New 150.4 Waterbox

[Mid_Reefkeeper]

Quick update. Still waiting for the tank. Been 90 days so hopefully it won’t be much longer.

Making the most of the delay as it’s given me a chance to shop sales and pick up stuff slowly. Picked up a couple test kits, a 3D printed feeding door on sale, and an “Open box” mounting bracket for the 44HD Edge that looks untouched (anything to not pay the overpriced MSRP for it). Also got a 20 gal kit for a QT with the 1/2 off petsmart sale.

 

[Mid_Reefkeeper]

121 days later…we have tank!

So far it looks to be in good shape

 

[kevgib67]

121 days later…we have tank!

So far it looks to be in good shape

Congratulations! I got mine earlier January.

 

[exnisstech]

That punts the costs of a skimmer or good fuge light about 6 months

If your planning chaeto in the fuge a $20 grow light will grow chaeto great. Its all I ever used when I ran a chaeto fuge. I used to harvest 1/2 of a 5g bucket every week to 10 days. I used LED grow lights and attached them to the side of the fuge with Velcro rather than hanging them.

 

[Mid_Reefkeeper]

After many delays, cycling is on!

 

[Mid_Reefkeeper]

Lots of things happening since last update.

Cycle finished after a little over two weeks and ammonia is down to zero.

I got a nice order of inverts, pods, and chaeto from reefcleaners. About 40 misc snails. Half are tiny dwarf Ceriths, and the rest are a mix of oxtail nerites, astrea, trochus, nassarius and Florida ceriths. 1 emerald cerb, a conch, 1 bumblebee snail, and a peppermint shrimp, 7 hermits. I was going for a little bit of everything.

So far the rocks and sand have avoided the uglies and I’ve been feeding the inverts as best I can. Been a little worried about the crew starving. Some algae wafer bits, BRS pellets (the tiny ones), and a square inch of nori that the hermits took care of pretty fast.

Added a UNS refugium light. Seems pretty good quality and wattage for the price.

And this last weekend I added a Duncan and a bam bam zoa as testers and to see if I can get a little algae in there. Duncan looks good and the Zoas have only half opened.

Water parameters are 7dkh, 10 nitrate and 0 phosphate this weekend

I’ll see if I can get some photos uploaded tonight. It doesn’t want to cooperate on my phone.

 

[Mid_Reefkeeper]

The conch had a hitchhiker riding around for a day

 

[Mid_Reefkeeper]

I’ve been playing with the lighting. The AI app gives all the power and I’ve apparently been power hungry. After too much adjustment, I started using what Reef Dudes had on their Edge 1 month review. It’s blue heavy but doesn’t look too blue for my taste.

Still need to get a second light, but hoping to get a sale or open box so it’s not $400.

 

[Mid_Reefkeeper]

Got my first fish yesterday. 2 clowns. Had set up for a 3 minute freshwater (RO) dip. One wasn’t looking good after a minute and wasn’t moving so he got pulled out early and straight to the QT tank. The 2nd seemed fine and did the 3 minutes in freshwater and another 3 in 50:50. They’re both in QT now and eating after a few hours later. So seem fine (nothing found in the RO bucket either).

Duncan and Zoas are sprouting a new head - which is awesome. Especially with only one light (albeit it is centered mostly over them)

Biggest issue so far is flow.

The gyre seems a little too much. I have it cranked down to 30% which is enough for the Duncan to sway around and not get blasted, even with the primary flow passing going 6-8” over it. It’ll launch a 1 mm pellet almost across the tank. With it at 30% though it just runs continuously at 30% rather than the random power I envisioned.

The DMP-10 doesn’t stay on the main tank well. Falls off way too often. Works great in the mixing bin and on the QT so I think the glass thickness is just a little too much for it.

So I’m thinking of going down one size on the gyre and up one on the DMP (or GMP now?).