SPS Nano Build Plans

[BrianPoni]

Tanks looking good man, thanks for the info! It looks like we have quite similar builds indeed! I’m also pretty ambitious with this tank and I think that like you said, patience is the way to get there. I’ll most likely use NOPOX before I get the pax going, but once I do they recommend not carbon dosing so I guess I’ll see how that works out.

What substrate are you using by the way, and how’s it holding up with your flow? That’s one of my biggest concerns at the moment. Also, I highly recommend getting the random flow generator nozzles for the tanks return, there pretty awesome and will work great for the randomized flow that SPS likes! Also, the clowns and gobies will be my first 2 additions as well, along with the clean up crew and pods. Do you have a pod population going and at what stage did you introduce them?

Yeah I’d like to get the rocks curing ASAP! How did you go about doing this? Just have them in a saltwater container with a pump in there? Did you add any bacteria to the container?

I put a mix of substrates.
Bottom Layer - 20lbs of CaribSea Special Grade Reef - Arag Alive
Top Layer - 20lbs of CaribSea Bahamas Oolite - Arag Alive

As for holding up, I have my IceCap 1k set on forward/reverse switch mode at 50%. 4 seconds for each interval. It doesn’t mess with the sand at all. My clowns make more of a mess than it does. I will think about adding another to the other side if the spa need it, but I doubt it will. I’m loving this gyre.

I will definitely look into the new nozzles, have never thought of it until you mentioned, they look really sweet.

I threw in a bottle of tiger pods but I think my clowns made quick work of them. As of now I don’t have much of any movement on the glass, but the tank is still young. I’m thinking of adding some other pods soon. I forget the exact company but they have 3 different bottles of them.
As for seeding my dry rock. I have an awesome LFS that let me use water directly from their system. I know it was a bit risky because who knows what larva was floating around. I bought a 10 gallon garbage can and lid from Home Depot, put my rocks in and filled with their systems water. I added a basic cheap heater and pump. And over the two months I added 2 bottles of BioSpira. I also few some basic flake/pellet food every other day to keep some food in the system.
I never changed the water in the bucket, the salinity never changed much.
When I went and filled the tank I used more water from their system. I discarded the water from the seeding. I never experienced any ammonia or nitrite, only nitrates about 40 if I had to guess by the Red Sea test.
I waited about 2 more weeks to introduce my clowns and another 2 for the goby/shrimp. I added Nasarius to eat up uneaten pellets early on and waited until a diatom bloom to add Ceriths and Trochus, I highly recommend both, they’ve destroyed the diatoms.
Knock on wood but as of now I haven’t had a spec of algae growth. I’m guessing it will come soon, but these snails might destroy any before it arrives.
Attached is the garbage can I used, it worked well.

 

[Rivers&Reefs]

I put a mix of substrates.
Bottom Layer - 20lbs of CaribSea Special Grade Reef - Arag Alive
Top Layer - 20lbs of CaribSea Bahamas Oolite - Arag Alive

As for holding up, I have my IceCap 1k set on forward/reverse switch mode at 50%. 4 seconds for each interval. It doesn’t mess with the sand at all. My clowns make more of a mess than it does. I will think about adding another to the other side if the spa need it, but I doubt it will. I’m loving this gyre.

I will definitely look into the new nozzles, have never thought of it until you mentioned, they look really sweet.

I threw in a bottle of tiger pods but I think my clowns made quick work of them. As of now I don’t have much of any movement on the glass, but the tank is still young. I’m thinking of adding some other pods soon. I forget the exact company but they have 3 different bottles of them.
As for seeding my dry rock. I have an awesome LFS that let me use water directly from their system. I know it was a bit risky because who knows what larva was floating around. I bought a 10 gallon garbage can and lid from Home Depot, put my rocks in and filled with their systems water. I added a basic cheap heater and pump. And over the two months I added 2 bottles of BioSpira. I also few some basic flake/pellet food every other day to keep some food in the system.
I never changed the water in the bucket, the salinity never changed much.
When I went and filled the tank I used more water from their system. I discarded the water from the seeding. I never experienced any ammonia or nitrite, only nitrates about 40 if I had to guess by the Red Sea test.
I waited about 2 more weeks to introduce my clowns and another 2 for the goby/shrimp. I added Nasarius to eat up uneaten pellets early on and waited until a diatom bloom to add Ceriths and Trochus, I highly recommend both, they’ve destroyed the diatoms.
Knock on wood but as of now I haven’t had a spec of algae growth. I’m guessing it will come soon, but these snails might destroy any before it arrives.
Attached is the garbage can I used, it worked well.

Cool man. I think I’m going to go with strictly special grade. Everyone says go bare bottom but I think special grade will be fine, especially because I want goby/wrasse, and I like the natural look of a sandbed. Seems like people run into problems when the flow is set to a consistent speed constantly pushing the sand in a single direction. Having pumps set to randomized flow should solve that - especially two that are bouncing off each other.

I haven’t used those nozzles myself but I’ve followed builds that do, they seem to work really well and are super simple. I think they look cleaner then the standard nozzles too haha

Awesome, I’m going to get my rocks going ASAP Once I order them and do a mock scape so I know which ones exactly I’ll be using. Nassarius and Trochus are definitely on my list, as well as a few others and a conch. Don’t want to add any crabs because I think in a tank this size they will eat all the snails and cause some problems lol

 

[4FordFamily]

Looking great, great progress!

 

[New&no clue]

Any updates on your tank, I'm looking to do something similar.

 

[BrianPoni]

Any updates on your tank, I'm looking to do something similar.

Forgot about this thread. I’ll do a major update when I get to work tomorrow (where the tank is)

 

[BrianPoni]

6 Month Update (2 Days Late) - Livestock (Fish, Shrimp, and Crab) plus Full Tank Shot
(2) Black Ocellaris Clownfish - These two were my first fish purchase over 3 years ago with my 20G Long build. They have always been perfect inhabitants and extremely friendly to any new addition to the tank(s)
Bicolor Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor) - Bought about 4 months ago. Its big, cant be to far away from full size. It has a slight attitude some days but for the most part he chills and does its thing. Had a tail spot for years in my other tank which went floor surfing a day before tank breakdown and being transferred to this new tank (was not happy as that is my one and only fish death in my 3+ years being back in the hobby)
Bluespotted Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus pavoninoides) - It does its thing. Lives in his holes that his shrimp makes. I got really lucky though. He Spends 90% of his time perched right out in front where you can see him in the picture.
Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus carpenteri) - Newest addition. Only been in the tank for 4 days. Very pretty and active, still a bit weary of the Blenny but gets along and swims with the Clowns. Added for a bit extra nutrient production, tank always reads very low.
Tiger Pistol Shrimp ( no idea) - Mr Goby One Kenobi's tank mate. I see him every so often making his rounds. Only ever hear him snap if a snail gets close to one of his excavating projects,
Emerald Crab (Mithraculus sculptus) - Added a few days ago and doing his job. Hoping him and the Shrimp will get along. I have a few spots of bubble algae and other nuisance algae which he has already started getting at.
Snails - A mix of about 30. 20 or so Turbo/Astrea Snail, simply the best. I have 1 special small one who lives in the back cheato box/middle chamber and he does an amazing job at eating everything. Definitely the MVP. Also have Cerith, Nassarius, Trochus. Wish I had Stomatella's like my old tank (if anybody in Jersey has a population they want to thin out, please let me know.
I might add one more Emerald and call it a day if needed.
Up next is the equipment update.

 

[New&no clue]

This is the same tank you started with, I though you had a NUVO 30 Long.