Venturing Squirrel's venturing back into the reef

[Venturing Squirrel]

I figured it was time to get salty again. Back in 10/2020 my wife and I decided that there wasn't enough turmoil in our lives so we moved across country. Unfortunately I haven't had a saltwater tank since. Before our move I broke down and sold the vast majority of the equipment that I had so I decided that I would set up my little IM Nuvo 10 now to get back into the swing of things before I set up my larger tanks again (plus now I need to re-purchase everything). It's nothing super special but it is nice to have even a small tank to look at.

I went a bit against the mold and used the basic black aquarium sand since that is what I had on hand and I like the look of it. I ordered a few small softy colonies and some LPS to get a little color in the tank and will be adding to it as time goes on.

Here's a basic rundown of what I currently have:
IM Nuvo 10
Radion XR15 G3
Sicce Nova return pump

Regular mushrooms
Ricordeas
GSP
Pulsing xenia
Gold hammer
Bicolor hammer

Bicolor Blenny
Cleaner Shrimp
Some blue legged Hermits

Again, it's super simple and basic but it's enough to get me started and maybe grow a few things out a little before I start setting up my larger tanks. My ultimate goal is to do some finishing on my basement and then plumb my 3x 120g tanks into a single system and use my Nuvo 10 & Nuvo 40 as small frag/qt tanks. This will definitely take some time but that means I'm not going to rush it and set it up hastily (or so I tell myself).

 

[Venturing Squirrel]

I noticed today that there wasnt really enough flow in the tank for the euphyllia to move so I put my mp10 on the tank. I set it on reefcrest at 8% power and it's enough to get everything blowing around pretty good without causing problems (except the xenia getting sucked through it but it's, well, xenia). It appears that everything is starting to open up more with the higher flow so I'm happy about that.

Now for the problem I have with the tank... I want bigger. I'm seriously considering moving the stuff over to my 40g in the next couple of weeks. As much as I want to move it all right now I don't want to make so many changes at the same time that I crash everything.

Now a legit question, is there an easy way to secure some loose mushrooms to a rock?

Here's a picture of my puppy since the tank looks the same as yesterday.

 

[Venturing Squirrel]

Realized I haven't updated in a while so figured why not.

Quite a bit has happened in the last month and a half. Here are the cliff notes:

• My bicolor blenny and cleaner shrimp went to town on my euphyllia and reduced 9 heads to nothing but skeleton while I was on a work trip for 3 days. I was not happy.
• I moved everything from my 10g into the 40g (minus the blenny and shrimp, they get to stay in the 10g. Jerks).
• Went on a family vacation for a week and everything in the 10g and 40g stayed alive and healthy.
• I made the decision that I would just worry about setting up a single 120 for the time being and work on the multiple tank system in the future after I get some more finishing work done in my basement.
• My 120g is now up and running, currently minus sump due to some logistical mistakes on my part when I ordered stuff. Mistakes can be good things though.
• Everything from my 10g went into the 40g, and everything from my 40g went into my 120g. 10g has been shut down for now.

40g prior to move


40g currently


My new addition. Not sure about gender but it has been named "Rick"


Next post will be catch up on the 120.

 

[Venturing Squirrel]

Now onto my main current build.

• Perfecto 4' 120g
• 2x XR30 Pro G6 (currently running G4's while I wait for the G6 to arrive)
• CPR CS100 overflow
• Triton 44 V2 sump
• 2x Nero 7 powerheads
• Reef Octopus Classic 202-S skimmer
• 2x 300W Heaters
• Vectra L2 return pump
• Apex A3 Pro

The sump and skimmer are not currently up and running due to my not looking at or measuring the inside of my stand. Needless to say that they don't fit. Even though at first this was a bit of a frustration it has turned out to be a good thing. I don't see any reason why a slightly overside sump and skimmer would be a bad thing on a tank. I will be making a small stand for the sump that way it won't get accidentally kicked.

Once everything is up and running I will be working on building a cabinet for the electronics that I can keep separate and hopefully dry in the event of something going sideways with the tank.

10/17 was a good day!


As you can see the sump is a bit to big to fit in the stand and the skimmer was larger than I was thinking. No worries though, it can stay out and easier to access.



The tank is up and running with an FX6 on it to make sure the water stays nice and clear (glass is dirty still, I need to clean that). I am a huge fan of things looking natural and want this tank to look like something I've seen out diving. I added the macro algae's to the display for this exact reason. I don't want them to completely take over the display so I plan on trimming them and keeping them at a reasonable level.

A friend and local reefer gave me these bounce mushrooms but didn't remember what they were called. If anyone knows off the top of their heads I'd be appreciative.

Here is the 120 as she sits right now.