Raindog's 20 L Not So Cheapo

[Raindog3030]

OK, I started the thread over on Nano-reef, so I will do my best to keep up with it here as well!

This is my first reef in over 10 years, so a lot of my tricks will seem old/dated to some of you, but maybe I still have some relevant ideas! My wife and I put this together as a sort of "budget" build with plans to upgrade at least the lighting in the near future. Hope you enjoy!

The current Setup:

Aqueon 20 gallon long AGA
Aquaclear 50 w/ PicO Aquarium Systems surface skimmer
(2) Koralia Nano 240 pumps
Koralia Hydor 50w heater
Zacro Digital thermometer
REMOVED-Current USA Orbit Marine 24-36" fixture (replaced!)
ADDED- (2) Kessil A360WE lights w/ Spectral controller

UPDATE:
REMOVED-Hydor 50w Heater
ADDED-Cobalt Neo-Therm 100w Heater

The plan is to stock with mostly zoas, some LPS, and some SPS (so...mixed reef!)
We are still deciding on fish, but we will most likely just drop a pair of ORA oscellaris in there.

Fill date: January 20th, 2018

Most recent FTS:

UPDATE: We replaced our lighting and upgraded to Kessil, drink that shimmer because it is gorgeous! We also had a bout with Dinoflagellates, to which we were victorious! You can find the fight thread here:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fighting-dinoflagellates-with-h2o2.364113/#post-4544524

And without further ado, a current FTS for March! We are finally at a coasting point until April where we may add another coral or 2:

 

[Zack33]

Nice start!

 

[Raindog3030]

My wife and I were lucky enough to visit the Florida Frag Swap a couple weekends ago over in Lakeland, and we were blown away!
We met some cool people and picked up some beautiful frags for this reef, check it out!

Almost every critter was mostly open by nightfall on Saturday, and by Sunday morning, everyone looked happy and well acclimated!

The only one we really missed out on, that we were hunting for, was an orange hammer(I think AP Frags had a few?), maybe next time!
Our priority was JoshPorksandwich Zoas, and we were the second people at his table, success!

Here is our list of purchases...we were so bad!
AP Frags:
Yellow Hammer
Orange Yuma

JPS Zoas:
Rastas
Purple Monster
Utter Chaos
Fruit Loops

Need to check my journal for the name:
Bastomussa

Hobe Sound:
Goblin Acan

Need to check my journal for the name:
Fire&Ice Colony w/ Watermelon Zoas
Steal Your Soul Zoas

Need to check my journal for the name:
Lobophyllia, from Wisconsin!

Currently, everything is doing very well! The SYS zoas have lost a couple polyps, not sure why? The majority of them are constantly open and seemingly happy!
Check out the baby blasto, and the Utter Chaos already has 2 new polyps

 

[915MANG]

"Budget Build" that was more money goes towards the Corals!
I love 20g Longs

 

[Raindog3030]

"Budget Build" that was more money goes towards the Corals!
I love 20g Longs

Haha, yeah, or things to control pests...like these adorable Berghia!

They arrived this morning from Reef Town USA, thanks Capt. Jeff!

 

[915MANG]

Haha, yeah, or things to control pests...like these adorable Berghia!

They arrived this morning from Reef Town USA, thanks Capt. Jeff!

Let us know how they do!

 

[Raindog3030]

It has been a week since we introduced the Berghia, and boy are they doing great!
We catch an occasional glimpse of one going for an afternoon walk, but it appears they work a lot after the lights go out.
All of the adult aiptasia seem to be gone, although we are still seeing little babies on the glass here and there...I'm sure that in time they to will fall prey to these great hunters!

It looks like I am behind a little bit, my wife added our first vertebrate resident last week, a very small yellow coris wrasse to help eat the flatworms that had not yet become a problem...well...that seems to have backfired!
Instead of eating the flatworms...this evil creature (I believe all wrasses are the spawn of satan) has instead completely devastated our once glorious pod population!
And the flatworms are rather numerous, like he doesn't even care about them :,(

At least they aren't bothering any of the corals from what we can tell, everyone is happy and polyps are extending! Although now we have started starving the reef to reduce nutrients and hopefully the flatworm population as well...maybe if that evil wrasse doesn't have any pods left to feast on, he will move on to the flats...

We also made a visit to World Wide Coral last week after winning 2 beautiful pieces from there eBay auctions:

We also picked up a beautiful plug with 2 Purple and Green mas on board!
This picture does not do the Grafted Cap any justice, this was taken right after being transported, acclimated, and placed...haven't taken a new pic yet, but we have had great polyp extension everyday since his introduction!

And of course, we found a few unnamed zoa colonies in the $5 bargain bin!

Then yesterday, on my way home from Miami, I stopped at The Aquarium King and picked up 3 Florida Ricordea and another unnamed zoanthus gigantus...guess I'll have to get some pics and update later!

 

[Raindog3030]

Here's our lovely little FL Ricordea Garden! They have been settling in very well!

Unfortunately, we lost our yellow choris wrasse, he damaged his eye on the rock work and quit eating, recovery did not seem likely, my wife euthanized him...
Then she went and got a fish that has actually been eating the flatworms, a Springer's Damsel! And she brought home a Red Scooter not-Blenny with the DAMsel, luckily we have Algagen nearby so we can support his 'pod habit! All that wrasse did was devastate our 'pod population, I knew it was a mistake to get a wrasse!

Believe it or not, those 2 were chillin' right next to each other until I moved close with the camera...

 

[Raindog3030]

I guess my edit didn;t show the FTS, here it is!

 

[hockeyhead019]

Great collection of corals! Love seeing other 20g L tanks

 

[Raindog3030]

Great collection of corals! Love seeing other 20g L tanks

Thanks! They've always been a favorite of mine as well!

 

[Raindog3030]

April FTS update! Since I saw the notification
We added 2 new pieces I picked up in South Florida on my way home from work last week, a Duncan($6!!!) and a new green Florida Ricordea($10!!!)!
The ricordea took right away, the Duncan is still acclimating to our lights

I also placed the Wannabe Red PPE and one of our no names onto the rock work, then we had to move the Steal Your Souls since they grew into a ball and let go of their plug...they seem to like where the wife crammed them under the torch.
In better news, the Utter Chaos are now up to 4 polyps, 3 fully grown! Space Monsters have one baby and 2-3 possible new buds, the pink no-names (Gobstoppers maybe?) have started growing off the plug!
Growing like a weed! Blastomussa's new head is still growing and there appears to be 2 more forming, and the Dragon eyes have almost covered even the back of their plug, along with the Fire+Ice and Watermelons!
That Grafted Cap is also visibly growing, so pleased! Oh yeah, and the Platygyra is showing really good growth as well, basically, everything is growing!!!

Funny how fast stuff grows when there is no toxic algae choking it to death

 

[Raindog3030]

Ready for a beginning of May FTS? Well here it is! Now if I can get that silly Platygyra to quit trying to eat my Ricordea Florida, I will be happy!

 

[Raindog3030]

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bijlgg4h4WX/?taken-by=iwasthebruce

 

[Raindog3030]

Check out a June FTS, everything is nice and happy after this water change:

 

[bronsond99]

here is my nano 20 gallon tall reef aquariums. It’s fairly new, being 4 months old. I plan to stock it with some Zoanthids and Euphyllia’s. It has a few colors but plan to have a lot more variations of colors as my tank ages and the current frags grow.

Livestock:
2 Ora Ocellaris Clowns
Blue Damsel
BiColor Blenny
Ora Australian Pink Hammer
Ora Hammer with green tips
Green hammer
Purple Tipped frogspawn
Zoanthids
Duncan

Equipment:
Marineland Biowheel 350 filter
Kessil A160we

 

[samnaz]

Following, I have a 20L as well.

 

[Raindog3030]

Super overdue for an update here! We have only changed one more piece of equipment, I removed the 2 Koralia powerheads and replaced them with an Icecap Gyre 1k...so much flow!

Zoas are running a little rampant...actually had to remove the hammer, it was being overrun!

 

[Raindog3030]

And we had a WWC Purple/Green Yuma baby!

 

[reef-rc]

Man...that's some explosion of growth just within the last 6 months! Nice. Whatever is going on in there; they're liking it.