New build - 7.5g cube

[Katrina71]

I love it!!!

 

[WiscoFishNut]

I love it!!!

Thanks! I think it turned out pretty cool. Now to let it mature and see what happens

 

[jk_s124]

That macro algae is fantastic!

 

[WiscoFishNut]

That macro algae is fantastic!

Thanks! It was an idea inspired by @Katrina71 and it randomly worked out that my LFS had some lol. The LFS has a customer that runs some algae reactors for chaeto and pom pom apparently. I think it'll work out well for this little nano, especially since there's no skimmer for nutrient export.

 

[WiscoFishNut]

That new algae is doing a great job at nutrient export! Tested this morning and NO3 was at somewhere between 2-5ppm. I'm pretty dang happy with those #'s considering there's no skimmer present. I am curious to see how the normal algae cycle will go for this build though. I'm cautiously optimistic that with low nutrient levels it won't be as bad, but I guess we'll see.

The fish are all chilled out now and enjoying their new home which is a relief I also added a jar of Tigger pods from Reef Nutrition last weekend to see if I could get em to populate the tank. Jury is still out on the success of that move..

 

[mmw64]

Pic dump thread!

Who makes the light you are using?

 

[WiscoFishNut]

Who makes the light you are using?

The light I started with was made by Zetlight, here's the link on BRS for it - Zetlight ZA1201. I ended up replacing it with a different light because of the lack of a controller. I'm now using this light - Fluval Sea Marine Nano.

 

[mmw64]

The light I started with was made by Zetlight, here's the link on BRS for it - Zetlight ZA1201. I ended up replacing it with a different light because of the lack of a controller. I'm now using this light - Fluval Sea Marine Nano.

Thanks for the information. Really enjoyed this build. Keep us updated on progress please.

 

[WiscoFishNut]

Thanks for the information. Really enjoyed this build. Keep us updated on progress please.

Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it! I definitely plan on keeping the build thread up to date. It's fun to look at and reflect back at how things progress over time. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of corals I can add down the road when its had time to mature a bit.

 

[Scubabeth]

Having a project is a good idea right now for sure!!! Nano tanks are so neat! I like the refugium idea!

 

[WiscoFishNut]

Having a project is a good idea right now for sure!!! Nano tanks are so neat! I like the refugium idea!

Thanks! Yeah this project has been a nice distraction with everything going on right now for sure. The algae idea has been a home run. Looks pretty and does a fantastic job of keeping the nutrients in check with such a small tank. The cleaner shrimp just mottled today which was a positive sign that conditions are good. I plan on adding a GSP frag and a random paly frag in there to see how they do this weekend. That little Fluval light is pretty strong for its size.

 

[WiscoFishNut]

2 month update!

Nutrient control has been fantastic with the pom pom algae and the chemipure blue. I've only been doing monthly water changes since there's no corals to worry about yet.

The fish aren't super active except for feeding time which is kind of disappointing. I'm considering adding a second small clown to see if it impacts the behavior of the little picasso in there. Could be a brilliant move or a big mistake, opinions welcome I had a similar problem in my 60g cube, and a new mate for the single clown seemed to improve things.

The CUC and sexy shrimp are all good, but I'll be adding a couple more small snails to help keep the algae on the glass in check.

The pods I added to the tank exploded! I'm kind of surprised the clown and neon goby haven't wiped em out.

*Tank/equipment changes*

I removed the pre-filter "sleeve" from the intake tube to the HOB filter during the last water change. It was preventing the filter from priming after I restarted it. Just means I'll have to be mindful of the sponge filter in the first stage of the media basket.

I pulled out the halimeda plant. It wasn't looking super awesome, plus it consumes calcium from what I've read. Which would possibly be a bad thing in the future.

I settled on a light schedule to prep for some zoas to be added this weekend.
Went simple, not pro mode
07:30-08:00 Sunrise
08:00-17:30 Daylight hours
0% Pink
100% Cyan
100% Blue
100% Purple
20% Cold White
17:30-18:00 Sunset
18:00-22:00 Night
0% Pink
5% Cyan
5% Blue
5% Purple
0% Cold White

Current FTS

 

[WiscoFishNut]

3 month update

Since the last update I added a small ocellaris clownfish in hopes of the other one becoming less shy/reclusive. So far move seems to have been modestly successful. In my other tank I had a clown that became a hermit after his/her mate died. When I added a buddy it worked like a charm.

I also added a test coral (paly) to see how it would. Looks pretty good so far, but I'll probably wait a bit before adding anything else unless I see something I can't resist. I'm tempted to move that frag and put a small torch in that spot for some motion.

I can't say enough about how happy this small tank makes me. The maintenance for it is super easy and it's crazy stable with the matrix, chemipure blue, and macro algae. I went about 4 weeks between water changes(2g) this last time and the NO3 only got up to 10ppm. The only pita is the stubborn green film algae on the glass. I went to town on it with a Flipper scraper and still couldn't clear the sides completely It looks like I need a new scraper or I need to bite the bullet and buy some fuzzy chitons from reefcleaners. Bummer is they require expedited shipping for those which makes the cost pretty crazy when all I need are 2 or 3 of the little dudes. Might have to see if my LFS can order some.

Some pics from today -

FTS

The new clown. I'm hoping the picasso clown in the background's colors brighten up eventually. I was honestly surprised he survived the shipping originally.

Test coral - some sort of paly, can't remember the name

Bubba Gump the shrimp

And last, but not least the neon blue goby.

 

[fishguy242]

looking good,algae really growing fast,thinking palys are green sea mat

 

[WiscoFishNut]

looking good,algae really growing fast,thinking palys are green sea mat

Thanks! I'm thinking about moving that piece on the left to my 60g cube to see how it does. The growth rate is just right, haven't had to trim it back yet which is nice. I'm not running any pink/red spectrum and only 20% white at peak, so I'm not terribly surprised it's growing slow. Low maintenance ftw lol!

 

[jk_s124]

Looks great! I have had success scraping film algae with razor blades.

 

[WiscoFishNut]

Looks great! I have had success scraping film algae with razor blades.

Thanks! I'll give razor blades a shot

 

[WiscoFishNut]

Minor updates -

I ended up moving the paly frag to the rock in the back right corner and added a torch that I picked up a few weeks back. The torch is doing pretty decent, but I'm thinking it probably would enjoy a more random flow pattern. The fish are all doing great and getting along I need to move things around a bit in there - the small rock in the back right corner up to the front right, the big pom pom clump back to the right corner since its taller than the small rock, and relocate that other pom pom piece to my bigger tank. Eventually I'm planning on adding some bright zoa frags like rastas, cheeseheads, or scrambled eggs, and maybe some firework clove polyps. Takin it slow with this tank tho after the adventures I've had with my bigger cube..

The colors on that pic made the torch look all washed out It's just a run of the mill purple with green tip variety, but it looks much nicer in person

 

[Alexkos23]

This looks awesome! Coming along perfect

 

[WiscoFishNut]

This looks awesome! Coming along perfect

Thanks for the kind words! It gives me something nice to look at in my home office for sure