schg's Fiji Cube 38 Gallon Peninsula

[schg]

Current full tank shot:

Angled shot.

Left side.
12/28/2022​

 

[schg]

Current Equipment setup:

• Tank
  • Fiji Cube 38 gallon peninsula (11/14/2022)
  • Custom DIY stand (11/18/2022)
• Lighting
  • Kessil A360X w/ wifi dongle (11/22/2022)
  • Aquatic Life 4 bulb Hybrid T5 fixture (11/20/2022)
  • ATI bulbs - 2x Blue+, 2x True Actinic (11/20/2022)
• Temperature
  • Eheim JAGER 150W Aquarium Heater (11/22/2022)
  • Inkbird WiFi ITC-308 digital temperature controller (11/21/2022)
• Flow
  • Sicce Syncra Silent 1.5 Pump (11/20/2022)
  • IceCap 2k gyre with battery backup (11/22/2022)
• Filtration
  • Tunze Comline DOC Skimmer 9004 (pending)
• Auto top off
  • Magtool optical sensor ATO (11/21/2022)
• Live rock
  • 30lbs of mixed rock (11/20/2022)
• Live sand
  • 35lbs of Seachem Pearl Beach (11/20/2022)

Filtration, feeding, and maintenance:

• Chemi-Pure Blue (replaced every 2 months?)
• Mixed density filter pad (replaced weekly)
• 100 Micron polishing pad (replaced weekly)
• 5 gallon water change with Brightwell Aquatics NeoMarine salt (completed weekly)
• 8ml Red Sea Reef Energy AB+ (dosed daily)
• 1/8 teaspoon Reef Roids (weekly)
• Bulk Reef Supply 6 Stage 75GPD RO/DI system (currently reading 0 TDS)

Soft Coral:

• Green Star Polyps (06/23/2022)
• Jawbreaker Mushrooms (06/24/2022)
• Neon Green Star Polyps (06/28/2022)
• Orange Dot Mushroom (09/10/2022)
• Orange Rhodactis Mushrooms (10/02/2022)

Zoas and Palys:

• Oxide (06/12/2022)
• King Midas (06/12/2022)
• Incredible Hulk (06/12/2022)
• Punk Rocker (06/12/2022)
• Nuclear Green (06/23/2022)
• Unknown red and green zoas (06/23/2022)
• Purple Heart (06/28/2022)
• Pandora (06/28/2022)
• Radioactive Dragon Eye (06/28/2022)
• Bloodsucker (06/28/2022)
• Utter Peace (06/28/2022)
• Buttmuncher (06/28/2022)
• Black Lotus (08/03/2022)
• Rasta (08/10/2022)
• Crown Royal (08/10/2022)
• Mohawk (08/10/2022)
• Vamps in Drag (08/20/2022)
• Sunny D (08/27/2022)
• Purple Death (08/27/2022)
• Captain America (08/27/2022)
• Ring of Fire (08/27/2022)
• CB Punk Rocker (08/27/2022)
• White Zombie (08/27/2022)
• Pink Diamond (08/29/2022)
• Utter Chaos (10/02/2022)
• Gatorade (11/26/2022)
• Red Hornet (11/26/2022)
• Tubbs Blue (11/26/2022)
• Safecracker (11/26/2022)
• WWC Twizzler (11/26/2022)
• Yoda (11/26/2022)

• Rainbow Incinerator (wanted)
• Galaxy People Eater or Gaia (wanted)
• Sopranos (wanted)
• Purple People Eater (wanted)
• Wobbegong (wanted)
• Lunar Eclipse or Stiggy Marley (wanted)
• Hallucination (wanted)
• Leprochaun (wanted)
• Fruit Loops (wanted)
• Ultimate Chaos (wanted)
• Spiderman (wanted)
• Pikachu (wanted)
• Charmander (wanted)
• Hungry Eyes (wanted)
• Fallen Icarus (wanted)
• Blue Hornet (wanted)
• Double Trouble (wanted)
• Foxy Loxy (wanted)
• Mauna Loa (wanted)
• Murder Hornet (wanted)
• Snozberry (wanted)
• Tremor (wanted)
• Gobstopper (wanted)
• Exosphere (wanted)
• Halle Berry (wanted)
• Frankies Acid Trip (wanted)
• Rainbow Eclipse or Little Shop of Horrors (wanted)
• Awesome Blossom (wanted)
• Kamikaze Kush (wanted)
• Space Chaos (wanted)
• Atmosphere (wanted)
• Bloodshot (wanted)
• Chiquita (wanted)
• Space Cadet (wanted)
• Miami Vice (wanted)
• Frozen Apple (wanted)

LPS:

• Mummy Eye Chalice (06/23/2022)
• Duncan (07/30/2022)
• Blue and Red Acan (08/03/2022)
• Hollywood Stunner Chalice (10/02/2022)
• Bicolor Hammer Coral (10/02/2022)

SPS:

• Red Monti (06/13/2022)
• Rainbow Monti? (06/23/2022)
• Forest Fire Digi (06/23/2022)
• JF Slow Burn Monti (06/30/2022)
• Purple Stylophora (09/10/2022)
• Bubblegum Digi (11/26/2022)
• Cali Tort Acro (11/26/2022)
• Jedi Mind Trick Monti (11/26/2022)
• Green Slimer Acro (11/26/2022)
• Pink Tip Acro (11/26/2022)
• Pink Millepora (11/26/2022)

• PC Rainbow Acro (wanted)

Fish:

• Springers Damsel (07/31/2022)
• Hi-fin Red Banded Goby (08/06/2022)
• Wyoming White Ocellaris clownfish (11/22/2022)
• Extreme misbar Ocellaris clownfish (11/22/2022)

• Green Banded Goby (maybe?)
• Tailspot Blenny (maybe?)
• Talbot's Damsel (maybe?)
• Tracey's Damsel (maybe?)
• Pink Streaked Wrasse (maybe?)
• Black Neon Dottyback (maybe?)

Invertebrates:

• Astraea Snails (06/08/2022)
• Nassarius Snails (06/08/2022)
• Blue Legged Hermit Crabs (06/08/2022)
• Green Mithrax Crab (06/08/2022)
• Nano Conch Snails (06/19/2022)
• Rock Flower Anemone (06/19/2022)
• Halloween Hermit Crab (07/30/2022)
• Bumble Bee Snails (08/02/2022)
• Cortez Cerith Snails (08/02/2022)
• Dwarf Cerith Snails (08/02/2022)
• Dwarf Planaxis Snails (08/02/2022)
• Dwarf Trochus Snails (08/02/2022)
• East African Cerith Snails (08/02/2022)
• Nerite Snails (08/02/2022)
• Virgin Nerite Snails (08/02/2022)
• Candy Cane Pistol Shrimp (08/02/2022)
• Mini Carpet Anemone (08/20/2022)
• Rainbow Bubble Tip Anemone (11/26/2022)

• Sexy Anemone Shrimp (wanted)
• Crinoid Squat Lobster (wanted)
• Acro Crab (wanted)
• Porcelain Crab (wanted)
• Fuzzy Chiton (wanted)
• Porcelain Anemone Crab (wanted)
• Pom-Pom Crab (wanted)
• Limpets (wanted)
• Money Cowries (wanted)

 

[schg]

Backstory - November 15th, 2022:

Back in May, I decided to get back into the reef game after a five year break. I started things off with a few smaller cubes before settling on a super clean Ultum Nature Systems 45u closed loop setup, before deciding to buy a cute little house in Lancaster Pennsylvania. In true schg fashion, I decided not to keep this tank very long, as I really hate moving tanks as it, and would prefer to just set a new one up to transfer the contents into instead. I also have been having some issues with the flow of the closed loop setup and surface skimming, so I needed to redo the 45u even if I did end up keeping it. As of writing this post, I am unsure if I will set the 45u up again or if I will just sell it.


I hunted around for a used tank to save some money, but a friend of mine was able to come through for me (yet again) and get me a hookup on a practically brand new Fiji Cube 38 gallon peninsula setup with an Aquatic Life / Kessil hybrid. I may end up swapping out the Kessil for another light, but the T5 will certainly get used. Everything was around 6 months old, and although it will need a bit of a cleaning, it is in dang near perfect shape.

Empty tank, ready for cleaning, and a very unique "stand". ​

I am going to work on getting the framework of the stand built and clean the tank out so that I can at least begin filling it, and will likely finish skinning the stand after everything is set up. As I am still unpacking and setting up the house, the rest of the attic space that this tank will reside in still needs to be worked on as well. This room will ultimately be my office on one side, and a small "guest bedroom" on the other with a futon and TV, having the aquarium divide the space a little bit.

My cute little 1885 renovated row-home in historic downtown Lancaster, PA.​

Index:

 

[schg]

A little progress - November 18th, 2022:

I was able to get the tank fully cleaned out, and it seriously looks perfect. There was ONE scratch on the back acrylic, which is the worst I can say about the whole tank. I also got all the equipment cleaned up, but need to put the protein skimmer back together.

DIY stand that needs to be skinned.​

I finished putting the stands frame together last night, using leftover TimberStrand from the museum I occasionally contract for (seriously amazing material). I am unsure on what I will be skinning the stand with yet, but should hopefully have that settled by the time I fill it. I am going to level the stand out and hang the lights tonight, then pick up some dry rock from a friend tomorrow to get my scape situated before starting to fill it. I decided to try out SeaChems Pearl Beach sand, as it was actually cheaper than any of the alternatives locally.


Tank is filled - November 20th, 2022:

Well, its a mess, but it is full and the salt is mixed. I was hoping to head down and bag everything up today to transfer things in, but wasn't able to get it situated quickly enough. I am going to try to go down on Wednesday when I go to pick up the washer and dryer, so at least the water should be clear by then. The cable management will have to wait until then, as I don't have my good power strip up here and am not really 100% sure how I'm routing things.

Full, and ready to be transferred into!​

I'm not sure how I feel about the scape overall, but I have rock I need to move in from the other tank, so I can't quite envision the complete look just yet. I did want to do two islands, but one of the pieces of rock is pretty big and may be too close to the glass for my taste on the other side of the tank. Oh well, we will see!


First Photos - November 24th, 2022:

These shot aren't great, but I wanted to do a quick update to show what the tank looks like after transferring stuff over. I don't know which box my tripod is in, and I also don't have a media basket yet, so the water isn't quite clear.

Full tank shot from the left side.

Zoa island the middle, although a few more recent frags broke off and were moved to the right side.

Rock Flower Anemone and Mini Carpet Anemeone.

Small Acan that has been starting to color up nicely.​

You may also notice my two new clown babies, which I picked up yesterday. I told myself I wouldn't do clowns again to focus on less common fish, but it's so hard to resist the allure of their movement. I decided to get a Wyoming White and an extreme misbar to at least have a more unique pair. I love the misbars little earmuffs!

They wouldn't stay still for a photo, but at least they are together in this shot.

I absolutely LOVE his coloration.

And who doesn't love a misbar? They're so silly.​

Coral stock up - November 26th, 2022

I went over to the house of the person I got the tank from, and walked away with a whopping TWENTY-TWO frags and an anemone tonight. I am apparently out of glue, so I'll be gluing some SPS tomorrow and placing the zoas where I want them, but for now you get this:

Probably my biggest single haul ever.​

All caught up for now!

 

[Salty2021]

They make good tanks. I have the 20 pensula tank. The return pump wasn't the great. You got some coral. Nice tank

 

[schg]

They make good tanks. I have the 20 pensula tank. The return pump wasn't the great. You got some coral. Nice tank

Yes, I am quite impressed with the build quality on the tank! The pump was replaced with a Sicce Syncra 1.5 before I bought it, but it is a bit noisier than I would prefer so I may replace it anyway. And thank you, I transferred the contents over from my Ultum Nature Systems 45u that I started back in May, but I felt it was easier to move contents over to a new setup than to move the tank up to the new house. I've moved reef tanks before and it isn't fun.

The UNS 45u before I took it down.​

 

[schg]

Photo dump:

RBTA.

Dragon Soul Favia.

Radioactive Dragon Eyes.

Utter Chaos and Orange Rhodactis.

Green Slimer.

White Zombies.

Pink Mille that broke in half when I got it; both halves are coloring on the breaks.

Twizzlers?.

Mixed zoas.

Tiny little bicolor frogspawn that was near death when I got it.

Yodas.

Bubblegum Digi.

Angle shot.

The other side of the tank.​

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Photo dump:

RBTA.

Dragon Soul Favia.

Radioactive Dragon Eyes.

Utter Chaos and Orange Rhodactis.

Green Slimer.

White Zombies.

Pink Mille that broke in half when I got it; both halves are coloring on the breaks.

Twizzlers?.

Mixed zoas.

Tiny little bicolor frogspawn that was near death when I got it.

Yodas.

Bubblegum Digi.

Angle shot.

The other side of the tank.​

Pictures and tank are stunning, what do you use to take those pictures?

 

[schg]

Pictures and tank are stunning, what do you use to take those pictures?

Thanks, its coming along! I have a Sony A7ii with a Sigma 105mm macro lens. I'm still getting a feel for the new camera and shooting this Kessil light, but I'm enjoying both so far.

 

[schg]

More photos:

My Springer's Damsel I keep meaning to rehome.

A mixture of two different Green Star Polyps.

Peach Octospawn.

Snails are always so silly.

Purple Stylo.

Magicians and Hawaiian Ding Dangs.

​

 

[schg]

Haven't been keeping up with the updates on this forum, whoops! Here is a huge photo dump.

Pink Diamonds and Sakuras

OG Bounce

A few little baby chaos.

Not sure what these are, maybe Blue Phoenix?

Tubbs Blues

Rastas

Vamps in Drag, which have grown ONE polyp in 6 months.

A Duncan I had gotten for free that was near death, has three heads sprouting and looks great.

Yodas

Acan which is pretty happy, but probably should be moved away from the RBTA...

Mini Carpet Nem

Pink Mille that is healing up great from being fragged and then broken in half.

Babyish Jawbreaker that appears to be shooting out a baby to the left?

Rhodactis and Utter Chaos

NY Knicks Torch

Green Slimer

Purple Stylo

Mixed GSP

Didn't even know I had these, maybe Purple Monster?

Red Hornets

Sunny Ds

White Zombies

King Midas, Incredible Hulks, Oxide

Porcelain Crab with my RBTA

Orange Setosa

Sakura Sunrise and Nirvanas?

JF Slowburn Monti

Exosphere

Rainbow Hornet

Fruit Loops

Twizzler

Sharknose Goby (I couldn't resist getting another, and it was on sale!)

Angled shot.

Left side.

24k Milli

Sonic Flare

JF Visuran, really looks dull here which isn't accurate at all...

Scrambled Eggs

My Anemone Crab has been hosting the RBTA full time now.

A green RFA I picked up a while ago.

JF Mr Yuck Acro

SC Orange Passion Acro

BC Aquatic Man Acro that I dropped when clipping off the frag plug, hope it's fine!

Mummy Eye Chalice still getting too blasted by light, hoping the above acro shades it a bit once it grows and lets it color up.
​

Enjoy!

 

[Ryebreadiest]

Beautiful! Considering one of these as an upgrade. Did you try out the media caddy or return pump it comes with? Not sure if I want the bare bones tank or the “pro” package for more money

 

[habetm14]

This is a really great build, would love to see updates! I'm also in central PA.

 

[slogan315]

Looks great! Moral of this build is I need some new friends.

 

[jmichaelh7]

Photo dump:

RBTA.

Dragon Soul Favia.

Radioactive Dragon Eyes.

Utter Chaos and Orange Rhodactis.

Green Slimer.

White Zombies.

Pink Mille that broke in half when I got it; both halves are coloring on the breaks.

Twizzlers?.

Mixed zoas.

Tiny little bicolor frogspawn that was near death when I got it.

Yodas.

Bubblegum Digi.

Angle shot.

The other side of the tank.​

How’s the Fiji tank overall ? I’m thinking of buying one

 

[martyharrison]

Been a while and I’m tempted to pull the trigger on a Fiji 38 Peninsula. Any updates? Would love to see how things are filling in. Thanks!

 

[habetm14]

Not sure if he’s still active, but I’m fairly certain he sold the tank this summer (saw it on FB). One of my favorite builds.