Start my reef tank officially today.

[Parsells Reef]

 

[Parsells Reef]

:)

 

[Parsells Reef]

If anyone sees this video, can anyone identify what that is? I bought this rock it has Yumas hot pink and it looks like there’s a little baby Anenome on the rock. You could see it almost see-through.

 

[Parsells Reef]

I’ve always wondered: Is there actually a way to avoid the ugly stage of a new reef tank?

I’ve seen people start tanks and six months later they’re still battling crazy amounts of algae and diatoms. I wanted to avoid that as much as possible, so before starting this tank I did a ton of research.

Here’s what I’ve learned and what has worked for me so far.

There’s probably no completely avoiding that light-brown diatom stage, but there are definitely things you can do to help control it and get through it faster.

Copepods can help because some species will graze on diatoms and other film algae. I considered going that route, but I decided to let the tank develop naturally and use a cleanup crew instead.

I also didn’t try to keep the tank completely nutrient-free. I fed fairly heavy for a new tank, but I was constantly checking my parameters — sometimes twice a day in the beginning. Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, alkalinity, etc.

The bacteria establishing your biological filtration need a nutrient source. The goal for me was to feed the system without letting things get out of control.

I also added a small amount of macroalgae to the back chamber of my UNS all-in-one and basically created a mini refugium. I run the refugium light for about 8–10 hours overnight using red, blue and white.

Less than a week after getting the tank running, I started adding livestock. I now have two clownfish and a blue neon goby, and they’re all doing great.

My XR15 Blue runs about 10 hours a day using a schedule through Mobius.

When the diatoms finally started showing up on the sand bed, I lightly siphoned some off during maintenance. I purposely didn’t go crazy stirring or deep-cleaning the entire sand bed because I wanted to let the tank continue maturing.

Once I had visible diatoms, I added two Astraea snails. Those little guys have done an awesome job cleaning the rock, glass and other surfaces. Honestly, I probably could have added three or four, but with a nano tank I’d rather start small than overload the cleanup crew.

I’ve also started dosing a very small amount of All-For-Reef and have used a buffer when needed to help maintain alkalinity/pH.

For filtration, I have biological media at the bottom of my media tower and activated carbon toward the top.

I’m also running an ATO, which has been awesome because this little tank evaporates a surprising amount of water every day.

Now I’m about a month into the tank and the diatoms are already starting to disappear. My goal is that by around week five the tank is looking super clean and I’m through the worst of the initial ugly stage.

I’ll throw some pictures up of the setup and filtration too.

Obviously every reef tank is different, but so far this approach has worked really well for mine. The biggest thing I’ve learned is don’t panic when the ugly stage starts. Manage it, keep the tank stable, and let the biology do its thing.

 

[Parsells Reef]

 

[Parsells Reef]

One thing I also took really seriously was testing. I actually use two different testing kits, and for the first two weeks I was going to my LFS 2–3 times a week just to have them double-check all of my parameters and water quality against my own results.

The parameters I personally strive for are based heavily on the ranges recommended by World Wide Corals (WWC):

Calcium: 380–450 ppm
pH: 8.1–8.4
Alkalinity: 8–9 dKH
Nitrate (NO₃): 10–30 ppm
Nitrite (NO₂): Undetectable
Ammonia (NH₃): Undetectable
Salinity: 1.024–1.026

More than anything, I’m looking for stability instead of constantly chasing numbers. I’ve always been told that stable temperature, salinity and water chemistry are some of the most important parts of maintaining a successful reef tank.

I also used ChatGPT a lot throughout the process. I definitely don’t follow everything it tells me because it tends to be extremely conservative with reef tanks, but I use it as another source of information along with my own research, my LFS and other reefers.

I also fed mysis during the cycle to make sure there was a nutrient source available for the developing bacteria. If you do this, just make sure you have good flow and don’t allow a bunch of uneaten mysis to sit on the sand bed or get trapped behind the rocks. You want enough nutrients entering the system to support the developing ecosystem without letting excess food pile up and negatively affect your water quality.

 

[Parsells Reef]

OK, so here we are a total of 24 days from first pouring water in the tank. We look like we’re already finished with the diatom “ugly stage” that took about a week and a half so the first two weeks and looks like the diatoms are slowly disappearing. Here’s some video of where we are less than a month and we currently have 10 frags of Zoa‘s cut and glued to the rock work.

The goal as a full Zoa and SPS nano tank. I’m hoping to be one of the most beautiful SPS Zoa garden Nano’s out ever made, we will see. :)

 

[Parsells Reef]

For those of you who don’t know me yet, this is a good friend of mine—and when I tell you this guy is METICULOUS about coral, I mean meticulous.

Especially when it comes to what gets introduced into his system.

Think about this for a second.

If you jumped on a plane tomorrow and flew to Australia, everything changes. Different environment, different food, different water, different climate—your body is going to react and adjust.

Now think about coral.

We’re taking these animals from different oceans, different systems, different water parameters, shipping them across the freaking world, putting them in a bag, putting them on another plane, and then dropping them into our little glass box in the living room.

And then we wonder why they get ticked off.

This guy takes it so seriously that he DOES NOT put his bare arm in his tank. Ever. He wears a glove.

At first you might think that sounds crazy.

But think about what you did today.

You touched your phone. Scratched your head. Used soap. Maybe lotion. Touched a countertop. Opened a door. Pet the dog. Washed your hands.

Then 20 minutes later you completely forget about all of it and stick your entire arm into your reef tank to move a coral.

Whatever is on your skin now has an opportunity to enter that system.

And yes—I already know somebody is going to say:

“Well, Kevin, I have a 200-gallon tank. You have 16 gallons.”

I GET IT.

More water volume absolutely gives you more dilution and generally more room for error. But the principle doesn’t suddenly disappear because your tank is bigger.

My whole approach with this tank has been simple:

Control what I can control.

Keep the water stable.
Test constantly.
Pay attention.
Limit unnecessary contamination.
And stop screwing with things when they don’t need to be screwed with.

That mentality is a HUGE reason I was able to cycle this tank, get through the ugly diatom stage, and have this system where it is in roughly 30 days.

And now I’m saying it publicly:

My goal is to have beautifully cultured SPS growing in this tank within the first 60 days.

People can tell me it’s too fast.
They can tell me I’m crazy.
They can tell me that’s “not how reefing works.”

That’s fine.

Don’t believe me?

FOLLOW THE TANK.

We’ll find out together.

P.S. Watch this video. This is exactly what I’m talking about.

 

[Parsells Reef]

So I’m now officially one month in and I plan on adding UV sterilizer next week
main reason why is to eliminate diatom in full capacity. Oh yeah — I’d lean into the fact that you know you’re breaking some conventional reef rules, but you’re doing it intentionally and watching the tank closely. Here’s a cleaned-up version that still sounds like you:

My rockstar behind this little all-in-one has honestly been the macroalgae. It’s been doing an incredible job, but here’s where I’m probably going to lose some reefers…

I’m intentionally feeding this tank heavier than most people would recommend.

Everyone tells you, “Don’t overfeed.” “Don’t feed your fish and corals every day.” “Take it slow.” And normally, that’s probably good advice.

But I’m doing things a little differently.

I’m feeding small amounts of mysis throughout the day, microdosing coral food, feeding my zoas, and basically making sure there are nutrients constantly entering the system — while letting the macroalgae, filtration, bacteria, pods, cleanup crew and frequent small water changes deal with the export side.

The key word is balance.

I’m not dumping food into the tank and hoping for the best. I’m feeding heavily relative to the size of the system while constantly watching what the tank is telling me and testing the water.

So far? The tank is responding.

Now comes the fun part.

Next week the SPS lands, along with a chalice and one special guest that will probably make half the reefing world lose its mind and tell me I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.

And maybe they’ll be right.

But maybe they won’t.

I keep hearing that you need to wait 6 months… 9 months… a year… before a reef is “mature enough” for SPS.

I’m not convinced that time itself is what makes a reef mature.

I think stability, biodiversity, nutrient availability, biological filtration, export and consistent husbandry matter a heck of a lot more than simply watching the calendar.

So I’m putting that theory to the test.

If I’m wrong, trust me — I know the naysayers will be waiting.

But if I’m right?

We might learn something pretty dang cool.

Parsells Reef Fast Startup Experiment continues.

 

[Parsells Reef]

 

[Parsells Reef]

I BEAT the Ugly Phase!!!! ️

My read right now:

• pH: ~8.0 — acceptable, though I’d rather see the reef consistently around 8.0–8.3.
• Alkalinity: ~8 dKH — excellent. This is right where I’d want you, especially with SPS coming.
• Calcium: ~400–450 ppm — very good.
• Magnesium: ~1200–1300 ppm — looks around 1200-ish on that strip. Slightly lower than I’d ideally target, but nothing alarming.
• Nitrate: looks very low, roughly 0–2 ppm. This is actually the number I’m watching most closely in your tank.
• Nitrite: essentially 0.
• Specific gravity: the strip looks roughly 1.025 — right on target, .

The big takeaway

Your water does not look dirty or overloaded from the heavier feeding you’ve been doing. Quite the opposite — your nutrient-export system appears to be keeping nitrate extremely low.

And this is exactly where your chaeto/refugium strategy becomes interesting. You’re putting food into the system, but between the chaeto, biological filtration, coral uptake and your frequent small water changes, you’re apparently exporting/processing it fast enough that nitrate isn’t accumulating.


IT CAN BE DONE!!
No Skimmer
No Ugly Phase
Consistency

TUESDAY:
I will be adding Meteor Shower Cyphastrea, Pikachu Acropora, Grafted War Coral Favia, Invader Zim Chalice, Barbie Goni, Grape Cyphastrea Tuesday!

 

[Parsells Reef]

 

[Parsells Reef]

 

[Parsells Reef]

OK, we are a month and a half and I have to say I have one of the most healthiest tanks I have ever had following the chaeto method with UV sterilizer “ZERO- skimmer”. I’ve added my first SPS coral today I have north of 15 Zoanthids Francis the ugly face only lasted for about two weeks if that and my tank is rocking I am so proud of myself

Anyway, so gonna let these grow out, I added some chalice, Favia, SPS, and etc today I’m gonna put the full list. I used Aqua SD. They were pretty cool great prices although their frags are very small so just anticipate that but very cool and probably be at least a year from now realistically until I have a tank that I can post on YouTube or channels like this that people will start asking a lot of questions at that point they can come back and look through the process

:)

 

[XSidsReef]

Tank looks beautiful!

 

[Parsells Reef]

Tank looks beautiful!

6 months
I plan on blowing minds

 

[Parsells Reef]

 

[Parsells Reef]

First SPS added yesterday. Excited what the “SPS RAINBOW NANO” will look like in 6 months

 

[Parsells Reef]

 

[Parsells Reef]

My Daughter Charleigh May loves coral and most of all zebra and twirly our blue legged hermit crabs!