Red Sea Nano *budget* Build

[Magellan]

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Good to see the kittle guys are happy there . Bro, you know that tank is going to end up with corals in it at some point so there's no use wasting time lol.

Show of hands who thinks this would make a perfect frag tank Do it do it do it. Even a grow out tank it would like nice and you can donate some frags to our club members . I'll be doing this once the 650 has been installed.

I agree, it needs some corals! Even if you just go species specific, or a nem only tank. What made you decide to use sand? I see that beautiful 40g is bare bottom

 

[ScottR]

I agree, it needs some corals! Even if you just go species specific, or a nem only tank. What made you decide to use sand? I see that beautiful 40g is bare bottom

This tank is in the living room and I guess I wanted it to look good. I typically don’t like sand. I added a couple of BTAs that split to test if I can keep BTAs in a new tank. The RBTA looks ok. The green one is fussy. I just bought a chiller so figured I’d set it up and do corals in this. My buddy was right, corals are going in. But it’ll be a slow process. Hopefully I’ll update this more but as of now, the tank is still in its second cycle. I believe every tank has 2 cycles: nitrogen cycle and microfauna cycle. I have diatoms now. When they start to fade, I’ll start getting more aggressive with it.

 

[ScottR]

Guess I should update this. I’ve mostly neglected this tank and just let it run.
hitchhikers from live rock: hydroids, spaghetti worms, a turbo snail, copepods, macro algae of some sort, coralline, and asterina. All the usual suspects.

 

[ylreefer]

Haha I knew it. Tell you what, if it's light ready for SPS whn your happy it's time I'll donate you a frag from one of my nicest sps as your first coral

 

[ScottR]

Haha I knew it. Tell you what, if it's light ready for SPS whn your happy it's time I'll donate you a frag from one of my nicest sps as your first coral

Ha! Colony only. No frags lol

 

[Magellan]

Guess I should update this. I’ve mostly neglected this tank and just let it run.
hitchhikers from live rock: hydroids, spaghetti worms, a turbo snail, copepods, macro algae of some sort, coralline, and asterina. All the usual suspects.

You need a wrasse

This tank is in the living room and I guess I wanted it to look good. I typically don’t like sand. I added a couple of BTAs that split to test if I can keep BTAs in a new tank. The RBTA looks ok. The green one is fussy. I just bought a chiller so figured I’d set it up and do corals in this. My buddy was right, corals are going in. But it’ll be a slow process. Hopefully I’ll update this more but as of now, the tank is still in its second cycle. I believe every tank has 2 cycles: nitrogen cycle and microfauna cycle. I have diatoms now. When they start to fade, I’ll start getting more aggressive with it.

I felt like my tank “cycled” every time I did something different, but definitely went through 2 distinct phases in the beginning. 100% agree

 

[ScottR]

You need a wrasse

I felt like my tank “cycled” every time I did something different, but definitely went through 2 distinct phases in the beginning. 100% agree

A wrasse wouldn’t be a bad idea. I love 6 lines. I might have to do that.

 

[Magellan]

A wrasse wouldn’t be a bad idea. I love 6 lines. I might have to do that.

 

[ScottR]

Their eyes are so mysterious. I had one before. Loved watching that guy. But it was too small and got bullied by other fish sadly. Waiting to find a bigger sized one. All the ones I see at my LFS are about an inch long.

 

[Magellan]

Their eyes are so mysterious. I had one before. Loved watching that guy. But it was too small and got bullied by other fish sadly. Waiting to find a bigger sized one. All the ones I see at my LFS are about an inch long.

None of my fish mess with it, but it’s done plenty of messing with my other fish! My damsel got mauled by him once, (I think it was a dominance thing, they get along now) and he killed my lawnmower blenny after 7 months of peaceful coexistence. I would expect one to quickly grow in your tank with its abundant food supply

 

[ScottR]

None of my fish mess with it, but it’s done plenty of messing with my other fish! My damsel got mauled by him once, (I think it was a dominance thing, they get along now) and he killed my lawnmower blenny after 7 months of peaceful coexistence. I would expect one to quickly grow in your tank with its abundant food supply

I’m actually kicking out the other fish and putting clowns in it. I don’t like clowns but my son loves them. He’ll catch his own at store. We had a pair and the damsel killed one. I had to sump the other clown because I couldn’t catch the damsel. When I’m done being lazy, I’ll take out the rocks and switch the fish. I do not like damsels.... I have 4 chromis in my other tank however and they are model citizens. Hard to believe I’ve had those chromis almost a year now.

 

[Magellan]

If it helps, I have a damsel (sapphire?) 2 clowns, and a 6 line and they all do just fine together

 

[ScottR]

If it helps, I have a damsel (sapphire?) 2 clowns, and a 6 line and they all do just fine together

Interesting. Sounds similar to my stock (and future stock). Sometimes damsels are mean, sometimes they’re not. I had 2 clowns and a damsel in one of my older tanks. The clowns were much bigger and the damsel was scared of them.

 

[ylreefer]

Ha! Colony only. No frags lol

 

[ScottR]

So I’ve basically kind of set-it-and-forget-it with this tank. Patience is key in my opinion. So basically not much to update. I added a monti frag from my other tank. Will slowly frag and add more later.

Tank is half dry rock/half live rock. Starting to see lots of beautiful purple showing up on the dry rock. The weather is warming up and it’s time to get a chiller on this ASAP.

Anyway: pics of some hitchhikers I’ve found.
Black stomatella

Another stomatella (Yay!)

Sketty worm

Turbo snail (these things grow so fast.)

Amphipods (on a hitchhiker bio ball)

Some honorable mentions not pictured:
A limpet
Copepods
Macro algae
Quite a few dorvilleidae worms
No bristles yet (fingers crossed)

 

[Magellan]

You got any FTS for us

 

[ScottR]

You got any FTS for us

Sure. Once I get home. At work now. It’s basically just rock in a glass cage. Not much to look at. RBTA is getting big and the maroon lives in it and feeds it. Probably the only exciting thing. However, I’m going shopping after work and will most likely get something to throw in it.

 

[Magellan]

Sure. Once I get home. At work now. It’s basically just rock in a glass cage. Not much to look at. RBTA is getting big and the maroon lives in it and feeds it. Probably the only exciting thing. However, I’m going shopping after work and will most likely get something to throw in it.

+1 for a nice hammer

 

[ScottR]

@Magellan ~ I just realized you’re making me clean the glass now.... I had a nerite lay eggs on it. So I guess I’ll work around those, in high hopes they’ll actually hatch.

 

[Magellan]

@Magellan ~ I just realized you’re making me clean the glass now.... I had a nerite lay eggs on it. So I guess I’ll work around those, in high hopes they’ll actually hatch.

Well you generally want to be able to see inside!