Here goes nothing - WB Frag 55.2 First Reef Attempt

[AndrewRyan]

I have never documented a build before, but I have had the luxury of having spent some time following/catching up on others’ journeys in the forums here.  It’s a bit intimidating, actually, to commit to posting updates and actions along the way because of my inexperience.  However, I would guess that it is very much the point of posting for me.  I am happy to have a group of experienced reefers who are willing to say, “don’t do it that way, ya dummy.” ?

 

Anyway, I am still approximately 46 hours away from my tank arriving (who’s counting), so I suppose I will list my equipment gathered so far as well as what I hope to add shortly as I get going.  I will also discuss in this first post what I expect to do in my first days of setting up the tank so I can get any necessary rudder steer.

 

So, we begin…

 

Current Equipment

-Tank and Stand: Waterbox Frag 55.2 (I was initially going to go with a WB 20G cube, but was convinced that I should go larger if possible and this gives me the ability to play with a sump, which is something I have never done in all my years of freshwater setups)

-Lighting: AI Hydra 32 HD w/ mount

-Substrate: CaribSea Arag-Alive Fiji Pink (40 lbs.; don’t plan on using more than 30 lbs.)

-Rock: ~30lbs of Carib Sea Life Rock

-ATO: XP Aqua Duetto (I have an unopened Tunze Nano system, but was worried about bad reviews on it and whether it was designed for use in my system.)

-Return pump: Sicce Syncra Silent 3.0

-Internal pump: AI Nero 5 (Only have one currently. I suppose I will need another, but don’t know if this is an immediate necessity.)

-Heater: Hygger HG-921, 500 Watt and Eheim Jager TruTemp, 75 Watt (for water change heating)

-RO/DI: Marine Depot KleanWater 4-Stage Advanced RO/DI System - 100 GPD (I had to buy a pump for this due to the water pressure in my house being a tad too low.  It has worked swimmingly ever since, and I have about 50 gallons of 0 TDS water in my basement currently split between a 32G Brute and 3 food-safe 5G buckets)

-Salt: Tropic Marin Pro (160 gallon)

-Testing: Red Sea Foundation Pro Kit and API Saltwater Master Test Kit (I think that there are mixed feelings on this, but I am pretty comfortable with this system from experience with the freshwater variation.  Also, I hope to primarily use it just to get the tank cycled)

-Other odds and ends (If you have made it this far through the equipment list, I won’t punish you any further.)

 

Equipment I’m Planning On

-Skimmer: How soon do you think I will need one (Thinking hard about the Bubble Magus Curve 5)?

-Additional Internal Pump (Nero 5, as mentioned previously)

-Refugium setup (I have been toying with how to do this best in my system, but I guess it won’t be necessary until I have the nutrients to support it.)

 

If there is anything you think I will find immediately useful, I would appreciate the suggestion(s).  Otherwise, the plan is to spend this weekend putting together the tank and stand and playing with the setup dry.  I have an aquarium cycle kit from Algae Barn that contains Fritz Turbo Start showing up on Friday as well, so if I am feeling bold, who knows… maybe I’ll get this thing wet and start the cycling process as well.

 

Cheers,

 

Andrew

[YHSublime]

Hey Andrew, welcome to the club again if I didn't already comment on your intro post (I think I did.) 

 

That looks like a great list, and looks like you've put a lot of thought into what you want to do already. The good news is a lot of the issues you might run into with a tank that might need more customization are already addressed with your Waterbox. For example, you don't really have to worry about how you're going to plumb it, as it's already designed to plug and play. 

 

To answer your skimmer question, I'm not entirely convinced that you need one, depending on what you want to house. I think it's convenient to get one while you're setting up the other equipment, to learn how to dial it in and add it to your maintenance schedule. 

 

If I could pass along the best pieces of advice I think I've gotten, it would be:

"Remember nothing good in this hobby happens fast." - That's not to say it's not possible, but there's a lot of misinformation out there, I remember when I started in this hobby and somebody told me I couldn't keep an Red Bubble Tip Anemone (RBTA) because my tank wasn't at the 4 month mark. Of course that just made me want one even more, and I ended up propagating RBTA's in my 2.5 month old tank. Besides, who came up with that absurd, arbitrary length of time?

 

I've grown older, but not much wiser since, but remembering the above has served me well. Tony Vargas has a book I really enjoy, not only because it features beautiful aquariums set up around the world, but because he mentions the European method of cycling. This is essentially as simple as setting up your aquarium as it would normally run, but without adding any fish or corals for 3 months. It's hard to do. Something I did to encourage biological diversity in my tank was get scoops of sand or live rock from pest free trusted tanks and adding them in. 

 

The second piece of advice would be don't settle/compromise for lack of time/patience. Ooooooh, two related "take er' easy" posts! 

I've found this mostly to be true with scaping. I've setup tanks in a rush, "Oh, I just needed to get this rock cycling yesterday, I'll just throw this all in and work it out." Take your time, plan it out, I've broken down tanks because I wasn't 100% in love with my aquascapes. Same goes for skipping a dip of a coral because you trust who it came from, or perhaps adding a "with caution" reef safe fish into your tank. 

 

Anyways, enough rambling, the last piece of advice I'd like to offer is just keep taking photos. I love photos, and personally, it helps me track my journey, and it doesn't take a ton of time. I break out my DSLR every month or so, and can show you photos from inception to current day for the past 3 years. My family teases me, but I do the same thing at home with projects, renovations, anything, you can capture progression. 

 

Looks like you're on a great route, keep it up, keep asking questions, tagging along! 

[AndrewRyan]

7 minutes ago, YHSublime said:

Hey Andrew, welcome to the club again if I didn't already comment on your intro post (I think I did.) 

 

That looks like a great list, and looks like you've put a lot of thought into what you want to do already. The good news is a lot of the issues you might run into with a tank that might need more customization are already addressed with your Waterbox. For example, you don't really have to worry about how you're going to plumb it, as it's already designed to plug and play. 

 

To answer your skimmer question, I'm not entirely convinced that you need one, depending on what you want to house. I think it's convenient to get one while you're setting up the other equipment, to learn how to dial it in and add it to your maintenance schedule. 

 

If I could pass along the best pieces of advice I think I've gotten, it would be:

"Remember nothing good in this hobby happens fast." - That's not to say it's not possible, but there's a lot of misinformation out there, I remember when I started in this hobby and somebody told me I couldn't keep an Red Bubble Tip Anemone (RBTA) because my tank wasn't at the 4 month mark. Of course that just made me want one even more, and I ended up propagating RBTA's in my 2.5 month old tank. Besides, who came up with that absurd, arbitrary length of time?

 

I've grown older, but not much wiser since, but remembering the above has served me well. Tony Vargas has a book I really enjoy, not only because it features beautiful aquariums set up around the world, but because he mentions the European method of cycling. This is essentially as simple as setting up your aquarium as it would normally run, but without adding any fish or corals for 3 months. It's hard to do. Something I did to encourage biological diversity in my tank was get scoops of sand or live rock from pest free trusted tanks and adding them in. 

 

The second piece of advice would be don't settle/compromise for lack of time/patience. Ooooooh, two related "take er' easy" posts! 

I've found this mostly to be true with scaping. I've setup tanks in a rush, "Oh, I just needed to get this rock cycling yesterday, I'll just throw this all in and work it out." Take your time, plan it out, I've broken down tanks because I wasn't 100% in love with my aquascapes. Same goes for skipping a dip of a coral because you trust who it came from, or perhaps adding a "with caution" reef safe fish into your tank. 

 

Anyways, enough rambling, the last piece of advice I'd like to offer is just keep taking photos. I love photos, and personally, it helps me track my journey, and it doesn't take a ton of time. I break out my DSLR every month or so, and can show you photos from inception to current day for the past 3 years. My family teases me, but I do the same thing at home with projects, renovations, anything, you can capture progression. 

 

Looks like you're on a great route, keep it up, keep asking questions, tagging along! 

Thank you for the comments!  I have frequently heard that you have to be patient in this hobby and I am going to do my best to adhere.  I will tell you it doesn't come naturally, but it is getting better as I get older.  I don't know if I will go three months before adding any fish (the thought of explaining this to my 4 kids makes me smile), but I do plan on taking a measured approach and incrementally adding a few fish only after the tank appears to be cycled.

 

I have been somewhat forced to be patient as I research and plan waiting for the arrival of the tank and have probably rearranged my hardscape a hundred times.  I *think* I have finally settled on a hardscape.  I think the smaller footprint, and thus limited options, has kept me from going insane with possibility.  Would love to hear your thoughts on it though (towel beneath is folded to the measurements of the display)...

 

 

I have never been great about taking photos (my wife is sometimes annoyed by this), but I'm trying to commit to documenting the process on this build as I think it forces me to slow down and be more considerate, which will hopefully aid my patience.

 

Thanks again for the response!  You have been incredibly welcoming and your comments/thoughts are appreciated.

 

[YHSublime]

I love the rockwork. I'd just be cautious how close that arch comes to the top of your waterline. It all depends on what corals you plan to keep at the end of the day, but from an aesthetic standpoint, I'm digging it personally! 

 

You'd be surprised what you can get by in the tank. I've been glued to a CUC (Clean Up Crew) for months alone! Your moderated response on slowly adding fish will also serve you well, it's obviously not a requirement to take it super slow, but a helpful (and cheap) way to ensure success! 

 

Keep on keeping on! There's lots of folk here that are incredibly talented when it comes to all facets of reefkeeping, I'd love to see a resurgence of the build thread forum. 

[AndrewRyan]

27 minutes ago, YHSublime said:

I love the rockwork. I'd just be cautious how close that arch comes to the top of your waterline. It all depends on what corals you plan to keep at the end of the day, but from an aesthetic standpoint, I'm digging it personally! 

 

You'd be surprised what you can get by in the tank. I've been glued to a CUC (Clean Up Crew) for months alone! Your moderated response on slowly adding fish will also serve you well, it's obviously not a requirement to take it super slow, but a helpful (and cheap) way to ensure success! 

 

Keep on keeping on! There's lots of folk here that are incredibly talented when it comes to all facets of reefkeeping, I'd love to see a resurgence of the build thread forum. 

Wow, thank you!  I measured again and the top of the rockwork would only be ~5 inches below the waterline.  Back to the drawing board...

[howaboutme]

Nice rockscape!

 

Okay to use API for cycling. I'm using the same. Once you get into needing to understand your parameters more, switch to something a bit better.

 

By the way, I saw in the other thread that you have 45 tds from tap? Fredericksburg has some clean water! I get 130s in Fairfax County. Good luck!

[AndrewRyan]

By the way, I saw in the other thread that you have 45 tds from tap? Fredericksburg has some clean water! I get 130s in Fairfax County. Good luck!

I’m open to the idea that I have measurement error. I got the measurement from a TDS stick off Amazon (which I was skeptical of) and then it was confirmed with the TDS meter that came standard on my RODI unit. Measurements could be wrong, but they’re identical at least.

In your experience, do you find yourself checking ammonia, nitrite and nitrate much after you’re through your cycle? I understand there’s essentially constant mini cycles and I do make a habit of checking those parameters in my freshwater tanks, currently. I guess some of the videos (BRS) I saw in my ongoing research made it seem like it was more important to test calcium, alkalinity, etc than the nitrogen cycle products once cycle was complete.

If you don’t mind, what testing kit/company do you rely on?


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[howaboutme]

1 hour ago, AndrewRyan said:

 

I’m open to the idea that I have measurement error. I got the measurement from a TDS stick off Amazon (which I was skeptical of) and then it was confirmed with the TDS meter that came standard on my RODI unit. Measurements could be wrong, but they’re identical at least.

In your experience, do you find yourself checking ammonia, nitrite and nitrate much after you’re through your cycle? I understand there’s essentially constant mini cycles and I do make a habit of checking those parameters in my freshwater tanks, currently. I guess some of the videos (BRS) I saw in my ongoing research made it seem like it was more important to test calcium, alkalinity, etc than the nitrogen cycle products once cycle was complete.

If you don’t mind, what testing kit/company do you rely on?


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Sorry, don't overthink my comment. If you've confirmed w/ a TDS meter (that's calibrated) then you're good. Some jurisdictions have cleaner water than others. There are a few good threads that I can recall talking about this locally if you search key words.

 

I haven't cycled a tank in 8 years and I've only done one!  So I wouldn't call myself an expert. I recall testing almost everyday my first time because, well, it was my first time. You should do what you feel comfortable with. I'll be honest, I'm likely not going to do that w/ the current build. BRS is right, after cycling, you will not need to test NH3 or NO unless something is very wrong. You'll stick w/ NO3 and then CA, Alk, Mag, etc once you add corals.

 

I'll leave it to others to suggest test kits. I'm too far removed and doing the same considerations myself! I do have a Hanna Alk checker and used Red Sea 5/6 years ago though.

[AndrewRyan]

I was pretty excited to receive the tank and stand yesterday, which was faster than I thought it would arrive based on others feedback when ordering from Waterbox.  Of course, it helped that this particular setup was already in stock.  It came at ~1 p.m. and I went to bed at midnight; between these hours it was a rush (both in pace and excitement) of activity.  Probably doesn't bode well for my commitment to patience, but I had been staring at my equipment pile for weeks and was excited to finally put things to their proper use.

 

I will say that, true to reviews, the WB stand was challenging for me.  It wasn't so much the stand assembly, as getting the cabinet door hinges to where I needed them to be.  I settled on something less than perfection, but overall I think it turned out well.  Another difficulty came in assembling the mounting arm for the Hydra 32.  The universal instructions that came with were clearly not meant for my exact equipment, but with a little thought and frustration I was able to sort it out.

 

I think the lighting will need to be adjusted, but I have some time as I plan to cycle and then go fish only without lights for at least a couple of months.

 

 

This was the point at which I thought I would like to get to by then first day, but after dinner I decided to add the sand and RODI water I had made in preparation because... I'm impatient.  I knew it would be the case, but it is a pain moving ~50 gallons of RODI water from a Brute can in the basement to the tank's location on the 2nd floor.  It involves pumping water from the can to three five gallon food safe containers and then emptying those containers into the tank.  Luckily I had an extra pump for this that worked well.  My hope is that a weekly five gallon W/C will be substantially less painful.

 

Speaking of the tank's location... it was a last minute audible upon arrival.  I set the stand in place and after looking at the footprint and envisioning all the damage three boys under the age of 5 are capable of, we decided to move it to its current spot.  That used to be a recliner that my wife was particularly fond of... still not sure how I pulled that off.

 

Anyway, here's a shot of the tank with sand/water added that also shows the sump/cabinet.

 

 

As you can see, I have some cord management issues to sort out and I don't have any cabinet space to work with.  I want to avoid another cabinet next tot he tank so what I was thinking is maybe using a piece of 2ft x 2 ft piece of plywood to mount controllers cords to and sliding it behind the tank out of sight.  Open to additional ideas as well on what has worked well in similar situations.

 

As I mentioned, I don't plan on using the lights for some time, but I did flip them on to op check them and the kids were really impressed.  Looking forward to playing around with them in the future and getting dialed in.  I have a Nero 5 placed on the back right side wall and, if I am being honest, this is just for aesthetic reasons.  Any suggestions on alternative placement options (given what you can see from a static display of aquascape) are greatly appreciated.

 

 

I let the tank run through the night and everything is performing well.  I was really surprised at the little difficulty I had in getting the sump up and running quietly.  This is probably due to WB making their systems plug and play, but after a couple minor adjustment to the gate valve everything is whisper quiet.  I added the ATO this morning and it was super easy and quick to do.  I set the temp to 82 degrees for the benefit of the cycle and added 4 oz of Fritz Turbostart as well as Algae Barn Nitrocycle.  All that's left to do now is wait and test.

[howaboutme]

Looks great! That looks like a similar cabinet to mine. Does the PW2418 fit yours perfectly? That's what I have.

[AndrewRyan]

Looks great! That looks like a similar cabinet to mine. Does the PW2418 fit yours perfectly? That's what I have.

This one is the UV2424 and it fits as though it was made for the tank, though it took some getting use to with the half inch or so of the tank that hangs over the door when closed. I realize the look is supposed to be seamless, but it looks disconcerting when you have the door open. Overall, I like their cabinets. Right blend of modern sleek with utilitarian approach to finishes.


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[Yachaq]

It's looking great!

 

On 1/13/2021 at 7:28 PM, AndrewRyan said:

In your experience, do you find yourself checking ammonia, nitrite and nitrate much after you’re through your cycle? I understand there’s essentially constant mini cycles and I do make a habit of checking those parameters in my freshwater tanks, currently. I guess some of the videos (BRS) I saw in my ongoing research made it seem like it was more important to test calcium, alkalinity, etc than the nitrogen cycle products once cycle was complete.

 

In terms of tests, recommendations are shifting these days, but I found it useful to follow the cycle along with the usual tests (NH3, NO and NO3), specially if doing a fishless cycle. Later on, once I had some corals in, I added Alk, Ca and Mg, which I test regularly to make sure there are no significant shifts (specially in Alk). The Red Sea Foundation kit will get you there in the beginning and you will see if other test kit brands work better for you as you go along. I also test NO3 and PO4 from time to time to make sure values do not bottom out and trigger a dinoflagellate  outbreak or go too high. I find myself testing less and less of these last two as the system matures and feeding patterns are settled. It all depends on your specific conditions. With time you create your own routine and determine what feels comfortable for you and your system.

 

23 hours ago, AndrewRyan said:

I want to avoid another cabinet next tot he tank so what I was thinking is maybe using a piece of 2ft x 2 ft piece of plywood to mount controllers cords to and sliding it behind the tank out of sight.  Open to additional ideas as well on what has worked well in similar situations.

 

Hiding equipment is a little challenging without a separate cabinet but you may get away with putting some of it above the sump as other people do. That may create other problems due to humidity and salt creep on the equipment, but I seen several pictures of people putting equipment there. Maybe others will advise. One recommendation from the pictures is to take the power brick and other electronics from the floor next to the tank just in case there is some water spill. Also, if the outlet you are plugging things in is not a GFCI one, you might want to consider adding an adapter to it.

 

I'm interested to see what your results are with the bacteria-in-a-bottle and ammonium chloride. Did the same for mine using a different brand and it worked great.

 

Keep the posts coming!

 

[howaboutme]

Since you mentioned this on my thread. I found this on r2r and thought about you. Some good information and opinons especially a quick history (at the end of the thread) on the closed systems we are in now.

 

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/deciding-on-controller-what-do-you-hate-most-about-apex-ghl-and-hydros.795542/

[AndrewRyan]

Well, it has been a minute since my last update, but lots of activity.  Mostly me getting wet and rushing around and learning things the hard way.  But I’m having fun, at least.

 

I did make some improvements concerning cord management.  There was really no-good place to run cords that wasn’t on the floor next to the tank (considering I wanted to keep away from additional cabinet space being added).  I also wanted to avoid hanging anything above the sump which takes up most of the footprint of the cabinet.

 

I ended up settling with hanging an 8-outlet surge protector on the wall behind the tank.  The protector runs to a GFCI outlet I added as well.  It seems the likely evolution will lead to me acquiring a controller some point, if for nothing more than monitoring parameters, but I haven’t got one yet so this is what I’m operating with.

 

 

I have removed the filter socks that came with the setup and added in media cups.  I have heard that the socks clog quickly, and I like the idea of adding media to these cups as my situation dictates.  I ended up purchasing Carbon, GFO, and a dual reactor from BRS but there was a leak in the GFO side that wasn’t able to be resolved.  For their part, BRS is sending me a replacement quickly but from playing with the original I have no idea where to place it.  It’s bigger than I expected, and sump space is extremely limited (as I am sure is always the case).  Right now, I just have carbon in a filter bag placed in the second cup.

 

Speaking of the skimmer, I went with an Icecap K1 100 skimmer that had decent reviews.  The price seemed very reasonable as well, so I’m hoping it works out.  I haven’t got it running yet, but immediately noticed I will need a stand to raise it higher in the sump.  That is expected to arrive in the next couple of days and at some point I’ll undergo the process of trying to get it tuned.

 

 

I have a light diffuser and a custom lid on the way as well and they should arrive this week.  I don’t know what I expect from the diffuser to be honest, but it was moderately priced and had great reviews.  I was torn on the lid (it wasn’t cheap), but the company who makes it, Kraken Reef, does fantastic work and I will likely add fish at some point that may require it.  I think the lower height of my tank enables a top down view which I would like to have unobstructed, but since I’m planning on adding fish to the tank the lid is necessary.

[tpallas]

Looks great! How is the cycling coming along?

[AndrewRyan]

Looks great! How is the cycling coming along?

The cycle went quicker than expected. I was surprised at how well the TurboStart worked, but for good measure and on the possibility there might be strains of different BB I also added the original Zyme9 and dosed Microbacter7 daily. I have had a bit of Diatoms for the past week, but nothing excessive and it’s diminishing as well as I dose Microbacter Clean weekly.

I’ve added fish, clean up crew and a few corals to the tank actually and they seem to do be doing really well. I actually might be out ahead of myself here, but I am enjoying every moment. Will update soon with some pictures of the progress. Thanks for inquiring!


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[WheresTheReef]

On 1/26/2021 at 11:52 AM, AndrewRyan said:

I ended up purchasing Carbon, GFO, and a dual reactor from BRS

Are you testing for phosphate? Are your levels high and you need to lower them? As a beginner I ran carbon and GFO on my new tank because, well everyone online said so. In reality the GFO was stripping the phosphates excessively for good coral health. One thing that I’ve learned, and unfortunately still learning, is that you shouldn’t add something that isn’t needed by YOUR tank.

 

Glad you’re enjoying the hobby and looking forward to seeing your build.

[AndrewRyan]

Are you testing for phosphate? Are your levels high and you need to lower them? As a beginner I ran carbon and GFO on my new tank because, well everyone online said so. In reality the GFO was stripping the phosphates excessively for good coral health. One thing that I’ve learned, and unfortunately still learning, is that you shouldn’t add something that isn’t needed by YOUR tank.
 
Glad you’re enjoying the hobby and looking forward to seeing your build.

Testing for phosphates, yes. Running GFO, no. I did acquire some, but have heard horror stories about running phosphates too low and my phosphates are undetectable so far. I am running carbon and, again, dosing Microbacter Clean. Nothing else added to the tank. I’ve been testing three times a week for Alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium, nitrates, and Phosphates. Haven’t seen a decline yet, but when I notice one I plan to start dosing All for Reef. I do a weekly 10-20 percent WC with TM pro (benefit of a smaller tank) and it is holding my parameters steady so far. I have a decent amount of LPS in there currently.

Trying my best to stay ahead of problems since I moved quicker than is typically advised. So far, it has been without any problems but it is a young tank, I am still learning, and those may be “famous last words.”

But again... fun.

Will dedicate myself to posting pics this week and providing a proper update.


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[howaboutme]

Sounds like you have a good routine going! I do agree w/ only adding things as needed but nothing wrong with the routing you've decided to go down. The best thing about this hobby is that there are many ways.

 

For PO4....I am in the boat of not testing that as it will always not be fully accurate. Use your eyes. If you have algae, you have PO4 (like your diatoms now). If you're corals are doing good, perfect! Algae will always consume PO4 faster than you can test. That's why you hear some people say they have 0 PO4 but there is clearly algae (even a little). Research the NO3/PO4 balance, very important. Picts!

[AndrewRyan]

As I mentioned in previous posts, I have been moving faster than is advised.  I know it's the case, but I am hoping that through careful and diligent monitoring I can ward off or prevent potential problems.  That said, I am likely going to run into some turbulence (and I'm not sure there is any way to completely avoid problems regardless of planning and consideration).  I didn't intend to add as much as I did to the tank in such a short time period, but it just sort of naturally evolved.  Made several local acquaintances who have all been super helpful and had various items they suggested I could add to the tank if I was consistent in monitoring parameters and getting ahead of potential problems.

 

You will see that I have broken some of the generally accepted heuristics on time needed before adding certain things to the tank.  For instance, everything I have encountered says you need an established tank of 6 months (some say over a year) to have success with a BTA.  I had a local reefer who had an unexpected split and said I should try one and so... I am.  It seems super happy so far (early I know).  It stayed relatively in the same place I added it and I have been spot feeding it mysis when I feed the rest of the tank.  I was super excited to see the full "bubble" of it's tentacles as I read that some of them have stringier tentacles and there is debate on what cause a BTA to be more... well, bubbly.

 

I also throw myself at the reader's mercy regarding my Tomini Tang.  When he gets too big for the tank he will be rehomed (whether to some future upgrade of my own or another reefer's tank), but I hope that is not for some time as I really love to watch him in the tank.

 

A careful eye might also observe that I have a Flame Hawkfish in the tank with two skunk cleaner shrimp.  They may become an expensive meal at some point, I realize, but currently the Hawkfish and the skunk will rest together without any sign of predation.  If that changes, then it changes and I will have learned an expensive lesson.  The Hawkfish is one of the most personable fish I have had the opportunity to own.

 

I also have a six line wrasse which is a very pleasant addition to the tank so far.  All in all, I have been very happy with the livestock additions.  None hide, all ae eating well and there have been nearly zero signs of aggression.

 

As far as CUC, I have 9 Astrea snails and three Nassarius snails in the tank.  They do a good job of cleaning (I think) and move around the tank frequently.

 

Concerning corals, I have added the following:

 

(2) Duncan frags

(2) Heads Octospawn

(1) Trumpet colony

(6) Various zoa frags

(3) Heads of Hammer

(1) Nepthea

(1) Torch

(3) Favia/Favites frags

 

I have a dedicated "zoa garden" on an island and I hope to make dedicated euphyllia space on the left side of the tank and dedicate the front left of the tank for torches (which I really dig).  I'm leaving the rock towards the back of the tank and the arch open for SPS when the tank is ready (I'll wait I promise...).

 

Thankful that I only have a few minor challenges thus far:

 

-Clowns have not hosted the anemone (only been four days or so and not rushing this either way)

-Sump space remains limited and I would like to add a small refugium space (I'm researching some in sump or HOB refugiums as potential options)

-I have been manually testing every other day (sometimes two) for nearly all parameters and this is time consuming.  I don't mind it, just wonder if it's sustainable.  Have ordered Hanna checkers for Alk, Calc, Nitrates, and Phosphates so I hope that helps sustain good testing practices.  As mentioned previously, when the elements start to decline I plan on manually dosing All for Reef in the morning and evenings before and after work.  There just hasn't been a significant decline to warrant the dosing.... yet.

 

I guess I'll leave the post for now and include some pictures below.

 

Take it easy on the new guy, please. ;-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AndrewRyan]

[howaboutme]

Addicting isn't it? 

[AndrewRyan]

Addicting isn't it? 

Ha, absolutely!


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[tpallas]

lol that was fast. Looks great!

[lynn.reef.nerd]

Awesome!