone) how the journey would be. I'm crossing fingers the new tank will be just as smooth. I will do another post w/ pictures before transfer and breakdown to complete the journey.

This current tank is about 7/8 months old, other than 1 week of some minor stringy stuff, it's never had the uglies. As I've stated, I would never, ever, start a tank w/ live rock from anywhere.

About testing...I was about to not do 1 single test on the new tank before adding livestock but broke down, yesterday actually, and did an API NH3 and a Nyos NO3 test. Blah! What a waste of time. There will be 1 new rock structure that's been cooking for about 5/6 weeks so I'm sure it's all set. Then I will add the existing one from this tank to the other side. It'll be fun.

It's wet!

 

[brandon429]

It’s for sure going to work perfectly can’t wait to watch it mature

 

[howaboutme]

7 months and 20 days.

Broke tank down today. Transferred everything worth transferring to the new tank. Stressful but all went smoothly. I was looking back at my thread and personal logs to see how this tank did. Other than a bout with some fish disease that hitchhiked from buying snails from a system that also contained fish, nothing negative at all. All corals, anemones, shrimp and most snails (some original ones didn't last this long) made the trip across the room. The one coral I lost was because it got loose from the rock and dropped into the a black hole that I couldn't' get out.

Some quick cell phone pictures from before the breakdown below. It's hard to tell since SPS grows so slow but all have indeed grown. Zoas....meh.

And now this:

More room!

 

[howaboutme]

Okay, one more post on my old build thread. Tagging the other UNS folks that I'm aware of here.. @BillyW @Smite

 

[Smite]

Amazing tank! Can't wait to see it grow. Your's is beginning and my UNS is coming to an end. Post a link to the build thread so I can follow along and get my UNS fix

I really like the scape and clear background.

 

[brandon429]

Howaboutme

heres the three thousandth time we used your thread to cycle another tank

HUGE question regarding cycling

alright, what ive learnt about cycling is that theres 2 ways to do it: 1. Fish in method : Where the fish goes in (clowns) and bottled bacteria right after 2. Ghost feed with live rock and live sand as they have the microfauna (nitrite into nitrate bacteria and ammonia to nitrite bacteria + a...

www.reef2reef.com

your thread shows cycles don’t have to be bought, they can be waited / free

 

[howaboutme]

Howaboutme

heres the three thousandth time we used your thread to cycle another tank

HUGE question regarding cycling

alright, what ive learnt about cycling is that theres 2 ways to do it: 1. Fish in method : Where the fish goes in (clowns) and bottled bacteria right after 2. Ghost feed with live rock and live sand as they have the microfauna (nitrite into nitrate bacteria and ammonia to nitrite bacteria + a...

www.reef2reef.com

your thread shows cycles don’t have to be bought, they can be waited / free

Glad I can contribute!

By the way, that's a train wreck of a thread. Can't believe people are still saying throw a damsel in.

Almost 1 yr and a tank transfer later, still no dynos or uglies...

 

[brandon429]

Bro ha! I just woke up and added some sarcasm before coffee, I’m sure it won’t help them any more than the uber specific directions I gave in the first answer lol. they can buy fifteen bottles of bac and instantly import uronema.

I dont fault the OP I fault the bottle bac sales machine that tells everyone a cycle must be coaxed and tested for all three params in order to work, what a scam sham


I demand a new MACNA talk and accompanying YouTube video: truth in cycling, what’s not for sale.


in 100% of setup attempts, anyone who feeds flake food and waits 30 days is cycled and when that’s not true, new cycling charts will have to be made and re published into sixty year old books in the library.

 

[howaboutme]

Bottle bac has it's place. I don't doubt that. But we can't blame them only. It's our need for anything "instant". Plus no one wants to do their own research and then believe every advice is the best advice.

 

[brandon429]

One hundred pct agreed

 

[Bobby1993]

This belongs in our updated cycling rules thread, adding. Nice work old school work in a world where all bacteria is for sale, and must be bought.

though we have no microscope to prove bacteria imagine that exact setup with fish, a couple feedings, on day one all dry surfaces. It cannot make two days... cloudy wreck total loss within 48 hours of setup. What tanks show regarding clear water alone counts so much in cycle assessment, tests can mislead.

Brandon, quick question if you don’t mind
You mention that you’d notice if the water was off by it being cloudy etc.
are you saying that we don’t need to test the water at all and that if anything wasn’t right we would see it in the water?
If we do need to test then when is the right time to do so?

 

[howaboutme]

Brandon, quick question if you don’t mind
You mention that you’d notice if the water was off by it being cloudy etc.
are you saying that we don’t need to test the water at all and that if anything wasn’t right we would see it in the water?
If we do need to test then when is the right time to do so?

I'll tag @brandon429 so he can best answer you in his own unique way.....But since this is my thread, I'll just say that he's referring to the fact that cycling a tank is very basic. If you follow a few basic (old school) rules, you really only need to look at the clock (or calendar), no testing needed (metaphorically, please do still test).

 

[howaboutme]

While I'm here: