OldFellows first Saltwater Build

Gnop1950 · Feb 28, 2026

The leak test is underway. Everything I need for cycling has been installed. Only the CO2 scrubber, reactor, and UV Sterilizer remain to be connected. The UV will be connected tomorrow when the tubing arrives. I'll also start filling with saltwater tomorrow, assuming I don't find any leaks, and begin cycling.

Getting everything set up in the apps, Reefbeat and Apex Fusion, was semi-painful even for a hardcore geek like me, but that is all done now.

Gnop1950 · Mar 2, 2026

The leak test went off with only a minor hiccup. Note to self: make sure to open the overflow valve when filling, or you can make a mess. The good news is that my leak alarms work :)

Tank drained and initial attempt at aquascape. I'll be tweaking and meditating on it over the next day or so, then I'll fill it with saltwater and start the cycle. The aquascape is CaribSea dry live rock with a thin, about 1.5" sand bed (CaribSea Special Blend).

I decided to go with a custom lid by TopLids with evaporation covers. Between the dust and very, very low humidity here in Southern Arizona, I decided that a simple net cover would be less than optimal.

Initial attempt at the aquascape.

Gnop1950 · Mar 4, 2026

Finished tweaking the aquascape, no major changes. Filled with saltwater at 1.024 salinity, with the tank full. If my guestimation is correct, it should hit about 1.025 salinity when the ATO kicks off. So, maximum variation should be between 1.024 and 1.025.

Lights off, and the heaters are busy boosting the temperature to 80F for cycling. I'll be adding a bottle of Dr. Tims and some Fritz Turbo Start 900, then turn off the skimmer, and after a bit, add ammonia to 2 ppm. I'm hoping for a 7-14 day cycle

. I'll post here how that goes.

It took two days to fill the tank using a 150 GPD 4-stage RODI unit and 2 x 32 Gallon Brute/Husky trash cans. A good bit of that time was making sure the water was clear (all the salt was dissolved). I used a SICCE Silent Zero 793 GPH pump to mix the salt and pump it out into the tank. For the initial fill, I used Instant Ocean salt. I had read that it was one of the fastest-dissolving salts, and it did seem to dissolve with no residue within about an hour. Of course, that may have had more to do with the giant whirlpool created by the SICCE pump.

I may switch salts once the tank is established, but since I plan on dosing Tropic Marin All-For-Reef I'm pretty sure it will be easier to control parameters just using a standard salt without added trace minerals.

The current plan, once the tank is completely cycled:

Week 1 post-cycle:

Add chaeto to the refugium
Add copepods, probably 3 or 4 jars
Set up a small, I'm thinking about a 15 Gallon AIO saltwater tank for coral quarantine.

Week 2 post-cycle:

Add a pair of Ocellaris clownfish

Week 4 post-cycle:

Add an initial cleanup crew and ramp up over about a month or so to reach approximately 130 critters. That seems like a lot of critters.

Week 6-8 post-cycle:

Add some of the hardier soft corals

The rest of the livestock is still in flux. I spent 3 years diving in the Indo-Pacific, so I'm partial to critters and coral from that area. I know I'd like to add, say Cypraea moneta (money cowries).

Gnop1950 · Mar 9, 2026

Cycling Update:

I started cycling on 6 March in the evening by dosing Ammonia to 2.0 PPM. Waited for 30 minutes, then added a bottle of Dr. Tims and some Fritz Turbostart 900.

As of the evening of 8 March, the parameters were:

Salinity: 1.025
PH: 8.03
Ammonia: 0.61 (Using the Hanna Checker)
Nitrites: Estimated at 2.0 ppm (API Saltwater test kit)
Nitrates: Estimated at 15 ppm (API Salwater test kit)
Temperature 79.7F

So far, it looks like the cycling is progressing quickly and is on track to be completed in another 5-10 days. Once Ammonia gets to < 0.2 ppm, I'll redose to 2.0 ppm. Once Ammonia and Nitrites reach 0 in 24 hours, I'll call it good and introduce the copepods and add chaeto to the refugium.

There have been some minor challenges along the way:

Salinity started a bit low at 1.023. To correct that, I mixed a gallon of very high salinity water and introduced it to the tank over an hour or so. That brought the salinity to 1.025.
PH was initially a bit low at 7.9. I turned on the skimmer and reefmat on day three of the cycle. On day 4, the PH was at 8.03. I'm assuming that is due to the skimmer providing aeration, as I haven't hooked up the carbon scrubber yet.
I didn't cover up the aquarium as I had initially planned. But I have blackout curtains in that room, and the tank lights have remained off, so it is pretty dim/dark in the tank room.
I need to finish the Apex tutorial and set it up properly. It is reading temp and PH, but I really need to finish configuring the energy bar. It kept turning off some of the plugs, which is annoying since the two it turned off were the Skimmer and the Reefmat. I found the easiest way was to simply turn them all into "Always On" outlets until I can configure each individually. This works as most of my equipment is currently controlled via ReefBeat.

I still need to hook up the CO2 scrubber and the UV light. I have all the tubing I need, so I'll work on that over the next day or so.

Gnop1950 · Mar 11, 2026

Cycling update - Day 5:

Ammonia: 0.29 ppm
Nitrite: 1.5 ppm
Nitrate: 15 ppm
Salinity: 1.025
PH: 8.06
Temperature: 80F

Looks like the cycle is continuing to make progress. Nitrite dropped a bit, and nitrate dropped as well. The nitrate drop could well be due to a testing error, the protein skimmer getting broken in, or, more likely, interference from nitrite. Since nitrite seems to be dropping, the nitrate reading could be a bit lower. My current understanding is that API saltwater (probably freshwater as well) nitrate tests convert nitrate to nitrite for the measurement, so elevated nitrite levels can interfere with nitrate test results. I'm not sure where I read this, probably one of the articles here.

I've been using the API Saltwater kit for nitrites and nitrates, which can be a bit iffy, especially for the nitrate test. So, since my OCD tendencies are making me itch, I ordered Hanna Instruments Nitrate and Nitrite test kits. I don't believe the Hanna nitrate test kit converts nitrates to nitrites, unlike the API saltwater nitrate test. I think I have a pretty complete set of the Hanna test kits now. I probably should have just purchased the Hanna Master Test Kit in the beginning.

Gnop1950 · Mar 15, 2026

Day 9, and the cycle is still progressing. Dumped the rest of my Fritz Turbostart 900 into the tank since I figured it would be a while before I cycle a second marine tank. Turned off the pumps for a bit and used a turkey baster to blast all of the rock and bioblocks in the refugium.

Cycling update - Day 9:

Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0.19 ppm
Nitrate: 15 ppm
Salinity: 1.026
PH: 7.93
Temperature: 78F

I'll be setting up the CO2 Scrubber next week and connecting it to the RSK 900. I decided to use a solenoid on the bypass leg of a Y splitter. The solenoid will be connected to the Apex A3. I'll set it up to close the solenoid when the PH drops below 8.1 and to turn it on (using mostly air from the bypass) if it gets over 8.3. The goal is to keep it between 8.1 and 8.3. Over the last week, the PH has ranged from 7.87 to 8.0, so a bit lower than I'd like.

I'm renaming the Fish Room to the Reef Room. Between the tank size, the shell collection, my 3D printer, etc., I'll be lucky to wedge in a quarantine tank. I'll post some pictures next weekend.

It looks like the cycle will be complete sometime next week. Should that be true, I'll order copepods and macroalgae for the refugium. I have a lot of extra dry live rock, so I crushed some into ~2" pieces that I'll soak/rinse in saltwater, then place a layer about 1-2" thick below the bioblocks in the refugium.

Gnop1950 · Mar 17, 2026

Update on the progress of the Reef Room. It is about 2/3 done now. There are some more decorations and a workbench that will arrive in the next week or so. The bench will hold my 3D printer and a small aquarium for coral quarantine/treatment.

Reef Room and Shell Collection is a short video showing progress on the Reef Room and featuring some close-ups of my shell collection. Most of the collection is in the Reef Room, with a few on display in the dining room.

Most of the shells displayed were sustainably collected between 1974 and 1981. The vast majority of them were collected by me on SCUBA or reef walking in the Indo-Pacific region. There are a few I traded for with other collectors.

The cycle remains on track to finish up this week, so it looks like it will take less than two weeks to complete the fishless cycle using Dr. Tim's and Fritz Turbostart 900.

This week's plan is to finish connecting all the equipment: the reactor, IceCap CO2 scrubber, and UV sterilizer. Some won't be turned on yet, but I'll get them set up. I'll probably create a screen top to use while I wait for the custom top from Top Lids. I ordered a SAF Aranet4 Home to track CO2 in the Reef Room.

Gnop1950 · Mar 18, 2026

The tank is cycled. I'll double check by dosing to 2 PPM ammonia today. Assuming that it goes to 0/0 Ammonia Nitrites by Friday, I'll place my first order for copepods and macro algae this weekend.

I'm estimating a max draw of 900-1100 watts when everything is running, and lights are at max. Normal draw should be less than 500 watts.

The Reef Room is a remodeled bedroom on a 15-amp circuit shared with a guest bedroom. So, I'm having my electrician add a dedicated 15-amp circuit just for the Reef Tank. That will put the max draw well above the reef setup's theoretical 1100-watt max draw estimate, probably closer to 900-watt in reality (1800-watt is max for a 15-amp circuit) and provide plenty of headroom, given the expected 500-watt average draw and the 1440-watt continuous draw rating for a 15-amp circuit.

I'm running two powerstrips. Both are WiFi-enabled, one generic and the other the Apex 832 energy bar. A lot more equipment is connected than for my Freshwater Tanks. Both powerstrips are connected to a 15-amp GFCI.

The electrical work should be completed well before I turn on the tank lights, except for the refugium light, which I'll be running staggered with the main lights anyway.

They also completed the installation of my Solar Battery, basically a whole-house UPS. I also have a UPS with the powerheads and the main sump return connected.

I'm still waiting on my Apex bare-wire-to-24VDC connector to finish setting up my CO2 scrubber, but it should be here by Friday.

Gnop1950 · Mar 18, 2026

So, my CO2 monitor arrived today. I did have to recalibrate it, maybe because of the altitude, or perhaps it was just off from the factory. Anyway, after recalibration, it was reading CO2 at 409 PPM outside in the breeze, which is about right for my area of Arizona.

The air in the Reef Room showed a CO2 level of 1314 PPM. The readings from the rest of the house ranged from 1250 to around 1300. Much higher than I had anticipated. Now I'm looking to install a whole-home Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) with at least MERV 13 filters. Never mind the fish, my wife and I will benefit from this upgrade to our home

In my area, an ERV is preferable to an HRV for air exchange. Since we spend much more time inside since my retirement, this will be a significant quality-of-life upgrade for everyone, including the fish.

When I started this journey, it never occurred to me that my research into Reef Keeping would also lead me down tangents benefiting all the members of my household.

Gnop1950 · Mar 19, 2026

After reading a bunch of posts on various forums and articles, and doing some research, I've decided to extend my cycle a bit, add 5 lbs of Tampa Bay Rubble Rox to my refugium, and let it stew for a bit to increase biodiversity. The rock is scheduled to arrive on 8 April. Now that the tank is cycled, I'll probably add a low dose of ammonia every couple of days until the rubble is due to arrive.

The plan is to rinse the rock in saltwater matching my tank. I already specified to remove what pests they can, then place the rubble in the refugium under the bioblocks. The following week, I'll likely add some chaeto to the refugium. A few weeks later, I'll add copepods to whatever creatures came with the rubble, Rox. Then give it a couple of weeks, and add my first fish and inverts.

This will be the first time using Tampa Bay Rubble Rox, well, it is my first saltwater aquarium after all. I'm becoming a bit impatient, but would rather suffer a bit and get the tank as ready as possible before adding additional livestock.

Gnop1950 · Mar 21, 2026

One of the pluses of waiting a bit longer before stocking (while my Rubble Rox are on the way) is that it looks like my Top Lids lid will be here before I start stocking. The last email said it is in the polishing phase and should ship in one to two weeks, hooray

. Because of my location, I've been going through almost 2 gallons a day in evaporation. I did order the evaporation covers, so we'll see how much of a difference the lid makes.

I also ordered a lid from Kraken Reef for the UNS 45A Dual AIO, which I'm converting from fresh to saltwater to use as a coral quarantine tank. It did feel a bit strange ordering a cover that cost almost as much as I paid for the entire aquarium. I'll be ordering a mini-ATO, something like mini ato to use on this tank as well. I have 4 of the bio blocks for this system, and I think I'll put them in the refugium of the big tank so I can pull them to jump-start the cycle when I set up the coral quarantine tank.

Gnop1950 · Mar 26, 2026

I've been a bit lazy recently. I'm trying to practice patience. A completely unnatural endeavor for me.

Minor updates:

The breaker upgrade for my Reef Room will be done on April 1st (dedicated 15-amp circuit just for the tank and equipment).
My Top Lids cover, with evap covers, should arrive around the same time.
Kraken Lid cover for the 9-Gallon Coral quarantine tank should arrive during this time frame as well.
The whole-home ERV will be installed in the first couple of weeks of April to help lower indoor CO2 levels.
Tampa Bay Rubble Rox on 8 April
Final equipment connections/setup will be done around the same time. Mostly things that aren't currently needed, like the UV sterilizer and CO2 scrubber that I've been meaning to connect.

Going a bit slower than I had initially intended, but better to be patient and make sure everything is right before I add livestock. At least that is what I keep telling myself. I'm not all that patient. Looks like the first livestock, except for whatever comes on the Tampa Bay Rubble Rox, will be added in late April.

Gnop1950 · Apr 4, 2026

Next week will be a turning point for my saltwater tank. It has been cycling for a while now. I keep adding a bit of ammonia every couple of days to feed the bacteria. Ammonia and nitrites drop to almost zero 24 hours after ammonia dosing. The results below are from Hanna checkers. I also tested with the API test kit, but it showed 0 ammonia, probably too low for the API kit to register.

Current Parameters 24 hours after ammonia dosing:

Ammonia: 0.16 ppm
Nitrite: 0.095 ppm
Nitrate: 17.4 ppm
pH 7.96 - 7.99

Reef Room and aquarium status:

Reef Tank is now on a 20-amp dedicated breaker. Had the room in the breaker box and the power, so I figured, why not?
Top-Lids cover for the DT will arrive on the 7th
Kraken Lid for the coral quarantine tank arrives next week
Tampa Bay Rubble Rox arrives on the 8th
The whole-house ERV for fresh-air exchange installation will be on the 6th.

I'll likely do a 25% water change next week, then do the first tests for dKH, Ca, Mg, PO4, and dissolved oxygen to establish a baseline.

The CO2 scrubber will be turned on next week. I'm hoping that with the CO2 scrubber and ERV installation, I'll be able to keep the pH around 8.1 or 8.2. CO2 in the reef room varies between about 925 and 1625 ppm of CO2. Hopefully, the ERV will help keep it below 1000 ppm.

After adding the Tampa Bay Rubble Rox next week, I'll order some extra copepods, chateo, and phytoplankton. I'll likely order the first of the cleanup crew a week or so later.

MasterClassReefs · Apr 4, 2026

I would keep a stock tank handy if I was gambling with a redsea tank.

TexAgReefer · Apr 4, 2026

Great start to this thing! Excited to see where it goes.

Gnop1950 · Apr 7, 2026

The whole-home ERV was installed yesterday, and the results are already excellent. Last week was mild weather, so I ran a test by opening some windows and was able to get the CO2 ppm below 1000 in all rooms. With dust, pollen, and heat, opening the windows regularly isn't really an option.

Approximate pH and CO2 Values:

With windows closed, pH varied between 7.94 and 7.96, CO2 900 -1600 ppm
With windows open, pH varied between 7.99 and 8.09, CO2 565 - 950 ppm
Day 1 ERV running and windows closed, pH varied between 7.96 and 8.07, CO2 649 - 814

Outside CO2 varies, but usually around 420-450 ppm. The day 1 ERV reading is still ongoing, so I'd expect the pH to climb a bit more as the day progresses. I haven't turned on the CO2 scrubber yet, so I expect the pH to climb a bit closer to 8.1/8.2 once it is running.

So far, I'm very pleased with the ERV. The CO2 ppm dropped throughout the house to the same extent as opening a bunch of windows. The MERV-13 filter seems to be doing an excellent job of keeping dust and pollen out of the house.

The Kraken Lid for my little 9-Gallon coral quarantine tank arrived and was a perfect fit. The Top Lids lid also arrived without issue and fits perfectly.

Gnop1950 · Apr 8, 2026

Tentative Stocking plan and refugium update.

Refugium update: My live Rubble Rox from Tampa Bay arrives today. I also placed an order for Red Ogo macroalgae, copepods, and phytoplankton from AlgaeBarn. I'll be adding some chaeto macroalgae once it is back in stock.

In approximately two weeks, I'm considering placing an order for two Ocellaris clownfish. After some research, I'm also considering adding a few soft corals. I've been looking at mushrooms, leathers, and zoanthids. A couple of weeks after adding fish, I'll start adding the initial cleanup crew.

Gnop1950 · Apr 10, 2026

After some more reflection, and of course watching more videos, I've decided to add coral first, then some cleanup crew, then fish. I'm starting with about 5-6 soft coral frags. I have a PAR meter, so I'll do a ramp-up targeting 75-150 PAR at the bottom of the tank.

I'm holding back on starting up the CO2 scrubber. It may not be necessary. Since adding the whole-home ERV, the CO2 ppm in the house has dropped dramatically. The pH swings are now between a low of 8.02 and a high of around 8.08. Once the macro algae (Chaeto and Red Ogo) is added to the refugium, I've read that I can expect another 0.1 to 0.3 pH boost when running a reverse light cycle (refugium light on after the main lights are off). That would put me about where I want to be in terms of pH. It certainly wouldn't hurt my feelings if I didn't need to run a CO2 scrubber.

Gnop1950 · Apr 13, 2026

Tomorrow and the next day, the journey begins in earnest. The first soft corals arrive tomorrow, and the macro algae (Red Ogo and Chaeto), along with copepods and phytoplankton, arrive the following day.

I did a more thorough test of the water parameters and found that alkalinity was a bit low at 6.6, so I mixed up some Sodium Bicarbonate and slowly added it to raise the alkalinity to 8.3. The parameters are below, magnesium is a bit high, and there is a trace of ammonia still from the last time I dosed ammonia.

Water Parameters:
Ammonia: 0.09 ppm
Nitrite: 0.037 ppm
Nitrate: 22.0 ppm
Phosphate: 0.03 ppm
Calcium: 423 ppm
Alkalinity: 8.3 dKH
Magnesium: 1540 ppm
PH: 8.01 (dropped a bit when I added the Baking Soda)
Salinity: 1.026
Temperature: 78F

I have 2 x ReefLED G2 170. I set them up for a two-week acclimation period starting the day after tomorrow using the available preset mode. I'll leave it dark for their first day in the tank since they'll likely arrive in the late afternoon. The acclimation preset starts at 50% and ramps up over two weeks. At 50%, the PAR at the substrate measured between 30 and 40, which, I think, should be alright, I believe, for the soft corals, including the one Rhodactis. I couldn't decide which other softies I wanted, so I ordered a 5-pack mystery softie pack.

I've also ordered some Reef Roids coral food that I'll start feeding. I'm also considering crushing up a few pellets of Neptune Systems Crossover Diet and ghostfeeding that a couple of times a week until I order my first fish.

Gnop1950 · Apr 14, 2026

Corals have arrived, been acclimated, and placed in the tank. I trimmed most of the plugs before placing them in the tank. I used a combination of thick superglue and purple epoxy to attach the corals to their new homes.

The coral list:

Forest Fire Rhodactis: Rhodactis
Green Cabbage Leather: Sinularia brassica
Geen Polyp Molis: Sinularia mollis
Neon Polyp Toadstool: Sarcophyton
Red Brick Toadstool: Sarcophyton sp.
Thin Branch Gorgonian: Gorgonia ventalina

Each has plenty of room for expansion, so I don't believe that will be an issue. They arrived in good shape, at least I believe they did, since these are the first corals I've seen up close without being Scuba diving. I placed them based on what I could find about their lighting, flow, and spacing requirements. The lights are out, and I'll start the lighting acclimation schedule tomorrow. I'll wait to start feeding for a few days or until I see full polyp extension in the evenings.

The Red Ogo, Chaeto, and copepods will be added to the refugium tomorrow. I'm figuring a couple of weeks after this to starting to add the CUC and my first fish.