My Tank Build 36g Corner Reef

[stephenwjr]

As you can see my corner tank is still setup as fresh water with a koi, goldfish and various tetra's. This setup will be moving to my hexagon tank.

Tank description: 36 gallon glass with a fluval 306 canister filter.

My first tasks will be
1. Scrub and clean tank to remove all calcium build up from years of evaporation.
2. Setup the aqua scape.
3. Add the salt water and microbacter tank starter.
4. Add 2 clown fish
5. Cycle the tank for 4 months and maintain proper water quality.

Once the tank has been established for 4 month I will post my next steps.

This will be my first salt water setup since the 90's and plan on taking is slow and easy for proper tank stability.

Any suggestions or tips are very welcome.

Thank You,

1NC0GNITO

 

[stephenwjr]

Decided to post each step instead of waiting 4 months for cycle.

Task #1 Done. Clean and ready for aqua scape.

Was thinking of arranging the aqua scape along the back two walls or making a more negative space scape with a center footing and expanding from the center footing to all three corners of the tank.

Any suggestions?

1NC0GNITO

 

[stephenwjr]

Task #2, Task#3 and Tank #4 all done.

I have the aqua scape completed. Mixed my first batch of RODI salt water. Added the microbacter and two snowflake clowns. system has been cycling for two days. After the new year I will move everything to my corner tank.

Everything going very smooth so far.

 

[stephenwjr]

Tank Setup with aqua scape. Two Snow flake clowns to help cycle the tank.

 

[reefer024]

Nice, are you doing bare bottom?

 

[stephenwjr]

Nice, are you doing bare bottom?

I considered doing bare bottom but have seen that sand will have a added benefit.

Currently cycling with microbacter and after the 7 day cycle has finished will be adding carib sea arag-alive.

 

[reefer024]

I considered doing bare bottom but have seen that sand will have a added benefit.

Currently cycling with microbacter and after the 7 day cycle has finished will be adding carib sea arag-alive.

The live sand will help with cycling also. I'd add it sooner than later. If you plan on a pistol shrimp or burrowing fish make sure you make the sand bed deep enough.

 

[stephenwjr]

The live sand will help with cycling also. I'd add it sooner than later. If you plan on a pistol shrimp or burrowing fish make sure you make the sand bed deep enough.

The Micro Bacter directions suggest not adding sand until the cycle has finished. It could possibly stall the cycle according to the BRS videos I have watched. Going to take this setup nice and slow to avoid any possible problems.

I do plan to add something that borrows through the sand just not sure what that will be at the moment. Thanks for the advice!

 

[stephenwjr]

Just a little update. I have been adding two fish at a time several weeks apart. The first two are goby's. A yellow prawn aka watchmen and a blue streak. These guys are doing great and help with keeping the sand clean. About two week later I added a Tang and coral banded shrimp. The shrimp died within two days and the tang seemed fine and all fish have been eating well. About a week later I added two more fish, a yellow tail and domino damsel. After adding the damsel's, my tang started showing signs of stress. He was displaying some discoloration on his body(like blotches) and hiding behind and under the aqua scape. Soon after he died and then the domino showed signs of stress with the dark black body starting to fade and what looked to be a white film on his side. I went to the lfs and picked up some coppersafe and dosed the tank just below the recommended level. The domino passed this morning but all other fish seem to be healthy and eating. I am waiting for my copper test kit to arrive so I can monitor the amount of copper in the tank to prevent over dosing. I will treat the tank with copper for at least a month and dose with microbacter 7 to maintain the bio system.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Thanks,
1NC0GNIT0

 

[reefer024]

Just a little update. I have been adding two fish at a time several weeks apart. The first two are goby's. A yellow prawn aka watchmen and a blue streak. These guys are doing great and help with keeping the sand clean. About two week later I added a Tang and coral banded shrimp. The shrimp died within two days and the tang seemed fine and all fish have been eating well. About a week later I added two more fish, a yellow tail and domino damsel. After adding the damsel's, my tang started showing signs of stress. He was displaying some discoloration on his body(like blotches) and hiding behind and under the aqua scape. Soon after he died and then the domino showed signs of stress with the dark black body starting to fade and what looked to be a white film on his side. I went to the lfs and picked up some coppersafe and dosed the tank just below the recommended level. The domino passed this morning but all other fish seem to be healthy and eating. I am waiting for my copper test kit to arrive so I can monitor the amount of copper in the tank to prevent over dosing. I will treat the tank with copper for at least a month and dose with microbacter 7 to maintain the bio system.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Thanks,
1NC0GNIT0
[/QUOT
Your tank is not big enough for a tang. Please make sure you research the fish before adding. Are you using ro or conditioned tap water?

 

[reefer024]

Just a little update. I have been adding two fish at a time several weeks apart. The first two are goby's. A yellow prawn aka watchmen and a blue streak. These guys are doing great and help with keeping the sand clean. About two week later I added a Tang and coral banded shrimp. The shrimp died within two days and the tang seemed fine and all fish have been eating well. About a week later I added two more fish, a yellow tail and domino damsel. After adding the damsel's, my tang started showing signs of stress. He was displaying some discoloration on his body(like blotches) and hiding behind and under the aqua scape. Soon after he died and then the domino showed signs of stress with the dark black body starting to fade and what looked to be a white film on his side. I went to the lfs and picked up some coppersafe and dosed the tank just below the recommended level. The domino passed this morning but all other fish seem to be healthy and eating. I am waiting for my copper test kit to arrive so I can monitor the amount of copper in the tank to prevent over dosing. I will treat the tank with copper for at least a month and dose with microbacter 7 to maintain the bio system.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Thanks,
1NC0GNIT0

Your tank is not big enough for a tang. Please make sure you research the fish before adding. Are you using ro or conditioned tap water?

 

[stephenwjr]

Your tank is not big enough for a tang. Please make sure you research the fish before adding. Are you using ro or conditioned tap water?

yea, A few of the other reefers have helped me with what I can have in my tank. I am sad but now know my tank is too small for a tang. I am using RODI water.

 

[reefer024]

Any new pictures?

 

[stephenwjr]

Any new pictures?

Sure here is one from today.

 

[reefer024]

Sure here is one from today.

Looks good. If you plan on any burrowing fish or shrimp you'd want to add more sand..

 

[stephenwjr]

Update 3/21/21

Since late December I have had some ups and downs. Lost a few fish due to tank not being ready and some compatibility issues. I will never have another damsel ever. My salinity was way off due to a bad hydrometer and upgraded to a refractometer. Will never have another hydrometer ever.

As of today tank is stable.
Salinity 35ppm
Temp 78.3 Deg. F
PH 7.9 to 8.0
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Phosphate N/A no test kit yet.
Alkalinity 9.5
Calcium 420
Mag N/A no test kit yet.
Copper 0 and running cuprisorb for the next few months due to treating the tank with copper about a moth back.

About the middle of last month I started to experience the ugly tank phase with patches of brown algae showing up on the rocks even with no light on the tank. The tank is across the room from the eastern facing window and gets no direct light from the sun but does get incandescent light from the recessed lighting above it. So I recruited one very small sail-fin tang, 4 turbo snails and two red leg hermit crabs. They quickly ate most of the brown algae in the tank. I know that the tang was against the advice of a lot of members here a R2R but it is very small and it will be returned once it gets bigger. Also started using Microbacter Clean to help with this phase.

So thanks to all the advice and research from BRS this tank is doing very well.

Here are some pics from today.

This May I will add lighting and start the addition of purple coralline algae and a few small Zoa's

1NC0GNIT0

 

[reefer024]

Looks like it's coming along. Do you have any surface movement in the tank?

 

[ShepherdReefer]

Looking great.

 

[stephenwjr]

Looks like it's coming along. Do you have any surface movement in the tank?

Yes I do have surface movement from the canister filter inlet. I routinely adjust it so it is right at the water surface. I do plan on getting one more DC power head to increase the flow when the lighting is added.

Question? Should I reduce the power head flow at night to let the fish rest?

Thanks,
1NC0GNIT0

 

[reefer024]

Yes I do have surface movement from the canister filter inlet. I routinely adjust it so it is right at the water surface. I do plan on getting one more DC power head to increase the flow when the lighting is added.

Question? Should I reduce the power head flow at night to let the fish rest?

Thanks,
1NC0GNIT0

My opinion, no you don't have to reduce the flow at night. All my fish have their own spot to rest. They'll find a place they like