Skimmerless 15-Gallon Mixed Reef

[Alexraptor]

Guess I'll start off with my crown jewel of reefs, although it's not quite at it's prime, since it's recovering from an unfortunate period of neglect.

Setup can be summed up with:

- 15 Gallon Panorama tank​

- Tunze Nanostream 6040​

- Maxspect Jump LED 65W​

Livestock:

- 5x(?) assorted hermits​

- 1x Ocellaris Clownfish (10 years old!)​

- (?)x Pistol Shrimps (Alpheus parvirostris)​

- 1x Tuxedo Urchin​

- 1x "hermit eating" Mini-Maxi carpet anemone.​

Corals

- Red, Yellow montipora digita.​

- Red, Green and Purple monti cap.​

- Forest Fire monti frag.​

- Bubblegum monti frag.​

- Green Pavona dessucatus.​

- Favia Brain Coral​

- Green star polyps​

- Red-Purple Rhodactis.​

- Assorted Zoas (5 varieties).​

- Branching Euphyllia, frogspawn.​

- Pink actinodiscus (to be exterminated).​

- Colony of paly's.​

The tank has been fully skimmerless since it was set up nearly 5 years ago. Since I got a handle on things again, I dose CA and Alk daily, and perform 30% water changes on a weekly basis, using Red Sea Coral Pro - Reef Salt. You may note that I don't have a heater. The reason for this is that I maintain at a minimum temperature of 25 degrees year around, in my aquarium room.

But I'm guessing what you people really want to see, are some juicy pictures.

 

[blaxsun]

Some very nice-looking corals you have there!

 

[Kodski]

There is just something with simple tanks that I love. Great work!

 

[Alexraptor]

Thanks! The red monti cap used to be even more impressive, before I trimmed it back a bit, as it was reaching the water surface in parts, and self-shading a bit too much, one of the downsides with modern LED lights.

 

[afrokobe]

very interesting shaped tank!

 

[Alexraptor]

Yes, I think the shape adds an nice 'depth' effect to the tank.

Something fun to share, preceded with sadness and some historical context. We must first go back to 2017

The eagle-eyed may note the presence of a couple of yellow monti-digi colonies, which are not present in the OP. The reason for this is a perfect storm of sloppy maintenance and cascading equipment failures, which lead to the total bleaching of my yellow-green monti around 2020/2021.

Now for the fun stuff. A tiny, miniscule piece survived, and I've spent the past year, trying to nurture it back to health. And it has finally colored up properly and showing signs of growth!

I call it my "little ember"

 

[Dreamscapesaquatics]

That looks fantastic. Beautiful tank. Well done.

 

[Jeffcb]

Looking good!

 

[X-37B]

Guess I'll start off with my crown jewel of reefs, although it's not quite at it's prime, since it's recovering from an unfortunate period of neglect.

Setup can be summed up with:

- 15 Gallon Panorama tank​

- Tunze Nanostream 6040​

- Maxspect Jump LED 65W​

Livestock:

- 5x(?) assorted hermits​

- 1x Ocellaris Clownfish (10 years old!)​

- (?)x Pistol Shrimps (Alpheus parvirostris)​

- 1x Tuxedo Urchin​

- 1x "hermit eating" Mini-Maxi carpet anemone.​

Corals

- Red, Yellow montipora digita.​

- Red, Green and Purple monti cap.​

- Forest Fire monti frag.​

- Bubblegum monti frag.​

- Green Pavona dessucatus.​

- Favia Brain Coral​

- Green star polyps​

- Red-Purple Rhodactis.​

- Assorted Zoas (5 varieties).​

- Branching Euphyllia, frogspawn.​

- Pink actinodiscus (to be exterminated).​

- Colony of paly's.​

The tank has been fully skimmerless since it was set up nearly 5 years ago. Since I got a handle on things again, I dose CA and Alk daily, and perform 30% water changes on a weekly basis, using Red Sea Coral Pro - Reef Salt. You may note that I don't have a heater. The reason for this is that I maintain at a minimum temperature of 25 degrees year around, in my aquarium room.

But I'm guessing what you people really want to see, are some juicy pictures.

Awesome nano!

 

[Alexraptor]

A wee little photo dump.

First some sad news, my tuxedo urchin sadly is scratched off the stock list. Still not sure what happened, but it started dropping spines and rapidly declined in health. There certainly was no shortage of food in the tank, as there is a significant assortment of algae in the tank. Bad urchin? Clown stirring up too much crap into the water column? I honestly don't know. Beautiful shell though.

The major stuff that has happened is that I relocated my frogspawn colony, which the clownfish seems very happy about. Currents are strong there though so we'll see how the colony fares in the long-term. I also trimmed back a bit of my red monti cap, which had a long plate/branch that was beginning to cast a bit too much shade on neighboring corals and frags.

I found a nice 'shaded' spot for a small stone of my zoa's, which I have been struggling to find a good placement for. They seem to like it.

I also unexpectedly ended up with yet another variety of zoas in there, as a new colony I had bought for one of my other tanks, was being disturbed/munched on by amphipods, thus necessitating relocation.

And finally, a photo I have mixed feelings of. I am delightfully pleased that my forest fire monti has finally settled and is started to encrust on the surrounding rock. I am however less thrilled of the Vermetid snail growing inside of it, and which seems to have survived the coral dip. However I'm not too stressed about it, as it does not seem to be affecting the frags overall health negatively, and Its not like my tank is Vermetid-free to begin with.

 

[Reef Jockey]

Beautiful tank and also likewise for the macro shots..
I also have a nano tank that runs without a skimmer.

 

[Alexraptor]

About a month out of date, but bought a couple of super cheap Acros and added to the tank. Got both for a real bargain. I paid the equivalent of $19 for the entire efflo colony from a retailer, and about $14 for the other Acro. Which kind it is I am not certain. I don't know how it is across the pond, but here just a tiny frag easily costs as much as any of the two colonies.

Now the unidentified one in the rear, truly turned out to be a genuine diamond in the rough...

As about a month later, It's really starting to color up nicely. (though I admit the from-above-shot isn't 100% a fair comparison)

 

[Reefdiculous22]

Great looking tank! I was really weighing heavily towards that style tank but decided to go with the Red Sea 625. Now you are making wonder. Lol.

 

[Alexraptor]

So been a very rough fall and winter. Had a mishap when I moved the tank at the end of summer to another stand, ended up disturbing a lot of locked nutrients that have, and still are leaching out into the water column. Suspect its stuff that's been sealed up in the base of the rockwork, as I've tried siphoning and rinsing the sand bed to no avail.

But most of all its suffered from straight up neglect. In mid September my mother took unexpectedly ill and passed away to the end of October, which has resulted in me letting all my maintenance and parameters slide. Lost my bubblegum and forest fire monti's and my rainbow monti took a beating.

However my red and green monti caps continue to thrive, as my efflo. Even though it's a little pale and has lost some tissue in the shaded areas, it has put out quite considerable amounts of new growth. The Tenuis was not doing so hot and got relocated to my 25, and is much happier there.

 

[Alexraptor]

Well been a few months, hasn't it? Plenty of growth to showcase, and happenings to discuss!

Firstly a real odd thing, my star polyps have and continue to bleach for reasons unknown. They seem to be the only ones afflicted, with the rest of the corals boasting great color!

I actually just recently installed a Diffusor attachment for my Maxspect Jump, as I was having problems with corals dead center under the lights, starting to turn a bit pale.

The eagle eyed may also notice that the green zoa colony has been moved off the sandbed, and onto the main rock work. There just simply wasn't room and it's een pressing hard against the rock, so I decided to give it some new real-estate to devour.

It's a quirky reef, but filling in quite nicely. Also decided to add some Dragons Breath to the tank. Shoved a huge cluster in under the large monti colony, facing the window, a little on the right, behind the GSP, and some down the center crevice/valley between the two peaks of the tank.

I've also finally been able to add some snails to the tank. Been battling fulgida worms for maybe a decade, and had completely given up on keeping snails in here. Last couple of times I set traps they came up empty, and a few weeks back there was a tiny orange thread in a dead seriatopora frag that didn't make the transition to this tank, which I of course threw in the garbage bin, worm and all.

I had three snails that were as good as DoA, two died within hours and were devoured by bristleworms, the third i fished out and gave as a special treat to my mantis shrimp. The remaining 7 are all still accounted for, one week on.

 

[Alexraptor]

My Porcelain Crab has finally left the zoas and made his home with the anemone.

 

[Alexraptor]

Done some reorganizing.

The frogspawn split at the base, and one head landed face down in a rhodactis and started to melt. So cut away as much of the withered stem as I could, as well as the dying head, and wedged the coral further down on the rock.

Cut my efflo down, as it had been shading its own base, which also has been damaged by the shrooms growing around it. A succesfull operation, and now the colony is a better fit for the crevice it was previously perched on. Also made sure to clear out all the shrooms that had been growing in and around the crevice.

Also relocated the Zoa colony back onto the sandbed, minus the polyps that had migrated onto the foreground rock. I want to give the Efflo enough time to grow in properly.

The trim and placement of the Efflo also works very nicely with the corner windows on my panorama tank.

And no, I did not throw away the base. It has found itself a new home in my 38G Skylight tank. Where it will hopefully grow into a new and, perhaps grander, colony.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Done some reorganizing.

The frogspawn split at the base, and one head landed face down in a rhodactis and started to melt. So cut away as much of the withered stem as I could, as well as the dying head, and wedged the coral further down on the rock.

Cut my efflo down, as it had been shading its own base, which also has been damaged by the shrooms growing around it. A succesfull operation, and now the colony is a better fit for the crevice it was previously perched on. Also made sure to clear out all the shrooms that had been growing in and around the crevice.

Also relocated the Zoa colony back onto the sandbed, minus the polyps that had migrated onto the foreground rock. I want to give the Efflo enough time to grow in properly.

The trim and placement of the Efflo also works very nicely with the corner windows on my panorama tank.

And no, I did not throw away the base. It has found itself a new home in my 38G Skylight tank. Where it will hopefully grow into a new and, perhaps grander, colony.

Tank looks great!

 

[Alexraptor]

Efflo is coloring up real nicely! The maxspect diffuser made all the difference, and as of yesterday I've now dialed up the light to 100%, up from the 60-70% where I used to have it. The hotspots from the Maxspect Jump 65w LED are simply too strong to run without.

 

[Gribbles]

Beautiful tank, fantastic photography skills and I love the way you talk about your tanks - can feel the passion! Following