swiss1939
05/17/2014, 03:16 PM
Finally started my first reef tank after years of thinking about it.
Don't have much budget right now so I used a friends old 10Gal tank and went the minimal route without skimmer or RO/DI. Just using a modded Aquaclear 20 HOB with Polyfilter, carbon and PhosGuard.
Koralia 420 and 240 (420 constant, 240 randomized during day and off at night) and a RapidLED Par38 Mixed/UV 80deg bulb on for about 12 hrs.
Started off with 1 bag of LS and about 8lbs LR from LFS. Cycle was done in about 3 weeks with CUC put in at end purchased from Manhattan Aquariums (5 bumblebee snails, 2 nassarius snails, 1 yellow tipped hermit, 3 zebra nerites who seem to be laying eggs like crazy with one or two actually producing tiny snails). Put first coral in on 4th week and aquired from the Manhattan Reef Spring Frag Swap: 1 frag zoa, 1 frag acropora (free from the fragging demo), 1 hairy mushroom frag and two montipora frags (green and orange?).
I am using NYC tap water treated with tap water conditioner and Instant Ocean salt which aerates in a bucket for at least 12 hrs before putting into tank. Despite the tap water reading a constant 2ppm nitrates on API test kits and a constant phosphate reading of 2ppm, everything seems to be doing well. Just had my first diatom bloom which the CUC is making quick work of. After almost 2 weeks the acropora frag appears to be one of the happiest as it is encrusting over the superglue onto the LR I mounted it to. Montipora also seems to be doing ok slowly encrusting onto the plugs. The zoas seem to be happy fully extending with darker colors.. just haven't started splitting off new heads yet. The hairy mushroom is doing the best, really extending and enlarging from it's size at the frag swap!
Other than that, some beneficial hitchhikers include plenty of bristle worms that are getting large, spaghetti worms, peanut worms, a few tiny amphipods and copepods on rock/sand. Even have a stomatella snail that came on first day as a tiny speck and is now about quarter of an inch growing so fast. Unfortunately I did get aptasia off LR or some chaeto (which I initially put into the HOB but lighting was burning/killing it so I got rid of it). Been attacking the aptasia with aptasia-x, but every time I hit a few tiny ones I see, a few days later I seem to see a new one elsewhere.
Looking for low cost suggestions on maintaining consistency while still using NYC Tap? Should I stick with the combination of poly/carbon/phosguard or is there anything else I should use? Since putting phosguard in, my phosphates have come down to around .1-.25ppm (can't tell exactly as the API kits suck to judge small variations). I'm well aware everyone believes skimmer and RO/DI are mandatory, but at this time I cannot spend the money on either.
Also any livestock suggestions? Was thinking of getting a blood red fire shrimp, but not sure if I want any fish. Any coral suggestions?
Measurements:
Temp: 79.2 (consistent)
Salinity: 1.024-1.026 (mostly consistent)
Ph: 8 (doesn't seem to go above that at all except one reading of 8.2.. not sure how to get that into a consistent 8.2)
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate:1ppm
Ca:380-420 (with water changes)
KH: 10
Pho: was 2ppm before phosguard.. now seems to be .1-.25ppm
Tank is 1 1/2 mos old now.
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2376.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2377.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2378.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2379.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2380.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2381.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2382.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2383.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2384.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2385.jpg
Don't have much budget right now so I used a friends old 10Gal tank and went the minimal route without skimmer or RO/DI. Just using a modded Aquaclear 20 HOB with Polyfilter, carbon and PhosGuard.
Koralia 420 and 240 (420 constant, 240 randomized during day and off at night) and a RapidLED Par38 Mixed/UV 80deg bulb on for about 12 hrs.
Started off with 1 bag of LS and about 8lbs LR from LFS. Cycle was done in about 3 weeks with CUC put in at end purchased from Manhattan Aquariums (5 bumblebee snails, 2 nassarius snails, 1 yellow tipped hermit, 3 zebra nerites who seem to be laying eggs like crazy with one or two actually producing tiny snails). Put first coral in on 4th week and aquired from the Manhattan Reef Spring Frag Swap: 1 frag zoa, 1 frag acropora (free from the fragging demo), 1 hairy mushroom frag and two montipora frags (green and orange?).
I am using NYC tap water treated with tap water conditioner and Instant Ocean salt which aerates in a bucket for at least 12 hrs before putting into tank. Despite the tap water reading a constant 2ppm nitrates on API test kits and a constant phosphate reading of 2ppm, everything seems to be doing well. Just had my first diatom bloom which the CUC is making quick work of. After almost 2 weeks the acropora frag appears to be one of the happiest as it is encrusting over the superglue onto the LR I mounted it to. Montipora also seems to be doing ok slowly encrusting onto the plugs. The zoas seem to be happy fully extending with darker colors.. just haven't started splitting off new heads yet. The hairy mushroom is doing the best, really extending and enlarging from it's size at the frag swap!
Other than that, some beneficial hitchhikers include plenty of bristle worms that are getting large, spaghetti worms, peanut worms, a few tiny amphipods and copepods on rock/sand. Even have a stomatella snail that came on first day as a tiny speck and is now about quarter of an inch growing so fast. Unfortunately I did get aptasia off LR or some chaeto (which I initially put into the HOB but lighting was burning/killing it so I got rid of it). Been attacking the aptasia with aptasia-x, but every time I hit a few tiny ones I see, a few days later I seem to see a new one elsewhere.
Looking for low cost suggestions on maintaining consistency while still using NYC Tap? Should I stick with the combination of poly/carbon/phosguard or is there anything else I should use? Since putting phosguard in, my phosphates have come down to around .1-.25ppm (can't tell exactly as the API kits suck to judge small variations). I'm well aware everyone believes skimmer and RO/DI are mandatory, but at this time I cannot spend the money on either.
Also any livestock suggestions? Was thinking of getting a blood red fire shrimp, but not sure if I want any fish. Any coral suggestions?
Measurements:
Temp: 79.2 (consistent)
Salinity: 1.024-1.026 (mostly consistent)
Ph: 8 (doesn't seem to go above that at all except one reading of 8.2.. not sure how to get that into a consistent 8.2)
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate:1ppm
Ca:380-420 (with water changes)
KH: 10
Pho: was 2ppm before phosguard.. now seems to be .1-.25ppm
Tank is 1 1/2 mos old now.
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2376.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2377.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2378.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2379.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2380.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2381.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2382.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2383.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2384.jpg
http://www.throwcomputer.net/NanoReef/_MG_2385.jpg