Synna's Tank Builds

Synna · Mar 31, 2018

New to this!
This is for both me and my other half's tanks

Tanks Up and Running:
1 x Red Sea Max Nano
1x Nuvo 20
1x 10 gal quarantine

Tank to come in the future
1x Red Sea Reefer 350

Red Sea Max Nano: -Tank under treatment and revamp!
Materials (outside the kit):

AI Prime LED
E-Flux Wave Maker
Live Rock
Live sand

Fish:
Currently absent

Coral:
Leather Mushrrom
Leather finger
2x rose anenome
Trumpet coral
Birdsnest - green and purple
Singulara
Zoanthids x 3
Acan
1x acropora
favia
hammer head, green and purples
derasa clam

dbl · Mar 31, 2018

Signing up to follow along, but we will eventually need some pictures...lol.

Lovemyreef2015 · Dec 11, 2018

Synna said:
New to this!
This is for both me and my other half's tanks

Tanks Up and Running:
1 x Red Sea Max Nano
1x Nuvo 20
1x 10 gal quarantine

Tank to come in the future
1x Red Sea Reefer 350

Red Sea Max Nano: -Tank under treatment and revamp!
Materials (outside the kit):

AI Prime LED

E-Flux Wave Maker

Live Rock

Live sand

Fish:
Currently absent

Coral:
Leather Mushrrom
Leather finger
2x rose anenome
Trumpet coral
Birdsnest - green and purple
Singulara
Zoanthids x 3
Acan
1x acropora
favia
hammer head, green and purples
derasa clam

I would love to see some pictures! Following along

Synna · Oct 30, 2019

Updates to come !

Much has changed for us over the last year
And we are still building and developing!

But a few pics

Synna · Oct 30, 2019

Black leopard wrasse
Duncan's
Chalice- mummy eye I think

Daniel@R2R · Oct 31, 2019

Following!

Synna · Nov 2, 2019

As much as my other half and I do share a lot of ideas and work together on our tank builds, I'm going to focus for now on mine.

I will admit, I'm not a super fanatic but I certainly do enjoy even what I've accomplished and learned thus far. I'm far from an expert that's for sure and will never be one!

Previously ran:
Nuvo 20
I ran this tank for a year or so. Which is what this thread initially was set up, but then life got in the way.
I feel for my first tank this was actually a great step for re-entering the reefing world.

Learned more about the cycling processes.
Measuring levels : ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, Ph, Alk, Mag, Ca, etc. ( I never tested as frequent as recommended, it's sort of annoying! )
Skimmers (Ghost Skimmer) and pumps
Filtering, Carbon usage,
Additional flow needs, powerheads
Solid heaters (I'm a super fan of the Eheim personally)
Balancing your sand /live rock with the water volume.
Establishing the "beneficial bacteria" life.
Differences in types of corals and their needs. Sometimes, it's hard to have LPS, SPS, Softies in same tank this small for sure
The importance of my cleaning crews and having a variety.
Loving the "all of it's living" perspective in such a small ecosystem.

Water changes we felt were the best way to replenish weekly. 10-20% / week seemed to really be the best.
Supplements actually seemed to throw one or another nutrient too far askew.
Changing filter socks at least 1x week, but always more often if extra contamination might have occurred.

I had the privilege (because you still learn through loss), or shall we say unfortunate experiences of losing quite a bit of coral and a few fish along the way. However I think this is an ongoing potential no matter the size of your tank!

Challenges: (looking back on it from my current)
- No Refugium for better filtration, Pods, feeding balances creating quick spikes.
- Had a lot of trouble with emerald crabs, fighting conches, astrea snails.
- Limited filtration space, "sump" space. I found best results were to actually use 2 socks instead of just one with the stacker on the other side. I used an actual carbon bag instead as well.
- Cleaning the "sump" space. Design was tough and brushes were important!
- Zoas & SPS. I feel those were my top 2 that I just couldn't keep alive very successfully no matter what.
- Of course it's SMALL! and I always wanted more stuff.
Successes:
- Mummy Eye Chalice, Mushroom Leather, Acans, Duncans I would say were my best pieces in this build.
- Had a lot of success with margarita snails (even had babies replenish), trochus snails, nassarius snails.
- Cleaner shrimp outgrew the tank !
- Cleaning wasn't too bad really overall.

I'm actually going to be turning this Nuvo 20 into a quarantine tank so it's still going to have a purpose in my "set ups"!

Here's the "previous" picture of the set up itself:

Newly running: (current)
Red Sea 170

I can't say too much yet on this tank set up. It's what I would say is "in development". We moved states! In doing so, we introduced the

Disruption stress - the time it took to bag, pack and keep warm all items! Took longer than we wanted for sure.
Long transport stress. (we used marine coolers packed with warmed towels). Went surprisingly well. But it was a 7.5-8 hour drive
Then the LONG process of "acclimation" while trying to not lose too much heat or have their contamination be too much.
"Cycles" or at least mini cycles in setting systems back up. We fully expected to lose a lot with this.
Moving ALL my inhabitants from the Nuvo to the new Red Sea 170 (20 gallon to 40 gallon w/ sump design

I will say, dialing in this Red Sea 170 is STILL a challenge for me. The noise is crazy and even when I get it fixed, the next water change it seems to just get all messed up again.

This build was a "rush" build and I really did not add as much rock or design the structures like I truly wanted. This tank is basically a "transfer" tank before the ultimate goal is done.

Current hardware:

Bubble Magus Curve 5 Skimmer
Vortec MP10
Hydor Pump 740 gph (will replace eventually)
1 carbon bag/ Purigen
AI Twenty Six light
Hang on back refugium w/ light. I tried Chaeto and it turned to mush! I haven't tried again yet. I have a new pump on it, a little better flow and right now just some bio balls (Marine Pure Bio Filter media).
- I want this established badly for pods and the benefits of chaeto.
- Can you have multiple kinds of macro algae in the same refugium? Is there benefit to different kinds or just better to have one type? Which type is best?
Filter sock. I have both the felt and mesh. I truly feel like the felt does filter far better!
- Going to learn the DIY felt filter socks!
DIY Lid, this came with the tank when we bought it, and I am going to be making a new tighter fitting lid soon!

Livestock:
Fish:

Pair Black Photon Clowns
Biota Mandarin

I just lost the black leopard wrasse. ~sigh~ I'm truly saddened.
I also lost my midas blenny shortly after our move, and a pearly jawfish who decided to find a way out of a tiny gap in my lid and to the floor the first night I had it!

Inverts:

2-3 red leg crabs
1 scarlet crab
1 halloween crab (I lost 2)
2 nassarius crabs
3 trochus snails
3 nerite snails
8 or so margarita snails
1 cleaner shrimp

Coral:
I don't know the names of all of them sorry! So pics will have to do!

2 mummy eye chalice
1 green mushroom leather
1 singulara leather?
1 duncan colony and 1 small (not sure it will live)
1 green hammer
1 gold tipped hammer
1 sunset montipora
1 green blastoma
1 red blastoma
4 different acan colonies
3 favia
4 different SPS (I'll post pics)

Goal to run in the next year or so:
This is what I'm working towards while running this Red Sea 170 to keep my current livestock happy in
90 gallon cube
40 gallon sump/refugium -DIY! (I can't find one I like to fit in my stand)
I have a pretty decent stand I've been refinishing myself.
Wavemaker
Eheim pump & heaters
Keep my AI twenty six, maybe get another

Current Red Sea 170 Build Pics. I took these quickly on a phone. Sorry for poor quality right now.

Synna · Feb 16, 2020

New additions will be coming soon thanks to Joeknowsreef's recent live sale!
Thank you Joe I'm excited.

TSA Purple Haze Acropora
King Midas Zoas
Bam Bam Zoas
Speckled Fire & Ice Zoas
JF Insane Sunset Stylo
JF Alien Pox Cyphastrea
JF Pink Polyp Stylo

Updates:

Quarantine world:
We have now done one set of full 65 day quarantine with some inverts and snails in our Nuvo 20 we set up. They all lived except a couple super tiny ceriths that thought getting into the pump chamber would be fun.

We just started our second quarantine set of inverts and snails!

1 feather duster
2 emerald crabs
1 crinoid squat lobster
5 blue leg hermit crabs
3 trochus snails
3 cerith snails (not so small this time)
1 halloween crab

These are going for a full 80+ days as the LFS we bought them from is questionable for potential contaminates present in their tanks... like velvet, ick breakouts.

Phyto/Pods:
We are learning and tweaking our own Phyto culturing for our tanks! I'll get some pics of the alien green factory for you. (so my friend calls it) I'm excited to add fresh foods for the corals and fish! We've had a few crashes and a lot of success too. The boyfriend actually had to slow down as we ended up with way too much in the fridge! (I think we need to invest in a small fridge like in stores just for our live foods storage, otherwise I might not have a fridge left for people food!)

We are also slowly learning and experimenting with our own copepod breeding too! That's been a process, as we realized that we did have them growing, however they weren't the tiggers that lived, but small tiny white ones that are SOOOO hard to see!
We are also still trying to determine what distributor works best for our desires when we do need to boost or purchase any new.
Learning how to "filter" and water change without cross contaminating etc is also a process to just get a safe and smooth routine down.
The mandarin actually still has pods on the glass! I know she's got plenty of food then. She's also a captive bred though so she also eats when I feed the reds of the tank too with mysis and such.
We will be trying to do a full first harvest/water change out in the next few days.

Chaeto:
Our last batch of chaeto was in one of the back chambers of the quarantine tank. It was thriving and I had to actually harvest some. First time for that. Was very nice! However, I need to read up on how any contaminates would potentially also ruin/ contaminate the chaeto culture too. If it's going through the full cycle of quarantine with the rest, I wonder if it then also is considered good after the 80 days or such.
I'm thinking we may need to move that or at least the batch we want to use for the "base growing" batch that we harvest. Then keep a set/batch in the quarantine that gets tossed when done.

My Main tank:

I'll admit, I haven't been as proactive with testing parameters as I should be! My goal: To do better ! I am pretty sure my weekly / bi-weekly water changes are likely not giving quite enough nutrients for a better coral growth.
I also need to supplement the nutrients better for the corals themselves a bit I'm sure. I have some ReefRoids I keep forgetting to use. Also dosing - Calcium, Mag. Iodine/trace elements too maybe. I'd love to see some better growth.
The tank has been doing well. I finally have the "trick" down to the RedSea 170 gurgling/overflow noises and that's been a relief for the silence! Those little tiny turns of the valve and which direction does what!
Might be time for me to re-assess the lighting. I've had it down a bit for a while now, learning what corals were happy where. Might be time for a little increase.
Corals have good polyp extension, some are now overlapping their frag plugs and original rock pieces I had them on originally.
I have one duncan, little thing that is proving to be very temperamental. It was open and growing (one head to now 4-5) and now it's pouting again. Still trying to find it's "happy spots" in water clarity needs, flow and lighting. It seems to be different than my large colony.
Boyfriend fragged some of his leather mushroom (it was too big and breaking anyway). So I am holding a frag rack with 5 I think. We need to find a LFS or nearby one that will be decent to work with on trading our extras/frags to.
My leather mushroom is "shading" an acan and a mummy eye chalice too much now. I'm terrified of fragging it's perfect circle shape, but I think it's past due time for a trim.
I fragged some of my finger sinularia leather as well, gave a few pieces away but still have 3 to trade out. I need to cut the main branch back again too!

Synna · Feb 17, 2020

Pictures! I am hoping some of these are a bit more clear than the last sets. Still taken with phone instead of the "real camera". Next set I ever take, I hope to take with the Nikon 5600 instead!

The clowns were a challenge. They kept trying to photo bomb every pic I was trying to take.

This below is the "angry picky" duncan mentioned in the post above that is far more sensitive to water parameters than the large one. It's "angry" right now, a little better after my most recent water change. I was still surprised that this little guy actually started out as a single head originally.

This below is the large duncan colony. Not as neon green that I can tell, larger heads and tentacles. But this colony is thriving!

Synna · Feb 17, 2020

This not so little anymore leather mushroom, was originated on a simple tiny plug. It's now shadowing my acan and behind it is my large mummy eye chalice.

Synna · Feb 17, 2020

One of my favorites below. The bright green with amazing beautiful contrasting black polyps. This has more then doubled from the original size when I bought it.