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Hello DMV! I started reef keeping around 2 years ago. Still only 1 tank in. I am a chemist in Rockville area. Ive had pretty good luck so far with my 20 gallon mixed reef and wanted to formally join the community. I'll create a thread for my tank soon but here are a couple of pics. Im itching to upgrade to a ~100gal peninsula. Main bains are vermitid and no polyp extension. Brice

So after two years of this 3 gallon Fluval sitting dry in my closet, fretting over which light replacement I will need, I FINALLY have ordered all my kit in order to start filling this tank! I have the Niello Par38 light on the way, may or may not upgrade this depending on quality, but I have seen some other people have this light on their nanos so hopefully it works out! Plan is to have a Zoa Garden, GSP, maybe LPS down the road. Fish wise: 3 gallons is small. A frogfish was living in this in it's previous owners house (who was a very experienced aquarist). What type of fish would be appropriate for this size aquarium, the more charismatic the better. If the answer is "nothing" then that is also fine too. (Would love to do dwarf seahorses, but getting captive reared ones seems difficult these days after the government was petitioned to put them on the ESA. If anyone knows a reputable source for them I would be interested to know!). Only needs left are sand, and epoxy. Once everything arrives this week, I will be putting it together, posting pictures, and letting this baby cycle. I have never had such a small aquarium before so this will be an experience!

Hi, I have this 2.5/ 3gal fluval that has a freshwater light, I may have already posted this question somewhere else. BUT I am thinking of purchasing a Par 30 or 38 bulb on a gooseneck, with the hopes of doing softies-- generally a zoa garden with a goby- main goal but MAYBE some LPS/ SPS? depending how it goes down the road- i do not need overkill lights at the current moment. But these lights only have an on off, there is no switch to only put on the actinic. I was wondering should I get an all Actinic bulb as well, or should is there something that can provide some "moon light" at night. or is that just unnecessary all together? Here is the Bulb i was planning on, if anyone knows of a better one please let me know :-D I am trying to do this tank on a shoestring as much as possible because it is so small, i just do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on a light. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CXTZN2Q/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2TWRNEH2276JE https://www.amazon.com/LUMENTEK-Aquarium-Light-Lighting-Aquariums/dp/B01G4BRRN6/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1469562829&sr=1-1&keywords=par+38+reef+bulb Any opinions and recommendations appreciated.

I was waiting to post a tank thread here, as I knew a (small) upgrade was imminent! For the past two years I have been slightly neglecting an Innovative Marine 10 gallon, partially due to not loving the dimensions, and partially due to an illness I had that kept me incapacitated for about 6 months. Once I was better, I began to tend to my reef again and really feel some love for the hobby, but my tank just wasn't what I wanted it to be. I have always loved nanos, and the dimensions on the new IM 25 lagoon immediately caught my eye, so I pulled the trigger last week! I wouldn't say my 10 gallon was fully stocked by any means, but it was starting to fill in a little bit with some things I just wasn't that in love with, and a semi-fresh start like this feels like a great way to re-evaluate what I want out of my small reef. Here is the last full tank shot of my old tank: I don't really have anything else to post yet, as the tank hasn't even gotten wet, but I expect to finish the stand tonight and (hopefully) get it wet tomorrow! The plan is to just do a straight up transfer with new sand and saltwater (mixing since yesterday), throw a little Stability in, and keep a close eye on it. I don't plan on adding anything else until I am sure the transfer went well. Enjoy!

I just got my first reef tank 10g nano, light stock so far. I found people using desktop organizers as a trickle tower and a plastic bin as a sump. After some research I found these types of filtration increase nitrates in the system. How can I get around this? How can I best set up this system?

So I've finally gotten around to setting up an actual display tank! Hopefully, this is going to keep me occupied for a long time. Much easier to keep up with a nano's 2g once a week/every other week water change than in my previous huge tanks where I needed 2 brute trashcans worth. And my recent pick up from Incredible Corals. So far I just have my C. cyanea damsel female. It's pretty cramped compared to her old tank but she's well fed and not chased by the male anymore so she seems relatively content. I've modified the Evolve (who doesn't mod these things?) with a new Coral Compulsion Par30 18k bulb, an Avast ATO, a diy media basket with filter floss, chemipure (doing amazing for hair algae and diatoms which are magically nonexistent) and just added purigen today. Hopefully that and my current weekly water changes help with keeping the nitrates down. I'm feeding heavily but I'm not sure if I can help it. My cucumber somehow survived the move, so I'm torn between over feeding so it doesn't starve or upgrading (not really on the agenda). Things I still need to work on; I need to get a skimmer that fits in the tiny space in the back or a hob. This little tank definitely needs more water movement than I have, but every time I turn on the koralia 240 it's like a hurricane. I'm wondering if an MP10 would be better. The great thing about this little tank is the ease of maintenance, and that I can use all the stuff I never got around to putting on my old tank on here. Even have my Neptune ACIII on this. I'm even tempted to add a big sump to it, just for kicks. I'd like to get an okinawa goby or something similar (I'd like to do a lot actually but my damsel is a little prohibitive) but it's probably too much on the bioload and I won't be doing anything until I can get my nitrates fully under control. And somehow I have a 20g QT going for my 8g display.. how does that work?!

Hey Guys, Sly Reefer from Bowie, Maryland here. Decided to keep a journal of some kind on a website so I can learn and keep track of my progress on this great adventure of reef aquariums. I know this hobby can be very rewarding if done properly so I made sure I had 100+ hours of research on the subject before diving in. After coming across may setups, some complicated and some rather simple, I decided bio cube 29 gallon in my bedroom would be a good choice for me. My father kept guppies when I was younger and I have always loved fish and the reefs. Being able to mimic this in my living room got me very excited and off I went to amazon. Main Compartment Coralife BioCube Aquarium Stand, Size 29 CaribSea Arag-Alive 20-Pound Special Grade Reef Sand, Bimini Pink Temperature Control EHEIM Jager Aquarium Thermostat Heater 100W Liquid Crystal Horizontal Aquarium Thermometer HDE LCD Digital Fish Tank Aquarium Thermometer Extra Lighting 2 of Coralife Energy Savers ACL15608 Biocube Led Light Bar, Blue Cleaning Products Biocube Algae Cleaning Magnet KollerCraft Aquarius Aquarium Fish Net with Stainless Steel Handle, Medium 25 Foot - Python No Spill Clean and Fill Aquarium Maintenance System Water Maintenance and Circulation Hydor Koralia Evolution 750/850 Aquarium Circulation Pump, 750-850 GPH Coralife BioCube Protein Skimmer for Aquarium Filter Biological Filter Pura (Magnavore) APU00414 3-Pack 300-Micron Media Bags for Aquarium Filter, 6 by 12-Inch Seachem Matrix Carbon 100ml Seachem Matrix Bio Media 1 Liter 2 of Eshopps AEO19070 Square Foam Aquarium Filter, Large Seachem Purigen 100ml Poly Filter Pad 4 X 8" Test Kits API Saltwater Master Test Kit Coralife Energy Savers ACLAF877 Deep Six Hydrometer If you notice I went with a higher water flow and with a better filtration system then originally comes with this system in anticipation of adding future corals. When filling the tank I used nutri sea water and water from my lps (Tropicals in Glen Burnie) After finally setting up the tank with everything in it on 2/22/16 I was able to run the tank successfully but with temperatures as high as 83.3 I then realized my water level was double the max line and lowered it to where it needed to be. This then dropped the temperature to 81.03 which is better but not optimal. I was able to achieve a constant salinity of 1.025 and a ph of 8.2. I am not worried about ammonia, nitrite and nitrate at this time. My primary concern was dropping the temperature, so after researching about 2 hours I came across a solution that a fellow reefer had tried with the same tank to achieve a constant temperature of 78. Tank Cooling Addition Sanatop Aquarium Cooling System Fan Chiller + AC Adapter (6-Fan) Zoo Med AquaSun Aquarium Controller Timer & Power Strip I was almost dreading the fact of having to buy a chiller for this unit as I felt it was a little overkill. With this attached and the back door removed, the unit looks very classy and stays cooler. The unit is also on a hinge to move up and down with the tank door. So I am currently waiting for this unit. On 2/22/16 I also added 20 pounds of dry rock. On today, 2/26/16, took a sample of water to my lps and test came out ok. No nitrites or nitrates and a little bit of ammonia. Decided to buy 6 lb of live rock and add it to the tank. Guy at the lps recommended some blue legged hermit crabs. Bought 12 for 8$. SCORED BIG TIME. Paid 100 dollars for rock. Came with following inhabitants: Torch coral, pistol shrimp, and some unidentifiable. The lps did not realize the critters were inside but did mention that anything attached to the rock was included. I feel really excited about the surprise torch and shrimp. The shrimp is shy and lives in a small cave at the top of the rock. The coral the size of a dime is small but seems to like the water flow. It also seems to be moving closer to the light. Now I have pictures and also need help identifying some things in the tank. What I believe is the pistol shrimp Unidentifiable white star Another Shot of white star and another brown star in top right

I'm thinking of setting up a JBJ rimless 30 cube using the AI Hydra 26 HD. Has anyone tried out the new AI Hyper Drive Hydra 26 or 52? There are some alternatives that may not offer the same functionality, but offer strong lighting. The OceanRevive Arctic-T247 is a good light but may be a bit much. Kessil A160 may be too little control. The Radion XR15w is a good competitor, but at a higher price than the Hydra HD with fewer perks, I'm leaning toward Hydra. I'd of course like to save some money, but wanting a diverse array of corals, an awesome looking tank, cool lighting control and features, and simplicity of operation in general, the AI Hydra seems good. If you recognize my name on here, you'll know I've been jumping all over the place. I almost pulled the trigger on a 60cube, 50 starfire, 24s, and even a 90cube at some point. In the end, I'm looking for a upper sized nano that will let me grow out some nice frags. I'd rather have bigger and better with a sump and all the under-tank support, but since I'm in an apartment and unsure of when we're moving, this seems like a smart temporary fix. Having that in mind, I'd love to hear some "easy-to-relocate" tank ideas to compete with the JBJ cube. I know there are the Innovative Marine tanks out there, but I like the cube shape far better. Plus, this is a cheaper option. Other thoughts? Thanks everyone!

So I just joined WAMAS. Hello to everyone. I just wanted to introduce myself. Growing up I've always had a fish tank (freshwater). I've always enjoyed keeping fish and plants, there was always a draw to it. My love of aquariums was put on hold when I went to college, then marriage, then kids. My kids are finally old enough to where they don't need my constant attention and I have a few bucks to spend. So I said to myself, keeping aquariums always made you happy, lets start a reef aquarium (in my mind seemed like the most challenging aquarium to keep). So here I am 6 months into it, pure love for my slice of the ocean. This is what I have: -Innovative Marine 38g -x1 Hydor Slim Skim Nano -30 pounds dry rock (BRS) -10 pounds of fiji live sand -x1 powerhead (forget the flow/brand) -x1 Innovative Marine 24" Skkyelight Dimmable Dual LED Strip 26 Watts -x1 300 watt heater -I set up a refugium in one of the chambers in the back with Chaeto (growing well and reduced my nitrates ) Livestock: -x1 red zoo (they never all seem to be opened at one time) -x1 pulsing xenia (growing like crazy) -x1 purple xenia (growing like crazy) -x1 Neon green favia (alive but no growth) -x1 Neon green star polyp (growing slowly, but healthy) -x1 Green bubble tip anemone (just got it, hiding in the back, what a punk) About a month ago I had an Ick outbreak that killed all my fish except for x1 O Clown that I saved and put into a QT tank. I learned my lesson and I plan on QT'ing every fish I buy going forward. Lesson learned. Any advice on my tank or livestock I would appreciate. Or just words of wisdom. I look forward to learning more and getting to know the community. Regards, David

I'm thinking of getting one of these for my desk at work, has anyone tried one? for the price I dont think I can find a better deal, I plan on keeping some zoas, Ricordea and inverts, thinking of a watchman goby and pistol shrimp. may add an adult Sohal tang later any thoughts? http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=15493

I have been thinking of starting this thread for more than a year now but never got time. Finally now that I am planning to upgrade again I thought it would be nice to put the tank progression pics on this forum. As some of you know I started with a 6gallon Fluval Edge nano tank about 3 years ago and then I ran out of room to place corals so I upgraded to my current ELOS midi tank. Now I am running out of room in this tank so this time I am planning on going big...big like 180g . That tank is still in planning phase. Here are the details of my current tank and some pics below Tank: ELOS MIDI Sump: ELOS SUMP 400 Return Pump: Sicce 2.0 Water Movement: 2 x MP10ESW Skimmer: PS200 Light: Vertex Illumina 260 LED ATO: ELOS Osmocontroller Filtration: Filter sock + NextReef MR1 Shorty reactor for GFO and Carbon The tank is placed such that all 4 sides are visible. The front of the tank has corals which require more light and the back of the tank has my LPS corals. Did My rock structure with BRS rock and E-Marco My favorite inhabitants - Yasha goby and Tiger Pistol shrimp. The pistol shrimp is responsible for taking numerous frags and one maxima clam in his tunnel never to be seen again. My latest prized possession 'ORA Red Goniopora' - got it from Quantum Reefs. This has already grown in size since i got it couple of months ago This pink bridsnest came from Evan (DerABT) and when I got it from him more than 2 years ago it was less than 1/2 inch big. My penderson shrimp decided to live in my plate coral from the day I bought it. He is really beautiful and this photo doesn't do justice to him Side tank shot of the front of the tank got this as a single head and now it has more than 20 heads Back side of my tank - LPS side with xenia growing on overflow, blue ochtodes algae and blue green sympodium growing side by side ORA Purple Stylo The guys who is always hungry and stealing food from my LPS and fish Token top down shot For more pics you can visit this link Cheers Dip

I think I did ok with the rock placement. Not much room to work with. I'm really liking this Orphek pr 25 led bulb. The shimmer is amazing! Still lots to do, I plan to make a gravity ATO next. Any one know of a good design?

http://reefbuilders.com/2013/06/12/cad-lights-pls50-nano-skimmer/ Features and specifications for the new PLS-50 Pipeless Protein Skimmer Dimensions: 3.5" x 3.25" x 15" Speed: 190 GPH Air Draw: 187 LPH Pin-wheel impellers Noise emissions: 5dB over audible sound Aquarium Capacity: 10G to 50G 100% Cell-Cast acrylic Easily disassembles in 3 pieces Built in Bubble-Plate Patented lock knob for tension control and full lock of water level adjustment Sliding tank mount for higher or lower settings CAD Lights patented Pipeless design CAD Lights TIA Pro skimmer pumps Includes up-and-down adjustable bracket 3-piece assembly, easily disassembled Comes out July 15th. Going to give this one a shot in my Nuvo 30 gallon. Will post a review once I get it set up for anyone interested.

HI, I recently upgraded the smallest of my 3 tanks. Went with the IM 8.....already upgraded media basket, and pump. Running CPE, Purigen, and filter floss. The pump I am using is the Hydor Pico Evolution 300gph (stock 92gpm). Anyways, pump works great with stock return nozzle. Soon as I add Spin stream, I swear the return power drops 50%!! Anyone have any advice they can give? I could deal with the larger size of the spin stream, or the loud noise the spin stream puts out, as I was expecting from reviews........however the power loss seems to be to much of an issue.

Hi, everyone, I'm returning to the hobbie after been away for 6 years... it was paintful to sell my baby but i was moving and with all the equipment fishes and corals was just impossible to save it all, now I have plans to get a 28G Nano cube, I just feel overwhelmed with all the things that i need to remember ( levels, equipment, testers etc ) i'm not sure where start also i don't want to broke my walet (again) neither my wife will let me, lol. so any help will be greatly appreciate it (edited) See you guys around...