Novice Max Nano journey

[Kawika]

Hey everyone. I decided to post my build mainly because I am so excited to learn and talk about my tank but have nobody that shares my enthusiasm around me. I am a total novice and will likely be struggling the entire way so if you like watching train wrecks this might be fun.

In an effort to help myself get through my first ever salt water cycle I decided to use Redsea reef mature pro and so far I am very impressed. I am on day 4 and already seeing nitrates. I don’t really trust the test strips I am using but my good test kit won’t get here until Monday.

As of right now the tank is completely stock. I have around 18 pounds of life rock and have Fiji pink for my sand bed. I do plan on adding a better ATO and as a developer and tinkerer I love the idea of getting a controller.

Well that’s probably enough of my rambling. Here are some pictures.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hello

Nice start. Rock looks great. Take your time and ask questions if need. You should not see nitrate yet. Nitrate will not show up until the end of the nitrogen cycle. Which test kits are you getting in, the strips are usually not reliable.

This is a good read if new to salt,

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Kawika]

Hello

Nice start. Rock looks great. Take your time and ask questions if need. You should not see nitrate yet. Nitrate will not show up until the end of the nitrogen cycle. Which test kits are you getting in, the strips are usually not reliable.

This is a good read if new to salt,

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean...

www.reef2reef.com

Thanks so much for the reply. I was using test strips but got the Red Sea marine care test kit today. I ran my first set of tests but it was a huge learning experience so I’m gonna take the results with a grain of salt and try again tomorrow. I am ready for the long haul with the cycle.

 

[Kawika]

I got a couple new gadgets for the tank today. First is a cobalt neo-therm which I’m happy to say fit in the sump. I also got a hydor rotating water deflector which I feel is super cool.

 

[Kawika]

Hello! Little update. I am following the Red Sea mature starter kit and according to that I should be a zero ammonia and nitrite and starting to see nitrates by now. I did some testing today and I am seeing nitrates but still have traces of ammonia and nitrites. I find these tests to be incredibly confusing though. Today my parameters are

Temp: 78.6
Salinity: 1.025
PH: 7.8
KH: 7.5 dkh
Ammonia: 1.2 ppm
Nitrite: .8 ppm
Nitrate: 40 ppm

I also learned that it’s very hard to take pictures of the tests to post but i figured I would try to see if people agree with what I am seeing.

 

[Kawika]

So excited. Got a couple new gadgets for my birthday. First a mighty jet 326 which I am so excited about and a temperature controller because I have read to much about people cooking there tanks. I’ve also been collecting Hanna testers because I’ve learned that color charts are not my thing. Everything is coming a long nicely and I feel like it’s mostly dialed in. The last piece of hardware I want is a better ATO.

 

[Kawika]

This morning I woke up to a reddish spot on my sand bed. After doing some research I believe it is cyano. I am excited to see some form of life in the tank.

 

[Kawika]

It’s been a bit since my last update. I am still just waiting on the tank to cycle which has given me plenty of time to do research and figure out all the cool gadgets I need. I added a tunze 3155 and a icecap 1k gyre and then I realized that I had a problem. My cabinet was now a rats nest of wires. I have already blown past my budget so buying a controller board was out of the question but with that inspiration I built my own and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

 

[SPR1968]

That looks great so far, keep the pictures coming!

 

[S.Pepper]

It’s been a bit since my last update. I am still just waiting on the tank to cycle which has given me plenty of time to do research and figure out all the cool gadgets I need. I added a tunze 3155 and a icecap 1k gyre and then I realized that I had a problem. My cabinet was now a rats nest of wires. I have already blown past my budget so buying a controller board was out of the question but with that inspiration I built my own and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Nicely done.

 

[Kawika]

I think I’ve finally settled on a scape I am happy with. Now it’s just planning on what to stock it with. I love zoas and hammer corals. So I think that’s where I will start. As far as fish go I really want a tailspot blenny, watchman goby, and a pair of clowns. I want to start with the clowns since they are hardy but I am worried about aggression when I add the other fish. Does anyone have advice on how they would handle fish introduction or if that stock list is even compatible with each other and my small tank?

 

[Kawika]

Cycling is a long process. I am being patient and want to make sure everything is done before introducing livestock. One of the side effects of this long wait is my insatiably appetite for new gear. I have an AI prime and I’m so fascinated by different lights. I know that what I have is plenty for what i plan on stocking the tank with but there is so much cool stuff. Am I the only one that is like this? I am going to go broke if this tank doesn’t finish cycling soon.

 

[Kawika]

It finally happened! The tank fully cycled. So today i added we added our first residents. A few snails and a clown fish. It’s so great to see some life.

 

[Kawika]

It’s been a busy couple of weeks but the tank is coming along nicely. A few days after adding The clown fish I met a local Reefer who gave me a great deal on a couple small zoa frags. I was so happy to see them open up after a few hours in my tank. They look amazing but taking pictures is near impossible. They are sitting my my sand bed now and I’m working on building up the courage to glue them into there forever home. Next fish I am going to add is a yellow watchman goby. Just giving my tank a moment to catch up before introducing anything else.

 

[F i s h y]

Tank is coming along. Great job on the waiting and patience. Nothing good happens fast in reefing. The equipment addiction gets worse. Sorry to tell you. That's why so many of us have a closet or 2, plus a whole part of our garage or a fish room full of fish equipment. Keep up the good work. Any thoughts on if you will do another standard clown or one of the fancy ones?

 

[Kawika]

I already have started accumulating equipment. My wife thinks I have a problem. I am not sure about a second clown. I don’t really want much aggression in my tank and I’ve heard adding a second could cause that. If I do decide to add another clown it’ll be after all my other fish are settled.

 

[Kawika]

I got another haul of coral today from a local Reefer. I am so amazed by how amazing this community is. Hammer coral has been the one coral I’ve been dreaming about and it feels amazing to finally have it.

 

[Tahoe61]

Great acquisitions. Very nice progress.

 

[Kawika]

Tank is starting to fill up. Added a few more zoa frags as well as a toadstool leather and another hammer. I am so in love with the tank and can’t wait to watch it mature.

 

[Kawika]

Today i learned a few valuable lessons. I saw a couple YouTube videos and read a bit about DIY cheato reactors and thought it was the coolest idea. So over the past few days I gathered all the necessary pieces of equipment and set off to install it. This brings me to lesson 1. Leak test. I was so excited I quickly ran all the plumbing and when it was all ready I turned it on. To my surprise it worked. Mostly. There was a small leak coming out the inlet. It wasn't to bad. I tightened it and that didn’t work. So since I had the time I decided to fix it. That brings me to lesson 2. Check valves. I turned everything off and then squeezed the hoses and they seemed empty. I knew I didn’t want to fix the leak in the cabinet and the point of least resistance was undoing the hose. Which I did. And to my surprise the tank started to drain onto my lap. I acted quick. Broke the siphon and unplugged the tank so I could take a look at the damage without the fear of being electrocuted. After about an hour of dismantling everything, cleaning up the water and then putting it all back together again I had completed the most stressful 3 gallon water change of my life. Everything is back together (minus the reactor) and parameters in the tank look great. Tomorrow I will go back to the drawing board. I will start by leak testing all the fittings then think about how to ensure that when it comes time to do maintenance I won’t have a repeat of tonight. Thanks for reading and here is a picture I took before all hell broke loose.