12 gallon Aquapod experience

[zygote2k]

Back in July, I set up a 12g Aquapod for my friend. Dave had a 90 full reef set-up previously but decided to scale down a bit. The basic kit with PC lighting was chosen and here are some of my experiences with it.

 

7/14/08

Tank set up out of the box plus 10 gallons of water, 15# live sand, 10# live rock, chaeto, a few crabs, snails and some Anthelia.

Also installed a Rio 90 in left corner for additional circulation.

I thought that the whole kit including the stand was very simple and friendly.

 

7/17/08

Went to BRK to stock up. 2 Ocellaris clowns, Pygmy Angel, Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp, some zoas and other misc. corals.

Over the next few weeks, the temp started to become an issue. Light timers were installed and this dropped the temp by a degree or two, but overall temp was hovering in the low 80's. Dave turned down the AC.

 

August-

 

I introduced some macros from my tank. Dragons Breath, Green Dichthyota, Chaeto, and Ochtodes. The Anthelia really took off along with the purple mushrooms.

 

In September, the Pygmy Angel bit the dust as well as the cleaner shrimp. A Mandarin was purchased but wouldn't eat man-made foods as promised. It now lives in my refugium. Also a replacement shrimp was purchased. Everything was growing rather well for a tank without a skimmer. Hmmm...

 

By October, everything was growing quickly. There was a sudden bloom of diatoms and cyano. The temp wouldn't go below 80. With the return and an additional powerhead, there still didn't seem to be enough flow. Trouble in paradise.

Edited December 22, 2008 by zygote2k

[zygote2k]

I realized that the extra Rio 90 was adding an extra 1.5 degrees and the loc-line return splitter added another 1.5 degrees. By removing these 2 items, I decreased the overall temp by 3 degrees.

The loc-line caused the return pump to overheat and it also diminished the return current significantly. With the loc-line removed, there was more than enough current in the whole tank.

 

By the next week, the temp had dropped to 78 degrees but the diatoms and cyano still persisted.

I removed all of the filter media and cut the filter sponge in half. I also siphned out all the debris in the chamber (lots!)

In place of the filter media, I filled a mesh bag with Aragamax and created a mini deep sand bed. No more diatoms or cyano!

 

Water tests last week reveal the following:

Alk: 5dkh- a little low.

Ca: 350ppm

N03: 0ppm

ph: 8.02

Sal: 1.029- a little high.

This is what it looked like as of yesterday before the restructuring and addition of SPS.

 

Here are some close-ups of some of the macros.

Edited December 22, 2008 by zygote2k

[zygote2k]

This tank is doing great! Montipora starting to show signs of growth. Dave does 1 gallon water changes every 6 days and feeds the 2 clowns and shrimp once a day. Macros are doing well and proving to be capable of nutrient uptake. No skimmer needed!