Waterbox 20 build/progress

[Metal_Angler]

Ordered a cheap macro lens with some filters for my smartphone. I'll be posting pics of the frags and such I've picked up recently after I receive the item in the mail and have some time to mess around with it.
So far just have a chalice, Birdsnest, Duncan, and a Cyphastrea. Trying to glue GSP to the back wall but it keeps falling off anybody reading have any suggestions?

 

[Waynerock]

I glued a small piece a few months ago. I used a whole tube of the dollar store crazy glue gel. I had to hold it there for two or three min. Sometimes it starts to come loose but I just glue it back down. I blame my snails. When I did this it was about a .50 piece in size and look how fast it has grown. I guess at least till it’s cured make sure you have little to no flow hitting the back wall

 

[Metal_Angler]

I glued a small piece a few months ago. I used a whole tube of the dollar store crazy glue gel. I had to hold it there for two or three min. Sometimes it starts to come loose but I just glue it back down. I blame my snails. When I did this it was about a .50 piece in size and look how fast it has grown. I guess at least till it’s cured make sure you have little to no flow hitting the back wall

Thanks for the tips! Guess I'll just use the rest of the tube and give it a go. I'll do it at night when my flow is weakest at a good spot on the lower part of the tank.

 

[Iván Olalla]

Welcome and great start! A controller is not needed, but i can keep costs down and a more stable tank. Let me explain myself: i've an 8 gallon pico reef with a controller (you can visit my build thread if you like). In that amount of water changes happen fast, you need to keep them in range: ATO= no salinity swings, heather and a fan to keep temp stable, there you need a temp controller as a failsafe and as a device that keeps one working while the other stays off= power savings...also you need timers for your lights.... So far 3 different devices that a cheap controller will outperform in function and cost.

An used Reefkeeper Lite in eBay goes for about 100 USD, you might need to replace temp and ph probes tough, but with that you can control a heather, a fan or chiller, it's an ATO system on it's own and timer, so for me is a no brainer.

Keep up posting your progresa!

Regards

 

[WMR]

Welcome to R2R! Everybody here is very helpful. Good luck with your build

 

[Metal_Angler]

Welcome and great start! A controller is not needed, but i can keep costs down and a more stable tank. Let me explain myself: i've an 8 gallon pico reef with a controller (you can visit my build thread if you like). In that amount of water changes happen fast, you need to keep them in range: ATO= no salinity swings, heather and a fan to keep temp stable, there you need a temp controller as a failsafe and as a device that keeps one working while the other stays off= power savings...also you need timers for your lights.... So far 3 different devices that a cheap controller will outperform in function and cost.

An used Reefkeeper Lite in eBay goes for about 100 USD, you might need to replace temp and ph probes tough, but with that you can control a heather, a fan or chiller, it's an ATO system on it's own and timer, so for me is a no brainer.

Keep up posting your progresa!

Regards

I noticed that my tank overheats if the AC is left above 75°F in my new place. Kinda sucks but it is what it is with the Florida heat. I think I would feel a lot more comfortable if I were to implement a fan or something into a controller. Kinda sold me on it. I plan on a ReefKeeper sometime soon. Hopefully within a month or two.

My light and wavemaker are connected to Wifi and don't need a controller but I think it'll still be worth the piece of mind it brings. I could run my fuge light on it though! Boom.


Tank is full of pods... pod culture arrived today (lol) so I'll be putting the final touches on the fuge and dump them in. I got some Marine Pure blocks and a pod pack from AlgaeBarn to beef up my fuge before I add fish.

A fish and probably some more coral frags will be added in about a month or two. Want to take things slow and let the ecosystem establish. Waiting on a macro lens and filter to take pics of corals. Should be here by the end of the week.

 

[Metal_Angler]

Welcome to R2R! Everybody here is very helpful. Good luck with your build

I've noticed. I like the environment this place has.

 

[Iván Olalla]

I noticed that my tank overheats if the AC is left above 75°F in my new place. Kinda sucks but it is what it is with the Florida heat. I think I would feel a lot more comfortable if I were to implement a fan or something into a controller. Kinda sold me on it. I plan on a ReefKeeper sometime soon. Hopefully within a month or two.

My light and wavemaker are connected to Wifi and don't need a controller but I think it'll still be worth the piece of mind it brings. I could run my fuge light on it though! Boom.


Tank is full of pods... pod culture arrived today (lol) so I'll be putting the final touches on the fuge and dump them in. I got some Marine Pure blocks and a pod pack from AlgaeBarn to beef up my fuge before I add fish.

A fish and probably some more coral frags will be added in about a month or two. Want to take things slow and let the ecosystem establish. Waiting on a macro lens and filter to take pics of corals. Should be here by the end of the week.

Awesome! A fan blowing the surface and your wavemekers pointing a little up in order to cause surface agitation is enough to keep your temp cooler, just be careful to have top off water for your tank so salinity doesn't climbs up!

 

[Metal_Angler]

Awesome! A fan blowing the surface and your wavemekers pointing a little up in order to cause surface agitation is enough to keep your temp cooler, just be careful to have top off water for your tank so salinity doesn't climbs up!

I think I have plenty of surface movement. I just have my wavemaker and return nozzle pointed straight out parallel the surface. It kinda creates a gyre type affect. I like it.
ATO is installed and running. Waiting on RO unit in the mail.

 

[Iván Olalla]

I think I have plenty of surface movement. I just have my wavemaker and return nozzle pointed straight out parallel the surface. It kinda creates a gyre type affect. I like it.
ATO is installed and running. Waiting on RO unit in the mail.

Then a fan will work for sure!

 

[Metal_Angler]

Coral/FSV update:

 

[Metal_Angler]

Forgot this one

 

[Metal_Angler]

Coral and stock list so far with some more pics:

• Tiger Pistol Shrimp

• Cerith Snail ×2

• Astrea snail ×2

• Jason Fox Jackolantern Challace

• GSP on back wall for a future GSP background. Glued to the bottom as they grow faster upwards and it'll look better faster.

• Duncan head ×1

• Cyphastrea of some kind.

• Birdsnest with green skin, blue polyps.

• Toadstool. Looks blue with green polyps. Maybe just a "Neon Green Toadstool?"

Also, noticed 2 of these little guys in the last pic on the glass. Any ideas?

The fuge is up and running with a ton of Marine Pure on the bottom and some Calurpa on top. Seeded with at least 5 different species of copepods and other microorganisms. I dose Oceanmagic and Phyto Feast daily and drop in some sinking fish pellets I'm pretty sure my shrimp grabs at night. (She's shy but they're gone by morning.)

I think the tank is running well. Keeping up with weekly water changes and the ATO keeps her stable. Just gonna let her sit for a while and let the ecosystem balance out before anything else goes in.

Inverts and frags from @TopShelfAquatics . Lucky to have a great LFS close by.
Next upgrades are a controller and a fan. Stay tuned.

 

[Metal_Angler]

Aquarium update:
I think that creature in the last pic is a hydriod. I also had a stringy fuzz on my sand bed and rock-work. Brown in color. I ran the fuge 24/7 for a couple days and it helped but when I noticed a couple strands of the stuff on my jackolantern, I decided to do a 3-day blackout. The blackout ended this morning so I am excited to go home today and see what the system looks like now.
Other than that, nothing else to report. Waiting till the end of next month before adding a fish as my GF and I have a vacation planned soon. Also gives the ecosystem more time to balance out after the removal of this nuisance algae. Taking things slow is key and I just need to keep reminding myself of that.


Thank you to anyone reading and following along on this reef systems' journey.
I will post more pics later today.

Side note- Caulurpa grows stupid fast in my fuge. I can see it grow throughout the day! Crazy.

 

[Metal_Angler]

Front tank shot and a pic of a chaetopterid worm I spotted yesterday.

 

[Metal_Angler]

This one is a little better.

 

[Metal_Angler]

Don't know what to do so I'm venting on here.
My Aqamai stopped working for no reason. Just get a blinking red light. I called them 5 minutes after they opened and left a message but I guess they're top busy today to call me back.
Didn't want to wait for a reimbursement or return as my tank already shows signs of lack of flow so I got an icecap 1k to fill the void. Awesome. Started it up real quick at %50 and it looks solid.
I also got a teffo aquarium controller, chord organizers, and a fan in the mail today so I got to work installing all this new equipment. Awesome! Cleaner stand and new gear is always something to look forward to.. except I can't get this dang controller to connect to wifi. Haunting everything I started doing halfway through.
I panic, they using other devices to connect, try to resolve the problem on my own the best I can but fail. I take to the web but I can't find any support because this product is new so not a lot of people have experience with it yet I guess. Can't find a contact number for a support line anywhere.. I feel like I'm just floating in the water with no direction or assistance. Is the product faulty or ******? Wish I knew but can't find a way to contact anyone.
Don't know what to do about the mess I created while trying to install the new equipment. Don't know what to do about this "controller" and I'm frustrated. Rawr.

 

[Metal_Angler]

Got a baby horseshoe crab to help stir up my sand bed. Figured it's one of a few things that my pistol shrimp won't kill and eat..
Also posting pics of Benny the Blenny and Ace the Mandarin. [emoji4]